Digital Commons Network^™

The U.S. National Park Service: Organizational Adaptation In An Era Of Complexity, Uncertainty, And Change, Anna Christina Mills

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Conservation agencies worldwide are facing rapid, volatile social and ecological change, which is especially problematic for bureaucratic, hierarchical conservation organizations that are designed to be stable and resistant to change. The current science and management paradigm based on Progressive era ideology is proving to be inadequate to deal with this change, and the need for a new paradigm that embraces complexity and uncertainty in our social ecological systems is emerging. The National Park Service (NPS) is one of these organizations that has acknowledged the need to better adapt to a changing environment. An external science committee recommends in Revisiting Leopold: …

The Bear In The Footprint: Using Ethnography To Interpret Archaeological Evidence Of Bear Hunting And Bear Veneration In The Northern Rockies, Michael D. Ciani

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Archaeological evidence of prehistoric bear hunting and bear veneration in the northern Rocky Mountains and northwestern Plains is presented. Ethnographic documents and the writings of trappers, traders, and explorers are assessed in order to establish an interpretative framework to help decipher archaeological contexts in the region that include bear remains and rock art depicting bears. Examining prehistoric archaeological contexts in Montana and Wyoming within this framework suggests evidence of bear hunting and veneration similar to the regional ethnographic record. Data trends imply there may be a relationship between such sites and variables like site location, seasonality, function, and age. Contexts …

Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Free Markets: Alec's Populist Constructions Of "The People" In State Politics, Anne Sherwood

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, has been championing neoliberal and neoconservative bills relatively unnoticed in statehouses across the country for years. Using the populist frame, I contend that ALEC creates a new subject position for its corporate and legislative members as small business owners and virtuous entrepreneurs. This rhetoric is also on display in Wisconsin, where Governor Scott Walker utilizes populist rhetoric to constitute "the people" as workers.

Impacts Of Urban Land Use Change On Sources Of Drinking Water In Kumasi, Ghana, Michael Kofi Eduful

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Land use has a major influence on water quality, and the issue is of great concern in developing world urban areas where there are competing land uses. Kumasi, Ghana like most cities in the developing world, struggles to control and prevent urban water supply pollution through appropriate water resource protection measures that minimize or eradicate adverse impacts of land uses. Presently all rivers in the city are highly polluted, including the one where raw-water is obtained for treatment and supply of potable water. This study investigates how sources of drinking water are impacted by land use in Kumasi, the implications …

Understanding The Nature Of Interactions Between Visitors And Mountain Goats (Oreamnos Americanus) On The Hidden Lake Trail, Glacier National Park, Sarah Ilene Markegard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examined interactions between visitors and mountain goats on the most heavily used trail in Glacier National Park. The primary objective was to give park managers a baseline of unbiased, reliable data with which to make informed decisions and improve the quality of interactions between visitors and mountain goats. Secondarily, this research was intended to achieve a thorough understanding of both human and wildlife responses during interactions on publically protected lands. The study was conducted over a two month period during the summer of 2013, and it was purely observational. Observations were recorded five days a week for approximately …

Quantifying The Hydrologic Impact Of Mountain Pine Beetle Disturbance In A Western Montana Ecosystem, James A. Reilly

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae, MPB) is a forest pest endemic to the Rocky Mountain West. Since the late 1990s, millions of hectares of lodgepole pine forest have experienced extensive tree mortality due to MPB disturbance and this may have significant implications for forested mountain water supplies. MPB disturbance may affect the amount of moisture that enters and leaves the forest hydrologic system, through changes in snowpack accumulation, snowmelt timing, transpiration and subsequently soil water content. The cumulative effect of these changes is that soil moisture is expected to be higher in disturbed forests as the hydrologic system responds to …

Fast Food Results In Similar Post-Exercise Glycogen Recovery And Exercise Performance Compared To Sport Supplements, Michael Joseph Cramer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A variety of dietary choices are marketed to enhance glycogen recovery after physical activity. Past research provides recommendations regarding the timing, dose, and nutrient compositions to facilitate glycogen resynthesis. This study examined the effects of isocaloric sport supplements (SS) vs fast-food (FF) on glycogen resynthesis and exercise performance. Eleven male completed two experimental trials in a randomized, counterbalanced order. Each trial included a 90-minute glycogen depletion ride followed by a 4-hour recovery period. Absolute amounts of macronutrients (1.54±0.27 g.kg-1 carbohydrate, 0.24±0.04 g.kg-1 fat, and 0.18±0.03 g.kg-1 protein) as either SS or FF were provided at 0 and 2 hours. Muscle …

"It Was My Job To Keep My Children Safe": Sandra Steingraber And The Parental Rhetoric Of Precaution, Mollie Katherine Murphy

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Advancing the environmental movement requires overcoming a number of rhetorical challenges. Rhetors must negotiate the significant dichotomies of environmental rhetoric including human/nature, public/private, and science/experience. Moreover, they face the challenge of educating and mobilizing uninformed citizens to take action. This analysis focuses on how Sandra Steingraber, an ecologist, writer, and environmental activist, negotiates these challenges. I argue that Steingraber negotiates these challenges by turning to three interrelated rhetorical strategies: the feminine style, autobiography, and synecdoche. I illustrate this through an analysis of two texts Steingraber wrote after becoming a mother: Having Faith: An Ecologist’s Journey to Motherhood, and Raising Elijah: …

Yerba Mate (Ilex Paraguariensis) Production, Agricultural Change, And Livelihood Security In Southeastern Paraguay, Mason Robert Bradbury

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Smallholders in Southeastern Paraguay are threatened by the advance of mechanized farming, environmental degradation, and limited access to credit and inputs. Agroforestry initiatives have been proposed as a way to increase smallholder livelihood security in the face of such vulnerability. Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a tree crop native to Paraguay that may be grown in agroforestry systems. While prices paid to farmers for yerba mate have increased in recent years, spurring interest and adoption of yerba mate production among some farmers, to this date, there have been no analyses of the effects that yerba mate production may have on …

An Alloy Of Steel And Information And Communication Technology (Ict): Does It Facilitate Trade?, Volodymyr Shemayev

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) over the last 20 years, particularly proliferation of the Internet, fixed-telephones, and mobile phones, have significantly reshaped the way modern firms do their business. The economic literature suggests that ICT could be a potential trade-enabler, given its ability to reduce costs of search and communication between trade partners. This research intends to examine whether ICT affects countries’ capabilities to export steel and its articles. To estimate the impacts of the Internet, mobile phones, and fixed-telephones on bilateral trade flows in the steel industry, I apply various gravity model specifications, including those capturing …

Impacts Of Montana Public Wolf Hunting And Trapping On Tolerance And Acceptance Of Gray Wolves Among Rural Resident Ranchers, Trappers, And Big Game Hunters, Alia Winn Mulder

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Public Trust Doctrine placed wildlife in trust, via state control and regulation, for the benefit of the people. Managing agencies that lose sight of the importance of public acceptance of predator policies and management actions may find themselves legislatively or judicially subverted. This study examines how the Montana public wolf hunting and trapping seasons have affected tolerance and acceptance of gray wolves (Canis lupus) among rural resident ranchers, hunters, and trappers. Twenty residents from the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, and Ninemile Valleys were qualitatively interviewed over the summer and fall of 2013. Potential participants were initially identified using purposive sampling, with …

Perceptions Of Local Hospitals And Food Producers On Opportunities And Barriers To Implementing A Farm-To-Hospital Program, Allison Perline

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore current perceptions and attitudes of local food producers and hospital staff towards incorporating locally-sourced foods into hospital food service programs. Perceived opportunities and challenges to procuring and using local products in the hospital setting were identified. Additionally, perceived enablers and barriers of local producers were identified around working directly with institutions. The goal of this study was to integrate perceptions of producers and hospital staff to develop locally relevant suggestions for strengthening producer-hospital relationships and increase the amounts of local foods in hospital food service programs. Qualitative data was collected by conducting …

'This Disc Is Not For A Bird Bath, It's For My Tractor': Exploring Gender, Sustainable Agriculture, And Networks In Western Montana, Eva Kathryn Rocke

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Women’s presence in agriculture as farmers, consumers, advocates, and activists has become ever more apparent over the last two decades as census data, popular media, and academic literature increasingly reflect their work. Many of the farmers in western Montana practicing sustainable agriculture are women and have built relationships with other women farmers in the region through existing agriculture-focused organizations like Homegrown and the Western Montana Growers’ Cooperative. Even with the strong presence of these organizations, some women farmers feel there is potential for the formalization of a women farmer network in western Montana that would increase the opportunities for socialization …

Once Achieved, What Is It Worth?, James Paul Louks

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Once Achieved, What is it Worth? examines the contemporary social, political and physical landscape of the American West. My research for the past three years has been exploring the myths and misconceptions associated with this region and how these illusions inform, misinform, distort and taint the cultural norms of the region. My intention is to create a more factual representation of the American West relative to my own experience. The American West is a region that has been marauded for its resources, historically to the present day. There is little difference between the fracking boom that North Dakota is currently …

An Anxious State: The Search For Identity And The Struggle For Peace In Irish And Palestinian Literature, Benjamin Patrick Sweeney

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis works to connect the literature of two geographically and historically disparate people – the Irish and the Palestinians. One can observe patterns of disjuncture, identity crisis, and identity formation in the history of one people; one can then apply the principles learned to analogous historical situations. I argue that the Irish and the Palestinians share a kind of communal psychological trauma brought about by the experience of imperial/colonial domination, violence, and especially diaspora. Because of this shared trauma, Ireland’s historical experience can offer insight into that of Palestine. The situations are unique, but at certain human levels they …

Coordinate Systems In Gã, Kurt Erbach

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis presents a comprehensive description and analysis of Gã coordinate systems. Gã is spoken primarily in Accra, the capital of Ghana, and no previous research on Gã has addressed the specific type of locative language described as coordinate systems (Lewis, Simmons, & Fennig, 2013). The current study is based on a corpus of Gã locative descriptions collected through interview-style elicitation sessions with a Gã speaker. Analysis of this corpus has revealed coordinate system morphemes ŋwɛ͂ı͂ ‘up’, shĩshĩ ‘down’, hı͂ɛ͂ ‘front’, sɛ̀ɛ̀ ‘back’, nı͂nè-jwurɔ͂ ‘right’, and àbɛ̀kú ‘left’. In describing the use of these morphemes I use Levinson’s (2003) framework …

Craft And The Corporeal In Composition: Embodied Metaphors In Writing Practice, Lauren Macdonald

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The pervasive container metaphor of language used in writing classes carries connotations that writing is a product containing meaning, rather than a process of meaning-making, inquiry, and discovery. This framework is both problematic and harmful as it fails to capture the embodied nature of writing, ignoring the body as a crucial part of composing. As an alternative, this project moves towards a view of writing as techne in which craft and technique are deeply intertwined through the dynamic relationship between text, body, and context. Working from this concept of techne, this project suggests metaphors can be extended into the physical …

Disentangling Disadvantage: Can We Distinguish Good Teaching From Classroom Composition?, Gema Zamarro, John Engberg, Juan Esteban Saavedra, Jennifer Steele

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

This paper focuses on the use of teacher value-added estimates to assess the distribution of effective teaching across students of varying socioeconomic disadvantage. We use simulation methods to examine the extent to which different commonly used teacher-value added estimators accurately capture both the rank correlation between true and estimated teacher effects and the distribution of effective teaching across student characteristics in the presence of classroom composition effects. Varying the amount of teacher sorting by student characteristics, the withinteacher variability in classroom composition, and the amount of student learning decay, we compare aggregated residuals, teacher random effects, and teacher fixed effects …

Evaluation Of Relationship Between Self-Advocacy Skills And College Freshmen First Semester Grade Point Average For Students With Disabilities, Lee A. Barnett

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study was important in evaluating the relationship between self-advocacy skill and college freshman Grade Point Average (GPA) in Montana for students with disabilities. Research in this area was found to be incomplete and limited. The purpose of this study was to discover if there are inadequacies in students with disabilities preparation for higher education as per self-advocacy skills and how they related to GPA Individuals considered to have a disability in secondary education may be deemed ineligible for services and supports as adults. Secondary and post-secondary institutions rarely collaborated to establish consistent standards. The contrast between the relatively high …

The Identity Of Upholding Indigenous Lifeways, Sean Falcon Chandler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This qualitative study examined the role of Native Lifeways in tribal colleges as perceived by their presidents and other influential leaders on the campuses of three tribal colleges. Tribal colleges were founded in part to support and promote Native Lifeways, as demonstrated within their respective mission statements. Given the fact that TCUs are at the forefront of the defense of Native Lifeways, they continue to be in a state of endangerment as a result of the history of U.S. Indian Policy.

Data was acquired from the face-to-face interviews of 15 leaders within the three tribal colleges located in northwest United …

The Significance Of Administrative Support For The State-Wide Innovation Of Montana's Indian Education For All, Chris Michael Olszewski

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This non-experimental dominant-less dominant mixed-methods study examined data specific to principal and teacher perceptions of the leadership support for Indian Education for All (IEFA) professional development in their school. The data from each instrument were compared to (a) the administrators’ and teachers’ Peak Stage of Concern of the Indian Education for All innovation, (b) the highest IEFA training level attained, and (c) the amount of time that administrators and teachers report spending on supporting and implementing IEFA in their school and classroom. Spearman’s rho correlations were utilized to examine these relationships.

This study examined if the level of leadership support, …

The Relationship Between Intergenerational Educational Experiences, School Culture/Climate, And Racial Identity Among American Indian High School Students, Sandra Lee Boham

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This research focused on the whether or not there was a relationship between (a) school culture and climate, (b) racial identity, and (c) inter-generational educational experiences of American Indian students in urban/off-reservation AA high schools in Montana as perceived by American Indian students, American Indian parents, administrators, teachers, and staff. Data were collected at four schools located in two school districts in different geographical locations in Montana. The data were collected using the (a) School as a Caring Community Profile (SCCP-II) survey, (b) People of Color Racial Identity Attitude Scale (PRIAS) survey, (c) demographic survey data, (d) academic achievement data, …

Regulation Of Silica-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation, Rupa Biswas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Inhalation of crystalline silica for an extended period of time results in inflammation in the lungs, which plays a pivotal role in the development of silicosis, a progressive, inflammatory and fibrotic pulmonary disease. Inhaled silica particles are encountered by alveolar macrophages (AM) in the lungs. Previous studies have indicated the role of scavenger receptors in binding of environmental particles and also demonstrated that AM recognize and bind silica particles through class A scavenger receptors (SRA) expressed on their surface. MARCO (Macrophage Receptor with Collagenous Structure) is a SRA family receptor and the predominant receptor for recognition and binding of silica …

The Effects Of Intimate Relationship Education On University Students' Attachment Security, Meredith Hood

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

For several decades, a variety of interventions have been utilized in an effort to improve the likelihood that individuals will attain a stable and satisfying marriage. Historically, these interventions have taken place when individuals are already partnered and challenging relationship dynamics are already established. More recently, however, many relationship experts have established a more proactive approach to prevent marital decline. Adults with secure attachment feel comfortable with closeness and interdependence in relationships. Similarly, they believe they are worthy of love and see others as trustworthy and dependable. In contrast, adults with insecure attachment tend to struggle more in close relationships. …

The Validity Of Self- Versus Other Reports Of Adhd Symptoms In College Students: Cognitive And Academic Achievement Outcomes, Eric Aune

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Despite the abundance of studies investigating Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children and adults, little research has focused on ADHD and comorbid learning disabilities (LD) in college students. The dearth of research in this population is becoming increasingly important given that ADHD and LD are the two most commonly reported and diagnosed disabilities in higher academic institutions (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). As a result, clinicians' are continually faced with the difficult task of determining sensitive and valid assessment measures to use with this population. While some overlap exists between college students and younger and older counterparts, research has shown …

The Impacts Of Removing Wildfire On Pinus Ponderosa Resistance Against Dendroctonus Ponderosae, Sharon Metzger Hood

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Disturbance and disturbance interactions drive multiple ecosystem processes over multiple spatial and temporal scales. I studied the role of frequent, low-severity fire in Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine) forests in altering the success of the irruptive insect Dendroctonus ponderosae (mountain pine beetle (MPB)). I had three overarching research questions: (1) What are the best predictors of ponderosa pine resin flow, a trait related to MPB attack success, and how do these predictors relate to tree growth?; (2) Are predictors of resin flow also predictors of MPB attack success and are they affected by changes to wildfire disturbance regimes?; (3) How do …

Assessing The Determinants Facilitating Local Vulnerabilities And Adaptive Capacities To Climate Change Impacts In High Mountain Areas: A Case Study Of Northern Ladakh, India, Kimiko Nygaard Barrett

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Climate change is increasingly redefining the dialectic exchange between human systems and ecological processes. While the rhetoric of climate change is articulated within broad arenas of governance and policy, the realities of climate change are experienced at the local scale. Effective adaptation measures must therefore be commensurate with local resources, needs and objectives while remaining aligned with larger decision-making efforts. The impacts of climate change are heterogeneous and vary with geographic context. Biophysical parameters interface with socioeconomic and political forces to greatly influence the outcome of climate-related risks at the local level. In the high mountains of the western Himalayas …

Modeling Of Aqueous Equilibrium: Three-Dimensional Trend Surfaces (Topos), Mohammad Mainul Hossain

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This dissertation establishes a comprehensive approach to looking at aqueous equilibria phenomena over essentially all feasible compositions of two component solutions - acid-base titrations, metal-ligand complexation, oxidation-reduction couples and solubility of binary ionic compounds. Fundamental to this method is the definition of a composition grid above which numerous system properties can be plotted as three-dimensional trend surfaces to visualize important aspects of system behavior. These have been named "topos" because their appearance is similar to topographic maps. In each case Microsoft ExcelTM worksheets have been designed with embedded Visual BasicTM macros that provide an easy means for anyone to generate …

Interindividual Variability In The Cytochrome P450 3a4 Drug Metabolizing Enzyme: Effect Of The Cyp3a4*1g Genetic Variant, Kasse Jean Skagen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Researchers and clinicians are interested in how a patient’s individual genetic makeup could predict the appropriate medication and dose for that patient. One way to predict drug response, or efficacy, is by looking at enzymes within the liver that metabolize drugs. Many of these enzymes belong to a class called the Cytochrome P450s (CYPs). Specifically, two closely related enzymes, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, are involved in metabolizing 50% of drugs currently on the market (eg: statins, antiepileptics, anticancer agents, and antidepressants). There can be differences in the genetic code of these enzymes that can causes changes in drug metabolism. We completed …

Psychological Abuse As A Predictor Of Trauma In Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence, Marie Baca Villa

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a long-standing issue that has recently been investigated as a significant social and interpersonal problem. Research has suggested that psychological abuse is both more prevalent and more devastating to victims, as compared to physical violence. While there remains no true consensus as to the definition of “psychological abuse”, a current conceptualization typifies psychological abuse into four groups of acts that are meant to (a)denigrate and damage a partner’s self-esteem, (b) withhold nurturing and support, (c) both explicitly and implicitly threaten, and (d) restrict personal freedom. It is hypothesized that an analysis of existing measures of …