Digital Commons Network^™

The Millennial Who Planted Trees, Trevien Stanger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this work of creative non-fiction essays and stories, the author explores ecological restoration through a variety of contexts, settings, and conditions.

The Biogeochemistry Of Elemental Sulfur Contaminated Soils: Insights Into Effective Remediation, Michael Ryan Mctee

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Soil contamination that results from elemental sulfur (S⁰) deposition is a new occurrence. Elemental sulfur is stockpiled as a byproduct from the oil and gas industry and is deposited by biodegradable trap and skeet targets at shooting ranges. Chemolithotrophs and mixotrophs can oxidize S⁰ to H₂SO₄. Consequently, in areas where excess S⁰ is deposited or stockpiled, soils can acidify to pH values observed with acid mine drainage.

I studied S⁰ contamination at a former sporting clay range. For seven years, the range used biodegradable trap and skeet targets that contained S …

"Spitting Positively Forbidden": The Anti-Spitting Campaign, 1896-1910, Patrick J. O'Connor

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Snip, Snap, Snout: This Tale Is Told Out, Crista A. Ames

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Mythology has shaped human thought and experience since before recorded history. Passed from one generation to the next, myths elevate and aggrandize realities that are difficult, complex or horrifying. This is what makes us human, an inspiring capacity toward metaphor and the ability to make beauty, lyricism and splendor—order from the chaos. Within mythology, the cause and effect of both misery and joy may be explored in their wholeness. In this act of imaginative translation, we may come to understand how misery and joy are naturally coexisting.

In my thesis exhibition this tale is told out, I use the layering …

Economic And Policy Factors Driving The Adoption Of Institutional Woody Biomass Heating Systems In The United States, Jesse D. Young

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

New biomass combustion technologies and adequate biomass supplies have empowered the United States (U.S.) to look beyond satisfying heating needs with traditional fossil-based fuels, but biomass heating is often overlooked by many commercial and institutional entities. This study uses county level Zero Inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) cross sectional regression analyses to identify economic factors that are favorable to the adoption of decentralized woody biomass heating systems by institutions in the U.S. In addition, biomass policy efficacy with respect to decentralized biomass heating systems is analyzed and regression results are used to develop an expansion map that highlights counties in the …

An Adventurous E-Reader For Non-Linear E-Books, Emily Palmieri

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Non-linear books are published in print format as sequential text or digitally as collections of documents linked together via hyperlinks. These publication methods are problematic for readers and authors alike. Readers are often presented with unintuitive interfaces that do not indicate critical contextual information; authors struggle to order non-linear content into linear formats or to create and distribute their work in resource intensive digital mediums. While standard e-books might be a convenient format for non-linear books, current e-readers used to view them are severely limited; they mimic the format of physical books and fail to solve problems inherent in displaying …

Unearthing Connections In A Storied Landscape: The Flathead River Honoring And Place-Based Education In The Flathead Valley, Melissa Wardlow

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Pm2.5 From Residential Woodstove Use For Source Apportionment Application, Virginia M. Porden

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Results are presented for the comparative analysis of the PM_2.5 (Particulate Matter <2.5 µm) emissions from an EPA certified and a Traditional style wood stove using western larch. A total of 92 Quartz QMA 47mm filters were collected using a BGI PM_2.5 SSC (Sharp Cut Cyclone) sampler from each stove type and analyzed on a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer against blank and deuterated internal standards. The results were analyzed using a Welch’s t-test (α > 0.05) to statistically differentiate between stove designs for temperature, mass, levoglucosan, resin acids (abietic and dehydroabietic), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAH] (acenaphthene, anthracene, benz(a)anthracene, pyrene, and retene). There was no statistical difference in levoglucosan PM_2.5 mass fraction between the stove types, yielding a mean levoglucosan fraction of 9.25% and 95% confidence interval of 8.43% …

Assessing Changes In Avian Communities, Jessie D. Golding

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Grazing is a potentially powerful tool to address wildlife declines associated with land use conversion in the western United States. Grazing systems can be manipulated to achieve desired vegetation outcomes, preserve native habitat and economically benefit multiple stakeholders. As a result, systems designed to benefit native ecosystems are being widely implemented. However, the benefits of these grazing systems on many wildlife communities remain relatively unexplored. Songbirds provide an ideal study system to test these benefits because they continue to use native habitat that is currently grazed. Given limited time and resources, conservation practitioners often monitor a single focal species or …

Public-Private Water Conservation: An Assessment Of Attitudes In The Deer Lodge Valley, Montana, Elizabeth K. Rial

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Ecological Restoration In Wilderness: What The Fish To Do?, Kelsey R. Patterson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Estimation Of Historic Salmon Populations And Its Application To Contemporary Salmon Conservation, Nick Joseph Gayeski

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Populations of wild Pacific salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus sp.) in the eastern Pacific Rim have experienced significant declines in abundance and associated genetic and life history diversity over the course of the twentieth century (Nehlson et al 1991, Slaney et al 1996, Myers et al 1998, Lichatowich 1999). In the Pacific Northwest of the United States, declines in the abundance of most populations accelerated in the last two decades of the century and have continued into the first two decades of the twenty-first (Busby et al 1996, Myers et al. 1998, Good et al.2005, Hard et al. 2007, Ford et …

Three Globalizations: An Essay In Inquiry, John Henry Schlegel

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Low Rates Of Influenza Vaccination Among Older African Americans, Delia Roxanne Howson-Santana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Influenza vaccination is recommended for persons with high-risk health conditions such as chronic diseases to prevent flu-related complications and death. African Americans 65 years and older have consistently been reported to have the lowest influenza vaccination rates compared to all other racial groups, despite having higher rates of chronic diseases. A review of the literature indicated that there is a dearth of qualitative studies examining the grounds for these low rates. In this study, 15 African Americans 65 years and older were interviewed to explore the factors that contribute to low rates of flu vaccination among this racial group. Research …

Of Mammoths, Mastodons, Megalonyxes, And The Nation: Jefferson And The Question Of American Degeneracy, 1780-1812, Marlena B. Cameron

Theses and Dissertations

Thomas Jefferson ranks among the most famous and most studied presidents, but few historical studies have focused on his scientific endeavors, particularly his work in natural history. By analyzing several of his writings, including the Notes on the State of Virginia and letters that pertained to mammoths and megalonyxes, this thesis explores the interrelationship between science and politics, especially in the context of nationalism. The emphasis Jefferson placed on the American incognitum—what would eventually be identified as the mastodon—reflected the emerging national consciousness of the future United States of America

'The Sancity Of Womanhood': John Ruskin And The Medieval Madonna, Katherine M. Hinzman

Theses and Dissertations

This essay examines how art and gender become one and the same for British art and social critic John Ruskin. His complexly layered rhetoric, most poignantly expressed through the sanctified image of the medieval Madonna, serve as one interesting and much-judged example of many reactions to the tumultuous new social conditions of industrial, imperial nineteenth-century Victorian Britain. Though Ruskin is often labeled by some scholars as a prime example of Victorian sexism, an analysis of his reverence for and encouragement of virtuous medieval qualities in art, society and womanhood will allow us to more fully, effectively and usefully understand Ruskin …

Book Review: Rebecca Herzig, Plucked: A History Of Hair Removal, Jennifer L. Adams

Communication & Theatre Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

In Pursuit Of Peace: A Qualitative Study On Subjectification And Peaceful Co-Existence In Four Elementary School Classrooms, Debbie Sonu

Publications and Research

This paper presents qualitative data gleaned from four New York City elementary classrooms and focuses on how teachers attempt, each in their own distinct way, to create educational cultures of peace. Here, classroom vignettes are reconstructed from two months of observational and interview data with attention to how teacher beliefs on peaceful co-existence manifest in the playing field of a child's subject formation. Drawing from Judith Butler's concept of subjectification, this study asks: what conditions of possibility do teachers conceive of when thinking about peace in their classrooms? Findings show that teachers create conditions that emerge from their particular theories …

W423.1-0-03 - College Of Arts And Sciences: Dean's Office: Thomas Morgan Administration Records, College Of Arts And Sciences

University Archives Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Japanese Aesthetics In The Age Of New Media, Ai Saito

Research Papers

The purpose of this project is to use new media as a platform for the values found in Western modernization and in Japanese traditional aesthetics to work together. Key points within the research find that with the advancement of technology our perspective, attitudes and aesthetics of time have drastically changed. The first part of the research investigates the fundamental effect of media brought into the human environment, how electric media has become so powerful as well as looking at the principles of new media. The second part of the research reveals the differences between Western and Japanese aesthetics by focusing …

The Evaluation Of Chromium Propionate Supplementation On Insulin Responsiveness In Finishing Steers And Energy Status In Newly Weaned Steer Calves, Zachary K. F. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of supplemental dietary chromium (0 or 400 ppb) on insulin responsiveness in finishing steers (Exp 1. and Exp 2.), and energy status in newly weaned steers upon introduction to the feedlot (Exp 3.). To evaluate insulin responsiveness, two models were used with finished steers of different ages: Exp 1. 12 steers; 24 mo old (BW=783 ± 29 kg); and Exp 2. 24 steers; 14 mo old (BW=625 ± 24 kg). A jugular infusion of insulin (0.45 IU bovine insulin/ kg of BW0.75, INS) was pulse dosed 2 h post-prandial. A …

Effect Of Timing Of Artificial Insemination And Estrus Expression Using Sexed Semen On Pregnancy Rates In Holstein Dairy Cows, Stephen Crego

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of sexed semen has become important in dairy herds across the U.S. but reported lower conception rates have limited the adaptation in some herds. The objective of this study was to determine if timing of AI and expression of estrus impacted fixedtime AI pregnancy success with sexed semen. Primiparous and multiparous lactating Holstein cows, were synchronized with a Presynch-Ovsynch protocol (PGF d -29; PGF d -19; 100μg GnRH and CIDR insertion d -9; PGF and CIDR removal d -2; GnRH d 0) starting at 35 DIM. The cows were allotted into a 2 x 2 factorial design with …

Teacher Librarians & Literacy Coaches: Their Roles In Reading Support, Nicole N. Ruthaivilavan

Graduate Research Papers

According to AASL (2010), multiple research studies have confirmed that there is a correlation between school library programs staffed by certified school librarians and increased student achievement; yet, many schools are also beginning to employ literacy coaches to improve reading achievement. With the teacher librarian being a well-established part of the school system, and playing a vital role in supporting students’ reading achievement, a clear definition of roles is needed. The purpose of this case study was to analyze roles and responsibilities of teacher librarians and literacy coaches and to determine how schools can utilize one or both of these …

Drilling-In And Chewing-Out Of Hosts By The Parasitoid Wasp Spalangia Endius (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) When Parasitizing Musca Domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), S.A. Broski, Bethia H. King

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Many organisms are protected from natural enemies by a tough exterior. Such protection is particularly important for immobile stages, such as pupae. The pupa of some insects is protected by a puparium, which is a shell formed from the exoskeleton of the last larval instar. However, the puparium of certain fly species is drilled through by adult females of the wasp Spalangia endius Walker. The female wasp then deposits an egg on the fly pupa within the puparium. After the wasp offspring finishes feeding on the fly pupa, it chews through the puparium to complete emergence. Despite the apparent toughness …

John Berger, Paris Hilton, And The Rich Kids Of Instagram: The Social And Economic Inequality Of Image Sharing And Production Of Power Through Self-Promotion, Meghan M. Gallagher

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis updates John Berger's work of critical visual theory, Ways of Seeing, to accommodate emerging web 2.0 technologies and new social media platforms. It analyzes the symbols of wealth and status encoded in both 15th century oil paintings and contemporary Instagram posts and attempts to dissect how American celebrity culture complicates methods of self-promotion and upscale emulation.

Personality And Creativity Correlates In Adults With Childhood Imaginary Companions, Carolyn Lasch

Scripps Senior Theses

A few studies have demonstrated differences in various personality attributes and creative abilities in children with imaginary companions. This study examined how recalled childhood engagement with an imaginary companion correlates with adult personality and creativity measures. It was hypothesized that creation of childhood imaginary companions would be positively correlated with adult creativity, but that this relationship would be mediated by certain personality attributes such as openness to experiences and extraversion. Other details of the imaginary companion experiences were also investigated. Two hundred and forty-six participants were recruited online to answer questions related to their personality and creativity, as well as …

The Culture Of Nature In Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, Allison Kerley

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines the intersection of culture and the environment in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, through a study and analysis of the Elves of Lothlórien, the Ents of Fangorn, and their respective landscapes.

Mathematics In Contemporary Society Chapter 4, Patrick J. Wallach

Open Educational Resources

Mathematics in Contemporary Society is the textbook that corresponds to MA-321, the course of the same name. The course is designed to provide students with mathematical ideas and methods found in the social sciences, the arts, and in business. Topics will include fundamentals of statistics, scatterplots, graphics in the media, problem solving strategies, dimensional analysis, mathematics in music and art, and mathematical modeling. EXCEL is used to explore real world applications.

The textbook was posted in weekly installments:

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11 …

Dopaminergic Signaling Within The Primary Cilia In The Renovascular System, Kimberly F. Atkinson, Samred H. Kathem, Xingjian Jin, Brian S. Muntean, Wissam A. Aboualaiwi, Andromeda M. Nauli, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Activation of dopamine receptor type-5 (DR5) has been known to reduce systemic blood pressure, most likely by increasing renal vasodilation and enhancing natriuresis in the kidney. However, the mechanism of DR5 in natriuresis and vasodilation was not clearly known. We have previously shown that DR5 is localized to primary cilia of proximal renal epithelial and vascular endothelial cells. We here show that selective activation of DR5 specifically induces calcium influx only in the primary cilia, whereas non-selective activation of dopamine receptor induces calcium fluxes in both cilioplasm and cytoplasm. Cilia-independent signaling induced by thrombin only shows calcium signaling within cytoplasm. …

Celecoxib Or Diclofenac Hepatic Status In The Presence Or Absence Of Rebamipide, Derek E. Murrell, Yuyun Rahmasari, James W. Denham, Peter C. Panus, Sam Harirforoosh

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

OBJECTIVE: Utilization of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as diclofenac, can produce gastrointestinal ulceration. Thus, cyclooxygenase-2-selective inhibitors, such as celecoxib, and protective agents (e.g. rebamipide) have been employed to alleviate harmful NSAID effects. This study sought to explore the influence of rebamipide on the hepatic outcomes following administration of two commonly prescribed NSAIDs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were given either vehicle or rebamipide (30 mg/kg) orally twice daily for two days, then on the third day respective groups were dosed with either vehicle, celecoxib (40 mg/kg), or diclofenac (10 mg/kg) in addition to a respective dose of vehicle …