Digital Commons Network^™

The Last Wolves Of Isle Royale, Kasey Rahn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Isle Royale National Park, located in Michigan, is home to a wolf population that is in decline due to complications from inbreeding. Scientists and managers struggle to decide whether to intervene. Some scientists promote bringing new wolves to the island to restore the population because they say the decline is human-caused. Others promote “watchful waiting.” To date, the National Park Service has not interceded and is currently undergoing a management planning process. The issue raises questions about what it means to manage wildlife in an era of change. Should humans intervene to protect wildlife in the face of climate change …

Hypothyroidism And The Development Of Hypertension, Kaleb Short

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Low thyroid hormone (TH) in adulthood is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including risk of hypertension. The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR), exhibits alterations in thyroid function when compared to normotensive controls. Interestingly, inhibiting thyroid gland function before 4 weeks of age prevented hypertension in the SHR, indicating that TH is involved in the etiology of SHR hypertension. However, these studies utilized tail-cuff photoplethysmography (PPG), which is known to have stress-induced artifacts, and did not compare effects in the normotensive parent strain Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat. Therefore, it is uncertain whether TH is responsible for an elevation in baseline …

Sun-Compass Orientation During Natal Dispersal In Hatchling Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea Blandingii), Meredith Anne Schlenner

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Blanding's turtle hatchlings emerge from their natal nests naïve to environmental stimuli and primarily sense visual cues on the horizon as a dispersal target. During a period of hours or days, hatchlings develop a compass mechanism that allows them to maintain a direction of travel, even when the target is not visible. We examined the dispersal directions of Blanding's turtle hatchlings captured during dispersal by translocating them into a circular arena in a field of corn in order to measure their dispersal direction guided by a compass mechanism. To test for use of a sun compass, a magnetic compass, or …

The Fertility Problem Inventory And Infertility-Related Stress: A Case Study, Staci Leigh Born

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

More than seven million people of childbearing age in the United States experience infertility. For women, the experience of infertility is stressful. The Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) has been used to quantitatively measure women's experience of infertility-related stress. However, the construct of infertility-related stress is poorly described in existing literature. The purpose of this case study was understand how women experience the FPI as a measure of infertility-related stress. To address this issue, women who are undergoing infertility treatment completed the FPI and participated in unstructured interviews. Archival documents were also retrieved to corroborate findings and satisfy saturation. Results indicate …

Through The Looking Glass: Barriers And Coping Mechanisms Encountered By African American Women Presidents At Predominately White Institutions, Maria Louise Baxter-Nuamah

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research is to identify factors (experiences, career paths, and barriers) that influence the career advancement of African American women administrators in higher education. African American women's experiences in higher education are molded by both external factors and internal factors specific to "traditional" social roles within and outside of the university. This qualitative study examines the personal and professional growth of five African American women who rose to executive leadership positions as presidents at predominately white colleges or universities .

There are five main themes in this study. First, African American women who aspire to senior level …

Representing Us All? Race, Gender, And Sexuality In Orange Is The New Black, Michael Robert Chavez

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Orange Is the New Black is a Netflix television series that began in 2013. The series focuses on the lives of inmates in a fictional women's prison. Television series about prison have focused primarily on men in prison. This thesis will expand upon previous research on representation of minorities in television using a feminist media analysis to examine the first season of the series. I will explore how race, gender, and sexuality are represented within the series. I examine the representations of four characters during the first season. I chose these four characters because they represented different racial groups, sexualities, …

She Got Her Period: Men's Knowledge And Perspectives On Menstruation, Ishwari Rajak

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Research show that men and women often do not converse freely about menstruation. Shame, taboos and myths associated with menstruation silence the conversation. Silencing conversations about menstruation have negative consequences on women, including: objectification of women's bodies, stereotyping of women as physically, morally and emotionally inferior to men and to extreme cases women losing their uterus due to unhygienic means of menstrual management. On the one hand, not addressing menstruation openly has devastating consequences on women but on the other hand, most men seem oblivious about the impacts on women. Therefore, it is important to engage in open dialogues about …

Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing Of Stainless Steel-Hydroxyapatite Bio-Composite, Don Suranga Dhanushka Uduwage

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study was conducted to create a bio-composite with a porous structure using the binder-jet printing additive manufacturing process. The samples were printed by changing the parameters such as layer thickness, roller speed, sintering time and sintering temperature of the X1-Lab binder jet additive manufacturing printer. The samples were printed 80% stainless steel 316 mixed with 20% Calcium Phosphate Tribasic by volume. Eight experiments were attempted to print according to the fractional factorial design of experiment. The effects of changing parameters on the mechanical properties of the new bio-composite was tested using ASTM E-09 compressive strength standards. The compression testing …

Hydrologic And Temperature Regime Influence On Growth And Recruitment Of Fishes In An Upper Midwest Riverine Ecosystem, Brett Donald Nelson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The natural flow regime is often identified as the primary driver of ecological integrity in rivers. The Minnesota River basin is characterized by a row-crop agricultural landscape with an extensive network of drainage tiles and ditches to improve land productivity. Intensive surface and subsurface drainage alters flow regimes, increasing the magnitude and frequency of high flows. Changes in river hydrology lead to alterations in geomorphology, including increased bank erosion, channel widening, and downward incision that can lead to floodplain disconnection. Disruption of historical hydrology can alter energy flow and connection to specialized habitats subsequently affecting important aquatic communities and populations …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Clinical Intuition Among Alcohol And Drug Counselors, Zach Hansen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study investigates the experience of clinical intuition among alcohol and drug counselors. Clinical intuition has been acknowledged as an integral component to counseling by numerous influential theorists, and has recently been researched in the context of clinical psychology, and marriage and family counseling. However, little or no research has been conducted on clinical intuition among alcohol and drug counselors. In order to thoroughly describe the essence of clinical intuition among this population, phenomenological research methods were utilized. Five alcohol and drug counselors with varying backgrounds with between 5-40 years of experience participated in this study. Participants were interviewed, and …

The Crypt People From The Cathedral Basilica Of Saints Stanislaus And Vladislaus, Vilnius, Lithuania: Reconstruction Of Life Histories Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Kaylee Schotten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stable isotope analyses of multiple tissue types have been used to reconstruct life histories of individuals from past populations. This thesis presents the life history reconstructions of a unique population recovered from a 16th to 18th century cathedral crypt located in Vilnius, Lithuania. The sample consists of 23 individuals (21 males, one possible female, and one juvenile). Stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope analyses were performed on bone and dentin collagen, and on bone and enamel hydroxyapatite, resulting in eight isotope values per individual, providing both childhood and adult dietary and migration information. For bone collagen the average δ13C isotope …

Chemical And Behavioral Ecology Of The Coastal Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon Tenebrosus), David Reavill

All Master's Theses

Intraspecific interactions are an important factor in shaping the population structure of terrestrial salamanders. Both physical interactions and scent-marking are vital components to the establishment of territories and influence dispersion of individuals. However, little is known about the terrestrial interactions of many salamander species, particularly that of the Coastal Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus). In this study, I observed the first evidence for the use chemical cues by terrestrial D. tenerosus in regards to shelter selection. I also observed the first accounts of agonistic and display behavior of terrestrial D. tenebrosus. These results suggest that terrestrial D. tenebrosus …

Community Perturbation Associated With New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamapyrgus Antipodarum) Invasion: Discrepancies In Temporal And Spatial Assessment, Eric H. Richins

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Invasive species have the potential to alter the ecosystems within which they establish as well as adjacent but uninvaded ecosystems by altering the flow of nutrients or biota across system boundaries. New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum; NZMS) are often very abundant where they invade, sequestering the majority of stream primary production. This sequestering of production may reduce aquatic insect production, subsequent insect emergence and subsidies to riparian ecosystems. Tetragnathid spiders, an insectivorous riparian specialist, are dependent on the emergence of aquatic insects and are typical indicators of aquatic insect subsidies to riparian zones. In addition, NZMS invasions can result …

The Drunken Path: Discerning Women's Voices And Participation In The Informal Economy Of Illegal Manufacturing Of Prohibition Alcohol In The Historical And Archaeological Record, Kelli M. Casias

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis puts the Prohibition years in Anaconda and Butte, Montana, into historical, and sociocultural context to discover an engendered narrative of liquor law violators between the years 1923 and 1926 and to investigate the scope of the local informal, illegal, illicit economic systems dictating the distribution of illegal liquor during that era. The transference of the means and modes of production, as envisioned by Karl Marx, and collective social resistance serve as the theoretical frameworks for analysis and examination of three case studies. The first, Poacher Gulch is a remote mining site in western Montana, was the subject of …

Linking The Effects Of Risk Factors On Annual Calf Survival To Elk Population Dynamics In The Bitterroot Valley, Montana, Daniel R. Eacker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The recolonization of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in multiple carnivore systems has been correlated with declining recruitment of juvenile ungulates, but the importance of wolves relative to other established carnivores is uncertain. The realized effect of carnivores may depend on compensation from forage and winter weather severity, which may mediate juvenile vulnerability to predation. Also, in high predation systems, the importance of juvenile recruitment may be reduced for ungulate population dynamics. We first tested for the effects of risk factors on annual elk (Cervus elaphus) calf survival and estimated cause-specific mortality rates. Secondly, we investigated the …

Maximal Femoral Artery Blood Flow During Cycle Ergometry, Tucker W. Squires

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

MAXIMAL FEMORAL ARTERY BLOOD FLOW DURING CYCLE ERGOMETRY

Chairperson: Matthew Bundle Ph.D.

The delivery of oxygen to working muscle in order to support aerobic respiration has long been recognized as one of the critical elements conferring endurance performance. Oxygen is transported from the environment to the active cells by the cardiovascular system, which is classically understood to deliver progressively greater amounts of gas to support increased levels of aerobic metabolism. However, the vast majority of existing studies have used modes of exercise that activate relatively small volumes of muscle and consequently have relatively small demands for oxygen delivery. We measured …

The Role Of Funding Programs In Promotion Of Best Management Practices For Effective Stream Restoration, Tracy R. Wendt

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Large amounts of money are spent on stream restoration projects across the United States every year. Restoration researchers and professionals commonly recommend a suite of Best Management Practices (BMPs), including project goals, objectives, monitoring, consideration of future conditions, adaptive management, and public reporting of results, which are widely recognized as contributing to effective projects. Studies over the last two decades demonstrated that these BMPs were not consistently incorporated into restoration projects, which highlighted the need to improve practices and for funding programs to incorporate BMPs into funding requirements. I reviewed 28 programs that fund stream restoration in the Rocky Mountain …

The Science Behind The Selection Of Native Plant Materials: Local Adaptation, Response To Invasion, Cytotypic Variation, And Seed Transfer Zones, Alexis Gibson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The use of locally adapted native plant materials is promoted as a mechanism for improving revegetation and restoration outcomes and increasing the long-term ecological function of a site. Challenges arise in the use local native plant materials, however, when the conditions in which they are used differ from those to which they are adapted, like in heavily disturbed sites undergoing restoration or invaded ecosystems, or when local adaptation is not the only genetic consideration for fitness (polyploidy). In addition, managers need to select among multiple guidelines for how far to move seeds, each of which comes with its own assumptions …

The Regulation Of Mucosal Immunity By Inflammatory Mediators, Bryan Joseph Simons

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Despite massive efforts to develop effective therapeutic options for the treatment of asthma, disease prevalence continues to increase. Approximately 300 million people worldwide have been estimated to be affected by asthma, and it remains a leading cause of childhood hospitalization. While environmental as well as genetic causative agents have been identified, the heterogeneous nature of the disease has proven difficult to effectively treat. Asthma is characterized as chronic inflammation of the airway characterized by increased airway hyperreactivity, increased goblet cell hyperplasia, and airway remodeling. While these effects are traditionally regarded to be mediated through the actions of CD4+ Th2 cells, …

Coevolution And Cospeciation In A Bark-Beetle Fungal Symbiosis, Ryan Russell Bracewell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Bark beetles in the genus Dendroctonus are some of the most important insects in forest ecosystems worldwide and are known to be involved in symbiotic relationships with fungi. However, we have a poor understanding of beetle-fungal coevolution and if the specificity we see in beetle-fungal relationships may translate to cospeciation over longer time frames. In this dissertation, I attempt to answer these questions by investigating the western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis)-fungal symbiosis, a beetle that consists of two putative cryptic species in the early stages of divergence on two susbspecies of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). In the first chapter, I …

Aerodynamics, Kinematics, And Ecology Of Slow Flight In Birds, Kristen Elizabeth Crandell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The overarching goal of my dissertation is to elucidate the force production mechanisms of slow flight in birds. Slow flight is extremely energetically costly per unit time, yet highly important for takeoff and survival in birds. However, at slow speeds it is presently thought that most birds do not produce beneficial aerodynamic forces during the entire wingbeat: instead, they fold or flex their wings during upstroke, prompting the long-standing prediction that the upstroke produces trivial forces. Here, I examined the kinematics, aerodynamics, skeletal drivers, and potential ecological influences of force production in flight. In chapter one, I establish that wings …

Does Migration Matter? Causes And Consequences Of Migratory Behavior In Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, Derek Benjamin Spitz

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Despite their potential conservation importance, the demographic implications of migratory behavior remain poorly understood. Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae; hereafter “Sierra bighorn”) are federally-endangered and partially migratory. In summer, Sierra bighorn share high-elevation summer ranges, but in winter some individuals migrate to lower elevation for winter while others remain resident at high-elevation. Lower elevations have better forage in winter, but these areas also carry an increased risk of predation from Sierra bighorn's primary predator, the cougar (Puma concolor). We should therefore expect differences in winter conditions to result in demographic differences between migrants and residents.

First, I developed …

Groups And Mortality: Their Effects On Cooperative Behavior And Population Growth In A Social Carnivore, David E. Ausband

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Cooperative breeding refers to the cooperative care of related, or even unrelated, young. Helpers can increase the survival or reproduction of the breeders in the group which increases helper fitness indirectly. We have a poor understanding of how mortality, particularly human harvest, affects cooperative breeders. Given their complex social structures, territorial defense that relies on group size, and persistent harvest regimes, gray wolves (Canis lupus) are an ideal species for studying the ecological relationships between mortality, group size and composition, and population growth in a cooperative breeder.

Chapter 1: How does group size affect vital rates of individuals and population …

The Expansion Of Cooperative Threat Reduction Programs: The Case For A Formalized Agreement With Pakistan, Christian Pedersen

Pepperdine Policy Review

For more than two decades, Cooperative Threat Reduction programs have been mainstake of the United States' efforts to control the proliferation of nuclear technologies and combat nuclear terrorism. The umbrella agreement for Cooperative Threat Reduction, originally created under the Nunn-Lugar Act, was an effective tool for preventing the flow of nuclear technologies and material following the collapse of the Soviet Union. As new challenges arrive, the United State's needs to consider creating similar programs to ensure the security of nuclear weapons and sites globally. One candidate for the expansion of these programs, is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Food- And Health-Related Correlates Of Self-Reported Body Mass Index Among Low-Income Mothers Of Young Children, Karen Mccurdy, Tiffani S. Kisler, Kathleen S. Gorman, Elizabeth Metallinos-Katsaras

Human Development and Family Science Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine how income-related challenges regarding food and health are associated with variation in self-reported maternal body weight among low-income mothers.

Design: Cross-sectional design.

Setting: Two Northeastern cities. Seven day care centers and a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach project.

Participants: Sample of 166 mothers; 67% were overweight or obese, 55% were Hispanic, and 42% reported household food insecurity (HFI).

Main Outcome Measures: Maternal self-reported height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI). Independent variables were food program participation, supermarket use, 8-item food shopping practices scale, HFI, maternal depressive symptoms, and self-rated health.

Analysis: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis …

Awaken Your Agepotential, Exploring Chosen Paths Of Thrivers, Skye N. Leedahl

Human Development and Family Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

5th Circuit Likely To Strike Down Gay Marriage Bans: An Analysis Of The Hearing, Ari Ezra Waldman

Other Publications

No abstract provided.

Postbaccalaureate Stem Students’ Perceptions Of Their Training: Exploring The Intersection Of Gender And Nativity, Amy Roberson Hayes, Rebecca S. Bigler

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The number of international students in graduate school within STEM fields at US institutions has risen dramatically over the last few decades, whereas the numbers of US women attending graduate school in STEM fields has largely stagnated. These trends suggest the importance of intersectionality to understanding individuals’ pursuit of STEM careers. Here we examined doctoral (N = 270) and postdoctoral (N = 27) students' satisfaction with their graduate training at a large, research focused institution in the US as a function of the intersection of participants’ gender and nativity. Participants completed measures of occupational values, perceived fit of their values …

January 2015 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Social Support And Hiv-Related Stigma On Depression In Hiv/Aids Patients, Chinedu Anthony Umeadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV has remained a public health problem in Nigeria. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the effect of social support and HIV-related stigma on depression in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and to examine the moderating effect of sociodemographic factors, Quality of Life (QOL), and time since HIV diagnosis on this relationship. This study was based on the social cognitive theory. Data were collected from 98 PLWHA attending the antiretroviral clinic of Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, Nigeria. Regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between the variables. Some 24.5% of the study participants were depressed. Significant …