Digital Commons Network^™

Ecosystem Phosphorus Nutrition: A Soil Process Investigation, Alanna Nicole Shaw

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Many Earth System Models (ESMs) predict a plant fertilization effect associated with elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations that may increase the capacity of the biosphere to store carbon, stabilizing or even reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. This could plausibly mitigate global climate change. However, this effect is only possible in the absence of other limiting factors, such as the availability of nutrients like phosphorus (P). Critical uncertainties remain in our understanding of the soil biogeochemical controls of terrestrial P availability including: the response of soil P recycling rates to global climate warming and extent to which occluded soil P is …

Fundamental Investigation On Anion Binding Employing The Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen Bond, Jiyu Sun

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Noncovalent interactions play a critical role in chemistry and biochemistry. Understanding how to modulate closely situated noncovalent interactions is of utmost importance in the design of functional materials, supramolecular assemblies, pharmaceuticals, and catalysts. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant surge in research and applications on halogen bonds, driven by their exceptional properties such as high directionality and unique tunability when compared to hydrogen bonds. Taking inspiration from nature and other synthetic anion-binding receptors that effectively employ multiple noncovalent interactions in a concerted manner, we have developed an innovative preorganization strategy termed the "Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen …

Liberal Men, Rational Kings: The Democratization Of Sovereign Individualism, Austin Daniel Ladd

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Theoretical traditions are reactionary insofar as they are attempts to remedy deleterious conditions generated by certain political, cultural, and economic situations characteristic of a particular polity at a particular time. Using this lens, I investigate the principles of classical liberalism and suggest that they are specifically designed to solve the problems that animated the world of divine right, essentially functioning as transitional mechanisms pulling society towards liberal social contract regimes and away from antiquated feudal institutions and absolute monarchy. I craft a narrative that demonstrates that the main problem all of them coalesce to solve is individualism which, under divine …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Behavioral Symptoms Associated With Trauma, Hannah Hall

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Climate And Wildfire On Western Larch Regeneration, Spencer T. Vieira

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Fire plays a critical role in forests of the western United States (US), but as wildfire and climate deviate from historical patterns, increasing fire activity may significantly alter forest ecosystems. To understand the impacts of changing climate and wildfire activity on conifer forests, we studied the impact of wildfire and annual post-fire climate on western larch (Larix occidentalis) regeneration. We destructively sampled 1651 seedlings from 57 sites within 32 fires that burned at moderate or high severity from 2000-2015 in the northwestern US. Using dendrochronological methods, we estimated germination years of seedlings to calculate annual recruitment rates. We …

Leveraging Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen Bonding For Higher-Order Anion Helix Formation In Foldamers, Eric Arno John

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The ubiquity of folding in biopolymers to induce critical functions like information storage, signal transduction, catalysis, and selective binding has inspired chemists to create synthetic analogs called “foldamers” as materials which emulate and complement the remarkable complexity observed in nature. The ingenuity of chemists has yielded unique methodologies to induce secondary structure (folding) for diverse applications in materials science, medicine, and nanotechnology.

Anion foldamers are a specific class of foldamers engineered to recognize and specifically bind anions through noncovalent interactions. Using anions to induce folding has unique challenges. Anions have diverse topologies, pH dependence, and high free energies of solvation …

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Understanding Ecosystem Processes And Human Perceptions Of Montana’S Mountain Lakes, Carly Innis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Mountain lake ecosystems are critical in their roles in global biogeochemical cycling and providing vital ecosystem services, including freshwater resources, ecological habitats, and recreational opportunities. Ecological processes in mountain lakes, especially those occurring in the littoral, or near-shore zones, are linked to society and can be negatively influenced by human behavior, consequently threatening ecosystem services a lake provides. To investigate this problem, this study interrogates two inter-related issues. First, I assessed ecosystem metabolic services of biological activity that demonstrate a lake’s role in carbon cycling through sampling and monitoring a series of mountain lakes. During the summer of 2022, we …

Impacts Of Conifer Removal On Songbird Density, Reproductive Output, And Habitat Selection, Elise Catherine Zarri

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Restoration of anthropogenically altered habitats is vital to protect biodiversity and prevent species extinction as landscapes are increasingly altered, degraded, and lost. However, restoration is often done without a full understanding of its impact on biological communities. Lack of knowledge can lead to unintended negative consequences for some species restoration was intended to benefit. Woody plant encroachment is a form of habitat alteration occurring in grasslands and shrublands around the globe, driven by anthropogenic shifts in disturbance regimes. One example is conifer expansion into historically widespread sagebrush communities. Sagebrush restoration through conifer removal has become a common strategy to aid …

Predicting Gene Flow Corridors And Wildlife Health Using Landscape Genomics And Non-Invasive Metagenomic Monitoring: Investigation Of Elk (Cervus Canadensis) In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Samuel B. Pannoni

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This work develops and applies novel methods for metagenomic and landscape genomic (LSG) investigation of wildlife populations, specifically in Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Host fecal microbiomes facilitate and reflect interactions between the host and its environment. We conducted metagenomic surveys and developed a machinelearning classifier for microbiomes that provided new insights into elk-microbiome biogeography, and the impact of fecal microbiomes on host health and the ecology of elk-wolf (Canis lupus) predation. In the microbiome study, we found strong evidence for multiple management-relevant factors structuring elk microbiomes including body fat percentage, sex, age, and …

Evolution And Diversification Of The Novel Chlorophyll D-Based Photosynthetic Apparatus, Nikea Jonelle Ulrich

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The origin of novel traits is an important evolutionary process that generates biological diversity. However, we rarely know the underlying mechanisms of diversification following the innovation of a novel trait. Over two billion years ago, the innovation of chlorophyll (Chl) abased photosynthesis by cyanobacteria sparked the oxygenation of Earth, setting the stage for the emergence of multicellular life. Chl a was subsequently acquired by diverse algae and plants, and in the process, these organisms diversified their light-harvesting systems to absorb a range of visible wavelengths (400-700 nm) (1). Due to the ancient origins of Chl a, however, it is difficult …

Haunted Forms: Intermediality, Trauma, And Literary Memory, Gabriella Graceffo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis considers contemporary literature’s use of intermediality as a method to heighten the affective embodiment of PTSD symptoms represented in text. Using the meaning-making structures of photography and film, the analysis examines how the writing of Georges Bataille, Annie Ernaux, Michael Ondaatje, and Bhanu Kapil use formal implicit reference—the type of intermediality in which the characteristics and semiotics of one medium are translated to another without direct reproduction—to represent both traumatic experiences themselves and the symptom domains of PTSD. Caroline Levine’s work on affordance theory from Forms: Whole, Rhythm, Hierarchy, Network provides a theoretical foundation as to how the …

Wayfinding, Kalani N. Padilla

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Predicting Mountain Lion Resource Selection And Abundance In North America, William Connor O'Malley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The relationship between habitat quality and density is well documented in lower trophic levels but to what extent it can be extended to higher trophic levels is unknown. I tested the relationship between habitat quality, home-range size and density using a wide-ranging, well-studied, top carnivore, the mountain lion (Puma concolor). First, I created a second-order resource selection function (RSF) for mountain lions in their current North American range using GPS collar data from 476 individuals in 20 study sites and remotely-sensed landscape data. I used the RSF and home range estimates derived from collared animals to quantify mountain …

“Should Wellbeing Be The Same As Perfection?” A Case Study On Student Wellbeing In Higher Mathematics Education, Marcelo Alonso Almora Rios

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Previous research has given the impression that reticent is our hunt for optimal teaching practices, educational goals, and nature of mathematical workings. In this regard, we have (seemingly) ended up with the following inquiries:

• What could the math classroom be for? and
• What has the math classroom been for?

These two questions touch on the scary horns of two other charged philosophical dandruffs. Namely:“What are the aims of teaching mathematics?” and “What should be our objectives in learning it?”

The term ‘positive education’ refers to an educational system engendering both the skills of positive wellbeing and traditional, academic achievement (Seligman …

Venturing Into The Virtual: An Analysis Of Virtual Museums And Creation Of Umacf Southwestern Basketry Virtual Exhibit, Monica D. Lusnia

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The prevalence of virtual museums has grown in recent years and this relatively new exhibition format has presented the museum field with opportunities for growth. In an effort to explore the virtual sphere as an effective avenue for museum growth and change, I conduct an analysis of what virtual museums are, the challenges they pose, and the benefits they can provide to museum education. Case studies of University of California Chico, University of New Mexico, University of Arizona, and University of Nevada Reno’s virtual exhibition of materials from each university’s anthropology collections serves to further the exploration of the efficacy …

The Biome Within: Conception And Change In The Paradise Valley, Austin Kirchhoff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Biome Within is an essay collection that meditates on change. Born and raised in the Paradise Valley of southwest Montana, Austin recounts stories from her childhood, painting a picture of rural life in the Valley that contrasts with its modern-day incarnation as a luxury get-away and millionaire’s playground. Even as Austin pines for a time and a place that no longer exists, embodying the nostalgia that she identifies in the Valley’s transplants, the reader comes to understand that the author – and her family’s way of making a living – are culpable in creating the changes that she now …

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: An Exploration Of Wastewater Issues And Possible Solutions In And Out Of Montana, Keely I. Larson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Larson, Keely, M.A., Spring 2023

Major:Environmental and Natural Resources Journalism

Out of sight, out of mind: An exploration of wastewater issues and possible solutions in and out of Montana

Chairperson: Dennis Swibold

Co-Chairpersons: Nadia White, Sarah Halvorson

This is a master’s project, featuring three stories, linked in theme. The first starts with a nationally scoped story about septic systems in resort towns and what happens when too many people want to visit areas like Cape Cod, the Florida Keys or, more locally, Seeley Lake, and overwhelm waste disposal methods. Often in these areas that are more remote, septic systems …

The Influences Of Bias-Based Bullying And Teacher-Student Relationships On School Belonging, Charlotte J. Moss

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

School belonging is an important factor to examine when considering the well-being of school-aged children. Factors that may influence a student’s sense of school belonging include bias-based victimization and the quality of teacher-student relationships. Many studies have examined these three variables independently or have analyzed the interaction of two of these variables. However, there are very few studies that have specifically looked at the effects of bias-based victimization and the quality of teacher-student relationships on school belonging. In order to fill these gaps in the research, this study sampled participants using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), an online crowdsourcing platform that …

Association Between Baseline Field Test Performance And Match Physical Performance In D1 Female Soccer Players, Benito Joel Cecenas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Background: Fitness testing is utilized by numerous soccer programs as a means for evaluation of player physical capacity. Previous literature has shown Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIR1) performance is associated with match physical performance in elite adult and youth soccer players. Until now, these relationships have not been investigated in the collegiate soccer setting, despite the YYIR1 being regularly utilized at the collegiate level to determine eligibility for competition, influence playing time, and to assess adaptation to training programs. For these reasons the association between the YYIR1 and match physical performance was investigated in women’s collegiate soccer.

Aims: …

Teacher Turnover And Retention The Choice To Leave: Lived Experiences Of Teachers In Rural Montana, Brittany Elizabeth Julie Katzer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

School districts across the United States are grappling to fill, and to keep, their classrooms operating with qualified teachers, especially in rural communities. To ensure a quality education for the millions of students in the nation in the coming years, educational leaders and government officials need to evaluate what can be done to increase the number of teachers staying in their positions. Schools must be better equipped to understand what contributes to high turnover rates and the inability to retain their teachers. It is necessary to create conditions that will keep fully trained and qualified teachers in the field. The …

Tree Line, Eric Joseph Jensen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

I was raised under a doctrine of extreme truth that cast a shadow over all reality. Upon rejecting that dogma, my life became a search to replace that truth. I’ve looked for it by immersing myself in the natural world and exploring my relationship with it through paint. My landscape painting practice has brought me a wealth of experiences; however, it has not given me an answer that fills the void of my upbringing. My thesis paper is an account of the questions, research, and paintings that surround my search. Nothing, it turns out, is absolute. There is a beauty …

A Comparison Of Barriers To Traditional And Home-Based Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Participation: Potential Implications For The Maintenance Phase, Erin Rose Madison

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Cardiac rehabilitation provides medically supervised therapeutic exercise and multifaceted risk factor modification as a form of secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease, a persistent leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and internationally. Despite robust evidence of compelling patient outcomes, decreased disease recurrence, and the indications from the ACC/AHA endorsing phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as a crucial aspect of recovery from cardiac events and qualifying conditions, CR is widely underutilized. A variety of patient barriers can serve as mitigating factors to CR referral, enrollment, participation, and completion contributing to, in part, the underutilization of CR. Barriers to …

Spirited Debates: Montana Prohibition, Politics, & Repeal, 1925 - 1938, Hunter A. Richardson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Warmth Of The Sun, Drake M. Gerber

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Warmth of the Sun, is a reflection on personal experiences I’ve had in the landscape while living in the Northwest. This curated experience is an attempt to capture my sincerity towards a place and hold onto that feeling. I intend to share faded memories of personal experiences through enigmatic sculptures to make the viewer look a bit closer at these objects and see the landscape in a new way. This paper explores thoughts on the idea of place, material, process, contemporary influences, and the experiences that inspired this body of work.

Ancient Migrations In West Mexico: Mtdna Analyses, Patricio Gutiérrez Ruano

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Despite the mounting evidence that suggests The Aztatlán tradition in West Mexico was a major cosmopolitan region during the Postclassic period (AD 900-1521) with connections to the rest of what is now Mexico, archaeologists have characterized items in West Mexico as culturally distinct from the rest of Mesoamerica. Recently, endogenous, and exogenous material culture has been interpreted as movement and exchange of goods and ideas between subregions and surrounding areas, all of which mention physical contact and trade were involved between Aztatlán and elsewhere. This has included interacting with areas as far as the U.S. Southwest, as well as in …

Site 48ye2550: Late Paleoindian Occupation At Grebe Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Travis Kern

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

The Reproductive Consequences Of Low Energy Availability In Females, Courtney Couture

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Motown Movie Magic: Respectability, Gender, And Authenticity In Crossover Films, 1972-1989, Nicholas Andrew Ambs

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

At the start of the 1970s, Berry Gordy, Jr., moved Motown Industries to Los Angeles to expand into the film and television industries. Just as in the music industry, Gordy utilized respectability politics to navigate a segregated market to appeal to a wider audience. As rhetoric around notions of respectability changed perspectives on the Black experience, Gordy’s business practices represented a traditional tactic for uplift ideology that he sought to demonstrate in his film. In the context of national changes and industrial trends, Gordy balanced building credibility, establishing a profitable studio, and creating a positive image throughout the 70s and …

Does Behavioral Synchrony Extend To Robots? Children’S Sharing, Mentalizing, And Social Attributions To Synchronous Others, Sarah E. Sweezy

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Behavioral synchrony, or the act of keeping rhythm with others, has many implications on children’s interactions with others, from prosocial behaviors to feelings of affiliation with synchronous people. However, little is known about how behavioral synchrony applies to non-human entities. From robots leading movement-based learning in classrooms or being engaged in cultural settings, a new series of questions arise for how children view synchronizing with non-human others. The current study aimed to investigate how broadly synchronization effects would extend in a child sample: Are behavioral synchrony effects limited to synchronizing with humans or do they extend to social agents (e.g., …

Subjective Well-Being And Intergenerational Mobility In South Africa, Alison J. Monroe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Using data on individuals from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), this paper analyzes the relationship between intergenerational mobility and subjective well-being for two cohorts of South Africans. Subjective well-being has been measured using a multitude of factors, but the impact of changing economic mobility on reported life satisfaction has been less explored in the context of South Africa. Education and social mobility are the two mobility variables used to understand how changes in economic status relative to one’s parents affect self-reported well-being. This paper utilizes three methods of regression analysis for comparisons: cross-sectional, pooled cross-sectional, and panel (fixed effects …