Digital Commons Network^™

“Everyone Else Gets To Have The American Dream:” How Social Security Disability Policy Shapes Disability Identity, Katie Savin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In the United States welfare state, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is the primary institution that shapes the disability experience through its disability benefit programs. This study used qualitative methods to explore 33 disabled adult beneficiaries’ experience with SSI/SSDI policy administration and the impact on their sense of worth, self-concept, and identity. Critical Disability Studies and a constructivist grounded theory approach drove data analysis. What emerged from the data was a negative disability identity experience referred to as the Social Security model of disability. Capitalist ideals that assign morality to formal work meant that disabled participants faced exclusion and stigma …

Using Focus Groups To Explore Older Black Men's Perception Of Dietary Interventions., Ashley R Shaw, Eric D Vidoni, Mickeal N Key, Brandon A Yates, Roland Thorpe

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Older Black men are underrepresented in research despite being disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors related to AD compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Although dietary interventions have shown promise to reduce modifiable CV risk factors related to AD, Black Americans have lower adherence likely due to lack of cultural considerations. Using a noninterventional convergent parallel mixed-methods approach, this study examined the cultural contexts that inform perceptions of dietary interventions among older Midwestern Black men. All participants completed an online demographic and dietary habit survey prior to focus group discussions. Two focus group discussion sessions were conducted …

Synergistic Effects Of Antimicrobial Components Of The Human-Derived Composite Amnion-Chorion Membrane On Bacterial Growth, Alexandra Su Brummerhop, Chun-Teh Lee, Robin Weltman, Gena D Tribble, Ransome Van Der Hoeven, Yulun Chiu, Jianming Hong, Bing-Yan Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The human-derived amnion-chorion membrane (ACM) has endogenous antimicrobial properties, which are important for preventing the colonization and survival of oral bacteria on exposed membranes. This project aimed to decipher the underlying mechanism by identifying the components of ACM that confer antibacterial properties. In addition, the antimicrobial efficacy of these identified components on oral bacteria was assessed.

Methods: Four antimicrobial proteins, histone H2A/H2B, cathelicidin LL-37, lactoferrin, and lysozyme, were identified via mass spectrometry in ACM. These proteins were then assessed for their efficacy in killing Streptococcus gordonii Challis. Log-phased bacterial cells were cultured with the commercially available proteins that were …

Association Of Cancer Diagnosis With Disability Status Among Older Survivors Of Colorectal Cancer: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study, Shiming Zhang, Lin-Na Chou, Michael D Swartz, Hemalkumar B Mehta, James S Goodwin, Yong-Fang Kuo, Sharon Hermes Giordano, Carole A Tucker, Karen M Basen-Engquist, Elizabeth J Lyons, Brian Downer, Susan K Peterson, Tru Cao, Maria C Swartz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Older cancer survivors likely experience physical function limitations due to cancer and its treatments, leading to disability and early mortality. Existing studies have focused on factors associated with surgical complications and mortality risk rather than factors associated with the development of poor disability status (DS), a proxy measure of poor performance status, in cancer survivors. We aimed to identify factors associated with the development of poor DS among older survivors of colorectal cancer (CRC) and compare poor DS rates to an age-sex-matched, non-cancer cohort.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study utilized administrative data from the Texas Cancer Registry Medicare-linked database. …

Pain Management For Post-Treatment Survivors Of Complex Cancers: A Qualitative Study Of Opioids And Cannabis, Beatriz Currier

All Publications

Aim: We aimed to understand experiences with opioids and cannabis for post-treatment cancer survivors. Patients & methods: We conducted seven focus groups among head and neck and lung cancer survivors, using standard qualitative methodology to explore themes around 1) post-treatment pain and 2) utilization, perceived benefits and perceived harms of cannabis and opioids. Results & conclusion: Survivors (N = 25) experienced addiction fears, stigma and access challenges for both products. Opioids were often perceived as critical for severe pain. Cannabis reduced pain and anxiety for many survivors, suggesting that anxiety screening, as recommended in guidelines, would improve traditional pain assessment. …

Reimagining Youngblood's Bad Faith Requirement: Safeguarding Criminal Defendants' Due Process Rights Through A Burden-Shifting Framework, Rita Elfarissi

Michigan Law Review

Criminal defendants face an uphill battle when attempting to prove that the government’s loss or destruction of evidence that could have played a significant role in their defense deprived them of their constitutional due process rights. To make this showing, the defendant must prove that the government lost or destroyed the evidence in bad faith. This requirement is problematic because direct evidence illustrating the subjective intent of the government officials who lost or destroyed the evidence is unlikely to exist, and in the off chance it does, the prosecution is unlikely to freely hand it over to the defendant. Thus, …

Nonlinear Changes In Facial Affect And Posttraumatic Growth: Assessment Of Ecological Momentary Assessment Video Data, Aaron M. Harwell, David Pincus, Bernard P. Ricca, Emmeline Taylor, Charles C. Benight

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), characterized by newfound meaning, perspective, and purpose for trauma survivors, remains enigmatic in its nature. This state is thought to arise from the dynamic interplay of biopsychosocial factors; however, the nature of this interplay is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the intricate relationship between PTG and facial affect dynamics, shedding light on the complex interplay of biopsychosocial factors that underpin this transformative process. We conducted a comprehensive investigation involving 19 wildfire survivors who provided daily self-reported PTG ratings alongside smartphone videos analyzed using Automated Facial Affect Recognition (AFAR) software. Our findings revealed compelling evidence of self-organization …

How Do Daily Survival Rates Of Nests Change During The Incubation Period For Ducks Nesting On Great Salt Lake Marshes?, Mark E. Bell, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We examined how daily survival rates (DSRs) of duck nests change over the course of the incubation period using cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and gadwalls (Mareca strepera) nesting in the marshes around Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Cameras observed 138 nests, allowing us to know the exact day when chicks hatched or nests were depredated. We measured the course of the incubation period based on 3 different time scales: (1) days since we first located the nest, (2) embryo age, and (3) ordinal day. We tested 3 hypotheses about the relationship …

Proteoglycans In Mechanobiology Of Tissues And Organs: Normal Functions And Mechanopathology, Mary C Farach-Carson, Danielle Wu, Cristiane Miranda França

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Proteoglycans (PGs) are a diverse class of glycoconjugates that serve critical functions in normal mechanobiology and mechanopathology. Both the protein cores and attached glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains function in mechanically-sensitive processes, and loss of either can contribute to development of pathological conditions. PGs function as key components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) where they can serve as mechanosensors in mechanosensitive tissues including bone, cartilage, tendon, blood vessels and soft organs. The mechanical properties of these tissues depend on the presence and function of PGs, which play important roles in tissue elasticity, osmolarity and pressure sensing, and response to physical activity. Tissue …

Scrutinizing The Bathroom Binary: Equal Protection Theories For Nonbinary Students, Annie Schuver

Michigan Law Review

Over the past decade, transgender students have challenged discriminatory school bathroom policies under the Equal Protection Clause with varying success. But another group of students, facing similar discrimination, has yet to see its day in court. Like their transgender peers, nonbinary students often lack access to gender-appropriate restrooms at school. Many K–12 schools offer only “boys” and “girls” restrooms, ignoring the needs of students who identify as neither boys nor girls, as both of those genders, or as something else entirely. Forced to use sex-segregated bathrooms (or no bathroom at all), nonbinary students suffer adverse health, safety, and educational outcomes. …

Traditional Chinese Medicine And The Argument For Future Application In The United States, Kylie Nicole Frohlich

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Silk Fibroin And Hylauronic Acid As Otic Drug Delivery System Additives; Investigation Of Silk Fibroins Responses To Enviromental Stimulii, Kolton Charles Sandau

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Serban lab has previously developed and reported on a single application drug delivery system for the treatment of otitis externa. Otitis externa also known as outer ear infections is a very common ailment that impacts large portions of both human and domestic animal populations. Typical treatment for otitis externa typically requires an extended dosing regimen over several days that is inconvenient and can lead to poor clinical outcomes due to poor patient compliance. Our delivery system employs a thixotropic gel to deliver a steady dose of medication over the duration of the infection.

Here we evaluated the reproducibility and …

Density Anomaly Leads To Rift Initiation: Quantifying Active Rifting And Comparison To The East African Rift Zone, Chloe Boucher

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Active rifting, elastic failure in the lithosphere from rising density anomalies in the mantle, is fundamental to the Wilson Cycle which describes the cycle of tectonic plates. Active rift zones are common in the oceanic lithosphere but are less common in the thicker continental lithosphere. The current largest active continental rift zone is the East African Rift Zone (EARZ). Although active rifting is fundamental to plate tectonic theory, the mechanics and parameters needed for a density anomaly to initiate a rift have not been undertaken. This model aims to solve the problem of a density anomaly initiating a continental rift …

A Tale Of Two Working Landscapes, Sage C. Sutcliffe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Where The Framework Ends: Equity Considerations And Limitations During Agency River Permit Allocation Decision Making Processes, Kelsey Ellen Phillips

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

River recreation in the U.S. increased dramatically in the 1970s as boating technology and recreational skill level shifted, thus a number of federally- and state-managed river areas instituted use limits over the years to prevent the environmental and social impacts perceived to have stemmed from increased use. These river managers were then faced with the task of allocating this use between private and commercial users (allotment) and within these groups (rationing), complicated by the fact that members of the public perceive equity differently. Early recreation use allocation research explored how different rationing techniques favor different groups, for example those with …

Navigating Conservation Planning For A Small Land Trust, Megan Elise Euclide

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the face of ongoing biodiversity loss and limited resources, the urgency for effective conservation strategies and planning is vital. This paper explains key components and principles of effective conservation planning, applicable across various temporal and spatial scales, institutional contexts, and motivations for conservation. These components encompass framing the conservation planning problem, devising solutions, and implementing strategies. Effective planning efforts are supported by principles such as formulating a clear purpose statement, establishing objectives, addressing critical uncertainties, integrating knowledge into decision-making processes, and embracing flexibility and iteration. Incorporating these elements into conservation planning enhances decision-makers' ability to make informed decisions, ultimately …

The Other Identity Politics: Political Turning Points And Political Identity Development In College-Going Emerging Adults, Kaetlyn Jeanette Cordingley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Emerging adulthood is a critical developmental period, especially for identity– the development of our sense of who we are internally and relative to others. This research sought to investigate one understudied aspect of identity development: political identity. Five questions guided this research: first, is political identity related to broader identity development? Second, does political identity development differ based on political ideology (liberal, moderate, conservative)? Third, do individuals’ self-identified political turning point events differ based on political ideology? Fourth, how is political identity development related to political turning point narratives? Fifth, how does meaning making interact with political identity development and …

Zooming In On A Snapshot Of Care: Adapting The Index Of Care For Historical And Modern Individuals In The Terry Collection, Felicia Robyn Sparozic

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This dissertation adapts the Index of Care (IOC), traditionally focused on prehistoric contexts, to historical (1840-1950) and modern (post-1950) individuals from the Smithsonian’s Terry Collection, to account for those individuals with extensive records. By introducing sister methodologies for both historical and modern contexts, this research bridges the methodological gap in care analysis, enhancing the original IOC with contextual environmental variables and, for modern individuals, DNA analysis.

The study utilizes a selected cohort from the Terry Collection, emphasizing the investigation of caregiving practices across different sexes and ancestral backgrounds. Contrary to initial hypotheses predicting sex-based differences in care provision, findings show …

Csn-5: A Tumor's Friend Or Foe In The C. Elegans Germline?, Kellie C. Kuch

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The COP9 signalosome is a highly conserved eukaryotic complex regulating protein degradation via deneddylation of Cullin-RING E3 ligases. CSN5, the COP9’s fifth component, contains the catalytically active domain for CSN deneddylation. The complex is inactive without CSN5; however, CSN5 engages in COP9-independent binding with several other proteins, typically promoting either destruction or stabilization of its partners. Many of its confirmed interaction partners are also implicated in tumorigenesis (prominent examples being p27 and p53) and a complex cancer interactome has been established for CSN5. Additionally, CSN5 overexpression has been documented in a staggering array of cancers of diverse origins. This discovery …

The Blackfeet Nation’S Bison Conservation Herd Management Plan, Brandon Kittson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This document is meant to act as a guide to understanding Bison reintroduction on the Blackfeet reservation and serve as a resource for bison management. This report and plan will: 1) review bison ecology and the history of reintroduction efforts on the reservation; 2) identify potential issues and barriers to successful reintroduction; 3) present a summary of current land policies and patterns of land use on the reservation; and 4) provide recommendations for dealing with those potential issues. Recommendations will be based on analyses of previous knowledge of bison and bison behavior.

The Influence Of Sex Hormones On The Physiological Response To Exercise In Females, Katherine Sue Christison

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The overall aim of this dissertation was to investigate the influence of female sex hormones on the response to exercise in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Study one examined the effect of menstrual cycle phase on thermoregulation during prolonged exercise in the heat. Notably, elevated core temperature and basal aldosterone was apparent in the mid-luteal phase corresponding with elevations in estrogen and progesterone. Aldosterone significantly increased following exercise in the heat but remained elevated in the mid-luteal phase, suggesting a previously unexplored menstrual phase-aldosterone hormonal additivity under the stress of uncompensable heat. Study two was a survey-based investigation with the aim …

Reimagining The Accuracy Of The Lovejoy Et Al. (1985) Age Estimation Method Of The Auricular Surface Of The Ilium Through Modern Color Photographs, Alyssa L. Edwards

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The ability to accurately estimate the age at time-of-death of an individual is crucial in numerous fields, particularly in a biological or forensic context. There are various methods, features, and bones that are utilized for determining the estimated age of an individual. This study dives into the Lovejoy et al. (1985) age estimation method of the auricular surface of the ilium by using the current age phase descriptions against different reference photos. The study tests whether updated color photos, when working collaboratively with the current age phase descriptions, increases the age estimation accuracy when estimating age based on the auricular …

Menopause In The Public Sphere: The Consciousness-Raising Practices Of Technical And Experiential Experts, Emma J. Murdock

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Menopause is frequently discussed through a biomedical lens, which stresses technical language and knowledge, yet emerging in popular culture is experiential experts sharing how they feel about menopause. This paper analyses Michelle Obama's podcast episode titled “What Your Mother Never Told You” (2022) featuring Dr. Sharon Malone, a medical doctor and menopause experiential expert. Using consciousness-raising and the spheres of argumentation, I analyze how the experiential and technical experts of the podcast address and speak about menopause. This paper aims to question how consciousness-raising can reconstruct the understanding of menopause through an experiential-centric lens by placing personal testimony and experiences …

A Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum Model To Simulate Seedling Response To Water Stress, Michael Kurt Kendree Jr.

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Most current ecohydrologic models simplify the hydraulics that are at play in plant-water relationships by assuming that the water content within the plant is static. In reality, plants have a relative water content that varies with time in response to environmental stresses. To some extent, variations in plant relative water content are regulated by changes in the osmotic potential of water within plant cells, which contributes to the resilience of plants during periods of water shortage. We present a model that simulates plant water transport and storage within the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. The model incorporates the role of osmotic regulation in …

Better Understanding The Barred Owl, Adam Lee Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis research presents an analysis of barred owl nest site selection in an understudied region of their expanded range. The barred owl has dramatically expanded its range westwards over the last 150 years, prompting multiple conflicting reinterpretations of their species account. Hypotheses of range expansion are reviewed to provide context for this study’s research. This study gathers empirical data on nest site selection in the mixed conifer forests of Montana’s Seeley-Swan and Mission Valleys. Eight barred owl nests were located following extensive territory surveys. Field measurements of tree height and diameter using USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot …

Bearing Witness: Ancient Dna Analysis And The Dynamics Of Food Procurement In A Historic Missoula Chinese Community, Sarah Elizabeth Grenfell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2019, construction of a brewery called Cranky Sam Public House in downtown Missoula, Montana provided an unexpected opportunity to recover and preserve late nineteenth and early twentieth century archaeological evidence of a Missoula neighborhood that included a Chinese temple, a Chinese store, and dwellings with Chinese residents. The area, like many urban landscapes in the American West, also included a restricted, or red-light district. Teams of volunteer University of Montana graduate and undergraduate students conducted on-the-spot salvage archaeology monitoring and were able to recover a sample of artifacts and ecofacts from this once-bustling part of Missoula. The objectives of …

Genomic And Phenotypic Insights Into The Mechanisms Of Adaptation In High-Elevation Deer Mice, Keely R. Corder

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The study of adaptation to extreme environments offers a lens to explore the fundamental processes of evolution. Organisms living in challenging conditions, such as high elevation, must evolve a suite of physiological and genetic adaptations to survive and thrive. However, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying such adaptations and the processes driving their evolution remains incomplete. This dissertation aims to expand our knowledge of adaptive evolution in extreme environments by integrating genomic, phenotypic, and demographic data in the North American deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), a model system for high-altitude adaptation. The dissertation addresses three main gaps in knowledge: (1) the …

Drivers And Fates Of Primary Production In A Dammed, Eutrophic River, Laurel Genzoli

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Algae, cyanobacteria, and aquatic plants are essential components of river ecosystems, providing the basis for aquatic food webs, determining water quality, and controlling carbon and nutrient cycling in rivers. Despite their importance to river ecosystems, growth and accumulation of river photoautotrophs beyond historic levels cause ecological and social harm. The drivers of riverine primary production are poorly understood relative to algae blooms in lakes due to a paucity of studies in rivers, challenges with quantifying periphyton, and interacting and co-varying controls associated with river flows. In my dissertation, I quantified photoautotrophs and aquatic primary productivity in a dammed, eutrophic river …

Brat Olympics, Caroline Ganci Patterson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

brat olympics is an exploration of feminine disgust, apprehension, and disorientation contextualized through interpersonal relationships and societal shapeshifting. It pays particular attention to gender performance, surburban queerness, and strangerness. The manuscript plays on the history of the bildungsroman, but instead of one consistent singular timeline, it provides three separate attempts at a characterization of a life. These disparate approaches to a singular life’s characterization stress the mundanity of documentation.

This multinarrative approach satirizes the ideal of the singular confessional, and presents a discursive approach to the way we choose to build our worlds. Building off the works of the New …

Repatriation And A Biological Profile Of Indigenous Remains Of West Texas, Haley P. Rebardi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was created in response to the injustice, mishandling, looting, and trafficking of Native American remains and cultural artifacts. However, even with the latest amendment in December of 2023, there are still gray areas in the context and language. Notably, an issue with NAGPRA is the act only includes institutions and organizations that receive and are supported by Federal funding. Consequently, the act does not cover private collections. The main concern in these contexts is the lack of communication, awareness, and/or permission with and from descendant tribes or potential descendants when it …