Digital Commons Network^™

From Emily To Loralei To Rory: A Qualitative Textual Analysis Of Scripts From Gilmore Girls For Real-World Application, Erin Mccann

Theses and Dissertations

In the realm of interpersonal communication and intrafamilial research, one dynamic, the mother and daughter pairing, is especially poignant in exploring the ties of closeness, the openness of communication and the potential for long-term impact on a daughter’s development. When studying the mother and daughter dynamic through a work of fiction, patterns can be observed without bias, allowing for evaluation of the strength of relationship and identification of broader implication to the discipline of family communication. In this study, a textual analysis was conducted evaluating 21 exemplary episodes of the 2000s television show Gilmore Girls focused entirely on the interactions …

Addressing The Impact Of Unlicensed And Under-Licensed Teachers In Pk-12 Schools: How School Administrators Offer Support, Taylor Topinka

Theses and Dissertations

As the impact of the teacher shortage grows, more teachers are entering classrooms with incomplete teacher licensure. Related literature affirms that new-to-profession teachers experience what Danielson (1999) described as a “sink or swim in the deep end of the pool” culture as they attempt to navigate the beginning of their teaching career with an incomplete license or no license entirely (p. 251). The influx of partially-licensed teachers engaging students is a dilemma created by the growth of the teacher shortage. The purpose of this study was to address the impact of unlicensed and under-licensed teachers on student growth and achievement …

Spatial And Temporal Assessment Of Meteorological Drought Using The Standardized Precipitation Index (Spi) And Its Effect On Crop Yield Over The Corn Belt Region Of The United States From 2000 To 2023, Victor Araya

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and global warming have contributed to extreme weather events and patterns, including severe flooding, earthquakes, wildfires, and drought. Drought happens to be the deadliest catastrophic event around the world. Drought's impact on ecosystems and local communities has been increasing in many parts of the world, including the United States and, most importantly, the corn Belt, which also happens to be the country's food basket. Understanding drought prediction and mitigation can be investigated through drought indices. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is considered the most reliable in this study. It is used in this study to present the critical …

Gender And Family Differences In Faculty Motivation, Allyssa Jean Baumbach

Theses and Dissertations

This three-article dissertation examines gender and family differences in faculty motivation. Faculty motivation has primarily been studied in the context of development but has only recently begun to focus on productivity and success. Further, studies of faculty motivation do not provide in depth analysis of gender and family differences. Therefore, the current program of research uses the Self-Determination Theory to examine gender and family differences in faculty motivation and considers how traditional gender norms may contribute to these differences. The first study explored if gender difference existed. Data from a small sample of faculty (N=118) from two universities in the …

An Explainable Ai Framework For Detecting Harmful Algal Blooms (Habs) In Freshwater Lakes, Meera Gopinath Sujatha

Theses and Dissertations

The increase in economic impacts due to the rapid growth of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in freshwater lakes has prompted the development of monitoring and prediction systems. However, limited target data hinders reliable predictions on HAB formations. To address this limitation, this dissertation focuses on providing solutions through data-driven,interpretable, and explainable machine learning models. In Chapter 3, an interpretable multivariate regression model such as Vector Autoregressive (VAR) was used to analyze the important factors that contribute to the formation of cyanobacteria in lakes. The causality tests performed on multiple water quality data helped to determine Alkalinity, Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), andWater Temperature …

Teaching Agroecology Through Play: A Board Game On Companion Planting Using Agroecological Principles, Ashmita Das, Julie Capito-Hernandez, Estelí Jiménez-Soto

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Board games themed around environmental topics are promising tools for promoting awareness of complex sustainability issues, as the materiality, sociality, and multidimensionality of gameplay can help overcome some of the inherent limitations of more traditional learning formats. To explore the potential relevance of board games for communicating about agrifood system topics in particular, we designed and tested a game called Companion: An Agroecological Adventure, in which players take on the role of community gardeners who must apply both social and ecological principles of agroecology to cultivate a thriving garden plot. In this paper, we present the results of a study …

Food Sovereignty Among Migrant Farmworkers: The Role Of Agrobiodiversity For Autonomy And Resistance In A Mexican Coffee Plantation, Estelí Jiménez-Soto, Sanya Cowal, April Lopez

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Coffee agroecosystems represent the economic base for thousands of small growers and agricultural workers, as well as a significant proportion of many regional economies in Latin America. Every year, the production of coffee in this region attracts a great number of laborers and their families, particularly during the harvest season. Despite being essential workers in the food system, agricultural workers continue to be one of the most marginalized actors in the coffee production chain. Even with an environment of precarity, agricultural workers exercise their autonomy and food sovereignty—the process by which agricultural workers, in this case, define their food system …

Antimicrobial Susceptibility And Molecular Characterization Of Corynebacterium Pseudotuberculosis Isolates Recovered From Caseous Lymphadenitis In Sheep, Mohamed Bakr, Mahmoud E. Hashad, Islam Gomaa

Nanotechnology Research Centre

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a well-recognized etiological agent responsible for caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) and ulcerative lymphangitis (UL) in small and large ruminants, respectively. This pathogen is frequently associated with poor therapeutic outcomes in animals. In the present study, 30 bacterial isolates, recovered from 300 lymph node and pus samples (10%), were identified as Corynebacterium spp. Molecular confirmation using 16S rRNA and pld gene PCR verified 11 of these isolates as C. pseudotuberculosis, while one isolate was identified as C. jeikeium, a first record from sheep in Egypt. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility and genotyping using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase …

Caribbean Amphipoda (Crustacea) Of Panama. Part V: Parvorder Amphilochidira, Abigail R. Dugger, Kristine N. White

Faculty and Staff Works

The parvorder Amphilochidira includes 1,152 described species in 24 families. Amphilochidiran amphipods retain many plesiomorphic character states and are thought to represent the ancestral state of amphipods. Many amphipods in this parvorder cling to substrates such as algae or sponges. Nineteen species from four families within the parvorder are documented from Bocas del Toro, Panama, including one new species, Apolochus dragensis Range extensions are documented for eight species, including two species previously documented only from the Pacific Ocean. All species are diagnosed and an identification key to the Amphilochidira amphipods of Panama is provided herein.

Caribbean Amphipoda (Crustacea) Of Panama. Part Iv: Parvorder Caprellidira, Sally J. Sir, Kristine N. White

Faculty and Staff Works

The parvorder Caprellidira includes 1,244 described species in 17 families. The diverse morphology of caprellidiran amphipods ranges from thread-like to more typical laterally compressed body forms. Caprellidiran amphipods are associated with coral rubble, seagrasses, sponges, algae, and sand and typically feed on detritus from the water column. Twenty species from five families within the parvorder are documented from Bocas del Toro, Panama. Five species are new to science and a range extension is documented for 15 species. All species are diagnosed, new species are described, and an identification key to the Caprellidira amphipods of Panama is provided herein.

State Restrictions On Gender-Affirming Care: Implications For Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Children's Welfare, Yasmin Hubert

Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice

No abstract provided.

Stopping The Slippery Slope: What Happy The Elephant Can Gain From Estrellita The Monkey, Mason Liddell

University of San Francisco Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Sociolinguistic Study Of The Bani Malik Dialect In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Mansour Almalki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My research aims to examine how the dialect of the Bani Malik community, a minority group in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has been influenced by its contact with the urban dialect of Mecca. It also aims to record Bani Malik speakers’ attitudes toward their heritage dialect. Thirty-six Bani Malik speakers of different age groups, genders, and amounts of contact with Meccan speakers were interviewed for 30 minutes each. Quantitative data analysis was used to investigate the influence of the Meccan dialect on one Bani Malik morphological feature, the first-person singular possessive marker < -i:h>, and two phonological features, the diphthongs [ai] and …

Queer In & Out Of Montana: Oral Histories Of The Lgbtq+ Exodus From Montana, Erin T. Heaton

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This project will summarize findings from six oral histories of LGBTQ+ people who lived in Montana, but have left or are leaving in the near future. This project will explore the questions: Why are queer and transgender people leaving Montana? What are common experiences for LGBTQ+ people living in Montana? The answer to these questions will be derived from the stories of the Narrators who provided their oral histories. The questions utilized in the oral histories covered topics of identity, “coming out,” living history, cultural observations, community experiences and perceptions, well-being, healthcare, laws, and reasons for leaving. Thematic Analysis was …

2025 Document For Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day Soirée, Stacy Penk, Diana Symons

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

Social Determinants Of Mental Health Outcomes, Ariana Fein

Honors Theses

Mental health disorders, particularly anxiety and depression, are a growing global concern with profound consequences on individuals' well-being and societal functioning. The burden of these disorders is not only psychological but also economic, affecting quality of life. Mental health outcomes are heavily influenced by a range of social determinants, such as financial status, education, and access to healthcare. While extensive research has focused on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) countries, there remains a significant gap in understanding how these determinants affect mental health in low-resource settings or non-WEIRD countries. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the …

Interactions And Applications Of Optical Angular Momentum In Magneto-Optical Material, Seth R. Nelson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation explores the interactions and applications of optical angular momentum within magneto-optical materials. Beginning with a theoretical and experimental analysis of multiple reflection and refraction phenomena within magneto-optical material. We derive and verify the dependence of refractive indices on optical spin angular momentum and magneto-optical magnetization, resulting in nonreciprocal elliptical and linear polarization beam splitting effects and wavevector discretization. We fabricate a magnetless slab waveguide isolator with minimal optical loss. Extending our study to optical orbital angular momentum, we introduce a perturbation to the electronic transition model in bismuth-substituted iron garnets. We demonstrate that this perturbation leads to nonreciprocal …

Computational Tools For Protein Classification In Metagenomes, Fawad Ullah

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Advances in genomic sequencing have dramatically increased the amount and the speed at which genomic data is being generated. These technological advances have enabled the ability to profile the genetic information of organisms and communities at unprecedented scales. Many methods have been developed to identify and classify genes within these datasets. However, many generic pipelines for gene annotation struggle to accurately predict specific protein classes that may not be represented in their databases. Two major challenges exist for classification of specific protein classes in metagenomic databases. The first is the fact that many metagenomic assemblies are highly fragmented with many …

Fine Root And Ectomycorrhizal Functional Traits Of Quercus Rubra Populations From Across A Latitudinal Gradient, Emma L. Shedd

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Forests are increasingly considered for their carbon sequestration value, but their ability to store carbon is dependent on a close balance between carbon fluxes into and out of ecosystems. Nutrient uptake of roots and associated symbiotic communities results in respiratory carbon release, which is projected to increase with warming and represents a substantial uncertainty in earth system modeling. Traits that are functionally related to nutrient uptake can be used to estimate carbon fluxes, but our understanding of the trade-offs that govern root, and especially fungal, traits is limited. Fine roots in surface soils are responsible for the bulk of plant …

Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints (1999) By Millicent E. Selsam, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Picture Books

Coming up with the most reasonable explanation of the available clues is something we all do on a daily basis. This book describes animal tracks as clues from which children can make inferences about what kind of animal left them and what they were doing when they did.

Fractured Trust: Montana's Tribes Find Hope During The Chaotic First 100 Days Of Trump's Second Term, 2025, University Of Montana--Missoula. School Of Journalism. Native News Honors Project

Native News Honors Project, 1992-2026

An annual publication that is reported, photographed, edited, and designed by students in the University of Montana’s School of Journalism.

Improving Teacher Effectiveness, Keith D. Powell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied action research with a program evaluation aimed to determine if the Improving Effectiveness Three (IE3) program which is composed of professional development on the Professional Growth System (PGS), engagement in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and participation in the New Teacher Academy (NTA) improves teacher effectiveness at North Panama High School (NPHS) as measured by the Mississippi Professional Growth System.

For the past five years, the United States has struggled to fully staff public schools with highly effective teachers. This struggle is increasingly difficult in several southern states. North Panama High School, surrounded by more affluent school districts, experiences …

Project Portfolio: Ties, Strong And Weak: Toward The Flourishing Of A Leader’S Network, Matthew Travis Vaughn

Doctor of Leadership

NPO: Presbyteries promote connectionalism, yet pastors and ministry leaders experience isolation and burnout, lacking healthy communication, trustworthy relationships, and healthy life-rhythms which affect their well-being. I serve as the executive director of church planting for a regional presbytery in the Presbyterian Church in America denomination. Additionally, for many years I have served as a coach and consultant to pastors, church planters, and executives primarily in the nonprofit space. Prior to this project, I was aware of various resources available to pastors and ministry leaders who are stressed out, lonely, or discouraged. At the same time, there was a gap in …

Foreign Object Detection System Development Using Edge Devices Integrated With Quadcopter Autonomous Tracking, Chi-Chia Huang, Ching-Hung Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study proposes an all-weather autonomous foreign-object detection system capable of operating in low-light environments. We used a highly mobile quadcopter equipped with an edge-computing device as the inspection platform. On the software side, we integrated a low-light image enhancement model, a path-tracking algorithm, and a foreign object detection model to achieve rapid object detection. A lightweight, low-light image-enhancement model reduces the need for additional lighting equipment, thereby enabling reliable detection under low-light conditions. The path-tracking algorithm integrates a lightweight semantic segmentation model with traditional image-processing techniques to establish flight paths efficiently and reliably. The foreign-object detection component employs state-of-the-art …

Optimization Of Underactuated Ship Sliding Mode Controller Based On The Ddpg Algorithm, Lin Ma, Mingzhe Qi, Shicai Chen, Hongwei Bian, Jian Zhang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Due to the development of ship intelligence, the demand for precise controllers is increasing day by day. In traditional design, the trial-and-error method often leads to the use of inaccurate controller parameters, causing oscillations when environmental disturbances are present. To address these issues, this study introduces deep learning to optimize the controller parameters, particularly those used for sliding mode controllers in underactuated ships. We adopt the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm based on the Actor Critic framework. By freely setting the reward function to match the control objective, the trained model can output more accurate controller parameters, with the …

Experiments On Aluminum Alloy Additive Layer Waam Lamination Using The Arc Current Reduction Technique, Jukkapun Greebmalai, Eakkachai Warinsiriruk, Chao-Hsiang Hsiao, Yin-Tien Wang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Recent advancements in additive manufacturing have been propelled by innovations in processes, materials, and fabrication techniques. This study specifically focuses on the optimizing Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) within the Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process. The goal is to build laminated layers using aluminum alloy from the five-thousand series. In this research, a novel technique is introduced that employs a reduced arc-current during the additive layer progress for aluminum alloys, along with a double pulse current in the GMAW process to enhance weldability. The material used for addition is ER5356 aluminum wire, which is applied to an Al-5083 …

An Optimization Model For Supporting Bunkering Decisions In Bulk Shipping, Chung-Cheng Lu, Hui-Chieh Li, Hung-Yu Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study addresses a bunkering optimization problem for bulk shipping carriers that explores route deviation to find optimal bunkering locations and amounts. A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed to determine optimal bunkering decisions that minimize total operating costs, including total daily operating costs, bunkering costs, port charges and surcharges, while observing time window constraints at loading/unloading ports. The proposed model is evaluated using instances generated from real data provided by H company with its operational headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, which operates a fleet of handysize ships in East and South Asia. The results indicate that optimization models …

Assessment Of Coastal Navigation Safety: A Case Study Of Boka Bay With Stakeholder Perspectives, Ivan Mraković, Rino Bošnjak

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The navigational safety of Boka Bay, i.e., a critical maritime area along the Adriatic coast, is of great importance owing to its ecological sensitivity, diverse marine traffic, and significant economic activity. This study provides a comprehensive assessment by analyzing the perspectives of various stakeholders, including seafarers, local pilots, skippers, regulatory authorities, and others engaged in maritime activities within the bay. Using a structured questionnaire survey, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected in formats such as descriptive responses, Yes/No choices, and Likert scale ratings, ensuring a well-rounded understanding of navigational practices and challenges. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, …

A Hybrid Model To Assess Commercial Port Resilience In Taiwan, Po-Hsing Tseng, James J.H. Liou

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Since 2021, international commercial ports have faced unprecedented challenges (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, Suez Canal congestion), impacting daily life, work, human well-being, properties, the environment, and socio-economic activities. The adaptation capability resilience of international commercial ports to respond to external changes has become crucial. This study develops an expert knowledge-based hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model integrating Best-Worst Method (BWM), Rough Dombi Aggregator, and Combined Compromise Solution (CoCoSo) to evaluate port resilience capabilities, using Taiwan's international commercial ports as a case study. We propose four evaluation dimensions encompassing 13 indicators: detection capability, resistance capability, resource integration capability, and recovery capability. The BWM determined …

An Evaluation Of The Possibility And Effectiveness Of Renewable Energy In Container Terminal At Jinhae New Port, Min-Seop Sim, Yul-Seong Kim, Chang-Hee Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The international goals of combating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are driving container terminal operators to adopt renewable energy solutions. This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of introducing renewable energy and eco-fuels for energy independence at the Jinhae New Port Container Terminal, South Korea. Using portfolio analysis, eight renewable energy technologies (solar power, solar thermal energy, wind energy, hydropower, marine energy, geothermal energy, bioenergy, and waste-to-energy) and seven eco-friendly fuels (electricity, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, hydrogen fuel cells, ammonia fuel cells, bioenergy, and hybrid systems) were assessed. Survey data from stakeholders identified solar, wind, and …