Scholarworks

ScholarWorks is an open access repository for the capture of the intellectual work of Montana State University (MSU) in support of its teaching, research and service missions. MSU ScholarWorks is a central point of discovery for accessing, collecting, sharing, preserving, and distributing knowledge to the Montana State University community and the world.

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The Missing Mechanic: Behavioral Affordances as the Limiting Factor in Generalizing HTML Controls
(ACM, 2025-08) Petros, Alexander William; Gross, Carson; Shaffer, Dillon; Revelle, Matthew
In this paper, we analyze a set of three proposals—titled Triptych—which carefully extend HTML to support more generalized hypermedia controls. We evaluate the expressive power of these proposals by demonstrating which user experience patterns they make possible to describe in HTML, and which patterns remain unsupported. We also introduce the concept of behavorial affordances which characterize common UX patterns in web applications. Through this analysis of UX patterns, we show that HTML currently lacks a native mechanism for expressing behavioral affordances. Finally, we theorize a mechanism for defining arbitrary behavioral affordances that could fill this expressive gap.
The Relationship Between Racial Discrimination and White Matter Among Black Older Adults
(Elsevier BV, 2025-07) Palms, Jordan D.; Lee, Ji Hyun; Sol, Ketlyne; Walters, Monica E.; Scambray, Kiana A.; Morales, Clarissa D.; Alshikho, Mohamad J.; Lao, Patrick J.; Manly, Jennifer J.; Brickman, Adam M.; Zahodne, Laura B.
Black older adults experience worse brain and cognitive aging than White older adults, on average. Racially patterned psychosocial stressors may contribute to these disparities. Maintaining white matter health is important for cognitive aging, particularly among Black older adults, and it is uniquely vulnerable to stress. Examining associations between racial discrimination and white matter may elucidate mechanisms of disparities. A sample of Black older adults in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging project were included (N = 217). Everyday and major life discrimination were self-reported on well-validated scales. Diffusion tensor imaging quantified white matter fractional anisotropy (FA). Multivariable regressions revealed more major life discrimination was associated with lower FA in the cingulum cingulate gyrus, forceps major, forceps minor, and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus but greater FA in the superior longitudinal fasciculus temporal projection. Everyday discrimination was not associated with FA. Findings suggest that institutional racism may have a stronger effect on white matter tracts corresponding to cognitive and emotional/affective processing than interpersonal racism. White matter health may be a mechanism through which racially patterned stressors contribute to disparities in brain and cognitive aging.
Critical Care Work Environments and Personal Safety
(Elsevier BV, 2025-08) Springer, Kristen W.
Workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare, especially in high-stress environments like ICUs, is rising and often underreported. Nurses are the most affected, facing both patient-initiated violence—often due to delirium—and interpersonal aggression such as bullying. WPV leads to burnout, job dissatisfaction, turnover, and compromised patient care. Despite the high costs, there are no national mandates for prevention. Evidence supports a multifaceted approach including OSHA, NICE, and RNAO guidelines, focused on policy changes, staff training, and supportive workplace culture. Reporting mechanisms and leadership accountability are key to improving safety and reducing the prevalence and impact of WPV.
Global Homogenisation of Plant Communities Along Mountain Roads by Non‐Native Species Despite Mixed Effects at Smaller Scales
(Wiley, 2025-10) Buhaly, Meike; Alexander, Jake M.; Pauchard, Aníbal; Rew, Lisa J.; Seipel, Tim; Ramón Arévalo, José; Aschero, Valeria; Averett, Joshua P.; Barros, Agustina; Cavieres, Lohengrin A.; Clark, Vincent Ralph et al.; Larson, Christian
Aim. Mountain ecosystems are experiencing increased invasion of non-native plants. These increases in non-native species put mountains at risk of biotic homogenisation and a reduction of biodiversity. Our study aims to test if non-native plant species are contributing to biotic homogenisation along roadways in mountain regions and how this changes along elevation gradients and across spatial scales. Location. 18 globally distributed mountain regions. Time Period. 2012–2023. Major Taxa Studied. Vascular plants. Methods. We used standardised vegetation surveys including species cover from 18 mountain regions worldwide to analyse whether the addition of non-native species to the native flora increased or decreased Bray–Curtis dissimilarity (i.e., beta-diversity) among roadside plant communities along elevation gradients ranging from 15 to 3919 m a.s.l. We tested this at the local, regional, continental and global scales using mixed-effects models and confirmed it using null models. Results. In the New World, we mainly observed homogenisation across regions and scales, as beta-diversity was mostly lower with the addition of non-native species. This was particularly true for low elevations. In contrast, we predominantly found community differentiation in the Old World, specifically at smaller (i.e., local and regional) scales. At the global scale, communities became more similar through the addition of non-native species at all elevations. Main Conclusions. Large-scale homogenisation might be interpreted as a signal that high-elevation plant communities along roadways may become more similar as non-native species continue to spread upwards. Future studies should investigate the mechanisms driving the observed patterns of both homogenisation and differentiation by non-native species, and explore the potential consequences of these patterns for ecosystem function and resilience.
“It's not about me. It's about what's best for my community”: Factors impacting COVID‐19 vaccine uptake among Native Americans and Latinos from two agricultural communities
(Wiley, 2025-06) Truong, Lina; Adams, Alexandra; Bishop, Sonia; Dupuis, Virgil; Garza, Lorenzo; Quigley, Thomas; Hassell, Laurie; Drain, Paul K.; Ibarra, Genoveva; Whiting Sorrell, Anna; Warne, Teresa; Gregor, Charlie; Webber, Eliza; Ko, Linda K.
Purpose. While SARS-CoV-2 significantly impacts rural Native American and Latino communities, COVID-19 vaccines offer an effective and safe mitigation strategy. Vaccine uptake is disproportionately lower in rural communities than in urban communities across the nation. This study examined barriers and motivators of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in two Native American and Latino rural agricultural communities in eastern Washington and Montana. Methods. We conducted 28 key informant interviews with trusted community members and six community focus groups with 39 participants from May 2021 to June 2021. Participants were from the Yakima Valley (WA) and Flathead Reservation (MT). The Social Cognitive Theory and Social Context Framework informed development of the interview and focus group moderator guides. We used deductive and inductive approach to code transcripts and thematic analysis to generate themes. Findings. Barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake were misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines shaped by misinformation, politicization of vaccines, historical trauma and mistrust in government, and structural barriers in rural agricultural communities. Having access to accurate and understandable COVID-19 vaccine information and receiving information from trusted sources were motivators of COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Protecting families, children, elders, and the community, and striving to return to normal life were also noted as motivators. Conclusions. Understanding the community's perceptions and experiences around the COVID-19 vaccine is critical for successful implementation of strategies to increase vaccine uptake during future public health emergencies. Strategies for vaccine uptake among communities in the Flathead Reservation and Yakima Valley need to address barriers and highlight motivators of COVID-19 vaccine uptake.