Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item A study of organizational culture in a business college using the competing values framework(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2022) Sybesma, Tessa Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Durward K. Sobek IIOrganizational effectiveness within academia is an important area of study given the unique benefit institutions of higher education provide. Though many factors contribute to effectiveness, prior research has empirically tied organizational culture to effectiveness within academia. This study explores the current state and preferred future state cultures of an academic college within a research university, using the Competing Values Framework. Organizational culture and subcultures were measured using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument, the results of which were explored in more depth using interviews to provide context. The findings revealed that the college has a non-congruent balanced clan and hierarchy type culture and that participants, on average, prefer to transition to a congruent balanced clan type culture by increasing the prevalence of clan and adhocracy characteristics and decreasing the prevalence of hierarchy characteristics. The college can make this shift by building on an existing friendly and caring attitude; bridging group separations by increasing trust, openness, and collaboration; moving away from a work-to-rule culture by creating more mutual support and focusing on student support; and by removing barriers to innovation and increasing the organization's ability to evolve. Though there was general agreement on desired cultural direction, the study also identified several subgroup differences among genders, roles, options, and seniority levels. From these insights, contextually-relevant intervention ideas were generated to support cultural shifts toward clan and adhocracy characteristics -- the two cultural types most associated with effectiveness within academia. The study demonstrates how a mixed methods approach to the Competing Values Framework can be usefully employed to understand cultural complexities within an academic context and support the effective management of the organization.Item Adaptation and water resources management: examining adaptive governance in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Gilbert, Ashlie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Sarah P. Church; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.A pressing challenge facing water resource users and managers of the twenty-first century is how to address resource needs under the complexities of climate change, growth and development, habitat degradation, and more. Under these pressures, scholars and practitioners look to adaptive frameworks to increase the resilience of communities and ecosystems. Popular adaptive approaches to natural resource management include adaptive management, adaptive co-management, and adaptive governance. In this thesis, we examine adaptive governance in Montana, USA. Adaptive governance is commonly conceptualized as the multitude of actors, organizations, and institutions that utilize information sharing, collaboration, and flexible policies to promote resilient social-ecological systems. Although there has been a substantial increase in scholarship examining adaptive governance and related adaptation terms in the last forty years, scholars have yet to distinguish them from one another clearly. Further, there has been little research on adaptive governance conducted in the headwaters State of Montana. This thesis is an attempt to reduce these gaps in the literature. First, I review the command-and-control paradigm, decentralized approaches to natural resource management, adaptive management, and adaptive co-management. These concepts provide important background for examining the saliency of adaptive governance and separating it from related terminology. Then, we examine adaptive governance in Montana using semi-structured interviews (n=36), a round one survey (n=79), and a round two survey (n=42). Our findings show that water resource professionals and stewards working with non-governmental and governmental entities in Montana embrace collaboration, diverse viewpoints, information sharing, and local knowledge in their work, all of which are described as necessary for adaptive governance. However, we find that this water resource stewardship and protection work is sometimes stalled or derailed by a lack of government support and shifting administrations. Our findings lead us to assert the importance of governmental support in adaptive governance and propose a definition to re-frame the concept for future scholars and practitioners.Item A quality improvement initiative on asthma management in a family medicine setting(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2022) Wing, Nicole Morin; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Margaret HammerslaAchieving control of asthma symptoms can improve quality of life and reduce hospitalizations. Clear clinical practice guidelines from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Expert Panel Report 3 (2007) detail critical components for optimal asthma management. One component, the Asthma Control Test (ACT), is a standardized tool used to assess asthma control. Another component, the Asthma Action Plan, is an individualized plan formulated by the provider for asthma patients to help self-manage asthma. Problem: Organizational stakeholders at a family medicine clinic in southwest Montana identified that there was no standardized workflow for asthma management. The clinic has 1,238 asthma patients. In the past year, none have had asthma control assessed using a standardized tool, and only one patient has had an Asthma Action Plan completed. Methods: After collaboration with stakeholders, a brief educational intervention for providers and rooming staff and a new workflow to implement ACT screening and asthma action plan were developed. Electronic medical record reports and chart audits were used to monitor the completion of the ACT and Asthma Action Plans. A series of five one-week Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were run to work toward goals of 100% completion of ACT at office visits, 100% of uncontrolled ACT scores addressed, and 80% of uncontrolled scores addressed with Asthma Action Plans. Results: During the first five weeks of the new workflow, 49 alerts were fired for ACT completion; 36 ACT screens were completed (73%); by the fifth week, rates increased steadily to 88.9%. Only six ACT screens revealed uncontrolled asthma; providers directly addressed 100% of those scores. None of those patients had an Asthma Action Plan completed; however, six other patients with well-controlled asthma did during this timeframe. Conclusions: While the project cannot assume the workflow improved outcomes for asthma patients, significant steps to adhering to clinical practice guidelines were made by introducing ACT screening and Asthma Action Plans. More work is needed to increase adherence to the new workflow, particularly Asthma Action Plan completion rates. Additionally, the clinic is now open to introducing additional elements of asthma guidelines in the future, such as peak flow meter use.Item Wetland biodiversity in Grand Teton National Park(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Levandowski, Mary Lynn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Andrea Litt; Andrea R. Litt was a co-author of the article, 'Spatial and temporal isolation and size of wetlands influence richness and functional composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates' which is contained within this thesis.; Andrea R. Litt, Megan F. McKenna, Shan Burson and Kristin L. Legg were co-authors of the article, 'Multi-method biodiversity assessments from wetlands in Grand Teton National Park' in the journal 'Ecological indicators' which is contained within this thesis.Freshwater wetlands support high biodiversity, yet many wetlands are subject to shifts in precipitation and temperature under projected climate patterns. These changes can alter wetland hydrological regimes, potentially leading to longer or more frequent dry periods, with effects that differ among taxa. In this thesis we aim to build on the understanding about biodiversity in wetlands and how these species may be affected by climate change, in hopes of providing information for land management. To accomplish these goals, we first focused on macroinvertebrates, a group that employs diverse strategies for surviving wetland drying. We explored the roles of wetland size, spatial isolation, and temporal isolation on macroinvertebrate richness and community composition. In summer 2018, we collected macroinvertebrates from 18 wetlands in Grand Teton National Park. We found macroinvertebrate family richness increased with wetland depth and slower rates of drying. We also found the interaction between spatial and temporal isolation explained the most variation in community composition for all the life history strategies we examined. Second, we explored the utility of different automated tools to monitor biodiversity in wetlands. In 2017, we placed wildlife cameras, as well as acoustic (audible and ultrasonic) recorders at 4 permanent wetlands in Grand Teton National Park for a week in June and August; we also completed a visual survey during each of these time intervals. We compared the number and type of species detected by each method over the summer to evaluate the effectiveness of each method for monitoring. Using wildlife cameras, in addition to visual surveys, increased the observation time at surveyed wetlands, captured complementary species, and recorded dynamics in the water level during the summer. These two chapters provide insights about how changes resulting from increased drying may affect one of the most biodiverse taxa and offer methods that allow monitoring of many taxa simultaneously.Item Wide-area control strategies for improving transient stability in a multi-machine power systems(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2020) Ojetola, Samuel Toluwanimi; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Todd Kaiser and Josh WoldTransient stability is the ability of synchronous machines in an interconnected power system to remain in synchronism after been subjected to a large disturbance. Transient instability is one of the less probable but severe events that a power system encounter in its daily operations. Historically, it has been the dominant stability problem in power systems and has been the focus of much of the power industry's attention. Traditionally, when a generator or group of generators begin to lose synchronism with the rest of the system, they are tripped or islanded from the network to maintain transient stability and to prevent or limit cascaded outages. However, with the increase in the penetration of inverter-based generation, tripping schemes may become difficult to apply because of wide distribution of generation and loss of system inertia. This research presents control strategies that improves the transient stability of a power system without having to trip generators. This is achieved by modulating the active power absorbed or injected by distributed energy storage devices. These devices are located at the high voltage bus of several generators in a synchronous power system and are independently controlled. The strategy is based upon local and center-of-inertia frequency estimated in real time from wide-area measurements. It is shown that by absorbing or injecting real-power into a power system to remove as much kinetic energy gained during a disturbance as quickly as possible before it is converted to potential energy, synchronism can be maintained. The performance of the control strategy is evaluated on several multi-machine power system models. The result shows that this control strategy significantly improves the transient stability of power systems.Item Hybridization and invasiveness in Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum): is prioritizing hybrids in management justified?(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Hoff, Hannah Katherine; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ryan Thum; Ryan A. Thum was a co-author of the article, 'Hybridization and invasiveness in Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum): is prioritizing hybrids in management justified?' submitted to the journal 'Invasive plant science and management' which is contained within this thesis.Hybridization can play an important role in the evolution of invasiveness. Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L.) is a widespread aquatic invasive plant species that hybridizes with native northern watermilfoil (Myriophyllum sibiricum Kom.). Previous studies have found mixed evidence for whether hybrid watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum x sibiricum) and pure M. spicatum differ in vegetative growth rate and herbicide response. While several studies have emphasized variation in these traits among M. spicatum x sibiricum genotypes, variation within M. spicatum has not been considered. Therefore, it is unclear how important genetic variation within M. spicatum, versus between M. spicatum and M. spicatum x sibiricum, is in influencing invasive traits and management outcomes. If M. spicatum x sibiricum genotypes are always more invasive than M. spicatum genotypes, simply distinguishing taxa may be sufficient for identifying lake management priorities; however, if significant phenotypic overlap is observed between taxa, distinguishing individual genotypes may be important for tailoring management strategies. We performed replicated trials of a vegetative growth and 2,4-D assay to measure clonal variation in growth rate and herbicide response of M. spicatum and M. spicatum x sibiricum. Our results indicate that M. spicatum x sibiricum exhibits higher average vegetative growth than M. spicatum, whether or not it is treated with 2,4-D. We did not observe interactions between taxon and treatment or between genotype and treatment. Despite differences between M. spicatum and M. spicatum x sibiricum in average vegetative growth, there was substantial overlap between taxa. For example, we found that the fastest-growing genotype of pure M. spicatum did not differ significantly in average growth from the fastest-growing M. spicatum x sibiricum genotype. The potential for overlap between these invasive Myriophyllum taxa suggests that distinguishing and characterizing genotypes may be more informative for management than simply distinguishing between M. spicatum and M. spicatum x sibiricum.Item Integrating DNA fingerprinting of invasive watermilfoil strains into aquatic vegetation monitoring and assessment(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2021) Gannon, Kathryn Alta; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ryan Thum; Raymond Newman and Ryan Thum were co-authors of the article, 'Integrating DNA fingerprinting of invasive watermilfoil strains into aquatic vegetation monitoring and assessment' submitted to the journal 'Journal of aquatic plant management' which is contained within this thesis.Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L.) and its hybrids with native northern watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L. x Myriophyllum sibiricum) (invasive watermilfoils) are among the most heavily managed invasive aquatic plants in the United States. Within invasive watermilfoils there are distinct strains which are produced through sexual reproduction and can be maintained indefinitely by clonal propagation. Different strains can differ in their invasiveness (e.g., growth and potential for spread) and response to herbicides. However, strain identification is not routinely implemented as part of management planning or evaluation. In this thesis, we integrated molecular fingerprinting that can distinguish different Eurasian and hybrid watermilfoil strains into aquatic vegetation monitoring in eight Minnesota lakes over the course of three years. We provide proof of concept that by tracking strain incidence over time it is possible 1) to detect changes in strain composition of invasive watermilfoil populations, and 2) to identify priority strains for future growth and herbicide assays. This study demonstrates that integrating genetic fingerprinting into aquatic vegetation management and evaluation holds promise to inform management decisions by identifying those strains that have the most invasive potential. As far as we are aware, this is the first published study to examine the strain composition of invasive watermilfoil populations over time.Item Understanding hydrogeomorphic influences on stream network denitrification and temperature dynamics(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2020) Carlson, Samuel Paul; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Geoffrey PooleThe removal of nitrate from stream networks through the process of denitrification is an important component of local and regional nutrient cycles, but the controls on stream network denitrification rates remain poorly understood. Previous work has demonstrated general effects of stream channel size and nitrate loading rates on network-scale denitrification rates, but has been unable to elucidate connections between the complex environmental template of streams, and resulting denitrification rates. Understanding links between land use and management practices, physical characteristics of streams, and stream denitrification rates is critical to interpreting observed patterns of nitrate in freshwater systems and forming holistic management strategies for reducing the negative effects of elevated nitrate concentrations. To address these critical uncertainties, I developed a stream network simulation model that incorporates the effects of whole-stream aerobic respiration on biotic denitrification demand. This model is applied to a small, subalpine stream network under scenarios designed to explore: 1) the implications of temperature-controlled, network scale patterns of respiration rates on the distribution and overall magnitude of stream network denitrification, and 2) the effect of logging-induced channel simplification on whole network denitrification rates. The first analysis is complimented by an evaluation of controls on stream temperature across this network, revealing the spatially and temporally variable influence of in-network lakes on stream temperatures. Results from the first analysis suggest that reach- and network-scale denitrification rates are strongly influenced by respiration rate and temperature when nitrate supplies are high relative to removal rates, indicating an increased contribution of lower, warmer streams to whole-network denitrification. The second analysis reveals that historical logging has caused a ~30% loss of stream network denitrification capacity, which is manifested as a corresponding reduction in whole-network denitrification rates when nitrate supplies are not limiting. In sum, this work emphasizes the diverse set of factors that influence reach- and watershed-scale biogeochemical characteristics and processes, and suggests that land management actions which influence stream morphology may also alter stream denitrification rates.Item Resilience-aware management of active distribution networks(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2021) Alali, Mohammad; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Maryam Bahramipanah; Farshina Nazrul Shimim, Zagros Shahooei and Maryam Bahramipanah were co-authors of the article, 'Intelligent line congestion prognosis in active distribution system using artificial neural network' in the '2021 IEEE Power & Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT)' which is contained within this thesis.; Zagros Shahooei and Maryam Bahramipanah were co-authors of the article, 'Resiliency-oriented optimization of critical parameters in multi inverter-fed distributed generation systems' submitted to the journal 'Sustainability journal', special Issue: 'Optimal dynamic control of active distribution power system' which is contained within this thesis.The electric power system is one of the greatest engineering achievements in the history of mankind. Electricity is integral to every part of our economy and society. Therefore, it is essential to make the electricity grid more resilient in facing different extreme events and black outs. In this work, four problems have been investigated to study and improve the resiliency of distribution networks. The first one focuses on the problem of power line congestion which can negatively harm the economy and different equipment in the grid. Two neural network models are used to predict where the congestion might happen and what would be the cause of it. Using these predictions, the problem can be alleviated in time and the resiliency of the grid will be improved. The second problem discusses power management of the distribution network under the occurrence of an extreme event. The problem is formulated as a Markov Decision Process using different agents and is solved using two Reinforcement Learning algorithms, namely, Q-Learning and Value Iteration. This approach is then tested on a benchmark system and the results show a remarkable improvement of the resiliency. The third problem studies the stability and power sharing of parallel inverters in a multi inverter-fed system. A small signal model of the power controller is studied. Further, the system's nonlinear dynamic equations are derived using accurate mathematical models. The system model is then trimmed and linearized around its operating point and the system's control parameters are optimized using Grey Wolf Optimization. Finally, improvement of stability and power sharing are verified by running time domain simulations. The last problem investigates the optimal siting and sizing of energy storage systems in a multi-microgrid system to improve the resiliency. A two-stage optimization method is used to solve the nonlinear and non-convex problem. The first stage involves an Optimal Power Flow and the second stage uses Genetic Algorithm. Further an investment cost based on the sensitivity analysis is introduced to improve the resiliency even further. The effectiveness of this ESS placement is tested on a benchmark system and validated using a fault scenario.Item Implementation of a nurse-driven algorithm for safety companion usage: a pilot study(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2019) Phillips, Kahrin Lillian; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jennifer Sofie and Susan Luparell (co-chair)Safety companions, also known as sitters, are commonly placed in a 1:1 setting with patients in hospital settings to maintain their safety. These patients include (a) those that are suicidal, confused, delirious, or violent; (b) those with psychiatric issues; (c) those with behaviors that interfere with their medical treatment; and (d) those experiencing behavioral problems associated with substance abuse. However, several problems exist with the use of safety companions, such as cost, inconsistent evidence supporting their effectiveness, and lack of evidence-based guidelines for their use. The primary aim of this pilot study was to assist staff RNs on a 39-bed inpatient hospital unit in using more discernment in the use and management of safety companions. Based on the needs of key stakeholders at the pilot site and a thorough review of the literature, a nurse-driven, evidence-based algorithm for safety companion usage was developed and implemented over four months to meet this aim. In addition, the project investigated the issues surrounding safety companion use and compared these issues to those experienced at the pilot site. Five online surveys targeting different groups of stakeholders were used pre- and post-implementation of the algorithm to assess their perceptions of the algorithm and its effect on the management of safety companion usage. The success of the algorithm was determined by the level of nursing satisfaction with the algorithm and whether it was helpful to assess their patients for a safety companion. The primary aim of the project was successfully met, with all participating team leaders finding the algorithm to be 'somewhat' to 'very effective' in helping staff RNs in being more discerning with the use and management of safety companions. Most of the unit's participating team leaders (87.5%) were satisfied with the algorithm, and all of the participating staff nurses found the algorithm to be 'somewhat helpful' or 'very helpful.' Implications for improvement included room for additional education and training for safety companions, improved staffing and support when using the algorithm, and issues surrounding patient safety.