Digital Commons Network^™

This Piece Is A Coverup, Clayton James Webber

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

"This Piece is a Coverup" follows Ben from his days as a club kid to his role in one of the most notoriously violent prison gangs in the US.

Geomorphological Mapping Of The K2 Area, Pakistan Using Gis And Remote Sensing, Deborah Jeanne Belden

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Geomorphological mapping assists in evaluating the polygenetic role of glaciation, mass movement denudation, and fluvial erosion in landscape development. A series of thirteen 1:100,000 geomorphological maps covering the area between Skardu and K2 were produced using field mapping and photography, GPS measurements, ASTER satellite imagery, and digital elevation model (DEM) analyses. Satellite and morphometric analyses were performed using GIS software. The landforms are described in relation to geology, geomorphological processes, and altitudinal zones. Case studies include flash flood deposits, active landslide areas, sackungen, and rock avalanches. The Skardu Basin has tills preserved on many higher slopes, and sand dunes cover …

Hierarchical Summer Habitat Selection By The North American Porcupine In Western Montana, Katie Ann Mally

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) has continually been a species of low priority for research and conservation efforts in the western United States. While many porcupine populations have been studied in North America, little to no research has been done on porcupines in western Montana or habitats of similar composition. More recently it has been noted that porcupine sightings have become rare in western Montana is areas where sightings were once common. Due to the overall lack of information about western porcupine populations it is imperative to gather basic natural history information in order to make informed management decisions. …

Redeveloping A Montana Food Processing Industry: The Role Of Food Innovation Centers, Jessica Babcock

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Montana produces a staggering amount of food crops, yet the state struggles to enjoy the fruits of this abundance. The majority of Montana crops and livestock are shipped out of state as raw commodities, a practice that retains very little of the added value of the crop. Processing these crops within the state would help retain more of their value; however, Montana’s food processing industry has undergone changes that have resulted in decreased availability of food processing facilities and services to agricultural growers and producers. Over the past 70 years, there has been a simultaneous decline in decentralized food manufacturing …

Relationships Between Flood Frequency And Riparian Plant Community Structure In Mountain Streams Of Western Montana, Motoshi Honda

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Flooding is the dominant factor structuring riparian plant communities along large, low elevation streams, but it is less clear what role flooding plays in the structure and composition of riparian plant communities along mountain streams. In the first part of this study, I examined the influence of four environmental variables (flood frequency, microtopography, light availability, and soil texture) and spatial heterogeneity on riparian plant community structure in seven study areas along mountain streams in western Montana, USA. Multivariate and spatial statistics were used to determine the relative strength of each set of factors and their interactions in explaining riparian plant …

Sage-Grouse And Energy Development: Integrating Science With Conservation Planning To Reduce Impacts, Kevin Eric Doherty

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Effective conservation planning in the face of rapid land use change requires knowledge of which habitats are selected at landscape scales, where those habitats are located, and how species ultimately respond to anthropogenic disturbance. I assessed sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) large scale habitat ecology and response to energy development in the winter and nesting seasons using radio-marked individuals in the Powder River Basin, Montana and Wyoming, USA. Landscape scale percent sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) cover at 4-km2 was the strongest predictor of use by sage-grouse in winter. After controlling for vegetation and topography, the addition the density of coal-bed natural gas wells …

Spatial Population Dynamics Of Western Painted Turtles In A Wetland Ecosystem In Northwestern Montana, Kathleen Ann Griffin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Population dynamics are driven by the interplay between the positive forces of births and immigration and the negative forces of deaths and emigration. Understanding dynamics at the local and metapopulation level is key in wildlife conservation. Although data on turtle survival and movement rates are available, few studies use rigorous statistical analyses and none include examination of stage-specific seasonal survival simultaneous with movement estimates. I used capture-mark-recapture methods to estimate apparent survival rates and movement probabilities of adult and juvenile western painted turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) across space and time in a wetland ecosystem in northwestern Montana. All wetlands within …

Structure Activity Relationships For Intracellular Loop 2 Of The 5ht1a Serotonin Receptor, Brian Patrick Hall

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Hall, Brian, Ph.D., May 2008 Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Sciences

Structure Activity Relationships for Intracellular Loop 2 of the 5HT1A Serotonin Receptor

Chairperson: Dr. Keith Parker

The human (H) serotonin (5-hydroxytrptamine; 5HT) 1a receptor (R) has been implicated in various physiological processes such as mood regulation, vascular and temperature control, anxiety, depression, and migraine headache. This seven transmembrane domain (7TMD), G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) is negatively coupled to adenylyl cyclase (AC). This work was designed to better understand the coupling and activation requirements of intracellular loop 2 (ic2) with Gi in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. 10 MER peptides that are derived from …

Mallard Nesting Ecology In The Great Lakes, Jonas Ian Davis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding how habitat features influence vital rates that drive population growth is fundamental for delivery of effective conservation programs. Past decisions in management of Great Lakes mallard (Anas platyrynchos) populations were based largely on paradigms established in the mid-continent because regional data were lacking. Recent sensitivity analyses from the Great Lakes Mallard Study show that population growth (i.e., λ) is most sensitive to changes in nest success (16%) and duckling survival (32%). In spring of 2001 to 2003, as part of the Great Lakes Mallard Study, 536 mallards were radio-marked at nine sites in four states (Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and …

Studies Of The Dimerization And Packaging Signals In Hiv-2 Rna, Tayyba Tabassum Baig

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The investigation of sequences and structures in the 5' untranslated leader region (5'UTR) of HIV genomic RNA is essential for understanding viral replication because the 5'UTR regulates several essential functions by the alternate presentation and sequestration of signals through conformational changes. Our main focus in this study was to understand those sequences and structures that are involved in dimerization and packaging of HIV-2 RNA. Progressing from previous findings, we studied in detail a 10-nucleotide palindrome sequence (pal; 5'-GGAGUGCUCC-3') of the 5'UTR, located within the major packaging signal, upstream of the dimerization signal (SL1: stem loop-1). Pal has been shown to …

Synthesis Of Higher Molecular Weight Poly(D-Glucaramides) And Poly(Aldaramides) As Novel Gel Forming Agents, Tyler Nations Smith

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Poly(alkylene D-glucaramides) with higher molecular weights than previously reported were prepared through a multi-step process beginning with 1:1 alkylenediammonium D-glucarate salts. These salts set a precise stoichiometric equivalence between co-monomers, a necessary requirement for higher molecular weight condensation polymers. The salts were prepared by treating monopotassium D-glucarate with H+ form ion exchange resin to give D-glucaric acid, which was then reacted with a diamine. The glucarate portion of the salt was activated for polymerization through esterification in HCl/methanol. Polymerization was initiated by basification of the resulting mixture. The molecular weights of the polymers showed strong dependence on the base used …

The Klamath's Path After Termination, Monika Nicole Bilka

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

During the 1950s, termination policy dominated federal Indian policy. Termination policy was an effort by the federal government to complete the assimilation process by ending the federal trust relationship it held with Native American tribes. US federal officials chose to terminate the trust relationship with tribes that they considered assimilated and wealthy. As many other historians have argued, termination history did not end in a positive way for tribes. Many tribes witnessed the social and economic collapse of their communities, as well as the loss of their tribal identity. Although the Klamaths suffered from their termination experience, they faced a …

The Last Best Fish: Will Conservation And Consensus Save Montana's Arctic Grayling?, Jonathan M. Stumpf

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

not available

The Life History And Ecology Of Riverine Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka) In A Large Floodplain River, Tyler Huntley Tappenbeck

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The productivity and life history diversity of salmonids is linked to the complexity of habitat in large floodplain rivers. Dynamic floodplain processes are driven by flow, sediment transport, cut and fill alluviation, woody plant succession, and ecosystem engineers, notably beavers, that create dynamic and biophysically complex off-channel rearing and spawning habitats. Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) display some of the most variable life history traits of all Pacific salmon, using lake and river rearing strategies throughout rivers of the northern Pacific Rim. However, sockeye management has primarily focused on the lake-type life history with minimal regard to the importance of the …

The Rise Of Alternative Teaching Certification In Relation To Students Who Are Impoverished, Ethnic Minorities And Change In Teacher Salary In United States Public Schools, Scott Richard Hohnstein

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Over the last three decades, alternative teaching certification (ATC) programs and policies have been rising on the United States (US) public education landscape. In this dissertation, I investigated various dimensions of alternative teaching certification. Specifically, I discussed the theoretical applications, development, characteristics and outcomes of this teaching certification phenomenon.

Further, I conducted quantitative analysis on a population of 35 US states across two multiple regression prediction equations employing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). In the first prediction equation, I regressed the numbers of alternative teaching certificates granted during the 2003-04 public school year in 35 US states …

Impacts Of A Teacher Geospatial Technologies Professional Development Project On Student Spatial Literacy Skills And Interests In Science And Technology In Grade 5 – 12 Classrooms Across Montana, Jeffrey Willard Crews

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study utilized participants in a teacher geospatial technologies professional development project. Data was collected on the impact this professional development model, and the corresponding classroom implementation of the curriculum, had on student spatial literacy skills and students' interest in science and technology. Twenty teachers from across Montana with demonstrated competency in the use of geospatial technologies were selected for participation in this project. These twenty teachers were broken into two cohorts, cohort one served as the experimental group and cohort two served as the control group. Students within these classrooms ranging in grades 5 - 12, took two assessments, …

Causes And Consequences Of Displacement Decision-Making In Banhine National Park, Mozambique, Chad Edward Dear

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Decision-making is looming regarding the displacement of people resident in and reliant on resources in strict protected areas around the world. This research investigated the causes and consequences of displacement decision-making in Banhine National Park (BNP), Mozambique. I investigated causes using political-economic, actor-centered, and post-structural perspectives on power. I investigated consequences using the Impoverishment Risk and Reconstruction (IRR) framework. Methods included interviews, focus groups, and observations involving BNP-area residents; park staff; district, provincial, and national-level government employees from various sectors; NGO and World Bank staff; and private consultants. I also analyzed numerous government and donor policies, plans, reports, and legal …

A Demographic And Landscape Analysis For Common Loons In Northwest Montana, Christopher Allan Moanikeala Hammond

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding the relationship between a species’ important vital rates and how they respond to environmental factors is essential for developing appropriate conservation strategies. Historically, breeding populations of common loons existed across much of the northwestern United States, but that area of distribution within the lower 48 states has been significantly reduced. Montana still has the largest breeding population of common loons in the western continental United States, averaging 40-70 territorial pairs annually. Most research to date on loon population dynamics, habitat use, and response to disturbance was conducted in much larger populations of the Midwest and Northeast United States and …

Digital Photography, Julie F. Whipple

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

My professional paper is designed as a teaching tool to help other instructors to be able to teach the basics of digital photography to their students. It includes a brief history of the development of photography, information about the digital camera, how to take better pictures, and how to begin working with photos using Photoshop. Instructions and lesson plans are designed to teach all levels of students learning abilities.

El Milagro De Almeria, Espana: A Political Ecology Of Landscape Change And Greenhouse Agriculture, Robert Tyrell Wolosin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate changes in the landscape of Almería in southeastern Spain, particularly in relation to the emergence of the 80,000-acre greenhouse sector. This thesis questions why the province of Almería has the highest concentration of greenhouses in the world and determines what processes led to this industry. The research focuses on local-global scale interactions and environmental history analysis within a political ecology framework. The methods for data collection included literature review of secondary sources and four months living in Almería conducting interviews and field observations. Located in Europe’s driest desert, the greenhouses of Almería …

Evaluating The Design And Management Of Community-Based Ecotourism Projects In Guatemala, Kassandra Lynne Miller

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Community-based ecotourism (CBE) has become the newest buzzword in development circles for its purported ability to provide alternative income generation for families and incentives to protect natural resources. Organizations such as the World Bank, World Wildlife Federation and USAID have supported these small-scale projects across the globe. However, there has been much debate over the efficacy of these projects. They are often developed, managed, and even owned by NGOs, not by local communities. Economic benefits resulting from the project are often directed toward one or two people in prominent positions within the community and not evenly distributed. The increase in …

Implementation Of An Xml-Based User Interface With Applications In Ice Sheet Modeling, Daniel Ross Lande

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The scientific domain presents unique challenges to software developers. This thesis describes the application of design patterns to the problem of dynamically changing interfaces to scientific application software (GLIMMER, which performs ice sheet modeling). In its present form, GLIMMER uses a text configuration file to define model behavior, set parameters, and structure model input/output (I/O). The creation of the configuration file presents a significant problem to users due to its format and complexity. GLIMMER is still under development, and the number of changes to configuration parameters, parameter types, and parameter dependencies makes devel-opment of any single interface of use only …

The Contribution Of Spawning Pacific-Salmon To Nitrogen Fertility And Vegetation Nutrition During Riparian Primary Succession On An Expansive Floodplain Of A Large River, Michael Roger Morris

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Floodplain vegetation communities are mosaics of succession stages caused by erosion/redeposition as river channels migrate throughout their floodplains. Typically, plants colonizing alluvial deposits are severely N-limited, but N accumulates during succession, and this process determines long term fertility. The Kol River (Kamchatka, RU), received large annual N-subsidies from salmon and we sought to determine how salmon-N contributed to fertility during succession.

We constructed a vegetation chronosequence model and made N-fertility measurements within replicate succession stages before, during and after salmon runs. Natural abundance of 15N was used as a tracer of salmon-N.

We found that new alluvial deposits were N-poor, …

Role Of Scavenger Receptor Marco In Particle Uptake And Lung Inflammation, Sheetal A. Thakur

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Alveolar macrophages (AM) form the first line of defense against chronic inflammation caused by occupational exposure to environmental particulates such as crystalline silica (CSiO2). The chronic inflammatory process triggered by CSiO2 is known to culminate into a fibrotic response called silicosis in the human lungs. Previous studies have indicated the role of membrane glycoproteins called scavenger receptors in binding of environmental particles. The scavenger receptors are classified into different classes (A-H) based on their structure and function. Class A scavenger receptors are critical in uptake of variety of ligands such as bacteria, acetylated lipoproteins and are typically found on macrophages, …

The Methane Range: Coalbed Methane Development, Sage-Grouse Protection, And The Ranching Way Of Life, Jonathan George Hayes

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Coalbed methane development has proliferated across much of the western United States. Campbell County, Wyoming, in the Powder River Basin is one area that has seem some of the highest amounts of this development, most of it occurring on land where the surface use is livestock grazing, resulting in conflicts over resource use. This thesis takes a grounded theory approach to understanding the meaning that the ranchers that operate on this land have attached to this development. In doing so, this paper argues that these ranchers form opinions and attitudes based on how CBM has affected “the ranching way of …

Causes And Consequences Of The Postfire Increase In Deer Mouse (Peromyscus Maniculatus) Abundance, Rafal Pawel Zwolak

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Wildfire triggers an increase in deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) abundance. Here, I describe this phenomenon, investigate its causes, and explore the consequences of the postfire increase in mice for conifer recruitment in burned forest. I documented a shift in small mammal communities away from more specialized species such as red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi) and shrews (Sorex spp.) and towards greater abundance of generalist deer mice after a wildfire in montane forest. I conducted a meta-analysis of published studies on the abundance of small mammals in disturbed versus undisturbed forests and established that the pattern of increased deer mouse abundance holds …

Chronic Low-Level Pb Exposure During Development Alters Proteins Involved In Energy Metabolism In Auditory Neurons Of The Brainstem, John Prins

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Low level lead (Pb) exposure is a risk factor for neurological dysfunction including ADHD. How Pb produces these behavioral deficits is unknown, but low-level exposure during development is associated with auditory temporal processing deficits, even though hearing remains normal. Pb disrupts cellular energy metabolism and efficient energy production is crucial for auditory neurons to maintain their high rates of synaptic activity. The voltage dependent ion channel (VDAC) is an ion channel involved in the regulation of mitochondrial physiology and is a critical component in controlling mitochondrial energy production. No studies to date have investigated the effect of Pb on VDAC, …

A Comprehensive Case Report On University Of Montana Forensic Case 66, Christopher John Buckley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

UMFC 66 is an anatomical specimen from the Physical Anthropology Lab at The University of Montana-Missoula. It is a nearly complete skeleton that exhibits no trauma. I examined the literature on suitable approaches to estimating age from the skeleton, because age is difficult to estimate for this case and presents an interesting challenge. I also estimated sex, ancestry, stature, and weight. I concluded that UMFC 66 is an American Indian, perhaps 20 to 28 years of age with a relatively short stature of about 1.56m (5’01”), weighing approximately 115 to 129 pounds. There is severe osteomyelitis throughout the left lower …

Training Comparison: 95%Vo2peak Vs. Race Pace Intervals, Laura Young

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

INTRODUCTION: Interval training intensities are typically based on percentages of VO2max, heart rate max, or lactate threshold. Interval training based on current race pace has not been evaluated. PURPOSE: This study examined intervals at 95% VO2peak compared to race pace intervals on VO2peak, ventilatory threshold, time trial performance, peak power output, and vertical jump height in recreationally active subjects. METHODS: 34 subjects were randomly assigned to one of four training groups (TM-95%, Cycle-95%, TM-RP, Cycle-RP). Pre- and post- study, all subjects performed a ramped protocol test to exhaustion on a treadmill or electronically braked cycle ergometer for determination of VO2peak …

The Relationship Among Washington State County Commissioners Knowledge And Perceptions Of Washington State University Extension And Their Willingness To Fund Wsu Extension, James Hilmer Lindstrom

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The study determined the relationship between perceptions that the Washington State county commissioners' hold of WSU Extension and their knowledge of WSU Extension. In addition, the study determined whether their perceptions, knowledge, and/or understanding of Extension are related to and thereby may have predictability to their willingness to provide the essential local funding to continue the educational programs Extension delivers. The study addressed the interest Washington State county commissioners/county council members have in funding WSU Extension, which directly affects the critical element of maximizing Extension's impact on society. As a publicly funded educational organization, WSU Extension faces an uncertain fiscal …