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Arctic Climate Change And The Effects On Bowhead Whales And Their Environment, Kelly A. Wimmert

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Kelly Wimmert

790683696

2/20/2014

Arctic Climate Change and the Impacts on Bowhead Whales

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to identify the effects of arctic climate change on bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) and their environment. Bowhead whales are recognized internationally as a threatened species, in part, because of the dramatic declines in their population over the past century. My study is structured around three primary objectives: one, to examine the impacts of melting arctic ice and warming temperatures on species dynamics and habitat; two, to investigate the ways in which current and anticipated human activities in the …

Inactivation Of Genes For Antigenic Variation In The Relapsing Fever Spirochete Borrelia Hermsii Reduces Infectivity In Mice And Transmission By Ticks, Sandra J. Raffel, James M. Battisti, Robert J. Fischer, Tom G. Schwan

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Borrelia hermsii, a causative agent of relapsing fever of humans in western North America, is maintained in enzootic cycles that include small mammals and the tick vector Ornithodoros hermsi. In mammals, the spirochetes repeatedly evade the host’s acquired immune response by undergoing antigenic variation of the variable major proteins (Vmps) produced on their outer surface. This mechanism prolongs spirochete circulation in blood, which increases the potential for acquisition by fast-feeding ticks and therefore perpetuation of the spirochete in nature. Antigenic variation also underlies the relapsing disease observed when humans are infected. However, most spirochetes switch off the bloodstream …

Epigenetic Changes After Prenatal Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure And Asthma, Sonja Christensen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Allergic asthma affects over 300 million people worldwide. Multiple factors have been shown to alter an individuals' susceptibility to this allergic airway disease such as exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), endotoxin, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Prenatal exposure to these contaminants, especially ETS, has been shown to increase risk for an individuals’ asthma risk, however, the mechanism by which this happens is still unknown. Epigenetic alterations, particularly DNA methylation patterns, have been introduced as a proposed mechanism. The goals of this project were to use a house dust mite (HDM) murine model of asthma to determine the methylation alterations …

Lowveld Practices In Mahenye, Zimbabwe: A Critical Analysis Of Resilience In A Marginalized Southern African Community, Scott Byington

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The concept of resilience has been developed by scholars in the social-ecological systems resilience and community resilience/disaster literature. While initially a descriptive model, the framework of resilience has since integrated both literatures and become a prescriptive tool for sustainable development initiatives. Political ecologists critically argue that the current conceptualization of resilience is problematic given resilience scholars’ lack of engagement with situational social complexities related to power and knowledge. They also argue that mainstream resilience literature is devoid of cultural, historical and political analysis. As such, individuals and communities at the margins of power may vulnerable to the application of resilience …

Characterization Of Rift Valley Fever Virus Nucleocapsid Protein-Rna Binding Interactions And Development Of A High-Throughput Screening Assay For Identification Of N-Rna Binding Inhibitors, Mary Lee Ellenbecker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging infectious pathogen that causes severe disease in humans and livestock and has the potential for global spread. Currently, there is no treatment for RVFV infection and there is no proven safe and effective vaccine. Inhibition of RNA binding to RVFV nucleocapsid (N) protein represents an innovative antiviral therapeutic strategy because several essential steps in the RVFV replication cycle involve N binding to viral RNA. The overall goals of our research are to better understand how RVFV N protein interacts with RNA, to develop a high-throughput drug screening assay for identification of compounds …

Demographic And Epidemiological Changes On The Flathead Reservation 1887-1935, Christina Joy Heiner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This dissertation examines the patterns of health among the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai tribes living on the Flathead Reservation in the late 19th and early 20th century. Previous research on early Native American demographic and epidemiological patterns has essentially focused on patterns following European contact to the pre-reservation era, ignoring that Native populations continued to struggle with ill-health and disease under the control of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This research found while large infectious disease epidemics did not occur after the 1900s, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia were the leading causes of death for all ages …

Ahat 412.01: Advanced Practicum In Athletic Training Ii, Valerie Rich Moody, Jessica L. Moore

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Pubh 535.50: Health Policy, Kathryn A. Fox

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Pubh 510.50: Introduction To Epidemiology, Curtis W. Noonan

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Phar 452.01: Therapeutics Ii - Clinical Use Of Antimicrobials, Douglas Allington, Donna G. Beall, Kerry J. Haney, Kendra A. Proacci, Michael P. Rivey

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Relactation: A Phenomenological Study, Amy Nicole Lommen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women in Montana who chose to attempt relactation. A phenomenological approach was utilized to understand the lived experiences of the 10 participants. In depth interviews were conducted and a 21 item, categorical and open-ended survey was administered seeking demographic and experiential data. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to organize and analyze the data. Most participants reported having good support from family, friends, lactation specialists, and/or physicians. Despite this support, the participants experienced breastfeeding difficulty. An overarching theme was having a difficult baby; whether it was colic, latching difficulties, …

Habitat Quality Influences Migratory Strategy Of Female White-Tailed Deer, Charles R. Henderson Jr.

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Partial migration is a life history strategy that is common for ungulate species living in seasonal environments. One factor that influences the decision to migrate by ungulates is access to high quality habitat. We evaluated the influence of access to winter habitat of high quality on the probability of an individual migrating, the differences in seasonal habitat use between and within migratory and resident classes of deer, and the effects of this decision on the survival of female white-tailed deer. We hypothesized that deer with home ranges of relatively low quality in winter would have a relatively high probability of …

An Assessment Of The Health Needs Of The Transgender Community In Montana, Anna Grace Von Gohren

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The transgender community has been identified as a group at high risk for HIV transmission and increased possibility for poor quality of life. This paper represents the results of a qualitative research study using interviews and Photovoice as methodologies to explore the contextual factors that define and shape the lives of people in Montana who identify as transgender, and specifically to explore factors that influence their risk of infection with HIV/AIDS. Ten major themes emerged from the interviews as well as the discussions surrounding the photographs. Sense of self was identified as a core category related to the overall health …

Interindividual Variability In The Cytochrome P450 3a4 Drug Metabolizing Enzyme: Effect Of The Cyp3a4*1g Genetic Variant, Kasse Jean Skagen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Researchers and clinicians are interested in how a patient’s individual genetic makeup could predict the appropriate medication and dose for that patient. One way to predict drug response, or efficacy, is by looking at enzymes within the liver that metabolize drugs. Many of these enzymes belong to a class called the Cytochrome P450s (CYPs). Specifically, two closely related enzymes, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, are involved in metabolizing 50% of drugs currently on the market (eg: statins, antiepileptics, anticancer agents, and antidepressants). There can be differences in the genetic code of these enzymes that can causes changes in drug metabolism. We completed …

Characterization Of Nipah Virus Pathogenicity In Vitro And In Vivo And Protection From Disease Using A Single Dose Recombinant Vaccine, Blair Lynn Debuysscher

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Nipah virus is a zoonotic pathogen that infects a wide species range including humans. It was first discovered in Malaysia in 1998 during a large outbreak, but since has spread to Bangladesh and India causing almost yearly outbreaks in the region since 2001. The distinct geographic locations have led to two genetically varied strains. Infection of humans by Nipah virus leads to respiratory distress and acute encephalitis. Pathology caused by the virus is characterized by vasculitis, necrosis, and edema of small vessels of the lung and brain primarily. This work investigates differences of pathology and clinical signs in the hamster …

January 2014 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Sequestration And Scavenging Of Iron In Infection, Nermi Lee Parrow, Robert E. Fleming, Michael F. Minnick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The proliferative capability of many invasive pathogens is limited by the bioavailability of iron. Pathogens have thus developed strategies to obtain iron from their host organisms. In turn, host defense strategies have evolved to sequester iron from invasive pathogens. This review explores the mechanisms employed by bacterial pathogens to gain access to host iron sources, the role of iron in bacterial virulence, and iron-related genes required for the establishment or maintenance of infection. Host defenses to limit iron availability for bacterial growth during the acute-phase response and the consequences of iron overload conditions on susceptibility to bacterial infection are also …

October 2013 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Bacterial Endophytes Enhance Competition By Invasive Plants, Marnie E. Rout, Thomas H. Chrzanowski, Tara K. Westlie, Thomas H. Deluca, Ragan M. Callaway, William E. Holben

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

• Premise of the study: Invasive plants can alter soil microbial communities and profoundly alter ecosystem processes. In the invasive grass Sorghum halepense, these disruptions are consequences of rhizome-associated bacterial endophytes. We describe the effects of N₂-fixing bacterial strains from S. halepense (Rout and Chrzanowski, 2009) on plant growth and show that bacteria interact with the plant to alter soil nutrient cycles, enabling persistence of the invasive.
• Methods: We assessed fluxes in soil nutrients for ~4 yr across a site invaded by S. halepense. We assayed the N₂-fixing bacteria in vitro for phosphate solubilization, …

Ahat 411.01: Advanced Practicum In Athletic Training I, Valerie Rich Moody

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Pubh 535.50: Health Policy, Craig A. Molgaard, Kathryn A. Fox

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

September 2013 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Biom 250n.30: Microbiology For The Health Sciences, Jarrod Leroy Pollock

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Mt Scorp: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System: Outdoor Recreation And Resident Health, Alex L. Metcalf, Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf, Norma P. Nickerson

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) provides state-based data on health and risk behaviors among adults. Several supplemental outdoor recreation related questions were included in the 2011 questionnaire to assist with the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan process and are analyzed in this report.

The Search For "Strong Medicine": Pathways To Healthcare Development In Remote Nepal Using Gis, Catherine Lee Sanders, Kimber Haddix Mckay

Anthropology Faculty Publications

Nepalese agropastoralists’ confrontations with forces of change in the last generation have altered villagers’ abilities to gain access to health services, clean water, and nutrition in Humla District, Nepal. Development efforts and Nepal’s recent armed conflict, in particular, introduced novel technologies and ideologies that a subsection of villagers have responded to in a fashion that we did not expect. In this article, based on theories about the diffusion of innovation and risk, we argue that, together, villagers and other change agents have cocreated new contexts of vulnerability in the postconflict setting of rural Nepal, as observed in remote Humla District. …

The Genetic Basis Of Fitness: Detecting Inbreeding Depression And Selective Sweeps In Bighorn Sheep, Martin Dennis Kardos

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding the fitness effects of inbreeding is a crucial and long standing goal in conservation and evolutionary biology. Many studies measure individual inbreeding (F, the proportion of genome that is identical by descent) and its fitness effects using either pedigrees or molecular markers. Knowing which genes most strongly affect fitness can help to explain why some individuals outperform others, and elucidate the mechanisms of inbreeding depression and adaptation. However, identifying adaptive genes is difficult in most species because of limited genomic resources.

I used simulations to evaluate the performance of marker- and pedigree-based measures of F and inbreeding depression. I …

Evaluating Genetic Status And Management Tradeoffs For Conservation Of Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus Clarkii), Kellie Jahan Carim

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Habitat fragmentation and invasive species are two of the primary threats to global biodiversity, yet biologists have tested few guidelines for protecting species under these conditions. These threats are particularly relevant to conservation of freshwater species like the Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii). Hybridization with introduced Rainbow Trout (O. mykiss) has already caused extinction of one subspecies and threatens extant populations. Additionally, Cutthroat populations have lost genetic diversity across their range due to habitat destruction and fragmentation. These threats create a catch-22 for managers, wherein treating one problem (connecting populations) may lead to the other (interactions with invasive species). Furthermore, little …

"Conspicuous Consumption:" Germs And Climate Cures In Denver, 1882-1915, Sydney Rene Gwinn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis argues that the health-seeker’s quest for climatic cures persisted after the germ theory of disease began to alter medical approaches to tuberculosis after its announcement in 1882. Buoyed by anti-modern sentiments and a lack of effective medicinal interventions, physicians continued to recommend that tuberculosis patients travel to Denver to seek recovery in a healthier climate. In turn, Denver’s polity and public health approaches were shaped by the influences of the migration of tuberculosis patients to the city. After 1882, new approaches focused on sanitation and isolation began to take hold among physicians and public health reformers who worked …

Nrsm 170.01: International Environmental Change, Stephen F. Siebert

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Psci 449.50: Environmental Health Policy, Laura Dimmler

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.