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Bahá'U'Lláh And The God Of Avicenna, Joshua Hall

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This paper, in three parts, compares the core metaphysical positions of the preeminent 11^th century Islamic philosopher Avicenna with the theological teachings of the prophet-founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’lláh, born in 19^th century Iran. Part one presents Avicenna’s cosmological argument for God’s existence and analyzes his conception of God’s nature, and shows that Bahá’u’lláh broadly affirms Avicenna’s argument for God’s existence and his basic account of the divine nature. Part two subsequently discusses how Avicenna deduces further attributes of God from the notion of his necessary or unconditioned existence, and likewise attempts to demonstrate that Bahá’u’lláh affirms …

Chapter 2.1: Visualization Of Metal Ion Buffering Via 3-D Topo Surfaces Of Complexometric Titrations, Garon C. Smith, Md Mainul Hossain

Water Topos: A 3-D Trend Surface Approach to Viewing and Teaching Aqueous Equilibrium Chemistry

This chapter examines 1:1 metal-ligand complexometric titrations in aqueous media. It presents surfaces that plot computed equilibrium parameters above a composition grid with titration progress (mL of ligand) as the x-axis and overall system dilution (log C ) as the y-axis. The sample systems in this chapter are restricted to EDTA as a ligand. Other chelating ligands that form exclusively 1:1 complexes could also be modeled with this software. The surfaces show the quality of the equivalence point break under various conditions. More importantly, they develop the phenomenon of metal ion buffering. They clearly distinguish the difference between …

April 2021 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Department Of Mathematical Sciences Newsletter, Spring 2021, University Of Montana--Missoula. Department Of Mathematical Sciences

Newsletters from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UM

Icosahedrons on the Oval?! / Matt Roscoe -- Professor William Derrick 1938 – 2020 / Leonid Kalachev -- Notes from the Chair / Emily Stone -- Introducing our Next Chair: Professor John Bardsley / Nikolaus Vonessen -- Rural Montana Sheds Light on Productive Problem Solving / Sara Killeen -- Greg St. George Retires / Seth Braver -- Fred Peck Wins Cox Award / Matt Roscoe -- UM Undergraduates Study the Geometry of Hyperbolic Knots and Links / Eric Chesebro -- Honor Roll of Donors -- Spring 2021 Scholarship & Award Winners -- Degree Recipients 2020-2021 -- Math Major is Top-Ranked …

Examining Natural Resource Conservation: In The Classroom, Through Collaborative Conservation, And Across Public Communication Platforms, Shauni Seccombe

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Exploring Approaches To Equity In Environmental Education Access For Teens, Norah Cook

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

March 2021 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

1d Crustal Velocity Model For West-Central Montana, Courtenay Jo Duzet, Michael C. Stickney

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Western Montana is home to a significant amount of continuous, complex seismic activity due to the fact that the region lies within the Intermountain Seismic Belt (ISB). The ISB is a 100 km wide seismic belt that stretches along western Montana, reaching from Yellowstone National Park to northwest Montana, and is responsible for much of the state’s seismic activity. Like many seismically active areas, Western Montana’s earthquakes are best studied through the use of seismographs. Data from these instruments can be used to create crustal velocity models for an area within the seismic network.

Velocity models are powerful tools that …

Assessing Effectiveness Of Using A Moist Heat Pack Prior To Single Leg Vertical Jump Performance, Tedijo Todd, Sola Yeager, Katlyn Norton

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Context: Thermotherapy techniques, such as moist heat pack (MHP), produce increased circulation and metabolism, decreased pain, decreased muscle spasm, and decreased tissue stiffness. An increase in muscle elasticity causes an increase in flexibility, which can lead to an increase in range of motion. However, there is limited research directly related to the effect of MHP on functional performance since much of the research is indirectly associated with flexibility and range of motion. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore and assess the effectiveness of a moist heat pack on single leg vertical jump performance.

Methods: A convenience sample …

Increasing Range Of Motion Of The Elbow Considering Optimal Patient Positioning During Ultrasound Treatment, Alexis M. Mower, Karly Niemann

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Poster Presentation Abstract Submission

Increasing Range of Motion of the Elbow Considering Optimal Patient Positioning during Ultrasound Treatment

Mower, L, Niemann, K, Moody, V. University of Montana

Context: Ultrasound uses inaudible, high-frequency vibrations to promote blood flow to injured tissue and improve tissue extensibility. Previous studies suggest that a stretching window, albeit brief, follows an ultrasound treatment, maximizing improvement in tissue extensibility. There is currently minimal evidence supporting the idea that applying a stretch during an ultrasound treatment facilitates improvement in joint mobility. The purpose of this study was to compare positioning of the elbow in a stretched and a …

The Effectiveness Of Prescribed Physical Activity For The Treatment Of Post-Concussive Symptoms In An Athletic Population: A Systematic Review., Kayla B. Schmidt, Nicholas Costa

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Mild traumatic brain injuries, otherwise known as concussions, are a low level brain injury that results from blunt force trauma to the head and cause injury to neurons. There are an estimated 1.6-3.8 million sports-related concussions and traumatic brain injuries a year in the United States. Currently, there is a lack of gold standard in the management and treatment of concussion symptoms. Most practices call for rest until symptoms subside, followed by a return to play protocol. Physical activity has been linked to increased brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which can increase neuron repair. Along with this, other symptoms of …

Common Lower Extremity Injury Sites Among Service Members And Combat Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review, Luke Joseph Mccarthy, Tyler Hansen

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Title: Common Lower Extremity Injury Sites Among Service Members and Combat Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review

Luke McCarthy, Tyler Hansen, Shane Murphy

Purpose: Athletic training services continue to expand into nontraditional settings, with a substantial growth in treating military service members and combat sport athletes (e.g., tae kwon do, MMA, karate). Although more athletic trainers are asked to work with these populations, location and frequency of injuries within these populations is not widely disseminated in athletic training education curriculum. This systematic review was conducted to discover if common injury sites exist between service members and combat sport athletes. We hypothesized …

Using Multiple Environmental Tracers To Quantify Field-Scale Hydrodynamic Dispersion And Reduce Parameter Uncertainty In Reactive Transport Models., Casey L. Kleppel

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

In this study, we seek to reduce parameter uncertainty in groundwater modeling systems, particularly in reactive transport models, by developing a new technique to quantify field-scale hydrodynamic dispersion using anthropogenic environmental tracer concentrations and numerical groundwater modeling. We generate a series of synthetic aquifer fields using known heterogeneous aquifer parameters to model spatial variability using known atmospheric tracer datasets to determine if a single, unique value of dispersion can be applied field-wide. The atmospheric data is comprised of publicly available Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC11, CFC12, CFC113) and Sulfur-hexafluoride (SF₆) concentration atmospheric data. A 2D heterogeneous synthetic truth aquifer developed using …

Exploring The Influence Of Patient Position During Mechanical Traction On Lumbar Mobility, Isabela Ortman, Kevin Garifi, Valerie Moody

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Exploring the Influence of Patient Position During Mechanical Traction on Lumbar Mobility

Ortman, I, Garifi, K, Moody, V. University of Montana

Context: Mechanical traction uses a motorized device to apply a selected traction force to slowly elongate the spine. Research demonstrate the ability of sustained distraction forces to increase the length of spinal tissues by creep and hysteresis, with effects remaining longer in tissues of older individuals. There are three primary positions that a patient can be in for mechanical lumbar traction: supine, prone, and 90/90. The choice of position is driven by patient comfort, however, there might be differences …

Evaluating The Use Of Environmental Tracers To Reduce The Conceptual-Geologic Uncertainty Of Hydrogeologic Models, Andrew Nordberg

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

We investigate methods to reduce uncertainty in the conceptual-physical structure of groundwater flow and transport models using naturally occurring environmental tracers. We take a novel approach to assess this uncertainty by calibrating hydrogeologic models derived from alternate conceptualizations of subsurface structure using environmental tracer data and reactive transport code. From borehole data at a site near Riverton, Wyoming, two deterministic conceptual models based upon different hypotheses of the physical structure were created. In the first model, two permeable stratigraphic layers are separated by a continuous silty-clay confining unit. In the second model, the two permeable stratigraphic layers are separated by …

Reliability Of Urge-To-Cough (Utc) Testing, Jane Reynolds, Sarah Campbell

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Reliability of Urge-to-Cough (UTC) Testing

Abstract

Researchers who study chronic cough rely on multiple measures to gauge if an intervention is working to reduce coughing. An assessment called Urge-to-Cough (UTC) testing has been proposed to determine a patient’s sensitivity to stimuli that commonly trigger coughing in patients with cough hypersensitivity (e.g., strong scents, projecting the voice). If reliable, UTC testing can be used in clinical and research scenarios to determine if a patient’s cough sensitivity is changing in response to an intervention. In this study, up to 25 patients referred for a chronic cough evaluation with a speech-language pathologist will …

Investigating The Transferability Of Landslide Hazard Assessments, Gina Belair

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Landslides have the potential to cause substantial loss of life and damage to infrastructure. To minimize the damage incurred, landslide hazard assessments are conducted to determine areas of potential mass movements. The majority of advancements in landslide hazard assessment are implemented in a narrow set of circumstances, and their transferability to other regions is largely untested. This study follows the methodology of Kritikos et al. (2015) who investigated the transferability of co-seismic landslide relationships from well-studied regions to regions without accurate landslide locations. The results from Kritikos et al. (2015) provide evidence that statistical relationships formed from training data in …

Pharmacogenetic Testing Implementation In A Rural Pediatric Psychiatric Hospital, Tianna Leitch, Shayna Killam, Kirk Katseanes, Karen Brown, Corbin Schwanke, Abdallah Elias, Susan Trinidad

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how patients’ genes may affect their response to certain medications. Pharmacogenetic testing enables clinical providers to individualize patient therapies and improve outcomes in clinical settings. Successful implementation strategies for pharmacogenetic testing, however, have been limited to major academic medical centers and large health care systems. By contrast, rural, community-based health systems, common in a state like Montana, have been slow to implement these advancements, threatening to exacerbate existing healthcare disparities. In the field of psychiatry, the effective management of patient medications is of the upmost concern, and pharmacogenetic testing may help clinicians to guide and …

Genetic And Seasonal Contributions To Variability In Vitamin D Levels Among American Indians, Jack W. Staples, Erica L. Woodahl, Erin E. Ellerbeck, Rachel Dalton, Kathleen M. George, Genevieve Krause, Tianna Leitch, Kenneth E. Thummel, Leeanna I. Muzquiz, Matthew G. Mcdonald, Deborah A. Nickerson

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Purpose: Vitamin D is an essential hormone in maintenance of calcium and phosphate homeostasis for adequate bone mineralization with roles in the immune system as well. Sources of vitamin D include natural synthesis in the skin upon ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, dietary intake from plant and animal sources, and supplementation. Vitamin D levels, measured by the primary circulating vitamin D metabolite, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), are variable across individuals due to latitude, season, diet, gender, disease states, medication use, and genetics. Populations living at northern latitudes (~40⁰N) such as American Indians of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) …

A Wolf In Fox’S Clothing? Using Stable Isotopes To Quantify Ecological Replacement, Tyler James Clark

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

During the Anthropocene, human-induced extinctions, especially of large predators and herbivores, have resulted in catastrophic ecosystem collapses. Recently, conservation tools such as rewilding (e.g., re-introducing a species to its native habitat) have been used to mitigate the effects of extinction. Another increasingly popular conservation tool, ecological replacement, proposes to introduce functionally similar, non-native species to fill the ecological roles of extinct, native species, thereby restoring ecosystems towards their pre-Anthropocene state. For example, the non-native Aldabra giant tortoise was introduced to the Mauritian island of Ile aux Aigrettes to replace the ecological role of extinct Cylindraspis giant tortoises. However, the …

Using Classification Trees To Identify Bumble Bees, Rebekah Brassfield, Janene Lichtenberg Mrs

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Identification of bumble bees is a time-consuming process that often involves lethal collections of specimens for microscopic identification. With declining bumble bee populations, new methods of identification are in demand. High resolution cameras have provided taxonomists with an alternative to lethal captures. High definition photographs provide a clear source of key identifying features, but still requires the evaluation of hundreds of combinations of features to correctly identify specimens.

Machine learning uses decision trees to classify large amounts of data in short periods of time. Much like taxonomists, the program learns to identify a specimen using combinations of characteristics. Two methods …

Relating Geodetic Deflection Under Hydrologic Loading To Stream Discharge Through Storage-Discharge Relationships, Noah B. Clayton

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Relating Geodetic Deflection Under Hydrologic Loading to Stream Discharge Through Storage-Discharge Relationships

Noah Clayton, MA Geosciences Candidate

Dr. W. Payton Gardner, University of Montana

Dr. Hilary Martens, University of Montana

Climate change impacts and increasing demands for water require better methods for estimating water resources at small to intermediate watershed scales (~ 1500 km²). In this study, we analyze relationships between GPS vertical deflection under hydrologic loading and stream discharge to investigate temporal changes in terrestrial water storage in watersheds with strong seasonal hydrologic events. Using publicly available GPS time series from UNAVCO and UNR and stream discharge …

Effect Of Home-Based Tai Chi, Yoga Or Conventional Balance Exercise On Functional Balance And Mobility Among Persons With Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease: An Experimental Study, Arva Mufaddal Gadly, Brammatha Pandian, Arul Selvan Dr.

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Background and Purpose: Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) invariably experience functional decline in a number of motor and non-motor domains affecting posture, balance and gait. Numerous clinical studies have examined effects of various types of exercise on motor and non-motor problems. But still much gap remains in our understanding of various therapies and its effect on delaying or slowing the dopamine neuron degeneration. Recently Tai Chi and Yoga both are gaining popularity as Complementary Therapies, since both have components for mind and body control. The aim of this study was to determine whether 8 weeks of home-based Tai Chi or …

Natal Stream Characteristics Associated With Migratory Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Troy W. Smith

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Natal Stream Characteristics Associated with Migratory Westslope Cutthroat Trout

Westslope Cutthroat Trout, hereafter cutthroat, are a native trout species of conservation concern in Montana that have historically exhibited a diversity of life histories within a population. This includes migratory individuals that move from larger rivers to their natal streams to spawn, as well as resident individuals that remain in natal streams for their lifetime. Due to habitat degradation and interbreeding (or hybridizing) with nonnative Rainbow Trout, cutthroats are becoming rare in large river systems and increasingly occur as isolated resident populations in headwater systems. This loss of migratory individuals can …

Developing Potential Land Surface Temperature As An Indicator Of Forest Regeneration Potential In The Western United States, Robin Rank

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Forests face accelerating threats due to increases in the severity and frequency of drought and heat stress associated with climate change. In particular, as rates of disturbance (e.g, wildfire) increase, and the climatological and hydrological suitability of landscapes for forest regeneration are diminished, vegetation shifts from forest to non-forest are expected to become more frequent and widespread. Most efforts at predicting these shifts have used correlative approaches which lack the ability to generalize to novel temporal or spatial conditions. To reduce uncertainty when predicting forest regeneration, researchers need mechanistic models and predictors of seedling mortality based on physiological processes and …

Physical Activity, Injury, And Burnout In Collegiate Esports Players, Hailee M. Eckman

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Purpose: Esports is the competitive application of various video games, where teams or individuals compete against one another with varying levels of skills. Esports play can emphasize professional or personal development in the individual player, and is gaining significant popularity around the world, with an estimated audience of 395 million in 2018(Nagorsky & Wiemeyer, 2020). With this increase in popularity, collegiate teams have been established to cultivate community and develop player skills in a parallel fashion to collegiate athletic teams. These esports players develop skills by training many hours a week in a similar manner to their traditional athletic counterparts, …

Quantifying The Effects Of Beaver Dam Analogs On Fish Habitat And Communities, Andrew B. Lahr

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Beaver-based restoration has shown to be an effective restoration strategy for turning incised streams into complex and dynamic systems. However, there are still uncertainties regarding the pros and cons of beaver and beaver dam analogs (BDAs) as it pertains to whole system effects. Concerns focus on whether these impoundments increase temperatures beyond thermal tolerances of cold-water species, reduce stream connectivity, and exacerbate negative effects of non-native species. In order to provide more context surrounding these concerns, we began a multiyear Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study on three pairs of streams (one restored with BDAs and one control) across Western Montana. In each …

Forest Resilience To Fire In The Western Us: A Test Case For Using Satellite Metrics To Assess Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Forest Recovery, Marie Johnson

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Fire and other climate driven disturbances are shaping the future of our forests. Given the vital ecosystem services provided by forests, it is crucial that we manage forests for their continued existence under changing climate conditions. This requires the immediate investigation of forest resilience, the ability of an ecosystem to withstand a disturbance by regaining its function, structure, and composition before a threshold is crossed and an ecosystem transitions to a new state. It has been widely recognized in ecology that resilience should be the primary goal of forest restoration and management, however, few studies have been designed to comprehensively …

Controls On The Magnitude Of Bedrock Recharge In Two Paired, Snow-Dominated Watersheds, Kimberly Bolhuis

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Controls on the magnitude of bedrock recharge in two paired, snow-dominated watersheds

Mountains in arid and semi-arid regions receive a disproportionately large amount of precipitation compared to their bounding valley aquifers due to orographic effects, but little is known about how precipitation is partitioned and transported within the mountain block. Recent research has illuminated dynamic interactions between soil and bedrock reservoirs, showing that bedrock permeability is potentially a major control on the volume of bedrock groundwater recharge. This study focuses on i) evaluating differences in bedrock effective porosity, and ii) estimating how recharge magnitude is influenced by bedrock effective porosity. …

Quantifying Subsurface Parameter Uncertainties With Surrogate Modeling And Environmental Tracers, Nicholas E. Thiros, Payton Gardner

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Identifying the uncertainty in predictions made by groundwater flow and transport numerical models is critical for effective water resource management and contaminated site remediation. In this work, we combine physics-based groundwater reactive transport modeling with data-driven machine learning techniques to quantify hydrogeologic model uncertainties for a site in Wyoming, USA. We train a deep artificial neural network (ANN) on a training dataset that consists of groundwater hydraulic head and environmental tracer concentration (³H, SF₆, and CFC-12) fields generated using a high-fidelity groundwater reactive transport model. Inputs of the training dataset and reactive transport model include variable …