Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing The Short- And Long-Term Effectiveness Of Forest Planning Workshops For Family Forests, Cynthia Ann Bertek

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Family Forest landowners, also known as Non-Industrial Private Forests (NIPF) are subject to much scrutiny by public agencies because they own the majority of forested lands across the United States and because it is difficult to quantify what they are doing with their lands. Significant federal money is allocated for family forest assistance in the form of educational grants and cost-share for specific conservation objectives. Montana State University Extension Forestry’s Montana Forest Stewardship program is a federally funded educational program that has helped forest landowners learn about and develop both short-term action plans and long-term management plans for their properties …

Assessment Of Prediction Bias In Crown Biomass Equations For Important Conifer Species Of The Inland Northwest, Brian Robert Turnquist

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Several crown biomass equations have been developed for local, regional, and national scale biomass estimation across the United States. The prediction equations most commonly used were developed by Brown (1978) and Jenkins et al. (2003). Because of the widespread application of these equations for managerial and scientific use in the inland northwest, USA, crown mass data for several important conifer species were collected and used to examine the direction and magnitude of bias associated with predictions made from the diameter-based equations of Brown (1978) and Jenkins et al. (2003). A total of 140 trees of 4 different conifer species were …

Characterization Of A Cardboard Recycling Facility's Plastic Waste For Beneficial Use, Tova Sardot

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

An issue with old cardboard container (OCC) recycling is the generation of a plastic waste that currently either gets land-filled or burned. A Wandel screen, a common process unit, generates 35% of overall rejects that contain 75% of the facility's total plastic output. Plastic-rich Wandel wastes have not been well characterized. This study evaluated the plastic waste stream for engineering new, second-life products. Wandel wastes were composed typically of hot melt adhesives (37%), polypropylene (32%), polyethylene (17%), and polystyrene (9%). Proportions varied 10% or less in each polymer category. The plastic waste was compounded, milled and injection molded into test …

College Dating Couples' Use Of Conflict Management During A Prisoner's Dilemma Task: An Exploratory Study, Kristen E. Waldemayer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Dating violence that occurs in young college-aged couples is unique when compared to other types of violence. Aggression occurring in these couples is often bidirectional, highly impacted by situational stressors, and perpetrated by both males and females at relatively equal rates. Most importantly, dating aggression occurs within a developmental context when individuals are attempting to balance autonomy and intimacy within their relationships. However, little is known about conflict management within dating couples or if conflict management processes differ substantially for aggressive and non-aggressive dating couples. Although there has been extensive research in marital processes in conflict, only recently have researchers …

Inference For High-Dimensional Doubly Multivariate Data Under General Conditions, John Zachary Hossler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

With technological, research, and theoretical advancements, the amount of data being generated for analysis is growing rapidly. In many cases, the number of subjects may be small, but the number of measurements taken on each subject may be very large. Consider, for example, two groups of patients. The subjects in one group are diseased and the other subjects are not. Over 9,000 relative fluorescent unit (RFU) signals, measures of the presence and abundance of proteins, are collected in a microarray or protoarray from each subject. Typically these kind of data show marked skewness (departure from normality) which invalidates standard multivariate …

Market Power And Regulatory Failure In The Montana Wholesale Electricity Market, Ross Patrick Keogh

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This work investigates market power and regulatory failures in the Montana wholesale electrical market after the implementation of deregulation in 1997. It provides a review of the development of the Montana wholesale electrical market, federal and state market power regulation, economic theory, and approaches for regulating market power in electrical markets. The work primarily focuses on the conduct of PPL Corporation, which acquired the generation assets of the Montana Power Company, and its capacity to set prices in Montana. It identifies that the current regulatory scheme, which is managed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is inadequate at deterring and …

Mathematical Modeling And Disease Related Applications: A New Method Of Estimating Bacterial Mutation Rates, Dynamics Of Killer Yeast In A Chemostat, And Other Problems, Nicholas Fitzgerald Mcclure

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Among the main mechanisms of evolution we find adaptation, genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, natural selection and speciation. The following thesis explores bacterial mutation rate, mutants, mutators, and how competition acts as a driving force of adaptation.

In chapter 1, the system used in reference for mutation is the devolopment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa antibacterial resistance in the Cystic Fibrosis patients. Current methods for determining mutation rate are quite involved mathematically or complicated experimentally. A new method for estimating mutation rate is discussed and compared with two other widely used methods.

In chapter 2, a microarray data set of different strains …

Nontraditional Positional Games: New Methods And Boards For Playing Tic-Tac-Toe, Mary Jennifer Riegel

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this dissertation we explore variations on Tic-Tac-Toe. We consider positional games played using a new type of move called a hop. A hop involves two parts: move and replace. In a hop the positions occupied by both players will change: one will move a piece to a new position and one will gain a piece in play. We play hop-positional games on the traditional Tic-Tac-Toe board, on the finite planes AG(2, q) and PG(2, q) as well as on a new class of boards which we call nested boards. A nested board is created by replacing the points of …

Off Risking: Offender Risk Assessment And The Correctional Assessment And Intervention System, Eden Heeder

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2010 the State of Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) licensed the Correctional Assessment and Intervention System (CAIS) to address the high rate of recidivism among Co-occurring and Native American offenders. Montana DOC reported a significantly lower rate of revocation among the offenders assessed by the CAIS. Quantitative and Qualitative analyses were conducted to determine what aspects of the program facilitated the lower rates of revocation. Results of this analysis determined that several factors acting in concert contributed to the lower rates of revocation with the most meaningful contribution being that of rapport built between the probation officer and offender.

How Ch-Paa-Qn Got It's Name: A Sixth-Grade Geography Curriculum Unit For Indian Education For All In Montana, Mary Elizabeth Nellis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Nellis, Mary, M.A., Summer 2013 Geography How Ch-Paa-Qn Got Its Name: A Sixth-Grade Geography Curriculum Unit for Indian Education for All in Montana Chair: Sarah J. Halvorson This thesis reports on the design and implementation of a sixth-grade geography curriculum based on Montana House Bill 412 (HB412), a bill whereby the legislature mandated the removal of the word “squaw” from public places in Montana. The framework for this unit is founded on place-based education principles and is tailored to fit within the concepts of Indian Education for All as mandated in the Montana State Constitution. Furthermore, as a place-based unit …

The Ecology Of Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever In Western North America, Tammi Lynne Johnson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In North America the primary cause of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is the spirochete Borrelia hermsii that is vectored by the tick Ornithodoros hermsi. Ecological investigations were combined with mathematical modeling and genetics to gain a clearer understanding of the interactions and mechanisms responsible for disease maintenance, distribution, and genetic diversity. The objectives of this research were to: 1) identify mammals associated with B. hermsii and O. hermsi by determining active infection and antibody presence, 2) develop a deterministic model to ascertain ecological and epidemiological parameters essential for disease persistence, 3) resolve the phylogeographic structure of B. hermsii and …

The Effect Of Photocycle On Self-Control In Betta Splendens, Kathryn Gwen Lamp

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The present study examined the effect of varying light cycles on self-control in Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). The subjects included 16 male Betta splendens, and instrumental choice trials were run. A subject began each trial in the start box and, when a guillotine divider door was lifted, entered one side of a divided terminus. The checkerboard side of the choice door represented either the smaller, more immediate choice (SS) or the larger, more delayed choice (LL). When the subject had entered one side of the goal box, the guillotine divider door was lowered and the subject was given food …

The Effect Of Spillover Onto Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors At The Schaffer-Ca1 Synapse In Hippocampal Slice, Katie Marie Hoffman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and is crucial for processes such as learning and memory. Due its importance as a signaling molecule, the extracellular glutamate concentration is tightly regulated, largely by the excitatory amino-acid transporters (EAATs). In these studies, we investigated the role of EAAT1-3 in synaptic transmission at the Schaffer-CA1 synapse in acute hippocampal brain slices. My results demonstrated that transport block by L-TBA resulted in glutamate spillover and activation of NMDARs. Further investigation showed that L-TBA-mediated activation of NMDARs was facilitated by the Mg2+ unblock of the receptor. Furthermore our data indicate that NMDAR …

The Whale And The World In Melville’S Moby-Dick: Early American Empire And Globalization, Zachary Michael Radford

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Reading Moby-Dick; or, the Whale (1851), this study examines literary arguments regarding Melville’s capacity to appear prophetic through his written works in his predictions of the vast empire that America would one day become and the strategies which the country would employ to do so. In my introduction I assert that Melville is not a “Prophet,” but rather, he is a keenly analytical observer of the world around him as he recognized in America patterns of imperialism: structures he charted in his global voyages as a merchant and then a whaler. In his observations, he saw that America was not …

Using Landsat Imagery To Evaluate Landscape-Level Impacts Of Natural Gas Field Development: Tazovsky Penninsula, Russia, 1984-2007, Jesse Stevens Wallace

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Yamburg gas condensate field in northwestern Siberia sits atop the largest natural gas and petroleum basin in the world. Infrastructure related to the extraction and transport of natural gas is both geographically widespread, and has been shown to affect a much larger area than the immediate infrastructural footprint. Because field studies of the environmental impacts of development are often costly or unfeasible given the remoteness of these areas and access restrictions, the use of remote-sensing technologies is a valuable asset for assessing and quantifying disturbance over large areas. Freely available 30 meter resolution Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2007 …

What They Consider, How They Decide: Best Practices Of Technical Experts In Environmental Decision-Making, Cassandra J. Hemphill

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Drawing from qualitative data gathered from environmental management professionals, this paper describes best practices for decision-making in environmental clean-up. Technical experts are knowledgeable about both cultural and technical rationality and employ both, as appropriate, to achieve more robust decisions. Experts use active, passive, and interactive communicative strategies to reduce uncertainties and manage tensions. Deliberation is used to achieve robust decisions. The analysis suggests that organizations can improve acceptability of decisions by authorizing experts to incorporate cultural rationality early in the decision process.

Genetic Structure And Disease Prevalence Of Boreal Toads (Bufo Boreas) In Glacier National Park, Brett Rebekah Addis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Amphibians are more threatened than any other vertebrate group, with 41% of species experiencing declines. The causes of most declines are not well understood, though many declines have been linked to the emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis. Additionally, amphibians are physiologically constrained to moist habitats and considered poor dispersers; thus, they may suffer genetic consequences of population isolation. To address threats to the persistence of boreal toads (Bufo boreas) in Glacier National Park, USA, I genotyped 551 individuals at 11 microsatellite loci and used spatially independent (STRUCTURE) and spatially explicit (GENELAND) Bayesian methods to describe population genetic structure and identify barriers …

Phl 501.01: Philosophical Foundations Of Ecology, Soazig Le Bihan

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Phl 233.01: Introduction To Logic - Deduction, Armond J. Duwell

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Edld 544.50: The College Curriculum, Frances L. O'Reilly

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Ecological Causes Of Life History Variation Tested By Meta-Analysis, Comparison, And Experimental Approaches, Daniel Croft Barton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The ecological causes of life history variation among taxa and the arrangement of such variation along geographic gradients is enigmatic despite the proximity of life history traits to fitness and implications for understanding basic and applied population ecology. One classic explanation for the arrangement of avian life histories along a `slow-fast' gradient, where species at low latitudes have `slow' life history traits (low fecundity and mortality) and species at high latitudes have `fast' life history traits (high fecundity and mortality), is the increase in seasonality of resources with increasing latitude (Ashmole's hypothesis). Despite broad acceptance, this hypothesis has been supported …

Vision 2012

Vision

No abstract provided.

Montanan, Winter 2012, University Of Montana--Missoula

Montanan Magazine, 1969-2024

This is the magazine of the University of Montana with news about the University for UM alumni as well as current faculty, students, staff, and administrators. This is volume 29, number 1.

2012-2013 Course Catalog, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of The Registrar

University of Montana Course Catalogs, 1895-2024

An annual catalog of courses and course descriptions offered at the University of Montana.

Open For Business, 2012, University Of Montana--Missoula. School Of Journalism. Native News Honors Project

Native News Honors Project, 1992-2026

An annual publication that is reported, photographed, edited, and designed by students in the University of Montana’s School of Journalism.

Research View, Winter 2012

Research View

Contents of this issue include:

Gone Green: UM research launches environmentally friendly chemical company

Business Booster: MonTEC celebrates decade of incubating new companies

Ice Hacker: Researcher works to improve models of glacier movement

Prayer Power: Historian researches unique aspect of civil rights movement

Number Theory And The Queen Of Mathematics, Megan Wagner

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Geometry is an integral component of secondary mathematics curriculum. From my experience in a mathematics teacher preparation program, I have seen a real push to connect geometry to other areas of mathematics. Secondary geometry can often be presented without clear or any connections to other areas of mathematics. One main purpose of this paper is to explore geometry and its rightful connection to other areas of mathematics, specifically number theory. Such strong emphasis is placed on drawing connections to number theory because of its intrinsic value in enhancing understanding of mathematical concepts. Learning number theory has positive ramifications for students, …

Translating And Adapting The Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching (Mkt) Measures: The Cases Of Indonesia And Norway, Dicky Ng, Reidar Mosvold, Janne Fauskanger

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This paper examines issues of translating and adapting an instrument that aims at measuring mathematical knowledge for teaching in Indonesia and Norway. The instrument was created for use in the U.S., and we discuss problematic and challenging issues of translation and adaptation. Two items from the released items pool were translated using a common framework modified from a previous study to exemplify critical issues that need to be resolved prior to using such instrument in another country. Themes identified in this study include a) minor challenges due to cultural differences; b) the use of technical language in schools; c) incommensurable …

Was Pythagoras Chinese- Revisiting An Old Debate, Ross Gustafson

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Two of the great ancient civilizations were those of the Greeks and the Chinese. Many great works of art, architecture, philosophy and literature have been produced by both of these civilizations. When it comes to mathematics in the Western World, the Greeks have also been credited with many contributions to the field, especially geometry. Anyone who has completed a standard high school mathematical curriculum has been introduced to the names of Pythagoras, Euclid and Archimedes and their methods. Not as widely credited in the Western world are the mathematical contributions of the ancient Chinese civilization. An examination into Chinese mathematics …

Tme Volume 9, Numbers 1 And 2

The Mathematics Enthusiast

No abstract provided.