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March 2023 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Medial Tibial Sesamoid Bone Fracture Of The Foot In A Collegiate Football Player: A Case Study, Chalynne M. Wisniewski

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Background: The foot contains two sesamoid bones including a medial tibial sesamoid and lateral fibular sesamoid bone, in which both are embedded in the plantar ligament beneath the first metatarsal head. Medial sesamoid fractures are rare and are often misdiagnosed. Radiographs may be inconclusive because a bipartite sesamoid may be present (sesamoid bone is naturally divided into two segments). Sesamoid fractures usually occur due to forced hyperextension of the great toe and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. Sesamoid fractures are often missed on initial diagnosis because the clinical presentation is similar to a turf toe injury. Pain in the ball of …

Comparing Computational Design Methods For A Type 2 Diabetes Medication, Andrew Voss

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a promising target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes because activating this receptor improves insulin sensitivity and helps manage glucose levels in patients. However, currently approved drugs that activate this receptor have side effects, such as weight gain, weakening of bones, and cardiac failure, which have limited or halted their use. The goal of my study is to compare computational methods that estimate the binding affinity of compounds to PPARγ. To achieve this, I will estimate the binding affinities of compounds that have published experimental binding affinities to determine if the estimated binding …

Microseismic Mapping Of The Aftershock Sequences Following The Magnitude 5.8 Lincoln, Mt Earthquake, Brett A. Steck, Reyer Fenoff

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Regional seismic stations are distributed sparsely throughout Montana. The thin dispersion of stations inhibits the evaluation of aftershock evolutions following a larger earthquake, as well as hinders the ability to record low magnitude events. To account for these limitations, a dense concentration of seismic stations from the University of Montana, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and the USGS were specifically deployed around the area of the 2017 Lincoln, MT earthquake. With a magnitude of 5.8, this event was one of the largest earthquakes in Montana’s history. In years following the mainshock, a sequence of aftershocks have occurred along adjacent …

Chiral Nanoparticles For Analysis Using Capillary Electrophoresis, Sierra M. Paske

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

This project will develop and introduce novel methods for the separation and analysis of enantiomers. Chiral separation of enantiomers is crucial in the area of drug development where two enantiomers of a compound can have varying effects as pharmaceuticals. Many pharmaceutical compounds or targets are chiral, with each enantiomer producing different biological responses in humans. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration requires that each enantiomer of a chiral pharmaceutical be isolated and analyzed. Analytical and preparative scale chiral separations are thus critically important.

Chiral compounds have virtually identical chemical and physical properties, meaning separating their enantiomers for analysis …

Methods For Extracting Wildfire Specific Pm2.5 For The Western United States, Ava Orr

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Air pollution and PM_2.5 from wildfire smoke have steadily increased over the last decade despite decreasing anthropogenic emissions. The increase in wildfires in the western US has highlighted the need to understand better how wildfire-specific PM_2.5 affects human health. To support health risk assessment studies from wildfire smoke inhalation, differentiating between wildfire-specific PM_2.5 and non-wildfire-specific PM_2.5 is essential. We used PM_2.5 data developed by Swanson et al. and three different methods to isolate wildfire-specific PM_2.5. The PM_2.5 data uses air quality station observations, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, aerosol optical thickness data, and …

Inverting For Earth Structure Using Ocean Tides Loading The Surface, Eleanor Serviss

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

The fundamental question of geophysics is simple: What is inside the Earth? Because we cannot physically travel there, we rely on indirect methods such as mapping the strength of Earth’s gravity or studying how fast earthquakes travel through Earth’s layers. Most of our knowledge of Earth structure comes measuring the two earthquake velocity, the pressure-wave velocity and shear-wave velocity. In order to turn these two velocities into material parameters such as density, shear modulus, and modulus, we need to make assumptions about Earth structure. These assumptions come in the form of scaling and combining the velocities to recover the elastic …

Cervical Disk Rupture In A Collegiate Football Player: A Case Study, Hannah Kuracina Mx., Karl Reisig Dr., Benjamin Smith Do.

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Background: Cervical disc herniations (CDH) commonly occur between the ages of 51 and 60. Research suggests that less than 2% of patients with CDH were male and between the age of 20-29. The NFL reported 9 cases of CDH, from a singular traumatic event between 2001 and 2011. This case study examines a collegiate-aged male, a demographic not commonly associated with CDH. The typical presentation of CDH includes neck pain with unilateral numbness and tingling. CDH in young healthy adults is unusual and the clinical presentation, in this case, differs from what is commonly reported. This patient had no neurological …

“I Give The Kids My Warty Gourd Story”: A Qualitative Study On Public Health Nurses’ Experiences With Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Vaccination In Montana, Juthika Jayendra Thaker

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Approximately 35,000 HPV-attributable cancers are diagnosed in the United States annually. Rural communities face a higher burden of HPV-attributed infections and cancers compared to urban areas due to lower vaccination coverage. The CDC recommends a 2-dose or a 3-dose HPV vaccine series depending on the age of the initial vaccination. Only 53% of eligible adolescents in Montana had completed the HPV vaccine series. While research on vaccine delivery systems has focused mainly on private clinics, rural adolescents rely on public health facilities for their immunization needs. A thorough understanding of public health nurses’ role in improving community vaccination rates will …

Childhood Vaccination Practices And Parental Hesitancy Barriers In Rural And Urban Primary Care Settings, Alexandria N. Albers Mph, Ms, Emma Wright Md, Juthika Thaker Mha, Kathrene Conway Bs, Matthew F. Daley Md

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Nationally and in Montana, children living in rural areas have unique barriers to vaccine access and lower vaccination rates compared to children in urban areas. However, there has been minimal prior research on rural-focused strategies for increasing vaccination rates. Our objective was to compare rural and urban Montana primary care providers’ (PCPs’) practices in promoting childhood vaccination and their perceptions regarding barriers to and strategies for promoting vaccination.

We conducted a mail and online survey of rural and urban Montana PCPs. In October-December 2021, the survey was pilot tested by PCPs across Montana. In January-April 2022, we sent out four …

Prophages Encode And Disseminate Bacterial Immune Systems, Amelia K. Schmidt

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Bacteria are under constant threat of infection by viruses called bacteriophages (phages).

As a result, bacteria have evolved diverse phage defense systems; however, these defenses are very specific and effectively defend against a narrow range of phages. I have discovered that the filamentous Pf phages which chronically infect the formidable bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa encode diverse phage defense systems. Infection by a competing phage mobilizes these systems, allowing defense systems to fluctuate in dominance in response to the ever-changing pressure of phage predation.

Parasitic Infection In A Social Carnivore: T. Gondii Exposure Increases Risky Decision Making In Gray Wolves, Connor J. Meyer, Kira A. Cassidy, Erin Stahler, Ellen Brandell, Colby B. Anton, Daniel Stahler, Douglas W. Smith

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite capable of infecting any warm-blooded species yet, requires a feline definitive host to sexually reproduce. Experimental studies indicate that T. gondii infection increases an individual’s risky decision-making but, due to the intensive data collection and large samples sizes necessary, T. gondii’s role in ecosystem processes is understudied.

We sought to understand the role in which T. gondii exposure affects gray wolf decision-making in Yellowstone National Park. To achieve this, we used 25 years of wolf serological and behavioral data to build generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) to test for a change in behavior of …

An Rna Vaccine Protects Against Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Infection In Mice, Shanna S. Leventhal, Kimberly Meade-White, Deepashri Rao, Elaine Haddock, Jesse Erasmus, David W. Hawman

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) is commonly transmitted by ticks and has a wide geographic distribution, being endemic throughout southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Due to climate change, this range is even expanding northward. CCHFV causes a hemorrhagic disease characterized by initial non-specific illness (fever, muscle pains, nausea) followed by severe internal and external bleeding with a case fatality rate of 5-60%. As there is no licensed therapeutics or vaccines, there is great need for highly effective countermeasures. Recently, we have developed a self-replicating RNA-based vaccine which expresses two of the viral proteins: the CCHFV …

Beaver Dam Analogs Change Macroinvertebrate Communities In Headwater Streams, Western Montana, Michelle E. Fillion

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Starting in the 17^th century, beavers were nearly eradicated from their historic range. Though today their populations are improving, the lack of beaver dams in aquatic systems has left a lasting impact on the environment. As a result, managers of freshwater systems have turned to beaver dam analogs (BDAs) as one technique for stream restoration. BDAs are human constructed structures designed to mimic natural beaver dams and their geomorphic, hydrologic, and ecological effects. Though BDAs have proven to be a useful restoration technique, there has been little research on how they influence macroinvertebrate communities, which serve as a vital …

Nrsm 385.01: Watershed Hydrology, Kelsey G. Jencso

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Thtr 255.01: Drafting For The Theatre I, Ashley Milleson, Michael T. Monsos

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Edu 338.01: Academic Interventions, Anna L. Puryear

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Edu 497.01: Methods: 5-8 Mathematics - Graduate, Georgia A. Cobbs

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Edu 497.01 Methods: 5-8 Mathematics - Undergraduate, Georgia A. Cobbs

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Bfin 322.04: Business Finance, Timothy A. Manuel

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Bfin 322.03: Business Finance, Keith Jakob

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Bgen 105s.01: Introduction To Business, Klaus Uhlenbruck

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Bfin 322.50: Business Finance - Online, Timothy A. Manuel

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Eating Disorders And Autism: A Network Approach, Lillian C. King

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper explores the overlap of ED and ASD symptoms, and evaluates the results of a study that used network analysis to investigate pathway and core ED and ASD comorbidity symptoms. Eating Disorders (EDs) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have several overlapping symptoms that may inform our understanding of both disorders. Increased knowledge of the overlap of EDs and ASD can improve the treatment of EDs in those with ASD.

Your Friend, Wildfire, Elizabeth Riddle, Aubrey Frissell, Mackenzie Weiland, Katherine Wendeln, Rory Mclaverty, Lillian Hollibaugh

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The frequency and severity of wildfire has increased around the world within the past two decades, due to shifts in land management practices, climate change, and other factors. The effects of these fires have led to an inaccurate public perception of wildfire as a whole. This overly-simplified, vilified perception of all fire obscures the role that it has played in shaping landscapes for thousands of years, and how indigenous peoples have applied fire to take care of landscapes.

Positive public perception of using fire as a tool for land management creates a more supportive environment for healthy landscape management. Thus, …

“Should Wellbeing Be The Same As Perfection?” A Case Study On Student Wellbeing In Higher Mathematics Education, Marcelo Alonso Almora Rios

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Previous research has given the impression that reticent is our hunt for optimal teaching practices, educational goals, and nature of mathematical workings. In this regard, we have (seemingly) ended up with the following inquiries:

• What could the math classroom be for? and
• What has the math classroom been for?

These two questions touch on the scary horns of two other charged philosophical dandruffs. Namely:“What are the aims of teaching mathematics?” and “What should be our objectives in learning it?”

The term ‘positive education’ refers to an educational system engendering both the skills of positive wellbeing and traditional, academic achievement (Seligman …

The Analysis Of Ancient Dna: From Mitochondria To Pathogens, Tre Joseph Marcus Blohm

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Ancient DNA (aDNA) is arguably one of the most difficult science fields to work in due to the constant battle against contamination and degradation; however, it is also one of the most rewarding. aDNA researchers have consistently garnered interest the world over with their findings and sparking the curiosity of many who wish to know more about who we are as Homo sapiens. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and pathogen DNA were used in this dissertation to understand more about where populations came from, how they moved, and what their environment was like through the identification of their maternally inherited mtDNA and …

Teacher Turnover And Retention The Choice To Leave: Lived Experiences Of Teachers In Rural Montana, Brittany Elizabeth Julie Katzer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

School districts across the United States are grappling to fill, and to keep, their classrooms operating with qualified teachers, especially in rural communities. To ensure a quality education for the millions of students in the nation in the coming years, educational leaders and government officials need to evaluate what can be done to increase the number of teachers staying in their positions. Schools must be better equipped to understand what contributes to high turnover rates and the inability to retain their teachers. It is necessary to create conditions that will keep fully trained and qualified teachers in the field. The …

Tree Line, Eric Joseph Jensen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

I was raised under a doctrine of extreme truth that cast a shadow over all reality. Upon rejecting that dogma, my life became a search to replace that truth. I’ve looked for it by immersing myself in the natural world and exploring my relationship with it through paint. My landscape painting practice has brought me a wealth of experiences; however, it has not given me an answer that fills the void of my upbringing. My thesis paper is an account of the questions, research, and paintings that surround my search. Nothing, it turns out, is absolute. There is a beauty …

Evaluating The Use Of Environmental Tracers To Reduce Conceptual Model Uncertainty Of Hydrogeologic Models, Andrew Nordberg, Jon Graham, W. Payton Gardner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Environmental tracer concentrations for CFC12, SF6, and tritium are used in groundwater simulations to assess the ability of these tracers to reduce conceptual model uncertainty due to uncertainty of a site’s geologic and recharge characterization. The resulting groundwater simulations are characterized by site-specific hydrologic and geologic data, and with coordination from a field team with years of knowledge about the site. First-order (conceptual) uncertainty is directly addressed by using a stochastic modeling approach for spatial variability of the proposed subsurface configurations. Simulations of environmental tracer concentrations and water levels are used to assess six alternate conceptual models that are based …