Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Blocking A Specific Ion Channel Reduces Inflammation In Lung Cells, Becky Kendall

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Silicosis caused by exposure to silica dust is a serious occupational health threat in the United States and worldwide. For example, artificial stone workers are exposed to dust that has a higher percentage of silica than natural stone, creating a more significant exposure in a shorter period of time and placing these workers at an enhanced risk of developing silicosis. Silicosis is an incurable lung disease marked by chronic inflammation. When silica dust is inhaled, the cells responsible for clearing it out of the lungs, macrophages, become damaged and initiate a cycle of chronic inflammation that results in lung and …

Should We Use Climate Analogs To Predict Climate Impacts? A Contemporary Validation., Svetlana Yegorova, Solomon Z. Dobrowski, Sean A. Parks

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

There is a need for location-specific, fine-grain, climate impact information to inform regional and local-level climate adaptation. However, such climate information is hard to obtain from the existing models either due to the lack of sufficient data or too coarse of a model output to be useful. Analog impact models (AIMs), provide an alternative approach. AIMs rely on climate analogs (locations in space and time that have similar climate) to forecast future climate impacts at a spatial grain as fine as a four kilometer pixel. Analog impact models assume that locations with equivalent climate (climate analogs) also share other important …

Aphasia Vr, Kristina D. Mahagamage

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Aphasia Intervention using Virtual Reality Technology

Kristina Mahagamage, MFA Graduate Candidate, Media Arts, University of Montana

Co-Authors/Editors :

Michael Musick Media Arts University of Montana

Jenna Griffin Speech, Language, Hearing and Occupational Sciences University of Montana

Introduction

Virtual Reality technology can help healthcare clinicians work with persons with Aphasia in therapeutic exercises that simulate real-world experiences. “Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write" (“Aphasia Definitions - National Aphasia Association”). Virtual Reality (VR) is a groundbreaking technology that allows people to interact with computer-generated (CG) simulations in real-time. …

Cough Desensitization Treatment: Randomized Control Trial Update, Jane Reynolds

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Cough Desensitization Treatment: Updates from a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Chronic cough is estimated to impact approximately 11% of Americans¹ and is one of the leading reasons that patients seek medical evaluation². For approximately 20% of patients, the typical treatments for medical causes of chronic cough fail and they are said to have refractory chronic cough (RCC)³. RCC has negative implications on a patient’s health-related quality of life⁴. Cough Desensitization Treatment (CDT) is a novel intervention for RCC that combines behavioral cough suppression therapy with systematic desensitization of the cough reflex using controlled …

A Hand-Held, Photogrammetric, Approach To Riparian And Stream Assessment And Monitoring, Joseph Dehnert

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Over 37,000 riparian restoration projects have been reported in the United States since 1980, but only 38% of those projects are currently being monitored; 70% of those being monitored reported that the restoration actions were not accomplishing their intended purposes. Because riparian zones serve as the connection between terrestrial and flowing freshwater ecosystems, it is important to identify and quantify their structural and functional roles in natural systems and monitor the restoration efforts being implemented. A rigorous understanding of the connection between riparian, geomorphic, and hydraulic processes provides a sound ecological foundation when identifying riparian management objectives and evaluating current, …

Are Robots Morally Culpable? The Role Of Intentionality And Anthropomorphism, Sarah Sweezy, Shailee Woodard

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Culpability for one’s actions arguably hinges on their intentions: A negative outcome is judged more harshly when done purposely versus accidentally (Zelazo, Helwig, & Lau, 1996). However, do children similarly apply this rule to a robot? And is this affected by their propensity to anthropomorphize? To investigate these questions, we tested 3- and 5-year-olds’ inferences of intentions and culpability of two agents (human and robot) and whether their judgments were influenced by their general tendency to anthropomorphize.

Participants (current N=63; 46% female) in two age groups (3 years: n=32, M=3.60 years, SD=.58; 5 years: n=31, …

Developing The Label Avoidance Measure Of Stigma: A Preliminary Psychometric Review, Julia J. Cameron

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Stigma acts as a barrier to receiving treatment for mental health concerns. Label avoidance, one of several different aspects that compose the overarching concept of stigma, captures the stigma involved when individuals avoid social institutions that might confer a psychiatric diagnostic label and would mark them as an individual with a mental health problem. Label avoidance has been described as a key stigma construct in the literature but has been sparsely studied. Answering a call in the field for new, psychometrically sound stigma measures, we created a new measure of label avoidance and acquired initial validity and reliability evidence supporting …

Damming Celilo Falls: Mourning A Miracle, Farryl Elisa Hunt

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

ABSTRACT FOR MASTER’S THESIS

By Lisa Hunt

Devastation and Displacement: The Destruction of Native Communities as a Result of Specifically the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in North Dakota and the Dalles Dams on the Columbia River in Oregon

The building of the Dalles Dam along the Columbia river, separating Oregon and Washington, inflicted severe losses over sovereignty rights for the surrounding Native communities. Long-lasting negative effects have occurred towards their means of support and led to the declining quality of life. The drowning of Celilo Falls by the building of the Dalles dam is a heartbreaking tale of …

Cognitive Reserve And Sex Differences In An Alzheimer's Disease Population, Emily Hicks, Genna Mashinchi, Hannes Heppner

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Objective: The rate of cognitive decline is not equivalent for all AD patients, as some are able to remain functionally independent longer than others despite similar levels of neuropathology. Cognitive reserve theory (CR) posits that some people maintain cognitive functioning due to the presence of protective factors, such as educational and occupational attainment. The present study sought to investigate relations between cognitive functioning and education within an AD sample. Additionally, the current study examined if the impact of education was influenced by participant age and sex, as previous research has noted higher rates of AD in women than men.

Participants …

An Inclusive Future: Creating Interest, Diversity And Inclusion In Archaeology Through Children’S Literature, Erin D. Rosenkrance

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

An Inclusive Future:

Creating Interest, Diversity and Inclusion in Archaeology through Children’s Literature

In the wake of major social justice movements such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, LGBTQ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement, the topics of inequality and diversity have become major talking points across the globe. In response, universities and colleges have made a call for representation by black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) faculty, staff and students. In the field of anthropology and archaeology the need is obvious. Sara Gonzalez, Curator of Archaeology at the Burke Museum explains, “…in educating the next generation we have …

Dating During Covid-19: Initiating And Negotiating Romantic Relationships, Maggie C. Brock, Ashley M. Arsenault, Sheena A. Brown, Jeremy T. Miner, Elizabeth M. Sholey

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Dating During COVID-19: Initiating and Negotiating Romantic Relationships

This study contributes to the understanding of how individuals initiate and negotiate romantic relationships through pandemic circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed daily human interactions. The social distancing guidelines put in place by the Center for Disease Control and the lockdown mandates initiated by local governments have impacted interpersonal communication on various levels, including face-to-face interactions and dating initiation. In this study, relational turbulence theory was used as a framework to understand the ways in which COVID-19 has negatively impacted dating relationships. This theory explains how partners negotiate and manage turbulent …