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Modeling Northern Goshawk (Accipiter Gentilis) Nesting Habitat On The Lewis And Clark National Forest Using Eigenvector Filters To Account For Spatial Autocorrelation, Morganne Marie Lehr

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Habitat suitability modeling has become a valuable tool for wildlife managers to identify areas of suitable habitats for management and conservation needs. The Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) has been the focus of many modeling efforts, however, the current models guiding goshawk management on the Lewis and Clark National Forest may not fully capture the unique habitat characteristics that the goshawk is actually selecting for nesting habitat. Therefore, the first objective of this study was to explore the use of Maxent for modeling suitable goshawk nesting habitat on the Lewis and Clark National Forest in central Montana. However, goshawk territoriality and …

An Adaptive Hybrid Method For Link Prediction In Multi-Modal Directed Complex Networks Using The Graph Traversal Pattern, William Lyon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The paper examines the link prediction problem for directed multi-modal complex networks. Specically, a hybrid method combining collaborative filtering and Triadic Closeness methods is developed. The methods are applied to a sample of the GitHub network. Implementation details are discussed, with a focus on design of a scalable system for handilng large data sets. Finally, results of this new method are discussed with no significant improvement over current methods.

The Comet Mine: An Engendered Study Of Victorian Consumption Practices And Material Culture On A Small Mining Landscape, Ryan E. Wendel

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Comet mine is an early 20th-century, largely undocumented mining

community that existed along the periphery of the Coloma Mining District in the Garnet Range of western Montana. During the summer of 2010, archaeological excavations occurred at multiple features at the site. Through an analysis of cultural material found in deposits at the Comet, this study interprets the way in which patterns of refuse can reveal information about consumption behavior and evolving gender roles in mining communities in Montana, during late Victorian era.

Virtual Screening And Discovery Of Lead Compounds As Potential Dna Methyltransferase 1 Inhibitors And Anticancer Agents, Ogar Ofuka Ichire

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Epigenetic changes consist of DNA methylation, histone modification, micro RNA and genome imprinting. DNA methylation of the CpG islands is one of the main methods of epigenetic inactivation of genes and aberrant methylations at promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes can alter gene expression and play an important role in cancer development. DNA methyltransferase I (Dnmt1) is the enzyme responsible for maintaining methylation patterns during cell division and it is overexpressed in many cancers. Thus, Dnmt1 is a promising therapeutic target for development of novel anticancer agents and epigenetic modulators. We have developed two promising class of lead candidates, compounds …

A Study Of Hydroclimatic Dynamics In Mountain Landscapes, Nicholas Loren Silverman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The hydroclimatic regime of mountain landscapes in the Pacific Northwest, USA plays a large role in collecting, storing, and distributing water throughout the greater United States. The complexities of the landscape, vegetation, and anthropogenic impacts within this region form a dynamic web of interactions that create unique challenges when quantifying hydrologic variables. This dissertation focuses on these challenges and introduces a new way of deciphering the driving mechanism of streamflow trends. The first project examines the differences between modeling techniques in mountain terrain. In this project, we use a physically-based regional climate model to dynamically downscale global climate estimates for …

The Effects Of Parturition On Pelvic Age Indicators, Rosanne Bongiovanni

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Estimating age from skeletal remains provides a critical component of the biological profile of an individual. To date, there are different methods used on select parts of the skeleton to assess the age of the individual, and currently, the pelvis is relied upon heavily to obtain accurate and reliable age ranges (Berg 2008; Brooks and Suchey 1990; Buckberry and Chamberlain 2002). Many have stated that age related changes follow different trends in males and females, with parity presented as one of the possible causes for such differences (Berg 2008; Meindl and Lovejoy 1989; Resnick and Niwayama 1998; Suchey and Katz …

Geography’S Place In Big Sky Country: A Study Of Motivating And Demotivating Factors For Teaching Geography In The Montana Classroom, Kayde Ellen Kaiser

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of the motivating and demotivating factors for teaching geography. The research examined what aspects of policy, preparation, administration, etc. affect a teacher’s desire to teach geography concepts in the (K)-12 classroom. By understanding these factors, organizations and programs can begin to mitigate them with the intention of encouraging teacher to teach quality geography concepts, and ultimately produce students with increased geographical knowledge and literacy. The research created a set of primary source data that will be utilized for further research and strategic planning. The research will assist the Montana Geographic …

Modeling Of Aqueous Equilibrium: Three-Dimensional Trend Surfaces (Topos), Mohammad Mainul Hossain

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This dissertation establishes a comprehensive approach to looking at aqueous equilibria phenomena over essentially all feasible compositions of two component solutions - acid-base titrations, metal-ligand complexation, oxidation-reduction couples and solubility of binary ionic compounds. Fundamental to this method is the definition of a composition grid above which numerous system properties can be plotted as three-dimensional trend surfaces to visualize important aspects of system behavior. These have been named "topos" because their appearance is similar to topographic maps. In each case Microsoft ExcelTM worksheets have been designed with embedded Visual BasicTM macros that provide an easy means for anyone to generate …

Understanding The Nature Of Interactions Between Visitors And Mountain Goats (Oreamnos Americanus) On The Hidden Lake Trail, Glacier National Park, Sarah Ilene Markegard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examined interactions between visitors and mountain goats on the most heavily used trail in Glacier National Park. The primary objective was to give park managers a baseline of unbiased, reliable data with which to make informed decisions and improve the quality of interactions between visitors and mountain goats. Secondarily, this research was intended to achieve a thorough understanding of both human and wildlife responses during interactions on publically protected lands. The study was conducted over a two month period during the summer of 2013, and it was purely observational. Observations were recorded five days a week for approximately …

Cueing Complex Thought, Shannon Houck

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Does exposure to a complex description subsequently cue a person to be more complex? To test this question, participants read a paragraph about a specific topic. Paragraphs varied in their level of Integrative Complexity. Participants then wrote about either (1) their opinion about the topic that they read about, or (2) their opinion about a topic that is unrelated to the one that they read about. Participant responses were scored for Integrative Complexity. Contrary to expectations, reading complex paragraphs did not cue people to write more complexly, regardless of whether they were assigned to write about a topic related or …

The Ability Of A Novel Physiological Strain Scale To Predict Heat Strain Risk In Field Settings Using Non-Invasive Measures Of Heart Rate And Skin Temperature, Jeremy Curtis Basler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There are many occupational and professional careers that demand performance at the highest levels of function possible in hot environments. During heat exposure, the body undergoes a battery of physiological changes in response high heat stress. A problem arises when current physiological strain models are applied towards instantaneous monitoring of physiological strain in field settings. The Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism has developed a novel equation to assess physiological strain, coined the Physiological Strain Scale (PSS), using the metrics of skin temperature (chest) and heart rate. This purpose of this study was to validate the new equations …

An Investigation Of Viscosity Using Measured Velocities On Helheim Glacier, Glen David Granzow

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Using recent measurements of the velocity of ice on the surface of Helheim Glacier, located on the south-east coast of Greenland, the variation of viscosity, a material property of the ice, is investigated. The investigation focuses on determining the value of a parameter in Glen's flow law, a constitutive equation widely used in numerical models of ice sheets. Three different approaches are used: (1) Finite differences are used in a direct approach, (2) A finite element model is used in an approach involving an inverse problem, and (3) Nonlinear least squares fits of the velocity are used. The parameter focused …

Care And Companionism: Animal Ethics At The End Of Life, Casie Jean Dunleavy

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this philosophical project, I discuss the different kinds of companion animal and human relations, or in other words, and provide an argument that specifies our ethical obligations to the animals we live with—-our ‘pets.’ In the first chapter, I suggest that there are three types of relationships that humans can have with animals. These are a relation of instrumentalism, paternalism, and companionism, respectively. Such relations rest along a spectrum, but I will argue that companionism is the ideal. After making and defending such conceptual distinctions between human-animal relations, the next chapter will tackle the problem of animal minds. Specifically, …

Novel G-Quadruplex Binders With Potential For A Dual Dna Cross-Linking Mechanism Of Action, Nathan S. Duncan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Genomic DNA is organized around the double-stranded of B-form DNA, which is both durable and flexible enough to store and pass on genetic information. Once freed from the associations of an extended complimentary sequence, single stranded DNA and RNA can adopt a vast array of stable secondary structure motifs, such as stem-loop, pseudo-knots, and tetra-loops, ideal for its involvement in biological settings other than as a store of genetic information. Originally, alkylating agents were used as "mustard gas" and related chemical weapons in World War I. Alkylating agents, in general, can react with one or two different 7-N-guanine residues and …

Control By Vegetation Disturbance On Gully Rejuvenation Following Wildfire, Kevin Hyde

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Gully rejuvenation (GR) following wildfire influences landform evolution and generates flooding and debris that alters aquatic habitat and threatens human activities. Fire severity, defined as the degree of vegetation loss by wildfire, is a hypothesized control on this erosion response. I investigated three related aspects of the relationship between fire severity and GR: The capacity of vegetation disturbance to explain the occurrence or non-occurrence of GR; the spatial structure of burn mosaics relative to post-fire erosion; and the relationship between fire severity and threshold conditions required for channel initiation. I surveyed 269 burned catchments and mapped 111 cases of GR …

Dual Enrollment As A Factor For Women Transitioning Into Stem Majors In Montana Two-Year Colleges, Penny Jane Jakes

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive, quantitative study was to describe the impact high school dual enrollment coursework has had on initial enrollment of women with STEM majors in Montana two-year colleges. The study was designed to find whether or not differences existed for access (initial enrollment), persistence (to third semester), and success (associate's degree, certificate, or transfer to a four-year institution within 150% of program length). The literature review highlighted the need for studies to address the issue of few women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations. One goal of dual enrollment in Montana is to ease …

Computational Methods For Support Vector Machine Classification And Large-Scale Kalman Filtering, Marylesa Howard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The first half of this dissertation focuses on computational methods for solving the constrained quadratic program (QP) within the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. One of the SVM formulations requires the solution of bound and equality constrained QPs. We begin by describing an augmented Lagrangian approach which incorporates the equality constraint into the objective function, resulting in a bound constrained QP. Furthermore, all constraints may be incorporated into the objective function to yield an unconstrained quadratic program, allowing us to apply the conjugate gradient (CG) method. Lastly, we adapt the scaled gradient projection method of [10] to the SVM QP …

A Spatially-Explicit Decision Support System For Invasive Weed Species Management, Pablo Aracena

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Invasive weed species are a recognized problem worldwide causing economic and environmental problems. Management of weeds is complex and challenging because of multiple decisions that need to be made when allocating limited resources to control current infestation areas including which weeds to treat, where to treat, how to treat, and when to treat. Models have been developed to simulate weed spread, however they lack the ability to simulate the short term effects of weed treatments and analyze trade-offs among control allocation options. This trade-off analysis is critical in developing cost-efficient treatment decisions especially when available budget for treatments is limited. …

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 …

Applications Of Autonomous Ph And Pco2 Sensors To Study Inorganic Carbon Dynamics In A Coastal Upwelling System, Katherine Elizabeth Harris

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Submersible Autonomous Moored Instruments for pH and pCO2 (SAMI-pH and SAMI-CO2) were deployed in a coastal upwelling zone on the Oregon Coast to collect unique multi-season, multi-year datasets of carbonate system dynamics. This is the first long-term deployment of the SAMI-pH paired with a SAMI-CO2. The objectives of this study included (1) improving the accuracy of the SAMI-pH (2) assessing the performance of using paired SAMI-pH and SAMI-CO2 measurements to calculate other carbonate system parameters and (3) analyzing the data to better understand the seasonal, inter-annual, and upwelling variation in the coastal marine carbonate system. SAMI-pH accuracy was improved by …

Does Attainment Of Piaget's Formal Operational Level Of Cognitive Development Predict Student Understanding Of Scientific Models?, Richard Dennis Lahti

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Knowledge of scientific models and their uses is a concept that has become a key benchmark in many of the science standards of the past 30 years, including the proposed Next Generation Science Standards. Knowledge of models is linked to other important nature of science concepts such as theory change which are also rising in prominence in newer standards. Effective methods of instruction will need to be developed to enable students to achieve these standards. The literature reveals an inconsistent history of success with modeling education. These same studies point to a possible cognitive development component which might explain why …

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 …

Effect Of Cover On Small Mammal Abundance And Movement Through Wildlife Underpasses, Hayley R. Connolly-Newman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Crossing structures enable wildlife to safely cross highways by physically separating wildlife and vehicles. Most wildlife underpasses and overpasses are designed to accommodate a wide variety of species. Their suitability for individual species, however, varies by location (surrounding habitat), structure type (e.g. underpass or overpass), and dimensions (height, width, length). For some taxa, the habitat immediately adjacent to and inside an underpass or on top of an overpass is critical. For instance, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and many invertebrates may avoid open areas because they require cover (e.g., live vegetation, tree stumps, branches, or rocks) to reduce predation risk and …

The Role Of Dispositions In Teacher Candidate Education, William Alexander Kinderwater

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (formerly NCATE) have stated that teacher preparation programs must enact formal processes for monitoring and assessing the essential knowledge, skills, and forty-three critical dispositions of teacher candidates. While the monitoring and assessment of knowledge and skills appears to be well understood and confidently applied, dispositions do not. This study evaluated the claim that the monitoring and assessment of dispositions are confounded by: (1) ambiguous language and a lack of explicit definition of `dispositions', and (2) that moral knowing cannot predict moral action. …

A Comprehensive Literature Review Of American Sexual Assault Culture And The Status Of Women's Self-Defense, Jennifer Ann Just

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

According to the National Organization for Women (NOW), 232,960 American women were raped or sexually assaulted in 2006, equating to more than 600 women daily (2012). American women furthermore experience about 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes each year (NOW, 2012). Violence toward women is also evident on American college and university campuses. The U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ), for example, states that 35 of every 1,000 female students are victims of rape—either completed or attempted—in a given nine-month academic year (National Institute of Justice, 2005). With more than 600 women being raped daily, the pervasiveness of …

Nest Site Characteristics Of Lewis’S Woodpecker (Melanerpes Lewis) In Riparian Systems Of Western Montana, Megan Fylling

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) is known to breed in ponderosa pine, cottonwood riparian, aspen, and burned conifer forest types, but is declining in much of its range throughout the U.S. and is listed as a Level II Species of Concern in Montana. In western Montana, Lewis’s Woodpeckers commonly breed in riparian bottomlands, but information on characteristics of their preferred nesting habitat within these areas is lacking. I studied nesting habitat use by Lewis’s Woodpeckers in two important breeding areas in cottonwood-dominated riparian forest along the Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers in western Montana. I found 55 nests during the …

Assessing Changes In Connectivity And Abundance Through Time For Fisher In The Southern Sierra Nevada, Jody Marlene Tucker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Small populations are at increased risk of extinction due to their vulnerability to stochastic events. The population of fisher (Pekania pennanti, formerly Martes pennanti) in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California is small and completely genetically isolated. My dissertation research investigates the timing and cause of this population's isolation, the degree of genetic subdivision within the population, the landscape features shaping gene flow, and the detection of population declines. I detected a 90% decline in effective population size and dated the time of decline to over a thousand years ago. Analyzing historical and contemporary genetic samples, I also found …

Changes In Litter Inputs And Decomposition In Headwater Streams During A Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation Of Whitebark Pine, Hilary Genevieve Eisen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Headwater streams in forested landscapes are generally lacking in primary productivity and rely on allochthonous inputs to fuel secondary production. This close association with the forested landscape makes these streams sensitive to terrestrial disturbances. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) a climate change induced mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae, MPB) outbreak has been decimating whitebark pine (Picea albicaulis, WbP) forests over an extremely short time period. Among the possible implications of widespread WbP die-off, I predicted an increase in litter inputs to headwater streams and an increase in the quality (nitrogen content) of these litter inputs both of which would …

Characterizing Crown Struture Of Three Interior Northwest Conifer Species Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning, Jena Ferrarese

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Emerging interests in wildland fire behavior and risk, bioenergy utilization, carbon sequestration, and wildlife conservation increasingly rely on accurate assessments of the amount and location of biomass within the dominant plants on the landscape, often at finer scales than traditional methods have provided. At the tree scale, current studies often distribute biomass uniformly through simple volumes (e.g., cones and cylinders). However, biomass is heterogeneous at a variety of scales from needle clusters to groups of trees. This thesis presents techniques for using terrestrial laser scanning data to define crown profiles and describe within-crown heterogeneity in Pseudotusga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, and …

Evaluation Of A New Method For Large-Scale And Gene-Targeted Next Generation Dna Sequencing In Nonmodel Species, Ted Cosart

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The efficient method called exon capture provides for sequencing genes genome-wide, targeting candidate genes, and sampling specific exons within genes. Although developed for model species with available whole genome sequences, the method can capture exons in nonmodel species using the genomic resources of a related model species. How close the relatives must be for effective exon capture is not known. The work herein demonstrates cross-taxa capture in ungulates, using the domestic cow genome as a reference. It also describes a computer program designed for collecting exon sequences for exon capture, allowing users to set per-gene and overall base pair (bp) …