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Different Challenges And Different Blessings: Life Experiences Of Young Mothers Of Children With Down Syndrome, Janice Driscoll Nugent

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Life experiences of young mothers of preschool aged children with Down syndrome were explored in this qualitative narrative study. Intensive interviews of four purposefully chosen young women were conducted. The findings of this study illustrate the impact of a preschool aged child with Down syndrome on the life of a young woman.

A variety of themes were identified. The primary themes were the background of the woman, including her public school experience, learning of the diagnosis of Down syndrome, supports, the child's medical complications, learning to cope and the impact of that disability on their day-to-day lives.

Child care and …

Temporal And Spatial Variation Of Fine Sediment Infiltration In A Gravel-Bed River, Elena Gronli Evans

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pulses of fine sediment in gravel-bedded rivers can cause extensive fine sediment infiltration (FSI), potentially altering river morphodynamics and aquatic ecosystems. FSI occurs when sand and silt are deposited into void spaces between larger grains at the riverbed. Flume and theoretical modeling provide a background for a conceptual model of FSI in natural systems. In this model, FSI will occur to a limited depth as a function of the relative grain size of bed sediment to infiltrating sediment. At a larger scale, fine sediment supply, feed rate and local flow dynamics also dictate the extent of FSI. In 2008, the …

The Impact Of Nclb Reforms In The Elementary Schools Comparing Perceptions/Practices From 2002 To 2011, Judith L. Gosnell-Lamb

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

With the advent of No Child Left behind in 2002, public education in the United States entered into a reform movement with mounting consequences and ramifications. This unprecedented federal in-road into public education became the umbrella regulator over programs, staff, budgets and students. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine to what extent NCLB had impacted educational leadership and classroom practices as educators have strived to serve their students and the federal mandates at the same time.

A request for participants went out over the internet to over 1000 elementary principals. Asking if they had been in the …

Under The Bridge: A Qualitative Investigation Of Homeless Persons' Perspectives On Substance Abuse And Its Treatment, Amanda Beth Taylor

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Although homelessness is generally thought of as an urban problem, it is also a growing problem in rural areas, such as Missoula, Montana (Jacobson 2010). Studies of urban homelessness indicate that substance abuse is a part of life for many homeless individuals, and the barriers to substance abuse treatment are exacerbated by being homeless (Snow and Anderson 1993; Morrell 2007). “Prevalence studies estimate that the percentage of homeless people with alcohol use disorders to be at 30%-40% and drug abuse at 10%-15%” (Fisk, Raakfeldt, and McCormack 2006: 480). Substance abuse is also common among homeless individuals in rural areas, including …

Wolves And Livestock: A Review Of Tools To Deter Livestock Predation And A Case Study Of A Proactive Wolf Conflict Mitigation Program Developed In The Blackfoot Valley, Montana, Peter Douglas Brown

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The recent recovery of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM) was met with opposition from the ranching communities throughout Montana. This was not surprising, due to the fact that wolves are feared as a predator of livestock and therefore represent a direct economic loss for ranchers that experience depredations by wolves. Wolves are also revered as a native predator that have top down effects upon natural prey species. This in turn affects the web of plants and animals that make up natural ecosystems. This fact, as well as the strong emotional connection that some stakeholders have to wolves creates …

The Statistical Relationship Among Number Sense, Computational Fluency, And Montana Comprehensive Assessment System, Amy Jo Burland

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

According to recent studies, less than half of U.S. students perform at the proficient or advanced levels in mathematics by the time they reach grade 4 and the trend continues through high school. In order to improve instruction many districts have adopted scientifically based researched programs such as Response to Intervention (RTI), which allows for the examination of the effectiveness of the core curriculum that is being used in a school or classroom. In addition, RTI provides school administrators and teachers with educational tools to identify students who may be at-risk of failing and to inform teachers of supplemental instruction …

Organic Tracer Analyses And Receptor Modeling Of Pm2.5 In Fairbanks, Alaska, James Kevin Ormord

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Ambient particulate matter (PM) levels are of great importance to many areas around the world for both environmental and health concerns. It is well known that many sources of PM are anthropogenic in nature, including sources such as the combustion of petroleum products and wood. As per the Clean Air Act of 1970, the US EPA has established a National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 35µg/m3 for a 24 hour average and 15µg/m3 for an annual average of ambient PM2.5 to improve the quality of air and reduce occurrences of respiratory illness resulting from exposure to high levels of …

A Century Of Change In Forest Structure And Fire Regime Condition Class In A Western Montana Ponderosa Pine Douglas-Fir Forest, Robert Michael Rich

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ABSTRACT A Century of Change in Forest Structure and Fire Regime Condition Class in a Western Montana Ponderosa Pine/Douglas-fir Forest - Restoring historical forest conditions is often a driving force behind forest management activities today. However, determining historical, pre-settlement conditions can be challenging. Utilizing General Land Office (GLO) survey notes to reconstruct historical stand structure is one method to achieve this goal. Original GLO survey notes from 1902 were used to reconstruct historical stand condition in a 2,694 acre ponderosa pine/ Douglas–fir forest. Surveyed corners or their approximate locations were relocated. The procedure for establishing bearing trees by the original …

Chinese National Policy Regarding Foreign Experts: Perceptions Of Foreign Affairs Deans, Jun Wang

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This quantitative, non-experimental study described the perceptions of the Deans of the Foreign Affairs Office in public institutions of higher education in China regarding their agreement with, and implementation of, the current national policy concerning the employment of foreign experts. This study utilized a descriptive survey design. Data were collected using a self-designed web-based questionnaire. The sample for this study consisted of 116 participants providing a sample which closely represented the characteristics of the population.

Data were analyzed by comparisons between the categories of the individual demographic variables and the participants' perceptions regarding their agreement with, and implementation of, the …

Debt Structure In The West: Money And Gift, And The Influence On Community, James A. Becker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Debt structures all relationships in America as well as all of our economic material exchanges. Historically debt has always been seen thus with our religious texts being written both in the terminology of the metaphysical and the economical combining them together in an attempt to understand the social and economic systems that individuals live in. At the core of the social and economic systems is community. In America the myth of the gift is a dominant catalyst that uses debt to make community through time. In order to study the structure of debt within America I will be using an …

Genetic Population Structure And Conservation Of Bull Trout In The East Fork Bitterroot River Drainage, Montana, Leslie Grace Nyce

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Bull trout Salvelinus confluentus are a species of conservation interest and are currently listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Understanding and conserving the genetic and life history diversity of bull trout populations across their range is critical as conservation, management, and recovery plans are developed. Numerous studies in different regions have shown that local bull trout populations in close geographic proximity are typically very genetically different and evidence for dispersal among neighboring tributary populations is weak. In addition to genetic diversity, maintenance of life history diversity may increase resilience of bull trout populations. The larger migratory …

Informal Mathematics Activities And The Beliefs Of Elementary Teacher Candidates, Matt B. Roscoe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study sought to determine the relationship between participation in informal mathematics activities and the formal-to-informal beliefs of university teacher candidates in elementary education. Three classes of preservice teachers participated in the study through their enrollment in a content mathematics course for elementary education majors. Four informal mathematics activities were employed as part of the course requirements. Pre and post formal-to-informal beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction were measured using a Likert-scale beliefs assessment instrument used by Collier (1972) and Seaman et al. (2005). Changes in beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction were compared to a control group. Student reflection …

Multifactorial Screening For Fall Risk In Community-Dwelling Older Adults In The Primary Care Office: Development And Validation Of The Fall Risk Assessment & Screening Tool (Frast), Mindy Oxman Renfro

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Background: Unintentional falls are an increasing public health problem as incidence of falls rises and the population ages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 in 3 adults aged 65 years and older will experience a fall this year; 20% to 30% of those who fall will sustain a moderate to severe injury. Physical therapists (PTs) and other primary care practitioners (PCPs) caring for older adults are usually engaged with these patients after the first injury fall and may have little opportunity to abate fall risk before the injuries occur.

Purpose: This manuscript describes the content selection, …

The Heart Of The Matter: The Function And Relational Effects Of Humor For Cardiovascular Patients, Nicholas Lee Lockwood

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examined the possibility that cardiovascular patient health is enhanced by the intentional communication of humor and associated increases in relationship satisfaction. In an effort to study the relationship between these variables it was predicted that relationship satisfaction mediates the effects between humor functions and health. Questionnaire data was collected from members of two national support groups for patients of cardiovascular disease. Findings support humor functions distinguished in previous studies and support the hypothesis that relationship satisfaction mediates health. Specifically, distancing humor negatively predicted relationship satisfaction and health. These findings offer new insight into the variability of humor effects.

The Influence Of Environmental Variables On Predicting Rare-Plant Habitat In The Nez Perce National Forest, Thor Burbach

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Habitat suitability modeling is widely-used in both biogeography and ecology to characterize the biophysical requirements and distribution of plant and animal species. Many of these modeling efforts use different variants of essentially the same topo-climatic variables (elevation, slope, aspect, precipitation, and temperature). However, these commonly used variables may not sufficiently explain the distribution of rare-plant species, which may have additional habitat needs. The aim of this project was to determine guidelines for selection of variables to include in statistical modeling efforts to predict suitable rare-plant habitat. Additionally, how background extent, data resolution, sample size, and various ranking criteria effect environmental …

The Szego Kernel For Non-Pseudoconvex Domains In C2, Michael Gilliam

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There are many operators associated with a domain Ω ⊂ â„‚ⁿ with smooth boundary ∂Ω. There are two closely related projections that are of particular interest. The Bergman projection B is the orthogonal projection of L²(Ω) onto the closed subspace L²(Ω)∩O(Ω), where O(Ω)is the space of all holomorphic functions on Ω. The Szeg� projection S is the orthogonal projection of L²(∂Ω) onto the space H²(Ω) of boundary values of elements of O(Ω). These projection operators have integral representations

B[f](z) = ∫_Ω,f(w)B(z,w)dw, S[f](z) = ∫_{∂Ω, …}

D-Colorable Digraphs With Large Girth, Liam Rafferty

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 1959 Paul Erdos (Graph theory and probability, Canad. J. Math. 11 (1959), 34-38) famously proved, nonconstructively, that there exist graphs that have both arbitrarily large girth and arbitrarily large chromatic number. This result, along with its proof, has had a number of descendants (D. Bokal, G. Fijavz, M. Juvan, P.M. Kayll and B. Mohar, The circular chromatic number of a digraph, J. Graph Theory 46 (2004), 227-240; B. Bollobas and N. Sauer, Uniquely colourable graphs with large girth, Canad. J. Math. 28 (1976), 1340-1344; J. Nesetril and X. Zhu, On sparse graphs with given colorings and homomorphisms, J. Combin. …

Phenotype-Dependent Regulation Of The System XC- Cystine/Glutamate Exchanger By Glutathione Levels In Rat Astrocyte Primary Cultures, Todd Seib

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The system x_C- (Sx_C-) transporter functions under normal physiological conditions in astrocytes to mediate the exchange of extracellular cystine (L-Cys₂) for intracellular glutamate (L-Glu). The internalized L-Cys₂ serves as a rate-limiting precursor in the biosynthesis of glutathione (GSH), while the externalized L-Glu can access EAA receptors and contribute to either excitatory signaling or excitotoxcity. Although the regulation of Sx_C- has been studied in a variety of cells, particularly as related to xenobiotic exposure, much less is known about its regulation in astrocytes. In the present study the influence of phenotype (culturing …

Human Predation Risk And Elk Behavior In Heterogeneous Landscapes, Shawn M. Cleveland

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Elk (Cervus elaphus) are increasing in fragmented landscapes that result from exurban human development throughout western North America. This problem is increasing human-wildlife conflicts and represents a significant new challenge to wildlife managers. Elk hunting must be intensively managed, if allowed at all, to reduce public relations problems. For example, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks has focused three hunts on a rapidly growing (~11% annually) elk herd in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) of Missoula, Montana, USA. Their goals were to reduce population growth rate, crop depredation, and habituation to humans. However, little was known about the indirect …

Development Of Metal-Based Luminescent Probes For Applications In Biomolecular Structure And Dynamics, Ayesha Sharmin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

New transition-metal complexes containing luminescent properties have been designed and synthesized for application as structural probes for biomolecules. Potential DNA intercalators, 2- amino-anthracene substituted triosmium clusters, were synthesized by the reactions of 2-aminoanthracene with [Os3(CO)10(CH3CN)2]. The products [Os3(CO)10(μ-η2-(N-C(1))-NH2C14H8)(μ- H)], [Os3(CO)10(μ-η2-(N-C(3))-NHC14H9)(μ-H)], [Os3(CO)9(μ-η2-(N-C(3))-NHC14H8)(μ-H)2] and [Os3(CO)9(μ3-η2-(N-C(3))-NHC10H9)(μ-H)] obtained from this reaction have been structurally characterized by spectroscopic, photophysical and electrochemical techniques. Solid state structures are also reported for the complexes [Os3(CO)10(μ-η2-(N-C(3))-NHC14H9)(μ-H)] and [Os3(CO)9(μ-η2-(N-C(3))-NHC14H8)(μ-H)2]. To investigate bio-macromolecular dynamics on the sub-microsecond-to-microsecond timescale, a series of ruthenium based mono-nuclear metalligand charge-transfer complexes (MLCs) of formula [XRu(CO)(L–L)(L′)2][PF6] (X = H, TFA, Cl; L–L = 2,2′-bipyridyl, 1,10-phenanthroline, 5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline …

Climate Change, Gene Flow, And The Legendary Synchrony Of Snowshoe Hares, Ellen Cheng

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In recent decades, climate change has been invoked in the apparent collapse of some of the best-known examples of cyclic and synchronous population dynamics among boreal species. Simultaneously, some studies have predicted that as species' ranges shift poleward and southern habitats fragment in response to climate change, we will lose the southern glacial refugial populations that have historically harbored species' highest genetic diversity and uniqueness. I investigated how climate change and habitat fragmentation may impact genetic and population dynamic processes for the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), a species historically recognized as a key driver of North American boreal community dynamics. …

Values Congruence: Its Effect On Perceptions Of Montana Elementary School Principal Leadership Practices And Student Achievement, Daniel Roy Zorn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between principal and teacher values congruence and perceived principal leadership practices. Additionally, this study considered the relationship between values congruence, leadership practices, and student achievement. The perceptions teachers hold regarding their principal's effectiveness have proven to be an important variable that influences the quality of the school, when quality is defined in terms of student achievement levels (Cotton, 2003; Marzano et. al., 2005). This study sought a better understanding of the factors that influence a teacher's perceptions of their principal's effectiveness to provide insight into the teacher/principal relationship and …

Regularization Parameter Selection Methods For Ill Posed Poisson Imaging Problems, John Goldes

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A common problem in imaging science is to estimate some underlying true image given noisy measurements of image intensity. When image intensity is measured by the counting of incident photons emitted by the object of interest, the data-noise is accurately modeled by a Poisson distribution, which motivates the use of Poisson maximum likelihood estimation. When the underlying model equation is ill-posed, regularization must be employed. I will present a computational framework for solving such problems, including statistically motivated methods for choosing the regularization parameter. Numerical examples will be included.

Synthesis And Structure Activity Relationship Studies Of A Natural Product-Derived Compound Library, Paul Whitney Swain Iii

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Infectious diseases will always be a public health concern. The incidence of bacterial strains found in clinical settings that exhibit resistance to our current arsenal of antimicrobial drugs has risen sharply in the past twenty years and is projected to keep rising. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) stated that more people die of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections per year in US hospitals than HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis combined. However, stagnation of research in the area of infectious diseases over the past forty years has left us dreadfully behind in the battle against these deadly pathogens.

Recently, researchers have …

Evaluation Of Transient Cognitive Changes From Maximal Exertion And Respirator Wear, Sally Martinsen Bardsley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A comprehensive occupational respiratory protection program is mandated by federal law to protect workers exposed to breathing hazardous atmospheres. Those wearing respirators and/or performing high-intensity physical work may endure physiological and/or psychological impairment from cardiorespiratory stress, respirator anxiety, and working in hazardous conditions. The effects of multiple stressors may impede or override physiological and psychological adaptation mechanisms, causing cognitive deterioration or disruption when clarity and speed of thought and action are crucial. This study examined transient cognitive differences due to activity, respirator, and gender wear through examination of archival data collected during two studies that evaluated the physiological effects of …

Evaluating And Comparing Montana's Geotravelers, Dylan Michael Boyle

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Recently, the state of Montana has taken steps to manage and market its tourism industry under the principles of geotourism. Geotourism is an integrated form of sustainable tourism aimed at maintaining and enhancing the geographical character of a destination by focusing upon multiple aspects of the travel experience (Stokes, Cook, & Drew, 2003). After an initial study on geotourism in Montana (Boley & Nickerson, 2009) confirmed the presence of geotravelers in the Crown of the Continent region, research interest now lies in learning more about the geotouristic tendencies of visitors at the statewide level. The purpose of this study was …

Factors Influencing The Distribution Of Bull Trout And Westslope Cutthroat Trout West Of The Continental Divide In Glacier National Park, Vincent Stephen D'Angelo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The reported decline of native bull trout Salvelinus confluentus and westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi populations west of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park (GNP) prompted research to identify critical habitats and investigate factors influencing their distribution and relative abundance. I evaluated the association of six abiotic factors (stream width, elevation, gradient, large woody debris density, pool density, mean August stream temperature) and a biotic factor (the presence of nonnative lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush) with the occurrence and density of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout in 79 stream reaches in five sub-drainages of the North Fork Flathead …

Luminal Calcium Regulates Membrane Fusion In The Early Secretory Pathway, Marvin Bentley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Calcium is an important regulatory ion which acts as a trigger or is required at a basal level for many membrane fusion events. The role of calcium, and in particular luminal calcium, in regulating fusion in the early secretory pathway has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, I show that calcium has an inhibitory effect on homotypic coat protein complex (COPII) vesicle fusion. In particular, chelation of luminal calcium as well as fast chelation of extra luminal calcium, result in a significant increase of COPII vesicle fusion. Specific inhibition of Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPases using cyclopiazonic acid in the presence of …

Movements, Activity Range, Habitat Use, And Conservation Of The Jamaican (Yellow) Boa, Epicrates Subflavus, Erika Elise Miersma

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The endemic Jamaican boa, Epicrates subflavus, was once common throughout Jamaica. This vulnerable species is now fragmented into small populations throughout the island due to habitat loss, introduced species, human persecution and poaching. Conservation of the boa requires knowledge of the basic ecology of the boa and education of local people. Jamaican boas were studied in the community of Windsor in Jamaica’s Cockpit Country. Radio telemetry was used to examine the movements, activity ranges, and habitat use of twelve boas. In addition, an outreach program was undertaken to combat human persecution and poaching. Male Jamaican boas moved greater distances per …

Quantifying Trends In Our National Parks: A Landscape Level Analysis Of Climate Change And Ecosystem Productivity, Jessica R. Haas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The U.S. National Parks are an integral part of our National Heritage. They are now, more than ever, experiencing threats from outside forces that are difficult to evaluate, such as climate change. The magnitude and direction of change will vary spatially across the landscape, making it difficult for park managers to adopt just one approach to managing for climate change. Therefore, there must be a systematic way to analyze climate trends and the subsequent effects on ecosystems, which is unbiased and useful in varying climates and landscapes. Through robust quantification of the rates of change for key climate variables (temperature, …