Digital Commons Network^™

Dead Deer Do Tell Tales: Use Of Gps Data To Infer Cause Of Mortality In Mule Deer, Kylie Brunette

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Declining mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations across much of western North America in the past 25 years have inspired many studies examining population dynamics and possible causes of this decline. Here I analyze data retrieved from GPS collars on does of the Piceance basin mule deer herd in northwestern Colorado to test if GPS collar point distributions can be used to infer specific causes of mortality. I hypothesize that spatial movements of a carcass post-mortality differ between different mortality causes. I predict that coyote-caused mortalities will show significantly more movement post-mortem than mountain lion or malnutrition-caused mortalities. I …

Measurement Of Epigenetic Alterations From Patient’S Tissues In Myoma, Adenomyoma And Endometriosis, Min Sun Koo, Elizabeth Cole, Caroline Maughan, Yoon Hee Cho, Young Ah Kim

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Background: Myoma, adenomyoma, and endometriosis are estrogen-dependent gynecologic diseases and result in reproductive dysfunction and pelvic pain in women. However, these gynecologic diseases have a complex and poorly understood etiology, involving both genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetic alterations, heritable changes that can modify gene expression without affecting genetic sequence, are associated with the development and progression of numerous pathological states and diseases. Therefore, there is great potential for the use of epigenetics as biomarkers to better understand the early-stage biological responses and molecular mechanisms of gynecologic diesases. We aimed to examine levels of global DNA and gene-specific methylation, which are …

Laboratory Characterization Of Toxic Air Emission From Fire Retardant Used In Wildfires, Emi Okitsu

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Air pollutants from forest fires, including particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are harmful to humans and vegetation. Fire retardant mixtures are widely used to extinguish forest fires by aerial application, which may in turn affect the chemical component of fire smoke. Forest fire retardant includes a viscous solution of diammonium phosphate and color agents; once heated, it is expected to emit various toxic gases including ammonia and VOCs, precursors of particulate matter and ground-level ozone. This study examines the chemical components in toxic air emitted by fire retardant in controlled conditions to estimate their impact on air quality. …

Exploring Evidence-Based Practice In Curriculum-Based Language Interventions​, Sully R. Magee, Caitlin Gillespie, Lindsey Lannes

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Title: Exploring Evidence-Based Practice in Curriculum-Based Language Interventions

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide intervention services to 30% of individuals with language and literacy deficits in the school setting (Hoffman, Ireland, Hall-Mills, & Flynn, 2013). According to the evidence-based practice (EBP) triad, school-based SLPs use clinical expertise, client/patient/caregiver perspectives, and external scientific evidence to achieve successful treatment outcomes (“Evidence-Based Practice”, n.d.). Curriculum-based language interventions (CBLIs) make use of the student’s curriculum to provide context for language and literacy interventions. However, not many school-based SLPs use CBLIs due to several barriers (e.g., lack of availability to EBP, few trainings on implementation). The purpose …

Altering Cough Reflex Sensitivity With Aerosolized Capsaicin Paired With Behavioral Cough Therapy, Claire Malany, Sarah Campbell

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The feasibility of treating patients with cough hypersensitivity with a progressive desensitization model was suggested to be effective through our preliminary study conducted last year. We exposed five heathy participants to progressive doses of aerosolized capsaicin, a known cough stimulant, while implementing cough suppression strategies. All five participants achieved a reduction in cough sensitivity following treatment. We will now use the same research model with patients with chronic refractory cough (CRC). The study will commence in three phrases. The baseline phase will consist of the following measures: (1) cough sensitivity testing using increasing concentrations of pharmaceutical-grade aerosolized capsaicin, delivered via …

Using Emotional Framing To Manipulate Anchoring Effect: How Affect Influences Judgment And Perception, Elizabeth M. Waterman

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The anchoring effect is a well-established phenomenon in psychology. It is a cognitive bias that causes an individual to rely too heavily on one piece of information, the anchor, when making decisions and forming judgments. Regardless of how arbitrary that piece of information is, an individual forms a bias that effects all following related information. The current study will investigate whether the anchoring effect can be reduced or even eliminated by using a novel manipulation, such as a frame of emotion. Participants will be recruited through Psychology subject pool. They will be asked to answer a series of simple math …

Mapping Fluvial Geomorphic Change: The Clark Fork River At The Former Milltown Dam Site, Matt Blassic

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Remote sensing offers important tools which can be utilized to study fluvial geomorphic change among other applications. In this study, the goal was to map changes in the main and secondary channels of the Clark Fork River at the former Milltown Dam. Due to decades of human modification, large amounts of sediment are being transported, eroded, and deposited in this “restored” reach of the Clark Fork. Using Landsat imagery available in the USGS Earth Explorer archive, the research goal was to analyze changes between when the dam was first removed (2011) and present (2017). Imagery were from the same time …

Analyzing The Impact Of Protective Factors On The Resilience Of Middle School Students, Ruth E. Minix

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

When discussing risk and protective factors affecting children, the topic of resilience is brought up extensively. One of the programs targeting various factors relating to resilience is the Kaleidoscope Connect Program. Among the seven factors targeted by Kaleidoscope Connect are protective factors, which relate to beliefs, values, and behaviors, such as empathy and self-regulation (identified as yellow phactors), number of supportive adults (identified as red phactors), as well as risk factors such as negative peers or a lack of supervision (identified as blue phactors). The goal of this research project is to assess the efficacy of the Kaleidoscope Connect program …

Contact And Relationship To Attitudes Towards Populations With Disability In Doctor Of Physical Therapy Students, Carly M. Knudson

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The present study examined contact in relation to attitudes towards disabled populations over the duration of physical therapy school. A total of 55 participants included 27 first year (Y1), 14 second year (Y2) and 14 third year (Y3) Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students that were largely female (80.0%), white (98.2%), and had a mean age of 26.1 (SD = 4.1) years. Two main instruments were utilized, the Contact with Disabled Persons Scale (CDP) and the Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale (IDP), to examine the relationship between reported contact and attitudes towards persons of disability in the three groups. …

A Comparative Study Of Phonological Processes Between Canadian-French-Speaking And American-English-Speaking Children With Speech Sound Disorders, Margot Diffendaffer, Carley Stone

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) produce incorrect speech sounds in observable patterns known as phonological processes. Previous research by MacLeod and Glaspey (2018) showed that children’s phonological processes differed based on the child’s native language. In their research, MacLeod and Glaspey compared the phonological process inventories of French- and English-speaking children.They found that English-speaking children produce a significantly larger inventory of phonological processes than French-speaking children. The purpose of the current study is to find more specific developmental data for both of the languages by comparing the frequency of phonological processes produced by French-speaking children with speech sound disorders …

Does Major Predict Mcat Success?, Megan M. Branson

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

One of the first questions prospective students ask the premedical sciences department is what major they should choose. Medical schools have no preference for major but students want to prepare as best they can for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) because it is one of the most important aspects of their application. Using data on MCAT scores and majors from the previous 6 years, I examined the possibility of correlation between major and MCAT score. The MCAT is broken into 4 parts: Biological and Biochemical Foundations, Physical and Chemical Foundations, Comprehensive Analysis and Reasoning Skills and Psychological, Social and …

Prevalence Of Extreme Discrimination Against Lgbtq+ High School Students In Rural Communities, Cara L. Grewell

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The purpose of this project was be to identify whether there are higher levels of extreme discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth in rural high schools based on sexual orientation and/or gender expression in comparison to urban high schools. Generally, as seen within the United States, smaller, rural communities tend to be comprised of primarily conservative families, so I sought to investigate if there is a correlation between rural communities and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.

To complete this research project, I analyzed existing data and literature regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender expression, identifying data and personal stories specific to …

How Epidemiological Transitions Affect Mortuary Ritual: A Study Of Infant Burials In The Missoula City Cemetery, Hannah W. Pepprock

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Mortuary populations are often replete with two types of individuals: the very old and the very young. Our interpretation of the archaeological record has the tendency to disregard these two populations, perhaps because we assume their positions in society are of little value in death, or simply because we do not understand the mortuary ritual afforded to them. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mortuary ritual afforded to a select cohort of individuals interred at the Missoula City Cemetery and to interpret their burials in comparison to epidemiological shifts in Missoula, Montana during a select time frame. …

The Early Bird Gets The Worm: Comparisons Of Recent Post-Fire Avifaunal Communities In Montana Subalpine Forests, Allison H. Hendryx

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

As the frequency of wildfire increases throughout the Rocky Mountain West, it has become increasingly important to understand how wildfire may impact natural resources and wildlife habitat. Characterizing avifaunal communities is one method to determine how a habitat changes after disturbance. Research shows that different avifaunal communities assemble according to combination of time-since-fire and fire severity due to differences in habitat structure and resource availability. However, data are lacking regarding how avian communities may change during the year of the fire. Yet, one can expect avian communities would change due to transitory differences in habitat and resources the year of …

Using Data And Research In Social Work As Catalysts For Effective Community Change, Haley Lee Eakin

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Montana communities are faced with complex social issues. It is imperative that data and technology be leveraged to understand where these issues stem from, how they connect, and possible solutions. Due to its low population density, Montana is a data desert. There is scarce data collected at the local level and only a small portion of the data collected is made publicly available. This often leaves social workers and other service providers without digestible and easily accessible data to use in their decision-making processes, grant proposals, and practices. In response to this, myself and a small team of social workers …

Psychonaut Neurodiversity, Glen Woodworth

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Psychonaut neurodiversity is the idea that there are people who live their best life through the use of psychedelic substances. This project explores this idea by drawing on my personal experience with western medicine and psychedelics, as well as interviews with drug policy and education reform advocates in Australia. The absurdity of current drug policy and education with respect to LSD is brought into the light. In doing so, it brings into question the rationale behind all drug policy and education.

The Consolidation Of Corn: A Case Study To Inspire Design For The Wicked Problems Of Our Time, Sophie Mae Moon

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This research project addresses the issue of consolidation in the American food system through a case study of corn production. This research describes the status quo of corn production in the United States, focusing particularly on the role of the federal government and producers in identifying the causes and influences leading to the consolidation of corn production. This project also describes the effects of the consolidation of corn production on producers, consumers, citizens, and the environment. Beyond identifying the influences contributing to the consolidation of corn, and the impacts of consolidation on people and the environment, this research project investigates …

Climate Change And Groundwater Access Provisions In Native American Water Rights Settlements, Marea Rene Kuehl

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

In the United States, access to use water comes in the form of legally allocated rights to specific quantities from specific sources. On Native American reservations, this legal process has often been absent. Through tribal water rights negotiations and settlements, the United States government has attempted to determine the access rights and quantities available to tribes on and around their reservation lands. Over the past 50 years, many Native American tribes formally settled outstanding water rights claims through a combination of state court adjudications and congressional legislation. This paper explores provisions built into settlements that address the rapidly changing water …

Infection With Bacteriophage Impacts The Evolution Of Antibiotic Resistance In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Jacob E. Cohen

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogenic bacterium commonly found in hospital acquired infections. P. aeruginosa infections often evolve antibiotic resistance. It is known that clinical isolates from P. aeruginosa infections contain high concentrations of filamentous Pf bacteriophage. We hypothesize that P. aeruginosa infections that are infected with Pf phage will have greater resistance to antibiotics. This is because Pf phage are known to be negatively charged, while commonly used aminoglycoside antibiotics such as tobramycin are positively charged. Thus, the negatively charged phage attracts the positively charged antibiotics and draws the antibiotic away from the bacteria, allowing them to survive. To test …

Effect Of Expression Level And Amino Acid Sequence On Hcmv Glycoprotein Complexes, Charlotte Langner

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is asymptomatic in healthy individuals, but can cause severe disease in immunocompromised people. On the virus envelope, glycoproteins gH/gL form a trimer with gO or a pentamer with UL128-131. These glycoprotein complexes interact with receptors on the host cells to initiate viral fusion and thus are promising sites for vaccine development. The levels of trimer and pentamer significantly influence the infectivity of the virions. Clinical strains of HCMV differ in the relative amounts of trimer and pentamer in the virus particles, however, the mechanism controlling the level of trimer and pentamer is still not clear. My …

Masques And Luggage: Sociocultural Anxieties As Manifested Through "Empty Spaces" In The Tempest And The Sheltering Sky, Dusty S. Keim

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

When the world is in chaos, where do we go to rediscover ourselves and make sense of it all? In this paper, I posit that the locales of the desert and the ocean are conceptualized as “blank” or “empty” in the Western imagination, and serve as sites to stage and asses the existential angst caused by sociocultural upheaval. Both The Tempest (1610) by William Shakespeare and The Sheltering Sky (1949) by Paul Bowles use the ocean and the desert, respectively, as spaces in which to stage and asses the angst borne of the massive sociocultural and national upheavals the authors …

The Role Of Participatory Gis In Community-Centered Ecotourism Management In The Bossou Forest Reserve, Guinea, Sydney Qualls

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The Bossou Forest Reserve in south-eastern Guinea provides critical habitat for a semi-isolated and endangered population of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus). This population, which is recognized as a critically endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has declined to only seven total chimpanzees. Major factors leading to the demise of this species include human exploitation, deforestation, infrastructure development, and natural disasters. Interviews and community surveys conducted in surrounding communities demonstrate that local residents are exploring conservation strategies. One of the main foci is assessing the role of ecotourism in generating awareness about the chimpanzees …

Political Memoranda, Winfield Scott Featherston (1819-1891)

Scrapbooks

Small scrapbook entitled "Political Memoranda". Contains handwritten notes of W.S. Featherston.

Poetry Packet, James Hearst

James Hearst Documents

Poems of James Hearst either clipped from publications or original typescript.

An Assessment Of Educational Resources Through Eric, Core, Pdfdrive And Project Gutenberg, Rajesh Das, Uttam Kumar Hazra Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

There are so many databases in the world for retrieval of information from e-resources. This research paper analyses ERIC, CORE, PDF Drive and Project Gutenberg for retrieval of e-resources. Here everything was analyzed on the basis of some observation and collected data were tabulated for analysis. This paper includes brief description about ERIC, CORE, PDF Drive and Project Gutenberg and screenshots of normal search, advanced search and use of fuzzy logic. This research reflects that none of the databases under study achieved full score found that ERIC ranked the first position.

Information Literacy Among The Women Teaching Faculty Members Working In Research And Academic Institutions Affiliated By Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Dr M. Yasmin

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information literacy is an art of learning skills in identifying defining and the information and its needs, approaches to locate the information and the behavior in accessing and evaluating the information in order to make use of the information for the perceived need. Hence, the study aims at covering the various types of information required by the women teaching faculty members particularly, in academic and research environment, the awareness on information access techniques and tools, behavior of scientists in access and use of information-resources, the techniques need to be imparted, the impact of information literacy on improving the productivity of …

Evaluation Of 8th Semester Engineering Student’S Perception, Awareness And Behavior Towards Plagiarism In Bgs Institute Of Technology At Adi Chunachangiri University, Dr. K N Shivakumaraswamy, Shivakumar M

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The aim of this study was to assess evaluation of 8^th semester engineering student’s perception, awareness and behavior towards plagiarism in BGS Institute of Technology at Adi Chunachangiri University. The used survey design in which questionnaire was used to collect data. Altogether 250 questionnaires were distributed proportionally to respondents and 218 were collected with a response rate of 87.2%. Necessary statistical techniques and methods will be used to analyze the research data. After completion of the analysis the findings will be drawn and they will be presented in the form of report. The findings revealed the engineering college students …

Examining The Factors Influencing Technology Integration In The Teaching-Learning Process: A Case Study, Ali Biranvand, Mohammad Hassan Seif

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present research aims to investigate the impact of the factors of technology-integrated attitude (TIA), computer self-efficacy (CSE), technological knowledge (TK), task-technology fit (TTF), teaching experience (TE) and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) on technology-integrated intention (TII) and provide a causal model tailored to the impact of these factors on TII in the teaching-learning process (TLP). The research is applied, and in terms of data acquisition method and data analysis, it is a descriptive, correlational research. The research was conducted among 370 high school teachers in Shiraz in 2017-2018. The questionnaire was used for the data acquisition. The path analysis method …

Information Seeking Behaviour And Risk Practices Among People Living With Hiv/Aids In South-West, Nigeria, Tajudeen Temitayo Adebayo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) need to seek information on set of all-encompassing phenomenon which include information on medical and social packages, medication adherence, indicators of improvement, death and well-being among others. But more importantly, they need to seek information about risk practises to reduce the spread of this virus because they are the main reservoir of the HIV virus and main source of transmission. This work explored the common available sources of information seeking processes to PLWHA and some risk reduction topics.

The study adopted a survey research design which was conducted among PLWHA attending outpatient departments from four …

Provision Of Library And Information Service To The Visually Impaired In Ogun State, Nigeria, Glory Onoyeyan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper reviewed literature to determine the information and library needs of the visually impaired and the kind of materials they utilize to satisfy their information needs. The paper also reviewed literature to determine the provision of special services by libraries for the visually impaired and the adequacy of library and information services provided. The review found that reading interests of persons with visual disabilities in Nigeria are varied just like those of sighted individuals. They receive information in alternative formats such as Braille, talking book/audio recording and large print. However, library materials are usually not available in quantities desirable …