List of recently updated ETDs from Montana State University http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/ Copyright 2009. Montana State University Libraries http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=923 The central purpose of poetic techniques in nature films remains under-analyzed and the realm of spiritual motivations in filmic techniques under-explored. In this paper I examine historical and recent attitudes toward nature and the spiritual, highlighting in particular the work of Existentialists, and use those contexts to critique several broad categories of nature films. I find that all types of nature films, to varying degrees, contain a poetic impulse and often a secular spiritual motivation. I conclude that nature films, when carefully crafted, can be highly imperfect, yet highly potent ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=923 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:46:47 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=721 Theory and practice for comprehensive art education (K-8) has continued to reflect and influence reform in general education since the 1960s. Yet in spite of development of exemplary programs, art in many classrooms is often limited to experimentation with materials, providing breaks in the day for students or teachers. Teacher educators need to consider what training will enable emerging elementary teachers to become competent developers of relevant and purposeful art curriculum (for learning built on knowledge and skills unique to the arts.) The purpose of this qualitative study was to guide ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=721 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:47:49 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=940 Music is often a neglected and undervalued element in documentary films. This thesis looks at music cognition, film cognition, and learning theory to argue for the importance of music in documentary films. Adhering to the theory that the documentary film genre is an educational tool first and foremost, the use of music strengthens a film's potential to engage with and educate an audience. The first portion of this thesis examines brain function as it pertains to music and learning, as well as research in narrative film cognition, looking particularly at how documentary films provide a unique m ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=940 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:35:34 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=937 Montana's Upper Clark Fork River Basin contains hundreds of square kilometers of land impacted by mine wastes and/or smelter emissions from decades of copper mining and related activities. Contaminated soils in the Basin are often acidic and highly enriched with the trace elements cadmium, copper, arsenic, lead, zinc, and others. Natural plant colonization is often impaired, as evidenced by barren areas that are so phytotoxic that normal germination and establishment cannot occur. One reclamation strategy being used is in-place treatment with soil amendments including lime and other products. ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=937 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:15:52 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=973 The need for more efficient wind turbine blades is growing in our society. One step in accomplishing this task would be to make wind turbines blades into smart structures. A smart structure is one that incorporates sensors, complete control systems, and active control devices, in order to shed, or redistribute the load placed on the structure. For wind turbine blades this means changing the shape of the blade profile as it encounters different wind conditions. In order to have active control surfaces functioning on wind turbine blades, the existing blades would have to be retrofitted, and the ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=973 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:03:14 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=975 The application of a method previously developed by Callis et al. to predict the quantum yields of Trp fluorescence has been successfully applied to the fluorescence of fluorescein and flavins in proteins. The calculated lifetime range of 2 ps - 4 ns is in agreement with experiment. The fluctuations in the electron transfer rate are shown to be dictated by the fluctuations in the density of states. This is evident by the comparison of the fractional deviation of the interaction, density of states and the rate. Here the fluctuations in the density of states is an order of magnitude larger than ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=975 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:55:47 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=935 Stable isotope ratios (18 O/16 O and D/H) potentially constrain origins of magma and volatile sources in igneous rocks. Modification of magmas by closed system processes (fractional crystallization and closed system devolatilization) or open-system processes (assimilation and fractional crystallization, magma mixing, degassing) affect 18 O/16 O and D/H ratios in known ways. Magma degassing during volcanic eruptions and subsequent rehydration or alteration of groundmass glass reduces accuracy of whole rock stable isotope measurements, the traditional method of measuring glassy volcanic rocks. H ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=935 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:28:52 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=946 The split-screen is a multi-frame technique used in film, television and video. Recent advances in digital technology make it easier to incorporate the fragmented frame into visual narrative strategies. I argue that properties inherent to the split-screen technique (including simultaneity, symmetry, visual irony, omniscient view and visual style) also emerge as attributes of a split-screen aesthetic. The split-screen aesthetic transforms a technical contrivance that has long provided an alternative to parallel editing, into a powerful narrative tool that facilitates the construction of visual ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=946 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:02:52 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=934 One dilemma in sedimentology is that multiple depositional processes can produce similar features while one formative process can generate multiple patterns. A comparison of (1) depositional energy trends from grain size and primary structures, (2) placement within a stratigraphic hierarchy, (3) ichnofacies type, diversity and distribution, and (4) sedimentary body type and associated architectural changes are used to assess the causal mechanism. Variations of these attributes reflect flow initiation processes (flood vs. failure), depositional processes (flow stripping, overspilling or bottom ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=934 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:34:22 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=753 Extensive research has been conducted on teaching strategies that are effective for American Indians in mathematics. Despite the variety of cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, and geographic factors influencing student learning within and among American Indian communities, common characteristics of learning styles and effective teaching practices have been identified. Though the wording in each definition varies, research based on a variety of theoretical frameworks and using a variety of methodologies and instruments suggests that among American Indian students, there is a tendency to learn ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=753 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:17:21 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=952 The lac operon, a jointly controlled series of genes in the bacteria E. coli, has been studied extensively since the 1940's. The lac operon genes are transcribed and then translated into proteins necessary for transport and digestion of lactose. The operon is activated in the presence of lactose after glucose, the preferred carbon source, has been expended. In this thesis, we introduce a biophysical model using the Shea-Ackers framework for modeling promoter dynamics. The model spans two scales: the inputs are biophysical parameters of molecular interactions and the result is a level of gene e ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=952 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:16:26 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=517 Certain mammalian visual neurons exhibit On and Off responses when given a light stimulus. In addition to these responses, [51] showed that for retinal ganglion cells, the neuron will also exhibit a Mixed response when given two simultaneous stimuli in different regions of the cell's receptive field. This Mixed response is a nonlinear combination of the On and Off responses. In this dissertation, a single cell model which can reproduce On, Off, and Mixed responses is developed and examined using leading order analyses and averaging. This model is developed from a current balance equation which ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=517 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:15:44 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=942 The aim of this thesis is to consider the mathematical treatment of mechanical systems in the presence of constraints which are energetically dissipative. Constraints may be energetically dissipative due to impacts and friction. In the frictionless setting, we generalize Hamilton's principle of stationary action, central to the Lagrangian formulation of classical mechanics, to reflect optimality conditions in constrained spaces. We show that this generalization leads to the standard measure-theoretic equations for shocks in the presence of unilateral constraints. Previously, these equations we ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=942 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:14:38 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=974 A model system that has been the subject of many anatomical, developmental, functional, and theoretical studies over the last 30 years is the cercal sensory system of the cricket. This system is composed of two antenna-like appendages covered with hundreds of filiform mechanosensory hairs, and encodes information about the direction and dynamics of low-velocity air currents. The encoding is determined by the biomechanical properties of the mechanosensory hairs. These properties are poorly understood, primarily because accurate experimental measurements of the air-current-driven movements of th ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=974 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:13:53 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=840 Alternating-Direction Implicit (ADI) schemes are a class of very efficient algorithms for the numerical solution of differential equations. Sinc-Galerkin schemes employ a sinc basis to produce exponentially accurate approximate solutions to differential equations even in the presence of singularities. In this dissertation we begin with a broad overview of sinc methods for problems posed on both finite and infinite, one- and two-dimensional domains. We then present a variety of finite difference methods that lead to the introduction of a new Alternating-Direction Sinc-Galerkin scheme based on t ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=840 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:13:16 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=969 Green building is a rapidly growing industry. The residential sector is responsible for 21.8 percent of the United States' energy consumption so an increased penetration of the green building industry could affect national energy consumption. Previous willingness to pay studies suggest that buyers are willing to pay a premium for green homes. The presence of a green certification is used as an indicator for sustainable attributes in homes built and sold in Colorado between 1999 and 2009. A hedonic price regression model predicts the sale price of the home as a function of home attributes and g ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=969 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:48:26 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=972 Yellowstone National Park (YNP) contains the world's largest concentration of geothermal features, and is legally mandated to protect and monitor these natural features. Remote sensing is a component of the current geothermal monitoring plan. Landsat satellite data have a substantial historical archive and will be collected into the future, making it the only available thermal imagery for historical analysis and long-term monitoring of geothermal areas in the entirety of YNP. Landsat imagery from Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensors was explored as a tool for m ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=972 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:34:15 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=970 The objective of this experiment was to determine if bull exposure influences follicular wave dynamics in primiparous, postpartum, anestrous, suckled, beef cows exposed to bulls. In Experiment 1, cows were exposed (continuously 24 h/d), (EB; n = 5) to bulls or not exposed to bulls (NE; n = 5) throughout the experimental period. In Experiment 2, cows were exposed to bulls for either 12 h, (EB12; n = 15), 6 h, (EB6; n =14) or not exposed to bulls (NE; n = 10) from the start to the end of the experimental period. In Experiments 1 and 2, cows were 67 d ± 3.8 (mean ± SE) ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=970 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:17:29 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=966 Exposing cows to bulls or excretory products of bulls stimulates resumption of ovarian cycling activity in postpartum, suckled, anestrous cows. This biostimulatory effect may be mediated by pheromones produced by bulls that stimulate physiological changes in metabolic regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis of cows. In Experiment 1, the hypotheses tested were that concentrations of glucose, NEFA, thyroxine (T4), tri-iodothyronine (T3), and T3:T4 ratios do not differ between cows exposed to bulls or steers. The biostimulatory effect of bulls was associated with lower mean co ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=966 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:11:11 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=971 Polyvalent interactions in biological systems have been of great interest recently; how nature creates high affinity polyvalent binding with low monomeric affinity, is yet to be clearly understood. We have created a bivalent lectincarbohydrate binding system using dendrimers as the carbohydrate mounted scaffold and Concanavalin A (Con A) as the mannose/glucose binding lectin to investigate this mode of interaction. The relative affinities of the utilized carbohydrates toward Con A are: mannose binds 4 times stronger than glucose, and galactose shows no affinity. With these relative affinities ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=971 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:35:32 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=967 As an emerging form of renewable energy, horizontal wind turbines have experienced advancements in improving efficiency and reliability. These advances have pushed the limits of current technology used in wind turbines. Smart blades have been proposed as a method of addressing these limitations. Sensor integration within blade construction is the first step in development of smart blades. Thus, several low cost sensors were chosen, 1 axis strain gages, polyvinylidene fluoride films (PVDF), and single mode fiber optics either coated in acrylate or polyimide. To ensure successful bonding between ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=967 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:59:28 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=965 The sodachelins are a group of six amphiphilic siderophores produced by a halophilic bacterium. Amphiphilic siderophores, such as the sodachelins, are important in the solubilization and sequestration of iron related to microbial metabolism and are also unique in their ability to form micelle and vesicular structures. This professional paper describes siderophore importance in iron bioavailability, siderophore chemistry and biological function and a thermodynamic analysis of forces that drive micellization and vesicle formation. A description of experiments conducted to isolate, separate and p ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=965 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:51:21 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=963 With this project, I seek to advocate the relevance of literary scholarship to the problem of the use of sanctioned violence to solve conflicts. I propose that, unlike the empirical sensibility, what I will call the literary sensibility is, at heart, a non-violent means for creating and recreating understanding. When the literary sensibility is used to negotiate the unknown into the known, each subjective participant in the encounter is able to grant and maintain his or her own integrity as well as the integrity of all other subjective participants as subjects. I define my understanding of the ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=963 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:30:49 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=962 Somitogenesis is an important pattern formation process in the developmental biology of vertebrates. The phenomenon has received wide attention from experimental, theoretical, and computational biologists. Numerous mathematical models of the process have been proposed, with the clock and wavefront mechanism rising to prominence over the last ten years. This work presents two multicellular mathematical models of somitogenesis. The first is a phenomenological phase oscillator model that reproduces both the clock and wavefront aspects of somitogenesis, but lacks a biological basis. The second is ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=962 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:15:20 MST http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=943 Many lotic fish species use natural patterns of variation in discharge and water temperature as spawning cues and these natural patterns are often altered by river regulation. The effects of spring discharge and water temperature variation on the spawning of shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus and other fishes in the upper Missouri River have not been well documented. In 2006, 2007, and 2008, I had the unique opportunity to study the effects of experimental discharge levels on ichthyoplankton density in the lower Marias River, a regulated tributary to the upper Missouri River. The ... http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/view/item.php?id=943 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:14:11 MST