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The Administrative Reporting Structure of Athletics Directors in NCAA Divisions I, II and III Intercollegiate Athletics: Author: Sanders, Calli Theisen; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Education; Abstract: Differences in administrative reporting structures for NCAA Division I, II and III athletics directors were reported and analyzed. Reasons for different reporting structures and athletics director satisfaction with reporting structures were studied, and athletics directors' perceptions of their structures, particularly when organizational change had recently occurred, were analyzed. Athletics directors at all 977 NCAA Division I, II and III institutions asked to complete a questionnaire indicating to whom they report in the administrative structure of their institution, what organizational str...; Download File | View full details

A Comparison of Learning: Integration of a Virtual and Traditional Field Trip into an Introductory Environmental Geology Course: Author: Cantwell, Laurie Beth; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Field trips are a common component of geoscience courses. However, time and budget constraints, increased safety considerations and large class size have become common obstacles to teaching in the field. Technology has provided an attractive alternative through the virtual field trip. While there is a wealth of virtual field trips available on the internet, it is unclear how students learn on a virtual field trip and how those trips are best incorporated in Earth Science curriculum. The goals of this study are to establish the learning goals addressed by virtual field trips, determine if virtu...; Download File | View full details

Competition between the Threatened Bliss Rapids Snail, Taylorconcha serpenticola (Hershler et al.) and the Invasive, Aquatic Snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray): Author: Richards, David Charles; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: Due primarily to habitat loss and invasive species, extinction rates for North American mollusk taxa are among the highest for any taxonomic group in the world. Competition between invasive and native species often leads to decreases in native populations. For example, a primary reason for listing the Bliss Rapids snail, Taylorconcha serpenticola as threatened in the Snake River drainage was the perceived impacts of the highly invasive New Zealand mudsnail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Despite federal protection of T. serpenticola and the known presence of P. antipodarum in the Snake River draina...; Download File | View full details

Conifer Cover Increase in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Rates, Extent, and Consequences for Carbon: Author: Powell, Scott Lael; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: Increases in the extent and density of woody vegetation have been observed in many locations worldwide. Conifer cover increase in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) has been documented by historical photos, but the rate and extent remain unquantified. Elevated atmospheric CO₂ levels have focused research attention on carbon budgeting. Carbon sinks associated with conifer cover increase are believed to account for a fraction of the "missing carbon sink," although estimates of the fraction are highly uncertain. I examined changes in conifer cover and aboveground carbon a...; Download File | View full details

Control of Acid Rock Drainage from Mine Tailings through the Addition of Dissolved Organic Carbon: Author: Sturman, Paul John; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Engineering; Abstract: Acid mine drainage detrimentally affects thousands of surface watercourses throughout the world and costs tens of millions of dollars annually in site remediation expenditures. This process is accelerated by the activity of iron- and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria which grow chemolithotrophically in mine tailings. Low cost, environmentally acceptable, and low maintenance treatment technologies are needed to both treat acid mine drainage and prevent its occurrence. The addition of dissolved organic carbon to mine tailings has the potential to stimulate beneficial heterotrophic populations of bacteri...; Download File | View full details

Creating a Model Curriculum for a Certification Program to Train People to Work in the Field of Exhibiting Living Arthropods: Author: Whitman, Celia Stuart; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Agricultural Education; Abstract: The purpose of this project was to create a model curriculum for a certification program for the live arthropod exhibit industry. An overview of live arthropod exhibits and the current educational and training programs for the field were examined as well as reasons why a program of this type would be of value to the industry. The data for this project was collected using a web based survey instrument. The population consisted of 52 professionals from the live arthropod exhibitry field. These entomologists, USDA representatives, insect suppliers and educators were all members of a professional ...; Download File | View full details

The Effects of Prescribed Burning on Deer and Elk Habitat Parameters in Montana's Missouri River Breaks: Author: Wood, Christopher Karl; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Animal and Range Sciences; Abstract: Fire suppression has been practiced along the Missouri River Breaks for decades and has led to a series of resource issues. Among these issues was a build up of dangerous fuel loads and restricted foraging areas for livestock and big game. Because the Missouri Breaks are an important wintering area for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus Rafinesque) and elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni Bailey), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wanted to know how a series of prescribed burns in late May and early June of 2002 would affect habitat. The prescribed burns left a mosaic of unburned, scorched, and ...; Download File | View full details

Genepart Algorithm, Clustering and Feature Selection for DNA Micro-Array Data: Author: Zhang, Weihua; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Computer Science; Abstract: This paper provides the theoretical analysis of a new clustering and feature selection algorithm for the DNA micro-array data. This algorithm utilizes a branch and bound algorithm as the basic tool to quickly generate the optimal tissue sample partitions and select the gene subset which contributes the most to certain sample partition, it also combines the statistical probability method to identify important genes that have meaningful biological relationships to the classification or clustering problem. The proposed method combines feature selection and clustering processes and can be applied ...; Download File | View full details

Graph-Theoretic Modeling of Functional Habitat Connectivity for Lynx on the Okanogan Highlands, Northern Washington: Author: Jones, Aaron Paul; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Maintenance of habitat connectivity over various geographic scales is a conservation imperative for the long-term persistence of many species. Functional linkages for a given focal species may not be readily apparent or spatially coincident with explicit structural patterns in a landscape. In species-level habitat connectivity modeling, therefore, techniques derived from empirical data are needed to sustain a species-centric perspective on landscape mosaics. This study demonstrates an empirically-based, combined Bayesian and graph-theoretic approach to modeling functional habitat connectivity....; Download File | View full details

Interactions between the Invasive New Zealand Mud Snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, Baetid Mayflies, and Fish Predators: Author: Cada, Chelsea Ann; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: The nonindigenous gastropod Potamopyrgus antipodarum is quickly spreading through aquatic environments in the western United States, and populations often occur at very high densities. In previous studies, densities of baetid mayflies were lower in reaches with high densities of Potamopyrgus than in reaches with low densities of Potamopyrgus in Darlinton Spring Creek (Madison River drainage, Montana, USA), suggesting exploitation or interference competition. To determine when Potamopyrgus had the greatest effect on baetids, I quantified densities and biomasses of Potamopyrgus and baetids in lo...; Download File | View full details

Mapping and Change Detection of Wetland and Riparian Ecosystems in the Gallatin Valley, Montana using Landsat Imagery: Author: Baker, Corey Ryan; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Land Resources and Environmental Sciences; Abstract: The location and distribution of wetlands and riparian zones influences the ecological functions present on a landscape. Accurate and easily reproducible landcover maps enable monitoring of land management decisions and ultimately a greater understanding of landscape ecology. Multi-season Landsat ETM+ imagery from 2001 combined with ancillary topographic and soils data was used to map wetland and riparian systems in the Gallatin Valley of Southwest Montana. Classification Tree Analysis (CTA) and Stochastic Gradient Boosting (SGB) decision-tree based classification algorithms were used to disti...; Download File | View full details

Mass Estimation of Weddell Seals through Photogrammetry: Author: Ireland, Darren Scott; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Fish and Wildlife Management; Abstract: Food resources of pelagic marine predators have traditionally been difficult to monitor and annual monitoring of food-resource availability is not currently feasible for the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes wedellii) population in Erebus Bay, Antarctica. Body mass measurements of parturient females, or their weaned pups, on an annual basis may be used as an indicator of food availability during the previous year and also provide a link between population vital rates and environmental fluctuation. Traditional methods of acquiring mass measurements, including physical restraint and/or chemical immobi...; Download File | View full details

Mid-and Late-Gestation Lethality in Mice Lacking the N Terminus of TATA-Binding Protein: Author: Hobbs, Nicole Kay; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Veterinary Molecular Biology; Abstract: TATA-binding protein (TBP) is a transcription factor comprised of a 180 amino acid core that is shared by all eukaryotes. TBP also has an N-terminal region that, in vertebrates, is highly conserved. We have generated mice bearing a mutant tbp allele, tbp∆N, that lacks 111 of the 135 amino acids of the vertebrate specific N terminus. Most homozygous mutants, tbp∆N/∆N, die at midgestation from an apparent defect in their placentas. tbp∆N/∆N fetuses were rescued at this midgestational crisis if supplied with a wild-type tetraploid placenta. tbp∆N/&a...; Download File | View full details

Non-Destructive Soil Testing Using X-Ray Computed Tomography: Author: Nielsen, Brent Daniel; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Civil Engineering; Abstract: The mechanical behavior of soils is highly dependent on the particle microstructure. Traditional geotechnical engineering soil tests generally do not measure soil properties on a micro-scale; instead, macro scale properties are commonly used as estimates of microstructure properties in determining soil engineering behavior. Additionally, traditional geotechnical engineering soil tests are destructive in nature, and many test methods destroy the same soil properties they intend to measure. The goal of this research was to develop non-destructive soil test methods using x-ray computer-aided tomo...; Download File | View full details

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Microscopy of Nafion®-117 Proton Exchange Polymer Membranes: Author: Howe, Daniel Trusler; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Chemical Engineering; Abstract: As the combustion of fossil fuels for the generation of energy and transportation becomes more expensive, of limited supply, and environmentally unsound, the development of viable fuel cell alternatives becomes more important. A comprehensive understanding of the proton exchange membranes (PEM's) used as electrolytes in certain types of fuel cells will play a major role in bringing the cost and reliability of PEM fuel cell systems down to a competitive level with traditional fossil fuel methods. Magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) is well suited to the study of these membranes because it is no...; Download File | View full details

Potential Semiochemicals of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Induced by Oviposition and Feeding of the Wheat Stem Sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: Cephidae): Author: Peck, Gavin Earl; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Entomology; Abstract: Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: Cephidae), the wheat stem sawfly, is currently the most devastating insect pest of wheat production in Montana. Currently, no effective controls are in place to check its damage and spread throughout wheat fields in the northern Great Plains. Natural biological control of sawflies occurs primarily in the form of larval parasitoids which attack the sawfly larva in the stem; however, these parasitoids are not reliably effective in controlling sawfly populations. Insect damage induces chemical changes in plants, and often these changes are part of a defensive r...; Download File | View full details

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Structure, Behavior and Hydrodynamics: Author: Purevdorj-Gage, Boloroo; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Microbiology; Abstract: Biofilm formation by bacterial pathogens is an important factor in the progression and treatment of many infectious diseases. Biofilm structural development is a dynamic process dependent on many cellular and environmental parameters including Quorum Sensing (QS) and hydrodynamics. Since QS is dependent on a threshold autoinducer concentration, it was hypothesized that the flow dynamics in the bulk fluid surrounding the biofilm would play an important role in expression of QS and the genes that are under its control. In order to investigate the relative contribution of hydrodynamics and QS on ...; Download File | View full details

The Rainbow Across the Boundaries: A Study of Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony: Author: Idei, Yasuko Iseri; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Native American Studies; Abstract: In order to fully understand contemporary Native American literature like the works written by Leslie Marmon Silko, one must have a sufficient knowledge of the Native American worldviews expressed in their oral stories that have been handed down for unremembered generations. The study has to include what the oral tradition has meant to the indigenous people and their communities, how it has been kept and passed down, and what it can do to the tribal peoples for securing their identity and power to cope with contemporary issues. Indigenous people have different worldviews from other culture gro...; Download File | View full details

Remote Sensing of Wetlands in Yellowstone National Park: Author: Wright, Christopher Kevin; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: As part of the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative, satellite remote sensing was used to identify potential wetland amphibian habitat in Yellowstone National Park. Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery was combined with ancillary predictors of wetland occurrence including habitat type, cover type, landform type, bedrock geology, soil attributes, terrain measures, and climate data. Classification trees were used to predict the likelihood of palustrine wetland occurrence across the Yellowstone landscape. Wetland maps generated by this study are intended to address shortcomings of the National...; Download File | View full details

Rural Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Predictors of Parental Stress: Author: Conway, Marcia Anne; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Health and Human Development; Abstract: The number of grandparents raising grandchildren has increased dramatically in the West and throughout United States in recent years. Although research on grandparent caregivers is increasing, there remains little research that addresses the challenges and issues facing grandparents raising grandchildren in rural locales. To address this shortcoming, this study examines the parental stressors experienced by rural grandparent caregivers and explores individual, parental, and community level factors that may be related to stress including length of time in the primary caregiver role, grandparent...; Download File | View full details

The Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Decline and the Gulf of Alaska / Bering Sea Commercial Fishery: Author: Hennen, Daniel Reneau; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: The Steller sea lion (SSL) population in Alaska was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1991. Several procedural restrictions were placed on the commercial fisheries of the region at that time in an effort to reduce the potential for human induced mortality on sea lions. Several years have elapsed since these restrictions were put into place and questions about their efficacy abound. In an effort to determine whether or not fisheries interventions have helped the SSL population to recover, estimates of the fishing activity of the Bering Sea/ Gulf of Alaska commercial fishe...; Download File | View full details

Ultrasonically Controlled Antibiotic Release from Hydrogel Coatings for Biofilm Prevention: Author: Norris, Patrick Michael; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Mechanical Engineering; Abstract: Medical devices are routinely employed in healthcare settings since they provide clinicians with a means of administering nutrients, drawing blood samples and drug delivery. However, local and systemic infections are frequently associated with the use of medical devices and implants. In fact, implanted devices often provide a highly suitable surface for bacterial adhesion and colonization resulting in the formation of complex, differentiated and structured communities known as biofilms. Once a biofilm infection is established, conventional treatments frequently fail as bacteria in the form of ...; Download File | View full details

Women, Spirituality, and Chronic Illness: Author: Hampton, Jenaneta Sue; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Nursing; Abstract: People with chronic health conditions can experience life changing limitations which often require the help of family or other outside resources to manage the condition. Rural dwellers are at increased risk for chronic health conditions. Social support and spirituality have both been shown to be important contributors to adjustment, health, management, and, nursing care of chronically ill people. The purpose of this study was to explore expressions of spirituality in rural women with chronic illness, and investigate the relationship between spirituality and social support. This study was a sec...; Download File | View full details

The Women's Protective Union: Union Women Activists in a Union Town, 1890-1929: Author: Case, Bridgette Dawn; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: History; Abstract: Women have organized into representative bodies to fight workplace oppression since the eighteenth century. Often the victims of abuse and exploitation, the positive attributes of collectively organizing were attractive to women. While many working-women found union membership alluring, few held positions of power within unions and many were denied entrance to unions altogether. In Butte, Montana, however it was a different story. Butte was a union town to the very core. Almost everyone who worked in Butte was a union member in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Although initiall...; Download File | View full details

Sculptures and Prints: Author: Downing, Lori Francis; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Fine Arts; Abstract: Avraham Yekel was a survivor of Nazi and Soviet prison camps. He was asked what was one mistake he hoped his audience would never make. He answered: "You must never make the mistake of thinking that, because you are educated that you are also civilized." That, he said was the error made by his generation of the 1920's and 1930's: that higher education meant higher levels of humanity. World War II, in which fifty million people were annihilated, shattered that myth forever. I understand the importance of love for humanity. I try to open my eyes and be aware of what is happening ar...; Download File | View full details

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