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Spectrophotometric, Mass Spectrometeric and Structural Studies of the Prototypical G Protein Coupled Receptor Rhodopsin: Author: Angel, Thomas Emil; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Microbiology; Abstract: Rhodopsin is the integral membrane protein responsible for black and white vision in low light conditions and is found at high concentration in the mammalian retina. Rhodopsin is a prototypical member of the G protein coupled receptor super family that control much of physiology. Improved understanding of rhodopsin signal transduction and amplification via coupling to the heterotrimeric G protein transducin may reveal conserved activation mechanisms that are relevant to other members of the GPCR super family. Described here are several studies that examine the molecular determinants responsibl...; Download File | View full details

Absolute Architecture-Scaled Experience: Author: Ankeny, Samuel Robert; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Located near the edge of the North American Plate, in the great west of the United States, is an area known as the Colorado Plateau. Encompassing four states Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, it is also known as the four corners region. This Area has been widely recognized as one of the most powerful landscapes in the world and holds special meaning to the Native peoples of America. It is an area which is known to produce irregularities in the earths geomagnetic field. These irregularities have been described as many different things from spirits to extraterrestrials.¹ More nota...; Download File | View full details

The Development of an Effective Facilitator - An Interim Curriculum Director's Journey: Author: Arnold, Robin Stephanie; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Education; Abstract: This action research project explored the journey of a classroom educator as she transitioned into the role of curriculum director and progressed toward becoming an effective group facilitator and administrator. Group facilitation is an important aspect of a curriculum director's job as she works with a multitude of groups with varying degrees of experience, endless combinations of personalities and an array of purposes and time frames. Group facilitation requires a working understanding of personality and communication, an awareness of social and emotional intelligence and the ability to mod...; Download File | View full details

Retention of a Model Pathogen in a Porous Media Biofilm: Author: Bauman, Wesley James; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Environmental Engineering; Abstract: The inadvertent or deliberate introduction of bacterial pathogens into drinking water systems can lead to serious public health consequences. As a result, rapid sampling opportunities within distribution systems are needed that can provide information on the source, species and fate of introduced pathogens. In this study, a porous media biofilm reactor was used to investigate the ability of an established mixed-species drinking water biofilm to immobilize cyan-labeled Escherichia coli 0157:H7 as a model pathogen. Test reactors were colonized with biofilm for two or three weeks at 0.5 mg/l C, r...; Download File | View full details

The Space Between: How Hypertext Affects the Author/Reader Divide: Author: Becker, Michael Edward; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: English; Abstract: Authors and readers have been in conflict since the invention of writing, battling over the right to interpret a written document. This has artificially created a split between these two institutions, a split typically divided between those who have the power and money to publish their words to a mass audience and those whose words have been repressed by that publishing system. This thesis examines, through the lens of deconstruction and other post-structuralist threories, how hypertext and other digital technologies have empowered reader to take back some of the functions historically granted...; Download File | View full details

An Ecological Risk Assessment for Mosquito Insecticides: Author: Davis, Ryan Scott; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Entomology; Abstract: West Nile Virus (WNV) has been a concern for people across the North America since the disease was observed in the summer of 1999. WNV has caused the largest arboviral encephalitis epidemic in U.S. history. In response, vector management programs have been implemented. Concerns have been raised about these programs My ecological risk assessments focused on six common mosquito adulticides used in vector management, including 3 pyrethroids, pyrethrins, 2 organophosphates, a synergist, and 4 larvicides. Both aquatic and terrestrial non-target organisms were considered for acute and chronic exposu...; Download File | View full details

Microbial and Geochemical Processes Controlling the Oxidation and Reduction of Arsenic in Soils: Author: Masur, Deanne Christine; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Land Rehabilitation; Abstract: Arsenic (As) is a common contaminant in soil-water systems, where it exists predominately as arsenate (AsV) or arsenite (AsIII), the latter of which is considered to be the more mobile and toxic form. The amount of arsenite or arsenate in natural water systems is influenced by geochemical conditions and the presence of As transforming microorganisms. Consequently, the goals of this study were to evaluate the effects of: (i) arsenic concentration on microbial populations responsible for As oxidation-reduction in a previously uncontaminated soil, and (ii) phosphate:arsenic ratio on the oxidation...; Download File | View full details

Images in the Labyrinth: A Reading of Symbol and Archetype in Four Quartets: Author: Berg, Wayne Carl Jr.; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: English; Abstract: Since the publication of Four Quartets as a complete poem in 1944, the question of meaning, of how to understand the poem, has remained foremost in the mind of the reader. Insight into T.S. Eliot's last major work of prose has run the gamut of interpretive (and evaluative) schools; yet, as perhaps should be the case, exact meaning eludes the critic. That this is a major work of modernism goes without saying, but the analysis of historicism is tied to one, timely dimension. As a religious poem the reverence of its lines ascends into the realms of metaphysics, but simultaneously they lack a do...; Download File | View full details

An Analysis of Whirling Disease Risk in Western Montana: Author: McGinnis, Stephanie Ann; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: Myxobolus cerebralis, the causative agent of whirling disease, has been a major contributor to the loss of young trout in numerous streams within the Intermountain West (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming). Currently there are no effective management procedures for mitigating the effects of this disease because it is not fully known why the parasite has severe effects in some trout populations while remaining fairly benign in others. Characteristics of the parasite, hosts, environment, and their interactions, may partially explain varying responses of wild rainbow trout populations to whi...; Download File | View full details

The Use of GPS to Predict Energy Expenditure for Outdoor Walking: Author: McKenzie, James Michael; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Health and Human Development; Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of GPS-reported position and elevation to estimate actual energy expenditure (EEACT) for outdoor walking. An accurate method for assessing EE in the field could greatly influence the scope of future studies of free-living activities. Thirteen subjects (8 male, 5 female) completed a 2303 m course of varying grades at slow and fast self-selected paces. Data from a portable metabolic unit was used to compare the GPS-predicted EE (EEGPS). Calculations of EEGPS were made by compiling an equation accounting for ground speed, grade, (Minetti, et ...; Download File | View full details

Progress and Challenges in Non-Linear Constitutive Modeling for Composite Material: Author: Booth, Eric Jason; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Mechanical Engineering; Abstract: In this paper is outlined a technique for determining the non-linear constitutive properties of an orthrotropic laminated material such as a fiber reinforced composite. The Characterization of Composites is difficult because of the anisotropic stiffness properties of the material and also because of the complex manner in which they accumulate internal damage and eventually fail. Presented here are techniques for determining the mechanical properties of a material by solving what is known as the Inverse Problem. In such a problem, the response of a material system to an external stimulus is mea...; Download File | View full details

Hippocampal damage and novelty preference in the ischemic gerbil: dissociating object and arrangement memory: Author: McNeill, Damon Lee; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: The most insidious consequences of transient ischemia are its effect on the hippocampus and the memory systems it serves. The novelty preference test is a direct measure of memory function and has been used in the rat and primate animal models. The gerbil animal model has been used extensively to study the mechanism of ischemic brain damage; however, the novelty preference paradigm has not been used to study memory impairment in this species. In addition, the novelty preference paradigm has not been tested with models of ischemia. In the present experiment, Mongolian gerbils were tested in two...; Download File | View full details

Cultivar Susceptibility and Fungicide Control of Black Dot Root Rot: Author: Meyer, Jack Robert; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Plant Pathology; Abstract: Black Dot (Colletotrichum coccodes) is an important potato disease worldwide causing reported yield losses in the 10-30% range. It is involved in the early dying disease complex along with Verticillium dahliae or V. albo atrum, and root lesion nematodes. Besides early dying, black dot also causes silvery blemishes on the tuber surface that resemble those of silver scurf which results in reduced value in fresh markets. The purpose of this work was to evaluate North American cultivars for black dot tolerance and to evaluate fungicides for their efficacy in controlling this disease. To evaluate c...; Download File | View full details

Geochemical evidence for microbially mediated subglacial mineral weathering: Author: Montross, Scott Norman; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Interactions between dilute meltwater and fine-grained, freshly comminuted debris at the bed of temperate glaciers liberate significant solute. The proportions of solute produced in the subglacial environment via biotic and abiotic processes remains unknown, however, this work suggests the biotic contribution is substantial. Laboratory analyses of microbiological and geochemical properties of sediment and meltwater from the Haut Glacier d'Arolla (HGA) indicates that a metabolically active microbial community exists in water-saturated sediments at the ice-bedrock interface. Basal sediment slur...; Download File | View full details

Diversity, Productivity, and Physiology of Microorganisms in the Stream-Moat-Lake Transition of Lake Bonney, Antarctica: Author: Moore, Joel Grant; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Land Resources and Environmental Sciences; Abstract: Air temperatures exceeding 0°C in Taylor Valley, Antarctica 17-25 degree days each summer and constant solar irradiance melt glacial and lake ice to from liquid water moats at the edges of permanently ice-covered lakes. Moats are fed by glacial streams and interact with comparatively large volumes of ice-covered lake water. This study investigated stream influence on moat chemistry and microbial biomass, productivity and diversity in the moat of East Lake Bonney (ELB) and compared the moat to the ice-covered portion of ELB. Stream inflow was a source of dissolved ions, inorganic car...; Download File | View full details

A Continuation of Place and Time: Author: Moorshead, Elizabeth; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: The American barn is an enigma on the landscape. A building that arouses feelings in every person. Whether recollecting a childhood memory of playing in a loft, doing barn chores at all hours of the day or that forever connection to the past wondering what it must have been like to live back then or even architecturally admiring its undeniable form. Yet they are an enigma because this embedded nostalgia we have for them is not merely enough to save a lost culture and the buildings themselves. The foundations and ideals that the barns were built on must be looked at as well. "Until quite ...; Download File | View full details

Evaluation of Educational Needs of Persons with Heart Failure: Author: Mutchler, Leslie Renee; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Nursing; Abstract: Five million Americans are currently living with heart failure, and the numbers are expected to rise. Optimal self-management of heart failure requires a considerable amount of knowledge in order to make the recommended lifestyle changes and recognize the signs and symptoms of worsening heart failure. Educational interventions are more effective when they are tailored for the individual. The purpose of this study was to identify the information persons with heart failure believed to be most important to learn, as well as whether or not it is realistic to learn the information while hospitalize...; Download File | View full details

Sleeping with the Enemy: Integrating Big-Box Retail with Existing Communities: Author: Nash, Ronald James; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: The intent of my thesis is to find a way to integrate a large big-box retailer into a community in such a way that it benefits the community as a whole. This must be accomplished within the parameters that mark the store as a viable option for the parent company as well. This ideal must be approached from the philosophy that box stores are a large part of the current American way of life and to let them grow unchecked will signal the inevitable death of downtown retail districts as more and more business gets sucked to the super-stores and the areas immediately surrounding them. To do this we ...; Download File | View full details

Architecture in Context: Author: Neergaard, Nathan; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Today, technology and science have elevated us as humans to incredible heights; we have gone places that centuries ago would have been undreamed of. We have landed a man on the moon, an unmanned rover on mars, and now have begun to explore the outer reaches of the galaxy looking for the origin of the known universe. When you think of the universe in general, architecture seems pretty insignificant, but it is an important element that keeps our society interconnected. "Design manifests culture, and culture rests firmly on the foundations of what we believe to be true about the world."...; Download File | View full details

Molecular Beam Studies of Hyperthermal Atomic Oxygen and Argon Interactions with Polymer Surfaces and Gas-Phase Molecules: Author: Brunsvold, Amy Leigh; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Chemistry; Abstract: O atoms and N2 molecules in the outer atmosphere of the Earth collide with spacecraft surfaces and various gases that are released from space vehicles. The high relative velocity of the collisions promotes high reaction probability and large energy transfers, leading to materials degradation and chemiluminescent reactions, which may interfere with the mission of the vehicle. The work presented in this thesis uses sophisticated molecular beam and surface science techniques to study materials degradation and individual reactive and inelastic collisions in an effort to understand the complex chem...; Download File | View full details

Increasing Wheat Hardness Locus Functionality by Increasing Puroindoline Copy Number and Introduction of Novel Alleles: Author: Campbell, Jackie Bridget; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Plant Sciences; Abstract: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain hardness affects many end product quality traits and is controlled primarily by the Hardness (Ha) locus that contains the Puroindoline a and b genes. All soft hexaploid wheats carry the same wild-type alleles Pina-D1a and Pinb-D1a and hard wheats carry a mutation in Pina or Pinb. In order to explore variation in the Puroindolines two approaches were pursued to increase Ha locus functionality. First Ha locus functionality was modified through a non-transgenic increase in Pin dosage. Here we tested the heritability and end product quality effects of increased P...; Download File | View full details

Beyond Consummate Masculinity: Implications of Differing Masculinities in Patrick O'Brian's Novels: Author: Casey, Jamin Allen; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: English; Abstract: There has been a lot written about gender studies in the nineteenth century and there have been comparisons between Patrick O'Brian's writing and Jane Austen's. I look at masculinity and how O'Brian may be demonstrating something interesting about the similarities and the differences between a nineteenth century masculinity a more modern concept of masculinity through the fictional characters in his Master and Commander Series. In order to evaluate his representation of the nineteenth century man I look at representations from the period by authors including Frederick Marryat and Jane Aust...; Download File | View full details

Characterization of Riparian Wetland Soils and Associated Metal Concentrations at the Headwaters of the Stillwater River, Montana: Author: Cook, Steven Allen; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Land Resources and Environmental Sciences; Abstract: I investigated the spatial and vertical distribution of metals in an alpine riparian wetland downstream of acid rock drainage in the New World Mining District, Cooke City, Montana. The McLaren ore deposit was discovered on Fisher Mountain in 1933, and underground and open-cut mining occurred until 1953. Fisher Mountain is the primary source of acid rock drainage in this part of the New World Mining District. Both natural and mining related processes released acidity and metals (particularly copper, lead, and zinc) into Daisy Creek and the upper Stillwater River in the form of dissolved metals ...; Download File | View full details

Behavioral Consequences following AAV mediated Hippocampal EAAC1 knockdown: Author: Coombs, Katie Marie; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: The neuronal glutamate transporter EAAC1 (EAAT3) is present in hippocampal neurons to prevent excessive glutamate accumulation. Glutamate receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity is important for learning and memory. The present study investigates behavior associated with blocking the glutamate transporter EAAC1. To manipulate EAAC1 function, rats were intrahippocampally injected with a adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector encoding an EAAC1 antisense mRNA sequence or an AAV empty cassette. Twenty-eight days following surgery, rats were tested in a delayed matching-toplace (DMTP) watermaze task to...; Download File | View full details

Dead-Set Against It? Thoughts of Death Can Promote Resistance to Attitude Change: Author: Dood, Tiffany Lee; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Terror Management Theory (TMT) argues that people experience an underlying sense of 'terror' when presented with their own mortality, causing them to more strongly defend their ideals (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 2000). Although much support exists for this idea, prior research has not specifically investigated whether mortality reminders will enhance individuals' resistance to persuasive attempts that are counter to their existing attitudes. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine how reminders of individuals' mortality affect participants' attitudes towards persuasiv...; Download File | View full details

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