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An Analysis of the Enactment of Anti-Price Gouging Laws: Author: Davis, Cale Wren; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Applied Economics; Abstract: Anti-price gouging (APG) laws are state-level price controls only effective during times of emergency. From standard economic analysis, there are no apparent beneficiaries from price ceilings. Thus, the enactment of APG laws is puzzling from an economic perspective. The passage of APG laws is first analyzed with case studies of all thirty-one state laws. The case studies include information such as disasters that triggered the enactment of the laws, detail on enforcement and penalties, and information on supporters and opponents. This information is used to help determine why policymakers enac...; Download File | View full details

Analysis of Nitrogen Reallocation from Senescing Barley Leaves: Characterization of the Influence of a High-Grain Protein Content Locus on Chromosome Six, and Molecular Cloning and Heterologous Expression of a Serine Carboxypeptidase: Author: Heidlebaugh, Nancy Marie; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Plant Sciences; Abstract: In cereals, senescence is a highly regulated and organized process in which the nutrients located in the leaves are translocated to the developing seeds. During this process multiple signaling cascades are activated either up-regulating or down-regulating senescence related genes. The majority of the nitrogen to be remobilized is located in the leaves in plastidial proteins, especially Rubisco. These proteins must be degraded before their components can be translocated to be reutilized in the seeds. The mechanism for plastidial protein degradation is largely unknown at this time. Proteases loc...; Download File | View full details

Forage Response to Simulated Sheep Grazing of Leafy Spurge: Author: Hileman, Benjamin John; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Animal and Range Sciences; Abstract: Sheep grazing can lower leafy spurge biomass production; however, forage available for other domestic livestock or wildlife after sheep grazing is unknown. Our objective was to determine how forage biomass was affected by different sheep grazing patterns to answer the following questions: 1) will forage consumed by sheep while grazing leafy spurge be mitigated by higher forage biomass production resulting from lowering leafy spurge biomass production, 2) what timing and intensity of grazing maximizes forage biomass production and minimizes leafy spurge biomass production, 3) will defoliating l...; Download File | View full details

Inflammatory Response to a High-force Eccentric Exercise Protocol in Oral Contraceptive Users and Non-users: Author: Kasper, Christine; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Health and Human Development; Abstract: Researchers have demonstrated that oral contraceptive users have elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. However, it is unclear whether or not CRP is elevated in response to inflammation. Results of preliminary studies indicate that individuals with elevated CRP exhibit diminished release of interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory mediator with anti-inflammatory properties. Low IL-6 may cause less control of inflammation and a resultant elevation of CRP. The inflammatory response was compared between female oral contraceptive (OC) users and non-OC users because of the known elevation of ...; Download File | View full details

The Effect of Assessment/Instruction Implementing a Rule of Four on The Mathematics Achievement of Elementary Education Majors: Author: Nilsen, Cheryl Elaine; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Education; Abstract: The mathematics content knowledge of elementary education majors is well documented as being weak in most instances. Mathematics content courses, aimed at helping pre-service elementary teachers become more competent and confident in their knowledge of the mathematics they will teach, often provide inadequate time for practice and demonstration of mathematics knowledge and skills. As a response to this issue, this study examined how implementation of assessments based on a "Rule of Four" might increase the mathematics content knowledge of pre-service elementary teachers. The "...; Download File | View full details

Wide-Angle Infrared Cloud Imaging for Cloud Cover Statistics: Author: Nugent, Paul Winston; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Electrical Engineering; Abstract: The Infrared Cloud Imager (ICI) is a radiometrically calibrated thermal infrared imaging instrument currently in development at Montana State University to measure cloud cover statistics. This instrument was developed originally as part of a joint U.S.-Japan effort to study the arctic atmosphere. The ICI provides localized high-resolution data relative to satellites images and, in contrast to visible imaging systems, provides continuous day and night operation. While the original instrument proved the capabilities of using radiometrically calibrated thermal infrared images to produce cloud cov...; Download File | View full details

Effects of Acclimation on Poststocking Dispersal of Age-1 Pallid Sturgeon: Author: Oldenburg, Eric William; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: A propagation program for pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in the upper Missouri River was implemented by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1997. Preliminary research indicated that many hatchery-reared pallid sturgeon were experiencing significant downstream poststocking dispersal, negatively affecting their recruitment. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of acclimation to flow and site-specific physicochemical water conditions on poststocking dispersal and physiological condition of age-1 pallid sturgeon. Fish from three acclimation treatments were ra...; Download File | View full details

Market Reaction to Executive Compensation Disclosure: Evidence from the Security and Exchange Commission's 1992 Disclosure Initiatives: Author: Sullivan, Jared James Crofts; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Applied Economics; Abstract: The SEC's disclosure initiatives passed in 1992 required increased levels of executive compensation disclosure accompanied by new formats for disclosure. I examine the market response to this new regulation at the firm level. I also test for external information spillovers. I find no evidence that the market systematically values the additional information provided by the new proxy format. I also find no evidence of new information spillovers being created by the new disclosure mandates; lending no support for proscriptive regulations....; Download File | View full details

FP-growth approach for document clustering: Author: Akbar, Monika; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Computer Science; Abstract: Since the amount of text data stored in computer repositories is growing every day, we need more than ever a reliable way to group or categorize text documents. Most of the existing document clustering techniques use a group of keywords from each document to cluster the documents. In this thesis, we have used a sense based approach to cluster documents instead of using only the frequency of the keywords. We use relationships between the keywords to cluster the documents. The relationships are retrieved from the WordNet ontology and represented in the form of a graph. The document-graphs, which...; Download File | View full details

Aspects of individualism in Fourteenth- and Fifteenth-Century Medieval texts: Author: Ainsworth, Breeman Neal III; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: English; Abstract: Many scholars have noted the rise of the individual in medieval Europe. In spite of this claim however, many continue to maintain that there is a fundamental difference between the medieval, or pre-modern, and modern eras; in terms of the individual, this generates scholarship that posits the medieval individual as nothing more than a member of a group, not in fact an individual in modern terms. Nevertheless, the shifting dialectic concerning individualism reveals a similarity between medieval and contemporary conceptions of the individual. Although the modernist interpretation that the indivi...; Download File | View full details

Defoliation effects on Spotted Knapweed seed production and viability: Author: Benzel, Katie Rebecca; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Animal and Range Sciences; Abstract: Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L.) is a deeply taprooted perennial forb infesting millions of hectares of rangeland in western North America. Spotted knapweed forms large monocultures, which lowers plant diversity, reduces livestock and wildlife forage, and increases surface water runoff and sediment yield. It can produce 5,000-40,000 seeds m-2 year-1, and often produces new flowers after prescribed sheep grazing or mowing defoliates spotted knapweed plants during the bolting or flowering stage. Research has yet to determine if new flowers produced following spring/summer defoliation prod...; Download File | View full details

Accumulated Response: Author: Bentz, Heather Heise; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Fine Arts; Abstract: My paintings are abstractions of the repeated patterns, shapes and structure I see and experience every day. My inspiration comes in many forms: found objects dropped or discarded by others, plowed and planted acres of soil, fence posts along edges of fields, blasts of train whistles and the silent spaces between them. All share similarities of repetition-the positive/negative relationship of reoccurrences with a cadence of structure and order but which never can be fully captured or contained....; Download File | View full details

Patient perceptions of treatment options for chronic pain: Author: Benzschawel, Valerie C.; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Nursing; Abstract: Chronic pain and pain management are frequently discussed and debated topics in American medicine today. The patients’ understanding of treatment options for management of chronic pain is a less frequently discussed topic. The purpose of this study is to explore patient perceptions of chronic pain treatment options. The framework for guiding this study was Neuman’s Systems Model (1995) based on the concepts of stress, client stability, and intervention. A review of the literature was completed that revealed very little information on the topic and therefore further research reg...; Download File | View full details

The geographic and economic importance of hunting in Southwestern Montana, USA: Author: Bergstrom, Ryan Dennis; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Montana's big game species were at one time brought to near extinction through exploitation and the myth of superabundance. Today they are seen as one of the state's most prized possessions, with millions of dollars spent annually on their sustainability through the management efforts of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Funding for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is provided through a hunter and manufacturer sponsored excise equipment tax provided through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, or as it is more commonly referred to, the Pittman-Robertson Act, as well as state hun...; Download File | View full details

Entropy and Architecture: entropic phenomena actuating dynamic space: Author: Bernier, Jobe Paul; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Accepting the second law of thermodynamics indicates that any energy source is not infinite. At the event fossil fuel reserves in Alaska are depleted, the massive infrastructure supporting fossil fuel extraction-including 800 miles of pipeline-is assumed to be obsolete. This thesis endeavors to acknowledge the Pipeline's relationship to energy transfer and create a future plan of adaptive reuse. This thesis exposes processes of energy transfer or entropy. It acknowledges environmental entropy and utilizes observable phenomena of global warming within Alaska. It argues that since physical syst...; Download File | View full details

Advanced studies of fish passage through culverts: 1-D and 3-D hydraulic modeling of velocity, fish energy expenditure, and a new barrier assessment method: Author: Blank, Matthew David; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Engineering; Abstract: Fish passage through culverts is an important component of road and stream crossing design. Although no comprehensive inventory of the number of culverts on fishbearing streams in the United States is available, there is an estimated 1.4 million streamroad crossings. The most common physical characteristics that create barriers to fish passage include excessive water velocity, insufficient water depth and large outlet drop heights. Over the past decade, interest in the effect culvert barriers have on aquatic systems has grown; accordingly, various passage assessment techniques have been used t...; Download File | View full details

Influence of local and landscape characteristics of Prairie Dog colonies on Burrowing Owl nest ecology in South Dakota: Author: Bly, Kristy Lee Sydney; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: In the Great Plains, sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis), poisoning, and habitat conversion continue to reduce and fragment black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) habitat in which burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) seek shelter and nest sites. Consequently, burrowing owls are experiencing population declines at the periphery of their range. The objective of this research was to evaluate habitat factors affecting a population of burrowing owls at the eastern extent of their range. I modeled hypothesized relationships between nest density (Chapter 2) and colony productivity (Chapter 3) a...; Download File | View full details

Performance evaluation of routing protocols for QOS support in rural mobile ad hoc networks: Author: Bohannan, Chad Brian; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Computer Science; Abstract: We evaluate several routing protocols, and show that the use of bandwidth and delay estimation can provide throughput and delay guarantees in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). This thesis describes modifications to the Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) protocol to implement the Quality Aware Source Routing (QASR) network routing protocol operating on an 802.11e link layer. QASR network nodes exchange node location and flow reservation data periodically to provide information necessary to model and estimate both the available bandwidth and the end-to-end delay of available routes during route discove...; Download File | View full details

Sense of Past...Sense of Place: Author: Boland, Katherine Ellen; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Architecture today does not respond to memory, the essence of character. As a result, a disengagement exists between people and place. In a world of constant movement a sense of place is not only uncommon but in some instances unknown; we are continuously in a state of motion. We commonly forget why we are here, who settled the land we now inhabit. We forget that life is more than technology bombarding us at every instant; it is more than work and more than financial success. We forget that life can be more. Architecture is also in this state of constant motion, financial success is placed ahe...; Download File | View full details

Process voltage temperature compensated on-chip CMOS active inductors for Wilkinson power dividing applications: Author: Bucossi, William Louis; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Electrical Engineering; Abstract: Few academic or industry feasibility studies have been published on the implementation of Active Inductors in a standard CMOS IC process as an alternative to the physically large and typically quite lossy spiral inductors. Development efforts at the simulation level have achieved only limited success in creating an Active Inductor topology that exhibits the quality and inductive tolerance necessary for the large-scale, high-volume production common to most IC components. This thesis focuses on manufacturing and characterizing the basic component circuitry necessary for the implementation of a ...; Download File | View full details

Remote Worship: Author: Burrows, William Frederick Jr.; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: I am a Christian. In my opinion, this is the most important way I can describe myself as a person. As a son, brother, friend, employee, and student my Faith undeniably affects every facet of my life. In an effort to make my last year as a student resonate on a personal level, I have combined my spiritual journey with my academic one. My intent was to characterize my Christian faith in order to introduce an architecture that embodies the duality of a personal connection to God and a community experience based on fellowship. My ten-week investigation of my beliefs, the Christian church, and arch...; Download File | View full details

Integrated management of the Wheat Stem Sawfly by exploiting semiochemicals to enhance trap crops: Author: Buteler, Micaela; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Land Resources and Environmental Sciences; Abstract: The wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton (WSS) causes significant damage in cereal crops in the northern Great Plains of North America. Recently, the use of winter wheat as a trap crop to protect spring wheat from this insect pest in a wheat-fallow cropping system was evaluated, yielding promising results. Subsequently, the overall objective of this dissertation research was to improve the efficacy of winter wheat trap crops to manage the WSS. Oviposition behavior studies in the presence of hosts infested by conspecifics showed that WSS did not avoid infested hosts. These results confirmed...; Download File | View full details

When does ostracism decrease self-regulation: Author: Carter, Brett Edward; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Previous research in social psychology has suggested that ostracism has a negative impact on SE, and also can affect how much food individuals will consume. Moreover, research in the eating disorders literature shows a negative relationship between self-esteem and eating. As such, the present experiment was designed to merge these two lines of research to examine what causal role, if any, self-esteem plays in men's and women's food consumption. It was proposed that some individuals should show a lack of self regulation in terms of the type and amount of food eaten following ostracism. It was...; Download File | View full details

A 3D computer model investigation of biofilm detachment and protection mechanisms: Author: Chambless, Jason Daniel; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Engineering; Abstract: A biofilm is a dense aggregation of microorganisms attached to each other and a supporting surface. Biofilms are ubiquitous in industrial environments and are also frequently recognized as the source of persistent infections. Biofilm invasions and biofilm-induced infections are often difficult or impossible to remedy. This dissertation presents the results of a 3D hybrid computer model, BacLAB, which was used to simulate detachment and protection mechanisms of biofilms in a cellular automata framework. Protection against antimicrobials afforded by each of four hypothesized protective mechanism...; Download File | View full details

Risk effects in elk (Cervus elaphus): behavioral and nutritional responses to wolves and environmental conditions: Author: Christianson, David Alan; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Abstract: Until recently, predators have been though to regulate prey primarily through direct predation, in ecosystems where top down effects have been shown to be important. However, experiments and recent empirical observations show that the costs of antipredator responses in individuals that successfully avoid predation can exert equal or larger driving forces on population dynamics than the numerical effect of direct predation. Such a mechanism has not been explored in a large terrestrial vertebrate. I explored the antipredator responses of elk (Cervus elaphus) to wolves (Canis lupus) in the Upper ...; Download File | View full details

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