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Agronomics of reseeding winterkilled winter wheat: Author: Allen, Thomas Lee; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Plant Science; Abstract: Winterkill has long been a problem for winter wheat growers in Montana. In any given year up to 50% of the seeded acres of winter wheat may have to be reseeded to spring wheat. Research has addressed injury thresholds on when to reseed winter wheat. But little information is available regarding reseeding to spring wheat. The objectives of this study were to determine the level of injury whereby it is more profitable to reseed to spring rather than leave the reduced stand of winter wheat. Eighteen treatments were used to simulate different levels of winter injury and methods of termination of t...; Download File | View full details

An Alternating-Direction Sinc-Galerkin method for elliptic problems on finite and infinite domains: Author: Alonso, Nicomedes III; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Mathematics; Abstract: 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...; Download File | View full details

A description of sleep patterns and sleep hygiene practices for adults in cardiac rehabilitation programs in Southern Montana: Author: Barker, Tina Marie; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Nursing; Abstract: Despite the importance of coronary heart disease (CHD) as a major health problem and cardiac rehabilitation as a means of secondary prevention, no previous studies have been found which describe sleep patterns and sleep hygiene practices in this population. Sleep is essential for mental and physical well being and good sleep hygiene practices promote high quality sleep. Poor sleep quality can increase the risk of a myocardial infarction in persons with CHD. The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe sleep patterns and practices of adults diagnosed with CHD and participating in a car...; Download File | View full details

Distress in nurses following patient death: a local response to the need for debriefing: Author: Bickham, Melanie Ann; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Nursing; Abstract: The purpose of this clinical project was to determine if nurses in an acute care setting would report a need for debriefing following a patient death. The review of current literature revealed mixed results regarding the effectiveness of debriefing as an intervention. Literature shows that emotional expression is perceived as cathartic by nurses and is viewed as a positive coping mechanism. However, randomized controlled trials of debriefing models did not demonstrate that participation in debriefing prevented distress symptoms. A survey was created to assess nurses' views regarding debriefing...; Download File | View full details

Fiber optic vines on the third wall: cultivating natural media in the digital age: Author: Bendick, Eric Louis; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Science and Natural History Filmmaking; Abstract: Twenty-thousand years ago, the earliest known depictions of natural forms were inscribed by primitive man onto the surface of the "third wall" . . . be it cave, grotto, overhang, or alcove. Today the myriad representations of our natural world, along with the expanding cosmic narratives of 'natural history' that animate and describe such characters within an ornate epistemological framework (part-science: evolution, thermodynamics, ecology, and part-social criticism: environmental justice, sustainability, conservation) proliferate in ever-increasing mobile permutations; not only in o...; Download File | View full details

Training responses of two-year-old Quarter horses fed rapidly fermentable carbohydrates: Author: Black, Wade Raymond; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Animal and Range Sciences; Abstract: Two replicated experiments (Exp. 1: May 14 to June 8; Exp.2: June 25 to July 20) evaluated effects of feeding grain to 2-yr-old Quarter horses on behavior and physiological parameters during early stages of training. In each experiment, 6 different horses were allotted by sex and weight to 2 diets; hay only or hay plus 2.3 kg/d grain. Horses were group-housed with ad libitum access to grass/alfalfa hay and water, and were individually fed 1.15 kg grain or 40 g salt (placebo) at 0800 and 1600 for 7 d prior to and during training. The trainer was blind to diet assignments. Horses were trained 5 ...; Download File | View full details

Novel pharmaceutical combination confers protection from delayed cell death following transient cerebral ischemia: Author: Chapman, Courtney Myfanwy; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability throughout the world; ischemia is the most common form of stroke. Medical procedures such as cardio-pulmonary bypass surgery can cause ischemic stroke can be caused. There are no treatments to limit neural impairment following stroke. The current research investigates neuroprotection offered by treatment with a novel drug combination consisting of Simvastatin™, Gemfibrozil™, Troglitazone™, and Spironolactone™. Animals were treated with the drug cocktail three weeks proceeding and one week subs...; Download File | View full details

Assessing the venture captial legacy: an investigation of post-IPO performance and impact: Author: Cochran, Andrew Carl; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Applied Economics; Abstract: While extensive literature documents the venture capital impact around the initial public offering, little is known about the enduring effects of venture financing. This paper follows the post-IPO performance of venture-backed U.S. firms in different IPO cohorts from 1970 to 2006, and measures the duration of any venture capital advantages after the IPO. Venture capital strongly correlates with higher R&D and market-to-book ratios ("q"), and venture-backed firms grow faster and perform better particularly in high-tech industries. This apparent advantage for venture-backed firms r...; Download File | View full details

Sustaining the memory [history] of place: Author: Costanti, Peter John; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Our minds have the ability to recall and sustain memories, so why can't architecture do the same? Our built environment exhibits the ability to form expectations of the future, while conducting investigations into the past. Every place has an identity, a location, and a memory that characterizes its existence. Memory is a component that, at the moment, may be vacant within the context of our forgotten sites, our terrain vague. These places are currently unseen, ignored, or forgotten, but this does not mean the history is unworthy of resurrection. There is certainly a story that exists, that ca...; Download File | View full details

A Chippewa Cree students' college experience: factors affecting persistence: Author: Drummer, Kadene Sue; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Education; Abstract: Educators working with Chippewa Cree students need to understand how the students' precollege experiences, college experiences, and cultural backgrounds influence their success in higher education in order to design learning environments, procedures, and policies that will increase the graduation rate of this population. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore factors that help or hinder successful completion of a bachelor's degree by students from the Chippewa Cree Tribe. Data was collected in face-to-face interviews using a peer-reviewed interview protocol consisting of open...; Download File | View full details

Institutions, third-parties, and water markets: an analysis of the role of water rights, the no-injury rule, and Water Code 386 on water markets in California counties: Author: Dutkowsky, Monique Renee; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Applied Economics; Abstract: Given the apparently large potential gains from the trade of water, why do we observe so few market transactions? This paper argues that policy-driven transaction costs are an important trade-hindering factor. More specifically, this paper examines the allocation of property rights under the No-Injury Rule, which gives rights to riparian users, and Water Code 386, which gives quasi-blocking rights to third-parties, making water rights less clear. Both laws are predicted to decrease the likelihood of observing an active export market and the volume of exports in the county. To test these predic...; Download File | View full details

[Re] defining transit culture: Author: Ernst, Jeffrey Troy; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Environmental concerns and energy crisis have heightened awareness of energy consumption and instigated thought into alternative and updated means of travel. High speed rail has been highly utilized for travel and transport in Europe and Japan and is experiencing its initiation in the U.S. in the state of California with future proposals in cities across the country. This thesis addresses the notion of high speed rail in a society where travel is dominated by the automobile and the geographies of cities and suburbs exist under a unique paradigm compared to other countries and continents. A pro...; Download File | View full details

Co-Habitate: Author: Evans, Meaghan Terese; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: This Thesis reinforces the natural characteristics in the zone of civilization's periphery and reverses the negative human impact on the natural world by developing a controlled experiential interaction between people and their environment. Explorations in spatial overlap, flexibility, and human activities resulted in three installations that define architectural space as a dynamic relationship between the human lifestyle, the dwelling unit, and its environment....; Download File | View full details

Human capital accumulation among Native Americans: an empirical analysis of the national assessment of educational progress: Author: Fischer, Stefanie Jane; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Applied Economics; Abstract: Native Americans have low levels of human capital accumulation. In 2005, only 21% scored at the proficient level on the NAEP math test compared with 37% of all other test takers. One cause of their low human capital accumulation may be factors that commonly explain low academic performance among other minority groups within the United States, such as school quality and family background. Alternatively, Native American students may perform low academically due to factors that are unique to this population such as living on Native land or the political institutions that govern them. This paper w...; Download File | View full details

Million Dollar Blocks: Author: Flink, Stephen Sperling; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Public housing in today's society is an accumulation of truths. These truths are a construct of institutions that are vastly different and sometimes conflicting but control and arrange life within the community. Public housing has transformed into a place of actual and perceived boundaries which constrict the control residents possess within the housing and its surroundings. The lack of control socially segregates, isolates, and stigmatizes residents as well as creates a dangerous environment. The residents' exclusion from outside communities prohibits them from functioning cohesively within s...; Download File | View full details

Creative forum at Montana State University: Author: Fullerton, Tyler Barlow; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: The creative process is a key element to generating great architecture, art and science. In order to best utilize this process one must understand different types of creativity, environments that inspire creativity, different processes and techniques and how the conscious and subconscious handle creative thought and creative production. To architecturally explore creative process and production I will design a structure on campus with the purpose of assisting creativity and creative production in the ways that I have come to understand them. Understanding the creative process as it applies to ...; Download File | View full details

Postmodernism, Native American literature and issues of sovereignty: Author: Gorelova, Olena; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Native American Studies; Abstract: Criticism of Native American literature is barely two centuries old, while criticism of Western literature boasts a history that is quite a bit longer. The questions on how to read and interpret tribal narrative and modern American Indian fiction are still urgent topics that trigger numerous debates among literary scholars. What theories to employ and what approaches to use to dispel misinterpretations of the literature are still matters open to suggestion. Postmodernism, the new world trend, has influenced all spheres of life, not excluding literature. Although it does seem to better account ...; Download File | View full details

Identity: psychological relationships between place and occupant informing Burmese refugee communal design: Author: Gould, Shawn Patrick; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Architecture; Abstract: Place is an active participant in determining who we are; it becomes part of one's identity. People use space as a vehicle in which individual and social experiences are carried out and remembered, ultimately shaping who one is. An attachment to place is formed. Place becomes vital to one's mental being and survival because it is a piece of a whole in how one defines herself/himself and his purpose. But what happens when place attachment is broken? The consequences can be severe. For example, Burmese refugees responding to political persecution, persistent poverty, and most recently the ramifi...; Download File | View full details

Behavioral responses of elk to winter wolf predation risk in the Madison Headwaters Area, Yellowstone National Park: Author: Gower, Claire Natasha; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Fish and Wildlife Biology; Abstract: Over the past few decades a large body of literature has provided evidence that predators can influence the ways in which prey behave. This in turn may influence prey demography and predator-prey dynamics and therefore predators may influence the structure and function of populations and communities, independent of direct killing. Using data collected from 1991 to 2007, I evaluated the behavior of elk (Cervus elaphus) in the Madison headwaters area of Yellowstone National Park in response to the colonization and establishment of wolves (Canis lupus). Changes in home range size, fidelity, group...; Download File | View full details

Prove It: climate change films and the skeptic: Author: Seyler, Amber Dawn; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Science and Natural History Filmmaking; Abstract: Science and natural history documentaries can be an entertaining and effective way to teach the public about a scientific topic. The topic of climate change presents a unique set of problems that require that a successful climate change film must rethink how the science is presented. Climate change is unique in that it has been so politicized that not only is it controversial, but a whole segment of the population (including those in government) simply doesn't believe that climate change exists. So each climate change film must be seen as an argument, and as a political document, if its goal i...; Download File | View full details

Development and implementation of a low cost image correlation system to obtain full-field in-plane displacement and strain data: Author: Parker, John Wesley; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Mechanical Engineering; Abstract: When using multi-axial testing, obtaining in-plane strain and displacement data can be difficult and costly. Montana State University's In Plane Loader (IPL) can apply any number of loads in the X and Y axes and as rotation but can only provide the displacement data at the grips. This project uses a Canon consumer-model digital single lens reflex camera and a series of matlab codes to provide in-plane displacement and strain data at as many points on the surface of the loaded specimen as required using Digital Image Correlation. The system has been successfully used to measure surface and boun...; Download File | View full details

Atlantis Unbound: Author: Hiris, Lori E.; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Fine Arts; Abstract: The data derived from the study of the hereditary traits in Drosophila-Melanogaster remind the viewer of the tremendous potential in technology and genetic engineering. My Installation is witness to this ever-changing technology and how it shapes our culture, history, and politics. Dreams and nightmares coexist in this installation and my intent is merely to invite the viewer to consider the consequences. Inheritance in the age of database culture and the sovereignty of the Algorithm conspires to envision utopia - a New Atlantis: Bound and Unbound....; Download File | View full details

Low cost range and attitude determination solution for small satellite platforms: Author: Greenfield, Nathan Joseph; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Electrical Engineering; Abstract: The ability to determine the range and attitude between two satellites can be a challenging venture. It can be made more challenging when considering the use of such a system on a small satellite. Successful implementation of a small and low power range and attitude sensor could open potential doors to multiple small satellite constellations and formation flying maneuvers. After successfully demonstrating an electromagnetic docking system on a one-dimensional air track, it was determined that continued work into two and three-dimensional systems would require a more functional range and attitu...; Download File | View full details

Fish eating behavior and stages of change in rural, low income women of childbearing age: Author: Heineman, Sara Christine; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Nursing; Abstract: Methyl Mercury (MeHg) is a known neurotoxin associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. The primary route of exposure of MeHg in humans is from consumption of contaminated fish. Although some disparities in exposure patterns have been identified, little is known about rural, low income, women of childbearing age and their fish eating behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between stages of behavioral change in fish eating behavior and self-reported consumption of fish among 106 rural low-income women of childbearing age. Results of the one-way AN...; Download File | View full details

Patterns of distribution and factors influencing riparian breeding birds along the Yellowstone River in Montana: Author: Jones, Danielle Anne; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Biological Sciences; Abstract: Riparian zones harbor some of the most diverse bird communities. However, most riparian zones have been significantly modified by human activities. It is important to identify relationships between riparian birds and characteristics of the environment to understand the potential influences of floodplain management on birds. I examined patterns of riparian bird species distribution, as well as the factors affecting occurrence and abundance of species along the Yellowstone River in Montana. Point counts were conducted and vegetation data collected at 234 locations along 725 kilometers of the riv...; Download File | View full details

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