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Schedule
2016
Thursday, April 14th
9:00 AM

Liposomal Nanoparticles and Dendritic Cells: A Targeted Drug Delivery System for Immune-mediated Diseases.

Joanna Kreitinger, University of Montana - Missoula

9:00 AM - 9:20 AM

9:20 AM

Seeing Red: A Geospatial Analysis of IUCN Red List Biodiversity Trends

Brit Garner, University of Montana, Missoula

9:20 AM - 9:40 AM

9:40 AM

ASCTs could prove to be a useful therapeutic target for neuropsychological disorders

Jill Farnsworth

9:40 AM - 10:00 AM

Amino acids are pivotal to our health and it’s no surprise that dysregulation of these essential biomolecules are associated with various disorders. We propose that manipulation of a certain amino acid, D-serine, has potential to treat learning and memory disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and schizophrenia. These disorders are associated with aberrant activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and D-serine is important in their regulation. In order to further investigate the potential of D-serine as a therapeutic target, we have developed and patented (US patent 20130065935) a compound that acts to regulate levels of D-serine. This compound could prove to be a novel therapeutic target to treat neuropsychological disorders.

10:00 AM

Investigation of a mitochondrial DNA:RNA hybrid quadruplex structure as a novel anticancer target

Sascha Stump, University of Montana - Missoula

10:00 AM - 10:20 AM

10:20 AM

Sport Related Concussion Knowledge in Youth Female Soccer Athletes and Their Parents

Seth Lindauer, University of Montana - Missoula

10:20 AM - 10:40 AM

10:40 AM

Modeling the effectiveness of a cocooning strategy in the presence of an ineffective pertussis vaccine

Cody Palmer, University of Montana, Missoula

10:40 AM - 11:00 AM

1:00 PM

Locating the Nez Perce Trail in Carbon County, Montana

Amy M. Miller, University of Montana, Missoula

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM

The Nez Perce National Historic Trail (NPNHT), used by Chief Joseph and “Non-Treaty Nez Perce” during the Nez Perce War of 1877, reaches from Wallowa Lake, Oregon to the Canadian border near Chinook, Montana. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Billings, Montana Field Office, the University of Montana (UM), and the Montana State University-Billings (MSU-B) surveyed a region where the Nez Perce Trail passed through lands that are currently managed by BLM’s Billings Field Office. This presentation will focus on the methods used to locate this section of the NPNHT and the outcomes of the findings. Fieldwork included pedestrian survey of the area believed to be the trail corridor, along with landscape analysis of possible corridor routes. Sections of the trail were photodocumented and described as well as documented using handheld GPS units, with coordinates entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS). Extensive archival work at the Nez Perce National Historical Park and the Tribes Archives was also done before and after the fieldwork. The Archivist at the Nez Perce National Historical Park directed me to focus on research material that Jerome Greene had compiled over the years for his book The U.S. Army and the Nee-Mee-Poo Crisis of 1877: Historic Sites Associated with the Nez Perce War since most of it was primary and secondary information from both Nez Perce and the military. As we know from the cultural heritage of the Nez Perce people, the story associated with the NPNHT is powerful, and being able to document archaeological traces of the route and/or sites along the route will continue to establish connections to places associated with the history of this event. Even if the sites cannot be identified, this thesis will present the history of one portion of the NPNHT and will underscore why the route is still important as a series of places with cultural and historical significance that transcend physical remains.

1:20 PM

Examining the Feasibility of a Rural School-Family Initiative

Heather M. Halko, University of Montana - Missoula

1:20 PM - 1:40 PM

1:40 PM

Understanding Causes for the Structural Expansion of Housepit 54 at the Bridge River Village, British Columbia: Demographic Growth or Social Signaling

Sarah Nowell, University of Montana, Missoula

1:40 PM - 2:00 PM

2:00 PM

The Next Billion: Lessons in Off-Grid Electricity Development from the Global South

Peter McDonough, University of Montana, Missoula

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM

Today about a third of the world’s population has no access to electricity, and another third has only limited access. Driven by the push for development on one hand and the reality of climate change on the other, a combination of for-profit companies, NGOs, missions, and aid organizations is looking for the silver bullet to sustainable electricity development. In order to understand the challenges facing off-grid electricity projects I used recent literature, stakeholder interviews, and on-site observations to create case studies in Nepal and India. Each explores and classifies the methods of electrification to date, the challenges facing each method, and the national context of a specific site in each country.

This presentation will discuss two seemingly comparable rural electrification case studies across the India-Nepal border. Though they appear similar, economic, cultural, technological, and political considerations make the two scenarios impossible to reconcile under the same theory of electrification. Finally, I will address questions raised by these case studies about the role of off-grid electricity globally. Ultimately the issue may not be one of silver bullets, but of the advantages of diversity in development needs and techniques in a rapidly changing energy climate.

2:20 PM

Victim's Perspective of Their Role in Unwanted Sexual Experiences When Alcohol is Consumed

Lindsey C. Grove, University of Montana - Missoula

2:20 PM - 2:40 PM

For ages 18 to 25 sexual violence is the only crime that is found to occur more frequently among college students than the same age group not attending college and is at its highest rate during the first year of attendance (Baum & Klaus, 2005). Research has already uncovered increased risk of victimization for young college students, with heavy alcohol consumption (Messman-Moore, Coates, Gaffey, & Johnson, 2008). Although, it is still unknown how alcohol specifically affects the victim’s perception of the experience. With low report rates (40%, Truman & Planty, 2012), and an even lower acknowledgment of crime rate (25%, Cleere & Lynn, 2013) and high rates of alcohol consumption of either the perpetrator or victim prior to SV (50%, Abbey, Ross, McDuffie, & McAuslan, 1996), it is important to understand how influential the voluntary consumption of alcohol is on the perception of the victim in the unwanted sexual experience. Bystanders perceive that the victim has more responsibility when alcohol is involved (Girard & Senn, 2008). Therefore, if victims have similar perceptions they may fail to recognize a crime occurred, be less likely to seek social support, and feel responsibility for the SV. A campus wide Safe Campus Survey was disseminated in the fall of 2014. Logistic regression and Chi-Square Test for Association were utilized to test the relationships between the victim’s perception of intoxication on their likelihood to tell someone about the assault, feelings of responsibility, perception of a crime occurring, and shame/embarrassment or guilt. Significant associations were found with feelings of responsibility and perception of a crime, with and without the control for physical force. Future directions and limitations are discussed.

2:40 PM

Determining pitfalls in mental health care delivery for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals

Hillary Gleason, University of Montana - Missoula

2:40 PM - 3:00 PM