Background: Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) often experience difficulties expressing their needs and ideas, creating risk for participation challenges. Although many treatments exist, there is still limited research regarding which are best. The Adaptability approach is newly developed and includes elements of two historical approaches. To assess elements, Baker et al. (2018) developed a taxonomy that allows clinicians to compare them systematically. To ensure these elements are applied as intended, treatment fidelity, meaning how well clinicians follow treatment protocols, is essential in ensuring accurate and consistent treatment.

Purpose: The current study seeks to answer: What are the similarities and differences across three treatment approaches?  Was the Adaptability approach administered as intended with treatment fidelity?

Method: Part 1: Three treatment approaches were compared and contrasted using Baker et al.’s (2018) taxonomy of elements for speech treatment.  Part 2: Preschool-aged children with SSD participated in intensive group treatment using the Adaptability approach. Speech therapy occurred 2.5 hours per day on weekdays for three weeks with a different sound target addressed each day. A treatment fidelity checklist was developed and implemented for a sample of sessions to evaluate therapy implementation.

Results: Treatment comparisons are presented, and treatment fidelity results and clinical implications are discussed.

Significance: Understanding intervention elements helps clinicians modify treatment to meet each client’s needs. Comparing these elements across approaches supports choosing the most effective method for children with SSD. Fidelity checklists also help clinicians implement elements accurately to strengthen validity, increasing client success.

My project is focused on the history of the University of Montana Woodsman Team. I have been a competitor on the Team for three years and throughout that time I have heard murmurs of our history but have never seen any in-depth information about our existence at the school. My goal with this project is to create an easily accessible way for current team members and alumni to learn about the Woodsman Team’s place on campus as well as in the Missoula and greater timbersports community. The outcome of this project will be a short book that includes sections on the Association of Western Forestry Clubs (AWFC), the events we compete in, and timbersports in general. The information included in the text will be gathered from online sources, the Mansfield Archives, newspaper articles, AWFC documents, and personal correspondences to include informative write-ups, personal anecdotes, photographs, and diagrams. The book will focus on the University of Montana’s Team specifically in relation to the overall collegiate and professional world of timbersports and will dive into our role in the formation, development, and growth of the sport as a whole. Ideally, this book will be finished before our home competition, the Missoula Pro-Am, at the end of April. This book will be my love letter to the team that has introduced me to an amazing community of strong and kind competitors, pushed me through adversity, given me lifelong friendships, and helped me make some of my favorite memories.

The Colorado River Basin supplies seven U.S. states, Mexico, and multiple tribal nations, sustaining a significant portion of the American West’s population. Yet accelerating aridification, ecological degradation, and legal fragmentation threaten the basin’s long-term security. This project examines how institutional governance failures pose the most significant threat to the river’s future. My guiding question asks: To what extent do outdated legal frameworks and fragmented governance structures undermine the environmental security of the Colorado River Basin?

Using the Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Assistance Framework (TVAF), I analyze the basin’s current level of security and project conditions over the next decade. Drawing on environmental security theory, I assess how climatic threats interact with institutional rigidity. I evaluate core legal doctrines such as the Prior Appropriation Doctrine and the 1922 Colorado Basin Compact, as well as intergovernmental fragmentation as systemic threats that amplify physical vulnerabilities such as drought, declining snowpack, and aging infrastructure. I argue that governance failure is the basin’s central security risk because it constrains adaptive capacity and narrows policy options in the face of worsening climate stress. Without significant reform, such as expanding definitions of “beneficial use,” incorporating Tribal and binational cooperation, and implementing science-based adaptive management, the basin’s overall security will likely decline. This research contributes to environmental security scholarship by demonstrating how legal and institutional structures can exacerbate climate risk. It is significant for policymakers, water managers, and communities whose livelihoods depend on sustainable, cooperative river governance.

Speech-language pathologists strive for patient-centered care, yet clinicians often face limitations when making collaborative decisions with children. Understanding a child’s unique emotional experience is vital for developing effective treatment plans for speech sound disorders; however, traditional assessments rely heavily on the perspectives of parents and teachers. This leaves the child’s internal world largely undiscovered. Our project evaluates the Sound Effects Study Drawing Protocol (SESDP) as a multimodal tool to bridge the gap between external observations and a child’s inner perspective.

We asked: During a drawing task, what developmental milestones and symbolic skills are evident over time for preschool-aged children with a speech sound disorder (SSD)? Our methodology involved administering the SESDP to two boys (ages 3–4) diagnosed with SSD and enrolled in speech treatment. Participants were provided with markers and paper and prompted to, "Draw a picture of you talking to someone." We then applied a modified focal point analysis and emotional labeling to identify recurring communicative themes, developmental milestones, and emotional markers.

The results of the study demonstrated measurable growth in both developmental milestones and symbolic skills across the assessment period. Child 1 showed significant progress, transitioning from drawing only a head to five distinct body parts, alongside a shift from communicative frustration to joy. Similarly, Child 2 exhibited incremental growth in consonant accuracy and question-answering skills while moving from mixed emotions to a positive outlook on communication. Through the use of a drawing protocol, clinicians can build deeper trust and develop more empathetic, individualized treatment plans.

Fentanyl overdose deaths are on the rise from both intentional use and accidental exposure. Our work focuses on identifying additional treatment options to Narcan, an opioid receptor antagonist which reverses overdose effects by receptor competition. One alternative method, that has been approved by the FDA, is the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This therapeutic method works by antibodies binding fentanyl in the bloodstream and preventing it from crossing the blood-brain barrier. Our group has begun identifying mAbs by vaccinating mice with a fentanyl hapten (F1) vaccine adjuvanted with a TLR 7/8 agonist. Vaccination leads to the production of antibodies that are specific to the fentanyl hapten. After vaccination, we isolated F1 specific B cells from lymph nodes of the mice and amplified the cDNA of the cells. Single cell sequencing of these cells allows us to identify, characterize and quantify the potential mAb candidates. To test therapeutic effects of these antibodies, we have midwifed plasmids to contain heavy and light chain constant fragments, used in combination to produce a fully functional antibody. We then cloned the variable regions from our selected sequences into each plasmid and transfected these into human 293F cells. After secretion and purification, antibodies are evaluated for F1 binding by Biolayer Interferometry. Samples with the highest measured affinity/avidity will be tested for efficacy against fentanyl using a challenge study in mice.

α,α-trehalose is a naturally occurring molecule comprised of two glucose molecules linked together, is biologically active. Immunomodulatory compounds have used α,α-trehalose as a core structure to activate an immune response in proteins such as the Macrophate-Inducible C-type Lectin receptor. Activation of this receptor is hypothesized to occur through ligand-induced oligomerization, driven by small-molecule (pathogen-derived or endogenous) aggregation and self-assembly. However, this has not been fully investigated. This work set out to evaluate reported α,α-trehalose crystal structures from the Cambridge Crystal Structure Database. We evaluated 41 different α,α-trehalose supramolecular structures, understanding their application and categorizing their self-assembly through hydrogen bonding and other intramolecular forces. Our overall goal is to establish design principles for future molecules, thereby tuning its properties for pharmaceutical applications and immunological outcomes.

Ava Lamers, Keiana Griggs, Ronald E Michalak, Amanda Alfaro-Chaverri, Mariam Rojas-Ledezma, Kenzie Williams, Alejandro M Rosales, Brent C Ruby, Dustin R Slivka, and John C Quindry

The current study analyzes select circulating blood biomarkers collected from females and males in a thermoregulatory heat acclimation protocol designed to simulate occupational work environments. Females and males (n=30 each) were randomly assigned into sub-groups (n=15 each) that performed 7 consecutive days of either sustained (90 minutes) or intermittent (3x30 minutes, 3-hour separation) low-to-moderate-intensity exercise in a hot laboratory-controlled environment (38°C, 60% RH). Biomarker assays quantified 46 selected cytokines from blood samples drawn on days 1 and 7, Pre- and Post the first 30 minutes of exercise. Statistically significant results for Interleukin (IL)-15, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1ra, and IL-10 were observed and compared with existing literature. Overall, other than isolated changes in a handful of cytokines, no clear pattern of inflammation was observed from the biomarkers examined. Although one sex-based difference was observed, overall findings provide limited evidence of meaningful differences in the five biomarker responses between females and males in low-to-moderate exercise in a heat-stress environment. Given the limited research on females in physiologically demanding occupations, sex-specific inflammatory responses to occupational work stress remain poorly understood relative to males.

As scholars and democratic observers warn of democratic backsliding and authoritarian governance in the United States, one leading explanation is that historical and enduring racial hierarchies shape racial attitudes that influence democratic support. The need to precisely measure support for democratic ideals and institutions has become critical to understand the precise influences currently causing the backsliding here and around the globe. Building on recent scholarly elucidations distinguishing abstract from concrete democracy, this study uses the 2024 ANES study to examine the relationship between various racial attitudes and support for abstract and concrete democracy separately. I also examine interactions between racial attitudes and political beliefs. Findings show that racial resentment and white identity do not predict support for abstract democracy, while white identity predicts support for concrete democracy. Racial attitudes do not substantively explain partisan differences in support for specific democracy, however, despite right-wing ideology moderating the effect of racial attitudes. Conservative Republicans are less supportive of specific democracy, but their lower support is not strongly influenced by racial attitudes. Conversely, racial attitudes are especially influential for liberal democrats. These results are salient as previous studies have found support for authoritarian governance on the conservative side of political ideological spectrum.

A Distributed IoT Cyber-Physical System for Non-Invasive Acoustic Mineral Extraction via Z-Scanning Phased Arrays

Abstract: Traditional placer mineral extraction relies on energy demanding mechanical mobilization and high-water usage. This research introduces a novel Cyber-Physical System (CPS) that achieves non-invasive vertical migration of high-density within non-Newtonian slurries using low power usage for targeted depths. Unlike conventional vibration which induces segregation (sinking), this system utilizes a floating, waterproof phased acoustic array to generate a Z-Scanning Helical Wavefront carrying Orbital Angular Momentum. This acoustic vortex, in concert with Time-Reversed Acoustics (TRA), creates a "telescoping funnel" logic that entraps particles via centripetal force while simultaneously reducing the medium’s yield stress through 30-48kHz ultrasonic cavitation.

Importantly, this physical process is governed by robust Industrial IoT architecture. Because the rheological properties of field mud are variable and unknown, the system employs an Edge-to-Cloud control loop. A Raspberry Pi 4 Edge Gateway performs sensor integration—correlating mechanical shear wave propagation (via accelerometers) with acoustic cavitation signatures (via piezoelectric microphones)—to execute a local reinforcement learning algorithm. This agent autonomously tunes the phased array’s frequency chirp (40Hz–120Hz) to match the localized resonant frequency of the medium in real-time.

Telemetry data, vibration, and cavitation efficiency, is streamed to a Google Firebase cloud backend, enabling remote "Digital Twin" visualization and command injection. This research demonstrates that by coupling Time-Reversed Acoustics with a cloud-native control software environment, heavy mineral extraction can be transformed from a brute-force mechanical process into a precision, data-driven operation suitable for extensive lab and field-based study.

Documenting Supportive Communication Strategies in PROM Administration for Persons With Aphasia

Tyra Kucinski, Allison Marr, Emilia Waters

Introduction: Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that impairs speaking, listening, writing, and/or reading, with intelligence remaining intact. Aphasia also disrupts mental health, quality of life, and communicative participation. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are standardized questionnaires that allow patients to reflect on their functional health status, providing insight into how persons with aphasia (PWAs) perceive their condition and/or the treatment they are receiving. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently provide a number of supportive communication strategies to ensure accuracy of patient responses on PROMs and remove language impairment as a barrier.

Purpose: To document the range of supportive communication techniques and strategies (i.e., PROM adaptations) used by SLP researchers when they administer PROMs.

Methods: We co-developed a coding scheme of PROM adaptations resulting in three behavioral categories through observing expert clinicians administering PROMs. We then quantified and coded specific clinician behaviors within the established categories during administration to PWAs (n=8) across several PROMs to document the frequency of each.

Results: Findings will include behavioral frequency counts of PROM adaptations. Analysis will be complete at the time of presentation.

Significance: Understanding PROM adaptations allows clinicians to better understand which supports are most effective in increasing patient accessibility to PROMs. More broadly, giving PWAs the appropriate level of language and support allows individuals to accurately report their perspectives. Ultimately, the opportunity for PWAs to accurately report their own health outcomes will improve quality of care, equity, and accessibility across healthcare systems.

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability in adults worldwide. Common treatment approaches for low back pain include chiropractic care, physical therapy, medical care, and educational interventions. Although some randomized controlled trials have compared specific treatments, few studies have synthesized outcomes across multiple treatment approaches to determine relative effectiveness in individuals with chronic low back pain. This study performed a quantitative comparative analysis using aggregated data from published randomized controlled trials. Treatment groups included chiropractic care, physical therapy, medical care, and educational interventions. Outcomes related to disability, pain intensity, and symptom bothersomeness were assessed using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and self-reported bothersomeness measures. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated and weighted by sample size to allow comparison across studies. Across all outcomes, chiropractic care generally demonstrated the largest effect sizes, followed by physical therapy and educational interventions, which also showed moderate to large effect sizes. Medical care consistently demonstrated the smallest effect sizes. For disability outcomes (RMDQ and ODI), effect sizes increased over time for all treatment groups. These findings suggest that active and education-based interventions may be more effective than medical care alone in improving outcomes for individuals with chronic low back pain. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to further inform clinical decision-making.

Human-wildlife conflicts involving large carnivores, such as bears, pose a significant challenge to conservation efforts. As humans encroach into wildlands, expanding overlap with black bear populations, their interactions and conflicts increase. Conflicts are defined as any action by bears resulting in the destruction of property or threatening public safety. Though conflicts continue to rise, it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of different approaches for prioritizing management actions. To address this gap, this study conducted a synthetic review, identifying current approaches being used, the effectiveness of these methods, and which of these may be useful for Montana. Google Scholar was used to search the keywords “methods for conflict minimization for black bears,” for 2010-2025, yielding 17,500 results, with 40 articles that used or tested management methods for black bears. Of these, 15 studies were selected as most relevant. The studies highlight various strategies to reduce the availability of anthropogenic foods and human habituation. These strategies include aversion conditioning, education programs, legal action on waste management, baiting outside of urban areas, hunting, and the installation of electric fencing (during low food availability), or a combination of these strategies. The success of the strategy was evaluated through sightings and/or reports made to authorities via help lines of problem bears. A reduction in calls or reports was assumed to equal a reduction in conflict incidents. The initial results indicate that a combination of management methods, emphasizing prevention rather than reactive measures, may be the most effective strategy to reduce human-bear conflicts.

Evaluating the Cost and Feasibility of ECG-Integrated Cardiac Screening in High School Athletes

Smith, S, Held, T, Godbout, B & Moody, VJ : University of Montana

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young athletes is rare but catastrophic and may not be detected through standard pre-participation physicals, which rely heavily on history and basic examination. This pilot study evaluated the cost and feasibility of integrating resting electrocardiogram (ECG) screening into high school sports physicals.

Thirty high school hockey athletes complete an ECG-enhanced screening consisting of cardiac history, vitals, resting ECG, and physician examination. The average screening time per athlete was 19 minutes using a two-room ECG workflow. Most ECGs were normal (96.7%), and 86.7% of athletes required no follow-up. Targeted follow-up was recommended for 13/3% of athletes due to family history risk, sinus arrhythmia, or blood pressure concerns.

Direct event cost was approximately $246 per athlete for a 30-athlete screening but decreased to ~$148 per athlete when participation exceeded 50 athletes, demonstrating strong economies of scale. Major cost drivers included staffing (ECG technicians and physician oversight), equipment utilization, and facility space. Because abnormal findings were infrequent, downstream referral costs were limited to a small subset of athletes, reducing unnecessary specialty burden. On a per-athlete basis, the cost approaches that of other routine preventive screenings, suggesting financial feasibility when implemented as large, centralized events.

ECG-integrated screening appears operationally feasible, with per-athlete costs decreasing as volume increases. Larger multi-sport evaluations are needed to assess long-term cost-effectiveness and sustainable funding models.

Classical methods to analyze human movement trajectories, typically require a system of cameras to capture the location of anatomical landmarks highlighted by reflective markers. If the equipment is pre-calibrated the per-camera 2-dimensional position data can resolve the 3D location of a joint or body segment. To ensure 1mm levels of accuracy, these systems are labor intensive, suffer from a lack of portability, and are difficult to deploy beyond the laboratory or clinic. Recent techniques of automated image analysis, convert traditional images into a heatmap that locates the human body and then relies on additional learning and contextual information to predict segment locations. This analysis does not require markers, can be fully automated, occur in real-time, and be deployed anywhere. Nonetheless, previous work has found the 3D data obtained with markerless tracking to have low accuracy and high inter-trial variability(Horsak et al. 2024). Based on our laboratory’s experience, we hypothesize the accuracy loss is due to the unconventional reconstruction of the 3D movements rather than the 2D pose estimation. We developed an analysis workflow using the classical direct linear transformation, to evaluate whether 2D pose estimates can reconstruct 3D movement trajectories with an accuracy approaching laboratory equipment. The workflow consists of a wand calibration to determine the DLT coefficients, an open-source pose estimator(RTMpose), a custom signal conditioning algorithm, and the academically validated motion analysis platform DLTdv(Hedrick 2008) for the 3D transform. Seven subjects were simultaneously assessed using our approach and a laboratory grade system to determine the accuracy of the technique.

Introduction. The Miranda warnings are intended to protect individuals' constitutional rights during police interactions, but their effectiveness depends on whether the language is understood. Research suggests that legal vocabulary embedded in these warnings may be inaccessible to many vulnerable groups, including adolescents.

Research Questions. How well do high school students with typical language skills comprehend the legal vocabulary in the Miranda warning? Are MVS scores correlated with language test scores? Are MVS scores correlated with completion of a civics course?

Methods. Thirty high school students completed the Miranda Vocabulary Scale (MVS), a measure in which participants were asked to define 36 key vocabulary words drawn from Miranda warnings. Responses were scored on an ordinal scale with a maximum possible score of 144. Item responses were ranked for frequency distribution. Correlation analyses were performed to examine relationships between MVS scores and language test scores and completion of a civics course.

Results. Results revealed notable gaps in comprehension. While MVS scores positively correlated with language test scores, participants’ scores ranged from 70-125 (M = 97.23, s.d. = 13.36), demonstrating notable gaps in knowledge. There was no statistically significant difference in MVS scores of participants who had /had not completed a civics course. Participants understood words occurring frequently in high-frequency general vocabulary with stable meanings most frequently (e.g., silent, crime). Words that occur infrequently or differ in meaning depending on context were understood least frequently (e.g., indigent, counsel, waive).

Conclusions. Despite having typical language skills, high school students demonstrated significant difficulty understanding legal vocabulary, and completion of a civics course was not found to be a protective factor in Miranda vocabulary knowledge. These comprehension gaps may increase adolescents' vulnerability during police interrogations. Findings underscore the important role of language accessibility in protecting young people's constitutional rights during legal interactions.

Conifers use oleoresin, produced and stored in a network of resin ducts, as a primary source of defense against insects and pathogens. Analyses have shown that trees with a greater number, size, or total area of resin ducts are more likely to resist or survive insect attacks. Fuel reduction treatments, primarily done with the intention of suppressing the likelihood of high-severity fire and restoring fire-adapted landscapes, can increase the availability of limiting resources to residual trees by reducing competition. In ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), increases in resource availability have been associated with an increased production of larger or more abundant resin ducts. How different fuel treatments affect resin duct production is poorly understood, and a better understanding would be useful to influence management decisions to improve resilience to insect attack. To analyze the impacts of fuel treatments on resin production, increment cores with visible resin ducts embedded in annual xylem rings were taken from 36 ponderosa pines involved in the Fire and Fire-Surrogate (FFS) study at Lubrecht Experimental Forest. The FFS study applies three different fuel treatments: thinning, burning, and thinning followed by burning, and compares them to an untreated control. The abundance and area of annually produced resin ducts were measured from 1990-2025, encompassing the treatments which occurred twice, in 2001-2002, and in 2023-2024. Dendrochronological records allow changes in resin duct production to be measured and associated with treatment. Trees in the Thinned and Burned plots showed the greatest post-treatments level of resin duct production.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder that affects diverse populations across the United States. First-line treatments, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and psychotherapy, are often only partially effective. Although novel therapeutic strategies are emerging, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying both PTSD and its treatment remain poorly understood. To advance the development of more effective interventions, it is essential to define the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms that govern traumatic memory storage. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a critical role in fear learning and memory. However, how specific neuronal populations, particularly interneurons, are altered by fear learning remains unclear. To determine whether fear memory encoding recruits mPFC somatostatin (SST) interneurons, we used immunohistochemistry to quantify c-Fos expression in SST-positive cells 24 hours after cued fear conditioning. Fear-conditioned mice exhibited increased colocalization of SST interneurons with c-Fos, indicating enhanced activation of mPFC SST cells following fear learning. In addition to increased activity, mPFC SST interneurons displayed greater dendritic spine density and a higher proportion of mature, mushroom-shaped spines compared to controls, suggesting that fear learning strengthens excitatory synaptic input onto these cells. Notably, mPFC SST interneurons express GluN3A-containing NMDA receptors, which are implicated in dendritic spine development and synaptic plasticity. Prior studies have shown that GluN3A knockout mice exhibit impairments in fear extinction, implicating GluN3A signaling in the regulation of fear-related circuitry. Together, these findings suggest that GluN3A expression in mPFC SST interneurons may contribute to the synaptic and circuit adaptations that support fear learning and extinction.

Prescribed fires are deliberately conducted to reduce hazardous fuel loads, mitigate wildfire risk, and sustain ecosystem function. Their operational effectiveness, however, is limited by sparse real-time environmental sensing, inadequate situational awareness, and latency in decision support, factors that impede accurate forecasting of fire spread, smoke emissions, and associated safety hazards. This project proposes developing a prototype Internet-of-Things platform, FireFly, that addresses these limitations through distributed, multimodal sensing and on-device machine-learning inference. The system will deploy low-power sensor nodes measuring wind direction and speed, soil moisture, air quality, temperature, and humidity during controlled burns. Each node integrates an edge-computing unit capable of local classification without reliance on continuous internet connectivity, enabling reliable operation at remote burn sites.

Using the collected environmental data, FireFly will classify burn states: firelines, hotspots, and smoke dispersion patterns, in real time to improve operational responsiveness and support adaptive coordination of aerial and ground robotic assets. The prototype will be evaluated during controlled burn exercises (e.g., campus burn laboratory or smokejumper training facility), emphasizing sensing fidelity, communication reliability, and inference robustness. The resulting dataset and models will advance our IoT field of study applied in wildfire research by characterizing fire behavior under known environmental conditions and quantifying environmental dynamics throughout prescribed burn operations.

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a major and diverse group of membrane receptors, are responsible for transducing extracellular signals (ligands) to activate intracellular metabolic pathways. In fact, over a third of FDA approved drugs target GPCRs. Research on GPCR activity contributes significantly to pharmacology and medicine. Signal transduction results in a conformational change activating guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) by exchanging GDP for GTP. G proteins form heterotrimers consisting of alpha (𝜶), beta (β), and gamma (γ) subunits. From a Gαi specific nanobody (~15 kDa), we have derived 3 megabody constructs ranging in molecular weight from ~55-100 kDa. Megabodies are protein scaffolds containing a grafted nanobody, increasing their molecular weight while maintaining affinity and antigen binding specificity. Here we investigate the potential of these megabodies i) to serve as structural scaffolds in protein crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy studies, and ii) to function as large molecular weight Gαi folding chaperones. Towards those aims, we complex megabody CA15960 with ΔN31G⍺i to conduct crystallization screens for macromolecular x-ray structure determination and prepare samples for cryogenic electron microscopy experiments.

Due to the physical nature of the sport of hockey, head contacts are a common occurrence in games and practice alike. Youth athletes that are exposed to repeated head contact may be at risk for both acute conditions as well as neurological health conditions as they age. The purpose of this study was to identify head contacts and examine patterns and trends seen in those contacts in a population of 9–12-year-old youth hockey athletes during both game and practice. While checking is not allowed at these age groups, the physical aspect of hockey, still generates head contact exposures at a young age.

To record incidences of head contact we observed 10 practice and 10 games and logged statistics such as player activity, mechanism of contact, zone where contact occurred, and location of hit on players’ head. This data was then examined to identify common risks.

During these 20 events, athletes faced 440 exposures. Out of those 440 exposures we noted 39 incidences of head contact, resulting in a ratio of .08 head contacts/exposure. Out of 39 head contacts, we were able to identify that 44% occurred in zone 5 (in front of the net) and 36% occurred in zone 1 (by the boards). The most common mechanisms of head contact were both head hitting the ice and players taking a puck to the head, with 23% each. The most common player activities when head contact occurred was skating the puck (51%) and defending the puck (39%). 56% of contact occurred In the frontal region of the head.

Identifying and examining the incidence of head contact in youth hockey players can lead to changes in player behavior and rules that allow for a safer hockey experience without changing the physical aspect of the game. Finding a way to limit head contact in youth hockey, will help youth athletes avoid both acute and chronic health problems as a result of head contact exposure.

Ecological restoration aims to restore degraded ecosystems to the condition they would have been in had degradation not occurred. A critical component of ecosystems is microbial communities, which regulate ecosystem functions such as respiration, nutrient cycling, and decomposition. Unfortunately, microbial communities can be easily overlooked in ecological restoration due to their small size and the need for specialized technical knowledge and equipment to investigate them. I conducted a systematic review of articles published in the journal Restoration Ecology between 1997 and 2022 to assess temporal trends in the frequency of articles on microbial communities and specific taxa. Mycorrhizae fungi were the most commonly studied taxa (47% of taxa-specific articles). A total of 164 Restoration Ecology articles focused on microbes, representing 4% of total publications, with no substantial variation over time. Fifteen articles were randomly sampled to assess restoration effects on microbes and their use as restoration interventions. The majority (60%) of articles assessed restoration impacts on microbes, while 33% explored microbes as a restoration intervention. Articles that assessed effects of treatments on microbes often quantified abundance, activity, and species richness, the most common outcome was an increase in all categories, though some were observed to be non-significant or decrease. This stocktaking of existing restoration ecology research, and the effects of restoration treatments, highlights that knowledge on microbes is limited, suggesting a critical need for additional research to improve restoration quality.

Author: Fiona Morrow

Conference: 2026 UMCUR

Title: Investigation of Guanine Exchange by Ric8A for Gα_i

Abstract: Ric8 is a chaperone protein for the Gα subunit of the G protein coupled receptor, the most common and diverse membrane receptor group in eukaryotic cells. Signal transduction across the cell membrane uses the G protein complex, with an integral G protein that spans the entire membrane and 3 bound subunits on the interior side of the membrane. When a ligand binds on the GPCR, the 3 interior subunits dissociate and carry the signal to the next step of the cascade; this dissociation is predicated by a nucleotide exchange on the Gα subunit, which has a GDP bound when inactive (associated) and GTP bound when active (dissociated). The Gα subunit has an intrinsic ability to exchange GDP for GTP, but the Ric8 chaperone protein greatly increases the rate of nucleotide exchange. The purpose of this project was to identify potential Gα binding sites on the Ric8 protein and assess the nucleotide exchange behavior of different Ric8 mutants. The mutants created for these assays targeted specific potentially catalytic amino acids based off the structure of Ric8 bound to Gα, and catalytic activity was measured for each using fluorescence spectroscopy. By comparing the reaction rate for each Ric8 mutant to the reaction rate of wild type Ric 8 and the intrinsic reaction rate of Gα, the effect of mutating each amino acid residue can be compared to normal function for both proteins.

Using new JWST MIRI images, we constrain the mass of dust around SN 2011ja long after explosion. SN 2011ja is a Type IIP core-collapse supernova (CCSN) in galaxy NGC 4945. The SN is difficult to identify in the MIRI images, so we apply an alignment routine which matches bright stars between MIRI and Spitzer images to locate the correct point source. Dust masses for SN 2011ja have previously been estimated at 105, 486, 637, 857, 881, 1007, and 1332 days post-explosion. These new MIRI images were taken at day 4241. We perform PSF photometry and fit analytical dust models to the spectral energy distribution. These models indicate a high cold dust mass, ∼0.13 solar masses, which suggests continued dust generation long after explosion for this object. This new late-time dust mass for SN 2011ja is consistent with dust mass measurements for objects like SN 1980k, SN 1987a, and SN 1995n at similar times post-explosion. These objects all show higher dust masses decades past their explosion dates. With this new measurement, SN 2011ja becomes another long-term case study for CCSNe dust production. These objects suggest CCSNe could be the producers of the presently unexplained large dust masses in high redshift galaxies.

Macrophage Inducible C-Type Lectin receptor (Mincle) is a pattern recognition receptor on myeloid cells, which modulates the immune system by recognizing small molecules that activate the signaling cascade to release inflammatory and immune response mediators. [1] C-type lectin receptors have been known to form higher order structures to produce elevated, coordinated immune responses. However, this has not been fully established experimentally with Mincle and known ligands. [2,3] Stabilized by an extracellular disulfide bond, Mincle in mammalian cells can exist as a preformed dimer. [3] This suggests that activation-induced oligomerization in Mincle could be a ligand-specifying factor in the type and intensity of immune response.

The Chemistry team within the Center for Translational Medicine’s Adjuvant Research Team has identified and synthesized multiple ligands with varying cytokine profiles.  Using Sedimentation Analytical Ultracentrifugation, we seek to probe the dimerization of extracellular domain Mincle in the presence of these ligands. This data will elucidate potential mechanisms of Mincle activation and help guide future ligand formation.

Live imaging of the C. elegans germline in situ enables direct observation of dynamic developmental processes as they occur, which has particular relevance in the study of protein expression and germline stem cell dynamics.

Traditional methods of immobilization are often physiologically taxing on C. elegans. Chemical immobilization via paralytics often compromise worm viability, disrupting the cellular processes we aim to study by sickening them, inducing stress responses. Starvation in particular is a significant limitation as stress signaling is known to directly inhibit GSC division rapidly upon food cessation.

In the Voronina lab, we set out to develop two microfluidics based live imaging systems involving physical immobilization of subjects within channels, one designed for short term imaging without feeding and one capable of continual feeding, allowing for mid to long term imaging.

We developed prototypes of both systems in collaboration with the PROTECH Core and have focused on testing and optimization since. Work is ongoing, but we have seen preliminary success with in situ imaging of the germline utilizing both approaches, particularly in investigating protein expression.

With live imaging capabilities of the germline in situ, these approaches allow for real time, dynamic observation of biological processes and stem cell dynamics within actively developing subjects, providing valuable insights that cannot be produced through traditional static imaging.

Children are increasingly interacting with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to seek information. Yet little is known about how children discern whether to trust AI responses. This study investigates two related questions. First, children prefer to learn from confident over hesitant people, but do they similarly prefer to learn from confident AI? Second, individual differences in children’s attributions of human-like mental states to non-human entities (anthropomorphism) predicts their social conceptions of AI-embedded technologies. Accordingly, are individual differences in anthropomorphism related to their learning from AI?

Child participants (N=64; ages 5-8) viewed videos of AI and human informants answering questions. Across eight trials (four with human informants, four with AI informants), one informant answered confidently and the other answered hesitantly. Children were asked which answer they thought was correct, and rated each informant on their level of confidence, smartness, and likability. Participants also completed the Individual Differences in Anthropomorphism Questionnaire-Child Form (IDAQ-CF).

To address the two research questions, I will analyze (1) children’s learning preferences for the confident or hesitant informants and (2) whether participants’ anthropomorphism scores predict who (or what) they trusted when learning new information. I expect that children with higher anthropomorphism scores will show equal or higher trust in AI as they would in humans when learning new information.

Understanding the link between children’s trust and AI contributes to the real-world challenge of designing safe AI tools for kids. This study offers a new analytic perspective to human vulnerability in trusting AI, and supports more child-aware AI tools.

pH regulation is essential for neuronal excitability as different pH states dramatically affect ion channel function. Considerably less is known about how pH dynamics might shape brain development. Our preliminary data has discovered a novel role for pH regulatory proteins, Na+/H+ Exchangers (Nhe) in neural development. pH regulatory proteins are important for brain development as their human mutations are linked to developmental disorders like Christianson’s syndrome. While humans have 9 of these proteins, Drosophila melanogaster have 3, making them a straightforward model to investigate the subcellular roles of Nhe proteins in brain development. However, it remains unclear where the 3 Nhe proteins localize. Preliminary experiments suggest localization of Nhe2 at the plasma membrane in type II neuroblasts. Building on previously gathered data, I aim to both localize & quantify proliferation of Nhe2 in neuroblasts (type I & II) as well as localize & quantify abundance of Nhe2 during mitosis and interphase. To mark specific neuroblasts lineages, I will be utilizing the UAS/GAL4 system within control or endogenously tagged Nhe2-10x-MYC fly stocks that were generated via CRISPR. Immunohistochemistry will be used to identify cell types and for localization of Nhe2 within neuroblasts. Mammalian homologs of Nhe2 have been shown to localize to the cell cortex to facilitate mitotic cell swelling. To determine if Nhe2 displays a conserved role in cell swelling, I will examine Nhe2 expression of neuroblasts in mitosis identified by Phosphohistone3 (pH3) staining compared to NB in interphase that lack pH3. Additionally, I will measure NB volume at these stages to link NB localization to cell size. I hypothesize that Nhe2 will localize primarily to the plasma membrane of both type I & II neuroblasts during mitosis to facilitate mitotic cell swelling but be internalized during interphase (pH3- NB). Data collection is ongoing, with project completion projected in early April. Understanding mechanisms of pH regulatory proteins during neural development may help further elucidate how cells shift pH to facilitate developmental signaling and cell behavior. In addition, this work will resolve the relationship between disordered pH and developmental disorders such as Christianson’s syndrome & Parkinson’s, helping aid future research for a cure.

Purpose:

Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) is the primary drug-metabolizing enzyme for most proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), commonly prescribed for gastrointestinal disorders such as heartburn. Guidelines developed by the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) indicate that genetic variants in CYP2C19 may influence PPI response and the likelihood of side effects, and they provide drug and dose recommendations. We systematically evaluated PPI prescribing patterns in Montana’s patient population to inform implementation strategies for pharmacogenetic (PGx)-guided PPI therapy.

Methods:

We analyzed the electronic data from the health information exchange, Big Sky Care Connect, of 1.15 million Montanans between 2017 to 2024. We identified individuals prescribed PPIs with CPIC Level A and B guidelines (e.g., omeprazole, pantoprazole). We quantified the number of participants on PPIs, described PPIs prescribed, and how prescription patterns align across demographic groups (e.g., age, sex, ancestry, ethnicity, and diagnosis).

Main Findings and Significance:

Among 205,345 adults in Montana, 44,930 (21.9%) were prescribed a PPI. Of those, 44,887 (99.9%) were prescribed PPIs with CPIC guidelines, indicating that nearly all PPI users in Montana could potentially benefit from CYP2C19-guided therapy. Of patients on PPIs, 61.8% were female, 60.9% were of European ancestry, and 14.1% were of American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry. Because PPIs are widely prescribed and often used long-term, we can reduce adverse effects and improve symptom control through PGx-guided prescribing. By pinpointing demographic subpopulations with a higher likelihood of benefit from PGx, we aim to support the strategic integration of precision medicine approaches into routine clinical practice across Montana.

Increasing global temperatures and drought severity place trees at a higher risk of wildfires and water stress. While fuel management treatments were initially designed for wildfire mitigation, they may also promote drought resistance by altering growth strategies. I evaluated the impact of mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, and a combined treatment on the hydraulic growth characteristics of ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) at the University of Montana’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest. Increment cores display a tree's rings, which are composed of annual earlywood and latewood layers that reflect their growth strategy in response to seasonal resource availability. Earlywood cell structure favors rapid growth, but allows for greater risk of cavitation. In contrast, latewood cell structure prioritizes smaller vessel sizes as a strategy to continue growth, but reduce drought-induced cavitation. I used earlywood and latewood radial growth measurements and their response to Basal Area Increment (BAI) to analyze water allocation. Thinned treatments significantly increased total growth relative to the Burn-Only and Control groups. Most notably, BAI was the overwhelming driver of earlywood and latewood variations, rather than the direct effect of treatment alone. The Thin and Burn treatments increased overall tree growth and the proportion of latewood. This suggests that ponderosa pines are reducing cavitation risk, buffering against negative drought effects and lowering mortality potential. This study informs forest managers of effective strategies to create forest stands better suited to withstand water stress.

Trade-offs between offspring quantity and quality are fundamental to life-history variation among species and may lead to fitness variation within populations of organisms. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between clutch size and egg volume in black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) geese while controlling for age and quality of the parents to accurately gauge this relationship. Research on a brant population breeding at the Tutakoke River, Alaska, began in 1984, resulting in a dataset spanning >40 years. In 2025, I spent three months in Alaska contributing to the data collection for this long-term study. I assisted with nest monitoring, egg measurements, web tagging goslings, and banding of adult and juvenile Brant. In collaboration with Professor Thomas Riecke, I am analyzing patterns in this dataset over the last 30 years to determine whether there is a relationship between clutch size and egg volume. Given the potential for fluctuations in environmental conditions and the increasing competition for resources in the breeding grounds, I hypothesize that there will be a negative relationship between clutch size and egg volume. By expanding our understanding of the factors that influence reproductive success in this species, this study will contribute to broader efforts to conserve Black Brant populations and improve our understanding of trade-offs between offspring quantity and quality.

Wildfires in western United States conifer forests have increased in both frequency and severity due to human-caused climate change, with important but poorly constrained implications for carbon (C) cycling in these ecosystems. The largest pool of ecosystem C in forests is belowground, though much of it is insulated against direct combustion from fire. Therefore, understanding how changing wildfire regimes influence ecosystem C requires not only quantifying soil C pools to capture direct effects but also evaluate the indirect and legacy effects of fire on C cycling, including changes in microbial C processing.

To evaluate the direct and indirect fire effects, we collected mineral soil samples and intact soil cores from both burned and unburned plots across a gradient of fire return intervals (FRI) 14, 23, and >100 years between fires, and time since last fire (TSF) of three and 15 years in western Montana subalpine lodgepole forests. In a coupled lab experiment, we examined soil microbial respiration after wetting. All soils displayed similarly low background carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux prior to rewetting; however, rewetting revealed a strong TSF response, with microbial respiration 2.6 times lower three years after fire compared to 15. In contrast, mineral soil C were unaffected by TSF, but declined under shortened FRI. Unburned plots had 68% more C in the top 10 cm of mineral soil than the short FRI. Together, these results indicate that fire recency suppress short term microbial processing of C, whereas repeated burning reduces soil C storage over longer timescales.

Since its passage, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has held the unofficial title of the strongest law for environmental protections. This Act, passed in 1973, contains powerful language, with one word standing out among them all: "take" found in section 9. Section 16 U.S.C. § 1532(19) defines take as "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct." The definition of harm has been interpreted in different ways over the years, with some interpretations granting it more power and others limiting it. A particular point of contention within the definition of harm is the inclusion, or rather exclusion, of significant habitat modification or degradation. This research will examine the meaning of “harm” guided by the question: How has the definition of harm under section 9 of the ESA expanded, contracted, and been contested over time? Covering the history of Section 9 and its litigation will allow us to assess the potential impacts resulting from the new Section 9 regulations under the Trump administration. The timeline will be informed by pertinent agency actions and the court case(s) that analyzed agency interpretations. This research will simplify the history of this important language and provide scope and understanding of past and present management decisions, ultimately creating an easily referenceable tool for those who may not be familiar with the ESA but need a base understanding of the subject matter.

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is a New World RNA virus within the family of Hantiviridae found primarily in North America. SNV is a zoonotic pathogen, causing unapparent disease in its deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) reservoir host, but inducing Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a respiratory infection of pulmonary endothelial cells, in its human hosts. The virus is transmitted primarily through aerosolized rodent excreta.

Previous studies of the SNV genome has identified the virus as a negative-sense single-stranded RNA pathogen: its segmented genome consists of RNA that is the reverse complement of the mRNA needed to make proteins. The -ssRNA genome consists of an S, M, and L segment important for reassortment and viral evolution. This capstone project analyzes the microevolution of Sin Nombre virus using PCR probe matching informed by prior genomic work conducted in the Luis Lab.

Initial screening was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to detect Sin Nombre virus antibodies in P. maniculatus blood samples. Confirmatory PCR targeting the M segment will be performed to verify the presence of viral RNA in two seropositive samples from each P. maniculatus capture site. To assess microevolution of the viral genome, PCR will then be performed using S segment primers developed in a previous study conducted five years ago that correspond closely to the original probe locations. Consistent amplification would suggest conservation of the S-segment target region, while lack of amplification may indicate sequence divergence consistent with viral microevolution.

This study evaluates genetic conservation or divergence in a key region of the SNV genome, contributing to fields of virology and disease ecology in understanding how Sin Nombre virus evolves over time in its natural reservoir host. Because SNV is a segmented negative-sense RNA virus, small genetic changes can influence viral transmission, reassortment, and interactions with host immune systems. This work therefore adds to broader efforts in wildlife disease ecology to understand how zoonotic viruses persist and diversify.

Rangelands provide critical ecosystem services for societies across the globe, yet land use changes, climate change, and invasive species are causing large-scale rangeland degradation. To maintain effective rangeland ecosystem function, it is critical we understand the comprehensive ecological dynamics of these systems. One crucial ecological variable that is often overlooked is the soil seed bank, which is otherwise defined as the community of germinable seeds stored in the soil of a given system. Many ecological studies and models leave out soil seed bank communities, despite their undeniable importance in rangeland ecosystems, and instead only consider the aboveground vegetation community. In the studies that have considered the soil seed bank, land management history and soil depth have had their own respective impacts on soil seed bank density and diversity, but few have combined the two aspects. By combining these two questions of how soil seed banks differ across land use histories and associated soil depths, we gain an understanding of how land management strategies may lead soil seed banks to diverge from the typical model of seed density and diversity in relation to depth. My proposed study will take place in a grassland ecosystem south of Missoula, Montana, consisting of two differing land management history sites and between two different soil depths. I hypothesize that the more heavily managed site will have a more homogenous, and less diverse soil seed bank between soil depths as compared to the un-managed site due to the complex land-use history of this site.

Microhabitat selection by small ectotherms often involves trade-offs between accommodating the thermoregulatory needs of the organism and minimizing predation. Sunny microhabitats are often used as basking sites by small ectotherms. However, sunlight may also increase chromatic contrast between the animal and its substrate, thereby increasing visibility to potential predators. To counter this increased exposure, small ectotherms may develop means to remain hidden in sunny areas or achieving suitable body temperatures while in shaded areas. We collected data on substrate temperature, light conditions, observation time, and behavior (active vs stationary) between two sympatric garter snake species with contrasting dorsal colorations (Thamnophis elegans and Thamnophis sirtalis) in western Montana (USA). We observed the darker T. sirtalis more frequently in shaded areas and later in the day than the lighter T. elegans. However, substrate temperature at time of observation did not differ between the two species. We suspect T. elegans’ lighter coloration allows them to utilize sunny areas earlier in the day while decreasing interactions with T. sirtalis and remaining concealed to predators. In contrast, dark coloration on T. sirtalis may result in greater chromatic contrast with its substrate during sunny conditions. Consequently, T. sirtalis activity may be constrained to times of day when shaded areas provide both a means of crypsis and adequate thermoregulation.

Fluoxetine, a common antidepressant, often ends up in rivers and lakes, exposing aquatic life to the drug. This study examined the effects of fluoxetine on Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) at levels found in the environment. Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that blocks the presynaptic reuptake transporter and increases endogenous signaling postsynaptically (Coreia, et al 2022). When Betta splendens absorb fluoxetine, it interacts with more than 90% homologous receptors in fish. This matters because it acts as a pollutant in aquatic environments, threatening fitness, reproduction, changes to their nervous system, and ultimately their behavior. When exposed to fluoxetine, freshwater fish: explored more, froze less, were less aggressive, and showed changes in social and mating behaviors. Gene activity was also altered, including genes linked to serotonin, dopamine, stress, detoxification; however, circadian rhythm of these behavioral and hormonal fluctuations has yet to be correlated with exposure levels (Prokkola & Nikinmaa, 2018). There is a lack of studies that have examined the rhythmicity of specific actions after repeated dosing. To address this gap, we examined how fluoxetine affects the frequency of distinct aggressive behaviors in male Betta Splendens (n=20) during a mirror task over twelve days of acute dosing 10µmol vs shame administration. Within this experiment, we are first investigating specific aggressive behaviors to determine if their frequency changes when exposed to fluoxetine.

The University's Grimes Lab researches how Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs) co-express with eachother under experimental conditions, as well as, the protein to protein and pathway to pathway network interactivity based on such expressions. Such research is important for understanding the logic behind cell signaling and plays a decisive role in understanding how gene expression treatments can affect cancer and diseases. In their research, Grimes Lab wrote software using the programming language R to perform such analysis, and collaborated with our lab. We take in an input PTM dataset, such as mass spectrometry data and find relevant PTM groupings using a t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding. Then we combine that output with methods to analyze the implications of such interactions, like the interactions between cell signaling pathways and protein/gene interactions that are related to specific PTMs. Our lab provided a variety of software improvements. This includes guides on how to both install, use, and debug the software. Furthermore, we also optimized the package, updating with modern vectorization techniques. Additionally, we improved overall code stability, adding unit tests and modifying the package directory in order to comply with R's package guidelines. This is for the purpose of eventually submitting our results to a package repository such as bioconductor so users can access our software easily. This project provides a common solution to a large problem in biological data analysis. Many scientists create datasets that are interesting (but massive) as a byproduct of their research, but arrive at a loss as to what they can use it with. This package a free and easy-to-use solution which can provide further analysis on such data.