ScholarWorks

ScholarWorks is an open access repository for the capture of the intellectual work of Montana State University (MSU) in support of its teaching, research and service missions. MSU ScholarWorks is a central point of discovery for accessing, collecting, sharing, preserving, and distributing knowledge to the Montana State University community and the world.

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Integrating omics to understand induced metabolic remodeling across biological scales
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2026)
Sather, Brett Thomas
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Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Brian Bothner
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This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.
Mass spectrometry-based omics has emerged as a powerful framework for resolving how biological systems respond to environmental and nutritional perturbations. By enabling simultaneous measurement of thousands of proteins and metabolites, these approaches reveal coordinated molecular networks underlying adaptation, stress response, and metabolic flexibility. This dissertation applies shotgun proteomics and time-resolved metabolomics to characterize dynamic biological responses across microbial and human systems, demonstrating how molecular-level measurements can be translated into mechanistic and physiological insight. In Escherichia coli, shotgun proteomics was used to investigate the regulatory role of ArsR, a transcription factor traditionally classified as a repressor of arsenic resistance genes. Contrary to this canonical view, ArsR was found to coordinate broad activation of metabolic and redox- related proteins, including enzymes involved in amino acid catabolism, central carbon metabolism, and thiol-based redox buffering. This activating role was evident both in the presence and absence of arsenic stress, repositioning ArsR as a pleiotropic regulator with functional influence extending beyond its defined operon. In humans, time-resolved serum metabolomics was applied to a randomized 12-week lentil dietary intervention in adults at elevated cardiometabolic risk. Postprandial responses to a standardized high-fat meal were profiled hourly, capturing the dynamic structure of metabolic change rather than static endpoints. Long-term lentil consumption remodeled the postprandial metabolome, particularly during the early postprandial phase, in a manner consistent with improved lipid handling and metabolic resilience. These findings demonstrate that biological responses to perturbation are not defined by static molecular states, but by coordinated, time dependent network remodeling. Mass spectrometry- based omics provides the resolution necessary to capture these dynamics, establishing a unifying framework for translating molecular change into biological meaning across scales, from microbial adaptation to human metabolic health.
Do mindsets change cognitive processes following assumptions of the selective accessibility model
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2026)
Quinn, Sjon
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Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ian M. Handley
The Selective Accessibility Model proposes that people commonly look at similarities or differences between a target (object they evaluate) and a standard (object to which they compare the target) while making evaluations of a target. The model suggests that people can experience a similarity or dissimilarity mindset that respectively triggers similarity or dissimilarity testing between the target and standard. However, previous research has not specifically tested these hypothesized similarity/dissimilarity testing process. Therefore, the current experiment aimed to test this presumed comparison process. Initially, participants were induced into a mindset that had them look for similarities or differences, then they took a modified change-detection task designed to have them focus on whether a stimulus changed or stayed the same, measuring reaction time, error rates, and response bias. Finally, participants were given 12 different pairs of objects and tasked with indicating the degree to which they were similar or different than one another. The results of this study are currently inconclusive as data from only 22 of the 382 required participants have been collected so far. Despite the lack of data, this paper discusses what the different trends in the data could suggest about the methods of comparative testing and whether it is as automatic (as claimed by the Selective Accessibility Model).
Improvement of colorectal cancer screening in a primary care setting: a quality improvement project
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2026)
Robison, Lauren Jane
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Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Rebecca L. Hoover
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This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Evidence-based screening plays a critical role in early detection and mortality reduction. Despite established guidelines and at-home stool-based screening options, completion rates remain inconsistent. Local Problem: A primary care clinic in southwest Montana identified inconsistent follow-up and documentation of overdue tests, resulting in missed opportunities for screening. No standardized processes for reminder outreach or documentation were in place or consistently utilized prior to the intervention. Methods: This quality improvement (QI) project was conducted over eight weeks using two four-week Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Participants included clinical staff and adult patients with an ordered test during the implementation period (n = 19). Outcome measures included staff education completion, delivery of reminder outreach, utilization of smart-phrase documentation, screening completion, and overall clinic CRC screening rates. Intervention: The intervention included staff education on a revised workflow, structured patient reminder outreach [phone or electronic messaging], and implementation of a standardized smart-phrase for documentation. Results: 100% of the clinical staff participated in the workflow education session. Outreach reminders were delivered to 53% of eligible patients, and smart-phrase documentation was utilized in 60% of applicable charts. Among patients receiving reminders, 70% completed screening, and the clinic's reported CRC screening rate improved from 70% to 76%. Conclusion: Implementation of a structured workflow was associated with improved CRC screening completion rates. Proactive, reminder-based strategies may support preventive screening processes in primary care, highlighting the importance of consistent implementation and team engagement in QI efforts.
Synthesis and reactivity of iron and cobalt complexes in a sulfur-rich coordination environment and organonickel complexes containing n-heterocyclic carbene and cyclopentadienyl ligands
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2026)
O'Neill, Roark Damian
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Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Michael T. Mock
Many metalloenzymes contain first-row transition metals in a sulfur-rich coordination environment. For example, the active sites of nitrogenases and [FeFe]-hydrogenases that are responsible for N 2 reduction to ammonia, and H 2 generation in nature, respectively, consist of multiple iron atoms bound through cysteine sulfur donors, inorganic sulfide ions, and/or CO and CN- ligands. Moreover, some reactions mediated by transition metal ions involve homolysis of metal-carbon bonds and the formation of organic radicals. Using a so-called "synthetic analog" approach, we seek to develop small molecule mimics of enzyme active sites to understand electronic structure, and chemical reactivity, including the identification of catalytic intermediates relevant to the storage and utilization of non-fossil derived energy sources such as H 2 and NH 3. In this work, we examine the coordination chemistry and reactivity of iron and cobalt ligated by the S3- ligand, phenyltris((tert- butylthio)methyl)borate, [PhTt tBu]-. This sterically encumbered ligand often enforces monomeric coordination complexes in a pseudo-tetrahedral coordination geometry while providing metal ions with a sulfur-rich coordination environment. The first portion of this work focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and reactivity of new [PhTt tBu]Fe-alkyl/aryl complexes, and [PhTt tBu]Co-alkyl, thiolato, and anilido compounds. Reactivity studies include carbonylation reactions with CO, and thermally or photochemically promoted M-X (X = C or S) bond cleavage reactions to generate organic radicals. The last portion of this work highlights advances in the synthesis, characterization, and photochemical reactivity of nickel complexes supported by cyclopentadienyl (Cp) and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, i.e. CpNi(NHC)(X) (X = alkyl/aryl, thiolato, and azido ligands). While different in both metal and supporting ligand structure, in some cases the reactivity of the organometallic nickel systems directly mirrors that of the cobalt and iron thioether complexes.
Duree
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2026)
Nedanooru, Anirudh
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Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jennifer Boles
This research investigates the conflict between Western "productive time", a linear, capitalist framework that induces future-oriented anxiety, and the classical Indian philosophical concept of Kala, which approaches time as a cyclical, infinite duration. In Western institutional and economic spaces, time is treated as a scarce resource to be managed, alienating individuals from their lived experience. To challenge this paradigm, this project utilizes the methodology of sensory ethnography, deploying formal cinematic strategies such as "sonic leakage," extreme telephoto compression, and acousmatic tension. By rejecting narrative efficiency and objective explanation, these methods aim to disrupt the anthropocentric gaze and force an embodied, physical reaction to duration. The culmination of this research is Duree, a 10-minute experimental natural history documentary. The film systematically contrasts environments constructed to enforce productive time, such as a watchmaker's workshop and a university library, against spaces of deep duration, including a sound healer's studio and the rugged landscapes of Montana. Through unbroken observations and hyper-specific sound design, layering the mechanical ticking of escapements with the resonance of Tibetan bowls and geological wind, the film treats time as a material substance. Ultimately, Duree concludes that "quiet" is not an empty void, but an active, vibrating presence. By requiring the audience to endure deep time, the project demonstrates that cyclical duration can collapse the perceived distance between internal human rhythms and the eternal natural world, serving as a quiet act of reclamation against the acceleration of modern media.