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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Cultivation and visualization of a methanogen of the phylum Thermoproteota
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-07) Kohtz, Anthony J.; Petrosian, Nikolai; Krukenberg, Viola; Jay, Zackary J.; Pihofer, Martin; Hatzenpichler, Roland
Methane is the second most abundant climate-active gas, and understanding its sources and sinks is an important endeavour in microbiology, biogeochemistry, and climate sciences1,2. For decades, it was thought that methanogenesis, the ability to conserve energy coupled to methane production, was taxonomically restricted to a metabolically specialized group of archaea, the Euryarchaeota1. The discovery of marker genes for anaerobic alkane cycling in metagenome-assembled genomes obtained from diverse habitats has led to the hypothesis that archaeal lineages outside the Euryarchaeota are also involved in methanogenesis3,4,5,6. Here we cultured Candidatus Methanosuratincola verstraetei strain LCB70, a member of the archaeal class Methanomethylicia (formerly Verstraetearchaeota) within the phylum Thermoproteota, from a terrestrial hot spring. Growth experiments combined with activity assays, stable isotope tracing, and genomic and transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that this thermophilic archaeon grows by means of methyl-reducing hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Cryo-electron tomography revealed that Ca. M. verstraetei are coccoid cells with archaella and chemoreceptor arrays, and that they can form intercellular bridges connecting two to three cells with continuous cytoplasm and S-layer. The wide environmental distribution of Ca. M. verstraetei suggests that they might play important and hitherto overlooked roles in carbon cycling within diverse anoxic habitats.
Exploring canyons beneath Devon Ice Cap for sub-glacial drainage using radar and thermodynamic modeling
(Cambridge University Press, 2024-09) Pierce, Chris; Skidmore, Mark; Beem, Lucas; Blankenship, Don; Adams, Ed; Gerekos, Christopher
Sub-glacial canyon features up to 580 m deep between flat terraces were identified beneath Devon Ice Cap during a 2023 radar echo sounding (RES) survey. The largest canyon connects a hypothesized brine network near the Devon Ice Cap summit with the marine-terminating Sverdrup outlet glacier. This canyon represents a probable drainage route for the hypothesized water system. Radar bed reflectivity is consistently 30 dB lower along the canyon floor than on the terraces, contradicting the signature expected for sub-glacial water. We compare these data with backscattering simulations to demonstrate that the reflectivity pattern may be topographically induced. Our simulated results indicated a 10 m wide canal-like water feature is unlikely along the canyon floor, but smaller features may be difficult to detect via RES. We calculated basal temperature profiles using a 2D finite difference method and found the floor may be up to 18°C warmer than the terraces. However, temperatures remain below the pressure melting point, and there is limited evidence that the canyon floor supports a connected drainage system between the DIC summit and Sverdrup Glacier. The terrain beneath Devon Ice Cap demonstrates limitations for RES. Future studies should evaluate additional correction methods near complex terrain, such as RES simulation as we demonstrate here.
The Role of Teacher Education in Improving Digital Literacy: A Pre-Service Teacher Case Study
(New Prairie Press, 2024-10) Taheri, Rana; Pennington, Sarah
Technology is crucial for teaching and learning in the 21st century. However, many pre-service teachers (PSTs) feel unprepared to utilize digital literacy (DL) in their future classes. This study explored PST’s perceptions of their DL knowledge and the perceived impact of their teacher education programs through a qualitative bounded case study method. Participants for this study were three PSTs engaged in a technology integration course at a land grant university in the northwestern US. Participants engaged in recorded one-on-one semi-structured interviews to learn about their perceptions and readiness for DL. The findings indicate that while PSTs were aware of DL, they lacked confidence in their ability to teach it. The study identified four critical themes related to the PSTs' perspectives on DL: concerns, challenges, advantages, and future decisions. The prioritization of DL training in teacher education programs and the reconsideration of engaging technology-related courses by universities and policymakers are recommended.
Cost, Advocacy, and a Mechanism for Transformation: The Proposed Power of Open Access Funds
(American Library Association, 2024-01) Sterman, Leila Belle
As paid open access becomes a mainstream academic practice, stakeholders must evaluate their role in the system. While open access advocates develop new ways to support the publication process and funding structure, commercial publishers continue to pivot to maintain their profit, relevance, and power in the publication system. This article provides the details of Montana State University’s Open Access Author Fund as an evaluation of the service and its impact on the local publishing ecosystem. As stewards of publicly funded knowledge, it is essential to critically analyze each new publishing route before adopting and supporting it. Especially when models claim to transform the system, librarians need to understand how an action changes the system, for whom, and at what cost.
Short Communication: artificially reared ewes cannot be distinguished from natural reared ewes based on observed maternal behavior or lamb weaning weights
(Oxford University Press, 2024-09) Posbergh, Christian J.; Miles, Asha M.; Pettifor, Natasha L.; Thonney, Michael L.
Artificially rearing lambs is an important component of United States sheep production as some flocks select for increasing litter size to boost productivity. However, there is a conception among shepherds that artificially reared ewe lambs will ultimately result in poor mothers since they were not naturally raised. The objective of this study was to determine if differences in maternal behavior could be detected between ewes raised artificially and those raised naturally and if dam rearing type had an impact on lamb growth performance. Forty-eight ewes were enrolled comprised of 4 equal sized groups: artificially reared primiparous, naturally reared primiparous, artificially reared multi-parous, and naturally reared multi-parous. Ewes were observed using remote cameras to record maternal behaviors toward the lambs during and shortly after parturition. Behavior of 29 ewes during the first hour after parturition was analyzed. Independent multivariable regression models were evaluated for: proportion of time spent grooming, proportion of time spent helping the lambs nurse, number of helpful bouts, and the number of negative bouts. No statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was detected between artificially reared and naturally reared ewes for the proportion of time spent grooming and the proportion of time spent helping the lambs nurse. Historical flock data were utilized to evaluate lamb growth between artificially and naturally reared ewes. No detrimental associations between artificially reared ewes and lamb weaning weights were observed. This study shows that artificially reared ewes are no different in terms of mothering behaviors and may be used as potential replacement candidates.