2013 Abstracts

Breast cancer is the leading cancer killer among women in the state of Utah. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC’s) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Utah has the second lowest mammogram rate in the nation. Mammograms reduce breast cancer mortality rates by increasing early detection of the disease when it is still curable. A quick binary logistic regression of the data completed for this presentation suggests that there at least three factors that are statistically significant for not receiving a mammogram: lack of a health plan, infrequent dentist visits, and age. Some counties including Millard, Summit, Tooele, Sanpete, and Uintah appear to be statistically significant factors. Other counties have low mammography rates, but too little data to be statistically significant including Beaver, Wayne Garfield, Paiute, Daggett, and Rich. By identifying patterns and analyzing correlations between variables, we may begin to understand why Utah women are not taking advantage of early detection in the form of mammography screenings. Our research has the potential to improve the attitude with which the topic of mammography is approached, and in doing so, save lives.

Despite being a problem for more than two decades, malicious software (or malware) remains a serious threat to the information security of organizations. Increasingly, attackers target the computers of end users to gain a beachhead from which the network of a user’s organization can be surveilled and exploited. Given the growing threat of malware to end users and their or- ganizations, there is a need to understand how malware warnings can be made more effective to alert end users of potential threats. We address this need by performing a NeuroIS study to examine whether men and women process malware warnings in the brain differently (or whether men process them at all?). We conducted a laboratory study that employed electroencephalography (EEG), a proven method of measuring neurological activity in temporally sensitive tasks. We found that the amplitude of the P300, an ERP event-related potentialcomponent indicative of decision making ability, was higher for all participants when viewing malware warning screenshots relative to legitimate website shots. Additionally, we found that the P300 was greater for women than for men, indicating that women exhibit higher brain activity than men when viewing malware warnings. Our results demonstrate the value of applying NeuroIS methods to the domain of information security and point to several promising avenues for future research.

Strategies for the Colonel Blotto game common in human play are generalized and compared through computer simulation. Furthermore, a variation on the game where the opponent’s resources are unknown is introduced, and differences between the variation and the classic game are explored with simulations on the common human strategies. Another variation on the scoring of the game is introduced and analyzed through simulations and a partial solution to the Nash equilibria in the two-front case.

We consider a list of properties of isomorphic simple graphs and the use of these properties as quick tests to show nonisomorphic relationships. We compare advantages of tests, and list these in order of efficiency. We consider a nonisomorphic test using cospectral graphs with its drawbacks. And lastly, we observe an algorithmic approach showing two graphs are isomorphic through efficient adjacency matrix reordering techniques.

Significant research in Machine Learning has been directed at the application and implementation of kernel-based learning methods. However, few studies have focused on the problem of kernel construction. This paper introduces a novel method for generating new kernels by solving differential equations for kernel functions. We examine specific kernels generated using this method. These kernels are applied to various data sets and compared against state-of-the-art kernels.

It has long been a goal to achieve higher spatial resolution in optical imaging and spectroscopy. Recently, a concept emerged that merges optical microscopy with scanning probe microscopy, increasing the spatial resolution of optical imaging beyond the diffraction limit. The scanning probe tip’s optical antenna properties and the local near-field coupling between its apex and the sample allows for few nanometer optical spatial resolution (Atkin, Berweger, Jones, and Raschke 2012). We investigate a nano-imaging technique, known as scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and image several different materials using said technique. We report our data and provide potential paths for future work.

Alternative energy sources are becoming more important in today’s society. Algae provide a potential source of fuel that can is currently under study by many in the scientific community. The fats that algae can produce can be used as biofuel. Algae is a good candidate as a biofuel source because it can be grown in many conditions that crops, such as corn, cannot. Certain algae have very high percentages of fat that can be used for biofuel and it can be grown in large quantities. To add to the knowledge of algae and its potential as a fuel source, we have researched the effects of varying light conditions on the algae’s fat production. Working with faculty in the chemistry and microbiology departments at Weber State University, we set up an experiment to discover the effects of different wavelengths of light on fat production in algae. 40 samples of Chlorella Vulgaris were grown in different light environments. Our apparatus separated the algae into 8 different colored lights at 5 different. The intensity of light was quantified to allow us to map the changes. We extracted the fat from these samples using a transesterification method previously used on meat and analyzed them using a gas chromatography method we developed. Currently we are analyzing the correlations between the quantified light data, the mass of algae grown, and the amount of fats present in these samples. We hope to be able to draw conclusions from this data about the effects of varying light wavelengths and intensities on the fat production of algae. From these conclusions, we would be able to contribute to the research of algae as a source of biofuel. We have also approached this project as a way of developing interdisciplinary research here at Weber State University. Our work has not only provided us with data on this project but has also been involved in developing methods for future research by other undergraduates.

The electron transport chain (ETC) is a system within a cell that couples electron transfer between a donor and a receptor. The ETC is made up of several components, specifically: complexes one through four, a coenzyme Q, and a cytochrome complex. Cytochrome C oxidase (CcO), also known as complex IV, uses electrons and H_ ions to reduce molecular oxygen to water. CcO is made up of several subunits or proteins that are responsible for the function of CcO. The creation of CcO involves multiple steps that include many different gene products or proteins. (3) Of these proteins several are from a specific type of family called cysteine-X _-cysteine motifs (twin CX_C). The cysteine residues in the cysteine pairs are each spaced by nine residues. The best characterized protein of this group is Cox17, a copper-binding protein that plays a role in copper transfer to CcO. There are 14 potential proteins that are twin-Cx_C motifs (1). There were four knock out strains that showed resistance when plated on YPD with varying concentrations of hydrogen peroxide: 0.010%, 0.014%, 0.018%, and 0.022%. Strains lacking CMC4, MIC14, MIC17, and PET191 all showed resistance to hydrogen peroxide compared to the parental strain. Strains lacking MDM35 and COX23 showed sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. These result may indicate a tie to impaired or incomplete cytochrome c oxidase assembly.

Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) or complex IV is the terminal component of the electron transport chain. In eukaryotic organisms, CcO is composed of 12-13 subunits. The core of eukaryotic CcO contains three mitochondrially encoded subunits that comprise the catalytic core of the complex and several gene products encoded for by the nucleus (1). Essential to the redox function of CcO are several critical cofactors: two hemes and two copper centers (2). The crystal structure of CcO has led us to several insights about its structural components and catalytic activity (3). However, a large set of nuclear gene products are essential for CcO activity that are not part of the structural machinery of the complex (4,5). These components have been implicated in various stages of CcO assembly including, heme processing and insertion (6), CuA and CuB site delivery and insertion (7), subunit processing and subunit assembly (8,9). Among them are well characterized CcO assembly factors that involve the biogenesis of the CuA and CuB sites in CcO. Sco I, Cox17, Cox 11 and Cox23 are all essential to CcO activity and have properties that appear to be critical to the maturation of the CuA and CuB sites(10-13). Cmc4 appears to be involved in cytochrome c oxidase biogenesis. Peroxide phenotypes have been linked to cytochrome c oxidase assembly (14). Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains lacking CMC4 were found to exhibit peroxide resistance when compared wild type parental stains. Resistance was seen in liquid culture and in media containing glucose and glycerol. These results may indicate that cytochrome c oxidase assembly is altered in CMC4 deletion stains.

The earths ionosphere is very important in our everyday life. During large solar flares the ionosphere expands to the point of disrupting communications from GPS, military, and commercial communications satellites, and even radio blackouts can occur. The EVE instrument on the SDO satellite has given unprecedented spectral resolution for the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) spectrum with a time cadence of 10 seconds. This has made it possible to analyze flare spectra as never before. Using the Time Dependant Ionospheric Model (TDIM) we have input this new spectral data for large solar flares and analyzed the effect on the ionosphere. We take as a test case the X1.6 flare on March 9, 2011. Even this minor X-class provides insight into how the ionospheric layers respond differently to solar flares.

Faraday cups provide a simple and efficient apparatus to measure the absolute magnitude of charge particle fluxes, and with the addition of a retarding field analyzer and defining apertures the capability to determine the energy and angular distributions of the fluxes. Through careful design of the electron optics, a Faraday cup can be tailored to meet specific requirements for detector size, minimum detectable flux, collection efficiency, absolute accuracy, energy discrimination, and angular resolution. This work explores design concepts through electric field and charged particle trajectory simulations, theoretical analysis, and evaluation of experimental prototypes to develop compact, high efficiency Faraday cups capable of a range of energy and angular resolutions. The designs rely on high efficiency Faraday cups coupled with grid-free Einzel lens energy analyzers for nearly energy-independent determination of absolute fluxes. We also review specific designs and applications of these Faraday cup detectors to electron emission and transport studies, spacecraft charging applications, and electron beam characterization measurements done in conjunction with various projects conducted by the Materials Physics Group.

The chemical derivatization of oxide surfaces (silica, alumina, glass) is critical to the development of separation media, sensing surfaces, or biocompatible interfaces. Presently, there are few analytical methods that allow the detection and characterization of functionalized monolayers on these surfaces. Raman scattering spectroscopy can provide useful structural information in the form of vibrational spectra of molecules of interest, and it is compatible with oxide substrates. Raman scattering, however, is a very weak effect so that its application to detecting monolayers is challenging. In this work, two approaches to detecting and characterizing molecular layers on oxide surfaces with Raman spectroscopy are compared. First, gold colloidal nanoparticles are deposited onto the surface of interest, which enhance the Raman scattering near the gold surface by surface-plasmon resonance. This technique is suitable for ex situ analysis of monolayers on planar surfaces. Secondly, monomolecular layers can also be detected by Raman scattering on porous oxide supports such as alumina or silica without any optical enhancement due to the very high surface area of these materials. Detection in porous particles is compatible with in situ monitoring of surface derivatization reactions. These two methods are compared for monitoring of reactions of silane-coupling agents and their subsequent functional group transformations on glass and silica surfaces.

Coal Creek is a perennial stream that runs through Cedar City, Utah and drains into Rush Lake. The basin is a closed basin, meaning that most of the surface water will eventually become ground water, the main source of drinking water for Cedar City. Because of the increase of urbanization of this region in par- ticular, there is a higher probability of pollutants entering the water source and greatly affecting the quality of the drinking water. Most pollutants are characterized as nonpoint source pollution, which is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as, “land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, drainage, seepage or hydrologic modification” and is the leading cause of water quality problems (Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). Common sources of land runoff, as defined by the EPA, include septic waste, lawn and garden fertilizers, improperly disposed chemicals, automobile fluids, vehicle emissions, and road deicers (Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). In order to characterize the pollutants found in samples and determine the concentration of ions of interest, ion chromatography was used. By determining the identity and concentrations of particular ions, the presence of nonpoint pollution, and the source, may be determined. This study may lead to better indications of where major sources of drinking water pollutants are originating, illustrating the effect that urbanization and rapid population growth have on the quality of both surface and ground water. This will allow better characterization of pollutants and pollution sources in the future.

Gold nanostructures exhibit tunable optical properties that depend on a nanomaterial’s composition, shape, and size. These optical properties arise from a phenomenon known as the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which contributes to surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra. SERS enhances detection by up to 9 orders of magnitude vs. normal Raman scattering thereby routinely improving detection limits of target molecules to nM μM concentrations. In this study, gold nanorods, which exhibit tunable LSPR properties from the visible to near-IR regions, were synthesized using a solution phase seed-mediated growth method. LSPR tunability was achieved by varying gold nanorod growth temperature, silver ion concentration, or reducing agent (ascorbic acid) concentration. Systematically varying these parameters yielded gold nanorods with LSPR wavelength maximums ranging from 692 to 763 nm. By increasing the concentration of ascorbic acid from 0.54 mM to 0.63 mM, gold nanorods with an average LSPR wavelength maximum of 755 ± 8 nm were synthesized. Following the synthesis, the gold nanorods were used for the direct and enhanced detection of the anti-cancer drug, 6-mercaptopurine and one of its metabolites, 6-thiouric acid. It was observed that as molecular concentrations were increased signal intensities systematically increased; therefore, the identification and quantification of each molecule individually as well as in a mixture of the molecules in buffer was achieved.

Luminol with its chemiluminescense properties can be used at crime scenes to develop and document bloodstains. By itself, luminol cannot be used because it destroys the blood stain pattern details. Using a fixing agent before applying luminol will chemically fix the detail of the bloodstain, preserving the pattern for analysis. 5-Sulfosalicylic acid (5-SSA) is used as a fixing agent and can be applied to bloodstains before the luminol to adhere the blood to the surface, but it interferes with the luminosity. We investigated the degradation effects of luminol and 5-SSA to develop a better method to use both chemicals together. Blood patterns were placed onto glass, systematically treated with a series of Bluestar (a commercial, luminol-based, blood detection reagent), 5-SSA and/or buffered rinse solutions then, photographed immediately. The luminol intensity was measured by processing digital photographs of the luminescent blood stain through Image J to examine the individual pixels of the photographs. The effect of the treatment on the pattern fastness was measured by making fingerprint impression in blood, and having fingerprint analyst score the treated prints on their second level detail quality. Results will be presented to show if an intermediate rinse between the application of the blood fixing reagent and the application of luminol can mitigate some of the negative effects of this procedure.

Dissonant overtones of closed bottle-shaped thermoacoustic prime movers are discussed. The resonator consists of two concentric cylinders with differing cross-sectional areas, closed at the outer ends. The condition for resonance results in a transcendental equation, which is solved numerically. The neck and cavity behave as coupled resonators, where the neck is a quarter-wave resonator and the cavity is a half-wave resonator. A variable cylindrical cavity with a sliding piston was constructed to study the nature of the device as the cavity length is varied. The stack is located in the neck region and the length and inner diameter of the neck are 5.39 and 1.91 cm, respectively. The inner diameter of the cavity is 4.76 cm and has a maximum length of 38 cm. The dominant mode of operation depends on the length of the cavity, favoring successively higher modes as the cavity length increases. The volume filling factor of the stack material was varied from 2 to 5% to determine whether the amount of stack material affects the transitions. These filling factors were selected to yield hydraulic radii comparable to the thermal penetration depth for the highest and lowest possible fundamental frequencies of the system. The transition to higher modes occurs roughly where the higher mode overlaps with the fundamental frequency of the neck region, and is independent of the stack filling factor. With the given dimensions, three transitions to higher modes were observed, with frequencies consistent with the model.

Mini black holes (BH) of various mass could be left over in space from the early expansion Big Bang phase (so called primordial BHs). As a result of interaction of those BHs with interstellar hydrogen they could form a bound system with an electron or a proton (or both). What would such system look like? Would it be stable, metastable, or would BH quickly consume the orbiting particle? How much is life time of such “gravitational atom”? If such system is stable then what is the size of it; how much is the bonding energy of its ground state (=ionization potential energy) and how much are the energies of its exited states? Are those atoms “gravitational atoms” observable? What other properties do they have? Based on known physics we try to analyze the behavior of such exotic systems and answer the above questions for black holes of various masses.

Thermal springs in northern Utah and southeastern Idaho mostly lie near active or inactive Basin-and-Range normal faults. They are dynamic systems, and the character of some has changed drastically since work as early as the 1980’s (Blackett and Wakefield, 2002; IDWR, 2001). We examined and sampled 60 thermal springs and most samples met criteria for cation geothermometers, or mathematical-geochemical tools used to estimate the maximum temperature of hydrothermal reservoirs. Of the 60 springs, 51 met criteria for the Na-K-Ca geothermometer and the remaining nine springs did not meet the criteria for the K-Mg, Na-K, Na-K-Ca, or Na-K-Ca-Mg cation geothermometers used in this project (Fournier and Truesdell, 1973; Fournier and Potter, 1979; Giggenbach, 1988). Of those 51 springs, only one is considered to be in partial equilibrium with the thermal reservoir, and estimates a reservoir temperature of 79°C (Giggenbach, 1988). Though the majority of springs exhibit a chemical signature of having mixed with shallow groundwater (Giggenbach, 1988), the Na-K-Ca geothermometer gives the most reliable results for springs in northern Utah and southeastern Idaho, but only for springs with surface temperatures exceeding 30°C and with greater than 1000 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS). Geothermometer results for these springs yield reservoir temperature estimates between 193 and 249°C.

The DOE-funded HotSpot Project out of Utah State University has collected a more than mile-deep core from the central Snake River Plain, Idaho, to study the geologic history of the area. The core consists mostly of volcanic basalt, however 16 sediment layers have been identified and sampled between the basalt-flow layers. These layers of sediment are the key to understanding environmental conditions on the Snake River Plain between basalt flows. The sediment was sampled in 25cm increments and the grain size of the sediments were examined in a laser particle size analyzer to better understand depositional conditions on the snake river during the past 5 million years. The analysis revealed that the majority of the sediment was deposited as windblown silt with several fluvial deposits.

In the spirit of many chemistry instructors’ longstanding interest in making teaching labs less “cookbook-like” and more research-driven, we recently restructured our second-semester sophomore organic chemistry lab to include a synthesis project that was chosen, designed, and carried out by students. Students were given the incentive of co-authorship on any publications resulting from their work. This led to the development of total syntheses of JBIR-94 and JBIR-125, new antioxidative/anticancer compounds with radical-scavenging potencies comparable to those of a-tocopherol, the active constituent in Vitamin E. Our presentation will summarize our progress and findings, and includes our progress on bioactivity studies conducted on the JBIR’s and their synthetic precursors.

It has been long debated whether early astronomers could truly see any detail during their first observation and rough sketches of the satellites of Jupiter. Many have argued against the accuracy and validity of such drawings, claiming the lack of technological advance led to rough hewn and mediocre drawings with little evidence of these individuals having truly seen these satellites. Through our research, we hope to prove validity in those early sketches based on current knowledge. By converting the dates and times each early sketch was created into Julian Calendar days, then using the date obtained to calculate the position of each individual satellite of Jupiter, as well as the face that was approximately facing Earth at the time the sketch was made, we can compare current images to those previously obtained sketches. By analyzing the sketches for determining features as well as the relative location of those features in relation to their approximate location on the satellite face the astronomer was most likely observing, we can either validate or disclaim these early sketches. This experiment will provide beneficial insight into the accuracy of primitive sketches made centuries before more detailed information was discovered about the celestial bodies that continue to fascinate us. The information gained from this experiment may even lend a greater knowledge and understanding of how to study these celestial bodies, since if the information presented by these early sketches were accurate, we could potentially reevaluate the manner in which we currently conduct our present observation.

Finding a source of energy to supply the demands of energy consumption globally is one of the biggest problems facing society today. With fuel for transportation, heating, and manufacturing representing 70% of energy demands, an efficient fuel source must be used to supply the world’s energy needs (Gouveia and Oliveira, 2009). Algae represent an abundant source of biomass that could be used as a source to make biodiesel. Over the past several years, microalgae have become a logical potential candidate for producing biofuel in large masses. This is mainly due to the fact that they are more efficient at photosynthetic processes than traditional crops grown on the land (Vasudevan, 2008). Another feature of algae that make it suitable as a source for biodiesel is the fact that it can survive in harsh environments, such as salty water or compromised water where crops would not be able to grow (Mata et al., 2010). For my project, I researched and tested the effect of varying light frequency and intensity on the lipid production of Chlorella vulgaris algae. I along with Dr. Herzog and Abram Bernard, set up an array involving 40 flasks that were split into 8 rows and 5 columns. Each row had a unique frequency of light that came from a combination of red, green or blue LEDs. Each column varied the light intensity by changing the distance of the flask from the light source. The goal of our research was to show that algae of the species Chlorella vulgaris could be grown in this system and that algae growth rates were dependent on light frequency and intensity. This was accomplished by converting the lipids produced by the algae into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and then analyzing the FAMEs using a gas chromatograph (GC). In order for this analysis to be effective in terms of accuracy and precision, a quantitative method was developed and verified to quantify the lipid production of the algae under different light conditions. The light intensity and the number of photons of light emitted in each column were monitored by Chandler Greenwell, a fellow Chemistry student. The correlation between light intensity and the quantity of algae was noted during this project.

Mercury is a toxic element that adversely impacts the health of wildlife and ecosystems worldwide. While all forms of mercury are toxic, methylmercury is the only form of mercury that is biomagnified, and thus organisms with the highest mercury concentrations and most at risk to mercury toxicity are typically the top predators in an ecosystem. To evaluate if arachnids, a top predator in the insect realm, are bioaccumulating mercury a spatial and temporal study of mercury bioaccumulation in arachnids and terrestrial invertebrates was conducted at the Great Salt Lake. Total mercury (HgT) and methylmercury (MMHg) concentrations were measured in arachnids collected once each month from two different sites on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, and at a control site at Utah Lake, a fresh water lake to the south where mercury concentrations in the water column are substantially lower. Average concentrations of HgT and MMHg in arachnids from Antelope Island were 2600 ± 497 ppb and 1690 ± 169 ppb, respectively. These were significantly higher than the HgT and MMHg concentrations in arachnids at Utah Lake, where they are only 72 ± 54 ppb and 42 ± 30 ppb, respectively. Substantial spatial variation in HgT and MMHg concentrations in arachnids at the two sites on Antelope Island was also documented, and may be due to differences in the abundance of brine fly prey at the different locations.

Future space propulsion systems will likely use annihilation of matter and antimatter in propulsion system. Annihilation of matter and antimatter is not only the energy source of ultimate density 9×10^16 J/kg but also allows to utilize ultimate exhaust speed the speed of light c thus potentially allows to accelerate a payload to ultrarelativistic velocities. Such velocities make interstellar and even intergalactic travel possible in the lifetime of one generation only (20-30 years). In our presentation we discuss advantages and disadvantages of interstellar travel with relativistic and ultra-relativistic velocities. Using relativistic Tsiolkovsky rocket equation we also discuss the feasibility of achieving relativistic velocities with annihilation powered photon engine and technical challenges to build such engine.

Transition regions to higher resonant modes of a bottle-shaped thermoacoustic prime mover (neck: 5.39 cm long, 1.91 cm ID; variable cavity with a sliding piston: up to 38 cm long, 4.76 ID) were studied. As the piston is extended, lengthening the cavity, starting from the neck, a transition of the dominant frequency from the fundamental to the first overtone occurs. However, when the length is then shortened, transition back to the first mode does occur at the same piston position, revealing hysteresis. Within the window of hysteresis for the cavity length, either state of the fundamental or first overtone is possible. Transition regions to higher modes continue as the length of the cavity is increased. The position and width of the hysteresis was studied for the first two transition regions as a function of input power and stack volume filling factor. Input powers studied were between 12.0 and 16.5 W and volume filling factors for the stack were about 3.0, 3.7 and 4.9%. The transition regions occurred with cavity lengths between 12.6 and 14.0 cm for the first transition and between 25.0 and 27.8 cm for the second transition. Preliminary results indicate that the transition region occurs shallower in the cavity and the hysteresis widens as the input power is increased. The hysteresis is wider for the second transition region. Decreasing the stack mass causes an increase of the hysteresis width, but has no strong effect on the hysteresis depth.

For the past century, the standard technique used to interpret soft-tissue preservation in the fossil record has been the camera lucida drawing. A new technique called False Color Treatment (FCT), which uses digital photography and photo manipulation, shows an increased ability to not only interpret soft-tissue features but also identify trace amounts. Hyolithids from the Cambrian of northern Utah were used to test the capabilities of FCT. Results were then compared to camera lucida drawings of the same specimens. Comparisons show the camera lucida drawings missed areas of soft-tissue that FCT found. Depending on the specimen, and the type of preservation, this disparity in interpretations can increase or decrease. Hyolithid specimens from the Spence Shale show an odd form of Burgess Shale Type (BST) preservation which makes them particularly well suited for FCT manipulation. Overall, False Color Treatment provides an informative and aesthetic method for interpreting soft-tissue fossils with BST-like preservation.

The State of Utah Space Environment & Contamination Study (SUSpECS) experiment flown on the Materials International Space Station Experiment 6 (MISSE-6) was an experiment designed to examine the consequences of the space environment on various materials used in space-component design. SUSpECS was comprised of approximately 180 samples that were suspended from the side of the International Space Station (ISS) for 18 months and returned to allow for pre- and post-flight comparisons. The sample with the most evident changes was a thin film of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) MylarTM coated with Vapor Deposited Aluminum (VDA). The post-flight analysis showed evidence of atomic oxygen erosion of the VDA layer, UV-induced discoloration of the polymer, and a crater created by a micrometeoroid impact. This presentation focuses on the UV-induced discoloration and laboratory tests to simulate these effects. The UV tests expose similar polymers to varying intensities of vacuum UV radiation from deuterium lamps over a condensed time span and quantify the discoloration of the polymers through comparison of the UV/Vis/NIR reflection spectra. The results from the UV simulation are used to determine the approximate time period of the UV exposure for the SUSpECS sample and in turn the erosion rate of the VDA layer.

Multi-messenger astronomy employs both electromagnetic and gravitational-wave detectors to paint a richer picture of celestial objects, providing more depth and information. The interferometers utilized for gravitational-wave observations receive input from very broad fields of view on the sky, typically a few square degrees. To have simultaneous electromagnetic observations (typically less than one square degree) requires innovative techniques for the telescopes to find the origin of radiation. One idea is to “tile” the view of the interferometer, using multiple telescopes to simultaneously point at different areas of the field to observe the source. One difficulty of this observing paradigm is distinguishing random electromagnetic variable sources from a gravitational-wave counterpart. To better understand this problem, this project repeatedly observes a single field on the sky. Each observation is analyzed to count the number of sources that appear in the field as a function of brightness. Repeating this process over time will yield the frequency of random optical transients, as well as characterize the population and brightness distribution of variables in the field. Future work will extend this observation campaign to cover different galactic latitudes.

The Udu drum, sometimes called the water pot drum, is a traditional Nigerian instrument. Musicians who play the Udu exploit its aerophone and idiophone resonances. This paper will discuss an electrical equivalent circuit model for the Udu Utar, a specific type of Udu, to predict the low frequency aerophone resonances and scanning laser vibrometer measurements to determine the mode shapes of the dominant idiophone resonances. These analyses not only provide an understanding of the unique sound of the Udu instrument but may also be used by instrument designers to create instruments with resonance frequencies at traditional musical intervals for the various tones produced and to create musical harmonic ratios.

Removal of all cancerous tissue in breast conservation surgery (BCS) is critical to prevent local recurrence. Unfortunately, 30-50% of patients require additional surgery due to failure to resect all the necessary tissue. A real-time method for detecting infected tissue is therefore desirable. Previous studies have shown that the complexity of high-frequency (50 MHz) ultrasonic spectra can be correlated to a range of breast pathologies in BCS. However, the mechanism behind this correlation is still not very well understood. The purpose of this research is to explore the connection between tissue micro-heterogeneity and ultrasonic spectral complexity using breast tissue phantoms, i.e. materials that mimic breast tissue properties and microstructure. A physical basis can then be determined that links ultrasonic measurements to breast tissue pathology. Phantoms were made from a Knox® gelatin base and soluble fiber (Metamucil®). Heterogeneities simulating lobular and ductal components of mammary glands were created through the addition of polyethylene microspheres and nylon fibers. Pitch-catch and pulse-echo waveforms were acquired from the samples using high-frequency ultrasound. The data were analyzed by measuring the number of peaks (the peak density) in the first-order spectrum (Fourier transform of the time-domain waveform) and the slope of the second-order spectrum (two consecutive Fourier transforms of the time-domain waveform). The phantom specimens displayed first-order peak densities that were significantly greater and second-order spectral slopes that were significantly lower than homogeneous control samples. Phantoms with large fibers (250 micrometer diameter) showed the highest peak densities with values greater than 3x those of the controls. The peak density trend of the phantom samples with increased microscopic heterogeneity was consistent with data of breast tissue specimens. These results provide a physical mechanism for the use of these parameters in the imaging of breast tissues with atypical and malignant pathologies.

The uncertainty existing within the scientific community as to why quantum mechanics (QM) behaves as it does comes from the fact there exists no mathematically sound approach for deriving the postulates of QM. It is the purpose of our research to present a derivation for the postulates of QM through the theory of Scale Relativity (SR), followed by a search for physical signatures of SR in the mechanics of celestial bodies. The construction of SR is based on an extension of the relativity principle to scale transformations coupled with a loss of differentiability. Our first paper presents the derivation of QM through scale relativity. During the SR derivation we also show fundamental qualities of QM, such as the presence of complex numbers in state functions. Lastly, the seemingly unrelated behaviors between relativity and quantum phenomena are shown a single mathematical formulation, only to change form due to scale. The new resolution variable within the adapted Schrodinger equation allows it to become applicable to macroscopic scales allowing us to look at large scale mechanics for signs of SR. Gravitation being scale invariant leads it to be a perfect candidate for experimental purposes. Our second paper investigates whether or not celestial bodies, formed by chaotic gravitational structuring, obey the properties of a Schrodinger equation dependent on the Keplerian potential. If so SR implies solar systems would form along probability distributions predicted by the square magnitude of the Schrodinger-Keplerian wave equation. In theory a planets probability distribution would depend on discrete variables, denoted orbital rank, n=n. In search for SR it is sufficient to see if planets tend to have orbital ranks near integer values. We start by calculating the orbital ranks within various solar systems, followed by testing whether the accumulation of planets’ rank near integer values is a probable event. To test this we take the squared difference between the calculated rank and the nearest integer. As a result we are able to test how likely orbital structuring will be discrete. Our results show a strong certainty that orbital rank is likely to accumulate near integer values.

Bhutan, a remote country in the Himalayas, has an underdeveloped economy that relies heavily on hydro-electric power and agriculture. Glacial lake outburst floods, or GLOFs, threaten both of these sectors of their economy. More importantly, they threaten human lives. In this study, I will estimate the increase in volume of the most rapidly growing glacial lakes in the Bhutanese Himalayas and investigate potential causes of their growth. In addition, I will develop a simple model to simulate the flooding effects of a GLOF on downstream cropland and villages.

Solid breast tumors contain heterogenous microenvironments where tumor cells are often exposed to metabolic stress (e.g., hypoxia due to poor blood supply). Such environments select for tumor cells that can adapt metabolically to survive, while other cells fail to adapt and undergo cell death. The survival of cells through periods of hypoxia can promote chemoresistance and metastasis (1). Thus, it is critical that we develop therapeutic strategies to enhance metabolic-stress-induced tumor cell death. One promising strategy is the modulation of lysine acetylation pathways by HDAC inhibitors that potently pro- mote cell death in response to various stimuli, including hypoxia/glucose withdrawal. Given the relatively non-specific nature of chemical HDAC inhibitors, the precise acetylation-regulating enzymes and pathways that govern cell death in these settings have yet to be fully elucidated. Our goal is to identify the cellular factors that link acetylation to cell death in response to hypoxia and other metabolic stresses, with the hope that such factors could be exploited therapeutically in cancer. Previous studies have implicated protein lysine acetylation in the coordination of cellular metabolism to the available nutrient supply (2). In line with this idea, our preliminary data suggest that lysine acetylation pathways dictate whether breast tumor cells survive (through metabolic adaptation) or die in response to hypoxia and glucose deprivation. Moreover, we have observed that general increases in protein lysine acetylation precede the activation of pro-apoptotic caspases in response to these stresses. In addition, our proteomics efforts have shown that breast tumors that are sensitive to hypoxia/glucose withdrawal exhibit significant increases in acetylation across the proteome, whereas resistant cells show very little change. Together, our data suggest that lysine acetylation pathways play a role in metabolic adaption and survival under conditions of hypoxia/glucose withdrawal. We are currently using an RNAi approach to target all known deacetylases, acetyl-transferases, and metabolic enzymes that modulate acetylation (e.g., acetyl-CoA synthetase) in order to identify the specific acetylation-regulating factors that govern tumor cell susceptibility to metabolic stress.

It has been reported that an estimated 11% of women in the population have undiagnosed endometriosis, emphasizing the need for early detection tests and treatment options. Diagnosis is typically determined through an analysis of symptoms, including painful menstrual cycles, pain in the lower abdomen, and prolonged menstrual cramping. Diagnosis is further confirmed through invasive procedures such as transvaginal ultrasound and pelvic laparoscopy. Serum proteomic studies in which small biomolecules and peptides are analyzed for biological significance in endometriosis cases and controls can lead to the discovery of novel methods whereby the disease is detected and eventually treated earlier in development without the need of invasive procedures. Comparative analysis of cases and controls through mass spectroscopy has led to the discovery of novel biomarkers capable of correctly identifying individuals with endometriosis. Further pursuing this study will allow for a greater understanding of the genesis of the disease, eventually uncovering the mechanism whereby endometriosis develops.

G proteins play a vital role in cellular signaling. It has recently been shown that the nascent G polypeptide requires the assistance of phosducin-like protein 1 (PhLP1) for proper folding and formation of the G beta gamma dimer. This mechanism is derived from cell culture experiments and structural data, but until now had yet to be tested in vivo. We tested PhLP1 function in vivo using retinal rod photoreceptor-specific PhLP1 conditional knockout mice. Electroretinogram analyses of these mice showed a dramatic decrease in light sensitivity of rod photoreceptors. Consistent with this finding, the expression of all subunits of the photoreceptor G protein was reduced by 80%. This decrease was reflected in a similar decrease in the amount of G beta gamma dimers. All of these in vivo results are consistent with the hypothesis that PhLP1 is required for G beta gamma assembly and G protein signaling.

When someone is the victim of a beating, rape, or murder, one might expect that most individuals would recognize the innocence of the victim. Surprisingly, research suggests many people assign blame to innocent victims (Dalbert, 2009; Lerner & Simmons, 1966). The “Just World” hypothesis proposes a possible explanation for this puzzling phenomenon. Belief in a Just World implies that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Previous research has found a relationship between belief in a just world, victim blaming, and other beliefs such as homophobia (Glennon & Joseph, 1993; Anderson, 1992). The present experiment extends upon this area of research. We examine transphobia, belief in a just world, and victim blaming. Three hundred and forty-two participants ages 18-72 were recruited from within the United States. Participants read a scenario in which an individual was the innocent victim of a beating. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions; in one condition, the victim was transgender, in the other condition, the victim was not. Participants then completed questionnaires measuring victim blame, transphobia, and belief in a just world. Results showed that transphobia positively correlated with belief in a just world. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between victim blaming and transphobia for all victims, transgender and non-transgender. However, when controlling for levels of transphobia, belief in a just world was no longer correlated with victim blaming. These results suggest that transphobia is related to belief in a just world and that transphobia, separate from belief in a just world, is related to increased victim blaming even for victims who are not transgender.

In this era of increasing complex electric utility corporate restructurings, prudence review is an important analytical tool that should be applied by state regulatory commissions in an informed and reasonable manner to address and balance risk sharing between electric utility investors and utility ratepayers. The payer examines the legal and economic considerations concerning the development and application of the analytical tool of prudence review by state regulatory commissions concerning the revenue requirement regulation of electric utilities.

Emotional distracters impair cognitive function. Emotional processing is dysregulated in affective disorders such as depression, phobias, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Among the processes impaired by emotional distracters, and whose dysregulation is documented in affective disorders, is the ability to time in the seconds-to-minutes range, i.e., interval timing. Presentation of task-irrelevant distracters during a timing task results in a delay in responding suggesting a failure to maintain subjective time in working memory, possibly due to attentional and working memory resources being diverted away from timing, as proposed by the Relative Time-Sharing (RTS) model. We investigated the role of the prelimbic cortex (PrL) in the detrimental effect of anxiety-inducing task-irrelevant distracters on the cognitive ability to keep track of time, using local infusions of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (FLX). Given that some anti-depressants have beneficial effects on attention and working memory, e.g., decreasing emotional response to negative events, we hypothesized that FLX would improve maintenance of information in working memory in trials with distracters, resulting in a decrease of the disruptive effect of emotional events on the timekeeping abilities. Our results revealed a dissociation of the effects of FLX infusion in PrL between interval timing and resource allocation, and between neutral and anxiety-inducing distraction. FLX was effective only during trials with distracters, but not during trials without distracters. FLX reduced the detrimental effect of the distracters only when the distracters were anxiety-inducing, but not when they were neutral. Results are discussed in relation to the brain circuits involved in RTS of resources, and the pharmacological management of affective disorders.

Mice are excellent models for studying social behavior. Anomalies in the perception and processing of social cues may induce abnormal social approach or sexual behaviors. We performed an assessment of social behavior in NrCAM knockout female mice and wild-type littermates. We found that NrCAM knockout mice exhibit social behavioral deficits (reduced interaction with unknown conspecifics). Analysis of neuronal activation in a circuit relevant to processing and response to olfactory cues (olfactory bulb, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, hypothalamus), using cFos immunostaining, revealed differences in neuronal activation between NrCAM knockout mice and wild type littermates exposed to unknown conspecifics. These differences may be the result of anomalies in neuronal connectivity in the olfactory systems in NrCAM knockouts. These studies have the potential to generate a new understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for abnormal social behaviors, and to identify new treatment strategies to reduce social deficits in autism spectrum disease patients.

In recent years, the aggressive barred owl’s invasion of northern spotted owl territory has led to significant declines in spotted owl populations along the Pacific Northwest. In response to the owl’s waning population, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has implemented a plan under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to kill the barred owl in a radical attempt to save the spotted owl. Applauded as revolutionary legislation, critical in protecting the Earth’s species from extinction, the ESA is decidedly far from the miracle bill its proponents laud it to be. A mere one percent of species protected under the ESA have successfully recovered enough to be delisted, and the ESA had little to do with these rare recoveries (Scheer & Moss, 2012). Observation and analysis of the spotted owl’s turbulent decline, reveals fundamental flaws specifically in basic theories on which the legislation was based. Particularly, the theory that nature, if left alone, will return to a natural state of balance (balance of nature theory) is a primary concept that has led the ESA astray numerous times, as evidenced by the FWS’ paradoxical plan to capture and kill one species in order to maintain a balance in the other species. This study reviews the balance of nature theory, providing research examining the effectiveness of the ESA and contributing to efforts to determine an appropriate and successful solution to species decline.

At the beginning of the 19th century, there was only one public insane asylum in the United States. Together, this facility and a handful of private hospitals housed only a few hundred patients. By 1890, more than 74,000 Americans lived in mental institutions. A wealth of literature exists on the rise of the American insane asylum during this period; the evolution of modern psychiatry; and the philosophical, political, social, and ethical implications of the two. But what the literature lacks is a perspective on the rise of the asylum that recognizes its place in the developing urban environment. This project addresses that shortcoming by exploring a small group of institutions within the context of a single urban center; New York. In 1890, one-in-twenty-five Americans lived in what would soon become New York City’s five boroughs, alongside nearly one-in-ten of the country’s institutionalized insane. Upon opening, NYC’s massive insane asylums became a source of pride for city’s elites. Far from being hidden away, most of the asylums were built on islands in the East River—at the time, one of the busiest waterways in the world. Nestled between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the imposing structures and their residents lived in clear view of thousands of daily commuters, and inspired numerous poems, novels, and songs. However, it was not their largess that attracted international visitors like Charles Dickens and Alexis de Tocqueville, but the unique circumstances in which they operated. Throughout the 19th century, the intimate nature of NYC, where masses of impoverished immigrants lived only blocks from some of the richest and most powerful men in the world, helped make the city the site of violent class warfare, as well as a testing ground for social reform. Insane asylums were only a portion of NYC’s sprawling public welfare system, consisting of nearly a hundred public and private charitable institutions inn Manhattan alone. To explain how the insane asylum affected New York City, I examine essays, and photographs written and taken by doctors, patients, reporters, and reformers illustrate the significance of the insane asylum on New York City life.

Affective disorders such as depression, phobias, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder impairs the ability to time in the seconds-to-minutes range, i.e., interval timing. We investigated the effect of chronic administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine(FLX) when anxiety-inducing task-irrelevant distracters are presented during an interval timing task. According to the Relative Time-Sharing (RTS) model, presentation of task-irrelevant distracters during a timing task results in a delay in responding suggesting a failure to maintain subjective time in working memory, possibly due to attentional and working memory resources being diverted away from timing. Given that some anti-depressants have beneficial effects on attention and working memory, e.g., decreasing emotional response to negative events, we hypothesized that FLX would improve maintenance of information in working memory in trials with distracters, resulting in a decrease of the disruptive effect of emotional events on the timekeeping abilities. Our results revealed independent effects of FLX on timing and resource allocation. Acute administration of FLX delayed timing, but this effect was eliminated after chronic administration. FLX reduced the detrimental effect of the distracters only when the distracters were anxiety-inducing, but not when they were neutral. Results are discussed in relation to the brain circuits involved in RTS of resources, and the pharmacological management of affective disorders.

Bullying among adolescents is a common problem that deserves attention. Youth City, a multi-site after school youth program in the Salt Lake City area catering to youths ages 8-13, expressed an interest in learning more about bullying experiences in their attendees with the aim of developing a program for intervention and prevention. We partnered with Youth City to develop the current project, the goals of which were twofold: (1) to measure the prevalence and types of bullying experienced by 53 youths attending one Youth City site (our participants) and, (2) to work with the youth and the site coordinator to develop a bullying intervention and prevention program. Participants completed a modified version of the Olweus Bully Victim Questionnaire, in which 31 behaviors of bullying were assessed. Behaviors included examples of physical bullying, relational bullying, cyber bullying, and bullying due to one’s ethnicity or sexuality. Participants were asked to report whether each behavior had ever been done to them (victim role), done by them to another (bully role), or witnessed by them in the role of bystander. Results showed that the participants had experienced many of the behaviors as either victims, bullies, or bystanders. The second step was to conduct focus groups in which participants were asked more about their bullying experiences and what they felt could be done to more effectively intervene and prevent bullying. Transcripts from the focus groups were analyzed for emergent themes. These themes, combined with input from staff and information gleaned from research into other programs, were used to draft a bullying intervention and prevention plan to be implemented at one Youth City site in the coming school year.

For over seven decades organizational scientists have extensively studied the happy-productive worker thesis, which assumes that a happy worker is a productive worker. Previous research in the field has focused on the relationship of a worker’s own happiness with their productivity. However, uncertainty remains today as to the link between managerial psychological well-being and their employees’ productivity. The purpose of the current study is to find a correlation between managerial psychological well-being and employee productivity. Thirty managers from two manufacturing facilities participated in the study and responded to two different measures of psychological well-being. Productivity data from one hundred employees underneath the managers were also collected daily over a period of three weeks. Results, strengths, and limitations of the study will be discussed along with its implication for future research and practice in the field of industrial/organizational psychology.

Youth or Peer Courts are diversionary programs designed to lower recidivism and re-offense rates among youth offenders. These programs focus on lowering risk factors and enhancing protective factors among the youth they serve. This study will look specifically at the Youth Court based in Layton Utah. Using a projected sample of 280 youth offenders over a 4 year period, the efficacy of this program will be evaluated. Efficacy will be measured by the rate of re-offense compared to youth in the traditional juvenile justice systems who have committed similar offenses. Analysis will also be performed using participant surveys, to determine which risk and protective factors are associated with re-offending. We anticipate completing this project by January 1st 2013.

A Trend analysis of counseling visits to Utah Valley Universities (UVU) student health center was carried out between the months of January to October of 2012. During this time intake forms from students were examined in alphabetical order by HIPPA trained researchers and assessed for the frequency of the client’s visits along with their chief complaint as determined by the therapists. High frequencies of complaints such as depression, anxiety, and educational issues were reported from students attending the university in past studies beginning in 1999 at UVU’s health center. Researchers at Kansas State University used an instrument known as the Case Descriptor List to measure a therapist’s assessment of a client’s problems based on nineteen categories including items such as depression, anxiety, and educational/vocational issues (Benton, Robertson, Tseng, Newton, & Benton, 2003, p. 69). The basis of the present study was formulated by collapsing the nineteen categories into fourteen constructs for simplicity in order to determine the trend found between the years of 2006 to 2011. During this time 1,974 individuals obtained counseling services from UVU’s student health center. The research found that 56% of clients sought therapy for depression, 38.1% for anxiety, and 39.9% for educational assistance based on the stated categories. An increase in issues such as depression and anxiety has demonstrated the need for an increase in the number of trained therapists as it relates to the complexity of issues and co-morbidity. It has also shown the need for improved intake procedures, focusing on accurate diagnosis which the counseling center has recently adopted.

Past studies investigating attention have found that exposure to natural scenes have a restorative effect on attention in adults, allowing for the occurrence of effortless, involuntary attention. This is in contrast to exposure to urban scenes which do not show the same restorative effect on attention (Berto et al., 2005, 2008). The present study investigates the potentially restorative effects on childhood attention of exposure to natural scenes. In this study, 58 children ages 4 to 11 participated in a task which was attentionally taxing. Next, they were instructed to attend to pictures belonging to one of three conditions: “high fascination” (natural scenes), “low fascination” (urban scenes), or a control group (geometric shapes). Finally, the participants performed the initial attentionally taxing task once again. While accuracy remained constant across conditions, children demonstrated a greater decreased reaction time when exposed to high fascination natural scenes as opposed to low fascination urban scenes or the geometric shapes of the control group. Between the pre and post tests, mean differences of 37.7 milliseconds for the natural condition, 24.4 milliseconds for the urban condition, and 22.7 milliseconds for the control group was found. This suggests that exposure to high fascination natural scenes has a restorative effect on attention in children as it does in adults. This finding is important because it provides a mechanism by which the attentional capacities of children may be improved.

Drug abuse in America is a major problem that has been well documented throughout history. Marijuana use has increased among most age levels and is the most abused illicit drug in America. Cocaine use has also increased over the past decade. Possibly the most alarming trend is the fact that hospital visits due to drug abuse of any kind are dramatically increasing each year. Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2010), this study explored to what extent adolescents and young adults were involved with Marijuana or Cocaine abuse and to investigate factors associated with their use of such illicit drugs. For the data analyses, the total sample included 37,926 individuals between the ages of 12 and 25; the sub-sample of this study consisted of Adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 (n=18,622) and young adults between the ages of 18-25 (n=19,304). The descriptive statistics suggested that among the study sample, 35.3 percent reported they ever used marijuana, while 7.5 percent reported they ever used cocaine. The results of logistic regression analyses show that all else being equal, age, health, gender, race, county size, and illicit drug addiction are statistically significant in predicting the likelihood of reporting marijuana experience among young adults between ages of 12-25. Similarly, the results of logistic regression analyses show that all else being equal, age, health, gender, education, race, county size, and illicit drug addiction are statistically significant in predicting the likelihood of reporting marijuana experience among young adults between ages of 12-25.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to examine the motivations that drive non-traditional students to return to complete a degree and the challenges that returning students face while attempting to earn that degree that might be different than those of a traditional student. The study assumes that there are differences between non-traditional and traditional students in regards to motivation and challenges faced along the path to earning a degree. By examining these differences, the study aims to see if there are ways to better serve a non-traditional student’s needs in order to increase graduation rates among the non-traditional student group. The primary data for this study consists of essays written by the attendants of a seminar, “Life after the NFL (and other life-changing experiences): A discussion of the challenges and rewards of returning to college,” presented by Dr. Julie Stewart which was sponsored by the University of Utah Department of Sociology and the Sociology Student Advisory Committee and interviews with selected non-traditional students, faculty, and staff. The essays were originally intended for curriculum rather than research purposes and consist of the thoughts of students who attended the seminars about the challenges faced by returning students and the motivations that drive non-traditional students to return to the complete a degree. The seminar attendees consisted of both traditional and non-traditional students. Interviews will be conducted with students who qualify as non-traditional students due to several demographic qualities, and with faculty/staff that are familiar with the challenges that non-traditional students face in returning to school. The students selected will be picked using the strategic method snowball sampling to ensure that those sampled are in the desired demographic. As more non-traditional students enter academia areas of concern need to be identified to help those students to better function and achieve similar results to more traditional students. The proposed study intends to find those areas of concern.