2014 Abstracts

Arthur Castleton, Brigham Young University Engineering More than one in three people die because of organ failures such as congestive heart failure. The major issues of heart transplants include a scarcity of donors, immunorejection and blood clot formation. Over the last decade bioartificial organs have emerged as a potential alternative to traditional transplantation because they eliminate the need for immunosuppressants, DNA testing, and the use of another human’s organs. In this study an economic, effective, and rapid decellularization process that produces minimal damage to a cardiac extracellular matrix (cECM) is described. In addition, a static blood thrombosis assay was used to verify the effect of exposed cECM on clotting. Also an aorta was recellularized and analyzed.

Rex King, Brigham Young University Engineering The purpose of this research is to use slab coupled optical sensors (SCOS) to take high voltage measurements at high frequencies. Voltage dividers are currently used to take high voltage measurements. However, these voltage measurements are limited to bandwidths up to the range of 1MHz. SCOS sensors are electric field detectors developed by the BYU optics lab which couple light from a D-shaped fiber into a lithium-niobate slab wave guide. This light couples at certain frequencies and the frequencies at which these resonances occur will shift in proportion to the applied electric field. The electric field measurement can be used to measure voltage.

Parker Rosquist, Brigham Young University Engineering This paper presents a newly discovered class of foam-based nano-composite materials with self-sensing properties. By embedding nano-particles in high-elongation foams, materials are created that display piezoelectric characteristics when any deformation is applied. When used in place of regular padding materials, they become impact sensors for a range of applications. The physics behind the phenomenon, and the optimization of the material response, are explored in this article.

LeGrand Shumway, Brigham Young University Engineering Ion traps are widely used in the field of mass spectrometry. These devices use high electric fields to mass-selectively trap, eject, and count the particles of a material, producing a mass spectrum of the given substance. Because of the usefulness of these devices, technology pushes for smaller, more portable ion traps for field use.

Mitchel Faulkner, Brigham Young University Engineering Introduction

Craig Daniels, Brigham Young University Engineering Martensite is a steel phase that has a body-centered tetragonal crystal lattice. It significantly affects the material properties of steel, particularly hardness and strength. Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) is a microscopy technique that is used to characterize the crystal and grain structure of metals by analyzing diffraction patterns. Martensite is traditionally difficult to identify using EBSD techniques because its diffraction patterns are too similar to the ferrite phase, which is body-centered cubic (BCC). The martensite crystal is modeled as BCC, but with an imposed tetragonal strain. “High resolution” EBSD can reveal the absolute strain of the crystal lattice, and is sensitive enough to measure the strain imposed in the model. This technique uses cross-correlation to compare experimental diffraction patterns to kinematically simulated patterns, and returns the absolute strain tensor. The tensor is rotated into the crystal frame, and the principle strains are used to create a tetragonality index. This tetragonality index can then be used to identify martensite. Further, the lattice parameters of martensite are related to the carbon content. A theoretical tetragonality index can be created using only lattice parameters. If the experimental index can be fitted to the theoretical index, this technique could be used to characterize the carbon content of steel at a sub-grain level.

Nathan Madsen, Brigham Young University Engineering A scatterometer is a type of radar used to measure the backscatter of the earth’s surface. In 2014, NASA will launch a new scatterometer, RapidSCAT, and mount it on the International Space Station (ISS). An integral part of the processing code for RapidSCAT is the X-table. X relates the power received by the scatterometer to the backscatter of the surface. It depends on the antenna, processor, and frequency of the sensor, as well as the sensor’s position, velocity, and attitude. The ISS’s comparatively unstable orbit renders previous methods of X-table generation inaccurate. By incorporating position, velocity, and attitude data from a revolution of the ISS, a table that is accurate for that revolution has been produced. This table can be made accurate for up to 8 revolutions of the ISS, by parametrizing variations in X with another variable. Different methods of estimating the relationship between these variables are attempted. Because the table will have to be recalculated repeatedly through the mission life of the sensor, tradeoffs between accuracy and processing time are explored.

Benjamin Lindsay, Brigham Young University Engineering Current treatments for cancer and diseased tissue often cause severe side effects due to drug interactions with healthy cells. In order to minimize these effects, we are developing a nano-scale near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive drug delivery system based on liposome-encapsulated perfluoropentane (PFC5) emulsions with gold nanorods in the PFC5 phase. The nanorods efficiently convert NIR light to heat, vaporizing the liquid PFC5 emulsions, which have boiling points near body temperature. Emulsion vaporization increases the volume inside the liposome enough to burst the phospholipid bilayer and release encapsulated cargo. This system will allow continuous therapeutic drug release localized at the site of NIR laser irradiation with a low-power, portable NIR laser diode. To date, we have successfully loaded PFC5 emulsions with gold nanorods and have loaded liposomes with PFC5 emulsions. Previous work in our lab has shown that a release to the cytosol of cells can be induced by ultrasound using similar liposomes. Experiments designed to demonstrate NIR laser-induced cargo release are currently in progress. We will continue to improve upon this system over the coming months to increase release and decrease the required laser power.

Jason Ellers, Utah Valley University Engineering Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology is becoming more popular among Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) developers. The ease of development and the maintainability makes FPGAs a very attractive option in many performance and efficiency critical applications. The purpose behind this project was to implement an arcade style game on top of a VGA driver. The project was developed on a Xilinx Spartan-3E Starter board using Verilog, a hardware descriptive language.

Erika Handly, Brigham Young University Engineering The development of an effective treatment for cancer is one of the most important goals for research today. One method of treatment is a targeted delivery mechanism using encapsulating drug carriers paired with a release mechanism. The Pitt laboratory has developed a potent chemotherapeutic called eLipoDox that uses a liposomal delivery construct combined with ultrasound release. eLipodox is composed of a liposome that encases an emulsion and the drug Doxorubicin. The emulsion droplet is a perflourocarbon stabilized by a lipid bilayer that contains a high vapor pressure solvent that will expand and burst the liposome upon sonication. The liposome is an artificially made lipid bilayer membrane that effectively encases the drug and does not allow the drug to diffuse freely through the body. Doxorubicin works through intercalating DNA, or distorting the structure of DNA, which is effective in treating tumors. However, it can cause heart failure and thus can have deathly effects for human patients. Encapsulating Doxorubicin minimizes the effects of Doxorubicin to other parts of the body while increasing the efficiency of the drug. Currently, the efficiency of loading the chemotherapeutic drug into the liposome is only around 34 to 38 percent, which is not ideal due to how expensive the drug is and the labor required to make the carrier. Thus, the purpose of this research was to systematically examine loading parameters and test the optimized carrier on a human cancer cell line. Higher temperature, greater sonication rounds, and lower concentration of drug on the exterior all correlated to greater loading efficiency. Cell death was also demonstrated with the optimized construct.

Varvara Jones, Utah Valley University Engineering Mobile devices are promising tools today to people’s life thanks to lower-cost hardware, steep subsidies from wireless carriers and the popularity of mobile apps. Equipping with touchscreen is the point of fulfillment for all that a mobile device promises to deliver to normal users. However, few mobile devices today have been built that address accessibility and usability of the touchscreen for a wide range of physical capabilities and challenges. In this research, we investigate human capabilities, environmental factors and hardware ergonomics that can improve the usability when people with impairment disabilities use a touchscreen-equipped mobile device.

Dayton Minore, Brigham Young University Engineering Microwave scatterometers, which use radar backscatter measurements from satellites to infer wind vectors near the ocean’s surface, have the ability to monitor global wind speeds at high resolutions. Such data is used for weather forecasting and climate research. However, scatterometer observations can be contaminated by land proximity. Consequently, current methods do not use measurements within 30 km of the coast (about 10.6 million square kilometers worldwide) in the data set. This unused data can be utilized by a recently developed algorithm that can measure winds as close as 5 km to the coast. The author proposes that areas near land can be systematically targeted for special processing, providing valuable near coastal wind data. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the targeting method on a global scale, a sample 4-day data set will be processed. The data is to be stored and published in compatible file formats to current wind data, so that it will be easily usable by wind-vector users.

Jeremy Hunt, Brigham Young University Engineering Unnatural amino acid incorporation is a power tool in the synthetic biology toolbox that allows for unique residue chemistry to be incorporated into proteins. This technology has many promising applications in areas such as protein-protein interaction, biotherapeutics, biosensing, and biocatalysis. One challenge of uAA-incorporation is the current inability to properly predict the impact of the novel uAA-residue chemistry on proper protein folding and function. Therefore, a screening technology would be desirable to rapidly assess the viability of uAA-incorporation sites. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) provides a promising basis for rapid screening technologies. The open environment of CFPS has a variety of advantages over conventional in vivo systems, such as direct monitoring, selective protein expression, and facile deployment of synthetic pathways. Another primary benefit CFPS has over in vivo expression is the ability to directly express proteins from PCR-generated products, known as linear expression templates (LETs). The use of LETs decreases the labor and time to expression of recombinant proteins. Thus, LET-based CFPS is a propitious system for rapid screening of uAA-incorporation. Here we demonstrate uAA-incorporation using LET-based CFPS and identify how this technology can significantly reduce time and labor to rapidly express proteins containing uAAs.

Charity Anne Rowley, Brigham Young University Health Background: Since 2009 groups of professors and students from the College of Nursing have been traveling to Guayaquil, Ecuador and assessing anemia rates and nutrition among the school children there. The adverse effects of anemia can include: weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, and poor concentration. Initial anemia rates were discovered ranging 30-50%.

Brittni Carr, Brigham Young University Health Purpose/Aims: To examine religiosity and family hardiness in parents raising children with disabilities (CWD) to determine if there are differences according to parent gender and type of disability and if there is a relationship between the variables.

Matthew Mogensen, Southern Utah University Health The anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3) and their possible role in the regulation of asthma are promising for those suffering from the disease. Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to the reduction of eicosanoids, which are signaling molecules that regulate the inflammatory response. Inflammation in the respiratory system is one of the most widespread symptoms of asthma and therefore poses the most risk to asthmatic individuals. This two phase study will test the effectiveness of n-3 in individuals with varying severities of asthma. In both stages of this study, a placebo or n-3 in the form of a krill oil capsule containing the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) will be administered, lung volumes and capacities will be measured weekly, and the frequency/severity of asthma attacks will be recorded. Phase one of the study will test whether n-3 reduces asthma symptoms with no activity modifications, while phase two will test whether n-3 is effective in reducing asthma symptoms associated with exercise. The two phases of the study will be separated in order to isolate the duration of n-3 ingestion as a variable in the experiment. As this is an ongoing experiment, results are not yet available. However, if n-3 is effective, we expect to see an increase in lung volume and a decrease in the frequency and severity of asthma attacks in individuals. These results would suggest that n-3 could be an effective and simple treatment that, when taken daily, could reduce the frequency/severity of asthma attacks and help improve quality of life for asthma sufferers.

Andrew Mackay Breivik, Utah Valley University Health The central research question of this project is to determine the reproducibility of high frequency (HF) ultrasonic signals in breast cancer detection. Previous studies on surgical specimens of breast tissue have shown that HF ultrasound (20-80 MHz) appears sensitive to a range of breast pathologies including fibroadenomas, atypical ductal hyperplasia, fibrocystic changes, and carcinomas. A measurement in the ultrasonic signal called the peak density appears most sensitive to the pathology of the breast. The reproducibility of this parameter has not been quantitatively measured in a comprehensive manner. In parallel to a clinical study being conducted at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, we are conducting a laboratory study of the reproducibility of these measurements using chicken and bovine tissue. The ability to reliably determine the pathology of breast tissue with a real-time intra-operative tool would greatly aid in the surgical removal of all malignant tissue, as well as greatly reduce the occurrences of repeat surgeries to remove margins of cancerous tissue that remained. The results of this study will reveal the degree of variability in the signals, thus supplementing previous studies as well as determining the reliability of the results from the current clinical study. The research methodology included the following. Fresh chicken breast and bovine tissue were cut into 4x3x0.5 cm and 4x3x1.5 cm cubes. The tissue was tested at room temperature (23.4oC) using HF ultrasound. Pitch-catch and pulse-echo waveforms were obtained in triplicate measurements of two types: Three measurements with the transducer not leaving the tissue, and three measurements with the transducer lifted off the tissue between measurements. A total of 640 measurements were acquired and analyzed to obtain the spectral peak densities. Preliminary results indicate that the measurements are reproducible to a statistically significant level, thus removing one possible source of uncertainty in the data.

Kristen Hamblin, Brigham Young University Health Empathy is an essential characteristic in nursing. In fact, the skill of empathy, the ability to understand the feelings or situation of another, is of paramount importance to the nurse-patient relationship. Additionally, empathetic interactions often lead to increased patient satisfaction, compliance, and overall quality of life.

Siena Davis, Brigham Young University Health In the U.S., exposure to radon gas (222Rn) is the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoke. 222Rn is a naturally occurring environmental carcinogen produced during the radioactive decay of uranium-238, which is found in many soils throughout the U.S. Because 222Rn is a gas, it has the ability to travel through the soil and into homes through cracks in foundation walls. Inhaled 222Rn has the potential to emit alpha radiation in the lungs, and long-term exposure is responsible for approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the U.S. 222Rn is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, so the only way to know it is in a home is to test for it. Studies show that even in areas with high radon levels, homeowners frequently do not test or mitigate their homes as recommended. This study aims to understand the psychosocial factors that influence whether Utah residents perform radon testing and mitigation. Radon-related lung cancer deaths would be significantly reduced if the psychosocial factors that influence radon testing and mitigation were better understood and used to design and implement effective interventions. To understand the psychosocial factors that influence radon testing, we will survey residents (n = 50) of the county who come to UCHD specifically to purchase a radon test kit. The survey will be based on social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs. We will administer the same survey to a comparison group (n = 50). The comparison group for the study will be individuals who visit UCHD’s office of vital records. Individuals from the study group with indoor radon levels above 4 pCi/L will be contacted by telephone 30 – 60 days after testing to complete a second survey. This survey will measure SCT factors that influence participants’ actions to reduce radon levels in their home.

Teresa Wilson, Utah Valley University Health A critical issue in breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy) for breast cancer treatment is ensuring the tissue surrounding the excised tumor, the margins, are cancer-free. In collaboration with the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, students from Utah Valley University are using high-frequency (HF) ultrasound to test the pathology of lumpectomy surgical margins. This pre-clinical study is a blind study which will involve 80 patients, approximately 320 specimens, and use traditional pathology as the “gold standard” for measuring the HF ultrasound method’s accuracy. Ultrasonic waveforms of margins were acquired at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital in pitch-catch and pulse-echo modes using 50-MHz, 6.35-mm diameter transducers. The data were analyzed to obtain ultrasonic parameters such as wavespeed, attenuation, specimen thickness and spectral peak density (the number of peaks and valleys in a HF ultrasonic spectral band). The objective of this paper is to search for trends in the data acquired to date to provide an assessment of reliability, stability, and robustness of the study.

Ashley Ostler, Southern Utah University Health Research indicates that collegiate athletes may be at risk of developing disordered eating and other distorted behavioral patterns. This may be due, in part, to the aesthetic and performance demands of their sports. The purpose of this study is to discover if female athletes acquire increased negative views towards their body image and food due to the pressures of being a collegiate athlete at Southern Utah University (SUU). An anonymous survey was given to approximately 150 female athletes participating in a variety of sports inquiring about body perception and eating behaviors relative to their sport. The survey evaluates the athlete’s attitude toward food, their relationship with food, if there are outside influences that affect how they eat, and if they are satisfied with their weight. Athletic teams were chosen based on meeting two of the three following requirements: tryouts are held, scholarships are offered, and there are regular competitions or performances. Athletic teams involved in the survey include tennis, volleyball, track & field, cross country, softball, basketball, gymnastics, soccer, drill team, ballroom dance and cheer. The data will provide information regarding Southern Utah University female athlete’s body perceptions and eating behaviors. Results will be compared to a similar study conducted five years ago at SUU.

Taylor Colvin, Utah Valley University Health Introduction: There are millions of people in need of prosthetics worldwide and only a very small percentage currently have access to appropriate prosthetic care. As amputees are unable to afford a prosthetic, they are often incapable of maintaining many social interactions and provide for their basic needs. Utah Valley University’s Mobility Mission traveled to Guatemala to manufacture prosthetic limbs for those individuals in need. Our research can also encourage manufacturers to continue developing a better affordable prosthetic that can be donated to those amputees in need to restore quality of life to those individuals.

Josh Lee, Dixie State University Health According to the World Health Organization (2012), health care systems in Central America rank in the top 50% of the 190 ranked countries in the world, yet thousands of people are in need of simple medical attention and supplies every day in these areas. Countries such as Honduras lack virtually all access to health services, with 83% of the country’s population without health insurance, and 30% with no health care access at all (Pearson et al., 2012). To address this issue, a 2013 Dixie State University study conducted by the author, an Integrated Studies major with disciplinary emphases in Spanish and Biology, interviewed fifty adult Central American immigrants at a Southern Utah health care facility with the aim to providing student groups embarking on health service projects a researched list of vitally needed medical supplies. Participants in the study were asked to provide information regarding their health care experiences in their countries of origin and draw upon their comparative experiences with health care in the United States in order to determine areas of need. The forty individuals in this study represented a total of seven Central American countries and the interviews were conducted in Spanish and translated into English. The interviews were conducted over an 8-week period of time and results suggested that diabetes, cold, flu, antibiotics, and anti diarrhea medicines and supplies are a few of the needed health care items in these neighboring countries. Although statistical significance was not a feature of this study due to the number of participants, significant consistencies in responses by former residents of a variety of Central American countries suggested that some medical needs are regionally shared and that larger scale follow-up studies may reliably identify these as key resources for student medical delegations traveling to Central America.

Stephen Clarkson, Brigham Young University Health While there is an abundance of mobile health apps for weight management on the market today, almost all focus entirely on net caloric intake (exercise minus calories consumed). Recording daily caloric intake can be cumbersome, inefficient and inaccurate. One rising suggestion in the health field for reaching weight goals is objectively recording hand-to-mouth movements (HTMMs) during meals throughout the day. This method focuses entirely on portion control and if any improvements are to be made in this area, an effective method of activity recognition must be developed. In this paper, we report our efforts to classify HTMMs and non-HTMMs in an effort to automate counting the number of HTMMs during meals throughout the day. We also report on the performance of several base-level classifiers such as k-NN, Naive Bayes and Decision Trees as well as meta-level classifiers (Voting, Bagging and Boosting).

McKay Frandsen, Utah Valley University Health INTRODUCTION

Charity Anne Rowley, Brigham Young University Health In 2010, The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that adverse events during hospitalization contribute to the deaths of 180,000 patients each year! The purpose of this study is to improve patient safety in the hospital by understanding the role of the charge nurse(the 24/7 nursing supervisor in hospital units).

Jennifer Orton, Brigham Young University Health In contrast to the success of America’s vaccination rates among children, adult vaccination rates remain suboptimal. Some adults, such as school employees, are in a position where they can easily contract and spread vaccine-preventable communicable diseases, yet mandatory vaccinations are usually lacking in this population. Schools may easily become communicable disease outbreak centers, especially for highly contagious diseases such as measles and influenza. The purpose of this study was to evaluate why rural Utah school employees remain vaccinated for measles and influenza, as well as to discover the perceptions of these school employees regarding mandatory vaccination policies. Of the 835 respondents, 71.7% reported they received the measles vaccination as a child, although only 26.9% reported having a measles booster vaccine as an adult. When asked why they had not received the measles booster, 46% of participants stated they were unsure if they needed one. Other participants also reported lack of an adult measles booster vaccine because it was not required by the school district (5%) and that they did not perceive the need because they were healthy (5%). Even more concerning, over half of the school employees (51%) had not received their influenza vaccine for the current year. When questioned about their lack of influenza vaccination, 26.4% believed the vaccine was ineffective and 25.4% were noncompliant because they did not have the time to get the vaccination. When questioned about their perceptions regarding mandatory vaccine policies for school employees, four major themes emerged: 1) adults should retain agency; 2) vaccine effectiveness was not guaranteed; 3) adults do not need vaccinations; and 4) cost of vaccines. Further education is needed regarding the need for adult vaccinations, especially among school employees in rural Utah. To control the spread of communicable diseases, school districts may consider mandatory vaccination of school employees.

Emily Matson, Brigham Young University Health Cancer, despite its common association with old age, is a leading cause of death for children age 1-14, second only to unintentional injuries. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment are increasing childhood cancer survival, and more research is needed on the risk of subsequent cancer following an initial diagnosis, of either the same or another site. Research on associations between childhood and secondary cancers may improve patient follow-up by providing health professionals with information about which subsequent cancers are likely to occur, which screenings to conduct and what symptoms to look for.

Wesley Tietjen, Dixie State University Health High risk sexual behaviors, such as having unprotected sex, are a community health concern because of the heightened susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases. An estimated 19.7 million people are newly infected with a sexually transmitted disease annually. Young people (ages 15-24) account for nearly half of all new incidences (CDC, 2008). Considering these statistics, the author, a Dixie State University Integrated Studies undergraduate student, conducted an interdisciplinary study to determine the correlation between the degree of self-reported religious devotion of Latter Day Saint (LDS) singles and their likelihood of purchasing or using protection during premarital intercourse. Seventy five students attending Dixie State University in Saint George, Utah participated in this study. Participants completed a 15-item survey consisting of questions inquiring how religious they consider themselves and their feelings towards premarital sex. Of the non-married participants who engage in sex, only 28% (n=4) of LDS respondents reported consistent use of birth control, compared to 84% (n=16) of non-LDS individuals. These results are suggestively significant and are consistent with findings from studies conducted by Douglas Kirby (2007) and others who have demonstrated that teaching abstinence, without providing education about birth control methods other than abstinence, leaves individuals unprepared to practice safe sex if the occasion arises. The relevance of the Dixie State University study to previous more broadly conceived research will be presented along with recommendations for future research.

Elise Corbett, Brigham Young University Health Background

Paydon Newman, Dixie State University Health Several studies (Shepley, 2012; Sherman-Bien, 2011; Walch, 2010) have found that sunlight has a stress-reducing effect on those who are exposed to it. An innovative new design of artificial lighting known as RaLight is proposed to reflect light with a color rendering index nearly identical to natural sunlight. This study will examine the relationship between exposure to RaLight (as a substitute for sunlight) and levels of stress. RaLight is predicted to decrease levels of stress in test subjects. In several hospice facilities, test subjects will consist of an estimated 100 patients both male and female with ages ranging from 65 to 85 years. This research is designed as a single subject experiment (ABA). The initial control condition will be the common indoor environment which exposes patients to standard fluorescent lighting. Replacing light fixtures with RaLight will then establish both the second phase of the experiment and the independent variable. A follow up re-installment of the initial fluorescent lighting will be conducted post-RaLight phase. Throughout each phase, questionnaires regarding the overall well-being of patients will be completed by hospice staff.

Tim Smith, Brigham Young University Health Previous research studies have confirmed that life-threatening illness adversely impacts psychosocial well-being, from feelings of isolation and embarrassment to the onset of psychotic episodes and suicidality. To help patients cope with chronic and/or terminal symptoms, many healthcare providers advocate the benefits of social support groups as a palliative measure, such as weekly meetings of cancer patients. The rapid proliferation of such programs, as well as associated “survivor groups,” has attracted research attention, and the number of research studies on the topic is now substantial. The field would currently benefit from a quantitative synthesis of the extant findings. To systematically quantify the effect of such intervention groups on mortality (i.e., death rates), we undertook a meta-analysis of the research literature, comparing patient survival rates as a function of social interventions. Across 27 studies examined thus far, we encountered a surprising variability of intervention success in prolonging life. Although most intervention provided demonstrated evidence of increased survival rates among participants, several studies did not. Our presentation will discuss the implications of our findings for healthcare providers and pose questions that will need to be addressed in future research.

Rhett Thomson, Utah Valley University Health Previous studies have shown high-frequency (HF) ultrasound may be sufficiently sensitive to detect and differentiate between both the histopathology and molecular subtypes of breast cancer. The goal of this study was to test the boundaries of HF ultrasonic testing methods. The parameter of interest was the effect of formalin fixation on tissue samples. Formalin has been found to stiffen tissues. Since ultrasound is sensitive to histological properties such as stiffness and adhesion factors, stiffening caused by fixation may compromise the results of the HF ultrasound analysis. This study monitored potential changes to HF measurements caused by tissue fixation. The fixation solution used was 10% neutral buffered formalin. The same formalin solution is used by hospitals after breast conserving surgery (BCS) to prepare and preserve excised tissue specimens for pathology. If no change in HF ultrasound analysis is detected in tissue samples before or after fixation, prepared tissue specimens from BCS patients may be used as viable samples for HF ultrasonic testing. Twenty tissue samples were used in this study. All samples were excised from the cortex, medulla, or ureter of a fresh cow kidney. Samples were tested with HF ultrasound. Testing conditions and procedures were identical to previous breast cancer tests. HF ultrasonic testing was completed at the zero hour mark and then repeated at five successive time intervals during fixation. Data collected from each sample was compared across all time intervals to detect any changes caused by fixation. Analysis of the data showed no significant changes in HF readings before, during, or after fixation up to 17 hours. Any variations observed were within experimental error. These findings demonstrate that formalin fixation does not affect the accuracy of HF ultrasonic testing techniques on bovine tissue samples. To reinforce the findings, this study will be repeated using different types of tissues.

Laurin Wilson, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Premature birth and subsequent hospitalization of an infant in the Newborn (or Neonatal) Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can be an extremely stressful time for parents and has been associated with maternal depression, anxiety, and decreased coping ability (Hack, Taylor, Klein, & Mercuri-Minich, 2000; Hughes, McCollum, & Sheftel, 1994; Partridge et al., 2005; Shaw, Sweester, St. John, Lilo, Corcoran, Jo, & Horwitz, 2013). Interventions to reduce parents’ stress levels during the hospitalization of their very preterm infants have mixed results (Boyce, et al., 2008; Matricardi, S., Agostino, R., Fedeli, C., & Montirosso, R., 2013). This study examined the medical, family, and maternal mental health factors that influenced feelings of parental distress for mother of very premature infants.

Dusty Pilkington, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Boundaries dividing political authority rarely match natural water flow. Multiple agencies, often with competing policies and agendas, manage water within single watersheds. This discrepancy can render management efforts ineffective. Local water agencies include soil conservation districts, local health departments, and engineering agencies. Agencies have varying funding sources, managerial structures, and jurisdictional boundaries. Fragmentation can frustrate management efforts at watershed scales. Comparisons between natural watersheds and human political geography can therefore be helpful in avoiding conflicts. This research examines discrepancies between political and physical geographies for sections of three Utah rivers : the Logan and Provo Rivers, and Red Butte Creek. These rivers are being targeted for intensive research as part of a statewide, multidisciplinary water sustainability project, titled iUTAH. Water-related land use (WRLU) data acquired from Utah’s Automated Geographic Resource Center were analyzed using ArcGIS geoproceessing tools. WRLU contributing to water quality in urban river reaches is described. WRLU was examined using three boundary sets, comparing the political geography of the river reaches, as depicted in municipal boundaries and management areas of community water providers, to their physical geography, as depicted in United States Geologic Survey Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds. WRLU mixes using political infrastructure were contrasted with land use mixes from HUC boundaries. WRLU was classified in seven categories: residential, commercial/industrial, riparian/water features, irrigated agriculture, non-irrigated agriculture, farmsteads, and parks/open spaces. A gradient from rural Heber, to urbanizing Logan, to fully urbanized Red Butte Creek is shown. While Red Butte Creek HUC boundaries showed 53.8 % residential land use, Red Butte Creek municipal boundaries and community providers totaled 26 % and 39 % residential use, respectively. Differences emerged when irrigated agriculture was assessed using HUC boundaries. Irrigated agriculture totaled 0.2 % in Red Butte Creek, with Logan showing 29. 7% and Heber irrigated agriculture sitting at 41.1 %.

Luz Maria Carreno, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Significance: Patients’ health literacy, or ability to comprehend and understand health information, influences their health status, knowledge about medical care and conditions, and hospitalization and adherence rate (Andrus, & Roth, 2002). Low-English proficiency patients are especially at risk, given they must overcome English and health literacy barriers.

Mitchell Reid, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Chronic childhood aggression can be the beginning of a developmental trajectory that begins with minor aggression, moves on to physical fighting, and then to violence (Loeber & Farrington, 2000). Behaviors during toddlerhood may be more malleable than later in childhood (Reid, 1994). To better understand what predicts children’s early aggressive behavior we examined the role of parenting behaviors, parent mental health, and child characteristics in a sample of toddlers. Sixty-five mothers and their toddlers between the ages of 17 and 24 months (60% female) participated in the study. Mother-child dyads were videotaped during teaching and clean-up tasks. Mothers also responded to several questionnaires to assess toddlers’ social-emotional behaviors, language development, attachment security, and temperament and their own parenting stress and depression. The teaching and clean-up tasks were coded for maternal language supporting behaviors such as asking questions and providing praise, directives, expansions, and labeling. We examined the correlations between the independent maternal (depression, parenting stress, and language supporting behaviors) and child (age, gender, language development, temperament, and attachment security) variables and the dependent variable of aggression/defiance. Correlations between attachment security (r = -.28, p =.03) and maternal directives during the teaching task (r = .33, p =.01) and during the clean-up task (r = .39, p =.00) showed statistical significance. We included these variables in a regression model and found that attachment security and maternal directives during the teaching and clean-up tasks accounted for 29% of the variance in maternal reports of toddlers’ aggression and defiance. These results suggest that toddlers with greater attachment security and with mothers who use fewer directives in everyday tasks are rated as less aggressive and defiant than those with less attachment security and with mothers who use more directives. The full regression model and early intervention implications will be presented.

Kelsea Hill, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences Sexuality has long been identified as foundational in the lives of married couples. An area lacking in research, however, is the transition into sexuality made by couples who practiced abstinence prior to being married. The data for this study comes from a survey of 597 respondents that had practiced abstinence before being married. This focuses on the qualitative responses to questions asked abstinent couples about what helped make the transition into sexual intimacy, what purpose(s) sex has in their relationship, what they wished they had discussed prior to having sex, and what challenges they experienced in the transition into sexual intimacy.

Jared Glenn, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Previous research shows that girls and women tend to prefer and perform better in classes taught by women. However, much less research analyzes the impact of instructor gender on learning outcomes among boys and men. This research fills that gap by analyzing the effect of professor gender on male college students’ achievement. Relying on survey and in-depth interviews among undergraduate men at a large research university, this study finds no significant empirical data that professor gender significantly impacts men’s academic achievement, in contrast to previous findings among girls and women. Interview findings, however, suggest that men prefer the tough grading, which they indicate is integral in male-taught classes. The study contributes to our understanding of gender differences in an academic setting and how that factor shapes learning outcomes and achievement.

Jay Winters, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Science The common stereotype of feminism has a negative connotation implying that feminist’s are simply radical women’s rights activists. The reality is that feminism is hard to define given its complexity and the range of issues it encompasses. A scale was developed in 1994 called the Attitudes Toward Feminism and the Women’s Movement (FWM), which sought to predict attitudes toward feminism (Fassinger, 1994). Many social psychologists see it as an effective way of predicting attitudes despite its age or lack of an emotional component. Our Assessment of Feminist Attitudes (AFA) scale was developed to include an emotional response component as well as provide a contemporary view of the ever-changing feminist movement. Our study is in the process of being assessed for statistically significant data. The effectiveness of the AFA in measuring feminist attitudes will be known in the coming weeks.

Madeleine Ary, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences In 2010 I conducted research in the city of Cambridge England on the relationship between the Muslims of Cambridge and the police of the same city. I conducted this research primarily through single interviews and data analysis from the United Kingdom in general and England specifically. From this research I discovered that the relationship between these two groups was maintained by frequent, mutual contact and trust. England at the time was experiencing a summer of rioting, much of which revolved around Islam. This may have increased the difficulty in such a faith group, authority relationship, however their efforts to maintain a positive relationship only intensified and there was little to no real disruption within the Cambridge Muslim community. My research demonstrates how such relationships can be effectively conducted even in otherwise tumultuous circumstances.

Daniel Cardoza, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences This paper aims to offer an introductory platform to the correlation between Russian fatalistic tendencies and conversion to Protestantism. It argues that fatalism is a central aspect of the Russian collective conscious, something that is fundamentally at odds with the Protestant temperament as outlined by Max Weber in his book, The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism. What happens when a Russian converts to a Protestant religion? This paper specifically focuses on conversion to one religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Analysis of data gathered through ethnographic interviewing and participant observation shows that a correlation might exist between belief in LDS doctrines and a reduction of fatalistic tendencies. This paper serves an introductory basis for future research on this topic. As such, the paper also presents recommendations for further research.

Ryan Hill, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences We analyze the presence of two types of framing bias in ballot wordings that affect election outcomes: status quo bias and agent-external loss aversion. Both of these biases are studied extensively in behavioral economics and likely have salient impacts on initiative or proposition measures in state elections. Status quo bias is the tendency of a voter to be more likely to maintain a currently enacted policy rather than passing a new law. Agent-external loss aversion is the tendency for a voter to be more likely to grant a right to a minority population rather than vote to restrict a right. Both of these biases have had important impacts on the outcome of recent ballot initiatives especially on California Proposition 8 that failed to legalize the right of marriage for same-sex couples. We test the salience of these framing biases by conducting a nationwide survey experiment that randomly assigns different ballot wordings for the same policies across different survey respondents. The survey mimics a real voting situation and the randomization of questions ensures that we can identify the specific effect of each bias on the voting outcome. We analyze the treatment effects using difference of means and ordinary least squares analysis. We also extend our analysis to examine whether moderating variables such as political knowledge or opinion have an impact on the magnitude or direction of the bias effects.

Peter Busche, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences An undergraduate study on young people in the Channel Islands (near England and France. Such questions will be addressed, such as: What makes growing up in a tiny Island community unique? How does leaving the Island for the outside world affect the young peoples’ transition into adulthood? This project consists of a descriptive outline based on 2 months of ethnographic research, as part of a 10,000 word senior thesis. Current anthropological and psychological theories are part of the overall construction of the data.

Kyle Nelson, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Most research on eye movement while reading has focused on native speakers reading in their own language. This has led to detailed characterizations of the differences between the eye movement of English and Chinese speakers when reading. However, there is a lack of research concerning eye movement differences when reading in a second language. It is expected that English speakers, reading simple letters, would exhibit different eye movements when reading Chinese characters, where words are commonly made up of one or two intricate symbols. Similar adjustments in eye movement are expected if a Chinese speaker tried to read English. Our study seeks to first measure how second language skill influences eye movement during reading and secondly, to distinguish eye movement behaviors that are controlled by either cognitive or visual factors. We hypothesized that as individuals increase in proficiency in their second language, their eye movements while reading a second language would begin to mimic a native speaker’s reading his own native language. Participants were native Chinese or English speakers selected from Chinese language courses and ESL courses taught at Brigham Young University. Participants were matched based on language proficiency and history of exposure to their second language. Native Chinese and English speakers read paragraphs in both Chinese and English while an eye-tracking machine recorded their eye movements. We measured such variables as fixation duration, Saccade amplitude, refixation probability and other important variables. These results will be analyzed to find the differences in eye movement that occur when reading in a second language compared to the participant’s native language. The results, strengths and limitations of the study and future research will be discussed. We believe our research will be beneficial in characterizing how individuals read in a second language, assessing language proficiency, and directing the development of language instruction methods.

Renette Goodrich, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences In the realm of Adoption most of the focus is given to the birth parents and the adoptive couple. However, there are many more people involved, some being the birth grandparents, who are the parents of the expecting parents. These grandparents, most of who are dealing with feelings of loss and grief, have been left to struggle through the experience by themselves. A scholar from Well’s, were the law requires social services to be offered to the extended family, conducted studies with grandparents; some of whom received social services and some who did not. His found a statistically significant difference in those who participated in the social services and those who did not. Grandparents who took advantage of social services where less stressed and more excepting of the adoption. This pilot study was conducted at one agency in Utah. Because of HIPPA laws the only access was to those grandparents who attended the support group. This study also showed social service support for these grandparents where significant; by lowering the stress level of dealing with a child’s unexpected pregnancy and helping them with direction and acceptance. This was a qualitative and quantitative survey handed directly to the participants to fill out and return. The agency where this survey was conducted and other associated agencies are interested in these results to better improve currents services and reach out to other grandparents who are not currently participating in these groups. This topic has not been studied in the United States; thus this study will add to the body of scholarly knowledge on this topic.

Ashley Jolin, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences This paper analyzes the essentiality of creating a just European Union banking union between member states of the eurozone, in response to the European debt crisis. In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty established strict financial criteria for member states to follow, ensuring a strong economic environment to support the new currency union. However, numerous member states did not abide by these limits, and countries with weaker economic stability such as Greece and Ireland began to accumulate huge public deficits. As a response to this debt crisis, in June 2012 the key institutions and leaders of the EU proposed working towards a genuine Economic and Monetary Union, a banking union serving as the keystone of this project. I argue it is imperative that this banking union is designed to be successful at dissolving the current economic crisis and anticipating future problems, as the existence of the eurozone is contingent upon it.

Heather White, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences The purpose of this poster is to illustrate the use of storyboards in visually evaluating exhibits and the visitor experience in a narrative museum. Storyboards, a key tool used to develop a visual story, can be used in museums to provide unique insights into the dynamic experience of visitors as they move through exhibits. This poster focuses on how storyboards can be used post-installation to evaluate how visual elements and space effect the visitor’s engagement and experience within exhibits. This poster will present storyboards for three exhibits and the resulting analysis. I analyzed the storyboards by examining artistic elements (line, color, shape, space, etc.) and design principles (unity, balance, scale, proportion, etc.) as they are formed and reformed throughout the storyboard. These changes are only noticeable because of the temporal aspect of sequenced storyboard images. The results show how the visual and spatial visitor experience encourages or discourages engagement with the exhibits. These results can be used, in addition to written and oral evaluation methods, to critique and improve exhibitions to be more accessible and engaging for future visitors.

Mason Bennett, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences In the natural environment, rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) acquire social dominance rank through matrilineal family (mothers’) inheritance. It is unknown as to how high ranking matrilines initially become high in social dominance. Serotonin (5HT) has been linked to social dominance rank. Central Nervous System 5HT is modulated by both the serotonin transporter (5HTT) and MAO and both have been linked to social dominance rank. MAOa and the 5HTT are the two main variables controlling central serotonin. To assess the effects of genetic and temperamental variables on matrilineal rank and potentially the effects of rank on behavior and temperament, we examined: the serotonin transporter genotype and MAOa genotypes. Because low or unstable social dominance rank is stressful, leading to chronic hypercortisolemia we also measured stress-induced cortisol levels. Lastly we examined infant temperament ratings taken from a Bio-Behavioral Assessment (BBA) pioneered by John Capitanio. This test is performed over a 24 hour period when infants are 6 months of age, and includes a bio-behavioral battery of tests designed to measure temperament. Dominance was measured by wins/losses during head-to-head competition between all possible pairs in a group. Subjects included 2300 rhesus macaques raised at the California National Primate Research Center between the years of 2001-2012. Results showed that matrilines high in social dominance exhibited a significantly high rate of both the long allele of the serotonin transporter genotype, and for males a high frequency of MAOa allele 6. As infants, subjects from matrilines low in social dominance rank exhibited high cortisol, hypervigilance, low activity ratings, and high emotionality. This study is the first of its kind to suggest that the acquisition of dominance by a matriline is modulated by genetic influences and that it is likely that the serotonin system plays a role in this process.

Jason Lefrandt, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Dominant behaviors frequently occur in both human and non-human primates. In the non-human primate world, high and low dominance rankings are rated through interactions recorded within the group, specifically, aggressive and submissive behaviors. Dominance within Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) also tends to be governed by a matrilineal effect: meaning that if two monkeys are in the same family, than both monkeys will show similar rankings within the group. This current study looks into how genotypic variables correlate with overall behavioral expression in dominance. Utilizing archived dominance and genetic data from the National Institute of Health including serotonin, MAO-A, and rearing, we analyzed the correlations with social dominance rankings of rhesus macaques. In order to control for matrilineal effects within established groups, all subjects were placed in smaller, newly formed social groups. This was done in order to facilitate great analyses of genetic influences on dominant behavior. Our original hypothesis was that macaques with long homozygote serotonin for the long allele; were mother-reared; and have the MAO-A gene will have high social dominant rankings. On the contrary, our preliminary findings have shown that subjects who were reared by mothers who were not genetically their own tend to show more dominant related behaviors, and are subsequently rated much higher than those subjects who were mother-reared or peer-reared.