2015 Abstracts

Daisha L. Cummins, Kodey Meyers, and Breanna E. Studenka, Utah State University Health Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit rigidity of motor plans and difficulties planning and executing movements (Eigsti et al., 2013). Those with ASD may also have difficulty formulating new or switching between different motor plans. In typically developing individuals, sequential actions exhibit hysteresis, a phenomenon where a specific motor plan is influenced by recent, similar motor actions. We sought to determine if hysteresis was stronger in children with ASD. A rotation motor task measured the rigidity of motor planning (hysteresis) of five ASD children, and 5 control participants. A stick was placed in one of 24 different orientations around a circle. The researcher moved the stick counterclockwise or clockwise in subsequent trials. A participant grasped the stick and returned it to the home position. Researchers measured the position at which the child switched from a thumb up to a thumb down grasp in each direction. The peak counterclockwise switch occurred later for children with ASD. The grasp also changed less frequently for the ASD than for the control group. Our results suggest that changing a grasp was more costly than being comfortable, and that hysteresis was more prevalent in children with ASD than in the control group.

Abigail Harris, Brigham Young University Health Purpose:

Diana Carter, Brigham Young University Health Purpose:

Ashley Havlicak and Joanna Beachy, University of Utah Health Background:

John Rossi, Julie Valentine, Leslie Miles, Linda Maybe, and Julie Melini, Brigham Young University Health The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of sexual assault on memory and consciousness in 314 victims in a Mountain West community using retrospective chart review. Altered mental awareness and/or loss of consciousness during a sexual assault are widely unexplored phenomena. A majority of assaulted individuals experience a varying degree of loss of consciousness during an assault – resulting in memory loss and conflicting evidentiary reports creating challenges during an investigation and prosecution. Statements written by a forensic nurse based on patients’ telling of the sexual assault (analyzed in Nvivo10) were placed within the following categories: memory loss; decreased feelings of mental alertness or awareness; symptoms of tonic immobility; detachment from self, environments and/or situation; reports full loss of consciousness; and/or awoke to assault. Quantitative data from patients’ answers to questions related to their memory of the nature of the assault was analyzed through descriptive statistics in SPSS, resulting in the following statistics: 58.3% reported having a loss of consciousness or awareness, 54.2% reported “unknown” to 1 or more questions about the nature of the assault, 37.8% reported “unknown” to 4 or more questions, 17.3% reported “unknown” to all questions. Additionally, a Chi square test for independence found patients with memory loss/altered consciousness were associated with the following variables: patients with mental illness and/ or use of psychotropic medications (p=0.025) and use of alcohol prior to assault (p=0.000). Medical teams, law enforcement, and judicial representatives must understand the impediments associated with a victim suffering from altered mental status caused by neurobiological and psychophysical effects of sexual trauma; thus, creating an atmosphere that avoids re- traumatizing a patient and providing for optimal care. This research will supplement other studies focusing on neurobiology/sexual assault trauma and foster greater understanding of the effects of sexual assault on memory and consciousness.

Kalene Mears, Brigham Young University Health The purpose of this project is to compile a learning history for a hospital unit, documenting patterns of past adaptation within a clinical microsystem that can be magnified to help the system continue to improve. The goal in healthcare is to create an adaptable system, where changes are continuously made as problems are identified to prevent harm from care. Through a learning history, a hospital unit can identify how they have already solved problems in the past and identify patterns of adaptation that can be replicated to increase reliability within the organization. This project has the potential to help a hospital unit improve its reliability in providing quality patient care and reduce preventable patient harm. To obtain the information about the unit’s history, key team members will be interviewed using an appreciative approach to identify strengths and patterns of successful adaptation. Interviews will highlight positive features of this team to foster feelings of success and achievement, promoting desire to continue improvement. Clinical data will supplement the interviews to show a full picture of how the unit adapted to its situation. The transcribed interviews will then be distilled to highlight the critical, meaningful points in the plot line where learning and adaptation took place. This resulting manuscript is the tangible learning history. Internal dissemination will involve sharing the learning history with the organization and facilitating group discussions about the findings with members of the organization. Through this process, we anticipate the unit will be able to promote more effective interventions to improve patient care.

Trey Esplin, Alathia Burnside, Sean Madill, Marquelle Funk, Sean Kiesel, Kaisey Margetts,

Cody Craig and Charles Yeager, Snow College Health Logically, a rise in income should lead to a healthier population. Diseases like malaria, cholera, and HIV/AIDS are associated with poverty, low rates of education, and poor infrastructure in many parts of the world. In populations with higher per capita income (or “wealth”), these diseases are not as common. However, while our higher socioeconomic classes have fewer poverty linked diseases, is the overall health of people across Utah as high as we might expect it to be? Diseases like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes (known as diseases of affluence) are becoming more and more common, even though advanced health technology and healthcare availability increase. This project will examine the relationship between income level, diseases of poverty, and diseases of affluence. Data will be aggregated from a number of sources and mapped using a geographic information system. A regression analysis will be conducted to determine if variables are positively or negatively correlated with diseases of poverty and affluence in Utah.

Whittni O’Brien, Dixie State University Health St. George residents are currently at risk from poor indoor air quality. The objective of this study was to provide citizens with simple solutions to purify their indoor air and avoid the side effects of pollution. The rising threats include benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. These carcinogens are directly linked to heart disease, birth defects, asthma and premature deaths in individuals. The study was conducted to see just what could be done to combat these hazards and provide the necessary information to resolve the levels of indoor air pollution to residents. A standardized questionnaire was issued to find out how educated locals were about the pollution levels and air quality within the community. Questions covered a variety of aspects including exactly what the threats were to specific methods of indoor air purification. To reduce the number of carcinogenic related health issues, participants were provided with a pamphlet including easy to follow steps to cleaner indoor air and outdoor air pollution. The objective result yielded plants to be the best solution. Aloe vera plants are not only grown locally, but are easy to propagate. These plants are known for their ability to remove formaldehyde from the air and therefore an inexpensive and readily available resource that will assist residents. Other solutions found included greenery such as moth orchids, snake plants and the ficus tree. All of these plants are easy to maintain with local climate conditions. By providing residents with the proper education and resources, the overall health of the population will rise. The conclusion of the study offers vital knowledge to the community and a progressive approach to cleaner indoor air for a healthier living space.

Rebekah Goodrich, Leenalitha Panneerseelan Bharath, Ting Ruan, Tetyana Forostyan, Ashot Sargsyan,

Erika Brown and Stacie Hunsaker, Brigham Young University Health Health care professionals are often challenged with starting an intravenous (IV) line in patients who are dehydrated, have suffered trauma, or are in shock. Nurses and physicians can become frustrated by the multiple attempts and patients can lose valuable time. An alternative route to deliver the needed fluids and medications to these critical patients can be achieved by accessing the blood supply inside the bone. Intraosseous (IO) access is a safe, rapid, and an effective alternative method to deliver medications and fluids to these critical patients (Hunsaker and Hillis, 2013). I was mentored in the practice of qualitative research and interview process in a study related to difficult IV access. A qualitative research study was performed at Hospital Luis Vernaza in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to determine the complications faced in providing timely care to critical patients, and to assess their knowledge and use of IO therapy. Interviews were performed, and, because of my fluency in the Spanish language, I was the primary interviewer. These interviews were analyzed to assess the need of interventional IO therapy. Through the interviews, preliminary results demonstrated a need for an organized IV algorithm in this large hospital. The difficult IV algorithm has been developed and will be presented to the health care professionals at Hospital Luis Vernaza in the spring of 2015 on a Brigham Young University College of Nursing Global Health stay in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Delena Hanson, Dixie State University Health Debate in diagnostic imaging over the effectiveness of shielding the patient from the incident (primary) beam compared to shielding from the scattering beam once it has hit the image receptor is ongoing. Because radiation in any amount can cause long term effects, it is the ethical obligation of those in the profession to keep the dose of radiation to the patient as low as reasonably achievable. Backscatter is radiation that goes through the patient, contributes to the diagnostic image, then still has enough energy to hit the image receptor and scatter back toward the patient. While previous studies indicate that dose to the gonads from the primary beam during chest x-ray exams are low, this additional research assesses the amount of backscatter that happens during a chest x-ray to determine at what point patient size is a factor that increases patient dose. As more technique must be used for larger patients, increased interactions will occur and therefore present a higher probability of backscatter that can add to the patient’s gonadal dose. This research quantifies whether and at what point placing a lead shield between the patient and the image receptor will reduce dose to the patient by measuring the thickness of a patient receiving chest x-ray and using a pocket dosimeter to measure the amount of radiation scattering back from the patient to compare with data from the incident beam.

Paydon Newman and Joseph Rebman, 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 a commercial call center setting, test subjects will consist of an estimated 50 employees both male and female with ages ranging from 18 to 30 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 employees will be completed.

Hayley Ford, Kristen Wilding and Matt Schinn, Brigham Young University Engineering Therapeutic proteins are specially engineered proteins used to treat many large profile diseases. Such diseases include cancer, diabetes, hepatitis B/C, hemophilia, multiple sclerosis, and anemia. The use of these proteins is specific and highly successful and the demand for these proteins in rapidly increasing. One of the largest problems with the use of therapeutic proteins is the cost of making them. The cost of producing these proteins amounts to hundreds of billions of US dollars every year. There is a growing need to find better, faster, and cheaper ways to create them. As specific therapeutic proteins are coming off patent, research labs are able to explore the processes of making these drugs that have become such a large part of the pharmaceutical industry. Here we report the use of cell-free synthesis as a more cost-effective way to produce these therapeutic proteins. Cell-free protein synthesis is faster and allows for direct manipulation and control of the protein creating environment. Cell-free synthesis can produce proteins in a matter of days as opposed to the weeks it takes to produce them in vivo. The increased manipulation and control of the environment that comes with cell-free synthesis allows improved accuracy in creating the desired proteins and is more adaptable to changes if they need to be made.

James Newton, Scott Anjewierden, and Sasha Luks-Morgan, University of Utah Engineering Oxytocin (OXT), a neuromodulatory peptide produced by the hypothalamus, is involved in a variety of physiological and behavioral phenomena. Exogenous OXT and drugs that mimic OXT signaling are potential treatments of a number of neurological disorders. The canonical mechanisms of OXT function are neuroendocrine in nature, as the peptide is released into circulation through the neurohypophysis. However, OXT has also been shown to exert some of its effects through direct synaptic release within the central nervous system. Using the larval zebrafish as a model, we seek to identify targets of these directly projecting OXT neurons and study what role they play in the modulation of behavior. Critical to this analysis are computer programs which enable precise quantification of anxiety, social behavior, and reward learning. Our custom-written software automatically identifies and tracks free- swimming fish, using measured positions over time to evaluate behavior in a variety of paradigms. In combination with molecular, cellular, and optogenetic manipulation of OXT networks, this project will allow a fuller understanding of the relationship between these neurons and behavior.

Jordan Eatough, Jeremy Struk, Andrew Priest, Brady Vance, Brielle Woolsey, Steven Balls, Camille

Adam Herron, Jared Thomas, Shawn Coleman, Douglas Spearot, and Eric Homer, Brigham Young University Engineering For many years, x-ray diffraction and electron diffraction have served as effective means to understand and classify the molecular structure of many materials. Diffraction, as a physical phenomenon, is well known and theoretical diffraction simulation is relatively simple for perfect crystalline structures of known orientation. Prior methods of diffraction simulation, however, are insufficient to predict experimental diffraction patterns of unknown crystal structures or of crystal structures with high defect density. Recent advancements in computing capability and development of atomistic simulation software have greatly enhanced our ability to predict material properties and behaviors under various conditions. Atomistic simulation has become an extremely useful tool in the analysis of dynamic chemical and mechanical systems. It can only be truly effective, however, when it models a real-world application, can be interpreted coherently, and can accurately predict future conditions. Thus, we are developing new tools that bridge the gap between electron diffraction through real materials and simulated diffraction through atomistic simulations. We present a method of generating Kikuchi Diffraction Patterns from atomistic simulation data with no a priori knowledge of the crystal structure or crystallographic orientation. Our research was inspired by the recent work of Coleman et. al. 2013 and builds on their methods of calculating diffraction intensity at discrete locations in the reciprocal domain. We improve on their method by introducing an integration of the structure factor to ensure complete capture of diffraction intensity peaks while maintaining a relatively low density of sample points. This allows us to significantly reduce the required computation time on the analysis of atomistic simulation data. We use this diffraction data to generate simulated Kikuchi Diffraction Patterns.

Conner Earl, Brigham Young University Engineering The emerging field of Cell-free protein synthesis enables the efficient production of complex proteins for a number of exciting applications such as medicines that better interact with the body, vaccines, antibodies, and renewable, sustainable biocatalysts. However, progress is hampered by high costs and low yields of necessary proteins. This project is designed to improve protein yields and drive down costs by studying techniques of optimization of protein yields in Cell-Free protein synthesis. Our main area of focus is the inhibition of naturally occurring ribonucleases (RNAses) which are enzymes that degrade essential elements for protein synthesis- specifically, the mRNA used to transcribe protien. One of the techniques we intend to use for inhibition of these RNAses is by complexing the RNAse with an appropriate RNAse inhibitor protein thus limiting or eliminating its function of degrading mRNA. The aims of this research project is to: (1) Identify appropriate RNAse inhibitors (2) Design and synthesize inhibitor genes (3) Express, purify and assay RNAse inhibitors (4) Improve Cell-free protein synthesis yields utilizing RNAse inhibitors for analysis of activity and effectiveness as well as the enhancement of cell-free protein synthesis yields. Accomplishing these goals will result in more efficient systems and more accurate analysis that may lead to cheaper, more readily available vaccines and pharmaceuticals produced through Cell-free protein synthesis.

Theo Stoddard-Bennett and Steven Christiansen, Brigham Young University Engineering Damage to the human retina is often irreversible and so currently there are no established treatments of diseases such as dry age related macular degeneration (AMD). Dry AMD results in a loss of sight because of cell death in the macula, a centralized part of the retina which contains a high concentration of photoreceptor cells. One possible treatment would be to limit the rate of cell death within the macula, however this is not a comprehensive solution. Rather, regeneration of the photoreceptors within the retina is necessary to restore sight. In current research, Müller glia cells, a major glial component of the retina, can potentially be used as sources for photoreceptor regeneration in order to combat dry AMD due to their homeostatic regulation of retinal injury. Directed reprogramming would occur through a five step process. The Müller glia would need to undergo de-differentiation to Müller glia-derived progenitor cells (MGPCs), proliferation of MGPCs, migration of MGPCs, neuronal differentiation, and integration in order to generate retinal neurons. Müller cells can be isolated and cultured by dissociating retinal tissue in optimal media. Here we present the dissection and dissociation of rat retinal tissue to obtain purified proliferating Müller cell cultures. Our lab has tracked and modelled the rates of proliferation and phenotypically characterized the stages of proliferation. Using immunofluorescence and PCR tests to confirm purity, we will then expect to run a series of assays to identify growth factors, Wnt signals and cytokines to test the effects of retinal extracellular matrix proteins on Müller cell de-differentiation to MGPCs. The focus of our current research is the identification of reprogramming mechanisms that may possess beneficial data leading to both unique strategies for promoting retinal regeneration in mammals and clinical applications for those living with dry AMD.

Dan Barfuss, Brigham Young University Engineering Shale oil has long been seen as a source of energy that can be incorporated into existing infrastructure. It consists of kerogen (or organic matrix) bound to inorganic rock. This kerogen can be released as an oil-like substance by heating it up to high temperatures without the presence of oxygen (i.e., pyrolysis). Due to advances in NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) we were able to make an accurate structural based model that can predict the relative tar and light gas yields[1]. We modified the Chemical Percolation Devolatilization Model (CPD) of coal to fit with the more aliphatic nature of oil shale. The CPD model describes the aromatic regions as clusters and aliphatic regions as bridges. As these bridges are broken the model releases groups of clusters that will form tar. In coal the bridge breaking gives off light gases, whereas in shale oil the bridges are much heavier and mostly form tar. We built two models that accounted for this. We also used the composition of the tar and the gas found by Fletcher et. al. [2] to predict what elements would be left and the aromaticity of the carbons. We found that throughout the reaction new aromatic regions were formed. With information from this model,- we are able to better predict the products of oil shale pyrolysis, and describe what happens chemically.

Nandini Deo, University of Utah Engineering Air quality in the United States has come under scrutiny in recent years. Many pollutants are trapped in the air we breathe in the form of photochemical smog. The aim of this research is to aid the breakdown of these pollutants. Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN) is a predominant smog species; the research conducted aims to decompose this molecule and capture the resulting particles using the photocatalytic properties of Titanium Dioxide Nano tubes. The research conducted thus far has focused on the following questions:What molecules does the thermal decomposition of PAN produce? Is there a metal substrate to attach to TiO2 Nano-materials that aids the breakdown of PAN and its decomposition products? Can a sustainable process/device be identified to functionalize these materials? Literature research shows that PAN thermally decomposes into CO_2, NO_2, methyl nitrate, and formaldehyde. Methyl Nitrate and CO_2 may be eliminated using specific experimental conditions. Hence, it can be determined that the substrate attached to TiO2 must decompose PAN, NO_2 and formaldehyde. Using the molecular modeling programs Avogadro and MOPAC, 50 metals were optimized in relation to Formaldehyde, NO_2, and PAN. To find each metal’s reactivity to each target compound, HOMO/LUMO (Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital/Lowest Occupied Molecular Orbital) energies were calculated and used to find the common reactive metals between the target compounds: Cobalt, Silver, Iridium, and Niobium. To test whether the most complex product of the PAN decomposition (Formaldehyde) will break down, a device was created using a 3-D printer and Cobalt functionalized nanotubes. Pure formaldehyde, a blank sample (no tubes), and a sample with functionalized tubes were run through the device in the form of vapor, in front of a solar simulator. The captured vapor’s GC/MS results show an almost complete breakdown of Formaldehyde with the use of the device containing the functionalized tubes.

Takami Kowalski, Warren Robison, Anton Bowden, and Brian Jensen, Brigham Young University Engineering Using a coronary stent to expand a blocked blood vessel as a way to treat coronary heart disease has proved effective in the past. However, there are risks, such as thrombosis, that are a natural side effect of inserting a foreign object into the body. Creating a stent out of a hemocompatible material such as carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotubes could potentially resolve these issues and also make unnecessary treatments such as dual antiplatelet therapy as a way of decreasing the risk of adverse side effects. Previous research done in this lab has shown that carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotubes can be grown in a pattern defined by photolithography on a planar surface. The present work demonstrates preliminary results from patterning a flat, flexible substrate and rolling it into a cylindrical shape before growing carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotubes as a way to fabricate cylindrical stents, fulfilling all necessary specifications for a stent with the added benefit of hemocompatibility. We also demonstrate growth on curved substrates and explore process parameters for achieving good-quality CNT forests.

Carlton Reininger and John Salmon, Brigham Young University Engineering Electric Vehicles (EV) are a rising alternative to standard combustion vehicles because of their energy cost savings and reduced carbon emissions. However, EVs come with limitations such as limited driving range and potentially long recharge times. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of implementing an electric vehicle system into an urban environment. Using data provided by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, models are developed and generated to simulate driver shifts and analyze system level impacts from EVs on driver behavior. The models evaluate the number of charge events over the course of a shift and calculate the potential revenue lost to missed fares during charge intervals. Across the system, the results indicate that for a majority of NYC taxi drivers, EVs can be implemented without significant changes in driver behavior, while providing an economic and environmental advantage over current combustion vehicles. These preliminary findings can be used to support implementing such a system in urban environments and these models could be used as a template toward analyzing EV taxi potential in other cities.

Benjamin Buttars, Jeffrey Nielson, Spencer Baker, Jonathon Thibaudeau, Angela Nakalembe, Tim

Scott Anjewierden, James Newton and Joshua Barrios, University of Utah Engineering Organisms in their natural environment are constantly presented with sensory stimuli. These stimuli must be filtered by the brain to select an appropriate behavioral response. A significant example of this filtering process is audiomotor prepulse inhibition (PPI). In PPI, the startle response to a loud noise is suppressed by a preceding stimulus of lower intensity. This ability to optimize behavior in response to environmental context is an essential brain function. Defects in PPI are associated with neurological disorders such as obsessive- compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome, and schizophrenia. This project demonstrates the development of new software to analyze swim kinematics in a restrained, larval zebrafish model of PPI. Our programs automatically extract several kinematic parameters from image sequences of behaving animals and use them to classify behavior into one of three, stereotyped categories. Correct classification is reported in 96.32% of trials (n = 162). This automated analysis will now permit a more robust study of PPI in these animals, where the brain’s experimental accessibility will allow us to discover the cellular bases of sensory filtering.

Steven Stanley, Brigham Young University Engineering The genetic code has long been restricted to a set of 20 fundamental building blocks called amino acids. Recent research has expanded the genetic code through unnatural amino acids (uAA), thus adding enormous possibilities to the potential chemistries of proteins. Because nature is highly selective in the protein translation process, it has proven extremely difficult to successfully insert multiple uAAs simultaneously. The incorporation of an uAA with in vitro methods typically relies on the use of the amber stop codon as a mutated insertion site. A stop codon placed at the middle of a gene can code for either the uAA or termination, thus, protein synthesis may often terminate prematurely instead of inserting the desired uAA. This inefficiency inhibits the possibility of inserting multiple uAAs simultaneously. We propose a novel method that will allow for multiple uAAs to be inserted simultaneously. Our method involves isolating a minimal set of tRNA for in vitro protein synthesis, allowing for uAA insertion to occur at codons other than the amber stop codon. My work has focused on the production of 4 versions of uAA-tRNA synthetase, a protein that charges tRNA with the uAA. We are currently growing these 4 different proteins in bulk and testing their activity. We will test them for compatibility, confirming that they do not interfere with one another and other synthetases native to our in vitro protein synthesis system. These uAA-tRNA synthetases, in conjunction with specialized tRNA, will provide the basis to efficiently incorporate multiple uAA simultaneously. The success of this project will have many practical applications ranging from new therapeutics to new methods of medical diagnosis.

Jamie Slade, Utah Valley University Health Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are gaining in popularity. Unfortunately, this increase is occurring at a time when we lack a definitive understanding of the health hazards. It is important for professionals to understand e-cigarette users’ experiences and satisfaction with the devices in order to determine what may entice users to begin and continue using these devices.

Tianne Pierce, Utah Valley University Health Since Mario and Zelda (Nintendo video games), video interactive games have been a favorite babysitter for the past two generations of children, simulation is no stranger to this population. Portions of this population became nursing students. Simulation in health care is second to none in the ‘hands on’ teaching of skills; thus, it would be the natural order of things to include interactive figures and scenario during teaching and learning in nursing. Utah Valley University’s nursing department employs the use of human simulators in the delivery of content to the students. It is no surprise that these students relate well to simulation in the classrooms. The purpose of the research study will be to compare students’ responses to learning in a teaching environment void of simulation vs. a teaching environment which uses simulation. Although simulation has long been used in aviation and the military, it has become more integrated in the health care profession over the last 20 years. These study results were congruent with national and international landmark studies where the use of simulation in nursing has been supported by the world of healthcare.

Sam Katz, University of Utah Fine Arts “Tom Stockham: The Father of Digital Audio Recording” is a 30-minute documentary film about former University of Utah professor Thomas Greenway Stockham, Jr., who developed the first commercially viable method of recording sound digitally with extremely high fidelity and made it possible to edit sound and music using a hard drive. Despite the limitations of 60s and 70s computing technology, as well as a number of audio professionals who opposed to the shift to digital audio, Stockham believed in his ideas, persevered, and changed the way we listen to music forever. To this day, these innovations have dramatically altered the shape of the audio recording industry in music, television, and film. Despite Dr. Stockham’s many achievements, his story remains relatively unknown outside of the audio engineering world, even here at the University of Utah and in Salt Lake City, where much of his pioneering work was done. This film brings well-deserved attention to Dr. Stockham’s story. Sadly, Dr. Stockham passed away from early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2004, therefore I portray him by interviewing those who knew him best: his wife, his four children, and his colleagues. I situate Stockham’s life and work in a larger historical context by interviewing historians, musicians, and audio industry professionals, and by mining archival footage, family photos, voice memos, and magazines for relevant material. I travel from Seattle, to Boston, to Lake Powell, to Moab, to Salt Lake City. In homage to Stockham, I use the sound and music of the film, rather than images, as the locus from which meaning and emotional power are derived. The finished film serves as an important educational and historical resource and helps to preserve an important piece of the history of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and the State of Utah in general.

Kelly O’Neill, University of Utah Fine Arts After studying the formal qualities of photographic production and the canonic narratives of art history for over three years at the U, I am still left with a pressing question: how can this medium of artistic self-expression also be considered evidence admissible in the court of law powerful enough to elicit felony convictions? How can these mechanical images which I have been trained to see as subjective representations of artistic sentiment in their contrast, tonality, and composition simultaneously be objective records of fact in judicial and scientific discourses? If the medium of photography does exist how is this single operation able to function in such heterogeneous and contradictory discourses? Through my works and research I investigate these and other questions concerning the photographic medium’s ambiguous nature as a simultaneously aesthetic and empirical object. By combining a vast assortment of photographic forms from contemporary GIFs to historical processes such as the Cyanotype, my work reveals the multiplicity of the photographic form and its dubious ability to function within seemingly contradictory systems of knowledge production. Interrogating the processes by which photography has been used and abused, my project does not propose to reveal the truth of photography, but rather underlines the importance of seeing photography in a new and radicalized fashion. The images that I create contemplate the liminal spaces of photography in which its factual, emotional, institutional, and narrative truths commingle; fragmenting not only the solidity of the photograph but also the cultural and institutional systems it predominates. More than just a series of art works, my research seeks to bring a broader discourse on photographic meaning into a serious academic engagement which does not treat it as a simple device for conveying meaning but as a specific and complex subject in its own right.

Steven Saline, Dixie State University Fine Arts Electronic Dance Music or EDM has grown from its underground club origins in the late 70’s to early 80’s to become a widespread phenomenon in pop music. Through out those years, EDM has been categorized in previous terms such as Techno, and Electronica. Today EDM can be heard in music festivals through out the world and is now widely experienced in the US. Much of the genres within EDM such as Dubstep, Hardcore,Trance, etc… were created and have evolved outside the US, however; House and Techno originates here in the US. In this presentation I will discuss the history of some of the popular genres in EDM, present how each of the genres started whether they were created on their own or their evolution from previous electronic music, the history of its origins, how the music evolved in Europe, and its move to the US as we hear the music today. I will present how wide-spread EDM has become and how diverse the various forms are within the genre. I propose that if EDM continues in the direction that it is moving now, EDM will continue to grow among all other forms of music in the world for years to come.

Madalyn Page, Brandi Allred, and David Byers, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Relative abundances of small mammals often monitor environmental conditions due to these animals’ high sensitivity to climatic fluctuations. In this study, we document small mammal remains recovered from recently deposited owl pellets collected in Lake Channel, Idaho, located on the Snake River Plain. These pellets were dissected and cataloged according to diagnostic and non-diagnostic osteological characteristics. Following standard procedure, we used the crania and mandibles for MNI calculations, as well as species-level identification of small mammals. After identifying the small mammals down to species level, we compared our results to a habitat profile that suggests the microfaunal remains occupy both xeric and mesic habitats. These results remain consistent with the present day dune and riparian environments found in Lake Channel. Further analyses will compare this present day base-line climatic model to recently excavated small mammal assemblages documenting ancient Lake Channel climates.

Rachel Schwartz, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Within the field of economic development, specifically microfinance institutions, research has suggested that women are safer economic risks than men due to gender cultural differences. In Latin America, this stems from the “machismo” stereotype stating that men are irresponsible and selfish. I seek to prove the cultural stereotypes of “machismo” as an incorrect perception of Paraguayan male culture in Asuncion. Studies have been conducted in Asuncion stating that young Paraguayan males do not identify themselves with the “machismo” culture. Fleming (2013) found that this stereotype was given to men “due to social and cultural expectations and not to actual male identity.” This is of particular interest in showing how Hispanic notions of masculinity may contradict the gendered ideologies implicit in these types of organizations and within their own society and culture. I am finding within my own research findings that this perception is incorrect, and if so, can be used to dispute the notion that male entrepreneurs are bad investments. I conducted in-depth formal and informal interviews and vignettes with 10 male and female business professionals. I created a map of store types and the gender of the store owner of two prominent business locations, Mercado 4 and Avenida Eusebio Ayala. I conducted participate observations at various locations including: the businesses of the informants I interviewed, local hospitals, church schools, bus stations and families (in and out of their home environments).

Arthur Wardle, Matthew Crabtree and Melissa Funk, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The 18th amendment arose out of a larger temperance movement in which alcohol was commonly viewed as the root cause of a litany of social problems. However, following the passage of the 18th amendment, neither alcohol consumption nor the related social problems dissipated, demonstrating the failure of the amendment, and eventually leading the U.S. to the 21st amendment, undoing the prohibition. Interestingly, the 18th amendment took effect only one year before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints made the “Word of Wisdom,” a church scripture which, among other things, bans the consumption of alcohol, an absolute requirement for full participation in the religion. This religious prohibition enjoyed far greater success than the legal prohibition of the 18th amendment. We analyze the quantitative differences in the efficacy of each prohibition, as well as the various incentive changes caused by each institution. To do this, we will examine historic drunkenness arrest records in both the U.S. as a whole, and Utah specifically, which has been demonstrated by previous research to be an accurate way of estimating alcohol consumption. Then, by taking a look at historic documents, we will examine the incentives of changing behavior, and discuss the efficiency of legal versus non-legal restrictions when attempting to change behavior. We will also examine the contrast in reactions to external regulation stemming from the government, and regulation stemming from a religious organization, and the powerful social implications that follow a restriction that is both external and internal. We find that a religious organization, with its ability to alter the basis of a group’s value system, can change a group’s behavior more easily than legal regulation alone.

Emily Hartung, Sarah Higbee, Jordan Sgro, Sarah Hanni, Wendy Kohlmann, Maija Reblin,

Frederic Van De Water, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences In the Fall of 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson chose to escalate American participation in the Vietnam War Conflict based on false intelligence information about the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Once Johnson realized the full truth of the event, he was caught in a public relations trap since he had already announced that the United States had been attacked. Throughout the Johnson administration, there was a large discrepancy between public relations messages to the American people and internal statements about the actual mission, objectives, and success of the war. In the early days of the Nixon administration, Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, a senior consultant from the RAND Corporation, leaked thousands of pages of classified documents about this phenomenon to the New York Times in hopes of bringing an end to the Vietnam War. Since this time, many historians and policy analysts have utilized this limited collection to study the war. In 2011, the Obama Administration had the National Archives release the complete set of documents online. Utilizing this expanded collection, I will compare and contrast how the Johnson administration’s message either conflicted or at times coincided with what was being done in Vietnam as part of wider Department of Defense policy.

Devin Petersen, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences A previous meta-analysis conducted by Holt-Lunstad, Smith, and Layton (2010) indicates that social relationships have an inverse association with risk for mortality. The more friends and family that surround any particular person, the smaller their risk of mortality and the longer they live. Unfortunately, not everyone has a rich social network to draw on. The purpose of the current meta-analysis is to inquire as to whether certain social interventions might be utilized to prolong life expectancy and whether some social interventions result in better outcomes than others. We searched a number of major databases including Medline, Psycinfo, CINAHL, Medic, Social Work Abstracts, Family and Society Studies Worldwide, Alt Health Watch, and Google Scholar using specific search strings to search for articles with social intervention mortality data. Articles were excluded if they did not contain mortality or social support, if the social support was not implemented, if mortality and social support were not compared, or if they contained suicide/violent death data. Review/qualitative studies were excluded, as were studies with non-human subjects, and articles not in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French. Several smaller meta-analyses that we have come across suggest that social interventions do not significantly increase survival time. However, these studies on average draw from under 10 studies, our meta-analysis analyzes of 50 articles. Our preliminary findings suggest that there is substantial variability in findings across studies. Although the overall average indicated a mild benefit from the social support interventions (OR = 1.44, p < .01), the heterogeneity of effect sizes was substantial. Under some circumstances the intervention actually was associated with increased rates of mortality, even though on average, odds of survival increased 44% relative to control groups. This meta-analytic review provides support for the general use of social intervention groups.

Grant Holyoak, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences While extensive research has been performed on the effects of climate change on water resources, little analysis has been performed that examines how a population’s belief about climate change affects its residential water use behaviors and its support of local water resources policies. This study, as an appendage of the extensive NSF-funded “iUtah” Project (innovative Urban Transitions and Aridregion Hydro-sustainability), seeks to fill this gap in the research through statistical analysis of a household survey distributed to over 2,000 Utah households during the summer of 2014. Surveys were distributed and collected through a revolutionary “drop-off/pick-up” methodology yielding a highly representative response rate. The project analyzes Utahan responses in both an analytical and an explanatory fashion, demonstrating how belief or disbelief in anthropogenic climate change is predictive of specific residential water use behaviors. The effects of climate change beliefs are also examined as predictors of resident support of potential local water conservation policies. Enormously beneficial to the arena of water conservation policy, this project leads to a better understanding of how climate change beliefs predict water use, allowing for more efficient strategy in the implementation of specific water conservation practices across American communities.

Kara Henrie, Stacia Bourne, and Cecilia Wainryb, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences People draw conclusions about themselves from personal experiences; these are self-event connections (McLean, Pasupathi, and Pals, 2007). Little is known about children’s and adolescent’s self-event connections. The present study examined the types of connections 5-, 10-, and 16-year-olds formed in accounts of two types of moral transgressions: those in which they thought “it was my fault” and those which they thought “it was not my fault.” We hypothesized that connections made with “it is my fault” events would be more negative than those made with “it is not my fault” events and that children and adolescents would form self-event connections that differed with age. We expected 5- and 10-year olds would form morally relevant connections proportionately more often than 16-year-olds, and we expected the 16-year-olds would form proportionately more connections that described a stable sense of self. Forty children in each age group provided two narrative accounts of doing harm: an “it was my fault” experience, and an “it was not my fault” experience. Following these accounts, participants were prompted to construct a self-event connection. Types of self-event connections were coded as follows: (a) temporal scope: back then, now/across time, or going forward; (b) valence: negative or non-negative (e.g., “I am a bad person,” “I am friendly”); (c) relevance: moral or non-moral (e.g., “I am caring,” “I am forgetful”); and (d) generality: general or contextual. Preliminary results indicate that all age groups make negative connections equally frequently and make morally relevant and negative connections more often in “my fault” than in “not my fault” transgressive experiences. Sixteen-year-olds make connections describing the self as continuous across time more often than the other age groups. Finally, 5-year-olds are more likely to make no self-event connections and make connections that are morally relevant.

Michelle Hammon, Lyndsey Craig, RonJai Staton, Christy Fiscer, Tina Brough, Zachary Olson, Deborah

Christine Fiscer, Lyndsey Craig, Michelle Hammon, RonJai Staton, Tina Brough, Deborah Decker,

Grant Holyoak, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Extant research has identified a number of gaps in the social services available to immigrants in the U.S. and, relatedly, the impacts of these gaps on immigrant well-being. Less research has analyzed the factors that impact how social service organizations respond to the needs of immigrants. Understanding the constraints and opportunities such organizations face is key to identifying ways to successfully remedy critical resource gaps. Data for this study were collected through in-depth interviews with leaders from two dozen Utahan agencies, which offer services ranging from educational promotion to religious humanitarianism. Drawing on organizational theory, this research advances the field by identifying the coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures that social service organizations face and how these pressures shape organizations’ responsiveness to the needs of immigrant communities. Cultural, organizational, and legal variables are identified as inhibitors to the ability of these agencies to meet the needs of this population, and recommendations are given regarding the abatement of these pressures. The policy implications of this analysis are applicable on the local, state, and national levels, and prove essential to the continued debates surrounding the service of this marginalized demographic.

Chalise Carlson, Jason Watson, David L. Strayer, Eve Miller, and Ashley Pyne, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Attention Restoration Theory (ART) promotes the concept that attentional resources requiring focused thoughtfulness are revitalized by the easy or “soft” inherent captivation we experience in natural surroundings. Oppositely, loud urban settings are considered attentional resource eradicators. Atchley, Strayer and Atchley (2012) strengthened the ART premise in an experiment using the Remote Associates Test (RAT), a measure of creative cognition. In their experiment, the RAT scores gathered from backpackers on the last day of a four day hike sans technology were significantly higher than those of a separate group of backpackers before embarking on a similar excursion. In our experiment, we controlled for extraneous variables by presenting the experiment indoors utilizing videos of attention depleting (urban) and attention stimulating (nature) environments. Early trials employing pre-video, post-video RAT scores as the measures of restoration found comparable results to the outdoor studies with a 12% increase in the nature group’s scores and a 5% increase in the urban group’s scores. However, our attempt to increase the effect by doubling the video viewing time resulted in a loss of effect, slanting the data toward the urban group as the most improved. F(1,208)=3.22, p=.07. Moving forward with Attention Restoration Theory, we feel there is validity in outdoor experiments. Immersion into the outdoors likely produces a sufficiently powerful influence which overcomes the RAT’s indirect measure of cognition. Additionally we exert that potential exists for the indoor studies as well. Indoor experiments, lacking the immersive quality, would likely benefit from a more sensitive, direct measure of attention. Further, future studies should also consider utilizing representative stimulus shown to maximally induce restoration, such as scenes evoking “mystery” or “fascination” (ie. a winding path disappearing into a dense forest.) Future application of these specific attributes may intensify indoor results.

Alexandra Butler, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Utah’s policy of abstinence only sexual education is often discussed as a contentious issue. Some worry that, if not taught in school, young people will not obtain accurate information on sex, contraceptives, and sexually transmitted diseases. Others fear that talking about sex will encourage young people to have premarital sex, breaking norms of society. As a result sex education in Utah excludes essential issues like contraceptive use. However, with today’s technology providing easy information access to all matters, including sexuality, is policy concerning sexual education even a relevant concern? The central questions for this project are how young people in Utah today learn about sex, contraceptives, and STI’s, from whom they learn (school, parents, friends, internet etc.) and how accurate and compete is the information they gain. This was done through a series of qualitative open-ended interviews with Utah High School graduates ages 18 and older, equally representing both sexes. Later, answers from the interviews for key questions were coded for quantitative analysis on how Utah teens obtain their sexual education. This project has greater implications concerning what is taught in Utah sexual education classes. If most teens obtain accurate health information from outside sources, then sexual education classes could be utilized to focus on other areas of information, such as relationships. The information from this study may help educators to structure sex education courses in such a way as to fill the gaps and engage students in discussions that are appropriate and relevant for today’s changing society.

Thomas White and Jason Woodruff, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Exercise has been shown to be an effective adjunct to therapy in combating depression symptoms (Josefsson, Lindwall, and Archer, 2014; Seime and Vickers, 2006; Stathopoulou, Powers, Berry, Smits, and Otto, 2006). However, it can be difficult to motivate individuals who experience depressive symptoms to begin and maintain an exercise routine (Seime and Vickers, 2006). Here we investigate which motivations might help those who demonstrate symptoms of depression to begin and maintain an exercise regimen. This study examined Frequency and Duration of exercise as well as motivation to exercise and relationship to scores on a Depression scale. A sample of 184 BYU undergraduate students taking psychology classes participated in the study. Controlling for gender, we collected data regarding participants’ current Depression symptoms, exercise regimens, and motivations for exercising (for Sociality, Competition, and Fitness). Multiple regression analyses showed Duration and Frequency of exercise were negatively correlated with Depression. Furthermore, motivation for Fitness was positively correlated with Depression scores and Competition was negatively correlated with Depression scores. We also found that Motivation for Sociality was negatively correlated with Depression scores. We explore possible reasons for these findings. Overall, we show that Sociality and Competition may be the most potent motivators in helping college students maintain motivation to exercise. To our knowledge, there are few studies that have examined motivation to exercise in junction with depression symptoms. The results have practical implications for clinicians who may recommend exercise to their clients to encourage exercising to reduce depressive symptoms.

Stéfanie Morris, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences This study seeks to explain intergenerational changes in reference and selfhood for Telugu parents and for their emigrant children and grandchildren. I argue that individuals have indexical worlds—landscapes of familiarity, signs, meaning, material, and experience. These worlds are open systems, ever changing and growing as the universe and all things in it act and are acted upon (people, animals, rocks, trees, ideas, and more). Challenges often arise when individuals leave an area where they can easily connect to other individuals’ similar indexical worlds. An inability to fully understand the signs and meanings of other contexts or people often causes individuals to feel a sense of dissociation. I argue that for all people, referential worlds connect to feelings of selfhood, or belonging, as well as influence relations between generations as traditional customs and practices are syncretized with their new environment.

Braxton Larson, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences In 1962 President John F. Kennedy publicly praised President Ngo Dinh Diem for his leadership “to the defense of freedom” and protecting the Vietnamese from “unprovoked subversion and terror.” Ironically within the year, after Buddhist monks started setting themselves on fire in protest of Diem, Kennedy ordered his assassination for his role as an oppressor of his people. Was this change of policy based upon a change in Diem, or a change in the intelligence information President Kennedy was receiving? If his previous information had been correct, was President Kennedy intentionally lying to the American people? Questions like these plagued politicians, military leaders, and the general public during the Vietnam War. Now with the release of the full collection of the “Pentagon Papers,” researchers can definitively document most discrepancies between the rhetoric and the reality of that controversial conflict. This paper will explore these questions about the Kennedy administration, more specifically asking the vital question if the entire origins of the conflict were based upon lies.

Marshall Grimm and Stacia Bourne, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Despite youth’s efforts to act in morally acceptable ways, it is inevitable that they will hurt or cause harm to others (Wainryb and Recchia, 2013). Hurt feelings may be caused by purposeful misdeeds, but they also may be caused through accidents, pursuit of instrumental goals, or misunderstandings. Most older children and adolescents seem to consider both their justifiable reasons and the hurt that they caused when they judge their harmful actions. This dual focus leads many youth to evaluate their transgressions as not entirely negative (e.g., as mixed – both wrong and not wrong). Some children may be less likely to see that there are justifiable reasons that underlie some transgressive actions. For instance, it is likely that children and adolescents who feel excessive guilt for their transgressive actions will make moral judgments that are more exclusively negative. Some youth are dispositionally more guilt prone than others (Tangney 1990). Therefore, we expect that guilt prone children and adolescents will judge their transgressions more negatively than those that are not guilt prone. To examine the relationship between youths’ guilt proneness and their moral judgments of their own transgressions, we assessed 80 children and adolescents (M age = 12.86). Guilt proneness was found to be a significant predictor of moral judgments. Specifically, youth who were more guilt prone made more negative judgments. Having a clear picture of the relationship between guilt proneness and moral judgments can help parents of guilt prone kids to scaffold their children to consider the many complex features of moral transgressions and to understand it is sometimes appropriate to judge their actions as simultaneously both wrong and not wrong.

George Zamantakis, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences This thesis examines the intersections of race, gender, sexual orientation, and age as they relate to queer* youth in Utah who were engaged in the juvenile legal system. Few authors, activists, and academics have taken a stand against the prison system. However, several, such as Michelle Alexandra and Angela Y. Davis, have begun to voice the inequitable conditions through which people of color are funneled into the prison industrial complex and laws are racially biased, so as to relegate people of color to a space of invisibility. Even fewer, though, have examined how this conversation relates to queer* identity (queer* meaning an umbrella term for lesbian, gay, bisexual, etc.). In order to understand these unique experiences, interviews will be conducted with individuals who self-identify as queer* and were at one point involved in the juvenile legal system. The study is a qualitative report on the abuse, trauma, and victimization that these youth have faced in their unique experience, as well as the ways in which they entered the system. While the study has not yet been conducted, much has been learned through an in-depth literature review, finding that there is little literature to document these experiences. There are few calls for change and abolition. There are even fewer calls to dismantle systems of oppression that are leading these youth into the criminal legal system. This paper is meant to be a call to action.

Sarah Nagel and Allyson Brome, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Communication between family caregivers and hospice nurses is important in caring for cancer patients at end-of-life. However, little systematic research has been done to determine what topics are discussed, how much communication occurs in different topics, and helpfulness for caregivers. This study aims to assess caregivers’ perception of these variables. As part of a larger study of nurse-family caregiver communication in home hospice cancer care, caregivers completed a survey assessing how much caregivers wanted to talk about 6 different topics, how much they actually talked about each topic, and perceived discussion helpfulness. Descriptive statistics were calculated and paired-samples t-tests were conducted to determine differences in the actual versus desired amount of topics’ communication. 209 family caregivers of home hospice cancer patients completed the survey. 95% of caregivers were white, 124 were spouses, 66 were children, 61 were men. Average caregiver age was 58.71 (SD=13.91). Average length of hospice enrollment was 25.5 days (Median= 12.00; SD=30.07). The most common topic for both actual and desired communication was symptom discussions, followed by coping with care; death/dying; coping with stress; memories/reminiscing; religion/spirituality (Mean Range Actual=4.53-1.89; Desired=4.58-1.89). Communication was seen as helpful regardless how much they wanted to talk about specific variables (Mean Range=3.00-4.62). Paired samples t-tests revealed no significant differences between actual and desired variables for any topic except for coping with stress, which was discussed less than the caregiver would have liked (t=2.38, df=207, p=.018). This study found that caregivers desired more or less communication about varying topics, and for the most part, this was reflected in actual conversation. All conversations between nurses and caregivers were considered helpful by caregivers. Though based on retrospective self-report data, study findings support current hospice nurse communication with family caregivers. However, nurses could improve on addressing caregivers’ coping with stress, which has implications for nursing education.