2015 Abstracts

Jacob Oscarson, Dixie State University Humanities In 1971 the New York Times printed sections of a classified Department of Defense report known at the Pentagon Papers. The papers were a detailed history of the Vietnam War from its very beginning in the 1940s when Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh were officially considered US Allies against Japan. One phenomenon that the papers reveal quite clearly is that while President Roosevelt was dedicated to a policy of support for national liberation movements, that others within his administration did not hold the same view. This is clearly portrayed in the discrepancy between internal documents of the US Secretary of State in August, 1940 that are in clear contradiction to the Atlantic Charter that President Roosevelt promoted one year later. Throughout the history of the Vietnam War, such discrepancies between internal views and public statements were quite common. In the final days of President Johnson’s administration, he had Daniel Ellsberg collect a detailed report on all aspects of the conflict in order to shape a better policy. When the Nixon administration ignored Ellsberg’s expertise, he leaked partial elements of the documents to the New York Times. In the last decade, the US Government has now released the full details of the report for the general public. This paper will discuss the beginnings of the war during the Roosevelt and Truman administrations in regards to new information provided in the complete Pentagon Papers report.

Missy Jessop, Dixie State University Humanities I moved from the suburbs of Salt Lake City to southern Utah just about four years ago, and the land continues to evoke fear and reverence in me as it did when I first arrived. Moreover, the desert has worked itself into my writing. Not only do my conflicted feelings about this place surface in both my prose and my poetry, but images of the landscape, as well as its animals and climate, appear over and over. The desert, I would argue, functions as an objective correlative, directly complementing and indirectly commenting upon the actions, images, people and scenarios that comprise this work. As such, I have begun to agree with Wordsworth’s observation that “a large portion of every good poem…must necessarily, except with reference to the metre, in no respect differ from that of good prose.” In this presentation, I plan to share “flash” works of prose and poetry that problematize the alleged divisions between different literary forms. In support of my findings, I will draw upon the ideas of such writers and critics as David Lee, Sarah Kay, and W.B. Yeats. It is my hope that the audience will be reminded of the connection between nature, landscape, and artistic expression, and how this connection can be tangibly observed by individuals in their own creative lives.

Keiran Presland, Dixie State University Humanities A nonfiction narrative essay, “Blood and Ink” chronicles a moment during which I experienced a rite of passage. I had a quill pen wrought on my forearm to remind me every day that the act of writing is an essential and permanent component of my life and my identity. This essay employs structural and thematic principles articulated by theorists like Vivian Gornick and Dinty W. Moore. In addition, it reveals the stylistic influence of the essayists E. B. White and Annie Dillard. With “Blood and Ink,” in short, I exploit my past and utilize my intellectual training to produce a work that at once is deeply personal and technically sound.

Matthew Dye, Snow College Humanities Many Native American reservations in the United States are increasingly relying on casinos and other forms of gambling to bolster local economies. However, since the state of Utah does not allow gambling on tribal lands, Native Americans in Utah must rely on other activities to bring tourism to their communities. Many resources that are available to tribes across Utah, including pow wows and other cultural events, have become central economic activities and means for increasing tourism to tribal lands. These cultural events serve two purposes, as they serve as a means of cultural education to the larger public, in addition to providing a mechanism for increasing tourism. For this project, I will focus on how the different Native American tribes in Utah use their own unique cultures to attract tourism, and its accompanying economic benefits, to their communities.

Matthew Halverson, University of Utah Humanities Adults learning second languages typically exhibit a great deal of difficulty discriminating the sounds of the new language. For example, the English R and L sounds (as in ‘lead’ vs. ‘read’) are difficult for native speakers of Japanese to discriminate because there is no such sound contrast in Japanese. Despite these difficulties, some research indicates that there are cognitive benefits of being bilingual. For example, Bialystock et al. (2003) found that bilingual children performed more accurately on tasks testing phonological awareness (a measure of sound-related skills) in English when compared to monolingual English speakers. Antoniou, Best, and Tyler (2013) found that Greek-English bilinguals were better at discriminating contrastive word-initial consonants in the language Ma’di than English monolinguals—but that they performed worse than Greek monolinguals. We thus see that the apparent bilingual advantage may be confounded with the particular language backgrounds of participants in these studies. The present study attempts to tease apart the contributions of language background and bilingualism. Spanish-English bilinguals were compared to English monolinguals in their ability to discriminate Thai sounds. The predictions were that if Spanish-English bilinguals performed better than English monolinguals, it would indicate that bilingualism was responsible for the advantage. On the other hand, if there was not a significant difference or the Spanish-English bilinguals performed worse than English monolinguals, the results could be attributed to language background. We found that there was not a significant difference between how the Spanish- English bilinguals performed compared to English speakers. We note that the study, however, is limited due to a lack of a Spanish monolingual group, thus we were unable account for a possible effect of language background.

Marcos Camargo, Dixie State University Humanities Since Europeans began to settle in the Western Hemisphere, Native-Americans faced a prolonged and painful voyage of dispossession. Traditionally historians look at the cultural, demographic, and political losses faced by Native Americans, rarely addressing the geographic aspect of the loss of natural resources. In the early period of the Cold War, uranium because a very precious commodity for both Americans and Soviets in the production of nuclear weapons. Since the best sources for uranium in North America were located primarily on Navajo lands in Utah, Arizona, and Colorado, the US Federal Government was forced to form a new relationship with Navajo leaders. These political advances undercut egalitarian traditions in Navajo governance, facilitating a new hierarchical structure where individual tribal members could exploit the American demand for uranium for their own personal profit. Through institutions like the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the US government did their best to hand-pick tribal officials who would acquiesce to their intensified desire for Navajo resources. This paper will investigate tribal reactions to the Navajo leadership’s complicity with US uranium policy and corporate profiteering. Only when the tribal government acted in the interests of the tribal community as a whole, through regulations that protected the Navajo homeland, were the wrongs perpetrated by outside forces able to be mended.

Ashley Smith, Brigham Young University Humanities The author argues that attitudes towards cross-caste marriage in Visakhapatnam, India are changing due to women who have attained a degree in higher education. Attitudes towards cross-caste marriage in India have always brought about turmoil for families whose children decided to marry someone outside of their caste. While cross-caste marriages are now legally allowed in India, it is still so socially taboo that even those that do participate in cross-caste marriage do not like to tell others that they are part of a cross- caste marriage. But times are continuing to change. The author’s research in Visakhapatnam, India concerning cross-caste marriages, and marriages in general, have brought to light data that may show that attitudes towards cross-caste marriage are changing in the light of higher education. Those interviewed by the author who were willing to talk about their own cross-caste marriage, or their son’s or daughter’s cross-caste marriage, have stated that or made mention to the fact that those who were well-educated were more willing to participate in cross-caste marriage as well as speak of being in a cross-caste marriage. It’s how people speak of it though that makes the author’s research interesting. They speak of their cross- caste marriage through education. It was either their mothers or themselves that mentioned that they have had higher education, usually at a university that the attitudes they grew up with about cross-caste marriage are softened.

Lyndsey Craig, Christy Fiscer, RonJai Staton, Michelle Hammon, Justin Nuckels, Tina Boren,

Savannè Bohnet, University of Utah Humanities The University of Utah attracts students from all over the world. Many international students serve as graduate teaching assistants, and in doing so, contribute to the teaching mission of the University. International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) experience a number of challenges associated with their teaching duties, most noticeably communication difficulties that are typically attributed to their non-native accents. In recent studies on accent adaptation we have seen that native English speakers are in fact able to quickly and accurately adapt to unfamiliar or new accents; however, most of these studies have been conducted in highly- controlled laboratory contexts. In the present work, we have examined the ability of actual University of Utah undergraduate students to adapt to the speech of actual ITAs, with the goal of understanding how to harness this accent adaptation ability to improve communication and learning in the classroom. As a starting point in achieving this long-term goal, we are investigating how individual students vary with respect to this adaptation ability. We conducted an experiment where native English-speaking University of Utah students were asked to listen to recordings of ITAs producing running speech during an adaptation phase. Following the adaptation phase, these students were asked to perform a transcription task with individual words produced by the same ITAs. More accurate performance on the transcription task is interpreted as greater adaptation to the ITAs’ speech. We found not only that different ITAs exhibited different levels of intelligibility to students, but also that individual students varied widely in their adaptation ability, which means that the intelligibility of non-native speech depends on characteristics of the listener.

Kelsey Jetter, Dixie State University Humanities Thousands of advertising messages that are created by the media bombard the general public on a daily basis. An aspect of media that is seldom recognized is how sexuality is represented. The fight for sexual equality has been progressing over the last few years, the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, and Queer) community has been fighting for equality in marriage, housing, and employment—successfully utilizing many forms of media such as news networking and social media. Though successful, the community’s fight fails to recognize bisexuality as its own form of sexuality. Bisexuality is misinterpreted, misunderstood, and discriminated against in heteronormative and homosexual media—bisexuality’s representation is skewed and perpetrates the myths that are assumed about bisexuality. Some of the myths including that bisexual people are confused, unnatural, and promiscuous. Through the analysis of how bisexuality is both negatively and positively reflected in media such as the music by Frank Ocean, the television show Doctor Who, and the political figure Kyrsten Sinema, this piece finds how the media represents bisexuality, people who identify as bisexual, and how it is reported to the public.

Samantha Falde, University of Utah Humanities The purpose of this paper is to closely examine the legacy of the policies and actions taken by the Soviet Union during the Cold War in order to determine its contributions to current levels of small arms and light weapons (SALW) proliferation around the globe. This examination confirms as reality the perception of the Soviet Union as the primary propagator of indiscriminate small arms proliferation in the post-Cold War era. As such, the Soviet Union was a chief contributor to the current situation of global insecurity perpetuated by the creation of extensively armed and violent societies known commonly as Kalashnikov Cultures. In examining the impact of Soviet policies on SALW proliferation, this paper utilizes the concept of the ‘‘Non-State Threshold’’ at which, when intact, small arms and light weapons are effectively segregated between legitimate state and illegitimate non-state actors, and when breached, indiscriminate spread occurs. The Non- State Threshold will be applied to the years during and immediately following the Cold War to determine under which conditions indiscriminate SALW proliferation occurred, and to facilitate a clearer understanding of how Soviet policies and actions allowed for the permeation of the Threshold by increasing the availability, ease of acquisition, and appeal of SALW to non-state actors and illegitimate groups. This paper demonstrates how the legacy of Soviet policies has facilitated the creation of dangerously armed, rogue societies, supporting the claim that it is the actions of the Soviet Union specifically that have disproportionately contributed to the creation of Kalashnikov Cultures.

Wendy Stabler, Dixie State University Humanities Injuries to the brain, scalp, and skull are considered to be head injuries. In recent years, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has become the “silent epidemic,” leaving survivors to fend for themselves in most aspect of their lives. A massive lack of knowledge and understanding with regard to TBI besets the community and Dixie State University (DSU) in particular. As a result TBI students do not receive the services, resources, and empathy they need for scholastic success. In order to ensure that TBI students can thrive on campus, DSU’s Disability Resource Center, administrators, and instructors need to implement new programs that support TBI students and educate the general campus population about the effects and learning styles associated with TBI. Some of these new programs (i.e., better accommodations, a TBI support group, DSU training on TBI) may be extensive and difficult to incorporate at the University, but they are critical for TBI students. Drawing upon published data and statements provided by TBI students and educators, with this paper, an exercise in rhetoric, I will demonstrate how more knowledge and information on this campus will empower instructors as well as TBI students, potentially yielding higher graduation rates for TBI students. Once the recommendations are implemented, DSU will in turn be a leading university in TBI student support. The hope is that these findings and arguments can be used to help TBI student communities in other higher-education settings.

Aaron E. Palmer, Dixie State University Humanities While traditional storytelling revolves around the story and setting, video game mechanics include all game rules and options for interaction in and with a game. Due to this, a pair of critical questions arises: how do video game mechanics— such as functions on a controller—influence the production of meaning within video game narratives, and have these mechanics progressed or expanded upon the ways stories can be told? I argue that mechanical elements have expanded, enriched, and altered storytelling. Using N. Katherine Hayles’ Writing Machines as a guide, I compare conventional literary artifacts, such as novels, to video games vis-à-vis Hayles’ theories regarding “Literary texts … [as having] bodies, an actuality necessitating that their materialities and meanings are deeply interwoven into each other.” My research reasons that playing narrative-driven games is creative rather than solely reactive. The following video games are included in my research: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. For millennia, humans have painted caves, etched steles, and carved hieroglyphs onto walls in order to communicate important stories. The evolution of media from stone to parchment to newer media such as computers exposes the role that gaming mechanics play in contemporary storytelling.

Lyndsey Craig, Christy Fiscer, RonJai Staton, Michelle Hammon, Deborah Decker, Tina Boren,

Jordan Kerns, Dixie State University Humanities In my creative compilation, I explore four different classifications of the word blood in four flash non-fiction pieces. I utilize the writing technique of compression, so none of my stories exceed 400 words. Flash pieces give information to the reader through the techniques of inference and understatement. Throughout my stories, I show readers my relationships with other people, my thoughts about myself, and my opinions about certain possessions through the use of flash methods and with an underlying theme of blood. The first story, “Cremation,” illustrates my relationship with my brother through a cryptic conversation we had about death—its tie to the theme being our blood relation. The next piece, “Blood Lines,” describes a pair of sweatpants I stole from my father with subtle clues that hint at the bad blood left between him and my mother and my mother and me. The third flash, “Blood and Frosting,” is a second-person narrative about the process the narrator takes to make red velvet cupcakes for her friends and family. The last work, “Syrup and Sky,” is another descriptive paragraph about a picture I drew in high school of a poorly-drawn wolverine covered in the blood of his kill. I aim to connect with my readers through these simple moments of life, make them feel either happy or sad or anything in-between, and make them see the beauty and complexity in mundane things.

Rachel Sharich, Dixie State University Humanities Non-traditional students face innumerable challenges during the course of their studies but can find a successful balance if they have the proper tools and a determined mindset. Going back to school after a decade or more is a daunting task when considering work and bills, kids and dinner, laundry and car repairs. In 2007, I attempted to describe my city-girlturned- agrarian-survivalist efforts in self-reliance after gutting my extra rooster and cooking him for dinner. Then, my life changed. I became a full-time college student and after a few semesters, I realized that my knowledge of grammar and punctuation had grown significantly since my rooster-killing musings. I re- learned comma rules, proper use of semi-colons, and the difference between a dash and a hyphen. Although storytelling is a personal strong suit, I now see many flagrant errors in my past writing. Comma splices are scattered throughout email, journal entries, and even handwritten notes. I overburdened any sense of idiosyncratic expression with abundant stylistic fragments. I attach my success or failure as a human being to the letters on my report card; I have always been an ‘A’ student. College cannot be the top priority for most non-traditional students. I strive for some sense of lop-sided equilibrium each day and encourage other potential students to realize their own dream of earning a college degree, no matter their circumstances. I enjoy assisting other students in correcting their own writing errors. I am content with any passing grade because I am seeing my work, and my life, change for the better.

Miranda Roland, Southern Utah University Humanities Voluntourism (volunteer tourism) is the action of using personal vacation time to assist in volunteer service usually in foreign countries. Voluntourism has recently received negative connotation as research has deemed them “non-beneficial” or even “harmful” due to the short duration spent and overall adverse effect caused unintentionally by the project. This research was conducted to determine what participants of the temporary medical clinics hosted by the Global Medical Training program really think of the provided service. This information can deem if the alternative breaks taken by pre-medical and medical volunteers are beneficial to the areas they serve and if future breaks should be considered, if not strongly encouraged. The surveys were completed verbally to the patient with the aid of a Spanish translator. Surveys contained questions that addressed the influence of how they receive medical attention due to these clinics and satisfaction of attention received during the clinic. All of the surveys (100%) signified that these Global Medical Training clinics do influence how they receive medical care with additional comments of “beneficial to the low class economy”, “traveling to us is very helpful”, and “appreciate the advice given”. 98.08% signified that they are satisfied with the medical attention received through the clinics. As demonstrated through these results many communities are satisfied with the service provided and they wish to see more clinics of this set-up as it relieves the cost financially and time-wise of traveling to the nearby medical center. Upon conclusion, the trips taken by pre-medical and medical students through the Global Medical Training program are deemed beneficial to both the volunteers and the recipients of their service. These trips should not be demoted by the negative connotation of voluntourism but instead should be strongly encouraged if a volunteer desires.

Michael Jurgensmeier, Dixie State University Humanities The voyage of slaves from Africa to the Americas is a part of Atlantic World history that is infamous for its brutal treatment of human cargo. The recorded history of men, women and children placed in cargo ships, chained together, lying in the same spot, often for months at a time without seeing the light of day, has been met with a mix of horror and shock. The specific details of the slave trade have been well recorded and the role of the human cargo has been emphasized in the majority of records that fill history books. What about the role of the slave trader? When a person takes into account all the added stress and special-needs of carrying a ship filled with human cargo, one can’t help but ask, from an economic perspective, was it worth it? Was it exceptionally profitable? In answering that question perhaps a light will be shed on the motivation of one of history’s iniquitous periods. This paper will give a few, short examples of what slave traders had to consider and the types of problems they may have had to overcome in order to be successful.

Conor Hilton, Brigham Young University Humanities The narrator of Washington Square strongly colors the account of events that we receive. However, this information is tainted by the narrator’s treacherous behavior, seeming to be very polite, but hiding a heavy dose of irony and distaste behind the polite exterior. It is difficult to fully understand and interpret the events of the novel given the narrator’s heavy involvement in relaying the events of Catherine and Dr. Sloper’s interactions. The text must be interrogated, questioning the motives of the narrator and the reliability of the narrative that he presents. If the narrator is a friend to Catherine, then he likely is undermining Dr. Sloper. Yet, if the narrator is a friend of Dr. Sloper’s, as his intimate knowledge of the Doctor’s past and perspective suggests, then it seems unlikely that he is also a friend of Catherine’s. Perhaps the narrator is unsympathetic towards all of the characters, seeking to undermine their actions and words regardless of who they are or what they are striving to do. The narrator hides his biting asides behind a mask of the most formal politeness, but upon reading between the lines the narrator’s kindness and friendship for each of the characters is called into question. Understanding that the narrator is no friend to the characters in the story he is telling, the reader must question all interpretive comments made regarding the events of the novel. Stripping away the bias of the narrator is also essential to understanding the true nature of the characters of James’ novel, primarily Catherine and Dr. Sloper.

Latrisa Garcia, Dixie State University Humanities Statistics show that in 2013, the US population was 313.9 million people, while the number of active cell phone subscriptions was 345.2 million, which translates to 110% of the US population having active cell phones. As more people connect to the world through cell phones they become less aware of the physical world which surrounds them, known as Inattentional Blindness. This paper asks the question: Does the increased use of cell phones impair college students’ perceptions about the actual amounts of crime that occurs on campus, and if so are students under or over estimating the amounts of crime? It is hypothesized that the majority of students will under estimate the amount of crime that occurs on a college campus because of their reduced awareness of the real world. This study uses a convenience sample acquired through a web based survey conducted on a college campus of approximately 10,000 students in the southwest region of the United States. Study results will be finalized in the coming weeks. Early results suggest that cell phone use and inattentional blindness may not be as prevalent on campus as originally hypothesized.

Andy Mickelson, Brigham Young University Humanities The infancy narrative in the Gospel of Luke is one of the most popular passages of Christian scripture: the story of Jesus’ birth has been recited and depicted in Christmas celebrations for centuries. Yet modern readers are far removed in time, language, and culture from the first-century world in which Luke was composed. Because of this distance, our traditional understanding of this text may differ from what Luke intended to convey. One particular misunderstanding of the text centers on an ambiguous Greek term used in Luke 2:7. Most English translations of this verse state that Mary, after delivering Jesus, “laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” However, the term translated as “inn” in this passage—κατάλυμα—had a wide variety of meanings in Hellenistic Greek. Even within Luke itself the term is translated differently: the “upper room” in which Jesus shares his last meal with his disciples is, in Greek, a κατάλυμα (Luke 22:11). Properly understanding κατάλυμα profoundly impacts how we read Luke’s infancy narrative: were Mary and Joseph turned away from a crowded inn on the eve of her delivery? Or does a nuanced translation of κατάλυμα change the circumstances of Jesus’ birth?This paper philologically examines how κατάλυμα is used by other Hellenistic Greek authors: Xenophon, Polybius, Diodorus Siculus, and others. Their writings created the literary milieu in which the Gospel of Luke was composed; their use of this term may have influenced Luke as he crafted his account. Based on this philological context, κατάλυμα here most likely means “guest room,” and infers that Joseph and Mary were staying with another family (possibly relatives) in Bethlehem. This reading, though nontraditional, brings us closer to approaching the text as Luke’s original audience would have understood it.

Daniel Cox, Dixie State University Humanities Community correctional professionals stand between offenders and their potential relapse into criminal behavior, i.e., recidivism. These officers are expected to monitor conduct and use evidence-based practices for rehabilitation. However, this important dual-role is too often distorted. Researchers have noted that training for officers about the use of evidence- based practices filters through officers’ attributions (their values and professional orientation), thereby impeding implementation of these practices (Whetzel et al. 2011). In this presentation, I argue that training of this sort often fails apparently because its delivery does not address officers’ attributions, especially regarding stereotypes of psychology and organizational support. I plan to suggest that recidivism, as well, will drop when training accounts for how and to what extent attribution biases interact with efforts to implement evidence-based practices. These preliminary findings are drawn from a study I am leading that assesses 50 officers throughout the State of Utah, utilizing surveys provided by researchers Mario Paparozzi (University of North Carolina– Pembroke) and Jennifer Skeem (University of California– Berkeley), about their attributions prior to and after training to measure for positive change in using evidence-based practices. The study also evaluates officers’ use of evidence-based practices during interactions with offenders with evaluation tools provided by researchers Peter Raynor (Swansea University) and Faye Taxman (George Mason University). The intent of the study, ultimately, is to determine if and to what extent attribution-based training for evidence-based practices will cause positive organizational change, the outcome of which is likely not only to influence the manner in which correctional professionals are trained but also the manner in which their training manuals are written.

Amanda Salgado, Weber State University Humanities In 1983, Rigoberta Menchu, the first indigenous Mayan-Quiche Nobel Peace Prize recipient, shared the terror and the abuse that she and millions of other indigenous people in Guatemala were experiencing during the country’s 36-year Internal Armed Conflict. In her book Me llamo Rigoberta Menchu y así me nació la conciencia, she discusses how the indigenous population was frequently viewed and treated as inferior by the Ladinos (those of mixed indigenous and European heritage), and was therefore subjected to a great deal of discrimination, which was reflective of the legacy of the country’s colonial past. The purpose of this research was to examine within a Postcolonial framework, if postcolonial structures were still in force in Guatemala, and if and how they continued to affect the indigenous population, particularly Mayan women living in rural areas. Methodology included analysis of newspaper articles, journals and documents, as well as a two-week field experience, talking to Mayan women. The result shows that while the political situation of Guatemala has improved since the time of the publication of Menchu’s book, many of the conditions and practices that promote discrimination against the indigenous population have continued and are still visible today, reflective of a Postcolonial society that values European descendants more than their neighbors. For instance, the educational system now takes into account indigenous languages, and Mayan spirituality is not persecuted, a first since the Spanish Conquest. Nevertheless, indigenous women continue to experience a triple discrimination because based on their sex, social status, and ethnicity. The goal of this research is to promote greater awareness of these issues.

Thomas Aguila, University of Utah Humanities “A Tide Just West” is a book arts project that conceptually adopts the theories of Hélène Cixous– and to an extent Julia Kristeva and Luce Irigaray– and concerns itself with investigating narratological schemas, as the book experimentally utilizes photographic imagery (alongside the text) to constitute a story of écriture féminine. Ecriture féminine, translated from French as “woman’s writing,” is a type of writing characterized by its tendency to subvert the narrative conventions and the pragmatism within books, poetry, language, and the genres in between. Hélène Cixous used this conceptual term in her 1975 essay, “The Laugh of Medusa,” and considered the difficulty of definitively putting into words such a category: “It is impossible to define a feminine practice of writing, and that impossibility will remain, for this practice can never be theorized, enclosed, coded.” In this project, écriture féminine takes form– and subverts form– through the book’s incorporation of photographic images. The narrative’s images act as areas that are not reliant on words but visual experiences that contradict, unify, and break apart the text alongside it. Such visual components allow new narratives to form. Instead of illustrations, the visual images act as indefinite, experiential moments for the reader to expand upon (to pass through), as the reader’s literal relationship to the characters, scenarios, and overall thematics of the book turns more toward conflicting, potent, and vague contradictions. The images fracture and destabilize the logocentrism of the book, destabilizing that expectation and faith upon the written word; they act as an in-definitude to the text, the narrative, the body, and the metaphors between the three.

Natasha Mickelson, Brigham Young University Humanities Young adult contemporary realistic fiction is a genre which attempts to portray real life. Young adult readers of these novels should be able to find themselves in the characters and relate to their backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives on life. While many young adult novels deal with controversial topics such as sexuality, drug use, physical abuse, suicide, and other difficult subjects in an attempt to be realistic, one aspect of life still largely considered a literary “taboo” is religion.Through examining studies done and looking at a sample of novels in the young adult contemporary realistic fiction genre I found that most of these books mention nothing about the religious beliefs or backgrounds of their characters. In the few novels which do bring up religion, Christian beliefs and characters are more common than minority religions. However, those novels depicting Christian characters are more likely to show them in a negative light. These novels frequently portray religious characters (especially leaders) as bigoted, fanatical, or gullible. Often the main adolescent character is trying to break free from cultish groups, and their eventual loss of faith is celebrated. Since contemporary realistic fiction attempts to portray the real world and real teenagers, I researched recent studies surveying American teenagers’ views on and involvement with religion. The results of these studies show that most teenagers identify with and willingly participate in religious groups and practices. In my research I found that this disparity between real life and realistic YA fiction exists due to the aversion of writers and publishers to possible censorship issues and alienating potential readership. However, scholars agree that both the lack of religion and the negative religious stereotypes in these novels can leave teenage readers incorrectly feeling as though their beliefs in or questions about God and religion are uncommon or wrong.

Chase Barker, Utah Valley University Life Sciences Central Research Question:

Michael Packer, Utah Valley University Life Sciences Dipsosaurus dorsalis is a desert dwelling iguana species geographically distributed throughout the south-western United States, northern Mexico, and the Baja Peninsula. Throughout the Baja Peninsula, multiple species of herpetofauna exhibit a distinct north-south division, both morphologically and genetically, with no presence of any physical barriers. The goal of this study was to examine how the genetic structure of D. dorsalis has been influenced by past geological events, and whether this species exhibits a similar north-south division on the Baja peninsula. Additionally, this study aimed to see if the current taxonomy of Dipsosaurus is reflective of the evolutionary relationships across its entire geographic range. 100 tissue samples of D. dorsalis were collected across the species geographic range. DNA extraction from collected tissue samples and sequencing of nuclear loci MLH3 (~900bp), NT3 (489bp), as well as mitochondrial loci ND4 (~900bp) were performed to examine the distribution of genetic variation in D. dorsalis. The collected data was then used to construct phylogenetic trees for each locus, comparing individuals of Dipsosaurus to the geologic history of its geographic distribution. Although shallow, a maximum likelihood tree of the ND4 mitochondrial gene shows the phylogeographic separation of three distinct clades. The results do not support the designation of Dipsosaurus catalinensis as currently defined.

Danny Ferguson, Utah Valley University Life Sciences This research examined the acceptance of evolution for introductory Biology students and the reasons why they don’t accept evolution, accept evolution, and why they change their minds over the semester. Previous studies examined student’s observations and knowledge of the evolutionary theory and found that the degree of conflict students perceived between religion and science was negatively correlated with their knowledge of evolution. Objective: The objective of this research was to better understand the student’s views of evolution and its integration into their worldly and religious views. Methods: We will conduct interviews with general Biology students in order to better understand the reasons why they don’t accept evolution, accept evolution, and why they change their minds over the semester. The interview questions are designed to investigate, in more detail than the previous surveys, the opinions of evolution and how they change over the course of the semester. The recordings will be transcribed and quantified by binning answers into categories. Given high % of students are LDS, we will ask a few additional questions to this portion of the population. Results: We found that as students knowledge of evolution increased, their conflict with religion decreased. The data demonstrate that there are three main reasons for this trend: 1) Evidence convinces the students to accept evolution; 2) Particularly for LDS students, knowledge of the official position of the Church, enables them to allow evolution to be a correct process in nature; and 3) the instructor as a role model (believer yet accepts evolution) can have a large influence.

Stephanie Bartlett, Utah Valley University Life Sciences Our project investigates the phylogenetic relationships of the superfamily Ephemeroidea + Behningiidae. Found in waters worldwide, burrowing families are unique in that they have mandibular tusks that allow them to tunnel in the silt or gravel of riverbeds. Surprisingly, even without the mandibular tusks necessary for tunnel construction, the Behningiidae family is still found within these burrows as nymphs. Because the Behningiidae don’t have tusks, morphological research has lead to a phylogenetic classification of this family that our genomic investigation ultimately disputes. To begin this investigation, mayfly specimens were collected worldwide and prepared for DNA extraction. For each specimen genes were amplified via polymerase chain reaction and visualized on an agarose gel, before being sequenced and analyzed. The specific genes targeted for this analysis include; 12s mitochondrial rDNA, 16s mitochondrial rDNA, 18s nuclear rDNA, 28s nuclear rDNA, H3 nuclear protein coding, and CO1 mitochondrial protein coding. Datasets were supplemented with sequences acquired from Genbank. The ingroup consisted of approximately 30 samples. Phylogenetic relationships were estimated using Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood, and Baysian methods. We constructed phylogenetic relationships of burrowing mayflies using molecular DNA data analysis, when compared to morphological analysis we identified some important classification differences. As a result of our findings, we propose an alternative explanation for the evolution of mandibular tusks in burrowing mayflies (Ephemeroptera). The data support that burrowing mayflies first evolved tusks. Within the family Behningiidae, tusks were lost, while the burrowing lifestyle (i.e., living in a burrow to filter feed) was retained. This study represents the largest analysis to date for these insects and strongly supports the evolutionary trend of a gain and a loss of mandibular tusks during their evolution.

Jake Loveless, Utah Valley University Life Sciences Macroinvertebrate assemblage composition was assessed in two perennial streams, Pleasant Creek, and Sulphur Creek in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, during the summer of 2014. Individuals collected were identified to genus. This information was used to compare assemblage composition, nutrient availability, and water quality between the two streams. Five collection trips were made (May 27, June 10,17, July 1,15). Sampling was conducted randomly using mesh kick nets with four samples being collected per site, per trip. Heavy rains caused flash flooding on July 15 prohibiting sampling, so a total of sixteen samples per site were taken. Samples were stored in 90% isopropyl alcohol until they could besorted and identified using a dissecting microscope. Water quality estimates were determined by taking the weighted average of the tolerance values, and the final classification was made using the family-level biotic index. Pleasant Creek showed the highest number of taxa present, fourteen, compared to six in Sulphur Creek. Both streams followed the predictions of the River Continuum Concept consisting of collector-dominated functional feeding groups, with Pleasant Creek showing a higher percentage of predators 35.7% to 16.6%. Tolerance values of collected taxa were used to estimate organic pollution indicating good water quality in Pleasant Creek, and fairly poor water quality in Sulphur Creek. The differences in the macroinvertebrate assemblage composition in this study were likely multi-causal. Stream size is a major factor influencing the structure of macroinvertebrate assemblages; in general, as stream size increases, more taxa are added. Pleasant Creek is a much larger stream with a well-established channel, while Sulphur Creek is shallow with depths never exceeding fifteen centimeters. The shallow channel of Sulphur Creek also made it prone to frequent flooding. Isolated floods have little impact on macroinvertebrate communities due to availability of aerial adults nearby to recolonize rapidly, however, frequent flooding may have long-term effects through extirpation of taxa with high mortality. The difference in water quality was the most surprising finding in this study. The fairly poor water quality of Sulphur Creek may also be a factor in the lack of genera found there. Organic pollution effects primary productivity in streams, and while primary productivity was not measured in this study, visual observations found very little algae or aquatic vegetation at Sulphur Creek.

Robert Erickson, Utah Valley University Life Sciences Although the insect fauna of the Colorado Plateau region are somewhat well known, our specific understanding of the arthropod biodiversity in Capitol Reef National Park has been sparse. Objective: From the multiple insect surveys conducted in Capitol Reef National Park we intend to catalog the arthropod biodiversity into a species list. Methods: In addition to the previous collecting trips, we carried out collection efforts this past summer (2014). We used the Utah Valley University Capitol Reef Field Station as our home base. General insect collecting efforts were conducted around the field station and the nearby Pleasant Creek, near the public campgrounds, along trails, and in several other locations in the southern portion of the park. Additionally, we performed night collecting with a mercury vapor lamp trap on the nights we were in the park and utilized stationary malaise and aquatic larvae traps. The collected specimens were curated using methods of pinning, spreading, labeling, identifying, photographing, and organizing the insects. Results: The collections contributed to an increased understanding of the parks insect diversity and resulted in a curated natural history museum collection. A species list will be made available for the records of Capitol Reef National Park. More than 3000 specimens have been collected within the park. Furthermore, a booklet of the common insects for the park is in the process of being created in order to serve as an educational tool for visitors to the park and field station.

Daniel Barnett, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Approximately one-third of US adults have metabolic disease, increasing their risk for diabetes, cancers and neurodegenerative disease (www.ADA.org). At the heart of these diseases are imbalances in the cellular redox state. The cofactor NAD(P), commonly known as niacin, is required for over 300 essential reactions in the cell and is largely responsible for the cellular redox state. NAD kinase regulates the NAD to NADP ratio, an important ratio for controlling cellular redox state and central metabolism. Herein we provide evidence that PAS kinase, a nutrient sensing kinase required for glucose homeostasis, phosphorylates NAD kinase. We are currently investigating the effect of this phosphorylation on the function of NAD kinase both in vitro and in vivo by measuring NAD kinase activity and associated phenotypes. This research will increase our understanding of how cells regulate central metabolism. In addition, because PAS kinase is a nonessential protein, it may prove to be an invaluable treatment target for regulating NAD(P) levels and controlling cellular redox state. This may lead to therapeutic targets for cancer and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

Stephan Maman and Holden Wagstaff, Southern Utah University Life Sciences Most plant species produce chemical compounds called secondary metabolites that enhance fitness in a variety of ways. Many of these compounds are also physiologically active in vertebrates and have widespread medicinal uses. The most ubiquitous secondary metabolites are the terpenoids, many of which cause vasodilation of the aorta and mesenteric arteries. In this study, we examined the vasoactive effects of the essential oil of Umbellularia californica, which contains the terpenoid umbellulone. Oil obtained via steam distillation using aerial portions of U. californica was applied directly to cutaneous arterioles of frogs. Arteriole diameter was monitored both before and after oil application by video microscopy. Within seconds of application, the oil caused significant vasoconstriction that persisted until the oil was washed off. Our control, medical grade sesame oil, caused no observable effects when applied using the same protocols. These results are opposite to the vasodilatory effects of terpenoids on aortic rings and mesenteric arteries. This suggests that the vasoactive effects of umbellulone are different from other terpenoids, that the vasoactive effects of terpenoids differ depending on blood vessel type, or that application of the complete essential oil affects vasculature differently than application of the isolated terpenoid.

Alex Hyer, University of Utah Life Sciences Geochemical reactions associated with the process known as serpentinization can generate copious quantities of organic carbon and chemical energy that support life, but these reactions also greatly increase the pH of serpentinization sites. High-pH environments hinder ATP production because the low proton concentrations at high pH can result in a reversed proton gradient across cell membranes. Organisms present at serpentinization sites are not well-characterized, and adaptations to their alkaliphilic lifestyle are unknown. Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 was not isolated from serpentinization sites, but it is a well- studied alkaliphile that has several distinct adaptations for ATP production in high pH environments. Its sequence for ATP synthase, the molecular motor responsible for ATP generation in the cell, contains several distinctive mutations including an AXAXAXA motif that increases the C-ring stoichiometry, a P51XXE54XXP57 motif that creates a distinct kink in the outer helix of the C-subunit, and a V21 mutation granting rotamer freedom to E54. In this study, we search for similar mutations in metagenomic databases containing DNA sequences collected from serpentinization sites. Analysis of alignments from the programs BLAST and Exonerate indicate that V21 is present in several alignments, but P51 is found in only a single alignment from serpentinization sites. The AXAXAXA motif is non- existent in our databases, but the more common GXGXGXG motif is present with alanine replacements occurring periodically. In general, these results indicate that our DNA sequences from high-pH sites of serpentinization are more reminiscent of typical neutrophiles than of the alkaliphile B. pseudofirmus OF4. Therefore, serpentinization- adapted organisms may harbor other adaptations to high pH such as local pmf regulation. Future work will test for quantitative correlations between environmental pH measurements and the incidence of mutations in ATP synthase in order to identify novel adaptations to high pH in serpentinization-driven ecosystems.

Bryce Taylor and Ian Kesler, Southern Utah University Life Sciences Green infrastructure is the use of natural processes to manage stormwater runoff and has many positive effects on evaporative cooling, building energy demand, and wildlife habitat. Very little green infrastructure research has been conducted in arid environments such as Southern Utah. The scope of this research project is to establish a complete water budget of the green roof using a lysimeter (an acrylic box resting on a high-resolution weighing scale). The water budget will help in determining whether the cost of irrigating the green roof is off- set by the potential benefits to biodiversity and decreased energy demands.We have constructed a working lysimeter and will collect the required data by using: a high resolution scale, a tipping bucket to measure drainage, two soil moisture and temperature sensors and weather data from the campus weather station. A collection of mixed Sedum species vegetation will be planted in the lysimeter using a special green roof media to accurately simulate a greenroof environment. Both pitfall (used to capture grounded insects) and combination traps (used to capture airborne insects) will be used to measure the biodiversity. Data collection will begin during the winter of 2014 and continue indefinitely.

Bryce Anderson, Kemais Ehlers, Deborah Johnson, and Stephen Persaud, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Antigen presenting cells digest and display foreign proteins from infected cells on the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) that is recognized by T cells via their T cell receptor (TCR). LLO56 and LLO118 are CD4+ helper T cells with TCRs specific for the same Listeria monocytogenes epitope. Despite differing by only 15 amino acids, these TCRs have dramatically different primary and secondary responses to infection. TCRs have very low affinity for peptide MHC. We determined to generate high affinity T cell receptors to test if T cell activation would be improved. We reasoned that the single chain LLO118 and LLO56 TCRs (Vβ2-linker-Vα2) could be subjected to directed evolution to generate mutants that are more stable and then used as a template for engineering high affinity T cell receptors. Single chain LLO118 and LLO56 were fused to the yeast surface protein Aga-2 and error prone PCR was used to generate mutagenic libraries. Stabilized single chain TCRs (scTCRs) were selected for using biotinylated Vβ2 and Vα2 antibodies and anti-biotin beads. First generation clones with increased stability compared to wild type were isolated for both LLO118 and LLO56. A second mutagenic library using the first generation mutants as templates was produced and the most stable clones were selected after temperature denaturation, permitting isolation of clones with increased stability. We are currently engineering high affinity T cell receptors by generating affinity libraries using site directed mutagenesis of the CDR3 regions. These libraries are sorted for their ability to bind to MHC tetramers and individual clones are tested using flow cytometry. Generation of pathogen specific high affinity TCRs will increase our understanding of how T cells are activated and could also provide infection specific diagnostics and therapeutics.

Jason Ray, Benjamin Bitner, Kyle Kener, and Brent Jackson, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate. Both types of diabetes result in decreased functional β-cell mass, which is defined as the number of β-cells multiplied by their Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion rate. Decreased functional β-cell mass inhibits regulation of blood glucose levels. β-cells have an extremely low proliferation rate after adolescence, meaning the functional β-cell mass cannot naturally recover. Increasing functional β-cell mass could provide a cure for diabetes, either through pancreatic islet transplants or through enhancement of the endogenous β-cell population. Nkx6.1 has been shown to increase β-cell proliferation by inducing the nuclear receptors Nr4a.1 and Nr4a.3. We have shown that Nkx6.1 increases expression of the gene c-Fos, and that c-Fos induces expression of Nr4a1 and Nr4a3. Furthermore, we have shown that c-Fos is sufficient to induce proliferation of β-cells in the INS-1 832/3 cell line and in primary rat islets. Finally, using lenti-sh-c-Fos to create a stable c-Fos deficient stable cell line, we have demonstrated that Nkx6.1 mediated proliferation is modified by the lack of c-Fos. We propose a model by which c-Fos is a critical link between Nkx6.1 and Nr4a mediated β-cell proliferation.

Simranvir Kaur, University of Utah Life Sciences The placenta is the major source of fetal serotonin during pregnancy, which is essential for fetal brain development. In Utah, approximately 13% of pregnant women take Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) to treat depression, the use of which has been correlated to significantly lower serotonin levels in cord blood for newborns. Studies suggest association between maternal SSRI use and adverse outcomes such as preterm birth, cognitive deficit, and disruption of serotonergic systems. However the effect of SSRIs on placental gene expression, serotonin synthesis and transport in the placenta, is not known. This study evaluates the impact of maternal SSRI use on placental gene expression and levels of serotonin in the cord blood using a nested case-control observational study model. Biological samples will be collected until 20 cases (women taking SSRIs during pregnancy) and 20 appropriately matched controls have been enrolled into the study. Participants also complete an online questionnaire to measure depression and anxiety levels as well as document any medication they have taken during pregnancy. Data and sample collection for this study is still in progress. Once enough samples have been collected for batch analysis, we will complete RT-PCR and ELISA, expected in Spring 2015. Upon complete data analysis, we expect this study will help in targeting mothers who are at risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes and further provide suggestions for intervention.

Michael Hinckley and Cayden Westwood, Dixie State University Life Sciences Clinical laboratory standards state that urine samples should be tested within 2 hours of collection. If testing is delayed beyond that time frame the sample needs to be refrigerated to inhibit urea conversion to ammonia and an increase in urine pH. Here medical lab science students investigated whether urine samples left at room temperature for 48 hours resulted in significant increases in urine pH with concomitant microbial growth. Five clean-catch urine specimens were obtained and promptly tested for pH levels using a sterile pH meter (EcoTestr, Oakton Instruments). Samples were then aliquoted into capped and uncapped containers that were left at room temperature. Samples were tested at 0, 8, 20, 24, 32 and 48 hours. The pH values from the uncapped and capped samples from these time periods were analyzed using a paired two tailed t-test. Results indicated one sample out of five was significant (P = .05). Initial samples were gram stained, then read to determine the presence of bacteria. Specimens were cultured on 5% Sheep Blood and MacConkey agar plates. Plates were read for bacterial growth at 24 hours incubation and growth was identified on two samples. At 48 hours, both uncapped and capped urine cultures were plated again and three samples demonstrated bacterial growth the following day. Microbial testing identified normal urogenital flora and pathogenic bacteria. Urine with pathogenic bacteria demonstrated significant increases in pH, while additional cultures with bacterial growth also increased but not with significance. Future studies could employ a larger sample size from both healthy and diseased individuals. Furthermore, identification of microbes that will thrive in acidic and alkaline pH would be of interest.

Kari Norman, Utah State University Life Sciences The identification of important areas for biodiversity is essential for affective allocation of limited conservation resources. Since Myers’ seminal biodiversity hotspot paper in 2000, great strides have been made in more accurate global mapping. While global mapping identifies important patterns in large-scale biodiversity, conservation management rarely if ever occurs on the same scale. Finer scale mapping is therefore essential to make research applicable for on the ground decision-making. This project focuses on North America, a continent that holds no priority areas when included in a global analysis. Using citizen scientist data of multiple vertebrate and plant taxa, we created maps of species richness and significantly rare species. In addition, we created similar maps based on range map data and compared to determine if the two data types produced different biodiversity priority areas. The results of this study provide informative maps about the locations of species, their vulnerability, and how human action may impact them, as well as underline the importance of understanding the data behind their construction.

Morgan Christiansen, Taylor Hoybjerg, and Ryan Cook, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Asthma is a chronic allergic disorder manifest by airway restriction due to inflammation, bronchoconstriction, and increased respiratory mucous secretion. As many as 300 million people worldwide are affected by asthma. It is becoming increasingly prevalent, especially in countries experiencing urbanization and Westernization. Asthma is currently the most common chronic illness among children in the U.S. and the third leading cause of hospitalization for children aged 0 – 15 yrs. Reservoir dust collection and area air sampling are the two primary methods of measuring allergen levels in house dust. Allergen sensitization leading to asthma is thought to occur prior to age six while the immune system is still naïve. In the case of the dust mite allergen Der p1, the exposure window may be as early as age two. However, little evidence is available to establish a dose–response relationship between inhalation exposure and early immunological sensitization to allergens. Temperature and relative humidity play a major role in dust mite survival and proliferation—indoor humidity above 50-60% in arid environments has been shown to support dust mite populations. Evaporative “swamp” coolers add moisture to cool the air and this increased humidity can create favorable environments for dust mite survival. The purpose of this research is to quantify the levels of dust mite antigen in homes with air conditioners and homes with swamp coolers in Utah Valley to determine the role humidity plays in the abundance of dust mite antigens. We are testing the hypothesis that homes with swamp coolers exhibit higher levels of antigen due to heightened humidity levels.

Matz Indergard, Paul Spruell, and Fredrich Govedich, Southern Utah University Life Sciences Dispersal of organisms allows them to colonize new habitats and may buffer against extirpation due to localized catastrophic events. For organisms inhabiting ephemeral environments, dispersal can be challenging, as suitable habitat is often small, isolated spatially, and unpredictable temporally. Fairy shrimp are small invertebrates that occupy ephemeral freshwater pools filled by rainfall. Fairy shrimp produce resting (resistant) eggs when conditions are not favorable. Upon the return of supportive conditions, these eggs will then hatch. Little is known about the methods of dispersal used by fairy shrimp. However, it has been suggested that the resting eggs are the most likely life stage to provide dispersal opportunities. We examined two proposed methods of egg dispersal for fairy shrimp (Brachinecta sp) from a series of ephemeral pools just north of Three Peaks near Cedar City, Utah. We hypothesized that dispersal could be attributed to prevailing winds or water runoff, which would disperse eggs in a direction corresponding to prevailing wind patterns or to outflow following the surface gradient. To conduct our test we established three reference points equally spaced in the linearly arrayed series of pools. We then collected soil samples at randomly determined locations around these center points to form an overlapping radial grid. We then added purified water to each of our samples and hatched any shrimp eggs that were present in the sediment. We then mapped the overall concentrations of shrimp in our sampling area. Results to date do not reveal an obvious pattern with prevailing wind direction and dispersal.

Coral Gardner and Don Long, Southern Utah University Life Sciences Irrigation of lawns and gardens in Cedar City, Utah is accomplished in two fundamentally different manners. In older neighborhoods, water is diverted from a natural stream (Coal Creek) into a series of canals and ditches for residential flood irrigation, compared to newer neighborhoods, which use sprinklers or similar devices from well water. The overall objective of this project is to better understand the chemical and biological changes that occur in irrigation and runoff waters in Cedar City. We are addressing the following three hypotheses. 1) Changes will be observed in water chemistry as surface water moves from Coal Creek through Cedar City. 2) Irrigation strategies influence water chemistry during periods of high precipitation. 3) Microbial community changes will be associated with differences in water chemistry. Water chemistry data including dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, alkalinity, dissolved organic matter and nitrate/nitrite were collected weekly at eight sites and during high precipitation events. Over the course of four months, there was a reduction in alkalinity levels among all sites. During high precipitation periods, nitrate was detected in newer neighborhoods. Dissolved oxygen and pH were at higher levels, while salinity and conductivity were lower in a reservoir site relative to irrigation canals. Future work will investigate bacterial community composition in Cedar City waters. We will isolate bacterial DNA from water samples and amplify the 16sRNA segment of DNA using the polymerase chain reaction. We will then correlate bacterial community composition to the water chemistry results described above.

Amanda Johnson, Rian Farr, and Autumn Woodfall, Dixie State University Life Sciences Autism affects approximately 1 in 68 children, and is one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the United States. Studies suggest that autism may be a result of processes that occur during labor and delivery. Although Pitocin is widely used during labor and delivery in the United States, there is a paucity of research on the developmental outcomes of Pitocin use during labor and delivery in young children. Additionally, the components and metabolic fate that make up the compounded Pitocin are widely varied between suppliers. Samples of Pitocin were extracted to isolate the chemicals that comprised commercial available products. These were then analyzed by chemical and biological methods to determine the composition and chemical breakdown products. Understanding the components and breakdown of commercial Pitocin will help to determine the compounds potentially transferred to fetuses with Pitocin use during labor and delivery and the potential developmental outcome.

Tielle Gallion, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Quality of life is highly dependent on how well the liver functions. Increases in liver-enzyme levels, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) are associated with liver damage. A common treatment for Relapse-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) is Copaxone. This treatment has shown to be effective in reducing the number of relapses (periods of disability), but despite its effectiveness there is a prevalence of side effects, including increased liver enzyme activity. The aim of this pharmacogenetic project is to look at the effects of Copaxone, a drug therapy used in treating RRMS, on a patient’s liver-enzyme levels. I will determine if a correlation exists between increased liver levels and a specific genotype present in RRMS patients. I also plan to utilize medical record extraction. We have identified clinic visits in which 1,050 patients are recorded as currently using Copaxone by creating an algorithm to extract this data from electronic medical records (EMRs). This records are part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center BioVU database. With this information, I have determined the period of time when patients are taking the drug. I accomplished this by manually calculating start and stop dates of Copaxone and created a table with information for each individual. Laboratory values are stored in a database, and we are currently extracting liver levels for ALT, AST, ALP, and GGT during the identified time frames for respective patients. Once extraction of lab values is complete, I will perform a linear regression analysis in R, a statistical computing program, to determine if any correlation exists between RRMS patient genotypes and liver-enzyme levels. Patients have previously been genotyped on the ImmunoChip, which contains 196,524 SNPs and has undergone stringent quality control.

Breanna Torgersen, Hailey Seaver, Abigail Gunn, Siena Davis, and Jim Johnston, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Exposure to radon gas (222Rn) is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. Because 222Rn is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, it must be tested for to recognize its existence in a home. Studies show that many homeowners know little about radon, and do not test their homes as recommended. This study was undertaken to measure Utah County residents’ knowledge about radon, and to understand factors associated with radon testing. Utah County residents (N = 200) are currently being surveyed as they exit the vital records office at the Utah County Health Department (UCHD). Subjects complete a 51-item survey measuring demographics, radon knowledge, and social cognitive theory-based constructs related to radon testing. Preliminary data (n = 65) shows subjects’ mean radon knowledge score was 1.68 (33%, SD = 26.24%) on a 5-item test. There was a significant relationship between radon testing and self-efficacy (OR 1.76, 95% CI: 1.2–2.6, p = 0.007). Subjects with higher self-efficacy for radon testing were more likely to report that they had tested their home at least once. Data collection is still underway on this study, and all results reported here are preliminary.

Alex Bischoff, Connor Dodge, Sarah Livingston, Sterling Rosqvist, Tomonori Baba, Kyle Larsen,

Jeff Mecham, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Breast cancer is diagnosed in one of every eight American women. But, a safe, effective treatment for cancer has yet to be developed. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring phenol found in the skin of grapes, shows promise to be a powerful but safe chemotherapeutic in a sea of otherwise damaging and toxic treatments. However, the mechanisms by which resveratrol operates are yet to be fully understood. Our project focuses on the mechanisms by which resveratrol induces cell death in breast cancer cells. We will focus on the mechanisms of the p53 pathway. The protein p53 operates as an internal housekeeper of the cell. When DNA is damaged, p53 assesses the damage and can cause cell death when needed to prevent the spread and replication of the damaged cells. Cancer cells often decrease the amount of p53, allowing them to replicate without hindrance. Cancer cells treated with resveratrol show an increase of the amount of intracellular p53 restoring the cells’ ability to induce cell death. Our project focuses on two apparent mechanisms by which this increase occurs: calcium signaling and the decrease of ubiquitination of P53. Ubiquitin is a protein used to mark other proteins for degradation. Other papers and studies have shown that resveratrol inhibits key players in the process of ubiquitinizing p53. We will focus on resveratrol’s effect on both the ubiquitinizing and deubiquitinizing machinery, including G3BP1, USP10, and MDM2. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which resveratrol leads to the targeted death of cancer cells is an important step towards better cancer treatments.

Laine Anderson, Utah State University Life Sciences Plague is maintained in complex epizootic and enzootic transmission cycles involving rodents and their fleas. Ground squirrels, prairie dogs, woodrats and their associated fleas have been identified as essential for bacterial maintenance. Oropsylla montana is of major interest due to the fact that it is distributed throughout the western U.S. where most human plague cases occur. Evidence suggests this species is the primary vector of plague to humans. Data on the genetic variation within and among populations of potential vectors of Yersinia pestis, including O. montana, is very limited. O. montana fleas were previously collected from 35 geographically distinct field sites from Colorado and New Mexico on the east, to California and Oregon on the west. Genomic DNA was extracted and mitochondrial and nuclear genetic data was sequenced to estimate phylogenetic relationships. The data collected from these studies will expand our knowledge of natural O. montana populations. We anticipate the genetic data collected from these flea populations will provide information that will assist with understanding human plague risk. Such information will, in turn, provide potentially significant insights into the ecology and epidemiology of plague in this region and is likely to suggest new strategies for monitoring and preventing this disease.

Kylynn Parker, University of Utah Life Sciences Red Butte Canyon (RBC) is a Research Natural Area administered by the US Forest Service in Salt Lake City, Utah. RBC is an undisturbed area and a haven for all types of birds. Most of the avian species found in this area are migratory, and either pass through or breed in the area. The overall aim of this project is to determine if there have been any notable changes in populations of species in the area over the past 22 years. The research question that is covered in this summary are the following: has the density and relative abundance of the top five most commonly detected avian species in Red Butte Canyon notably changed through time in Transect 1? Data was collected by Mark Leppert, PhD and Sherwood Casjens, PhD of the University of Utah. They recorded the number and species of birds that were both seen and heard in 10 different transects within RBC over the past 22 years (1991-2013) and 457 survey days. In 2013 and 2014, I compiled and entered all of the data into a database with the guidance of the researchers. For analysis, I focused on the five most commonly detected species in Transect 1. These species are Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla), Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus), Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), and Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena). Detection trends were found by graphing the number of individual birds seen or heard in Transect 1 over the days since surveys began in 1991 and statistical evidence was found showing significant changes in species population size of these five most commonly detected species, especially in the case of the American Robin which exhibits a decline in detections in recent years.