2015 Abstracts

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.

Alexis Ross, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences The new Wee Care Center at Utah Valley University opened its doors to students in January of 2014 with an increased capacity, serving 110 children at any given time, double the number of children the old facility could service. Because Utah Valley University has the lowest women success rate in the state (based on data provided by the Women’s Success Center), one of the primary purposes of expanding the Wee Care Center was to increase women’s success and degree completion at UVU. Currently, the Wee Care Center serves approximately 120 students, however, it is unknown how many other Utah Valley University students need childcare services and are not being served by the Wee Care Center. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the current services of the students being served by the Wee Care Center, with targeted focus on women, and also to identify the students that could be served, the degree to which their current childcare needs are being met, and how these needs are impacting their student success. This study is a collaborative effort between the Department of Student Leadership and Success Studies, the Women’s Success Center, and the Wee Care Center. The Women’s Success Center will email a digital survey, using Qualtrics, to all Utah Valley University students with children, targeting students with children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, the current population serviced by Wee Care Center. This survey will gather information that will help assess the unmet childcare needs and their influence on student success, including emotional, physical, educational and financial challenges that are commonly presented while simultaneously pursuing a degree and raising children. In addition, the Wee Care Center will administer a paper survey to students being serviced by the center while the students are on site, which should increase the response rate. This survey will explore the ways the Wee Care Center contributes to the student success of those being served by the facility.While it may be too early to determine long-term effects of the Wee Care Center expansion, the objective of this study is to measure the immediate impact on those students who are being served by the new Wee Care Center since its opening, to assess the increased success of students pursuing their educational goals with access to the Wee Care Center, and to explore the level of student success from students with children that are not using the Center.

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.

Ty Palmer, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences With productivity in the U.S at an unexpected low for the last quarter, it is apparent that employers and employees alike are struggling to meet the financial demands of their companies. Similar to the critical situation Chrysler was facing in 1979, the right leader, Lee Iacocca was all that was needed to save the company from going under. Researchers have studied effective leaders such as Lee Iacocca and their qualities for many generations, but little research has been conducted to gauge employer’s leadership abilities from the perspective of employees. Personality theory has been a topic well researched in the field of Psychology. A personality classification tool generally accepted by most Psychologists today is the Big Five personality characteristics, which are agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, and neuroticism. Many studies have utilized this tool in gathering valuable data about individuals, but few studies have used this tool to evaluate a second person. The Big Five Inventory (BFI) is composed of 50 questions designed to evaluate behavior to determine personality type. The BFI utilizes a 4-point Likert scales, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree to further gauge the prevalence of certain personality traits in a person. The BFI has been created for self-evaluation, so an adapted personality assessment will be constructed to measure a second persons personality. The proposed research would ask employees to take the personality test in behalf of their boss to determine the type of person they are. Participants will also be asked basic questions about their relationship with their boss and how satisfied they are working for them. Specific questions will be asked to determine how productive they want to be at work, and why. Through this study we expect to see a common trend among employees who appreciate one personality characteristic above others. Based on past analyzed studies regarding effective personalities, we anticipate that conscientiousness will be rated to make employees to feel more productive, but less satisfied with their work. The insight gained from this research may provide valuable information and instruction to all employers regarding what characteristics make employees want to be more productive at work.

Camila Trujillo Medina, and Daniela Barriga, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences When given a choice, low-SES parents enroll their children in low-performing schools even when reporting “academic quality” as a highly important factor in their decision making. While this disconnect has frequently been observed in the academic literature, additional research is necessary to determine the reasons for it and how race/ethnicity influences these reasons. Our study includes 59 semi-structured, qualitative interviews of low-SES parents of young, school-aged children. Our interviews include Pacific Islander families and white families from similar social class backgrounds. Based on these interviews, we find that race/ethnicity shapes parents’ conceptualizations of “good schools” and how they use these conceptualizations to discuss the decisions they make about their children’s schooling.

Christian Kindt, Alyssa Ashton, Jay Homewood, and Catie Nielson, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Background: Improved understanding of the neural mechanisms of anxiety in ASD may provide targets for etiological research as well as for better treatment specificity. To date, however, there have been no fMRI studies of such mechanisms. Objectives: We report findings from behavioral and functional neuroimaging studies of potentially atypical function. We hypothesize that such atypical function during extinction of learned fear may contribute to difficulty adapting to changing contexts in ASD and lead to subsequent symptoms of uncertainty and anxiety. Methods: Twenty-one adults with ASD ages 18-29 were compared to healthy controls on a classical conditioning task used by Phelps and colleagues (Hartley et al., 2011) during two functional runs of fear acquisition and two extinction runs. Resulting regions of interest were identified with a 2×2 repeated measures ANOVA comparing diagnostic group (ASD vs. controls) and task condition (threat vs. non-threat stimulus). Results: Analyses revealed greater activation in right amygdala and left insula in controls than ASD for threat compared with non-threat stimuli. ROI analysis across all 4 runs revealed that activation patterns for these ROIs show a statistically significant descrease for the CON group, in contrast to an increase for the ASD group that persists into the extinction period. Left amygdala and right insula showed significantly greater activity in the ASD group compared to controls in final extinction run. Conclusions: fMRI data support that fear learning networks in amygdala and insula are less activated in ASD during fear acquisition, but show increased activation during contexts that should be safe. Rather, they are afraid when they should be feeling safe. We hypothesize that chronic everyday anxiety in many individuals diagnosed with ASD may arise from uncertainty regarding contextual cues for fear versus safety.

Crystal Garcia, Corbin Standley, Kaitlin Staker and Lyndsi Drysdale, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The extant research suggests that there are relationships between differing personality types and Internet and Facebook usage (e.g., Buffardi and Campbell, 2008; Ross, et al., 2009). To that end, the present study aims to determine which personality traits, including narcissistic traits, predict Internet and Facebook usage. In addition, it examines specific motivations for continued and consistent use of the social media site, including the types of activities one engages in while using Facebook. Participants completed a survey measuring narcissism, the Big 5 personality dimensions, Facebook usage, specific activities (e.g., unfriending, blocking others), and motivations (including emotional motivations) for using Facebook. It is predicted that different personality types will differ in the amount of time spent on Facebook. Moreover, motivational reasons as to why participants first joined Facebook, and why they continue to use Facebook will also differ in relation to personality dimensions. More specifically, we anticipate that those scoring higher on the narcissism scale will report higher Facebook usage. Furthermore, we anticipate that those scoring higher on the narcissism scale will be more motivated to use Facebook for self-esteem and personal-related reasons as opposed to professional or more social reasons. The results of this study will lead to a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the need and compulsion to actively interact, know, and inform others of what one is currently doing, feeling, and thinking through social media sites, specifically Facebook.

Ho Yan Mok, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Game research is troubled with utilizing a number of different concepts used to forecast the often negative outcomes of playing games (Utz, Jonas, and Tonkens, 2012). These concepts often extend over each other and frequently put too much emphasis either on negative consequences or game-specific aspects that makes it lack comprehensiveness. This paper will argue that the field of gaming addiction can benefit from using concepts that are already well-established in alternative domains and extending earlier work to also cover the different benefits of gaming. Based on previous research on gaming, the dualistic model of passion is recommended in the current study to give a better understanding of antecedents and positive outcomes of gaming. This model proposes that gaming promotes flow experience, which consequently results to higher level of achievement in school, less anxiety, and higher self-esteem, to mention a few (Sherry, 2004).

Holly Clegg and Charles Yeager, Snow College Social and Behavioral Sciences Economic growth can be defined as an increase in the amount of goods and services produced per capita over a period of time. Basically, economic growth, from a geographic perspective, can be summed up as what types of businesses grow where – and why. Logically, improvements in quality of life [QOL] accompany economic growth. This research focuses on three measures that represent QOL: poverty, education, and access to health insurance, and measures them as they relate to economic growth at the county level in Utah. Data was mapped using a geographic information system, and correlations between economic growth and QOL variables were determined. The purpose of this research is to determine if economic growth necessarily produces measurable increases in QOL variables, or if economic growth tends to occur in areas where QOL is already higher.

Corbin Standley, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The extant research regarding the relationship between religious affiliation and attitudes toward homosexuality is extensive, yet shallow. While some research suggests a significant positive correlation between religiosity and negative attitudes toward homosexuality (Ingelhart, 2000), other studies show different results dependent on religious motivations, affiliations, and activity (Besen and Zicklin, 2007; Burris, 1999). To that end, the current study examines the interplay between religiosity, personality dimensions, and attitudes toward homosexuality. A correlational survey methodology was utilized attempting to measure religious activity and motivations, personality dimensions, and attitudes toward various policy areas as relevant to homosexuality (including marriage, adoption, and military service). A significant positive correlation between religious activity and negative attitudes toward homosexuality is anticipated such that those scoring higher on the religious activity scale will report more conservative views of homosexuality. Moreover, we expect a strong positive correlation between the Openness to Experience personality dimension and positive attitudes toward homosexuality such that those expressing more openness will exhibit more liberal views toward homosexuality. The results of this study will lead to a better understanding of the ways in which religious affiliation and religious activity differ in regard to attitudes toward homosexuality. Further, implications concerning personality traits in relation to such attitudes will be drawn from these results.

Sarah Axtell, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences The term “skin whitening” implies that one’s skin is whitened through engaging in some type of action. In Lawson’s Bay Colony, a northern suburb of Visakhapatnam, India, many women are engaged in skin whitening. While skin whitening is most commonly thought of as applying lightening creams, women say that skin whitening can also be done through actions like eating certain foods, staying indoors, or even just relaxing. Despite the large amount of women engaged in skin whitening, many of them say that skin whitening does not work. Through ethnographic research in Lawson’s Bay Colony, it became clear how skin whitening in a broad sense actually has nothing to do with the skin at all, so reports on the effectiveness of the creams or other skin whitening measures are not relevant. Rather, in the Indian context, it does not matter what happens to the skin through skin whitening because of the intricate connection between the soul and the body. So, when women say that skin whitening does not work, they are referring to how their body color does not permanently become lighter, but this does not mean that their soul/body is unaffected. Therefore, when a woman’s soul is lightened—or if it is already culturally white—her body is as well, so instead of skin whitening, women are engaging in body/soul or holistic whitening.

Catherine Cragun, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Sibling relationships play a critical role in healthy development throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood (Dunn, 1983; Jensen, Whiteman, Fingerman, and Birditt, 2013; Stocker, Lanthier, and Furman, 1997). The quality of the relationship matters as well: a predominantly warm relationship is linked to less antisocial behavior, yet if there is mostly conflict it can be linked to depression and anxiety (Padilla-Walker, Harper, and Jensen, 2010). While the influence of the sibling relationship is well documented, much less is known about what influences it. Marital conflict is one likely deterrent to positive sibling relationships (Stocker and Youngblade, 1999), but there has been little attention to the effects of marital conflict and intimacy over time. Our study will analyze how changes in marital conflict impact future warmth and conflict between siblings. Data for this study come from the Family Relationships Project (FRP). The FRP surveyed two parents and two children from 200 families 13 times (phases) from 1995 to 2012. During in-home and web-based interviews parents and children reported on their family relationships and personal development. Using SAS we are conducting a series of lagged multi-level models to examine how the marital relationship at an earlier phase relates to sibling relationships of the next phase. We will then juxtapose our analyses from the first seven phases with the final six to observe any long-term correlations. Preliminary analyses have revealed a negative correlation between marital conflict and siblings’ levels of intimacy during childhood (r = -.17, p < .05), but not in adolescence (r = -.10, p < .05). In conclusion, we anticipate that our complete analysis will support the hypothesis that marital relationships play a role in the development of sibling relationships but that those links vary across the developmental periods of childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood.

Catie Nielson, Alyssa Ashton, Alexis Grow, Christian Kindt, and Jay Homewood< Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Studies have found co-morbidity of ASD and social anxiety disorder, but it is unclear how the anxiety experienced in ASD is socially mediated. In this study, we measured psychophysiological reactivity during socially stressful (performance evaluation) trials compared to unevaluated trials. We aimed to understand how anxiety in people with ASD is mediated by fear of negative social evaluation. We hypothesized that the ASD group would show elevated stress to both types of threat while the control group (CON) would be more affected by social evaluation than non-social contexts. Twenty adults aged 18-29 diagnosed with ASD were compared to age- and IQ-matched controls on modified Stroop and Multi- Sensory Integration tasks. We measured stress with impedance cardiography and skin conductance response. In a computerized task, participants were instructed for each block whether or not the research assistant and computer would evaluate them. We examined within subjects differences for evaluated and unevaluated trials, as well as between subjects with ASD and CON groups. We found that adults with ASD had higher physiological responses, relative to controls, during stress conditions. Parasympathetic activity during recovery periods was reduced in the ASD group. There were significant group X evaluation condition interactions, with the evaluated trials adding substantially more to the stress response in the CON but not the already elevated ASD group. Response to social evaluation was significantly correlated with scores on the Fear of Negative Evaluation and the Social Anxiety Questionnaire in both groups. Increased sympathetic activity during stress and decreased parasympathetic activity during rest confirm other recent studies that show ASD adults are out-of-sync with fear versus safety contexts, which may underlie their everyday anxiety. Interventions for anxiety in ASD should focus on helping individuals recognize physiological stress responses and develop situation-specific coping skills.

Kirsi White, Tracy Clemans, and Craig Bryan, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Sexual exploitation is correlated with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a well-established risk factor in suicidal thoughts and behaviors, but to date there are few studies examining these issues among survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. The purpose of the current study is to assess the relationships among suicidal ideation and suicide attempts with trauma among adolescent female survivors of commercial sexual exploitation in Cambodia. We plan to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation within a sample of commercially exploited children. Data are being collected as a part of a pilot study evaluating the feasibility of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for the treatment of PTSD among 13 adolescent female survivors of commercial sexual exploitation in Cambodia. We will collect data from baseline interviews with 13 female adolescent participants with ages ranging from 14 to 19 years old, using the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (SITBI; Nock et al., 2007). To see if there is change in suicidal ideation from the baseline assessment to the completion of the study, we will look at the 13 participants’ responses to SITBI items at the 1 week follow up and the 3 month follow up assessments. The results in the current study will provide information on rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in a unique sample of adolescents, and will provide preliminary information about the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in this population.

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.

Kyle Kener, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Diabetes is characterized by the inability to maintain a normal blood glucose level caused by decreased insulin due to β-cell loss, or decreased insulin sensitivity in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue. While β-cell death is a hallmark of T1D, β-cells are also destroyed as T2D progresses. Death of β-cells is eventually a hallmark of both forms of diabetes. This results in decreased functional β-cell mass, which is defined by the ability to secrete insulin while maintaining β-cell number through proliferation or decreased apoptosis. To resolve the decreased β-cell level, much research is being done regarding β-cell proliferation to increase pancreatic β-cell mass. However, another important step in this process is protecting β-cells from apoptotic mediated β-cell death. The β-cell transcription factor Nkx6.1 is sufficient to induce β-cell proliferation and increase protection against apoptotic insults. The Nkx6.1 target gene VGF is critical for protection against apoptosis. Our data demonstrates that Nkx6.1 upregulates expression of c-Fos. Furthermore, we show that c- Fos is sufficient to induce expression of VGF. In addition, our data demonstrates that expression of c-Fos is sufficient to protect β-cells from apoptotic insults. Our data demonstrates that c-Fos is the link between the Nkx6.1 and VGF, and that it’s expression is sufficient to protect rat pancreatic β-cells from apoptosis.

Brent Wright, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death among Americans and is a major health concern worldwide. Nearly one in four Americans aged 65 or older are diabetic. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes both result in reduced functional β-cell mass, which regulates the storage and secretion of insulin. Increased functional β-cell mass could essentially cure diabetes. We have shown that Nkx6.1 overexpression induces proliferation of 2-month-old primary rat β-cells but fails to induce replication of 8-month-old primary β-cells, as measured by 3H- thymidine incorporation is age-dependent. Cell cycle activator and inhibitor mRNA levels were measured in young and aged untreated islets and islets transduced with AdCMV-BGal or AdCMV-Nkx6.1. This data demonstrated a significant increase in mRNA expression of cell cycle inhibitors p21 and p57 of the CIP/KIP family in young islets transduced with Nkx6.1. However, p21 and p57 mRNA showed no significant increase in aged islets. Cdk2 and cyclin E1 mRNA expression showed a similar trend for young and aged islets. The increased expression of Cdk2, a necessary factor for transition from G1 to S phase, could provide possible explanation for increased proliferation in young islets. Fluctuating mRNA levels of key cell cycle components in aged islets, provides a possible explanation for the decreased effectiveness of Nkx6.1 in inducing proliferation in aged islets.

Madalynne Fedoruk and Darian Carey, Dixie State University Life Sciences For at least three decades, infection with chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has been a major cause of population decline in amphibians worldwide. This pathogen has been found in canyon tree frogs (Hyla arenicolor) in Zion National Park; previous studies suggested that population sizes decreased in frogs infected with the fungus; but our studies indicated that these frogs were resistant. We hypothesized that chytrid infection in the Zion Canyon tree frogs were not lethal, but other environmental factors caused populations to fluctuate. Canyon tree frogs were captured and swabbed in each of nine canyons in and around Zion National Park during the summer of 2014, and total frog populations were counted in each study canyon. The swabs were analyzed for the presence of chytrid DNA, and infection rates and population sizes were compared with data from 2011-2013. We found that the presence or absence of chytrid had no influence on population size in a particular canyon; population sizes were more dependent on precipitation. The Zion canyon tree frogs resist this normally lethal disease; how they evade it will be the goal of future studies.

Aimee Newsham, Dixie State University Life Sciences Millions of people are infected yearly with resistant pathogens, including MRSA (methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a biofilm-forming pathogen that is often transferred to patients from contaminated surfaces. Therefore, improved methods to destroy biofilm- encapsulated pathogens or to prevent their initial formation are required. This research is focused on the development of a safe treatment against biofilms by integrating organic salts, or ionic liquids (ILs), into different surfaces. Textiles were integrated with ILs to prevent formation of biofilms/bacterial growth, and were also treated post-exposure to determine if the biofilms could be destroyed post-contamination. Effectiveness of newly designed ILs were tested via inhibition zone studies on LB agar plates, and post-treatment samples were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy for presence of bacteria. The bacteria tested included Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Escherichia coli. These microbes are similar to MRSA in that they form biofilms comprised of extracellular proteins, DNA and polysaccharides. Bacterial colonies encapsulate themselves with biofilms to provide protection from threats, including antibacterial drugs. By integrating ionic liquids into textiles, formation can be prevented by IL solvation and sequestering of the extracellular biofilm components, including the proteins and DNA. This research could have tremendous implications regarding defeating bacteria that are resistant to existing treatments due to biofilm encapsulation. Additionally, the results could lead to new antimicrobial textiles and new approaches to prevent adherence and growth resistant biofilm-encapsulated pathogens.

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.

Jordan Tingey, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Diabetes is a serious condition that is increasing worldwide. Diabetes is characterized by lost β-cell mass and uncontrolled blood glucose levels. Pancreatic islet transplantation could be used to cure people with diabetes, however the lack of islets is a major obstacle to its use. If we could understand how to increase β-cell proliferation and glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) then we could increase success in pancreatic islet transplants. Nkx6.1 induces β-cell proliferation. Nkx6.1 mediated proliferation is dependent on expression of Nr4a1 and Nr4a3. Nr4a1 and Nr4a3 are orphan nuclear receptors. It is currently unknown what ligand induces their activation. Previous reports have shown that free fatty acids induces expression of Nr4a1 and Nr4a3 in muscle, liver and adipose tissue. We show that culture of our INS-1 832/3 β -cell line in the presence of 0.2 mM palmitate induces expression of Nr4a nuclear receptors. Furthermore, culture with 0.2 mM palmitate results in increased β -cell proliferation. Finally, using INS-1 cells cultured with palmitate, and INS-1 cells deficient for either Nr4a1 or Nr4a3 we demonstrate the effect on mitochondrial respiration. Our data demonstrate that free fatty acids that are present during diabetes may induces expression and enhance activation of the Nr4a nuclear receptors, thus resulting in enhanced β -cell proliferation.

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

Alysa Edwards, University of Utah Life Sciences Percutaneous devices (PDs) constitute foreign materials that penetrate through the protective skin barrier to provide connection between internal and external environments. It has been previously shown that the periprosthetic tissue at the PD-skin interface is under a continuous state of wound healing, which often results in epidermal downgrowth. This continuous downgrowth is detrimental to the long-term survival of these devices. To date, there are no effective methodologies available to either prevent or quantify the degree of epidermal downgrowth indicating a need to find effective markers to document the healing response around these devices. In this study, periprosthetic tissues from a previous pig- back study were subjected to two different evaluations: (1) standard histology (HandE) and (2) immunohistochemical staining (IHC). Healing responses around PDs made with different material types were examined using cytokeratin 6 and collagen 4 to determine the degree of wound healing and granulation tissue maturity. Varying exposure time and concentration of stains, staining procedures were optimized. The interfacial tissues were then analyzed using either a photo or a confocal microscope. Preliminary data (Figure 1) indicated that there were noticeable differences in the periprosthetic regions between the material types used. The IHC data confirmed that the periprosthetic tissue is a hyper cellular region with a high density of blood vessels (collagen 4) and migrating keratinocytes. This data further confirmed the morphological differences observed between implant types using standard histology. Continued analysis will quantify the amount of collagen 4 within the periprosthetic tissue using imageJ software. Semi-quantitative data from each implant type will then be compared to predict biocompatibility. This research has demonstrated that IHC staining could be a potential tool for understanding the healing cascades around the percutaneous device.

Derek Munday, University of Utah Life Sciences Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are more prevalent in individuals with diet-induced obesity (DIO) and type two diabetes (T2DM). Examples of CVD include blood vessel dysfunction and systemic hypertension. Both of these pathologies are associated with a reduced ability of the inner lining of the blood vessel (the endothelium) to release a substance (nitric oxide) that causes the blood vessel to dilate. At present the mechanism whereby T2DM and DIO decrease the function of the enzyme (nitric oxide synthase; NOS) responsible for nitric oxide synthesis and release is unknown. Determining this mechanism is the current focus of our laboratory. Earlier we reported that the sphingolipid ceramide is elevated in cell models of lipotoxicity and in mice with DIO. Most recently in endothelial cells we showed that ceramide causes protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) to bind directly with NOS which disrupts the interactions among proteins that are necessary for optimal NOS function. My overall project was concerned with determining whether this mechanism is operational in mice with DIO. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that PP2A inhibition would preserve vascular protein- protein interactions required for optimal NOS enzyme function to an extent that arterial dysfunction and hypertension would not occur. Mice consumed a control (CON) or high fat (HF) diet for 12 weeks. During the last 2 weeks, cohorts of mice from each group were injected (IP) with saline (vehicle control) or the PP2A inhibitor LB1 (1.0 mg/kg/day). We observed that interactions among proteins required for optimal NOS enzyme function were disrupted in arteries from mice with DIO treated with saline but not with LB1. Furthermore, arterial dysfunction and hypertension existed in mice with DIO that received saline but not LB1. These results strongly suggest that PP2A activation contributes importantly to arterial dysfunction that exists in a pre-clinical model of DIO.

Scott Frodsham, Brigham Young University Life Sciences The goal of this study is to better understand if the genetic variants that strongly correlate with an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) also increase the risk of developing diseases that commonly co-occur with MS. This relationship can be determined by comparing genetic data of patients diagnosed exclusively with MS to the genetic data of patients diagnosed with both MS and one of its comorbid diseases. Many electronic medical records (EMR) collected at medical institutions are made available for research purposes. The EMRs of individuals contained in the database that will be used for this study are linked to corresponding genetic information. Data extraction via computer algorithm will be executed to identify patients who, because of their respective diagnoses, will provide meaningful data for analysis. The case group for individuals diagnosed with just MS and have available genetic information consists of 1003 individuals. Applying a basic algorithm (ICD-9 billing codes) to this group has shown preliminary data on patients with MS and one other comorbidity as follows: Hypertension, 192 patients; anxiety, 17 patients; hypothyroidism, 84 patients; Type 1 diabetes, 24 patients; inflammatory bowel disease, 12 patients; migraine, 116 patients; restless leg syndrome, 14 patients; rheumatoid arthritis, 28 patients. The algorithms will be modified to find and include more patients for analysis. We will enhance patient identification by including medications and text keyword searches of clinical notes in the search. Genetic analysis will be performed on the final dataset.

Brooke Linney, Brigham Young University Life Sciences Recombinant DNA technology has become one of the most critical fields of research relating to biotechnology. Recombinant DNA can be used to obtain certain proteins or examine the effects of genes that we engineer, with many applications in medical research. As part of our lab’s use for recombinant DNA, we create a gene sequence to code for a certain protein, and then use heat-shocking transformation to stimulate Escherichia coli bacterial cells to incorporate the mutated DNA from the surrounding solution. As the bacterial cells then grow, they replicate the mutated plasmid that we introduced. This DNA can later be extracted from the bacterial cells and used for further synthesis, usually protein synthesis in our lab. The process of transforming bacterial cells with mutated DNA is directly affected by plasmid size. Transformation efficiency is maximized with smaller plasmids. One of the DNA plasmids we use to introduce mutations is the pET9a vector. This plasmid is a sequence of 4,341 base pairs, but by reducing the length of the plasmid, we can increase transformation efficiency. By restricting the size of the pET9a vector, we will also be able to introduce larger foreign DNA sequences than we would with the original pET9a vector. This presentation will explore the different methods of reducing sequence length to optimize the pET9a vector, mainly focusing on site-directed mutagenesis coupled with the use of restriction enzymes.

Sergio Arellano, Snow College Mathematical Sciences Why is music so pleasant to? In Western music, we have used what is called the “tempered scale” for centuries, and even though it has gone through changes, it is still largely based around the mathematical principles that Pythagoras created two thousand years ago. Is it possible that the explanation to this phenomenon has to do with the mathematical basis of music, which is unconsciously perceived by the brain? The human brain is known for detecting the underlying mathematical patterns present in many non-music related disciplines, such as visual arts. Independent of the music world, there is a proportion called the Golden Ratio or Phi. It is found in art and geometry, because human eyes tend to find that this proportion produces beauty. This is not a coincidence; this proportion is found everywhere around us, especially in nature. With this in mind, it makes sense to search for the Golden Ratio in the tempered scale to explain the mind’s intuitive appreciation of music. This research discovered the surprising fact that there is a Phi relationship between the first and third degree of the major scale, in terms of the frequency of sounds. The relationship is this: the sum of the frequencies of the notes of the minor III chord divided by the sum of the frequencies of the major I chord in any given major key, tends to be Phi. Another very surprising result was the importance of the number 24 in the frequencies of the major scale. These two particularities help to shed light on why human ears have an untaught comprehension of music; the underlying perception of mathematical relationships by the mind are related to the natural appreciation of it.

Melissa Warren, Weber State University Physical Sciences Spot tests are commonly utilized as presumptive qualitative tests for detecting chemical substances. Such tests are the basis for detection of illegal drugs or for cleaning validations in manufacturing systems. In this study we evaluate the use of Scott’s reagent and Mandelin reagent for the detection of trace quantities of diphenhydramine (Benadryl). These reagents have been reported to give false positive tests for illegal drugs such as ketamine (cocaine) when diphenhydramine is present. Our studies were focused on enhancing the detection limits of these reagents and their application of swab tests for diphenhydramine. We report the limits of detection and swab techniques that enhance selectivity and sensitivity for this analyte.

Monika Miller, Weber State University Physical Sciences Nutritionally important minerals are more readily absorbed by living systems when they are combined with organic acids. These combined metal-organic acid complexes are called chelate metals or chelates. The synthetic processes utilized to prepare these mineral chelates adds significant cost to the final product. Occasionally, manufactures sell cheaper dry blends of unreacted minerals and organic acids to gain an unfair competitive advantage in the market place. There are few if any reliable methods for reliable measurement of the extent of chelation between metals and organic acids. We report our successful application of Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for the quantitative determination of chelation in solid samples of mineral chelates.

Amy Gifford and Brennon Bauer, Southern Utah University Mathematical Sciences Mutualism is the way two organisms of different species exist in a relationship in which each individual benefits from the activity of the other. We study a mathematical model of mutualism. The stability of the steady state solutions of this system will be analyzed. Also, we give some numerical experiments that verify the theoretical results for those steady solutions.

Christopher Vander Wilt and Daniel Gulbrandsen Utah Valley University Let nP denote the polytope obtained by expanding the convex integral polytope P⊂R^d by a factor of n in each dimension. Ehrhart [1] proved that the number of lattice (integer) points contained in nP is a rational polynomial of degree d in n. What happens if the polytope is expanded by not necessarily the same factor in each dimension? In this talk a partial answer to this question will be provided, using powers of n as different factors to expand the polytope. It will be shown that the number of lattice points contained in the polytope formed by expanding P by multiplying each vertex coordinate by such a factor is a quasi-polynomial in n. Quasi-polynomials are a generalization of polynomials, where the coefficients of the quasi-polynomials are periodic functions with integral period. Furthermore, particular cases where the number of such lattice points is a polynomial will be presented. In addition, the period of these quasi-polynomials as well as the Law of Reciprocity will be addressed. At the end, future work will be discussed. [1] E. Ehrhart, “Sur les Poly`edres Rationnels Homoth ´etiques `a n Dimensions,” C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 254 (1962)

Jason Adams, Nathan Jewkes and Tyrell Vance, Southern Utah University Mathematical Sciences We will study the divisibility of p^(n)-1 where p is a prime number larger than 5 and n is a positive integer. We will generalize the result by considering the case where n is odd and two cases where n is even. We show that when n=2^(k), k an integer greater than 1, 2^(k+2)∙3∙5 is a factor of p^(n)-1. We also show that when n=2^(m)∙l for m a positive integer greater than 1 and l an odd positive integer greater than 1, 2^(m+2)∙3∙5 is a factor of p^(n)-1.

Jennifer Melvin and Wendy Schatzberg, Dixie State University Physical Sciences The general chemistry laboratory can be a dangerous place, and the possible danger is amplified by the fact that general chemistry is frequently a student’s first chemistry laboratory experience. College students come from a variety of backgrounds with only some having had chemistry in high school, and therefore many students will not know beforehand what kind of precautions to take or what kind of action to take in case of an accident in the lab. Safety information is given briefly at the beginning of the semester, but the efficacy of this is uncertain. An online survey was conducted to gauge first- and second-semester general chemistry students’ knowledge about chemistry laboratory safety and the data gathered was analyzed. This survey was conducted at two secondary schools in two different countries. Statistical analysis will be presented. Results will allow discernment of misconceptions held by students over two semesters and between countries, and conclusions can be made about the effectiveness of current laboratory safety instruction methods.

Brett Barton, Dixie State University Physical Sciences Dissolution using ionic liquids has been shown to be an efficient analytical method of dissolving keratin fibers. Using wool and hoof material from livestock, chloride-based ionic liquids were used to break down the hydrogen bonds important for keratin structure, making the extraction of constituent material much easier. Efficient methods of extraction allow for small samples to be analyzed while still providing high yields; efficient dissolution of keratin in a small sample size will be utilized to prevent any harmful effects on the animals. Ionic liquids are nondestructive solvents which allow for the safe extraction of organic substances. Denaturing keratin would help in the process of identifying any constituent radioactive materials. Efficient identification of radioactive material in livestock is crucial for maintaining health and quality of life.

Tim Beach, Utah State University Physical Sciences Successful management of the arid West requires a basic knowledge of available water resources, withdrawals, and existing management efforts. Utah, the second driest state in the country, is continuing its efforts to restore impaired water systems and teach the next generation to conserve water. Because of a fast-growing population, the diversity of Utah’s landscape, and strict regulations that govern water throughout the state, understanding the region’s current water condition can be difficult. Historically, the majority of this information has been stored in databases, represented by only numbers and statistics. In an effort to better conceptualize this data and increase the spatial understanding of Utah’s water, a set of maps have been produced. These maps were created using ESRI’s ArcMap software and Adobe Illustrator. Included are major lakes and rivers, average annual precipitation, average annual streamflow, total urban withdrawals per county, total agricultural withdrawals per county, and water management. Viewing visual representations of this information in multiple maps can aid in creating spatial inferences, and raise additional questions regarding aquatic restoration and management throughout the state. This set of maps can also be used to supplement physical science education at all school levels. Future work includes distributing these maps as posters to schools and water managers, as well making it a resource for teachers via websites and fact sheets.

Melinda Hurlbut, Dixie State University Physical Sciences A newly discovered plant fossil locality in the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic) in Washington County broadens the distribution of known Late Triassic plant fossil localities to include southwestern Utah. Previously reported plant localities in the Chinle Formation are known from southeastern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and equivalent strata from the Dockum Group in Texas. The majority of the known plant fossil localities are from higher stratigraphic units of the Chinle Formation. However, the new Washington County locality is from the older, basal unit, the Shinarump Member. The plant fossils identified from the new locality include fronds of the fern Phlebopteris sp., fertile leaves of the fern Cynepteris sp., and leaves of the bennettitalean Zamites sp. Undetermined species of conifers are represented by a partial branch and a three- dimensionally preserved cone containing well preserved seeds. The diversity of species found at the Washington County plant fossil locality correlates with other known floral assemblages from the Chinle Formation, suggesting general homogeneity of Chinle Formation floras. These plant fossil assemblages support interpretations of basal Chinle Formation paleoclimates as humid and warm.

Eric Johnson, University of Utah Physical Sciences The ability to reduce O2 in mild conditions holds many important implications such as: use as an economical fuel cell, pharmaceutical synthesis, biomass degradation and conversion of small molecules to fuels. We are building the [M(μ-OH) (oxapyme)M(H2O)]+ molecules and symmetrical counterparts for use in O2 reduction reactions (M = Cobalt, Nickel, Iron). The precursors to the [M(μ-OH)(oxapyme)M(H2O)]+ have been synthesized as follows. 2-[5-(2-Nitro-phnyl)-[1,3,4]oxadiazol- 2-yl]-phenylamine serves as the backbone of the complex, allowing for two distinct ligands to be attached to each side. Initial yields for this synthesis averaged at 6%. To be able to complete the synthesis this needed to be significantly raised. The literature procedure was modified in various ways until new reaction conditions were found that allowed for 40% yield. Other precursors include 2,2’-(1,3,4)Oxadiazole-2,5-diyl-bis-aniline which also serves as a ligand backbone but differs in that it allows for preparation of a symmetrical ligand have been synthesized with a 51% yield. The first ligand Bis-pyridine-2-ylmethyl-amino has been produced with a 60% yield. The second ligand Methyl-pyridine-2-ylmethyl-amino has been synthesized with an approximate yield of 75%. These yields are high enough to finish the synthesis of the ligand and subsequently coordinate the metals. Upon completion, the electrochemical properties of the compounds that differ in the metal composition and the ligand (symmetrical versus asymmetrical) will be determined using studies such as cyclic voltammetry. Once the metal and ligand that are most apt at oxygen reduction is determined, more advanced studies will be undertaken to identify the reaction mechanism and intermediates.

Kyle Marcus, Cami McKellar, Riley Pearce, Shay Beck, and Zenja Draca, Dixie State University Physical Sciences Invasive marine and freshwater species have a detrimental impact on aquatic ecosystems and are easily transferred between bodies of water as a result of unregulated settlement and attachment to commercial and recreational watercraft. This results in infestation of waterways and disruption of native organisms throughout an ecosystem. The quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) is one example of such invasive species that has called for a focus on cross-contamination prevention. The goal is to use aquatic paint suitable for watercraft that prevents the settlement and/or attachment of various aquatic species such as algae, snails (Physa sp.), anemones (Aiptasia sp.), and quagga mussels. The paint is integrated with newly developed surfactants that act as an inhibitor to the adherence ability of invasive aquatic species. The surfactants are added to provide a barrier between the paint surface and the organisms creating an undesirable surface area for the organisms to attach. This barrier disrupts the specific naturally occurring chemical and physical processes that allow organisms to adhere to surfaces. The most innovative characteristic of the surfactant-based paint is its effectiveness on adherence inhibition without degradation, dissociation, or toxicity to the environment. Preventing adherence of invasive organisms to surfaces could have significant positive effects on the efficiency and cost of operations in marine environments and waterways.

Mattie Jones, Dixie State University Physical Sciences Current techniques for isolating components of samples found at crime scenes by their unique chemical properties are lengthy and often destroy important forensic evidence. New methods aimed at forensic analysis of sensitive, minute samples are critical to the intelligence community. In particular, successful extraction of dyes from materials found at crime scenes will provide innumerable benefits for matching, identifying, and finding origins of these materials and dyes. Ionic liquids possess the necessary chemical properties to ensure efficient extractions while maintaining the forensic signatures of the original materials. Ionic liquids, which are organic salts that are room temperature, provide a versatile solvent to achieve single-component extraction-separation-identification of forensic analytes. Following extraction, successful identification by infrared, absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy has provided evidence of preserved quality and complete separation of material and dye. This novel approach to forensic analysis is advantageous particularly when sample sizes are extremely limited, but it can be readily scaled to larger applications. Developing a simple and affordable method of achieving specific molecular interactions provides a solution for often unidentifiable evidence in crimes. Harnessing the versatility of ionic liquids in a high-yielding recovery and efficient single-pot methods will enhance forensic abilities for the intelligence community and forensic investigators.

Madeline Parson, Travis Bulloch, and Tyler Argyle, Southern Utah University Physical Sciences Lipid bilayers have many important purposes in living cells. A lipid bilayer forms a barrier which separates the fluid inside the cell from the fluid surrounding the cell. The arrangement of components within cell membranes can be extremely important, particularly in cell communications. For example, when our immune system attacks certain pathogens, it recognizes them by specific proteins in the inner and outer regions. This can be thought of as forming a “bull’s-eye” shape. The ability to generate such patterns in bilayers might see applications in many areas of biology. Our goal is to take an initially un-patterned supported lipid bilayer (model cell membrane) and use magnetic tweezers as a delivery system to generate patterns. We hope to show pattern formation using fluorescent-labeled lipids within our bilayer. In the past, we have used streptavidin and biotinylated lipids with Oregon Green. Currently, we are pursuing a fluorescein/anti-fluorescein system that has been yielding much more promising results. We are currently using a fluorescent microscope to confirm that patterns are forming within the bilayer.

Michael Kutschke and Niccolo Fiorentino University of Utah Measurements of joint angles, moments, and forces can be sensitive to positional changes in the center of a joint. Due to its deep location, the hip joint center (HJC) can be difficult to determine. Regression equations and functional methods use skin markers and are commonly used to measure the HJC, yet introduce sources of error such as bony landmark identification, soft tissue artifact, and system resolution. Additionally, the accuracy of said methods cannot be established in-vivo without a reference standard. The purpose of this study was to implement a dual fluoroscopy (DF) and model-based tracking technique to quantify the subject-specific HJC position in-vivo. This reference standard (DF-HJC) was then compared to the HJC defined by regression equations (CODA) and a functional method (FHJC) using skin markers. Five subjects with normal hip anatomy provided informed consent to participate in this IRB approved study. A gait marker set was applied to the subject’s skin. The subject performed various activities involving the inferior limb while a 10-camera Vicon system measured the position of the skin markers. From these data, the CODA and FHJCs were identified. Simultaneously, the hip was visualized using a DF system, and the DF-HJC was identified using model-based tracking. The DF-HJC was then transformed to the Vicon coordinate system for comparison with the CODA and FHJCs. The average Euclidean distance (and standard deviation) for the five subjects from the DF-HJC was 2.0 (0.6) cm for CODA and 1.3 (0.4) cm for the FHJC. To our knowledge this is the first study to use DF and model-based tracking to measure the in-vivo position of the HJC. This technique affords greater accuracy in determining subject-specific bone geometry and visualization of deep hip anatomy, thus may be considered a reference standard for identifying the HJC.

Austin Hernandez, Snow College Social and Behavioral Sciences Student’s study habits are always a matter of concern for both instructors and students themselves. Often times when students are learning a new subject the information the receive about studying centers around how they should study for “that class.” Research has also shown that students regularly overestimate their academic ability. The current research examines what happens if student in introductory courses are given strategy sheets which asks them to examine their study efforts and metacognitive strategies in preparation for the exam. This focuses not on the content, but the process that students use to prepare. The data collected from the students will be analyzed in comparison to their performance on subsequent exams to see if the focus on metacognition can effect a positive result on future exams.

Dakota Wilson, Snow College Social and Behavioral Sciences Ambiguity in language throughout history has always caused problems. In every field there are instances where words mean different things to different people. There seems to be more and more instances today where there is ambiguity in romantic relationship terminology and it is causing confusion and dissatisfaction. In the beginning of the 20th century words like “calling” or “going steady” were popular to describe romantic relationships whereas today “hooking up” and “hanging out” are the dominant terms. Although there have been studies that are very similar to this subject, there is little to no research exactly like it. This study has been made to assess what terminology is being used today to describe relationship terminology, why it has changed over (generational and cultural influences), and how these changes affect the satisfaction of the relationship. Methodology comprised creating a survey, a portion of which was taken from pre-validated tools such as the MSI-R to assess relationship satisfaction. Other portions included basic demographic information, current relationship terminology used, short answer where the participants were asked to describe situations in which they would use particular terms now and in middle school, in which social situations they would use certain terminology, and domains as to what each relationship term entailed in regards to behavior (these were based off of the categories in the MSI-R). The last section asked about terminology that was used in the participants youth to avoid disapproval of cultural or religious leaders if an exclusive relationship was unacceptable but was occurring regardless. Results are in the process of being analyzed.

Clair Talley and Melissa Benavides, Snow College Current research done by Susan Sprecher and Sandra Metts (1989, 1999) discusses the presence of romantic ideals and their effect on the quality of relationships. While this research focused mainly on committed relationships of college-aged students, it did not investigate the influence of these love beliefs on their sexual relationship progression. Other research that does look at why students have sex suggests that it is seen as a right of passage, a gift, a stigma, and even a means by which students can alter their mood. (Humphreys, 2013 and Dawson, Shih, de Moor and Shrier, 2008)

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.