2015 Abstracts

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

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

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

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

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

Ryan Graham and Bryson Ensign, Brigham Young University Agriculture Agastache is an aromatic flowering plant closely related to the mint family. Most species are 0.5-3m tall with toothededged leaves covering the stem. Agastache is commonly found in landscaping, but can become quite noxious because of the abundance of seed produced in each flower head. Here we used an antimitotic agent, trifluralin, to induce polyploidy in Agastache seedlings with the foresight of creating a sterile version of the plant. Putative polyploids were checked for chromosomal content via flow cytometry. Our data show that trifluralin treatment is a potentially successful method for inducing polyploidy in Agastache. Further, among the positively identified polyploids, we have noticed suggestive patterns of sterility. However, further research needs to be conducted to confirm this finding. For now, we are able to present an effective method for inducing polyploidy in Agastache and, potentially, other plant species.

Carrie Draney and Amanda Hobson, Brigham Young University Agriculture Decreased β-cell mass is a hallmark of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The use of islet transplantation as a diabetes therapy is hampered by the relative paucity of transplant ready islets. Greater understanding of the proliferative pathways controlling islet proliferation may be harnessed to increase functional β-cell mass through transplantation or by enhanced growth of endogenous β-cells. We have shown that the β-cell transcription factor Nkx6.1 induces β-cell proliferation by upregulating the orphan nuclear hormone receptors Nr4a1 and Nr4a3. Using expression analysis to elucidate the Nkx6.1 independent mechanism by which Nr4a1 and Nr4a3 induce β-cell proliferation, we demonstrated that cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit 1 (Cdk5r1) is upregulated by Nr4a1 and Nr4a3 and not Nkx6.1. Adenovirus mediated overexpression of Cdk5r1 is sufficient to induce proliferation in primary rat islets. The observed proliferation is primarily in β-cells. Glucose stimulated insulin secretion is maintained with Cdk5r1 overexpression. The Cdk5 inhibitor, roscovitine, blocks islet proliferation, suggesting that Nr4a mediated β-cell proliferation is a kinase dependent event. Overexpression of Cdk5r1 results in pRb phosphorylation, which is inhibited by roscovitine treatment. These data demonstrate that activation of the Cdk5 complex is sufficient to induce β-cell proliferation while maintaining glucose stimulated insulin secretion.

Wonjin Kim, Weber State University Business The trade balance of a country, calculated as total exports minus total imports, measures the impact of foreign trade on the demand for that country’s output. It is proposed that there are generally three key determinants of trade balance, e.g., the real exchange rate, home disposable income, and foreign disposable income. In principle, as the home country’s real exchange rate depreciates (rises), the country is expected to export more and import less. An increase in home country’s income is expected to increase imports and generate a decrease in home country’s trade balance. On the other hand, an increase in foreign income is expected to raise the home country’s trade balance. This paper makes an attempt to explore whether the expected relationships between trade balance, home income, foreign income and real exchange rate holds. The United States is considered the home country and Japan is considered the foreign country in this study. The reason for using Japan as a foreign country is twofold: first data availability and second, Japan is one of the largest trade partner of the United States. We use quarterly data to conduct our study. The sample period spans from 1994 to 2012. We hypothesize that the real exchange rate has a positive relationship with trade balance. Also, we hypothesize that the U.S. income has a negative and Japan’s income has a positive effect on the trade balance of the United States. To test our hypothesis we run a multiple regression. The dependent variable in our regression is trade balance. The independent variables are home and foreign incomes and real exchange rate.

Samantha Beck, Utah Valley University Agriculture Capsicum annuum (hot chili pepper) originated in Central and South America but due to its many economically important characteristics this species is now used all throughout the world in many varied applications. Encompassing many diverse varieties, each with distinctive beneficial characteristics such as spiciness (pungency), this species has become a focal point for research. The “pungency” is due to its secondary metabolites called Capasaicinoids (Capsaicin and Dihydrocapsaicin among others); making these varieties useful in food products and the pharmaceutical industry. Metabolites from C. annuum have shown to be effective against inflammation, pain, psoriasis, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis and other ailments. Evidence also has shown that these secondary metabolites (Capasaicinoids) trigger cell suicide in prostate cancer cell lines. Micropropagation of this important species is crucial for breeding programs, analysis of secondary metabolites, propagation at industrial level and development of research in different fields. This research evaluates the effects of different plant growth regulators on the embryogenesis and organogenesis of three varieties of pepper: Jalapeno, Cayenne and Thai. Reliable organogenesis and embryogenesis methods in these varieties have not been published. Our results show that callus growth was stimulated in these varieties with MS media amended with 5μM BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine) and 2.5μM 2,4-D (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic). The response to fruit extract on callus growth was evaluated; the Jalapeno variety responded positively to the addition of fruit extract whereas the Thai variety did not show induction of callus. Additional effects of different concentrations of growth regulators and different medium on embryogenesis and organogenesis will be described. This research provides valuable information that can be used by researchers and commercial propagators.

Josh Groves, Utah Valley University Business This study will discuss the contributions of eye-tracking data in testing first-time viewers of identified professional salespeople. Participants will view the professional portraits of two individuals, a male and female. With the results we hope to show that eye-movement data supplements what users verbally report in their reactions to an individual. In particular, eye-tracking data will reveal which aspects of the person receive more visual attention and in what order they are viewed. As eye-tracking systems have become more sophisticated and affordable, there has been an increasing interest in the use of eye-tracking within the first impression domain (Byrne, Anderson, Douglass, and Matessa, 1999; Kotval and Goldberg, 1998; and Hornof and Halverson, 2003). Despite increased research in this area, it is still not entirely clear exactly how much eye-movement contributes to the viewer’s evaluation of another individual. As part of a comparative test between two professionals’ images, participant eye-movements will be recorded during the initial introduction to the image. The eye-tracking data will be examined to gain additional insight into how users view that individual and what elements attract their attention. Additionally, respondents will be asked to provide their perceptions of five personality dimensions of the two individuals.

Brock Griffith and David Lewis, Dixie State University Business In the past, some accounting researchers have criticized university accounting education programs. In their view, there is a gap between accounting education and practice. According to Sunder (2007), “The accounting curriculums of most business schools are full of theories that have less practical relevance.” The aim of this research is to identify the knowledge of subjects and skills needed for a relevant university accounting program. The views of over 200 professional accountants were sought and data collected using a questionnaire. In addition, several follow-up interviews and discussions were conducted with participants of the study. The findings suggest that the traditional accounting subjects are very important for a relevant accounting education. However, many professionals believe that certain aspects of accounting education are needed but currently the accounting education is not adequately meeting those needs.This paper helps to bridge the gap between academic study in accounting and a career in the professional practices. The results of the research will assist accounting educators in delivering work-ready graduates who will assist in meeting the needs of employers in the accounting profession.

Qiheng Wu, Weber State University Business Research Question

Amber Christensen, Weber State University Education Session Title Women and nutrition in the back country: How their calorie intake and calorie expenditure affect their body composition while backpacking Summary Abstract This study examines the factors that influence change in women’s body composition while backpacking through a mountainous terrain. To see the changes and why they happened, pre- and post- data was collected to measure body composition while participants filled out food logs to generate calorie intake and calorie expenditure. Full Abstract Women are becoming more frequent in the back country as the benefits of nature are becoming more known. Since men have dominated the outdoor world, there is more research conducted on men in the outdoors than there are on women. Nutrition research in the back country is also a new research subject that is gaining interest. Adding women, nutrition, and the back country for research is a topic that not many have touched on. Why is this all relevant and what could it mean? From looking into women and their nutrition in the back country, we can get an inside look at what changes their bodies are making and what factors are causing these changes. During this study women over the age of 18 enrolled in a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course of their choice went into the back country of Wyoming for thirty days. Before they left for the back country, pre-tests were recorded of their body composition using Weber State University’s Bod Pod which recorded lean muscle masses and body fat masses. During their expedition they were asked to keep a food log. Their leaders recorded their distance traveled during each day which was then calculated into energy expenditure. Upon returning, post-tests were recorded using the Bod Pod to compare results between before and after. Measurements and data have been collected on these women as well as their food logs. A conclusion will be made from analyzing the data from both Bod Pod measurements and the food and nutritional intake vs energy expenditure. Currently the process of entering this data is underway and will be completed within the coming months. Once this data is entered and analyzed with the results from the Bod Pod, conclusions can be made to determine if these women received adequate calorie intake to at least match calorie expenditure and what affects their nutrition intake had on changes to their body composition. Measurable Outcomes 1. Changes in body composition; lean muscle mass vs fat mass. 2. If calorie intake was sufficient to support calorie expenditure. 3. Nutritional value of the foods consumed and how they affected performance.

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

Frank Robertson, Diego Flores, Marcia Ventura, Jordan Sgro and Veronica Taite, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Behavioral research has often focused on the impact of reinforcers on behavior. Punishers are occasionally used alongside reinforcers, and the relative strength of the two is a question of major importance in behavioral psychology. The matching law is a mathematical formula that attempts to evaluate the relative influence of two sets of reinforcers and punishers. The generalized matching law contains two parameters, sensitivity, which indexes how quickly participants respond to differences between reinforcement frequencies, and bias, which indicates how much one reinforcer is preferred over another. We have developed a new method for data analysis in situations containing both reinforcers and punishers, which expands the generalized matching law by a single parameter. The new parameter is punishment bias, where a value between 0 and 1 indicates the relatively greater effect of reinforcers (versus punishers) on behavior. A value greater than 1 indicates that behavior is impacted more by punishers. If this variation on the generalized matching law is valid, it would provide a simple metric for use in situations where negative and positive events both occur. Ten participants were asked to play a video game in which they moved a submarine around obstacles and collected coins. They could choose to do so on either the left or right side of the screen. Variable- interval reinforcement schedules were operative on both sides of the screen and changed every six minutes. Punishers were added to the left-side reinforcers in half of these schedules. We recorded each participant’s mouse clicks on each side, as well as the reinforcers and punishers they received. We analyzed this data using both the new method and the generalized matching law. We found that the new version fit the data better than the standard version and present it as a possible tool for future studies of the joint use of reinforcers and punishers.

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

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

Anthony F. King, Zackary Bjerregaard, Matthew Booth, Shannon Clugston, Miles Dittmore, Stephen

Mira Reynolds, Craig Bryan and AnnaBelle Bryan, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Objective:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Jessica Andrus, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences The Himba, a traditional-living tribe in Namibia, have only recently been introduced to formal education. Formal education has a tremendous influence on their culture, as it is starting to drastically efface their traditional way of life. As they are increasingly sending more and more of their children to school, it appears that their traditional culture is becoming less practiced and more of a conceptualized object, or as I call it: formalized. By formalizing it into this conceptualized object, they are able to hold on to their traditional culture and embrace education at the same time, but they have to forsake many of the regular everyday practices of their traditional culture. As the Himba are striving to maintain their traditional culture and embrace formal education they are transforming their traditional culture into this formalized object.

Samantha Chandler, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Families are a key element in helping children develop into properly functioning members of society. The relationships that individuals have with the members of their family will greatly influence them throughout their lives. Past work highlights the roles families, and siblings in particular play in the development of antisocial behavior, but it is also important to consider the ways in which the intensification of antisocial behavior (i.e., the initiation of substance use) in adolescence changes and alters trajectories of siblings’ relationships with one another. Thus, in the current study we are examining the longitudinal links between antisocial behavior and adolescents’ sibling relationships. Data for our study come from the Flourishing Families Project, a seven phase longitudinal study of 700 families. Both parents and adolescents reported on the adolescent’s antisocial behavior and adolescents’ reported on their relationship with their closest aged sibling. We are using SAS to conduct growth curve models of sibling relationships over time as moderated by patterns of antisocial behavior. Preliminary analysis suggests that in many cases antisocial behavior is linked to less sibling warmth (r = -.11, p < .01) and greater sibling conflict (r = .22, p < .001). In conclusion we anticipate that our analysis will support the notion of the complexity of family life and that the choices and behavior of an individual family member may have implications for the development of family relationships.

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

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.

Spencer Waters and Hannah Page, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Variations in the μ-opioid-receptor (OPRM1) gene have been shown to affect most mammalian species mother-infant relationships and more recent studies show it may also modulate it in at least some primates Macaca mulatta (rhesus monkeys). Research shows that variation in the OPRM1 SNPs in rhesus macaques (C77G) is linked to relational behavioral differences, specifically within mothers and infants. Individuals homozygous for the ancestral C allele exhibit more “normal” behaviors, attachment, and oxytocin (OT) levels, whereas individuals heterozygous for the G allele exhibit greater variation in OT levels, as well as the type and quality of bonding1. Behavioral data was collected by the National Institute of Health (NIH) between 1996 and 2005. Individual monkeys in the study were genotyped for the previously characterized OPRM1 genotype. Repeated measures analyses were run using weekly measures of mother-infant behaviors across the first 24 weeks of the infants’ lives, using the mother’s genotype and infant’s sex as between-subject factors. A second series of analyses were performed using the infant’s genotype and infant sex as between-subject factors. Leave by mother (LVMO) and Reject by mother (REJM) was associated with mother genotype and infant sex at p<0.05. Passivity (PASS) was associated with infant genotype and infant sex at p=.04. Four other behaviors (Restraint, receive groom by mother, receive groom by infant, and approach by mother) were found to be nearly significant (p> 0.05<="" a="" allele="" and="" at="" behavior="" behavioral="" bonding="" by="" compared="" copy="" div="" environment="" evidence="" female="" g="" gene="" genotype,="" greater="" her="" infant="" infants="" infants,="" infants.="" infant’s="" influenced="" interact="" interaction.="" is="" least="" lower="" male="" more="" mothers="" mother’s="" of="" one="" our="" positive="" quality="" results="" sex,="" show="" specifically,="" tend="" that="" the="" their="" these="" to="" toward="" treatment="" variability,="" with="" x=""> .entry-content 2015-UCUR-Abstracts

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.

Scot Sweet, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Imagine a world where a revolutionary model of healthcare was created at an affordable cost offering higher quality care. This niche can be filled with a concierge approach. The concierge medical model allows patients 24/7 physician access by paying physicians a monthly retainer fee. In turn, physicians are able to take on fewer patients and spend more quality time with them. This research examines innovative approaches needed in order to successfully market and standardize the concierge model. Because many potential clients and companies seeking health insurance plans for their employees are unfamiliar with the concierge model; educational marketing strategies are required to achieve the paradigm shift in health care delivery modes. Successful marketing of the concierge model relies on the customers understanding of their ability under the concierge model, to be proactive instead of passive when it comes to their health. Taking the time to teach them to utilize a concierge model allows them to believe in a system built around the patient’s needs. This model has been successfully marketed to business owners with 5-15 employees. By educating owners on the cost savings combined with quality service. Offering a free trial allows the skeptics to understand the model. In current healthcare systems physicians treat patients from a legal perspective. Government regulations and third party insurance billing controls the services patients receive. This perception can be broken when people understand that insurance is used for big catastrophic accidents, not day-to-day needs.

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.

Sydney Willis, and Caren Frost, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Thousands of refugees come to the United States each year. As they become accustomed to life in the United States, immediately they face a new challenge, the health care system. There are not many accessible resources for refugee women when they first arrive, so women’s healthcare, specifically, family planning gets forgotten. It is one of the most important aspects of reproductive health; it impacts the mother, the current family members and the future family members. The current family planning curriculum is not comprehensive for refugee women of every demographic because each culture has different needs and background. Working with two refugee populations, Congolese and Somali, in Salt Lake City and incorporating the seven domains of women’s health, we created a cumulative family planning curriculum that will increase accessibility to services and positively impact the women and their family’s health. This curriculum will give the state of Utah a culturally cumulative family planning curriculum that will positively affect the health of all members of refugee families and help improve the healthcare of Utah as a whole. Curriculum outlined: Offers a wide selection of planning methods that are accessible to all, Reflects high standards of medical practice, Remains sensitive to cultural ideals and conditions. Provides sufficient information about proper use or possible side effects, Addresses women’s other reproductive health needs, Emphasizes benefits and importance of family planning. Curriculum aims: Have a full range of services and education available in a safe environment. Enhance information and acceptance among communities. Strengthen referral system for follow up and improve long term care. Train local women to be family planning advocates for educators and advocates: Refugee profiles, Staff training, Community education maps, Clientele follow up charts, Outline of supply chain system.

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.

Tyson Winder, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The purpose of this research is to evaluate various influences that social networking sites can have on families, with a particular focus on adolescents within the family. The research focuses primarily on the social networking site Facebook for the evaluation. The information evaluated will be viewed through the lens of structural functionalism. Structural functionalists place strong emphasis on the role of the nuclear family in society. In this perspective the family is viewed as the primary source for socialization and as a result any exterior or interior influences on the family can drastically alter that socialization process. Studies will be presented for the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites on the family. Possible future implications of such influences will be taken in to consideration as well.

Erica Armstrong, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Combat exposure is associated with increased mental health symptom severity among military personnel, whereas unit cohesion is associated with decreased severity. However, to date no studies have examined these relationships among U.S. Air Force pararescuemen, a unique and specialized career field that serves in both medical and combatant capacities. Self-report survey data regarding depression symptoms, post-traumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms, perceived unit support, and exposure to traditional combat experiences (e.g., firefights) and medical-related consequences of combat (e.g., injuries and human remains) were collected from 194 pararescuemen from seven rescue squadrons. Levels of combat exposure were comparable to previously-published findings from combat units, and levels of medical exposure were comparable to previously-published findings among military medical professionals. Medical exposure intensity showed a stronger relationship with PTSD severity (β = .365, p = .018) than combat exposure intensity (β = .136, p = .373), but neither combat nor medical exposure was associated with depression severity (β’s < .296, p’s > .164). Unit support was associated with less severe PTSD (β = -.402, p < .001) and depression (β = -.259, p = .062) symptoms and did not moderate the effects of combat or medical exposure. Medical-related stressors contribute more to PTSD among pararescuemen than traditional combat-related stressors. Unit support is associated with reduced PTSD and depression severity regardless of intensity of warzone exposure among pararescuemen.

Sami Safiullah, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates almost exclusively rely on foreign and migrant workers to supply the demand for work in their private sectors, particularly in the construction and domestic labor industries. These countries primarily utilize imported labor from emerging economies in South and Southeast Asia including the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Although there are some attempts on the government level in both labor-host and labor-home countries to regulate how these workers are distributed and treated, there are many other factors that contribute to this regulation on a much stronger level. These include consumer preference in the GCC host countries, private employer minimum wage caps, and recruiting agency actions in the labor-home countries. This paper examines these factors in depth, beginning with the private employers who operate under the Kafala temporary-worker system, and then studying the private recruitment agencies in the laborhome countries who survey and assess their worker supplies to meet demands in the GCC private sectors. To better understand this complex and nuanced dynamic, and how it impacts the migrant labor market on both microeconomic and macroeconomic levels, the paper will then discuss the relationships these private entities have with both labor-host and labor-home governments, individual contract-bound workers from the labor-home countries, and consumers in the labor- host countries. After considering a proposed minimum-wage model from the Philippines and a tourism expansionary policy from Sri Lanka, the paper will summarize a series of proposals for how to more effectively regulate this migrant labor market in order to provide workers with higher quality and humane provisions while working abroad, without adversely affecting the strict financial decision making processes in the GCC private sector, and the delicate relationships between these labor-host and labor-home governments.

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.

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

Madeleine Clark, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Traditional diets consumed by Congolese refugees are healthier than those consumed by Americans. Their traditional diet is made up of fresh foods that they cook themselves rather than processed foods or take-out. Unfortunately, Congolese refugees quickly adapt to the fast and processed food culture here in the United States and their diets become Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research 2015 113 unhealthy. The specific variables and choices that lead to this shift are not well studied. The purpose of my research is to find out what foods they initially buy when they come to the US and how their food selection gradually changes. When the research is complete, a food plan will be constructed to encourage preservation of the traditional diet, as well as warn against unhealthy food habits. My method of inquiry is to observe the Congolese refugee population in the environment of the supermarket. By going with them to the markets, I observe how they navigate an unfamiliar food market and choose what foods that to eat. In exploring dietary habits, it is essential to consider social, economical, as well as nutritional aspects. What I have found thus far is that children have a major influence on the processed foods that parents purchase. The kids are rapidly integrated into the schools and are exposed to the junk foods that other kids bring. Another factor is the expense of fresh foods versus cheap frozen pizzas. Food prices make it difficult for preserving traditional diets. Food is an essential element in social bonding, and expressing a positive identity. With more than 40,000 refugees in Salt Lake City, it is important for these people to keep this part of their culture upon immigrating to Utah. Food education for immigrants will preserve healthy habits from their food traditions as well as strengthen community bonds.