2018 Abstracts

Joshua Wilkerson; Seung-Ook Yang; Parker J. Funk; Steven K. Stanley, Brigham Young University

Tegan Parks, Utah Valley University

A majority of the population in North America endorses religious/spiritual beliefs, with the highest levels of endorsement occurring among ethnic minority groups. Despite this important cultural trend, previous psychological research looking at religion and psychological well-being has been focused on White (European American) populations. There is a growing need to further understand the psychological effects of religiosity among minority groups. Given that ethnic minorities are also at an elevated risk of suffering from mental illness, it is in the best interest of both patients and providers to note any factors that may serve as therapeutic support. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to assess the relationship between religious or spiritual beliefs and psychological well-being. We also hypothesized that a number of moderating factors will be revealed through our data analysis. Through our intensive literature review we extracted data from 120 research studies which reported 42,972 individuals’ psychological well-being as a function of their self-reported religiosity/spirituality. Inclusion criteria were studies from 1980 to 2008 that reported correlational data on constructs of religiosity (religious activities and spiritual beliefs) with constructs of mental health, conducted in North America, with populations that self-identified as being racial, ethnic, or cultural minorities. Retrieved studies were coded twice and verified for accuracy. The modal study involved cross-sectional (correlational) data obtained by convenience sampling from community samples of middle-aged adults. All age groups except children were adequately represented in the literature. Notably, most studies (78%) reported African American participants. On average, across all types of measures of well-being, the random effects weighted correlation with participant religiosity/spirituality was .14 (se = .01, 95% CI = .12 to .16, p < .0001). These results show low to moderate correlations between religion/spirituality and mental health among ethnic minority groups. The range of correlations was from -.11 to .55. These associations held up across racial groups. The association was stronger among older populations and samples with greater percentages of female participants. Mental health professionals need to consider client beliefs when providing treatment. Research may need to further assess the degree to which religion and spirituality affect positive psychological functions rather than distress. Likewise, the nature of psychopathology may be such that it alters the very construct of religion that we were attempting to assess. Formulating an empirical basis for these relationships constitutes a major step forward in the implementation of validated spiritually adapted interventions in mental health care for ethnic minorities.

Heidi Herrera, Brigham Young University Remarkable in both subject and execution, Los Desastres de la Guerra (Disasters of War) is exceptional in Goya’s oeuvre and in artistic representations of wartime rape. Filled with scenes illustrating the consequences and violence of war, Goya offers an insightful yet ambiguous commentary, particularly in the plates in which rape is presented as a first-hand account; plate 9, No quieren—“They don’t want it”—, plate 10, Tampoco—“Nor do these”— and plate 11, Ni por ésas—“Nor those.” Indicting the French soldiers for the rape of women during the French occupation, the Disasters of War offers offering a brutal and deceptively truthful view on the inevitable and horrible consequences which war and looting wage on women, transforming both viewer and artist into witnesses of the gruesome scenes, implicating both as detached, though unwitting, participants in the sexual violence enacted against these women; the artist in his creation of these rapes and the viewers in their reception of the images. By making the viewer a first-hand witness to these rape scenes, Goya accomplishes greater empathy for the women than other artistic portrayals of rape, however, he also unintentionally sheds a spotlight on the callousness of the viewer, and by extension, the artist himself. Both created and publicly received my men, the scenes of sexual violence shown in plates 9-11 display and discuss the rape of women as a means to an end in which the lives and suffering of these women, fictional or real, are periphery to what acts of sexual violence say about the men who wage war. Although art historians and critics today may consider the beauty of the plate’s compositions, is it at all possible for scenes which portray violence against women, as in the Disasters of War, to be considered beautiful? I would like to address how these images were received when The Disasters of War was released in 1863, considering the plate’s reception by contemporaneous art critics such Enrique Mélida within the context of how rape was understood in the nineteenth century. By comparing They don’t want it, Nor do these, and Nor those to portrayals of rape by Goya and other nineteenth-century artists, in addition to portrayals of rape by female artists, I hope to clarify where Goya’s rape scenes reside on a spectrum of artistic representations of rape, ranging from exploitative to empathetic.

Rod Dutra, Brigham Young University

Alexis Taylor, Southern Utah University

Jensen Roper, Brigham Young University

Anna Nielsen, Brigham Young University

Taylor Ball, Brigham Young University

Kolton Pierson, Southern Utah University My research paper deals with the author Jose de Larra in Spain during the Romantic Period. The author is relevant to this period, because of the critiques he makes about the Spanish society and their ways of living. Specifically my research analyzes Larra’s critiques about Spain’s limiting traditions, how Spain rejects new and innovative ideas, and about how Spain has no desire to progress. I also would like to research how Larra’s personal life influenced in his works. Larra lived in France for a large part of his life, and thus had many new ideas that he wanted to bring to Spain. However, the majority of those living in Spain at the time, rejected his ideas, because of their traditions. The primary sources to conduct this research are going to be two of Larra’s most famous works namely, “Vuelva usted ma̱ana” y “El dÌ_a de difuntos de 1836.” In addition, I will use scholarly journals and book chapters relevant to my project. This presentation will be conducted in Spanish, because this is a project completed for one of my upper-level Spanish courses. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate that the vital force of writers differed from that of the general Spanish society during the Romantic Period. In this period, Spain was in a heated contradiction while trying to decide if it was better to open up to the innovative ideas of Europe, especially France and England, or to enclose itself in its own traditions. This research is significant to the literary field, because it shows how many intelligent thinkers of the time had ideas that could really benefit the general public, but out of fear, tradition, or some other motives, the ideas were rejected and forgotten.

Claralyn Burt, Brigham Young University

Kylan Rutherford, Brigham Young University

Josee Hildebrandt, Dixie State University

Brayden Jackman, Southern Utah University An analysis is made which seeks to identify the ways in which authors utilize symbols in their writing to convey specific messages. Particularly, it discusses how these messages and the use of symbols may vary and why. Two theatrical works are identified as the basis of this study. The first is entitled El si de las ni̱as and is written by Leandro MoratÌ_n. The second is Don Juan Tenorio and was written by JosÌ© Zorrilla. Both of these authors are Spanish and the two works were written within a few decades of each other. However, these authors pertain to different cultural and literary movements. Leandro MoratÌ_n, is a neoclassical author, while JosÌ© Zorrilla, is a romantic author. Due to the nature of the material used and the field of study, the paper is written in Spanish. It first gives a brief overview of the cultural ideas that were circulating at the time that both of the previously mentioned authors were actively writing. It later identifies key characteristics in literature of their respective movements, giving examples of how they are used within the text. It then identifies the use of specific symbols, light and darkness, within each of the two works, and discusses how the authorå«s use of them impacts the message that they are conveying. The conclusion is then made that the placement of symbols within the context of a story is key. Symbols evoke emotions, which can subtly emphasize key points that the author tries to make while simultaneously helping the audience to better connect with them.

Davis Agle, Brigham Young University In this paper, I propose that the British goals in releasing Egypt from protectorate status and granting them independence was less due to goodwill and constitution, but financial and strategic reasons. The goal the British had in mind was to preserve their access to the Suez Canal, and the major financial revenue it produced, while minimizing both risk of rebellion from the ruling populace (such as was seen with Ireland) and allowing the Egyptian government to exercise self-rule, which would further lower expenses as they would no longer need to keep as many troops stationed to maintain order and control. The negotiations and design of the Egyptian Government were largely conducted by the chosen committee of Egyptian Officials with input and direction from the British Government, whose hand in their design was largely to ensure good relationships between Egypt and the British Empire, and that the British retained largely exclusive rights to resources. Inevitably, the discrepancies between the British Empire’s goals and the resulting government caused the constitution to be replaced only 7 years later.

Stanley Siebersma, Weber State University

Morrigan DeVito, Southern Utah University

Taylor Clement, Southern Utah University

Aleksei Ananin, Southern Utah University

Anastasiia Matkovska; Austin Bettridge; Jeff Keller, Utah Valley University

W. Zachary Horton, Brigham Young University

Jonathan Shumway; Scott George, Brigham Young University

Jacquelyn Monroe; Brian Jensen; Laura Bridgewater; Natalie Kwon, Brigham Young University

Dewey Potts, Brigham Young University

Andrew Piskadlo; Adele Reynolds; Anna Robert; Gaurav Pandey, Westminster College

Katherine Wilcox, Southern Utah University

Michael Maynard; Alex Mitchell, Dixie State University

Jace Howell, Dixie State University

Gift Ifijeh, Dixie State University

Alexandria DeGrauw, University of Utah

Andrew Kennedy, University of Utah

Brigham Pope; Daniel Joaquin; Jacob Hickey, Brigham Young University

Katie Varela, Brigham Young University

Jared Blanchard, Brigham Young University

Kyler Radmall, Southern Utah University

Kate Hendricks, Brigham Young University

Mikaila Hunt, Southern Utah University

Lauren Nickell, Southern Utah University

Ryker Haddock, Brigham Young University

Diabetes affects over 30 million Americans and 185,000 Utahn’s. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are characterized by decreased functional β-cell mass and insulin production. Diabetes also results in increased circulating glucose and fatty acid levels, which damage and destroy β-cells over time. Our study will shed further light on the effects of palmitate, the most commonly made fatty acid in the liver, on hyperlipidemia. In this study we test the specific effects of chronic palmitate exposure on various cell lines acclimated to 0.15 mM, 0.3 mM, and 0.5 mM concentrations of palmitate. We demonstrate the effects of progressive long-term exposure to palmitate on β-cell proliferation and resistance to apoptosis. We demonstrate mechanistic changes that result in the observed phenotypes. Our goal in this study is to explore how β-cells adapt to exposure to hyperlipidemia, and to define interventions to protect β-cells from the harmful effects of hyperlipidemia.

Jacob Delano; Nicholas Brian, Utah Valley University

Aaron Leifer, Jasmine Banner, Collin Christensen, Trevor Lloyd, Kenneth Call, Brigham Young University Diabetes Mellitus has become a worldwide epidemic affecting over 400 million people. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes result from the body’s inability to produce or respond to insulin in order to regulate blood sugar. In both cases, the insulin secreting ë_-cells in the pancreatic Islets of Langerhans have become endangered and in many cases non-functional. The function of these ë_-cells is defined by their ability to multiply and maintain a steady number, to defend against induced cell death and ultimately to secrete insulin. Since ë_-cell production reaches its peak during fetal development, this would suggest that diabetics have an inactive pathway to produce functional ë_-cells. However, recent studies have identified key transcription factors that aid pancreatic progenitors in becoming functional ë_-cells. Pdx1 is a transcription factor that is active throughout the ë_-cell pathway and found in mature ë_-cells. Research has identified Pdx1 as a key component in helping both ë±-cells and ë_-cells proliferate and even in reprogramming ë±-cells to become functional ë_-cells. Additionally, Pdx1 has been identified to help ë_-cells effectively secrete insulin. We present data demonstrating the effect of Pdx1 adenoviral over-expression on three independent markers of functional ë_-cell mass: 1) cell proliferation, 2) cell survival, and 3) insulin content and secretion. Defining the effect of Pdx1 on each of these parameters will provide further data to explore therapeutic interventions for diabetic patients.

Parker Booren, Nathanael Jensen, Talon Aitken, Samuel Grover, Jackie Crabree, Brigham Young University Diabetes continues to grow at a rapid rate, affecting the lives of both young and old. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes lead to eventual ë_ cell depletion (and subsequent decrease in insulin secretion). This can be treated through ë_ cell transplantation from the pancreata of cadavers. Currently, collecting sufficient ë_ cells for one diabetic patient requires pancreata from multiple cadavers. If proliferation can be induced in a donor’s aged ë_ cells, transplantation would become more effective as one donor now becomes sufficient to serve one or two patients. Nkx6.1 is a transcription factor that increases insulin secretion and induces proliferation of young rat ë_ cells (5 weeks) through the upregulation of its target genes: VGF, Nr4a1 and Nr4a3. Aged rat ë_ cells (5+ months) fail to proliferate after overexpression of Nkx6.1. We have also shown that upregulation of Nkx6.1’s target genes is disrupted in these aged ë_ cells. This may be due to changes in expression of a binding partner necessary for Nkx6.1’s upregulation of these target genes or to changes in Nkx6.1 posttranslational modifications that impede binding partner interactions in aged ë_ cells. We present data from co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry experiments that reveal the presence or absence of Nkx6.1’s binding partner in young and aged ë_ cells. Furthermore, we present mass spectrometry results of Nkx6.1 posttranslational modification from young and old ë_ cells. This data will increase understanding on the ability of Nkx6.1 to upregulate its target genes in an aged ë_ cell.

Kayleigh Ingersoll, Brigham Young University

Nayla Rhein, Southern Utah University

Trevor Lloyd; Mason Poffenbarger; Austin Ricks; Andrew Barlow; Zoey Fishburn, Brigham Young University

Alyson DeNittis, Utah Valley University

Thomas Hill, Utah State University

Arianna Reay; Aubrie Taylor, Brigham Young University

Mitchell Merrill, Brigham Young University