2020 Abstracts

Miller, Roxanne; Winzenried, Eric; Everett, Anna; Edwards, Jeffrey (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Edwards, Jeffrey (Life Sciences, Physiology and Developmental Biology)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex anxiety/depression disorder that affects about 1 out of 4 individuals after a stressful/traumatic experience. One common model to induce PTSD is social defeat (SD) combined with chronic light exposure in rats. First, more naturally anxious rats were selected based on results of an open field test where cat fur and fox urine were placed in one quadrant. Rats were classified as anxious if they avoided that quadrant, froze for long periods of time, did not rear, and frequently urinated or defecated. The naturally anxious rats were used in the SD protocol. Next, the elevated plus maze (EPM) and light-dark transition (LDT) tests were used to detect anxious behavior at the conclusion of SD. The SD protocol caused significant anxious behavior when compared to controls. Next, we performed LTP field electrophysiology experiments in brain slices of ventral hippocampus and basolateral amygdala, regions known to have altered plasticity in PTSD. SD caused a significant increase in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the ventral hippocampus and basolateral amygdala. To determine whether a prophylactic treatment could prevent the physiological changes of PTSD, propranolol and mifepristone were simultaneously administered at 10 mg/kg doses by intraperitoneal (IP) injection one week prior and during the entire duration of SD. These drugs significantly decreased LTP in the VH and BLA back to near-control levels while SD rats with vehicle injections still had elevated LTP.

Salas, Norma; Condie, Kali; Cook, Lauralee (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Jensen, Francine (Utah Valley University, Nursing)

Problem Statement:

Depending on the provider a woman has during her delivery, the education, interventions, and care she receives will differ. Variations of care under an obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN) compared to a midwife may produce differing satisfactory results for women experiencing labor and delivery.

Purpose:

The purpose of this research study is to discover if women who have delivered with both an obstetrician/gynecologist and a midwife are more satisfied with their birthing experience under the care of one provider compared to the other.

Research Question:

Are women who have experienced labor and delivery with an OB/GYN and a midwife more satisfied with their birthing experiences from one provider compared to the other?

Background:

In a patient-centered world, it should be up to the provider and expecting mother to choose the modality of delivery they would like, including the place, medical interventions, positioning, and methods of delivery. OB/GYNs and Midwives vary in practices, and implementations during gestation and delivery. Dissatisfaction with labor and delivery is an aspect of the current healthcare industry that needs to be addressed in order to improve patient care. Coxon, Sandall, and Fulop highlight this issue by pointing out that many women feel constrained with their decisions regarding labor and delivery and that delivery opportunities may be limited due to influences from cultural and historical associations as practiced by the provider (2014). Patient satisfaction is also influenced by pressures women in labor and delivery experience in order to accommodate their providers wishes.

Hope to accomplish:

We hope to determine if women's satisfaction during their labor and delivery experiences are higher with either a midwife or an obstetrician/gynecologist, as well as to promote better education and patient autonomy to increase patient experience satisfaction.

Symons, J. David; Thompson, Lauren; Ramous, Caroline; Cho, JaeMin; Boudina, Sihem; Margetts, Alex; Buzianis, Skye; Park, Seul Ki; Luu, Kiana; Hansen, Michele; Pires, Karla; Whitehead, Kevin; Carter, Kandis; Buffolo, Marcio (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Symones, J. David (University of Utah, Nutrition and Integrative Physiology)

Protein aggregates accumulate and organelles become damaged and / or dysfunctional during the process of healthy aging. A progressive loss of the cellular quality control mechanism autophagy (i.e., "self-eating") contributes to this age-associated decline in cellular function in many organs. Evidence for an age-associated repression in cardiac autophagy is not consistent. We hypothesized that 24-month old (old) male C57Bl6/J mice exhibit repressed autophagosome formation in the heart, an accumulation of cardiac protein aggregates, myocardial dysfunction, and reduced exercise capacity vs. 6-month old (adult) mice. First, cardiac lysates from old mice displayed reduced (p<0.05) accumulation of LC3II / GAPDH and degradation of p62 vs. adult animals (assessed via immunoblotting; n=12 per group). Second, the lysosomal acidification inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) induced accrual (p<0.05) of LC3II / GAPDH and p62 in hearts from adult but not old mice (quantified by immunoblotting; n=7 per group). Third, the number and size of protein aggregates was higher (p<0.05) in hearts from old vs. adult mice (measured via scanning electron microscopy; n=5 per group). Fourth, left ventricular mass / tibial length was greater (p<0.05), and indices of systolic, diastolic, and global left ventricular function (measured via transthoracic echocardiography) were impaired (p<0.05), in old vs. adult animals (n=12 per group). Finally, maximal workload performed during a treadmill-test, and soleus muscle oxidative enzyme capacity (citrate synthase activity assessed via ELISA), were less (p<0.05) in aged (n=11) vs. adult (n=12) mice. To determine whether late-in-life exercise training improves cardiac autophagy to an extent that demonstrates functional relevance, separate cohorts of older male mice completed a progressive-resistance treadmill-running program (old-ETR) or remained sedentary (old-SED) from 21-24 months. Body composition (estimated via nuclear magnetic resonance), exercise performance during a maximal workload test, soleus muscle citrate synthase activity, indices of cardiac antioxidant enzyme activity (quantified via immunoblotting), markers of cardiac autophagy, accumulation of cardiac protein aggregates, and indices of myocardial function, all improved (p<0.05) in old-ETR (n=11) vs. old-SED (n=12) mice. These data are the first to demonstrate that markers of cardiac autophagy are elevated, and indicators of protein aggregate removal and myocardial function are improved, in older mice that complete a treadmill-training regimen that is sufficient to increase skeletal muscle CS activity and maximal exercise capacity. Our results provide strong proof of concept to evaluate cause and effect relationships among exercise-training, myocardial autophagy, and cardiac function using genetic approaches in pre-clinical models and these studies are ongoing in our laboratory.

Hale, Kaysi; Anderson, Chris (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Anderson, Chris (Utah Valley University, Psychology)

While there is significant data on adolescent sexual activity, education, and attitudes, there is little research done on adults who choose to stay abstinent, especially in the United States. Religiosity plays a significant role in reducing sexual behaviors before marriage. Many Christian faiths teach that sex should only be engaged in after marriage, so many followers choose to stay abstinent until marriage. Education about sex contributes to individuals choosing to stay abstinent and/or choosing to use safe-sex practices. Gender is not a large factor when considering reasons why individuals choose to stay abstinent; women have slightly lower rates of pre-marital sex at 94%; men at 96%. Sexual health and sexual well-being are difficult to define, but especially challenging when trying to define it for those choosing to stay abstinent into adulthood. The proposed study will sample an anticipated 200 self-reported abstinent undergraduates at Utah Valley University. This university has a high proportion of Christian students who are predominantly members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Data will be collected about why the students report they are remaining sexually abstinent as well as their sexual attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and feelings about their own sexuality. Correlations can be drawn between religiosity, gender, age, perceived healthy attitudes towards individual sexuality, feelings about sexual stimulating behavior, among other factors. This paper will contribute to the standing data about religiosity and sexuality. It will enhance the literature about how abstinent adults feel about their own sexuality.

Gardner, Emily; Floyd, Eden; Taylor, Shaylee (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Jensen, Francine (Utah Valley University, Nursing)

Problem Statement: Nurses experience a high incidence of workplace violence.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative research study aims to examine nurses' perceptions of workplace violence, including nurse-to-nurse, patient-to-nurse, and coworker-to-nurse violence, and explore nurses' perceptions of safety measures in their work environment.

Research Question: What are nurses' perceptions and experiences of workplace violence and what factors make them feel safer?

Background: Safety in healthcare is a concern that needs active improvement; "67% of all nonfatal workplace violence injuries occur in healthcare, but healthcare represents only 11.5% of the U.S. workforce" (Locke, Bromley, & Derspiel, 2018). The Joint Commission (2018), an accrediting body for many healthcare organizations, reported that nurses are among the most victimized by violence in healthcare. Certain locations such as the emergency department, psychiatric units, geriatric units, and intensive care units may experience a greater number of violent incidents (Camerino, Estryn-Behar, Conway, van der Heijden, & Hasselhorn, 2008). One study showed that 64% of the nurse respondents felt like violence, both physical or verbal, was an expected part of their jobs (Copeland & Henry, 2017). In addition, it was demonstrated that many nurses accept a level of violence on the job and do not see the importance of reporting incidents and looking for solutions (Copeland & Henry, 2017).

Hope to accomplish: The course of this research will explore how nurses perceive their workplace safety, shed light on experiences of workplace violence they have witnessed, and their perceptions of on-the-job safety. This research will also examine what makes newer and older nurses feel a greater sense of security while performing their jobs. Since some of the factors that make nurses feel safer may involve unit or hospital policies, these findings may offer ideas for potential changes to policies to help improve workplace safety in healthcare.

Hendrickson, Kaden; Hinkson, Kent; Brooks, Malisa; Bryan, Craig (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Hinkson, Kent (Utah Valley University, Social and Behavioral Sciences)

Suicide rates over the last several years have been on the incline, many calling it a new epidemic. There are many known factors of suicide ideology and causality such as depression, anxiety, other mental illness, bullying, sleep disorders, victims of crimes, and many more. Sexual or physical assault are often found to correlate with suicide ideation and behaviors, especially among college-age persons. With veterans exposed to a wide variety of potentially traumatic events in service and because of the high number of sexual assault (both reported and unreported) on college campuses, this study seeks to examine if there if there is an association between suicide ideology and behaviors with type of assault among student veterans. A nationwide sample of 487 students were given a questionnaire that asked the student veterans about their experiences with trauma, as well as measuring their suicide ideation and behaviors. . Findings suggest student veterans tended to have less suicidal ideation and behaviors when assaulted with a weapon compared to other interpersonal traumas. Victims of unwanted or uncomfortable sexual experiences showed higher levels on average of suicidal ideation and behavior. Thus, victims of unwanted sexual experiences may be at higher risk of suicidal tendencies. With suicide rates increasing and the higher risk of suicidal tendencies amongst veterans, these findings can assist educators, administrators, professors, staff, and students in better understanding suicide risk by veterans on campus; additionally, this knowledge can promote the acquisition of better resources to assist those who are in need of help and to find ways to make reporting these cases (and seeking assistance) easier.

Chandler L Eyre. David A. Eastley (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Hancock, Chad (Brigham Young University, NDFS)

Purpose: To determine the effects of H2O2 exposure to human hepatocytes on the iron regulatory proteins such as transferrin receptor (TfR), Ferritin Light-Chain (FLC). Methods: Cells were cultured at an initial density of 35,000 cells/cm2 in 6-well plates, grown until confluent, and then harvested. Iron treatments were done using FeCl3 solution with media to desired concentrations, and then incubating for 24 hours. Groups that received both iron and H2O2 treatments were exposed to 12 hours of iron, followed by incubation with media that included both iron and GOX at 4.8 mU/mL and 0.165 mg/mL of CAT (2-5 KU/mg). BCA protein assay was used to assess protein content, and then normalize each sample to each other for subsequent preparation for western blot. Western blots were carried out were analyzed by fluorescence following densitometry. MTT assays were carried out utilizing the mitochondrial reductase enzyme, and colorimetrically measured to assess cell viability. Results: Iron treatments of 10, 50, and 100 µM for 24-hrs did not result in any significant cell death. Treatment with the same concentrations resulted in a significant decrease (n=12) in TfR for all three groups when compared against control cells that were cultured and harvested simultaneously without any addition the growth media. (10 µM p<0.01), (50 µM p<0.01), and (100 µM p<0.01). FTL in the 10 µM group was significantly decreased (n=11, p<0.01), but not for the 50 µM, or 100 µM groups with p values of 0.9867, and 0.9612, respectively. H2O2 treatments produced concentrations of 5-10 µM, mimicking neutrophil release during inflammatory response. Conclusion: Our assay is sufficient to mimic neutrophil release of H2O2. Iron treatments are able to induce TfR decrease but seem to have a threshold at 10 µM for increasing FTL for storage. We hypothesize that this may be due to a dysregulation at higher concentrations.

Seaboch, Melissa (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Seaboch, Melissa (University of Utah, Anthropology)

Primates do not make good pets because they are highly social animals that require members of their own species, large amounts of space, and specific diets to maintain positive psychological well-being. Additionally primates can also be aggressive toward their owners and they can transmit diseases (e.g. Salmonella, parasites, etc.) to their owners. Even so, there are over 15,000 pet primates in the United States. Regulations for owning a primate vary from state to state from a complete ban (19 states) to no restrictions (17 states). The goal of this project is to understand the pet primate trade and ownership in the United States, specifically, in which states they are for sale. Data (type of primate for sale and location) were collected bimonthly for five months from six online exotic pet trade websites. We found that 311 primates were offered for sale in 11 states with Florida having the most primates for sale (62%, n=195) followed by Tennessee (8.6%, n=27), and Texas (8%, n=25). The number of primates for sale in Florida is surprising since Florida requires permits from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission while there are no regulations for owning monkeys in Texas, or Tennessee. The Captive Primate Safety Act currently before Congress would prohibit the sale of all nonhuman primates by including them as "prohibited wildlife species" and would greatly reduce the ownership of primates as pets, though we note that a similar bill failed in 2007.

Reschke, Peter; Cooper, Alexandra; Clayton, Colter K. (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Reschke, Peter (Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Family Life)

Research has demonstrated that context plays a significant role in emotion perception (Reschke et al., 2018). However, it is unclear whether context produces differences in visual scanning of facial expressions of emotion. The present study explored whether variability within facial expressions differentially interacts with posture context to produce changes in emotion perception.

Participants (N = 86) viewed 96 images comprised of "open" (i.e., scrunched nose, open mouth, protruding tongue) and "closed" (i.e., scrunched nose, closed mouth) versions of disgust faces photoshopped onto postural expressions of emotion (disgust, anger, fear, sadness, joy, neutral). Subjects saw each image for 5000 ms while their eye movements were recorded by an eye tracker and were then asked to categorize the emotion in the facial expression.

The results support prior research demonstrating that contextual influence (i.e., categorizations matching the context) differed significantly within emotion contexts as a function of face type, F(3, 5436) = 29.65, p < .001 (Reschke et al., 2019). Specifically, contextual influence increased significantly for closed and open disgust facial expressions in anger and sadness contexts (ps < .001) and decreased significantly in fear contexts (p < .001). However, these differences in behavioral responses were not reflected in participants' visual scanning behaviors. Specifically, subjects fixated significantly more in the lower face region (M = 3.29) than the upper face region (M = .76), t(2268) = 37.56, p < .001, regardless of face type. Additionally, participants took significantly more time to fixate on the upper face region (M = 1046.77) than the lower face region (M = 580.07), t(1652) = 10.59, p < .001, also regardless of face type.

These findings suggest that behavioral differences in context-dependent emotion categorization are not due to reliable differences in visual scanning. Future directions and alternative explanations will be discussed.

Jensen, Afton; Claunch, Kelsie; Verdeja, Marco; Dungan, Matthew; Anderson, Shellie; Clayton, Colter K.; Goates, Michael, Thacker, Evan (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Thacker, Evan (Life Sciences, Public Health)

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of lay perspectives on the meaning of successful aging from older adults across multiple cultures and countries. Furthermore, this article allows for a discussion of the complexity of older adults' perspectives on successful aging and how successful aging may be defined differently across cultures and countries. We conducted a systematic literature review to identify, summarize, and evaluate peer-reviewed studies of qualitative data on lay perspectives of older adults. This review included studies on elderly populations published from 2010 to 2017 that addressed older adults' lay perspectives on successful aging. Such studies involved primary research performed in the United States, Germany, Singapore, Lebanon, Mexico, Canada, and New Zealand. The key concepts that emerged from older adult responses across all studies included physical health, cognitive health, social engagement, attitude/coping, independence/security, and spirituality. The overall emerging themes from our data suggest that older adults were not as concerned with physical health as biomedical previous research of successful aging often suggest. Rather, older adults focused on maintaining positive attitudes in order to cope with life changes, valuing social engagement and contribution as more essential to successful aging. Respondents from Western Europe valued keeping positive attitudes about death and focusing on gratitude instead of worries. Additionally, respondents from the United States and Mexico placed importance on pursuing activities and interests and having strong involvement with family and friends respectively. Noting differences, respondents from the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania Region, as opposed to respondents from North America, moreso prioritized the absence of chronic disease and comfort in one's own environment over keeping active. By providing a more comprehensive organizational framework of older adults' qualitative responses to successful aging, we better understand what successful aging means across cultures.

Preece, J Caleb; Seibold, Tanner; Hutchison, Cortland (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Feland, J. Brent (Life Sciences, Exercise Science)

BACKGROUND: The recent development of shear-wave elastography (SWE) allows for the quantification of muscle elasticity/stiffness without complex biopsy or dynamometry. To date SWE information is available in younger subjects (typically <30 yrs). Variables such as temperature, joint position, ultrasound probe position and pressure can affect the SWE measurement.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of SWE measurements of both the medial and lateral heads of the gastrocnemius muscle using 3 different trained ultrasound users.
METHODS: Data was collected from 118 volunteers (participants in the Huntsman World Senior Games) in St. George, Utah, 2019. Subjects (62 males: mean age = 68.9 ± 7.8 yrs, Ht = 177.4 ± 8.1 cm, Wt= 85.4±20 kg; 54 females: mean age = 66.9 ± 8.5 yrs, Ht = 164.4 ± 7.2 cm, Wt= 69.8±18 kg) signed an approved consent form and then lay prone on a treatment table for 3 repeated ultrasonic measurement of SWE of both heads of the gastrocnemius using all three trained research assistants.
ANALYSIS: The three SWE measurements were analyzed using SPSS ver25 for medial and lateral gastrocnemius separately using the reliability analysis function and calculating a two-way mixed model of Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC).
RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Overall, the measurements of SWE were very reliable with both the lateral gastrocnemius (ICC = .985) and the medial gastrocnemius (ICC = .991). Based on our experience in learning SWE measurements there is a significant learning curve to probe positioning and pressure as well as waiting for a stable elastography signal on the ultrasound screen. The high ICC values for these repeated measurements demonstrate that SWE measurement of the gastrocnemius can be reliable and repeatable. These results may not apply to other muscles since size and depth of muscle can also affect SWE signaling.

Parsons, Travis; Lippert, Peter; Bartley, John (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Lippert, Peter (University of Utah - College of Mines and Earth Science, Geology & Geophysics); Bartley, John (University of Utah - College of Mines and Earth Science, Geology & Geophysics)

Field observations and geochronological measurements of plutons in Yosemite Valley suggest that plutons grow incrementally as a series of stacked sheets of smaller intrusions (i.e., dikes and sills) (Coleman et al., 2004; Glazner et al., 2004; Bartley et al., 2006). This interpretation is in contrast to the traditional view of pluton emplacement through crystallization of a single, massive magma chamber. Most of the observations supporting incremental pluton emplacement use the relationship between zircon U-Pb dating of pluton sections and estimated granitic magma cooling rates to argue that a single magmatic event would crystallize significantly faster than the geochronologic data permit. Incremental pluton emplacement also predicts specific relationships between the age of intruded sheets of magma and the original orientation of these sheets, such that older sheets are expected to be tilted or deformed more than younger sheets. Here we test this prediction of differential tilting by measuring the paleomagnetic inclination preserved in well-dated and structurally characterized sheets of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite. Magnetic inclination provides a tilt-meter with respect to the Earth's magnetic field direction at the time of pluton emplacement; the reference inclination assuming an untitled pluton is known from independent data sets. We also present rock magnetic data (temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, magnetic remanence characteristics) and results from petrographic investigations to characterize the mineralogy and stability of the magnetization. Our results suggest that the low-titanium magnetite remanence carriers are primary and are not biased by secondary magnetizations. The distribution of magnetic inclinations in our sample set — in which older sheets on the periphery of the pluton are shallower than those in younger, more interior sheets, and with respect to the reference inclination — is consistent with predictions from the incremental pluton emplacement hypothesis.

Seibold, B. Tanner; Hutchison, Cortland; Preece, J. Caleb; Feland, J. Brent (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Feland, J. Brent (Life Sciences, Exercise Science)

BACKGROUND: To date, a few studies have demonstrated shear wave elastography (SWE) values for the gastrocnemius muscles in younger subjects (<30 yrs). However, little info is available on aging muscle. SWE of aging muscle is needed to better understand the intrinsic tensile changes that take place in muscle over time.
PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine how cross-sectional area (CSA) and SWE correlate with each other) in both the medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles of active older athletes participating in the HuntsmanWorld Senior Games.
METHODS: Data was collected from 116 volunteers (participants in the Huntsman World Senior Games) in St. George, Utah, 2019. Subjects (62 males: mean age = 68.9 ± 7.8 yrs, Ht = 177.4 ± 8.1 cm, Wt = 85.4 ± 20 kg; 54 females: mean age = 66.9 ± 8.5 yrs, Ht = 164.4 ± 7.2 cm, Wt = 69.8 ± 18 kg) signed an approved consent form and then lay prone on a treatment table for ultrasonic measurement of both CSA and SWE of both heads of the gastrocnemius.
ANALYSIS: All data were analyzed using SPSS ver25 with a multivariate analysis utilizing both age, height, and weight as covariates with Pearson correlations calculated on the relationship between CSA and SWE of both heads.
RESULTS & CONCLUSION: We hypothesized that increases in cross-sectional area would positively correlate with increased SWE values since the muscle would be larger and prior studies have found muscle hypertrophy increases muscle pennation angle. Neither Medial gastroc (r=-.100, p=.280) or Lateral gastroc (r=.047, p=.613) CSA was significantly correlated with their respective SWE ratings. Age significantly affected CSA only after the age of 59, but similarities in CSA and SWE between all participants may be the result of the high level of activity of these subjects.

Cromar, Zachary J.; Findlay, Matthew; Turner, Elizabeth; Mills, Ammon (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Gazdik-Stofer, Michaela (College of Science - Utah Valley University, Biology); Sylvester, Steven (College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Utah Valley University, Political Science)

The World Health Organization has included vaccine hesitancy in the top ten threats to global health in 2019. Studies done in the United States have shown that the Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) can be used to identify why individuals are more vaccine-hesitant (VH) than others. Counterintuitively, the dichotomous moral foundations (MF) of care vs. harm, traditionally used in pro-vaccine messaging interventions, or fairness vs. cheating, were not found to be the foundations on which VH parents based their decision not to follow the CDC recommended vaccination schedule. It was discovered that the purity vs. degradation and liberty vs. oppression foundations are more important to VH individuals than all other foundations. Highly VH individuals are twice as likely to emphasize purity and liberty. Concerningly, in 2018, Utah ranked in the bottom ten states for child vaccination rates in 11 of the 19 vaccines reported by the Utah Department of Health. We plan on testing a broader messaging intervention than the current, traditional vaccine messages. Our messaging interventions will emphasize the MFs of liberty vs. oppression and purity vs. degradation to see if they will be more effective than our more traditional messaging intervention emphasizing care vs. harm, or an unrelated control message not related to vaccines. We hypothesize that messages emphasizing the purity and liberty foundations will resonate better with the VH and decrease their vaccine-hesitancy relative to the other groups. If our data supports that the MFs of liberty vs. oppression and purity vs. degradation significantly decrease vaccine-hesitancy than current general vaccine education messaging interventions should be broadened to include these MFs. However, if results do not demonstrate that the liberty vs. oppression MFs are more effective at decreasing vaccine hesitancy, then more research should be performed on the subject.

Tilisa Howell; David Aguilar-Alvarez (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Aguilar-Alvarez, David (Moyes College of Education, Athletic Training & nutrition)

Abstract:

Background:

Recent studies show that water intake plays a major role in the development of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease. The aim of this study was to determine if the percentage of total fluid intake from water influences Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and identify significant associations between water, dairy, soft drinks and juice consumption with MetS parameters in college students.

Methods:

We measured MetS parameters and collected diet records from 364 college students, ages 18-65 years. Participants were grouped by gender (Male: 112; Female: 252) and by percentage of total fluid consumption from water. Groups were defined as high (>70%) percentage of total fluid intake from water (HPW) and Low percentage (<30%) of total fluid intake from water (LPW). T-test was used to determine mean differences in MetS parameters between HPW and LPW, and Pearson correlations to determine associations between MetS and specific fluids.

Results:

HPW participants showed lower diastolic blood pressure when compared with their LPW counterparts (µ=78. 51±8. 28 vs µ=81. 2± 9. 28, p=0. 05). Men dairy fluid consumption was associated with increased fasting blood glucose (r=0. 242, p=0. 01. In women, Juice consumption was associated with increased LDL-Cholesterol (r= 0. 205, p=0. 02).

Conclusion:

Consuming non-water fluids showed negative effects on blood pressure. Contrary to previous studies, dairy fluid consumption in men was associated with increased blood glucose. It is possible that high-glycemic foods tied to dairy consumption modulate this association. Our results in women are consistent with previous studies were juice consumption increases triglyceride production and VLDL-Cholesterol.

Ashton, S. Jeramy (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Mizell, Karen (Utah Valley University; Philosophy, Ethics)

A desire to maintain attention, a crave for focus, a potential escape from reality, these are some of the potential reasons that a person would recreationally take a stimulant.
A stimulant substance that raises levels of physiological or nervous activity in the body. Stimulants such as Adderall have been studied for years as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the stimulant in 1996. The drug has seen an enormous amount of popularity among prescribers, patients and the general public. Studies on the drug continue to examine levels of effectiveness, possibility of dependency, recreational use and the typical benefit to harm ratios.
Empirical data shows that individuals among the college cohort make up the highest number of recreational stimulant users. Using data from across the county and comparing such findings to Bioethical principles (more specifically, the four parts of principalism), I will first examine the benefits and harms of the recreational use of stimulants (such as dependency, classism, social and academic advancements) and then, with that gathered reasoning, argue against the recreational use of stimulants among the college cohort.

Sevy, Jonathon; Radebaugh, Jani; McDougall, Dylan; Kerber, Laura; Rabinovitch, Jason (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Radebaugh, Jani (Brigham Young University, Geology)

Yardangs are wind-carved linear ridges that are found selectively on Earth and extensively on Mars. The history of the morphologic development of yardangs is not well known. In the Puna high plateau of Argentina there are ignimbrite deposits, many of which have been eroded into yardang fields, commonly called fleets. Yarding fleets are evenly spaced forms, facing into the wind, that resemble a fleet of boats sailing. A prominent fleet, known as Campo de las Piedras Pomez (CCP) was studied to more fully understand their formation and morphology, including field research in December 2018 and 2019. Some physical characteristics looked at in the field included: dedos direction and lengths; heights and lengths of yardangs; structural features; wind and gravel ripple direction. In addition, relationships between yardang organization and structural control have been analyzed. The dedos on the fronts of yardangs averaged 4.0cm in length, while the reverse dedos were 3.3cm. From this it was determined that: Two wind directions, with one dominant, are present; Structural features can shape morphology of yardangs.

Parada, Michelle (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Schramm, Katharina (Weber State University, Botany)

This research focuses on anti-tumor and the biotoxicity of A. millefollium (yarrow).
Yarrow is an interesting plant with a long history of medicinal uses, but very little has been done to research and prove the different beneficial properties claimed. There are two simple bench-top assays performed in this study, the potato disc assay which inoculates potato slices with Agrobacterium tumefaciens as well as different concentrations of yarrow extracts and assesses the resulting tumor formation and the brine shrimp toxicity assay to assess the LD-50 of the extracts. My results will indicate whether or not the native yarrow extracts inhibit or do not inhibit tumor formation and its toxicity level. The results of this research could lead to further studies of the phytochemicals in the plant to be used for cancer treatments.