Fine Arts

Authors: Barrett Blake. Mentors: Brandon Ro. Insitution: Utah Valley University. This research project aims to explore the relationship between an individual's cultural and religious background and their perception of mosque architecture and experiences. Given the lack of understanding about the nature of mosques among non-Muslims, it is essential to investigate these perceptions to promote greater public awareness and interfaith understanding. The research methodology employs two approaches. First, it analyzes Nader Ardalan's work, "The Visual Language of Symbolic Form: A Preliminary Study of Mosque Architecture," to identify common architectural characteristics in mosques. This analysis is correlated with a survey to compare common elements of mosque architecture to respondents’ associations with the elements incorporated in mosque architecture. It is expected that the elements that most individuals associate with mosques are likely those that are most common. Second, an online survey assesses the influence of cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious backgrounds on individuals' perceptions of mosques. The survey covers familiarity with mosques, statements about mosque experiences, and demographics. Statements regarding mosque experiences are derived from Lindsay Jones’ book The Hermeneutics of Sacred Architecture: Experience, Interpretation, Comparison. Demographic questions include religion, ethnicity, and primary household language. Respondents are recruited through QR codes on the Utah Valley University campus, religious groups at universities, and online forums for diverse religious traditions. Responses from those who practice Islam are expected to align more closely than those from non-Islamic backgrounds. In summary, this research shows that some architectural features in mosques are likely to be universally recognized due to their commonality. It also highlights a strong connection between an individual's background and their understanding of Islam, mosque aesthetics, and expected mosque experiences. These findings can inform mosque design by promoting the use of recognizable architectural elements and can contribute to fostering interfaith awareness and understanding, ultimately supporting harmonious coexistence among diverse communities.

Authors: Michael Olson. Mentors: Nathan Usevitch. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Wearable robotic devices are versatile for assisting users in many scenarios. These devices could provide therapy treatments to users recovering from injuries, provide support for factory workers who commonly perform repetitive tasks (in 2021 there were over two million work-related injuries in the US) and aid motion for elderly people with limited mobility. Whereas other assistive devices require external machinery and infrastructure, a wearable device makes it possible to provide aid during activities of daily living, and in normal work scenarios. Wearable tech can reduce metabolic work required to complete a variety of simple tasks, can enable a user to accomplish tasks normally requiring greater strength than they possess, and can help improve motion capabilities of users in cases of limited mobility.At BYU, we are developing a wearable system to assist user's elbow motion. Our design uses a system of motors mounted on a backpack frame. These motors connect to the assistive sleeve through a set of Bowden cables. We are developing a general mechatronic platform that can be used to actuate several different sleeve designs. Developing this platform enables us to quickly experiment with different sleeve designs and cable routings. The system uses three pairs of motors per arm: one pair for arm pronation and supination (wrist rotation), one pair for elbow extension and flexion (like doing a bicep curl), and one pair for medial or lateral rotation (rotation of the arm to the left or right). When one motor tenses to provide force to move the arm in a particular direction, the other motor relaxes, enabling the arm to travel in that direction. The motors are controlled by an Arduino Nano 33 interfaced with a laptop, and the device could be modified to be compatible with an X-Box controller connected to Robot Operating System (ROS), providing wireless control for arm motion. Potential applications may include rehabilitation, mobility assistance, and assistance with repeated tasks.

Authors: Brett Pickett, Lincoln Sutherland, Jacob Lang. Mentors: Brett Pickett. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer present in society today, and is the second leading cause of cancer death for women. Approximately 13% (1 in 8) of women will develop invasive breast cancer, with 3% of women (1 in 39) dying from this type of cancer. Three important classifications used when formulating a treatment plan for breast cancer are the presence or absence of Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), or Hormone Receptor (HR). Treating Estrogen Receptor Positive (ER+) breast cancer with aromatase inhibitors, such as Letrozole, is the current standard treatment for all postmenopausal women. A prior study by Lee et. al. identified PRR11 as the only gene that was significantly overexpressed in resistant vs non-resistant cancers among the 51 genes in chromosome arm 17q23. The goal of the current study is to perform a secondary analysis of this valuable dataset to identify genes, signaling pathways, and biomarkers across the whole human transcriptome that are significantly associated with treatment resistance in ER+ patients.Methods: We retrieved, preprocessed and analyzed 58 ER+ breast cancer samples from patients who had been treated with Letrozole, which are publicly available in the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The Automated Reproducible MOdular Workflow for Preprocessing and Differential Analysis of RNA-seq Data (ARMOR) was used to process our data downloaded from NCBI. This workflow trimmed low quality reads from the RNA-sequence reads, mapped and quantified our data to generate a DEG list. Gene ontology enrichment with camera was also performed. Next, the genes were mapped to common gene identifiers and input to the signaling pathway impact analysis (SPIA) algorithm to identify intracellular signaling pathways that were enhanced by our DEGs. With that information, Pathway2Target was used to identify known drug targets within our identified pathways. Finally, a decision tree-based machine learning approach was used to predict features/expressed genes that could be used to most accurately classify responders vs nonresponders to Letrozole. Results: Our comparison of 36 responders versus 22 non-responders detected a total of 18,735 genes and identified 105 that were statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) after applying a false-discovery rate (FDR) correction, including SOX11, S100A8/S100A8, and IGLV3-25. We then used the Signaling Pathway Impact Analysis (SPIA) algorithm to determine whether any known intracellular signaling pathways were significantly enriched in DEGs (Bonferroni-adjusted p-value < 0.05). This analysis identified 4 pathways that were statistically significant in Non-Responders to Letrozole Treatment. We then used the pathway results to predict 60 existing therapeutic targets that could be repurposed to treat the resistance phenotype. Notably, the predicted targets for the non-response phenotype included VEGFA, a current target for solid tumors as well as ESR1, an Estrogen Receptor. We next wanted to determine whether we could predict transcriptional biomarkers that could aid with identifying patients that do not respond to treatment. To do so, we used the read counts for all samples as the input for this analysis and identified 278 transcriptional biomarkers. Performance metrics for all biomarkers identified yielded an area under the receiver-operator characteristic (AUROC) curve of 0.972 (Figure 2), indicating an exceptional ability to classify Letrozole responders vs non-responders by the transcriptional profile. Sensitivity for all transcriptional biomarkers was measured at 100%, and specificity at 94%. We used the top two biomarkers from our first analysis as input for a second analysis to determine the performance of a smaller subset. Our second analysis determined that PRDX4 and E2F8 together yielded an AUROC of 0.823 and an overall accuracy of 88.2%. Discussion:Our results identify additional DEGs, pathways, targets and biomarkers for further exploration in the treatment and categorization of ER+ breast cancer.

Authors: Hunter Morrill, Ryley Parrish. Mentors: Ryley Parrish. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Spreading depolarizations (SDs) are slow propagating waves of depolarization that move through the brain and have been associated with a wide variety of neuropathologies including the termination of seizures, the cellular correlate of aura in migraines, traumatic brain injury, and ischemic stroke. Though first characterized by Aristides Leão in the 1940s, only a very limited understanding of the mechanisms of SD induction has been achieved. SDs have been induced in mouse models using a variety of techniques, however regardless of the method of induction, high extracellular potassium and/or a strong cellular depolarization have been largely hypothesized as necessary conditions for SD induction. Interestingly, we have recently demonstrated that using a light-induced chloride pump (Halorhodopsin) to drive chloride ions into the neurons can reliably induce SDs even in the absence of high extracellular potassium levels (Parrish, 2023). It was also demonstrated that the triggering of archaerhodopsin, which removes protons from the cell and therefore hyperpolarizes the neuronal membrane without affecting chloride levels, did not induce SDs, suggesting the implication of chloride loading as a primary mechanism in SD induction. This challenges the prevalent hypothesis regarding the induction of SDs and results in a novel method of induction that allows for more characterization of the mechanisms involved. The use of genetically expressed light-gated ion channels or pumps is referred to as optogenetics. Using zebrafish, a common model for electrophysiology recordings that is also cost-effective to genetically manipulate, we have established an optogenetically induced model of SD induction. We are currently characterizing mechanisms that result in optogenetically induced SDs with pharmacology to further our understanding of SD initiation and propagation.Parrish, R. R.-G.-T. (2023). Indirect Effects of Halorhodopsin Activation: Potassium Redistribution, Nonspecific Inhibition, and Spreading Depolarization. The Journal of neuroscience: the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 43(5), 685-692.

Authors: Isaac Stubbs, Skyler Russell, Melissa Blotter, Maxwell Holmes. Mentors: Ryley Parrish. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Status Epilepticus (SE) is a severe medical condition marked by continuous seizures lasting over 5 minutes. When SE becomes resistant to anticonvulsant drugs, the condition is known as Refractory Status Epilepticus (RSE), which lacks effective treatments and has a mortality rate of 38%. RSE lacks effective treatments partially due to our limited understanding of the mechanisms that lead to patient drug resistance to commonly used anticonvulsants. This study aims to address this knowledge gap in two pivotal ways.First, we have employed a high-density multi-electrode array (HD-MEA) with acute mouse brain slices to better understand RSE propagation patterns and various seizure states with unparalleled spatial precision. The HD-MEA allows us to record from the entire brain slice with 4096 electrodes sampling electrophysiological activity at every 60 micrometers for many hours at a time. Our data demonstrates that different seizure states, such as phasic seizure-like events, short duration epileptic discharges, or RSE itself, occur within both the same brain region and in different brain regions simultaneously. With our novel data visualization software, we can visualize the unique propagation of this phenomenon. These findings indicate that RSE might be a progressive event, challenging conventional understanding of RSE. Second, we are currently exploring a potential pharmacoresistance mechanism that may contribute to the patient entering RSE, which suggests that changes in the chloride reversal potential may lead to a phenomenon known as depolarizing GABA. Depolarizing GABA may negate the effectiveness of the currently used antiepileptic drugs that rely on standard physiological chloride conductance to effectively limit seizure activity. We are studying this drug resistant mechanism with the HD-MEA by introducing anticonvulsant drugs to acute mouse brain slices during the evolution of RSE to locate a critical point at which the slice becomes resistant to these compounds.We hope this study will illuminate the complexities of RSE by revealing its progressive nature and drug resistant properties.

Authors: Sofia Denise Flowers. Mentors: Lauri Linder. Insitution: University of Utah. Background and Purpose: In the year 2023, roughly 9,000 children will be diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. Dealing with a potentially fatal diagnosis is already difficult for many grown adults, let alone a young child. The aim of this project is to describe caregiving experiences of parents and children with cancer as related through feedback comments within written and oral feedback to proposed items to measure self-efficacy for managing their child’s symptoms and behaviors used to manage their child’s symptoms.Methods: This project involved a secondary analysis of qualitative data from 21 parents (19 mothers; mean age 38 years) of school-age children with cancer who participated in a study to establish the content validity of instruments to measure aspects of symptom management. Data consisted of interview transcripts and free responses to the content review surveys. The data were then uploaded to Dedoose. My mentor and I worked independently to identify statements pertaining to parents’ experiences in managing their child’s symptoms and responding to the child’s cancer diagnosis. We then met together to reconcile content and then organize parents’ statements into categories and subcategories. Results: 101 excerpts were extracted from the transcripts and included for the secondary analysis. Excerpts were grouped into four main categories: informational resources, social support, emotional support, and medication management Within these four main categories, subthemes of professional staff support, managing child attitude and mood changes, and balancing between being a parent and their child’s medical advocate were present. Conclusion: The insights gained from this project can guide the information healthcare providers need to provide better care to the child and additional support to parents. This can allow professional staff to get a stronger understanding of not just the family’s medical needs but their informational, social, and emotional needs as well.

Authors: Marie Gibb. Mentors: Francine Jensen. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Maternal mortality, also known as maternal death, is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. (MacDorman et al., 2021; Spelke & Werner, 2018). The United States is the only developed nation where the rates of maternal mortality are rising, and they have been rising for twenty years (Simpson, 2019; Spelke & Werner, 2018). This incidence represents a maternal health crisis in the United States. On average, 700 women in the United States die each year from pregnancy-related complications. This equates to 17.2 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births (Simpson, 2019). Currently, the maternal mortality rate for Utah is higher than the national average at 21.5 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (Utah Department of Health and Human Services, 2023). According to More than 60% of these deaths are preventable (MacDorman et al., 2021; Simpson, 2019).The leading causes of maternal death in the United States are hemorrhage, preeclampsia, eclampsia, hypertension, embolisms, and cardiomyopathy, which often lead to cardiovascular disorders (MacDorman et al., 2021; Simpson, 2019). The Utah Health and Human Services (2023) reported that increases in heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, mental health disorders, and other chronic conditions complicate pregnancies and are contributing to maternal mortality in Utah. The American Heart Association has cautioned that pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm delivery are linked to maternal heart disease later in life (Parikh et al., 2021). Research suggests that each episode has a cumulative effect (Marill, 2021), meaning, the more pregnancies women have, and the more complications women have during pregnancy, the more elevated their risks are in general for cardiovascular disorders as they age. A qualitative survey was sent out using snowball sampling to women over the age of 18 in Utah asking about their understanding of cardiovascular risk factors and current health conditions. Findings showed that women were unaware of their potential cardiovascular risks associated with pregnancy. Raising awareness regarding these cardiovascular risks may be the number one preventative strategy, as women are the ones who bear the personal and physical risks. If pregnant women are aware of their cardiovascular risk factors, they can be empowered to raise concerns when necessary. Future interventions may include educating all women of childbearing years about cardiovascular risks prior to pregnancy, as well as more frequent screening of women during and after delivery (Marill, 2021). ReferencesMacDorman, M. F., Thoma, M., Declcerq, E., & Howell, E. A. (2021). Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality in the United States using enhanced vital records, 2016‒2017. American Journal of Public Health, 111(9), 1673–1681. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2021.306375Marill, M. C. (2021). Getting to the heart of America's maternal mortality crisis. Health Affairs, 40(12), 1824-1829. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01702Parikh, N. I., Gonzalez, J. M., Anderson, C. A. M., Judd, S. E., Rexrode, K. M., Hlatky, M. A., Gunderson, E. P., Stuart, J. J., & Vaidya, D. (2021, May 4). Adverse pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular disease risk: Unique opportunities for cardiovascular disease prevention in women: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 143(18), e902-e916. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000961Simpson, K. (2019). Maternal mortality in the United States. MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 44 (5), 249-249. doi: 10.1097/NMC.0000000000000560.Spelke, B., & Werner, E. (2018). The fourth trimester of pregnancy: Committing to maternal health and well-being postpartum. Rhode Island Medical Journal (2013), 101(8), 30–33.Utah Department of Health and Human Services. (2023, March 16). Complete health indicator report of maternal mortality. Retrieved Sat, 09 September 2023 from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health website: http://ibis.health.utah.gov. https://ibis.health.utah.gov/ibisph-view/indicator/complete_profile/MatMort.html

Authors: Sara Peel, Addisyn Bushman, Adam Rice. Mentors: Xinru Page. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Social media has become a tool used in everyday life by individuals worldwide. While this tool can help individuals build new social connections and strengthen relationships, it can be a lose-lose situation for certain populations. Recent work has found that autistic users are one of these populations that experience greater harm and negative experiences using social media. These additional harms stem from differences in how autistic individuals perceive social media norms and interpret online interactions. We have developed 16-week’s worth of digital educational material based on this research to teach autistic young adults social media literacy for Facebook and Instagram, to mitigate some of these social media challenges. With input from a multi-disciplinary team of autism researchers and a panel of autistic students at our university, we created these educational materials to be taught in 1-hour weekly sessions to individuals with autism in a classroom environment. The materials consist of topic-based slides and associated practice exercises that employ a decision-based learning approach that breaks down complicated decisions into several simpler choices. To determine whether participants have learned safer online behaviors, we administer scenario-based assessments at the beginning and end of each session, conduct daily diary-based check-ins, and weekly one-on-one interviews, and analyze behavioral data collected from their personal social media accounts such as posted comments and responses to connection requests.We are currently deploying the 16-week educational course at a local day program to autistic young adults who have no intellectual disability and have had negative experiences using social media. Initial results indicate that the educational materials are helping mitigate the harms of social media. Participants have shared that the educational sessions taught them to disconnect from potentially unsafe users, learn social tags and interaction norms, and change safety settings within each app that they weren’t aware they had control over. In addition to the current longitudinal study, we have several other field deployments planned in the coming months which will allow us to refine the digital assets for this educational intervention in preparation for making them available to the public.

Authors: Zach Fiore. Mentors: Jared Nielsen. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Gait apraxia is a type of apraxia that affects lower limb use in walking. It is characterized by difficulty initiating gait, freezing of gait, and other gait disturbances that cannot be attributed to complications affecting sensory, motor, or cerebellar function, psychiatric disease, nor ataxia. Symptoms often present following brain trauma. Previous research has indicated that gait apraxia may be linked to lesions in the frontal lobes, basal ganglia and supplementary motor area. However, the specific cerebral location has been debated with minimal research done on the symptom’s implicated neural circuits. The purpose of this study is to determine the networks in the brain that are involved in the pathophysiology of gait apraxia. To determine this, we used the lesion network mapping method. A systematic literature review was performed, with specific inclusion criteria, to find case studies of patients presenting with gait apraxia stemming from acquired brain injury (n=15). Lesion network mapping analysis (Fox et al., 2018) was performed on 15 cases with a large cohort of healthy control resting-state scans (n=1000). The analysis showed that lesions exhibited functional connectivity to the bilateral medial dorsal and pulvinar nuclei of the thalami (n=15), which supports previous associations of basal ganglia damage contributing to gait apraxia. A novel region, the cingulate cortex (n=15), was also found to be functionally connected to the lesion networks. This region is a part of the cingulo-opercular network, responsible for many functions, including action. This network has recently been found to display strong functional connectivity with the somato-cognitive action network, responsible for coordinating movements with cognitive processes. Further research is necessary to determine the mechanism of how these networks interact in contributing to gait apraxia.

Authors: Noah Bezzant, Mikayla Kimball, Ashley Allan. Mentors: Brent Feland. Insitution: Brigham Young University. BACKGROUND: General knee pain is a common complaint among both athletes and older adults. Osteoarthritis is a common etiology for knee pain that can interfere with function during aging and can be assessed by validated questionnaires. It remains unclear whether there exists a dose–response relationship between cartilage loss and pain worsening. Articular cartilage thickness of the femoral condyles can be measured by ultrasound imaging and few studies utilizing this form of measurement exist. It is currently unknown if articular cartilage thickness measured ultrasonographically correlates with pain related ratings in aging athletes. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess whether articular cartilage thickness at the femoral condyles as measured by ultrasound imaging has any relationship to knee pain as rated by the modified KOOS (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) survey in senior athletes over the age of 50.METHODS: Data was collected from 35 volunteers (participants in the Huntsman World Senior Games) in St. George, Utah, 2023. All subjects (22 females: mean age = 64.9 ± 6.6 yrs, Ht = 158.7 ± 35.6 cm, Wt= 66.3 ± 10.0 kg; 13 males: mean age = 67.3 ± 8.3 yrs, Ht = 179.3 ± 10.7 cm, Wt= 84.3 ± 13.4 kg) signed an approved consent and completed a modified KOOS survey before being seated on a table, with their back flattened against the wall directly behind them. They were then asked to bring either knee as deeply into flexion against their torso as possible; approximating 120°-140° of knee flexion, depending on the range of motion the subject was capable of. In flexion, the patella was shifted inferiorly enough to expose the femoral condyles so that a short axis image of the articular cartilage was obtained and the thickness of the cartilage was assessed at 3 points.ANALYSIS: All data were analyzed using JMP ver16.2 with a Pearson product pairwise correlations to determine if a relationship between average cartilage thickness correlates with pain subscale scoring from the KOOS in males and females. Correlation between age and thickness was also examined.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There were no significant correlations between the pain subscale score and cartilage thickness in males (p=.6998, r=0.1316), females (p=.8733, r=0.0392), or combined (p=.7308, r=0.0655) in this group of senior athletes. Age and thickness was not significantly correlated (p=.1232, r= -0.2877), but did show a trend of decreasing cartilage thickness with age. The addition of more subjects should show age and thickness to be negatively correlated with each other.

Authors: Caroline Cowley, Megan Jewell, Brenda Mendoza, Aubrey Cluff, Ryan Summerhays, Jason Hansen. Mentors: Jason Hansen. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Approximately 8 million newborns manifest a birth defect every year worldwide. One of the most common birth defects involve disruptions in musculoskeletal development. Oxidative stress has been found to propagate teratogenesis. Thioredoxin-1 (Trx1), an oxidoreductase, is an important antioxidant regulator required for proper embryonic development. Trx1 knockouts have been found to be embryolethal prior to implantation. A preliminary study to assess osteogenesis was conducted using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) originating from transgenic conditional Trx1 knockout embryos. Upon confluence, MEFs were stimulated to undergo osteogenesis via commercially available media. A subset of cells were treated with doxycycline (DOX) prior to and throughout the culture period. MEFs were maintained over a 21 day period in a reduced oxygen environment. MEFs were then fixed in formalin and stained with Alizarin red to determine the degree of osteogenesis. MEFs treated with DOX were unable to undergo proper osteogenesis. While this would suggest that osteogenesis is regulated through proper functions of Trx1, it is unknown how Trx1 regulates osteogenesis in utero. Because Trx1 deletion is lethal prior to implantation it has been historically difficult to study the role of Trx1 during organogenesis. With the development of the DOX-inducible Trx1 conditional knockout mouse, we can now target specific developmental periods and evaluate post-implantation processes like osteogenesis. Using proper transgenic mice and breeding schemes, DOX-inducible Trx1 conditional knockout embryos were treated in utero with DOX through the dam’s drinking water, starting on gestational day (GD) 8.5. The embryos were collected on GD 16.5, fixed in 95% ethanol, and then skinned. To visualize bone and cartilage, the embryos were placed in ethanol and subsequently stained with Alizarin red and Alcian blue. The staining showed that embryos lacking Trx1 were significantly stunted in their skeletal maturation. With this data, we are the first to show that during organogenesis, the musculoskeletal system is affected by deletions of Trx1 at specific periods of development. Under oxidizing conditions which exceed the capacity of the oxidoreductase pathway of Trx1, Trx1 exists primarily in its oxidized form and can no longer reduce proteins that have been turned off by oxidation. Our Trx1 deletions model a highly oxidized state in which Trx1 is dysfunctional. Because regulatory redox control of protein activity is required for proper embryonic development, exposure to oxidizing environmental conditions specifically affecting Trx1 redox state may target the disruption of the musculoskeletal system.

Authors: Quinn Gerber, Lucas Carpenter, Jacob Clemons, Cindy Kin. Mentors: Cindy Kin. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Introduction: It is vital that patients are adequately prepared for surgical intervention. To meet this need, many medical centers have adopted prehabilitation protocols. The aim of this study was to establish an in-depth comprehension of the attitudes towards surgery and barriersand preferences to prehabilitation for patients identifying as Latino, in order to develop a preliminary framework for adapting prehab programs to best meet the needs of this specific patient population.Methods: We conducted qualitative semi-structured in-person one-on-one interviews with Latino patients who had recently undergone major abdominal surgery. The interviews, conducted at an academic medical center, were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English (as needed), iteratively coded, and discussed by four researchers to reach consensus. We used thematic analysis to identify shared attitudes held by patients and common barriers to the adoption of prehabilitation programs. Analysis of these attitudes and barriers, along with stated patient preferences, led to the development of several ideas that physicians can implement to increase prehab adoption among Latino patients.Results: We interviewed 16 patients, at which point we reached thematic saturation. The patients were on average 52 years old (range 20 to 79) and 50% were women. Our pooled kappa score was .92, indicating a very high degree of concordance among the coding researchers. We identified five common attitudes held by Latino patients regarding surgery: anxiety associated with hospitalizations and surgical procedures, deep trust in physicians, reliance on positivity, tight-knit families/communities, and prominent religious and cultural beliefs. A lack of understanding, physical limitations, a reactive/delayed approach to healthcare, dietary barriers, and mental barriers emerged as obstacles to prehabilitation adoption. These attitudes and barriers, along with direct patient feedback, led us to identify several programmatic priorities that may increase adherence to prehab. These components consist of face-to-face interaction, increased communication, patient and physician collaboration in program development, and family/support group engagement in surgical preparation.Conclusion: Our study provides physicians preliminary insight into customizing prehabilitation programs to best meet the needs and customs of the Latino community, including anxiety associated with hospitalizations, strong social support, and a dominant role of religious faith in coping with illness. We identified several critical components that may make prehab more culturally competent and thus more likely to be adopted by patients. These include in-person coaching, increased information about the upcoming operation and recovery, and engagement of family members. We recommend that healthcare teams committed to prehabilitation consider these needs to make their programs more attractive and accessible to their Latino patients.

Authors: Brock Sheehan, Bryson Edwards, Ivanna Soto, Justice Vance, Tyler Haywood, Jefferey Goddard, Logan Seegmiller, Mohammed A. El Saidi, Wissam R Zaidan , Asmahan El-Ezzi , Dr. Ruhul Kuddus. Mentors: Dr. Ruhul Kuddus. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Association of Cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) rs4648298 and Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) rs20417 Polymorphisms and Prostatic diseases Among Lebanese MalesBrock J Sheehan1*, Bryson Edwards1, Ivanna Soto Medrano1, Justin Vance1, Tyler Haywood1, Jeffrey Goddard1, Logan Seegmiller1, Mohammed A. El Saidi2, Wissam R. Zaidan3, Asmahan A. El-Ezzi3, 4, Ruhul Kuddus11Department of Biology, 2Department of Strategic Management and Operations, Utah Valley University, Orem UT; 3Radioimmunoassay Laboratory, Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, Beirut Lebanon; 4Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Lebanese University, Hadath, Lebanon. *- presenting author.Background: COX-1 and COX-2 genes encode prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthases (PTGS) isoenzymes, involved in inflammation and possibly neoplasms. The genes are expressed in the prostate gland. Both genes have several polymorphisms. Here we examine the association of rs4648298 (A-G transition) and rs20417 (G-C transversion) polymorphisms and prostatic diseases. This research was approved by the Utah Valley University IRB.Materials and Methods: DNA was extracted from a blood sample of 56 healthy volunteers, 51 volunteers with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), and 61 volunteers with clinical prostate cancer (PCa). Genotyping was conducted through PCR-RFLP analyses. The restriction enzymes used were BaeGI (for rs4648298) and AciI (rs20417), respectively. Alleles with the restriction site were considered recessive. The association was inferred through statistical analyses of the distribution of the genotypes (BB, Bb, and bb or AA, Aa and aa), and allele frequencies among the controls and the affected groups. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant.Results: The distribution of the genotypes is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for all three groups. The b allele of the COX-1 gene is extremely rare (less than 3%), and no significant association between the B or b allele or BB, Bb, and bb genotypes and prostatic disease was observed. The a allele of the COX-2 gene is more common in the BPH group (p=0.011), but not the PCa group (p= 0.472) or the combined affected group (p=0.068) compared to the control group.Conclusions: There is no association between the rs4648298 polymorphisms of the COX-1 gene and prostatic diseases. The a allele of the rs20417 polymorphisms of the COX-2 gene is associated with higher risks of BPH and possibly PCa. The small sample size, sampling from one ethnic group, and the low distribution of the b allele in the Lebanese population are limitations of this study.

Authors: Brittany Cowley. Mentors: Meaghan Gates. Insitution: Utah Tech University. Art, to me, is an experience, one in which an object, sound, or movement has the ability to evoke an emotion in the viewer, taking them from spectator to participant. Since the first time I laid hold of a ball of clay, I could feel its life and ability to be transformed. This organic material has the potential to become whatever someone can dream up. For the true meaning behind the art piece to come forth and pass to the viewers, a sculptor must fully understand what they are trying to convey and how to best accomplish that. Through sculpting and directing the clay, a form takes place. This is just the first step on the path of creating a sculpture that can evoke emotion in the onlooker. Gestures, textures, and glazes are all added to enhance the feelings of the creator.Franz Xaver Messerschmidt created a series of “Character Heads”. I first came across his work at the Getty Museum when I came face to face with The Vexed Man. Mesmerized by this face, I became fully aware that I had become a participant in his sculpture. The bust of this man is elegantly carved with great care yet reveals the most unusual expression. The nose is scrunched up, eyes tightly shut, and mouth drown into an almost pouty frown. On display at this museum of elite, prestigious sculptures, is a piece that at first glance seemed unsuited to occupy the space, yet through the dichotomy displayed it evoked lasting emotions within me. I have discovered a joy in portraying dichotomous relationships in my own work. This relationship is the marriage of two opposing concepts in one piece. A brightly colored, playful child in the process of self-harm or two decomposing hands embraced in a tender touch can speak emotional volumes to the viewer. The thought-provoking questions that run through their minds allow viewers to start participating in the sculptures. Working alongside my mentor, an expert in the field of emotional sculptures, Professor Gates, I seek to more fully explore the world of conflicting emotions in my sculptures. I will be looking into what dichotomies in different forms produce strong emotions when placed alongside one another. Additionally, I am exploring what glazes and textures can be added to enhance the emotional exchange between the creator and the participant. Within the world of ceramics, glazes are used to add texture, color, sheen, and durability to the fired clay. I believe they can also enhance emotions as well. Through creating sculptures that demand the viewer to stop, take a second look, and question, I hope to enable people to reflect on what they are viewing and see their reality more clearly.

Authors: Hailey Packard. Mentors: Brandon Ro. Insitution: Utah Valley University. In the vast landscape of architectural mediums, the key to capturing clients' attention and ensuring a comprehensive grasp of a proposed project lies in the choice of rendering methods. This research endeavors to pinpoint the most effective communication medium through an experiment employing various rendering techniques. Four renderings of a single exterior façade will be crafted, each utilizing diverse media methodologies. To convert the renderings into quantifiable data an innovative approach involves subjecting the renderings to AI-driven algorithms, predicting where the human eye is drawn to in the images in the first 3-5 seconds superseding the influence of cognitive bias, and aiming to identify which of the images inherently captures the most attention. The research results will be examined and the significance of differences between rendering methods addressed. This research delves into the implications for architects, exploring how these findings may influence presentation strategies, considering potential impact of passing fads, taking into account the alignment of media style with architectural subject matter, and noting whether the experiment requires diverse architectural styles for optimal effectiveness. The current hypothesis regarding these results is that the images with contrast and hierarchy in the composition, such as watercolor renderings, will outperform the other methods. The overarching objective of this research project is to discern the most effective medium for capturing the client's attention when presenting architectural projects. Due to modern advancements that increase our access to an abundance of knowledge and techniques, architects and designers must make informed choices about how they present their ideas. By comparing these mediums and formats through these methods, this research will attempt to identify the most effective strategy for engaging clients and enhancing their comprehension of projects which will also aid in contributing to a clearer understanding of visual communication in the architectural field.

Authors: Abby Hoyal. Mentors: Kristen Arnold. Insitution: Weber State University. The United States is one of the most prominent locations involved in the exchange of children in human trafficking. There are very few outlets that take in recovered children help them receive the proper aftercare and help to gain an education to integrate them back into society. Research has shown that children learn most efficiently in spaces that are modular and flexible. In research conducted for habilitation centers for children, they discovered, “Planning flexibility and variability comfort children and parents, accessibility and emotionality for children visiting [these] centers.” (Kasper, Ilvitskaya, Petrova, Shulginova, 2019). It has also been found that learning levels are highest in spaces that allow the children to learn from their surroundings rather than by just the instruction alone. “An interior shall lead children to learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction. [Interiors] should improve cognitive learning, promote independence, curiosity, decision-making, cooperation, persistence, creativity, and problem-solving.” (Manav, 2016). One of the key elements to properly educating children, as listed previously, is to promote independence. One of the ways that research has shown independence to be achieved through design is proper wayfinding elements should be implemented so that occupants do not have to rely on any other occupant to navigate the space. Researchers examined how different colors, light temperatures, and lighting brightness can provide a natural easiness to wayfinding for occupants. Results found, that “the use of cool colors and high brightness levels help people be spatially oriented.” (Hidayetoglu, Yildirim, Akalin, 2012). The Grove will be an Aftercare center that will provide refuge and educate child survivors of human trafficking in a modular environment that educates through the use of space and materials used, with an encouraging push for independence throughout the space due to proper wayfinding elements.