Fine Arts

Authors: Elizabeth M J Allen, Steven P Allen, Henrik C A Odeen. Mentors: Steven P Allen. Insitution: Brigham Young University. BackgroundThe focus of this project was creating phantoms with customizable attenuation and stiffness for visualizing histotripsy lesions created with magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS). Having phantoms with varying mechanical and acoustic properties is important because they affect cavitation and allow for testing of different histotripsy mechanisms. Creating a tunable phantom with red blood cells (RBCs) spread throughout it is valuable because it allows us to visualize High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) lesions from MRgFUS in three dimensions throughout the gel.Materials and MethodsWe produced gels with tunable acoustic and mechanical properties by mixing 5 different ratios of evaporated milk and deionized water with 5 different ratios of agarose powder to create 25 different gels.Gel attenuation was measured using a through transmission setup and Young’s Modulus was obtained using a tensile tester in compression. The MR properties, including T1, T2, and T2* of each gel were also measured prior to creating histotripsy lesions.ResultsIn general, the agarose gels had an increase in attenuation as the amount of evaporated milk increased, and an increase in mechanical stiffness as the amount of agarose powder increased. They also provided excellent lesioning contrast for visualizing MRgFUS lesions.ConclusionsWe successfully created a series of tunable gels for visualizing MRgFUS lesions. These gels are also useful for characterizing ultrasound transducers and can be used to test emerging MRgFUS technology as it becomes more widely used and is further developed.

Authors: Alberto Miranda, Samannoy Ghosh, Yong Lin Kong. Mentors: Yong Lin Kong. Insitution: University of Utah. Microscale robots can impart a broad range of functionalities in the biomedical domain that can be leveraged to address unmet clinical needs, including noninvasive surgery and targeted therapies. Conventional robot navigation methods typically involve specific gaits suited for certain environmental conditions. However, implementing the same conventional methods inside a human body is highly challenging. As the human body is a complex and dynamic environment, a microrobot must adapt to these complex and challenging environments to perform targeted studies. Previous research demonstrated an integration of an untethered, 3D-printed three-linked-sphere crawler with a model-free reinforcement algorithm. The work done with the theoretical Najafi–Golestanian three-linked-sphere mechanism was its first experimental integration with a reinforcement learning algorithm as a relatively simple and highly scalable self-learning robot that can navigate in unconfined and confined spaces. The progress presented in the current research is a direct continuation of the previous work on the 3-linked-sphere crawler. While the previous work focused on developing a proof of concept for adaptive gait learning for the crawler, the current work focuses more on the challenges of implementing the robot in a low Reynolds number fluid medium. Our current research hypothesizes that a self-learning autonomous system could demonstrate successful gait adaptation in a low Reynold’s flow environment. The design of our robot has been significantly improved to make it sustainable for extended use under viscous fluids. The research presented outlines the work that has been done to transition the robot from a crawler into a swimmer, the challenges that have been faced, and how they have been addressed. Successful implementation of this 3-sphere-swimmer will be a step forward in integrating machine learning tools into microswimmers for autonomous gait adaptation inside the human body.

Authors: Cassandra L Burdick, Caleb J Thomson, Troy N Tully, Jacob A George. Mentors: Caleb Thomson. Insitution: University of Utah. The long-term goal of this research is to decode fine motor intent from electromyography (EMG) of hemiparetic muscles. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States, with 800,000 individuals experiencing a stroke each year. Eighty percent of stroke survivors experience hemiparesis. Severe hemiparesis immobilizes the arm, making it difficult to assess EMG control and motor function on traditional tasks. Here, we introduce a variant of the clinical Box and Blocks Test (BBT) of hand dexterity in virtual reality (VR) to assess fine motor function of EMG control in hemiparetic stroke patients with immobile arms. Our VR variant of the BBT allows individuals to control a VR hand to transfer VR blocks back and forth between two locations separated by a barrier. The VR hand can grasp, rotate, and translate based on EMG commands or other control signals received at 30 Hz via UDP communication. The forces exerted on the blocks and the location of the blocks and hand are logged to assess grasping precision, force regulation, and transfer rate. Multiple block sizes can also be used to assess dexterity with various grip apertures. The ability to assess EMG control in patients with hemiparesis can support the development of myoelectric orthoses. Practicing dexterous myoelectric control in VR may also help alleviate hemiparesis and expedite qualification for myoelectric orthoses.

Authors: Josh D Gubler, Connor D Olsen, Fredi R Mino, Mingchuan Cheng, Jacob A George. Mentors: Connor Olsen. Insitution: University of Utah. The long-term goal of this research is to investigate how lower sampling rates of electromyographic (EMG) signals affect the performance of classification and regression algorithms. EMG signals measure the electrical activity of muscle contractions. Myoelectric interfaces can classify or regress features generated from the EMG signal to control devices like prostheses, exoskeletons, robotic systems, or human-computer interfaces. Most of the power of the EMG signal is contained between 50 and 500 Hz, and most recording devices sample EMG at 1 kHz with a 5-15 Hz high-pass filter and a 375-500 Hz low-pass filter. As myoelectric devices become wireless and integrated with wearable technology, reducing the sampling rate can substantially reduce battery consumption and processing power. We sampled EMG data at 30 kHz from the forearms of three participants while they performed six gestures. We then downsampled to rates ranging between 50-1000 Hz and calculated various EMG features from the downsampled data. We found significant effects for both EMG feature and sampling rate on regression performance of a modified Kalman Filter (p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA). The mean-absolute-value and waveform-length EMG features performed significantly better at low frequencies (<250 Hz) in contrast to zero-crossing, slope-sign-change, and mean-frequency EMG features (p < .05, multiple pairwise comparisons). Sampling rate also had a significant impact on the classification accuracy of a k-nearest neighbors algorithm (p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA). However, sampling rate had no impact on classification accuracy for a continuous Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) (p > 0.05, two-way ANOVA). Future work will validate the effectiveness of this CNN as a control modality when using downsampled EMG from wearable sensors. If proficient control can be achieved from down sampled EMG, this could substantially improve battery life and make EMG a more practical biosensor for wearable devices.

Authors: James Walker. Mentors: Pania Newell. Insitution: University of Utah. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the discussion of using fibrous porous materials in the context of face masks has gained significant relevance. These materials consist of networks of fibers that are intertwined through weaving, knitting, or bonding, creating a structure with interconnected pores that facilitate the transport of gasses and liquids. When a face mask is used, it is under tensile stresses that can greatly affect its longevity and behavior, and simulating the behavior of the fibers within the mask under this loading is essential in enhancing its robustness. Numerical analysis involving fibrous porous materials is challenging due to their inherent randomness and anisotropy, however. The models we use need to accurately represent the entire mask, which we achieve using a small cubic cell known as a representative volume element (RVE). In this study, we systematically investigate the role of fiber diameter, fiber cross sectional shape, and RVE size on the mechanical properties of various RVEs using a computational framework built on the finite element method. The RVEs themselves are idealistic, but useful networks of polypropylene fibers that are orthogonally intersected within cubic boundaries. Our results show that once an appropriate RVE size was determined with constant porosity between systems, the stiffness of the samples increases as the cross-sectional shape progresses from a triangle to a square, to a pentagon, etc., largely due to the increases in intersection volume between fibers. We also found that increasing the diameter serves to increase material stiffness. This project not only offers insights into designing more robust face masks but also provides novel tools that can be used for designing other fibrous porous materials.

Authors: Alisa Dabb, David Britt, Elizabeth Vargis. Mentors: David Britt. Insitution: Utah State University. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. CMV is typically treated with ganciclovir, an antiviral medicine that inhibits the virus. However, ganciclovir also inhibits the growth of neutrophils, a type of immune cell, which leaves the patient vulnerable to other viruses and diseases. To combat the toxic effects of ganciclovir, a subtherapeutic dose of ganciclovir can be used with the combinatorial treatment of quercetin and poloxamer 188 (P188) while maintaining the same level of antiviral activity. Quercetin is a hydrophobic natural flavonoid with antiviral properties that is found in many fruits and vegetables. P188 acts as the delivery vehicle for quercetin and is an FDA-approved polymer that targets the mitochondria in a cell. This study examines two delivery vehicles—P188 and Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) to optimize the combinatorial treatment of quercetin and ganciclovir.DMSO is a solvent for both polar and nonpolar compounds. DMSO is beneficial for cell growth at low concentrations. Additionally, DMSO successfully delivers hydrophobic quercetin to infected cells, although it does not target quercetin delivery like P188. Targeting the mitochondria, like P188, could be valuable because one mechanism of CMV infection occurs when the virus attacks the mitochondria in an infected cell. This study aims to understand if mitochondrial targeted delivery of quercetin better protects cells against CMV infection compared to non-targeted quercetin delivery.

Authors: Jacob Adams, Larry Catalasan. Mentors: Tianyi He. Insitution: Utah State University. Soft robotics is a field of robotics involving the controlled movement and manipulation of soft materials to fulfill tasks that standard robots cannot. In this project, we aim to create a soft robotic arm capable of movement by using a machine-learning algorithm to generate its subsequent moves. To fulfill this goal, the robotic arm is contained in a metal frame that has cameras monitoring its position. The camera feed is then processed through a machine-learning algorithm into instructions that can be used to pull various strings attached to the arm which will allow the arm to move. Currently, our team has finished building the frame/arm as well as software that can use cameras to map the position of the arm. The next steps in this project are to research and implement a machine-learning algorithm and write a program that can appropriately adjust stepper motors to pull the strings.

Authors: Lukas Keller, Jixun Zhan, Zhen Zhang. Mentors: Jixun Zhan. Insitution: Utah State University. Curcumin is a common dietary supplement found naturally in the plant turmeric (Curcuma longa). Native to South Asia, the turmeric plant has been an important component in Indian and Chinese folk medicine. Curcumin has long been known to be an effective antioxidant and possesses anti-inflammatory properties. In today’s world, curcumin is a common nutraceutical and plays a part in the billion-dollar supplement industry. However, production and extraction of this compound is difficult and uses vast amounts of resources to cultivate. One solution to produce natural products like curcumin is the use of metabolic engineering to synthesize the product in another organism. The USU Metabolic Engineering Lab has developed a synthetic metabolic pathway to produce curcumin from an amino acid inside genetically transformed E. coli. The use of metabolic engineering techniques can produce larger quantities of the desired compound in greater quantities and purities while using a fraction of the land, water, and energy. To inform the use of these techniques, a predictive computational pathway was developed and is being validated with experimental results. An effective model can help researchers and businesses by allowing them to accurately predict curcumin yield and concentration during production.

Authors: Melissa Wiggins, Aaron Bigelow, Porter Ellis. Mentors: Ronald Sims. Insitution: Utah State University. Ensuring that the hydrophilic coating of Merit Medical’s Prelude IDeal trans-radial catheter is necessary for its biocompatibility and patient safety. The current method for testing the coating involves a test using Congo Red Dye. The Congo Red Dye does work, but the dye is toxic and all tested catheters must be discarded after testing. The Conge Red Dye test results in wasted catheters. A new method for testing the coating uses fluorescent particles. First, fluorescent particles are added to the hydrophilic coating. These fluorescent particles can be easily visualized on the catheter using UV light. Thus, the uncoated portions of the catheter can be visualized as well. The coated catheters are placed into a black box that ensures only the catheter is being seen. A line scan camera is used to take pictures of every side of the catheter as the catheter spins. Photos of the scanned catheter are then linked together, showing the entire circumference in one picture. The catheter is ultimately tested by analyzing the full picture to find any uncoated regions. By using software to analyze the full picture, the size of uncoated regions is determined with greater accuracy. This new method allows for tested catheters to be used after testing and does not involve any toxic chemicals.

Authors: Evelyn Fuentes, Thomas Keate, Christian Riordan. Mentors: Aaron Davis. Insitution: Utah Tech University. Studies predict that extreme weather events, due to climate change, are expected to increase in frequency and magnitude. Specifically, the flooding impacts from a hurricane may lead to the loss of necessary infrastructure, such as water treatment plants, leading to the loss of drinkable water. In response we, as a multidisciplinary team, have developed a purification device that is able to effectively filter water to allow communities and families, without available infrastructure, to receive drinkable water. We are testing different processes of filtration to find the most efficient and cheapest method. This process of filtration would be possible due to a foldable solar array that would power a pump to push water through a filtration system. The solar array would supplement other disaster relief options due to its ability to be used without constant supervision, and it would be capable of continuous, reliable use. This device would allow for the production of drinkable water in the event that water purification infrastructure was down, but grey water was available. The solar array and water purification device would be portable for fast deployment, with options of building a larger device, as part of a disaster relief preparedness package. If successful, this device has the potential to increase disaster preparedness and save lives through providing clean water.

Authors: James Blood, Nathan Sheets, Chase Seiter, Lydia Hawley, Erin Taylor, Eliza White, Hillary Wadsworth, Jason Hansen, Jordan Yorgason. Mentors: Jordan Yorgason. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Microglia are the immune cells of the brain and are activated by many drugs of abuse. One drug of abuse of interest is methamphetamine, which is known to increase reactive oxygen species (ROS). Microglia are sensitive to ROS. Methamphetamine changes microglia morphology. To determine if the effects of methamphetamine on microglia are through ROS, glucose oxidase, which reacts with glucose to form hydrogen peroxide, was applied. Glucose oxidase increased ROS production and decreased dopamine release but had little-to-no effect on ATP release. Glucose oxidase has similar effects on microglia morphology compared to methamphetamine. This suggests that methamphetamine effects on microglia are due to ROS production. Methamphetamine locomotor sensitization behavioral experiments were run to mimic repeated methamphetamine exposure. Along with voltammetry experiments to measure dopamine and ATP release, methamphetamine treated animals were used to detect microglial morphology changes using confocal microscopy. Our methamphetamine treatment was able to change microglial morphology compared to saline treated controls. Methamphetamine injected animals also had attenuated glucose oxidase effects on dopamine release. By understanding how neuronal outputs affect microglia activity in the context of psychostimulant use we can better parse out how the mechanisms of addiction are connected to immune system function.

Authors: Thomas Caldwell. Mentors: Dustin Shipp. Insitution: Utah Valley University. In this research project, we have transformed an existing Raman spectroscopy simulation, enhancing its performance and capabilities through the integration of parallel computing with GPU acceleration. This significant improvement in computation time allows us to break through previous computational limitations, enabling more sophisticated and complex applications of the simulation. The principal applications we will be assessing are the viability and potential of spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) for deeper tissue analysis, exploring the possibilities of topographical imaging using Raman techniques, and the advanced application of chemical imaging of microscopic tumors. This expanded scope demonstrates the simulation's potential in early cancer detection.

Authors: Maddy Howard, Brooke Dension, Shanna Groesbeck. Mentors: Sandy Wilson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. AbstractThere are many systemic diseases that are linked to oral health. This literature review specifically examines different studies and academic journals that have studied the relationship between oral health, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Obesity is linked to the patient's oral health in many ways. When patients are consuming large quantities of food more often than normal, this results in a more acidic environment along with energy for bacteria to grow. One study found a correlation between obesity and risk factors such as “frequency of brushing teeth, smoking, tooth loss, gingivitis, and dental caries (Yilmax & Somay, 2021). This article discusses the strong correlation between oral health and heart disease. Several studies emphasize the importance of dental hygienists educating their patients about the link between their oral and cardiovascular health. The articles conclude that treating periodontal disease more effectively and aggressively could lead to a marked reduction in coronary heart disease rates and vice versa.Diabetes and periodontal disease is also examined at length in this literature review. Diabetes and periodontitis is described as a ‘two-way relationship’. Evidence shows that individuals with diabetes, type 1 or type 2, are 34% more likely to develop periodontal disease. On the other hand, individuals experiencing periodontal disease are 53% more likely to develop diabetes (Wu, et al., 2020). This literature review will explore the importance of oral health in keeping your entire body healthy.ReferencesArora, A., Rana, K., Manohar, N., Li, L., Bhole, S., & Chimoriya, R. (2022). Perceptions and practices of oral health care professionals in preventing and managing childhood obesity. Nutrients, 14(9), 1809. 10.3390/nu14091809.Batty, G. D., Jung, K. J., Mok, Y., Lee, S. J., Back, J. H., Lee, S., & Jee, S. H. (2018). Oral health and later coronary heart disease: Cohort study of one million people. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 25(6), 598-605. 10.1177/2047487318759112Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Defining adult overweight & obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deraz, O., Rangé, H., Boutouyrie, P., Chatzopoulou, E., Asselin, A., Guibout, C., Van Sloten, T., Bougouin, W., Andrieu, M., Vedie, B., Thomas, F., Danchin, N., Jouven, X., Bouchard, P., & Empana, J. P. (2022). Oral condition and incident coronary heart disease: A clustering analysis. Journal of Dental Research, 101(5), 526-533. 10.1177/00220345211052507Sanchez, P., Everett, B., Salamonson, Y., Ajwani, S., Bhole, S., Bishop, J., Lintern, K., Nolan, S., Rajaratnam, R., Redfern, J., Sheehan, M., Skarligos, F., Spencer, L., Srinivas, R., & George, A. (2017). Perceptions of cardiac care providers towards oral health promotion in Australia. Collegian, 25(5), 471-478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2017.11.006Preshaw, P. M., Alba, A. L., Herrera, D., Jepsen, S., Konstantinidis, A., Makrilakis, K., & Taylor, R. (2012). Periodontitis and diabetes: A two-way relationship. Diabetologia, 55(1), 21-31. 10.1007/s00125-011-2342-yWu, C.-Z., Yuan, Y.-H., Liu, H.-H., Li, S.-S., Zhang, B.-W., Chen, W., An, Z.-J., Chen, S.-Y., Wu, Y.-Z., Han, B., Li, C.-J., & Li, L.-J. (2020). Epidemiologic relationship between periodontitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus. BMC oral health, 20, 204. 10.1186/s12903-020-01180-wYilmax, Busra. & Somay, Efsun. (2021). Is obesity a problem that threatens oral health in adults? Cukurova Medical Journal, 46(3), 1215-1221. DOI: 10.17826/cumj.950243

Authors: Isaac Gillins, Zoe Thompson. Mentors: . Insitution: Utah Valley University. The pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene is expressed in the hypothalamus and pituitary and is cleaved into several peptide hormones. One of these is melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), which is involved in food intake and energy expenditure. A mutation in the POMC gene can result in a rare condition in which the subject displays early-onset obesity characterized by severe hyperphagia (i.e. excess hunger). Affected subjects may also show a lack of pubertal development. In this experiment, we will study mice with a mutation in the POMC gene. They show some of the same symptoms as humans with a POMC mutation, including hyperphagia, obesity & infertility. Specifically, we will investigate the estrous cycle in female mice to determine if they are cycling normally. The estrous cycle, similar to the menstrual cycle in humans, is characterized by changes in reproductive hormones, and can be divided into four stages: proestrus, estrus, metestrus, and diestrus. Cells lining the surface of the vagina have been previously collected using a pipette smear technique. Each stage can be characterized by the proportion of three cell types: epithelial cells, cornified cells, and leukocytes. These cells correspond to the fluctuating hormone levels during the estrous cycle. Images of these samples will be assessed for the composition of cells to determine the stage of the estrus cycle, and whether or not the cycle displays normal patterning. Because POMC-deficient mice are infertile, we hypothesize their estrous cycles may be atypical. For example, the estrous cycle of the POMC-deficient mice may appear in irregular order or with one stage being predominant over the rest. If the estrous cycle is atypical, then we will measure the hormones directly to confirm that the infertility is caused by changes in hormonal regulation. This will help us to understand more about how the POMC gene affects reproductive function.

Authors: Danielle Terry, Seth Helton, Michael Creer. Mentors: Austin M Green. Insitution: University of Utah. With anthropogenic influence increasing worldwide, it is important to understand how wildlife behavior changes in response to urbanized landscapes. Urban ecosystems represent relatively novel landscapes with unique threats and opportunities that can completely restructure species’ population composition and dynamics. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) have been shown to alter their temporal activity in response to urbanization across their range of the Intermountain West of the United States. In this study, we will investigate the effects of anthropogenic influence on mule deer temporal activity behavior across two distinct life stages: fawning and non-fawning. Data for this study will come from the citizen science camera trapping project, Wasatch Wildlife Watch. The full project area is separated into two study sites: “Rural” and “Urban”. This study will be based around the wild-to-urban interface of the Central Wasatch Mountain Range and the Bear River Mountain Range, which composes some of the most highly recreated portions of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, receiving approximately 9,000,000 visitors annually (U.S Forest Service). We will investigate the proposed differential effects of anthropogenic influence and urbanization on mule deer diel activity patterns in the fawning vs. non-fawning life stages. Also, we will inquire whether intraspecific responses in mule deer diel activity alter interspecific interactions, especially with fawning predators, and how these responses might interact with environmental factors. We predict that anthropogenic influence and urbanization alter the diel activity patterns of fawning mule deer more than non-fawning deer and that the presence and activity of fawn predators (e.g., coyote [Canis latrans]) would have a stronger effect on fawning deer activity than non-fawning deer activity.

Authors: Becca fabis. Mentors: Alexandra Giannell. Insitution: Utah Valley University. On December 2nd my friend was killed by a hit and run driver while going on a run at night. It was right before finals. I was involved with the police and helped her family pack up all of my beloved friends belongings and watched as her daddy cried in her room. Words can’t express the agony I saw. Two months later I learned that another roomate (in a different apartment) her cousin had committed suicide. And we were the place everyone gathered. I held her cousin’s (who committed suicide) sister in my arms as she cried. Words cannot express the agony I felt for them.Then on the first day of school this semester (a month ago) my father suddenly passed away from a brain aneurysm. He was at the peak of health. My mom puked from sickness and shock, later got sick with other illnesses, (she’s doing a little better now) then my sister got sick and I was left to care for them on my own. There’s no words to express my exhaustion. The late nights of wandering my house making sure we were safe. Words have no ability to express my agony I’m in. After my roomate passed I created a painting. It’s called my grieving process because it’s of a house, the house represents me. In it through color you can see the process that grief can have on a person. I’m only 25, people say I’m too young to lose this many people. Perhaps they’re right. It’s an eerie painting and pretty odd when you look at it. I have had now three losses that have taught me that sometimes words aren’t enough. That it’s through art I can scream and it is documented. I would love to present on how creating art can be the breathe of fresh air one desperately needs in order to continue on in this fight we call life.

Authors: McKayla Pehrson, Emily Hyde. Mentors: Lyndsey Vader. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Emily Hyde and McKayla Pehrson acknowledge that social factors and life circumstances can provide barriers to success, defined as the ability to implement life skills such as self-discipline, creativity, and perseverance. They address how practitioners and educators can use dance and music to reduce barriers. Hyde and Pehrson engage in discourse analysis of recent scholarship, analyzing trends and outcomes in the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social benefits of arts-based interventions. Their research asks: What cognitive benefits are identifiable through dance and music training? What life skills are taught through the study of both music and dance? What are the benefits of dance and music in advancing different learning styles? What is the importance of administrative support and community-academic partnerships when it comes to arts-based learning? Importantly, their research examines specific national and international training programs that use music and dance as a Life Coaching methodology. The presentation of their discursive findings foreshadows field work and data collection that they will undertake in the summer of 2024. Hyde and Pehrson’s research focuses on the impact of teaching essential life skills through dance and music education. While dance education scholarship addresses positive learning outcomes of arts access, contemporary research does not adequately address how dance educators can receive training as life coaches to enhance their teaching practices. Their research will provide valuable discoveries advancing the conversation about how dance and music are beneficial to the development of life skills and crucial for the success of young learners. Simultaneously, they will offer insight around training programs that help prepare future dance educators to teach these life skills in the classroom.

Authors: Lexi Todd, Jessica Jespersen, Isabel Medina Hull, Mary Crawford, Taylor Powell, Ashley Roberts, Melia Fonoimoana Garrett, Kris Urbina, Elizabeth A Cutrer. Mentors: Elizabeth A Cutrer. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Background: American Samoan children face significant mental health challenges, including high levels of depression and anxiety, often escalating to suicidal thoughts and behaviors during adolescence. Addressing this issue, our study collaborated with community leaders in American Samoa to develop and implement five tailored lesson plans aimed at teaching 35 elementary school children resilience strategies for emotional self-regulation. Method: Employing Multimodal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (MMIPA), we examined students' drawings depicting their emotions of sadness, anger, and fear before and after the intervention. The analysis focused on understanding the impact of the lesson plans on students' emotional regulation strategies. Results: Post-intervention, our findings indicated a notable improvement in students' ability to regulate their emotions, particularly fear. Through the lesson plans, students acquired practical skills and coping mechanisms, allowing them to better manage their emotions. This positive shift in emotional regulation suggests that the intervention played a significant role in enhancing students' resilience, specifically in dealing with fear-related emotions. Conclusion: Our study underscores the effectiveness of a community-based intervention approach in addressing the mental health challenges faced by American Samoan children. By providing targeted resilience-focused lessons, students demonstrated improved emotional self-regulation, particularly in managing fear. These findings highlight the importance of culturally sensitive interventions and community collaboration in promoting mental well-being among vulnerable populations.

Authors: Megan Sorensen, Lianna Olsen, Maleah Bowen. Mentors: Ryan Kellems, Cade Charlton. Insitution: Brigham Young University. This research explores how virtual reality can help children with autism. It explores the effects of an intervention using virtual reality to assess the usability of virtual reality for children with autism.There are more than 200 studies that show that video modeling is a viable way to teach students with autism various skills. Research has started to explore if virtual reality is also a successful way to teach students with autism similar skills. Different studies have been conducted regarding social skills and cognitive skills and how they can be taught using virtual reality. There is very little research about fine-motor skills and virtual reality for individuals with disabilities. Our research adds to that research, but specifically explores fine-motor skills and the feasibility of using virtual reality with children with autism. The study uses a single subject research design with 5-10 participants with autism. Before starting data collection, the participant completes a brief tutorial for how to use virtual reality. One tutorial is for how to use the controllers and the other is for how to use the hand-tracking feature that allows the participant to use their hands instead of the controllers. The study is an alternating-treatment design. The individual is given a specific task to complete using the playroom items found in the “First Steps” application on the Oculus Quest. For example, they are asked to stack blocks, throw paper airplanes, etc. They either complete the task using the controllers or with the handtracking feature based upon a random schedule and the latency of the trial is measured. The data compares hand-tracking and controllers and measures whether the participant is getting faster with every trial. It was hypothesized that the students will be able to learn how to use the virtual reality interface and that they will be able to generalize the skills learned to other settings and/or skills, and that the interventions will be viewed by the participant and parents as socially valid ways to learn. It was anticipated that the participant will get increasingly faster at completing the tasks for both hand-tracking and with the controllers. It was also anticipated that the rate of completing tasks with controllers will be faster than that of hand-tracking. Preliminary date has shown this relationship to be true. Future research will explore the specific practices of how virtual reality can be best used for children with autism.

Authors: Payton Jones. Mentors: Jamie Spinney. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Virtual Reality: The Next Step in Technology-Based Education Virtual Reality (VR) technology offers numerous educational opportunities that can enhance high school curriculum. The use of technology in the classroom has been rapidly evolving since the development of the accessible internet. Laptops, tablets, online learning platforms, and interactive projections are several of the technological developments, and now VR appears to be one of the next steps in that evolution. As VR continues to become more affordable and more advanced, there is a commensurate increase in opportunities to enhance curriculum, instructional techniques, and student engagement. For example, VR enables students and teachers to go on virtual field trips to places that are relevant to class material without the challenges and costs of leaving the classroom. The purpose of this study was twofold; (a) to investigate the different applications of VR technology that can be used to enhance high school social science curriculum, and (b) to summarize some of the main benefits and challenges associated with implementing VR in the classroom. The results of this study indicate that VR technology has considerable potential to enhance both the learning experience and student engagement by providing immersive learning opportunities, but these opportunities are unlikely to be widely utilized in the near future.

Authors: Keenan Faulkner. Mentors: Jeff Goeders. Insitution: Brigham Young University. FPGAs are a type of reconfigurable computing chip that are often used in mission critical systems in various applications including aerospace, defense, and telecommunications. Hardware netlists are generally converted into a bitstream and loaded onto an FPGA board through vendor-provided tools. Due to the proprietary nature of these tools, it is up to the designer to trust the validity of the design's conversion to bitstream. However, motivated attackers may alter the CAD tools' integrity or manipulate the stored bitstream with the intent to disrupt the functionality of a design.We have put forward a novel approach to verify functional equivalence between a synthesized netlist and the produced FPGA bitstream using a structural comparison algorithm. This presentation aims to demonstrate the fault-injection testing algorithms designed to prove the veracity of our approach. The fault-injection testing algorithms involve making manipulations to wire connections and initialization values in LUTs (lookup tables) from a bitstream reversed netlist, then running our comparison algorithms on the corrupted netlist and the original synthesized netlist to show that the algorithms will catch the errors.

Authors: Mitch McEntire. Mentors: Marc Killpack, John Salmon. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Title: Rotational Robotic TriggerPresenter: Mitch McEntire, College of Engineering, Mechanical EngineeringAuthors: Mitch McEntireFaculty Advisor: Marc Killpack and John SalmonInstitution: Brigham Young UniversityRobotic manipulation is commonplace on the factory floor but there are often safeguards that prevent direct human-robot interaction. This study aimed to move human-robot interaction into the next phase from separate tasks, to cooperative ones. We started by trying to understand how multiple human teammates communicate during co-manipulation tasks in order to enable humans and robots to eventually work together effectively. This study analyzed the communication forces sent through an object that was being co-manipulated by a triad and dyad of humans. For this presentation, we focused entirely on the task of rotation along the sagittal axis shared between the individuals. In this case, we are able to notice a torque that was transmitted through the object indicating the desired change in orientation of that object. Each trial consisted of carrying a 55 lb table between two individuals and placing the table in different orientations and positions. Data was collected with force-torque sensors at each handle of the table and position data of the table was being tracked by HTC Vive trackers designed for use in virtual reality systems and that were strategically placed around the table. We analyzed 23 of these trials and we were able to identify specific force trends that indicate the table is about to rotate. Once data was collected and analyzed, potential force triggers were extracted from the data. This data is one small step to understanding how humans manipulation teams work together successfully and enabling a robot to be able to cooperate with humans in applications such as carrying a stretcher or moving furniture.

Authors: Brooklyn Clark. Mentors: Larry Howell. Insitution: Brigham Young University. The application of origami principles in mechanical design has led to novel approaches for dealing with the unique challenges of space applications by improving packing efficiency and increasing customizability. An innovative origami pattern within this context is the "flasher pattern," characterized by its geometric panels and circular deployment. The objective of this research is to develop a robust methodology for optimizing the placement of circular optical wafers within the polygonal flasher panels. These panels have varying polygonal sizes and shapes, and the wafers must be placed precisely in each panel to maximize optical properties for a LIDAR space telescope application based on the flasher pattern. This optimization utilizes existing optimization functions in MATLAB and original code. To achieve this optimization, a process is employed in which a series of random points is generated within the overlapping area defined by the flasher panel's vertices and the optical wafer's radius. Each point is then iteratively tested to determine if it lies within the polygon, the circle, neither, or both. The centroid of the points that were within both shapes is subsequently calculated. This process is repeated with new sets of random points centered on the previously found centroid until an optimal wafer placement is determined. Optimal wafer placement will maximize the usable optical area and performance in a panel. This process can then be applied for each unique panel in a flasher pattern to determine the best placement of each wafer. This process can then be utilized in other origami-based optical applications, leading to a broader impact in the field.

Authors: Braxton Fjeldsted, Joseph Carter, Grant Ogilvie, Josh Hoffman. Mentors: Douglas Cook. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Finding ways to improve crop durability through 3D modeling has tremendous potential to help save plants, time, and resources. Currently, there are many important material properties of maize stalks that have not yet been measured, which presents challenges in creating accurate 3D models. Through sensitivity analysis, it was determined that one of the most critical unknown material properties of maize stalks for creating accurate models is the transverse shear modulus. In this research, we created a testing procedure to determine the shear modulus as accurately as possible. Each sample was put in a torsion test to determine the relationship between the torsion torque and the torsion angle. Both fresh and dry samples were tested in addition to samples with and without the pith. Our team implemented methods to minimize inaccuracies from slipping, cracking, and other imperfections in all elements of the stalks. The transverse shear modulus that we have determined will help to more accurately model maize stalks, thereby making future tests by modeling more efficient and working to provide a path towards improved global maize harvests.

Authors: Jacob M Wendt. Mentors: Brandon Ro. Insitution: Utah Valley University. This research delves into the transformation of urbanization over the past century, triggered by the influence of modern architectural concepts, and the potential ramifications for mental health. The primary objective is to investigate the neurological effects of specific urban layouts, with a particular emphasis on safety, social interaction, and aesthetic appeal, to gain insight into the human mind's urban preferences. A survey will be designed to capture subjective preferences in which respondents choose one of two anonymous center streets that are subjectively safe and attractive. Participants will favor the traditional street layout over the contemporary one, suggesting a preference for design associated with enhanced safety, aesthetics, and social appeal, affirming the statement by Allen Jacobs that optimal streets have paramount desirability. In parallel, eye-tracking software is utilized to objectively analyze subconscious neurological responses to diverse urban layouts and elements, providing a more scientific perspective on human perceptions of urban environments by revealing more balanced heat maps, and signifying a focus on aesthetic elements and reduced attention to potential hazards. The combination of survey and eye-tracking data presents a comprehensive argument in favor of traditional urban planning principles and expected to underscore the prevalent preference for traditional urban designs over contemporary alternatives. In conclusion, this research sheds light on the enduring human desire for both safety and aesthetic beauty in urban environments. Anonymous survey data ranging from 50 to 100 participants, coupled with eye-tracking simulations indicating balanced heat maps, highlights the potential of traditional design to cultivate healthier and more harmonious communities. Future research may delve into physiological measures, such as heart rate monitoring, to further validate the stress-reducing benefits of traditional urban planning. The findings from this survey are expected to provide actionable insights that can inform urban planning decisions and strategies that foster improved mental wellness and community well-being.

Authors: Alexia Trapier. Mentors: Brandon Ro. Insitution: Utah Valley University. I am studying architectural column orders and how they are interpreted by the average person. I chose this because I want to learn how people are drawn to the orders when looking at them so I may better understand the orders themselves, and how the world perceives them without an in-depth knowledge or understanding of their composition. I will be doing a comparison of three column orders via eye-tracking software. These consist of the doric, ionic, and corinthian orders. First, I will use the eye-tracking software over an image of each column capital on its own, afterwards I will run it again with all three images side-by-side. This process will help us discover which column order is preferred by the human eye, and why. I believe by doing these two comparisons we will learn which column order will draw the eye of its viewers, and how in-depth someone might look at the detailing of the capitals. I anticipate that the corinthian order may draw the most attention due to the higher level of detailing this capital contains. As a designer it is important to learn and understand what the human experience and interaction is with a building's design. To understand what your viewers prefer and how it makes them feel is important in the world of architecture. An architect doesn’t design for themselves, they design for others of the world, and thus, it is important to understand why people enjoy a certain amount of detailing, or proportionality. Although I’ve sampled at a small scale, it shows that there’s room for expansion into other aspects of design. I hope that through this research we can better understand why the classical orders are important to have in the world of design today and how they impact design in our world today.

Authors: Tyler Peterson, Anna Jensen, Daniel Orr, Anton E Bowden. Mentors: Anton E Bowden. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Prior to approval for usage, spinal disc replacements undergo rigorous and costly tests to ensure that they will perform as designed once implanted. Wear testing, specifically, is one of the most important tests as any loose foreign particles can cause osteolysis of the surrounding tissue. Due to this, minimizing the wear experienced by a joint replacement is of extreme importance, however, wear testing is often done in latter stages of the design process as a functioning prototype is needed. These tests can be prohibitively expensive and adjustments to the prototype only add to the costs, thus a more accessible test to get an initial estimate of the wear is desirable. There are current methods employed to perform these preliminary test results, including the use of a Tribometer, which tests friction and wear. Benefits of using a tribometer are that it can control environmental factors that parallel the ISO testing standards, however, these devices cost thousands of dollars. In the present work, we designed a cost-effective preliminary testing apparatus that accurately recreates loadings that the implant will experience in flexion and extension, as well as lateral bending. The machine consists of a roller that can be loaded axially by compressing a spring to mimic realistic compressive loading conditions, and a motor that will move the roller to replicate spinal bending. The design incorporates a spring element to ensure that contact between the roller and the implant is preserved. Predictable, repeated motions achieved with this machine can provide early insights into the implant wear modes, which can facilitate iterative design improvements. Such knowledge early in the design process can save costs by reducing the need for major design changes in the late stages of product development.

Authors: Harrison Denning, Spencer Thompson. Mentors: Jeff Hill. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Traditionally, tensegrity structures have been a subject of interest for their architectural beauty and high strength-to-weight advantage. The field of tensegrity research has since grown to include robots and more complex latticed structures. More recently, tensegrity has been used to accurately model many biological systems, such as joints and spines. Part of this modeling has involved trying to better estimate these biological systems utilizing bi-stable and multi-stiffness tensegrity structures. Our research takes a closer look at how to build and optimize bi-stable tensegrity structures with multiple stiffness modes. By optimizing tensegrity geometry or spring-cable connections between rigid members it is possible to significantly change the models’ overall equivalent stiffness between stable modes. Our research delves into how changes in the shape of rigid members create differences in overall structure geometry between stable modes and a change in stiffness between the two modes. We also discuss optimal spring cable connections and optimal individual spring constants to further increase stiffness differences between stable positions. Furtherance of this work will involve building larger and more robust models to be used on the body as wearable structures. The application of this research heads towards the development of wearable tensegrity braces with the ability to switch between higher or lower stiffnesses to cater to the needs of the wearer.

Authors: Tyler Hamm, Jake Numbers, Ryan Ruth, Hunter Pitchford, David Allred, Troy Munro. Mentors: David Allred. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Molten salt reactors (MSRs) are being investigated for use in clean energy to replace the common pressurized-water nuclear reactors currently in the United States. MSRs use high-temperature, low-pressure molten salt coolant to provide safer and more efficient energy production. However, many MSRs salt compounds lack tested thermophysical properties, including thermal conductivity. Our research focuses on experimentally measuring MSR salt thermal conductivities using a modified transient hot-wire technique. We use a needle probe, equipped with a thermocouple and heating wires, immersed in molten salt compounds at temperatures running from 400–700℃. Thus far, we have tested the thermal conductivity of LiCl-NaCl (eutectic and 91%LiCl composition), NaCl-KCl (eutectic), LiCl-KCl (eutectic), LiF-NaF (eutectic), and FLiNaK. These test results indicate higher than predicted thermal conductivities and consequential further investigation into the physical properties of our probe to improve the experimental design and data evaluation. This research and improved experimental method will provide accurate and precise experimental results of MSRs molten salt thermophysical properties to populate the national database used by MSR developers which will help further the possibilities and practicalities of MSR technology.

Authors: Caleb Fears. Mentors: Troy Munro. Insitution: Brigham Young University. To further the development of medicine and understand the structural stability of both pathogenic and therapeutic proteins, knowledge of the thermodynamics of biomolecules is necessary. An example is amyloid fibrils seen in Alzheimer’s patients, where their unfolding and polymerization is dictated by a poorly understood interplay between enthalpy, entropy, and other thermodynamic properties. Devices such as isothermal titration calorimeters (ITC) and differential scanning calorimeters (DSC) are commonly used to measure these values, but the devices often are insufficiently sensitive to detect small heat changes or require large amounts of sample. Thus, the development of microfluidic thermodynamic measurement devices using small, highly sensitive Peltier elements for biosensing is needed. Through the use of a 3D printer, we are able to design and print chips that have the vacancies needed to miniaturize Peltier elements. This is possible because you can print and fill channels (thermoelectric legs) with dimensions as small as 70 microns by 70 microns, which will at least quadruple the number of thermoelectric legs compared to commercial PE devices with the same footprint. We have managed to insert and cure electrically conductive materials needed for Peltier Elements into channels of 100 microns by 100 microns. And through the use of micro-casting techniques, we have also produced chips that contain the electrical connections, with the same channel size (100 microns by 100 microns), needed to connect each thermoelectric leg. The further development of these PE devices will help us develop the calorimeters necessary to accurately and efficiently study protein thermodynamics.

Authors: Carolina Wright. Mentors: Spencer Magleby. Insitution: Brigham Young University. In recent years there has been an increasing demand for satellites that take up less space, but can still provide a large surface area. One existing solution to fit more material into less volume is deployable systems: systems that can be stowed in small spaces and then expand to occupy a large surface area. Fitting the components of a deployable system into that small space however is where difficulties arise. Thick materials do not stow into small volumes, so thinner, lightweight materials are more desirable. These types of materials can be called “gossamer” materials, and have been used in many space applications of deployable systems. Gossamer structures solve many problems related to stowing satellites in small spaces, but another complication arises for certain applications: current approaches in gossamer technology involve much creasing and wrinkling of the membrane, and do not generate the flatness required for larger, more complex systems. This is detrimental to reflectarray applications, which require a very flat surface. This research seeks to provide a solution to stowing a membrane without creasing it, thus allowing for greater flatness once deployed. This will be done by splitting the membrane into panels, folding them over each other, and rolling it up. Rolling the membrane reduces wrinkles, but adjacent panels must be able to slide past each other. Regular folding does not allow for this movement, so this requires the development of specialized surrogate folds. Surrogate folds are hinges that are used to replace the creases in a folding pattern, so the membrane itself remains unbent. As we design these folds we will look specifically for characteristics which allow for those adjacent panels to slide side by side, as well as still fold 180 degrees. This will allow the panels to fold over each other, roll up tightly, and then be deployed while leaving the membrane free of creases or wrinkles. The results of this research will be key to developing larger deployable systems in the future. Greater precision and flatness as a result of surrogate folds will open a door for further advancements in the technology that can be used on smaller, thinner reflectarray satellites.

Authors: Addison McClure, Marshall Christensen, Braxton Fjeldsted, Luke Howell, Cole Dunn, Kirsten Steele, Andrew Tagg, Douglas Cook. Mentors: Douglas Cook. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Stalk lodging is the event of failure just below the ear or node of a maize stalk. Brazier buckling is the most common mode of failure and consistently occurs near the node. Maize stalk lodging has been studied for several years; however, relatively little is known about the process and progression of stalk failure. The purpose of this study was to characterize tissue-level failure patterns of maize stalks. A better understanding of failure patterns could provide further insight into developing maize stalks that are less susceptible to failure. The failure region was studied using several techniques including various imaging techniques(Scanning Electron Microscopy, x-ray computed tomography, and digital image correlation), experimentation (bend tests with recordings of acoustic emissions), and quantification of cross-sectional ovalization. We found that ovalization occurs prior to stalk failure and is strongly correlated with the onset of buckling. Despite this correlation, neither ovalization nor acoustic emissions were predictive of failure. Tissue-level analysis revealed that buckling occurs at many different scales, including at the organ, tissue, cellular, and cell wall level. Based on these observations, we propose a new conceptual model for understanding stalk failure. This model states that the probability of tissue failure and the probability of buckling failure increase in a highly correlated fashion. When one mode of failure occurs, it immediately initiates the other failure mode as well. This model suggests that efforts to improve stalk strength need to address both tissue strength and buckling resistance.

Authors: Nathan Jones, Carter Noh, Douglas Cook. Mentors: Douglas Cook. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Neural networks are used to identify specific objects in a picture and are often used in robotics to allow robots to identify objects through a camera. They can be used in agriculture to allow machines to identify plants to harvest and cultivate. The preparation of the neural network model involves taking thousands of pictures in a variety of situations. Networks with a large quantity of pictures in a large variety of angles, lighting, environments, etc. have a better chance of identifying plants in any situation. Our lab needed a device for rapid data collection that could be placed in a field to automate the process of taking pictures of crops. We used a gantry system that was controlled through three stepper motors, one for the x-axis and the other two for the y-axis. Two cameras were placed on the head of the gantry system and were driven through a 40” x 40” area. Each camera was connected by a double ball head arm which can point a camera in almost any direction. The camera arms were screwed into a plate with a 5 x 5 grid of bolt holes; these holes and the double ball head arms gave us control over the angle and distance of each photo to increase the variety of our data set. In October 2023, our rapid data collection device was tested in a field and was able to capture over 50,000 photographs of saffron flowers at a variety of angles, lighting, and distances. The results of our device were promising and we have some improvements that we plan on making. We anticipate that with these improvements, next saffron harvest we will be able to increase the number and variety of pictures to improve our dataset.

Authors: Jacob Winters. Mentors: Nathan Crane. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics are useful because of their high stiffness and high strength. Compliant mechanisms, or mechanisms that can bend and flex, can lower production costs, assembly time, and weight. When carbon fiber-reinforced plastics and compliant mechanisms are combined, the result is a part that is strong, lightweight, and adaptable to many geometric configurations or shapes. However, it is challenging to manufacture compliant mechanisms from carbon fiber because the matrix is usually infiltrated uniformly. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how to produce compliant carbon fiber plastic components using selective, patterned powder infiltration to achieve the desired component properties. The investigation involved determining the correct method of curing the resin, designing specific carbon fiber parts to achieve various geometries, and producing demonstrations that prove the feasibility of the manufacturing process. The result is a proven process for creating compliant mechanisms out of carbon fiber composites.

Authors: Chris Paul, Alex Edwards. Mentors: Christopher Dillon. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Focused ultrasound thalamotomy is a novel treatment that uses sound waves to ablate problematic neurons in the thalamus, treating conditions such as essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. However, this treatment can result in high temperatures at the skull-brain interface which can inadvertently damage adjacent brain tissue. Currently, this risk is reduced by keeping stationary chilled water around the skull during treatments. However, many patients are still unable to receive treatment due to unfavorable subject-specific characteristics (i.e. large amounts of cancellous skull tissue). This study hypothesizes that convective water flow will remove heat from the skull more quickly than stationary chilled water, allowing more patients to receive treatment. To quantify convection effects, we designed an experiment to imitate a patient undergoing focused ultrasound thalamotomy. The experimental setup consists of a hemispherical 3D-printed mock skull containing a brain surrogate, placed into a mock ultrasound transducer. Heating is achieved by pumping hot water at a constant temperature across the inside of the brain surrogate. Temperature will be recorded throughout the setup as we run cold water around the skull in varying amounts. Temperature data from the convection setup will be compared to conduction data to determine which is more effective. The apparatus has been constructed, and experimental data will be recorded shortly. Determining the extent to which convection heat transfer can be increased is an important step in developing more effective treatment plans and improving the lives of additional patients.

Authors: Rui Jin, Lindsay C Rupp, Anna Busatto, Rob S MacLeod. Mentors: Rob S. MacLeod. Insitution: University of Utah. Introduction: The electrocardiogram is the most common tool to diagnose and assess cardiac conditions, such as rhythm abnormalities, myocardial ischemia, and heart failure. However, clinical diagnosis and management of heart disease are challenging due to the remote nature of body-surface electrocardiogram measurements, with a median accuracy of 67% among physicians. One approach to improve the accuracy of electrocardiography is to conduct mapping studies in which 10-100 catheter-based electrodes are inserted within the heart. The recorded signals provide more proximity and thus accuracy, but they also require specialized software to analyze, quantify, and visualize. We developed the Signal Processor for Electrogram and Electroanatomic Data (SPEED), a new, open-source, unified pipeline to facilitate effective signal processing and visualization of such cardiac-mapping signals.Materials and Methods: Our pipeline is based on two existing toolboxes, the Preprocessing Framework for Electrograms Intermittently Fiducialized from Experimental Recordings (PFEIFER) and OpenEP. PFEIFER is a toolset for sophisticated signal-processing of cardiac electrograms that allows the user to select semi-automatically fiducial markers, which are time points and intervals of interest within a heartbeat. OpenEP primarily accepts as input complete electroanatomic data, including both processed cardiac electrograms and spatial geometry; OpenEP also provides built-in functions for analyzing and visualizing cardiac electrograms, such as displaying potentials on the cardiac geometry. Since both software packages provide complementary workflows for managing electrograms, our goal was to integrate the two software packages and present it to the user as a new Graphic User Interface utilizing both applications simultaneously.Results: It was natural to develop SPEED in MATLAB as this is also the language used for both PFEIFER and OpenEP. The primary interface to SPEED incorporates a data-centric design such that the user can provide the electrogram and geometry files to be processed, and the algorithm automatically determines the applicable functions based on the input type. Since both PFEIFER and OpenEP can parse data into more interpretable open-source formats, the user can also export the processed data for further analysis in addition to visualizing and quantifying the data features. Through integrating both software packages, SPEED can support the following main functionalities: (1) in-depth filtering and processing of electrogram signals, (2) visualizing anatomic geometry and electrode locations, and (3) mapping three-dimensional potential and activation of cardiac electrophysiology.Discussion: SPEED offers the user a more thorough and unified workflow in the analysis of cardiac-mapping signals than either of its components. The user can utilize the functionalities of both PFEIFER and OpenEP simultaneously, allowing for a versatile and powerful processing pipeline. For instance, the user can extract key features from the recorded electrograms and visualize the location of the corresponding electrodes, a feature that was previously not possible. In addition, the open-source nature of the software packages allows the user to modify or expand the functions to better suit their individual needs. The software design of SPEED is still in the early stages; thus, as with most software, further development and user testing will follow to make the algorithms compatible with more data types and implement additional features. Conclusion: SPEED processes and displays the complex information in a clear and accessible way, allowing the user to perform subsequent interpretations and analyses more easily. SPEED can be used by research cardiologists to facilitate a more efficient workflow, as well as to improve the efficiency and accuracy of clinical diagnosis of heart diseases.

Authors: Chase Mortensen, Juhyeong Lee. Mentors: Juhyeong Lee. Insitution: Utah State University. Foldcore sandwich composites (FSCs) are constructed using multi-layered sheets folded in a desired pattern and placed between two thin face sheets. The choice of material geometric folding pattern provides a large design space to optimize the structural performance of FSCs. These composites are typically made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, offering lightweight and high-energy-absorbing properties. This work aims to characterize the size effects of unit-cell foldcores by analyzing the influence of subscale foldcore models subjected to periodic boundary conditions under quasi-static compression. Three Miura-based unit-cell foldcore models were considered: (1) 1×1, (2) 1×2 (two 1×1 unit-cell foldcores connected in parallel), and (3) 2×1 (two 1×1 unit-cell foldcores connected perpendicularly). Through finite element modeling, three key findings were derived: 1) the finite element model closely replicated experimental results; 2) the application of periodic boundary conditions had an insignificant impact on subscale foldcore models. Third, inconsiderable variations in stress and damage were observed primarily along the foldcore creases when unit-cells were placed in parallel.

Authors: Sophia Hessami. Mentors: Elizabeth Vargis. Insitution: Utah State University. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. During later stages of AMD, immature blood vessels penetrate Bruch’s membrane and release fluid into the subretinal space. This process is referred to as choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Current in vitro models of retinal tissue are limited, so we propose a three-layered microfluidic model of the subretinal tissue, consisting of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), Bruch’s membrane (BrM), and choroid. We have produced models of BrM using hagfish proteins that are more mimetic to the nonporous, proteinaceous BrM that is seen in vivo. Then, we fabricated a three-layered microfluidic device using the BrM models and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Once the devices were assembled, porcine primary RPE were isolated, cultured, and characterized in the upper channel of the microfluidic device. Going forward, HUVECs will be cultured and characterized in the lower channel of the device. Then, primary RPE and HUVECs will be co-cultured and characterized within the device. The result will be a multilayered microfluidic device containing primary porcine RPE, hagfish protein BrM models, and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) choroid. It is expected that RPE protein secretions will diffuse through the BrM models and initiate interconnected vascular network formation in the endothelial cells. In the future, we will induce chemical hypoxia to turn this model into a diseased model of the subretina. We hypothesize that this in vitro model of the subretinal tissue will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of CNV initiation and progression in AMD.

Authors: Cassandra DuBose Corry. Mentors: Elizabeth Vargis. Insitution: Utah State University. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is characterized by a blurring of the central vision and is one of the leading causes of vision loss in the United States. As a branch of the disease, exudative AMD is distinguished by retinal angiogenesis, when new blood vessels grow into the retina. Understanding retinal conditions that promote or discourage angiogenesis by using mathematical models can lead to improved understanding of disease progression and treatments. This discrete mathematical model presented here uses the theory of reinforced random walks to simulate the biological behavior of endothelial cells (ECs) as they leave a parent blood vessel and travel through the choroid and Bruch’s membrane towards the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layer. Cell behavior such as number of divisions and blood vessel coverage are analyzed for comparison to experimental observations. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is included and examined for its effect on the behavior of the ECs and its ability to prevent angiogenesis. This computational model provides novel insights into exudative AMD with parameters that can be adjusted to meet different needs.

Authors: Aubrey Russell, Ben Paepke, Nathan Goldfarb. Mentors: Nathan Goldfarb. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Tuberculosis (TB) remains an insidious scourge of civilization. The causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is a global health crisis, and TB ranks as the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide after COVID-19. In 2021, there were approximately 1.6 million deaths reported from TB (including 187,000 people with HIV) and an estimated 10.6 million new infections. Additionally, multidrug resistant TB remains a public health crisis. An initiative of “The Global Plan to End TB” is the development of rapid, point-of-care diagnostic assays for the early diagnosis of TB.2 Here we present our initial efforts towards the goal of the development of a rapid, lateral flow assay (LFA) for the detection of Mtb.

Authors: Jakob Lenker, Trevor Kendrick. Mentors: Jeff Tessem. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Diabetes is characterized by a loss in beta cell function within the pancreas and the subsequent inability to produce sufficient insulin to regulate blood glucose. While current diabetes treatments focus on delivering pharmaceutical insulin to diabetic individuals, such treatments are temporary solutions and do not address the root of the issue. Instead, our research focuses on potential mechanisms for inducing greater insulin secretion within the pancreas of the individual. NK6 Homeobox 1 (Nkx6.1) is a major transcription factor in beta cells and its overexpression in beta cells is associated with higher insulin secretion. We have shown that Syntaxin 1A (Stx1A) interacts with Nkx6.1; Stx1A is of particular interest due to its role in mediating insulin granule fusion at the beta cell plasma membrane, directly impacting insulin secretion. We hypothesize that the interaction between Nkx6.1 and Stx1A may play an important yet understudied role in insulin secretion. Here, we present the results of Stx1A overexpression on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion within pancreatic beta cells, as well as the effect on the Nkx6.1 interaction. Understanding more about the role of Stx1A in beta cells could provide therapeutic targets to induce greater insulin secretion, which could aid in the effort toward finding a cure to diabetes.

Authors: Mikayla Kimball, Noah Bezzant, Ashley Allan, Josh Sponbeck. Mentors: Brent Feland. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Ultrasonic analysis of patellar tendon thickness in active older athletesBACKGROUND: Recent research has suggested that patellar tendon loading through exercise and resistance training can help maintain and increase patellar tendon thickness in older adults. Limited research exists that identifies the average thickness of patellar tendons in younger athletes, however, it is unknown if this thickness remains or is maintained in older adult athletes who have maintained a very active lifestyle.PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine how gender correlates to patellar tendon thickness in the proximal and middle patellar tendon of active older athletes participating in sporting events at the Huntsman World Senior Games.METHODS: Data was collected from 59 volunteers (participants in the Huntsman WorldSenior Games) in St. George, Utah, 2022. All subjects (34 females: mean age = 61.09 ± 7.00 yrs, Ht = 162.41 ± 25.73 cm, Wt= 66.29 ±11.38 kg; 25 males: mean age = 68.68 ± 7.03 yrs, Ht = 178.21 ± 8.63 cm, Wt= 84.42±10.90 kg) signed an approved consent form and then sat on a treatment table with their legs relaxed and dangling off. The probe was placed vertically below the kneecap and an ultrasonic image was taken. Each image showed a small section of the patellar for reference. Each ultrasonic measurement showed the middle and proximal thickness of the patellar tendon. ANALYSIS: All data were analyzed using JMP ver16.2 with a stepwise multiple regression analysis to determine the effect of age, height, wt and gender on patellar tendon thickness. A sex*location mixed model was used to determine differences in middle and proximal thickness between gender. Data were normally distributed, not requiring transformation.RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: Proximal tendon measurements were thicker than middle tendon measurements on both sides (p=0.0001). There was no significant difference either proximal tendon thickness (p=0.9323) or middle tendon thickness (p= 0.3993) between left and right sides. No significant difference between male and female tendon thickness at either location (p=0.7700). Proximal tendon thickness was greater and this has been found to be greater in younger athletes with a history of patellar tendinopathy. Aging athletes may also have a history of knee pain episodes that could have contributed to this finding. The lack of gender differences in thickness measures was surprising, but may be a result of the level of activity of senior athletes. In the future studies should look to compare active vs non-active aging athletes, more specific age range differences, and how knee replacements and other injuries affect patellar tendon thickness.

Authors: Grant Rousseau, Kenneth Harrington, Jamie Jensen. Mentors: Jamie Jensen. Insitution: Brigham Young University. We know that evolution acceptance is low in the United States, and a perceived conflict between evolution and religion is a big predictor of whether someone accepts or rejects evolution. Helping undergraduates accept evolution involves multiple teaching strategies, including teaching evolution with a reconciliatory approach, increasing their knowledge of evolution, and introducing role models (scientists who maintain religious beliefs) to the students. However, because some students have higher scientific reasoning abilities than others, they may find certain evolution teaching strategies more beneficial than others. In our study, we assessed scientific reasoning ability, change in evolution acceptance, and teaching strategy rankings with surveys before and after evolution instruction. We predicted that students who possessed more scientific reasoning skills would rank evolution knowledge above role models when asked which strategy was most influential in helping them accept evolution. However, we saw that scientific reasoning did not appear to moderate the effect of evolution knowledge. Role models were more important in increasing evolution acceptance, regardless of scientific reasoning skills. This reinforces the importance of having a role model present when teaching evolution to religious audiences.

Authors: Joshua Evans, Allison Voyles, McKenzie Bellon, Julianne Grose. Mentors: Julianne Grose. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Alpha-crystallin B (CryAB) is a small heat shock protein that acts as a molecular chaperone and plays an essential role in cytoskeletal organization and myofibril function. Human mutations in CryAB have been associated with various diseases, such as cardiomyopathy and cataracts. However, the precise molecular pathways and protein substrates of CryAB are not yet fully understood and require further investigation. This project aims to increase understanding of CryAB by determining proteins that bind wild-type versus disease-causing variants using yeast two-hybrid screens. It also involves testing for binding specificity of variant-binding partners. A series of these Y2H screens gives valuable information regarding the binding patterns of CryAB, showing distinct binding partners for different alleles of CryAB. Overall, the project provides greater insight into the molecular functions of CryAB as well as a better understanding of the dysfunctional pathways of its disease-causing variants—a factor which may, in the future, have potential applications to the treatment of related diseases in a clinical setting

Authors: Drew Allred, Vern Hart. Mentors: Vern Hart. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Surgery remains one of the most common and effective treatments for a variety of cancers, especially those that form solid, localized tumors such as breast and colorectal cancers. During these treatments, the palpable lesion is surgically resected with the assumption that cancerous cells have metastasized to nearby tissues. As such, surgeons will excise a tissue margin surrounding the tumor in hopes of removing any additional cancer, thus preventing further spread of the disease. However, this process is time-consuming and requires specialized expertise from a trained pathologist to verify that all cancer has been removed. Furthermore, if the pathology report indicates that not all cancerous cells have been extracted, additional follow-up visits and surgeries are typically required. In recent years a number of non-invasive technologies have been developed which seek to map cancerous cells in whole tissues. Training and validating these methods still requires a reliable ground truth, typically provided by an annotated pathology report. We propose a simpler model in which two cell species were co-cultured to provide a heterogeneous training sample. One of these species (PANC-1) was transfected with a vector coding for a fluorescent marker to represent healthy tissue, while the other species (COS-7) remained untreated, representing cancerous cells. An experiment was then conducted using a coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) system, in which laser light incident on the cells was used to quantify phase shifts produced by each cell type. Fluorescent microscopy was then used to create a map of transfected and non-transfected cells for comparison. Results will be presented demonstrating a correlation between the phase shifts produced by the two cell types and the corresponding fluorescent images, potentially facilitating optical cell identification without the need for pathology.

Authors: Ishmael Elliott Molina-Zepeda, Brandt Jones, Myke Madsen, Douglas Sborov, Brian Avery, Nicola J. Camp . Mentors: Nicola J. Camp. Insitution: University of Utah. Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of plasma cells and one of the more common hematological malignancies (6.3/100,000 new cases/year). Although treatments have improved, most patients fail their first line of treatment and ultimately do not survive beyond 5 years. Identifying patients at high risk of failing treatment early is a critical need. SPECTRA is a statistical technique developed by the Camp Lab to characterize global gene expression (the transcriptome) by representing it as multiple quantitative tumor variables. Spectra variables allow gene expression to be incorporated into predictive modeling to identify high-risk groups.Transcriptome data for myeloma cells was available from 768 patients in the international CoMMpass study where 39 spectra variables were derived. Each patient has a value for each of the 39 variables (their spectra “barcode”); patients can be compared for each bar in the barcode. Predictive modeling using spectra variables was successful in identifying risk groups for time to treatment failure, such that a patient’s tumor transcriptome can be used to predict whether they are at high risk of having their treatment fail earlier.To replicate the CoMMpass data findings, we collect and process local biological samples from MM patients at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). We collect bone marrow samples, which are then cell-sorted to identify tumor (CD138+) cells. RNA is extracted from these cells and sequenced to generate transcriptome data. Then the spectra barcode is calculated.Utilizing the SPECTRA technique provides a more complete understanding of MM by better characterizing the tumor. Each spectra is a tumor characteristic. Our future research includes an investigation of whether inherited variations (in normal DNA from saliva or whole blood) are associated with the transcriptome risk score. We are also pursuing the SPECTRA technique in several other cancers.

Authors: Barry Gyman. Mentors: Cody Reeves. Insitution: Brigham Young University. The purpose of this paper is to qualify and analyze the leading driving forces in determining the success of healthcare innovations in a variety of subspaces in the healthcare industry. Health is one of the largest markets in America and is almost universally relied upon. As the systems and technologies of healthcare are innovated and improved upon, the quality and efficiency of this care stands to increase, potentially benefiting both those who provide care, those who receive care, or both. The healthcare industry offers a plethora of niches needing innovating and the potential of high economic return for the producers, and yet only a small portion of innovations are adopted and successfully integrated with some areas having a failure rate approaching or exceeding 90% (Sun et al., 2022)(Jacobs et. al, 2015). What propels these few successful innovations towards adoption that so many other innovations fail to achieve? Through the analysis of dozens of papers researching success robustness in various healthcare fields, such as pharmacology and technological innovation, we will summarize the data in search of shared commonalities among successful innovations. Sun, D., Gao, W., Hu, H., & Zhou, S. (2022). Why 90% of clinical drug development fails and how to improve it?. Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B, 12(7), 3049–3062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2022.02.002Jacobs, S.R., Weiner, B.J., Reeve, B.B. et al. Determining the predictors of innovation implementation in healthcare: a quantitative analysis of implementation effectiveness. BMC Health Serv Res 15, 6 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-014-0657-3

Authors: Aljexi Olsen, Hali Lukacs. Mentors: Eddy Cadet. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Utah Lake is the third-largest freshwater body west of the Mississippi River and serves as a vital resource for just over 600,000 Utah Valley residents through agriculture, residential and recreational purposes. In addition to its utility, Utah Lake provides a haven for biodiversity for numerous species within its wetlands. Despite its utility and importance, the lake faces two significant challenges in the form of Trace Metal (TM) pollution and the encroachment of invasive plant species known as Phragmites australis (P. australis). Despite considerable investments of time, money, and resources by various state agencies to address these concerns, their success has been limited due to the agency’s isolated efforts for these large multifaceted issues. TM, though naturally occurring in the environment, has been found to be toxic to both people and the ecosystem when at elevated levels. P. australis, is a robust and fast-growing macrophyte, possessing remarkable adaptability to and tolerance for poor soils, enabling it to rapidly outcompete native species. Due to P. australis resilience and aggressive nature, many colonies have grown around the lake regardless of soil conditions. Studies have shown that P. australis has been utilized for remediation purposes around water bodies by extracting TMs from sediment. While P. australis must be addressed, can it be used as part of the solution by identifying TM polluted areas? This study aims to discern the variety in TM absorption by P. australis in both unpolluted and polluted sites in the wetlands surrounding the hyper-eutrophic Utah Lake. We selected nine sites around Utah Lake, considering their land use and proximity to pollution sources. At each site, three replicate samples encompassing P. australis, soil, and water were collected. These samples underwent a meticulous process, including washing, weighing, grounding, sieving, acid digesting using a CEM MARS 6, and analysis for TM content within an ICP-MS. Our preliminary findings reveal that in both unpolluted and polluted sites, soil concentrations of As and Cd exceeded background levels (11.73, 1.53 in unpolluted sites, and 27.47, 6.63 in polluted sites, respectively). Notably, in select polluted sites, such as UVU, P. australis displayed a remarkable capacity to hyper-accumulate As, with a transfer factor of 167.14% compared to the lowest unpolluted sites, like Lindon, which showed a rate of about 10%. Across all sites, the accumulation of Cr was relatively consistent (ranging from 17.13 to 19.7 ppm), irrespective of biomass. The examination of TM concentrations, transfer factor rates, and TM accumulation based on biomass suggests that P. australis may serve as a valuable biomarker for identifying TM-polluted sites. This research holds significant relevance, as it could offer state agencies a swift and effective means to pinpoint TM-polluted areas. Moreover, the areas where P. australis is thriving may be leveraged for phytoremediation efforts in TM-contaminated sites, providing an environmentally friendly solution to address this pressing concern.

Authors: Austin Green, Gaby Karakcheyeva. Insitution: University of Utah. As the world’s human population continues to concentrate within urban areas and these landscapes continue to expand worldwide, wildlife is under pressure to adapt to novel environmental disturbances. Along urban-wildlife gradients, and especially within less developed areas, human recreation can affect wildlife behavior. These effects may be most apparent during peaks in human recreational activity. In addition, climatic conditions such as aridity and precipitation can also alter wildlife behavior. Understanding the interactions between these two pressures, human activity and climate, can help us understand how wildlife behavior will be affected as human populations grow and climate warms. In this study, we will use data from a large-scale citizen science camera trapping project to assess whether periodic increases in human recreational activity paired with arid climates will elicit behavioral responses across multiple mammal species in northern Utah, U.S.A. Specifically, we will assess whether increases in human recreational activity during the weekend affected mammalian temporal activity patterns at the community-wide and species-specific level, taking into consideration if these trends are amplified in areas that are arid and low in precipitation. I hypothesize that increased human recreational activity will alter wildlife behavior, in general, however this change in behavior will be amplified in drier, hotter areas. I predict that during the weekends human activity will increase, leading to general decreases in activity, mobility, and breeding behavior across species, and this will be amplified in hotter and less vegetated areas. However, I predict that naturally diurnal species will be more affected than nocturnal species as they attempt to avoid overlap with humans, leading to changes in species-species interactions.

Authors: Rebekah Victoria Still. Mentors: Alexandra Giannell. Insitution: Utah Valley University. We all experience panic. For many people it is a rare experience, while for those diagnosed with panic disorders, it can be a regular and debilitating occurrence. Oftentimes, it’s embarrassing and difficult for those living with such a disorder to explain to friends, family, coworkers, supervisors, and peers what they’re feeling and why it affects their lives so thoroughly. In this project, I approached various strangers to ask them about their experiences with panic in an effort to develop a unique and universal language, which would enable viewers to better understand panic and open an empathetic dialogue between those with such a disorder and their loved ones.Based on the answers I received, I was able to sort the data and create multiple visual recipes which I used to develop a series of preliminary works. With each rendition, I asked for feedback from those with and without panic disorders, so as to assess the effectiveness of my color palette, symbology, and mark making techniques. Through this process of creation and criticism, I arrived at a composition which successfully encapsulates the feelings, sounds, and appearance of panic.As someone who lives with PTSD, I believe that it’s important to foster empathy for those around us and earn how to effectively communicate our feelings. My objective is that through this work, people who previously didn’t have the words to discuss their mental health will be able to use this piece to start an open and honest conversation with their loved ones. Furthermore, by using a universal, visual language, those who don’t have panic disorders will be able to begin the process of opening their minds and hearts to understand the people who do. In this sense, my final painting is not an answer, but a question meant to inspire further research and exploration.