University of Utah Undergraduate Research Abstracts, Volume 8, Spring 2008

Research Abstracts of undergraduate research abstracts vol 8-6

THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Inactivation of GATA3 Leads to Nephrotic Syndrome Nephrotic syndrome is characterized by proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, hyperlipidemia and edema and rep-resents a clinically significant problem in the pediatric population. While it is clear that nephrotic syndrome is primarily a glomerular disorder, the mechanisms remain poorly understood; however, since the majority of cases occur during childhood, it has been hypothesized that abnormal glomerular development plays an important role. Transcription factors, small proteins that regulate gene expression, play a central role in all developmental processes. Our laboratory has recently shown that GATA3, a transcription factor, is critical for normal glomerular development and function. Furthermore, inactivation of GATA3 leads to nephrotic syn-drome in newborn mice, but not adult mice, which suggests that it plays a critical role in glomerular devel-opment. We are able to inactivate GATA3 using the temporally- regulatable Cre- loxP system to delete floxed exon 4 of GATA3 in embryos by administring a single gavage dose of tamoxifen to the pregnant dams. We found that inactivation of GATA3 in 7- day old mouse pups leads to edema ( ascities) and death by week four and five, while it had no effect on adult mice. In addition, we observed severe proteinuria in the pups-about 1- 2 Ìg of protein per Ìl of urine. Furthermore, glomerular histology showed no open capillaries, hyper-cellularity, increased mesangial matrix, and underdeveloped glomerular compared to control mice. This study is the first to elucidate glomerular function mechanisms and shows that GATA3 is required for normal glomerular development and may play a role in regulating glomerular function. Safia Ahmed 5 Safia Ahmed, Olivia Lucero BS, Raoul Nelson MD, PhD, ( Lance Miller) Department of Pediatric Nephrology University of Utah Lance Miller UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS 6 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Tim Barber James Guilkey Reynolds Number Effects on Near Source Turbulent Mixing in Pipe Flow The study of infrastructure stability is of special interest in todays world. Los Alamos National Laboratories is currently developing computer models for the stability of various community infrastructures in the event of terrorist or natural occurrences. Experimental techniques have been employed in order to better under-stand the behavior of contaminants in water infrastructures. Particle Image Velocimetry ( PIV) and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence ( PLIF) have been utilized to characterize turbulent mixing of passive scalars in high Reynolds number flows. PIV is used to develop velocity fields for a flow. The flow is seeded, the seeds are illuminated by rapid laser pulses, and images are captured by a digital camera. By measuring the dis-tance the particles have traveled between frames, a velocity field can be generated. PLIF is used to observe the behavior of fluorescent dyes in fluid flow. Fluorescent dye is illuminated by laser pulses and captured digitally. The nature of our study involves the characterization of turbulent mixing of Rhodamine WT at high Reynolds number flows. Personal research involves a repeatability study for the pixel to spatial calibration for PLIF and PIV. To generate actual velocities, the pixels of the digital images must be mapped to real space. To accomplish this task, images of a calibration target are taken and used to create coefficients of a polynomial mapping pixel values to real space. The target consists of an array of dots at known distances away from each other. Personal study involves methods in which to determine the vertical orientation and tilt of the target. A Matlab code has been written in order to sum the number of pixels comprising the dots on the target for each row of the image, creating a visual measurement of the target tilt. Additional Matlab codes will be written to further investigate target insertion repeatability. Tim Barber ( James Guilkey) Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Utah THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 7 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Cardiovascular disease ( CVD) affects almost 81 million people in the United States alone and is the number one cause of death. A major component of combating CVD is to understand the microstructure of cardiac cells. The transverse tubular system ( t- system) is part of that microstructure and consists of invaginations on the membrane of cardiac muscle cells ( myocytes). It plays an important role in the cardiac excitation- con-traction- coupling. Changes of the t- system have been linked to CVD. Thus, the goal of this research was to provide insights into the spatial arrangement of the t- system through application of Fast Fourier Transform ( FFT) on three- dimensional images from confocal microscopy. FFT is an established method to characterize images. In our work, peaks of the Fourier spectrum were detected, which allowed us to quantify longitudinal and transversal spacing of the t- system. These data will be applied for statistical analysis of the microstruc-ture from myocyte at various origins within the heart. The developed methods can also provide means for other cellular microstructure research such as protein distributions. The methods and data might find further application in mathematical modeling, clinical studies, and various other research for combating CVD. Christopher R. Barrus ( Frank B. Sachse) Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Utah Characterization of the Transverse Tubular System in Ventricular Myocytes Christopher R. Barrus Frank B. Sachse 8 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 In the waning months of World War II, the global community realized the need to address the war- ravaged collective economy. Representatives of forty- four countries met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire to for-mulate a plan. They created three new institutions: the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund ( IMF), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ( GATT). These institutions were to ( respectively) " issue loans to bolster economic development in developing countries; … regulate and stabilize currency and exchange rates; and… establish ground rules governing international trade." These designations changed over time. The World Bank became more focused on issuing loans for particular infrastructure programs such as power plants, dams, or education. In the 1970' s, the IMF took on the role of issuing short- term loans to aid those countries with balance of payment problems. In 1995, GATT became the World Trade Organization ( WTO) and evolved into an international trade court, providing a forum for international bargaining with the ability to levy penalties for noncompliance with agreements. Over the past few decades, criticism for the Bretton Woods institutions has grown increasingly forceful. Allegations have been made that these groups enable or actually cause corruption and exploitation. Demonstrations against these institutions have increased over the last decade and came to a head in November of 1999 when more than 50,000 demonstrators marched on downtown Seattle where the WTO was holding a meeting. In the two years following the Seattle protest, there were at least ten anti- globaliza-tion demonstrations worldwide. These activities beg the question of whether the protesters are right. Does globalization ( in the form of the Bretton Woods institutions) destroy lives as the some of the protestors con-tend? If so, what can be done to solve the problem? In an attempt to answer these questions, I analyze the impact of the IMF and WTO on three South American states: Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. I choose these three countries because ( 1) all three of them were involved in the Latin American economic crisis of 1982; ( 2) all three of them have received a bailout package from the IMF between 1994 and 2002; and ( 3) in late- 2003 ( when this research took place), Brazil and Argentina were extremely indebted and seemingly unsound while Mexico had stabilized since its crisis in 1995. In order to analyze these relationships, I first take a broad overview of globalization. I then review the available literature to identify the specific grievances of the crit-ics of the IMF and WTO. Where appropriate, I refute these critiques. I also address solutions proposed by these critics. I look at what reforms these institutions have made. Finally, I compare these countries in a lon-gitudinal study using per capita debt, income inequality, and the United Nations Development Programme's ( UNDP) Human Development Indicators ( HDI) from 1985, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2000, and 2002. My analysis suggests that the IMF and WTO do not hinder a country's socioeconomic status or income dis-parity. On the contrary, all three countries have increased on the UNDP's HDI index by roughly 0.05. If coun-tries can make this kind of progress with debt burden, imagine the advancements without debt. Therefore, I favor debt relief even though it is idealistic. I also support an international bankruptcy court, whether that's a Bretton Woods reform or a new organization to make creditors more responsible for their lending policies and to help distressed nations prepare viable plans for the future. Ultimately, I feel that much like the Industrial Revolution produced social injustice initially and then corrected itself by setting up laws to protect workers, globalization should and has already begun this process of self- correction and will, over the next decade, become fair and efficient. D. James Bjorkman ( Radoslov Dimitrov) Department of Political Science University of Utah Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico: A Study of the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization D. James Bjorkman Radoslov Dimitrov THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 9 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS One of the fundamental principles of liberal democracies is that all humans have equal value irrespective of their abilities, wealth, power, or other differentiating features. This inherent equality of people lies at the heart of cosmopolitan notions of justice. Several of our political and social institutions bear witness, at least in theory, to what the Constitution upholds as the right for all humans to be treated as equals. Applied to our political and social institutions, moral equality implies such protections as nondiscrimination, equal rights, and equal citizenship. Moral equality, however, does not require us to be impartial between the interests of strangers and those of family members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. These relationships allow us to favor the needs of those with whom we are more closely acquainted. Given the moral equality of humans, and our right to act pref-erentially towards those close to us, what can we say about our obligations to co- nationals, as opposed to fellow human beings more generally? Do we have special obligations to co- nationals similar to our obliga-tions to friends and family? Or do the demands of moral equality mean that we should meet the urgent needs of people wherever they are? We will defend the cosmopolitan view that moral equality extends the demands of justice to all individuals regardless of such morally arbitrary features as economic status and place of birth. The cosmopolitan view emphasizes the need to improve the conditions of those who lack access to basic resources including food, shelter, protection from violence, healthcare, and education. In the end, we reject the nationalist view, which diminishes the duty to assist people outside of one's national borders, on the grounds that it fails to ade-quately support the moral equality of humans. Brin Bon ( Bruce Landesman) Department of Philosophy University of Utah Moral Equality and the Demand for Global Justice Brin Bon Bruce Landesman 10 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Shontol Torres Burkhalter Deisy Ramirez Aguilar Theresa A. Martinez Research reveals substantial barriers to educational access for first- generation students and students of color across the nation. Students of color and first- generation students lack adequate access to and preparation for institutions of higher education. For example, studies find that many schools with significant populations of underserved students do not have college career and college awareness programs because of limited resources such as time, budget, and equipment. These studies suggest that making students aware of col-lege careers provides them with activities for achieving self- esteem and helps to answer questions such as " Who am I?" and " Where am I going?" In addition, raising awareness of college careers enhances students' familiarity with many professions. With these findings in mind, the objective of this project was to introduce careers that require a college degree to third grade students from two elementary schools in a western state. Each of the schools chosen for the study has statistically high percentages of students who access free- lunch programs as well as significant percentages of students of color enrolled in the schools. The pur-pose of the project is to foster awareness of college professions and interest in pursuing a college degree among the third grade students. A pre- survey and post- survey were given at the beginning and end of the project to see if there was an increased interest in college and a college education among the third graders. Deisy Ramirez Aguilar, Shontol Torres Burkhalter ( Theresa A. Martinez) Department of Sociology, Health Sciences LEAP University of Utah Affirming Equity: Creating Access to College Careers Among First Generation Students and Students of Color in Elementary Schools THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 11 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Cardiac Modeling of Partial Thickness Ischemia Provides Insight into Resultant Epicardial Potentials Subendocardial ischemia is dangerous condition that is clinically difficult to detect. In an attempt to facilitate proper diagnosis of this condition, much more needs to be known about its electrical properties. To more fully understand the electrical implications of this form of ischemia, computational models have been devel-oped to mimic ischemic tissue within a whole heart, including a model developed by Dr. Bruce Hopenfeld1. The Hopenfeld model, though useful, has shortcomings, which this project sought to address. We imple-mented a new modeling approach based on the SCIRun problem solving environment2,3 that involved development of new cardiac sources and ischemic geometries. The versatility of the SCIRun environment allowed for improved evaluation of simulation scenarios and provided high quality interactive visualization tools appropriate for the study of cardiac response to various forms of ischemia. These improvements, will lead to better understanding of cardiac potentials resulting from ischemia, ultimately helping physicians to achieve better diagnosis and management of ischemic heart disease. Keywords- Subendocardial ischemia, SCIRun, Anisotropy, Bidomain. 1Hopenfeld, B., " Epicardial Potentials Associated With Subendocardial Ischemia," Ph. D. dissertation, University of Utah, 2004. 2Macleod, R., D. Weinstein, J. Davison de St. Germain, D. Brooks, C. Johnson, and S. Parker, " SCIRun/ BioPSE: Integrated Problem Solving Environment for Bioelectricy Field Problems and Vizualization," Biomedical Imaging: Nano to Macro, 2004. IEEE International Symposium on, vol. 1, pp. 640 - 643, 2004. 3Parker, S., M. Miller, C. Hansen, C. Johnson, " Computational steering and the SCIRun integrated problem solving environment," IEEE Trans. Biomed. Engin., vol. pp. 267- 276, 2000. Brett Burton ( Rob MacLeod) Department of Bioengineering University of Utah Brett Burton Rob MacLeod 12 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 The Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( HIV) is a retrovirus that can lead to devastating consequences includ-ing a compromised immune system and death. Gaining a better understanding of HIV and how it infects its host, compromises the immune response, and regenerates using an infected cell can help to develop treat-ments and eventually cures to remediate and eliminate the virus and its effects. Once HIV compromises a host cell it uses that cell's endosomal generation pathway to create new, infectious virions. One stage of late endosomal generation that plays an important role in virion budding is the ESCRT pathway. This path-way consists of many transmembrane and membrane associated proteins that direct the process of endo-some formation. In conjunction with these membrane proteins, several other proteins have been found that act as recruiters, bringing cargo and other proteins to the membrane, as well as activating endosomal synthesis and membrane formation. Vps60, a yeast analogue of the human CHMP5, acts synchronously with ESCRT release in the later stages of the ESCRT pathway. Here we investigate the interaction between Vps60 and its stimulator protein, Vta- 1, by identifying and mapping the binding sites of Vps60 to Vta- 1. It was discovered that Vps60 binds via two alpha helical regions located near its C- terminus to the N- terminal region of Vta- 1. Jeffery B. Bylund, ( Nathan T. Uter) Department of Biochemistry University of Utah Mapping the Binding Sites of VPS60 to VTA- 1 Nathan T. Uter Jeffery B. Bylund THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 13 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Genotype- Phenotype Correlation in Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome Type VI Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome ( EDS) is a recessively inherited connective tissue disorder that has been divided into six different subclasses. The type VI variant of Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome is characterized by progressive scoliosis and muscular hypotonia starting at birth. Later signs of EDS type VI include skin extensibility, tissue fragility and joint laxity. This very rare syndrome, if left untreated, can lead to severe scoliosis, a fragile ocular globe and rupture of the arteries. The PLOD1 gene is responsible for making the enzyme lysyl hydroxylase 1 which is necessary for proper hydroxylation of collagen and the formation of cross links; providing strength and elasticity to many body tissues. Mutations in this gene impair the enzyme activity and results in weak connective tissues. There have been around 20 mutations identified and in 18.3% of proband cases there is a six exon duplication. We designed a sequencing based assay to sequence the entire coding region of the PLOD1 gene including exon- intron boundaries. We sequenced all 19 PLOD1 exons in four patients who were phenotypically identi-fied as affected with Ehlers- Danlos, and had previously tested positive by a high performance liquid chro-matography urine screen test. This identification of mutations will aid in determining the genotype- pheno-type correlation in EDS type VI patients. Teah Caine ( Kristy Damjanovich, Elizabeth Schwarz, Marzia Pasquali, Pinar Bayrak- Toydemir) ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, University of Utah Teah Caine Kristy Damjanovich Pinar Bayrak- Toydemir 14 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Intra- operative femoral fractures during intramedullary nailing surgery carry serious health risks to patients. The increased use of trochanteric entry intramedullary nails for femoral shaft fractures has led to a cause for concern given the shape mismatch of the straight nail being inserted into curved trajectory through an intact proximal femur which could potentially contribute to intra- operative fractures. Studies into intra-operative fractures have been conducted on nail entry point and reaming, but not on the effects of nail ori-entation during femoral intramedullary nailing. A thorough understanding of how nail orientation, cortical thickness to inner diameter ratio, and nail diameter influence the probability of femora intra- operatively frac-turing will help optimize the intramedullary nailing procedure. The purpose of this study was to determine which technique for inserting trochanteric nails, with the anterior bow of the nail in the apex medial or apex anterior orientation during initial passage through the proximal femur has a higher probability for causing catastrophic failure of cortical bone. It was hypothesized that inserting nails with the bow initially oriented apex medial would generate less strain and fewer fractures in the proximal femoral cortex than inserting the nail with the bow oriented apex anterior. Cortical strains on the periosteal surface were measured during intramedullary nailing on ten fresh-frozen and thawed cadaver femora. Each femur was reamed and nailed with increasing nail sizes initially with the bow of the nail in the medial orientation, removed, then reinserted in the anterior orientation until fracture of cortical bone occurred or the largest nail had been inserted. Fractures resulted in seven of the ten femora, six during anterior insertions and one during medial insertions. Insertions with the bow oriented apex anterior of trochanteric nails have a higher probability of causing intra- operative fractures than with the bow oriented apex medial insertions ( p= 0.027). From analysis of femoral dimensions, it was found that the ratios of their cortical thicknesses to inner diameters fell within one standard deviation of their average ratio = 0.500 at fracture ( p= 0.030). Ratios of cortical thickness to inner canal diameter between fractured and un- fractured femora were significantly different ( p= 0.002). There was no significant difference in strains between insertions with the bow apex oriented medial and apex oriented anterior ( p= 0.867). The results of this study show that trochanteric nails should be inserted with the bow oriented apex medial. The cortical thickness to inner diameter ratio should be measured through pre- operative radiographs to determine the maximum diameter medullary canal should be reamed and consequently the maximum nail diameter for a given patient to lessen the probability of intra- operative fracture. Jeffrey R. Campbell ( Kent N. Bachus) Departments of Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering University of Utah Effects of Trochanteric Nail Orientation on Intra- Operative Femoral Fractures Kent N. Bachus Jeffrey R. Campbell THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 15 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Current prosthetic socket technology comes with problems including chafing, skin irritation, and soreness with motion1. Percutaneous osseointegrated bone- anchored prostheses have the potential to improve the quality of life of amputees, and eliminate socket technology, but infection remains a challenge to patient safety. Cationic Steroid Antimicrobials ( CSA- 13) have displayed bactericidal properties, but also have been found to have hemolytic effects2. To determine if the hemolytic properties of CSA- 13 could interfere with implant stability, this investigation studied the tissue response following the continuous application of CSA- 13 at the skin- implant interface of a transcutaneous bone- anchored implant in vivo. It was hypothesized that the CSA- 13 would not affect tissue response to the implant. A titanium alloy pin was screwed through both cortices of the proximal end of the tibia of twenty Rambouillet sheep. The pin protruded through the skin on the medial side of the hind leg. Ten sheep were treated with a foam pad saturated with 200- 300 mg of CerageninsTM ( CSA - 13). Ten sheep served as con-trols and received an untreated but sterile foam pad. The study endpoint was six months or infection. All sheep were euthanized between 8 and 40 days after implantation. Twenty implant- containing bone and tissue samples of untreated control sheep and CSA- 13 treated sheep were embedded and cut into 3 cm sections. Radiographs were taken of each section. Radiolucencies, or bone loss, were found in the measurement of the area immediately surrounding the implant. The differ-ences of the radiolucencies were found by dividing these areas by the lengths of possible bone- implant contact in the radiographs. This provided an average width of radiolucency ( Image Pro Plus). The average radiolucent widths of the groups were found to be 0.92mm, and 0.86mm on the cranial and caudal side of the CSA- 13 treated sheep, respectfully. The control sides had average radiolucent regions of 1.00 mm, and 1.11 mm in width, on the cranial and caudal sides, respectfully. A student T- test showed no statistically significant difference in the amount of radiolucency on either the caudal or cranial side when comparing the CSA- 13 and untreated control groups ( Cranial radiolucency widths, p= 0.57; Caudal radiolu-cency widths, p= 0.09). The similarities between the untreated controls and CSA- 13 treated sheep suggest that the CSA- 13 had sim-ilar bone loss to the controls. The study did not show that CSA- 13 was safe or harmful in causing bone loss to occur. Both groups showed bone loss of greater than 0.86 mm, which could be due to the implant motion caused by the animal model's movements, and extremely mobile soft tissue. The model was limited on how it tested CSA- 13 because it didn't examine other factors such as implant and tissue motion. Future studies should examine a model with less mobile tissue and at a more favorable anatomical site, or test other forms of CSA- 13 delivery such as creams that can be applied onto the skin. References: 1. Hagberg, K., et al: Prosthet Orthot Int, 29 ( 2): 153- 163, 2005. 2. Savage: Eur. J. Org. Chem Microreview 759- 768, 2002. Yen Cao ( Emily Perry, Roy Bloebaum) Department of Orthopaedics University of Utah Examining Radiolucencies from a Percutaneous Implant Emily Perry Yen Cao Roy Bloebaum 16 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Action Research: Facilitating Access to Higher Education for Underrepresented Students The " Growing Up in Salt Lake City" research project is a partnership between University of Utah professors Caitlin Cahill & Matt Bradley, University Neighborhood Partners, and YouthCity Government. Starting in October 2006, the Growing Up in Salt Lake City youth research team consisting of six Westside high school students began a community- based research project investigating issues of concern to them. Through their research the youth researchers identified two areas of concern; first, stereotyping and racism in the schools and second, the unequal access to higher education for undocumented students. The youth research team decided to create documentaries in order to give voice to the Utah high school students who face daily obstacles in an institutionalized racist public school system. My research focused specifically on the challenges undocumented students face in trying to go to college and I worked closely with the youth research team who produced the documentary entitled, " Easy Targets". The documentary acknowledges many themes that hinder the educational experiences for undocumented youth. These include: lack of information, fear and uncertainty, financial challenges, lack of motivation, and financial challenges. My project addresses these institutionally embedded discriminatory practices through an action research framework. Based on the findings from the Easy Targets project, I am creating a resource guide for first generation, low income, underrepresented and undocumented students. To this end, I have been previewing nationwide models for resource guides that provide information about in- state tuition for undocumented students. My goal is to provide the most accurate and detailed informa-tion possible for these students. In addition, I am interviewing students and parents to see what specific educational information is being denied and what they would like to know. Once the resource guide is completed, I will conduct various focus groups to see how effective the community as a whole believes the resource guide is and what can be improved. This guide is intended to provide students and their parents the tools necessary to access their educational goals. Denise Casteneda ( Caitlin Cahill) Department of Family & Consumer Studies University of Utah Denise Casteneda Caitlin Cahill THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 17 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS The purpose of this research is to analyze the current case management protocol for clients of the Utah AIDS Foundation ( UAF), focusing specifically on clients who are injecting drug users ( IDU). The Utah AIDS Foundation empowers people living in the Intermountain region, who are affected by or living with HIV/ AIDS, to live healthier and more fulfilling lives. The Utah AIDS Foundation places value on encouraging advocacy, embracing diversity, building leadership, and fostering self- determination. The needs of clients are changing; therefore, continual modification is needed to address those changing needs. The goal of this project is to incorporate a harm reduction model to better serve the specific needs of the IDU's in helping them to live with HIV/ AIDS and decrease the chance of passing the disease to more people via sharing syringes. The reasoning behind the harm reduction model is that there has never been, is not now, and never will be a drug free society. The principles behind the model propose that syringes should be easily available ( without a prescription). In places where syringes are readily available, HIV rates are lower. Harm reduction advocates argue that IDU's should be supplied free of charge at clinics set up for use ( nee-dle exchange program). Others claim that these measures will encourage immoral behavior and use of legalized drugs without endangering oneself. Furthermore, the project explores the possibilities of providing easily accessible syringes in order to prevent sharing of needles and evaluates the benefit of it. Lastly, the goal of this project is to establish a network between different healthcare facilities, educational institutes, and mental health clinics so that the joint forces can be more powerful and effective in collaboratively working to meet the needs of the IDU, HIV/ AIDS population. AnAn Chang, Nicole Nguyen ( Carolyn Bliss) Department of Undergraduate Studies, Health Sciences LEAP University of Utah Implementing a Harm Reduction Model to Improve Case Management for Injecting Drug Users Infected with HIV/ AIDS Nicole Nguyen AnAn Chang Carolyn Bliss 18 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 A College Preparatory Partnership: Assessing the Impact of LEAP to the U The University Neighborhood Partners' ( UNP) mission is " bringing together University and West- side resources for reciprocal learning, action, and benefit" Five years ago, UNP formed to facilitate partnerships between the University of Utah and seven underrepresented west Salt Lake communities and multiple com-munity organizations to combine " beneficial learning, action, and respect." UNP focuses on addressing chal-lenges in these communities, such as " increasing educational access and awareness; capacity building, or community leadership." Throughout these associations, the University is able to empower a diverse group of students, families and members of the community. UNP currently facilitates a partnership known as Leap to the U, consisting of West High School students and University of Utah students within the undergraduate LEAP program. The Leap to the U program is funded in partnership by UNP to help Leap to the U instill the importance of college and truly impact the students' future educational opportunities in an utmost positive way. The Leap to the U Partnership has provided students at West High School the chance to access men-tors, health education, as well as the University of Utah resources. One component to the community- based research project was a survey administered in order to analyze how the partnership has impacted these stu-dents' future educational choices. An example of some of the questions asked were: How long have you been in Leap to the U? How have you changed your current behavior at school because of Leap to the U? Have you met with a counselor at your school to discuss your college plans? If so, what was their response? With this partnership, the University is able to develop students' capacity, increase college awareness, and provide individuals with the edifying skills the University of Utah supplies. As the research will show the partnership has had an impact on students in many different and positive ways. Autumn Christiansen ( Joél Arvizo ) Health Sciences LEAP Program University of Utah Autumn Christiansen Joel Arvizo THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 19 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS The field of archaeology offers little opportunity to understand remains in a primary context. Most often one finds large, or macro, artifacts in their places of abandonment, not their places of everyday use. Thus in order to account for the limitations of artifacts in a secondary context and to discover the actual use of space in a particular area, we must consider the microartifact. A microartifact is, like its name indicates, a very small arti-fact - under 1 cm in size. Such artifacts are not usually found through visual sampling because of their small size, which makes them difficult to see and collect during traditional excavation. They are usually trampled into earthen surfaces rather than discarded in refuse heaps and thus remain in primary context; they are an excellent source for studying the use of space and add a new and invaluable tool for studying a site. Using microartifacts recovered from a 4500 BC site in southeastern Turkey, I have developed a widely applicable typology of what one might find when doing microarchaeological analysis. Knowing what we encounter in microarchaeology is extremely important, and after careful exploration, research, and identification I have created a baseline for the aspiring microarchaeologist. I expect the outcomes of such a typology to affect and aid anyone engaging in microarchaeology. There are many different types of pottery, many different types of materials used in making pottery, many different types of stone used in the formation of lithics, many different types of shell, and many different species of animal represented in the archaeological record, and each such artifact is important to entire site analysis. By identifying these artifacts at the micro- level and sharing such identifications with others, I add a new dimension to the overall interpretation of any archaeo-logical site. Elizabeth Clark ( Bradley Parker) Department of History University of Utah The Possibilities are Endless: A Typology of Microarcheaological Artifacts Bradley Parker Elizabeth Clark 20 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Familial Social Support Networks and Heart Disease Risk Perception Background: The Centers for Disease Control states that heart disease is the leading cause of death ( 27% of all deaths in 2004) in the United States. Willingness and ability to make behavioral modifications that can improve this outcome is difficult. Behavioral change models commonly require that individual have to per-ceive that a risk exists before being able to successfully change and maintain healthy lifestyles. Perceptions of social support from important familial social networks including parents, siblings, and spouse may have significant impact on the how someone perceives his/ her actual overall health risk. Research has shown that there is a negative impact on health in adulthood when a negative relationship with parents during childhood existed. Also, there is evidence to support that negative relationships with other family members and spouses are associated with negative health outcomes. However, these social relationships have rarely been specifically studied with realistic perceptions of heart disease. Methods: The MacArther Midlife Research Network conducted the " Midlife in the United States" ( MIDUS) study to evaluate various factors related to various health- related issues. This study involved men and women 25- 74 years of age. Bivariate correlation analysis was performed using this nationally representative data from the MIDUS I study. This analysis included variables that measure parental affection, family sup-port, and spousal support and were compared with a respondents' actual and perceived risk for heart dis-ease. Results: Respondents who reported a positive perception of maternal affection during childhood were less likely to perceive heart disease risk and were more optimistic about their health. There were no statistically significant results regarding paternal affection and perception of heart disease risk. However, respondents were more likely to report a pessimistic view of their health when they reported a lower perceived affection rate with fathers. Respondents who reported a strained relationship with their family members ( members of a person's family not including spouse or partner) were more likely to perceive a higher risk for heart disease. This group was more likely to be optimistic about their health. Results from the MIDUS study were not sta-tistically significant when comparing spousal support and strain with perceived risk of heart disease. Conclusion: Analysis of MIDUS data indicates that maternal affection and family support is very important in an individual's perception of his/ her heart disease risk. Respondents having higher maternal affection scores and those with a less strained relationship with family members are more likely to be optimistic about their heart disease risk. Since perceived risk of disease is crucial for positive health behavior modifications, health care providers could use this information to appropriately counsel patients regarding heart disease in the future. Tonya K. Edvalson ( Rebecca L. Utz) Department of Sociology University of Utah Tonya K. Edvalson Rebecca L. Utz THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 21 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS What happens to art when East meets West? The forefront of contemporary performance art is profoundly inspired by the reciprocity of these two esthetic paradigms. What happens to traditional art forms under a " cross- cultural gaze?" How might we gain a deeper understanding of avant- garde art in the context of cul-tural evolution? Butô( s), published in 2002 by the National Center for Scientific Research ( CNRS) in France, examines these questions through the lens of one particular avant- garde movement: Butoh. Butoh traces its genesis to a group of dancers in post- war Japan. Notably, Hijikata Tatsumi and Ohno Kazuo are the recognized founders of Butoh, and yet were trained in Western Classical and Modern dance. The conflation of such distinct esthetic identities led these artists to reject all codification and establish an underground movement based on the perpetual deconstruction of identity. " Teaching dance does not con-sist of learning how to position an arm or a leg, I don't believe in a method of [ dance] teaching nor in a mas-tery of movement…" 1 The original manifestations of Butoh were violent, taboo and relentlessly unforgiving of the status- quo. However, a unique esthetic developed around the Butoh movement, eventually spread-ing in an international diaspora of Butoh artists. Almost fifty years removed from the inception of Butoh, interpretations of the once avant- garde movement have played in the major theatres of the world and garnered a significant following. Artists are poised to ask, therefore, what is Butoh if no longer avant- garde and how does it maintain continuity with its origins? Butô( s) offers a practical and theoretical perspective on the identity/ identities of Butoh as it has evolved over several temporal and cultural landscapes. This perspective is more than a fascinating case- study of cross-cultural exchange; it is a vital account of the meaning of contemporary art. Butoh as an essentially decon-structionist movement in performance art reflects the perpetual transformation of cultural identity. This transformation is catalyzed by cross- identical encounters on many levels. Its characteristic denial of esthetic codification simultaneously liberates and terrifies the aspiring artist by calling every assumption into ques-tion. Professor Jerry Gardner of the Theatre Department at the University of Utah has spent twenty years actively researching Butoh, in both performance and theory. Arwen Ek, a recent graduate of the University of Utah, has worked with Professor Gardner since 2003 as an apprentice dancer and research assistant in Butoh. In 2005, they created and performed an original piece in the UROP symposium based on their work: to trans-late relevant selections of Butô( s) from the original French to English; devising Butoh notation on which to base a viable pedagogy for contemporary performance art; and, to integrate the perspective offered by Butô( s) in a performance piece that transcends linguistic codification and physically embodies a perpetual transformation. « Les morts sont mes professeurs de butô. » " The dead are my teachers of Butoh." 2 1 « Enseigner la danse ne consiste pas à apprendre à positionner un bras ou une jambe. Je ne crois ni en une méthode d'en-seignement ni en une maîtrise du mouvement… » Hijikata, Tatsumi. trans. Arwen Ek, 2008. Original French qtd in Butô( s), Ed. Aslan, Odette. CNRS Editions, Paris. 2002. p 71 2Ibid. p 68 Arwen Ek ( Jerry Gardner) Department of Theatre University of Utah Butoh in Translation Jerry Gardner Arwen Ek 22 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Background Closed- tube methods for genotyping require expensive and complicated fluorescent probes ( e. g. TaqMan ® , Hybprobes ® , Molecular Beacon, and Scorpion ® ). For example the Scorpion ® primer assay is an intramolecu-lar reaction in which one oligonucleotide serves as both primer and probe through the formation of a hair-pin structure. Two probes are required to genotype a single SNP which adds to the expense of the reaction because a fluorophore, quencher and blocker must be attached to each probe. Another intramolecular hybridization technique, Snapback SSCP, uses hairpin formation without probes, but requires post- PCR gel separations. A common feature of these methods is the use of a complementary primer tail that loops back onto the complementary sequence, creating a hairpin in the single stranded amplicon. Methods We have developed a closed- tube intramolecular method without fluorescently labeled probes, using a high- resolution dsDNA dye and post- PCR melting analysis to monitor hybridization of the hairpin, retaining the advantages of closed- tube methods while eliminating the complexity and expense of labeled probes. Only two PCR primers are required, the only addition being a short- tail of nucleotides on one primer. The method can be adapted to either symmetric or asymmetric PCR. Results Snapback genotyping using asymmetric PCR results in two species, an excess single strand in a hairpin conformation with a lower Tm and a full- length double stranded PCR product with a higher Tm. This permits genotyping and scanning to be integrated in the same assay. The hairpin provides targeted genotyping for common variants, while the full- length amplicon allows scanning for any sequence variants within the PCR product. Conclusion Combined scanning and genotyping with Snapback primers is attractive because only PCR reagents and a dsDNA dye are needed. No expensive modified oligonuleotides, separations, purification or addition steps are necessary and it is rapid and compatible with fast PCR protocols. Roscoe J. Errigo, Hongzhe Lu ( Carl T. Wittwer, Luming Zhou) Department of Pathology University of Utah SNP Scanning and Genotyping using Snapback Primers Carl T. Wittwer Roscoe J. Errigo THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 23 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Cognitive Geolocation GPS as is well known is very useful for determining ones exact location, however, within buildings, GPS sig-nals may be quite low due to shadowing caused by the walls and ceiling. A new method for determining ones location is to rely on the many regular wireless signals found today. The idea is that if the electromag-netic ( EM) spectrum of wireless signals remains relatively constant for any given location, then a database of the EM spectrum may be created for each location. If a database can and is created, then whenever one is in an unknown location where wireless signals are plentiful, they may scan the spectrum and compare it to the database to determine their location. This idea is known as Cognitive Geolocation. The goal of this proj-ect was to conduct a measurement campaign to confirm the applicability of Cognitive Geolocation within the Merrill Engineering Building ( MEB) at the University of Utah. The Emulab Network of nodes played a crucial role in this research project. The Emulab's many nodes were programmed to take measurements at their many different locations throughout the 3rd floor of the MEB, all by a couple of keystrokes. The programming of the nodes to take measurements automatically with a couple of keystrokes and the organization of the measurements took 2 months of work, but it was an essen-tial part of the project because it made the work much faster. Using this program, many measurements were taken on a Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday on the 18th- 20th of November 2007 in the morning and afternoon hours. Measurements for 9 different locations were taken 53 times in these 3 days and each time 10 measurements were taken for each location, yielding 530 measurements total for each location. A Matlab program was then written that averaged the 530 measurements for each location and thus created 9 data-base files for 9 locations. Finally some testing was done. Measurements were taken at night on December 4, 2007 and in the morn-ing on December 5, 2007, from the hours of 9: 30- 11: 15pm and 10: 00am- 12: 30pm. Measurements were taken at 10 different times during each time period at the 9 locations. Just as for the database 10 measure-ments were taken every time for each location. A second Matlab program was written that took 10 meas-urements for a given location at a given time as specified by the user, averaged them, and then compared them to the database to determine the location of the measurements ( see Fig 1). It was found that with this method the correct location could be determined about 80% of the time at night and 91% of the time dur-ing the day. Note that the database was created using only daytime measurements. It was concluded from these results that if a database is customized for specific times of the day, location could be determined much more accurately. Cognitive Geolocation as can be seen could definitely become a reality. Fig 1. Determining Location for a measurement taken on 12- 05- 07 at 10: 55am in room 3118 of the MEB at the University of Utah. Arash Farhang ( Neal Patwari) Department of Electrical Engineering University of Utah Fig 1a. A comparison of the spectrum at MEB3118 to the database for MEB3520G shows that this is not a location match. Fig 1b. A comparison of the spectrum at MEB3118 to the database for MEB3118 shows a very good match. Arash Farhang Neal Patwari 24 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Altering myocardial growth interferes with hemodynamic parameters such as blood flow or pressure, and subsequently alters aortic arch development. The degree of vascularization during embryonic development is also influenced by the rate of myocardial growth. These factors may be important in the understanding of myocardial development with defects such as coarctation of the aorta, aortic stenosis, and interrupted aortic arch. We hypothesized that experimentally increased hemodynamic stress by conotrucal constriction dur-ing early heart development would result in a remodeling of the arterial wall. The outflow tract of a stage- 21 ( 3?- d) chick embryo was constricted with a loop of 10- 0 nylon suture; and the embryo was returned to the incubator until stage 34 ( 8- d). Normal embryos were unoperated. The heart was perfusion- fixed in dias-tole with 4% paraformaldehyde and 0.025 Ìg/ Kg diltiazen. The internal carotid arteries were examined with H& E sections, and rhodamin- phalloidin staining under confocal microscopy. Morphometric analysis was ana-lyzed using SigmaScan Pro software, and filament- actin alignment and density were quantitated by cus-tomized MatLab. Data are presented as mean SEM ( n 7), and analyzed by ANOVA. The vascular walls in both left and right internal carotid arteries in the embryos with conotruncal constriction are thinner when com-pared to the arteries of the normal embryo ( p< 0.05). Internal Carotid Artery Left ( Normal Heart) Right ( Normal Heart) Left ( Constricted Heart) Right ( Constricted Heart) Wall Thickness, mm 0.16+ 0.03 0.15+ 0.03 0.10+ 0.02 0.09+ 0.02 X- section Area, mm2 0.46+ 0.05 0.45+ 0.04 1.24+ 0.11 0.97+ 0.07 Actin, Alignment Index 2.33+ 0.33 2.04+ 0.46 0.85+ 0.13 1.09+ 0.21 Actin, Density Index 986 + 93 886+ 72 622 + 48 597 + 42 Unlike the normal embryo, the left and right arteries display dilation and increase in size ( p< 0.05). Vasculature in the constricted heart has lower alignment and density indices indicating that the filament-actin loses the conformity in alignment and is less dense when compared to normal embryo ( p< 0.05). Altered growth in heart caused by altered hemodynamics results secondarily in abnormal development result of abnormal vascular architecture. Kirby R. Farnsworth1 ( Norman Hu) 1,2 1Department of Pediatrics, and 2Primary Children's Medical Center University of Utah Dynamics of Internal Carotid Artery Development with the Conotruncal Constricted Heart in Chick Embryo Norman Hu Kirby R. Farnsworth THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 25 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Introduction: Atrial fibrillation ( AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia that is a significant contributor to patient morbidity and mortality. Recent technical innovations have led to better understanding of AF by the use of delayed enhancement MRI ( DE- MRI) to visualize low voltage regions in the left atria ( LA) where AF circuits tend to propagate. There are two methods that allow MRI images of the LA to be visualized in three- dimensional ( 3D) models. One method requires " sculpting" the volume of the LA out of a 3D maxi-mum intensity projection, while the other requires " painting" the LA. Both methods are time consuming and subjective, allowing the possibility of inaccuracies. The open source software package Seg3D offers image processing and segmentation based on the Insight Toolkit filters. By combining several filters, a semi- auto-mated method of quickly segmenting the LA from DE- MRIs has been obtained. Methods: The DE- MRI scan was loaded into Seg3D 1.9.0.5 and windowed to fit the LA and bases of the four pulmonary veins ( fig. 1a). In order to increase uniformity in the LA and blood pool, the volume was blurred using a Gaussian filter ( fig. 1b). A mask was then created on the blurred volume using the Otsu filter ( fig. 1c), then applied to the blurred volume to create a new volume containing only the masked selection ( fig. 1d). A pixel intensity threshold filter was applied to the volume by creating a seed mask that consisted of six LA tracings on key slices ( fig. 1e). The resulting mask ( fig. 1f ) was inspected for accuracy and adjusted as need-ed using the brush tool, then constructed into a 3D model of the LA ( fig. 1g- 1i). Results: Using the methods described, accurate representations of the LA were produced in less time than hand segmentations and the LA painting methods. These 3D models were inspected slice by slice to evalu-ate accurate representation of the LA. Conclusion: When using the workflow described above, Seg3D can be used to quickly and accurately seg-ment a volume model of the LA from a DE- MRI scan. The results of semi- automatic segmentation of the LA show great promise to visualize the enhancement of the LA. Eric Fish ( Nassir F. Marrouche M. D.) Division of Cardiology, School of Medicine University of Utah Semi- Automatic Segmentation of the Left Atrium from Delayed Enhancement MRI Figure 1: The steps required to segment the LA from DE- MRI scans ( 1a- 1f ) and three views of the 3D segmentation model ( 1g- 1i). Nassir F. Marrouche Eric Fish 26 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Method to Continuously Record Internal Port- A- Cath System Pressure During High Flow Mechanical Injection Prior to this study, only maximum pressures during port- a- cath system injection could be determined using available test methods. This limited understanding of system and material properties. The purpose of this study was to develop a computerized method to continuously measure pressure produced within a port- a-cath system during high flow mechanical power injection and to determine functional filtering and sam-pling rate settings. Port- a- cath systems consist of a medical port attached to a vascular catheter. The sys-tem is implanted subcutaneously below the collarbone, and the catheter is inserted into either the sub- cla-vian or jugular vein. Port- a- caths are used to provide long- term vascular access in order to administer med-ications, such as chemotheraphy, draw blood samples, and inject contrast media for computed tomography imaging. This new method for measuring pressures continuously was developed using National Instruments Data Acquisition hardware and LabVIEW software. It was determined that a 1 kHz sampling rate and a LabVIEW moving average filter with a rectangular half width of 10 were the most appropriate set-tings for data acquisition. Furthermore, this new test method enabled the determination of characteristic differences between polyurethane and silicone catheter pressure versus time relationships. The more com-plete understanding of port- a- cath system properties made possible with the advent of this novel pressure recording system will assist in improving future device design and product safety. Samual Francis ( Kelly Broadhead) Department of Bioengineering Samual Francis University of Utah Kelly Broadhead THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 27 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Research has shown that in a classroom setting, a student's sense of belonging, as well as academic success and intrinsic motivation ( interest) are associated with an instructor's encouragement of class participation ( e. g. Freeman, Anderman & Jensen 2007). We decided to explore if class participation via online discussion boards for online classes shows the same associations, and whether this differed as a function of the extent to which individuals characteristically define themselves in terms of their relationships with others ( interper-sonal orientation). College students in an online Social Psychology class were required to post topics of discussion on the online discussion board once per week during the course of the semester. They were also required to respond to another student's postings once per week, but there was no upper limit on how many times they could post per week. For students who wished to participate in the study ( n= 32), a survey was com-pleted at the end of the course which included questions about their interest in the class and the topic, if they felt a sense of belonging in the class, as well as a measure of interpersonal orientation ( RISC scale; Cross, Bacon & Morris, 2000). The relationships between students' posting behaviors and their motivation depended on individual differ-ences in interpersonal orientation. Interestingly, the strongest differences were seen not in terms of how many times a student posted, but in terms of how often other students responded to them. For individuals characteristically higher in interpersonal orientation, the number of times that other students responded to their posts was positively related to how interesting they found the class, as well as to their sense of belong-ing. In contrast, for individuals lower in interpersonal orientation, these same relationships were not signifi-cant. Importantly, for individuals higher in RISC ( but not for those lower), the sense of belonging also tend-ed to predict higher final grades in the class. These results suggest that the social context of learning can be important even when the social context is virtual. Tamra A. Fraughton, Yoshiro William Karino, Crystal Huddleston, Heather Bowers, Doug J. Chesley ( Carol Sansone) Department of Psychology University of Utah Online Class Discussion Boards: Exploring the Role of Web- based Interactions For Regulating Motivation and Interest Crystal Huddleston Tamra A. Fraughton Doug J. Chesley Heather Bowers Yoshiro William Karino Carol Sansone UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 28 Entropic Analysis of Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio Jim Gaines ( Neal Patwari) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Utah The rapid proliferation of wireless communications has brought many exciting new technologies that require ever more spectrum. As the use of wireless technology has increased, spectrum allocation has become increasingly expensive [ 1]. A recent FCC study [ 2] noted that spectrum utilization exhibits large spatial- temporal variances. These variances can be exploited by allowing secondary users unobtrusive access to any channel experiencing negligible primary user ( PU) activity; thus enabling even more wireless devices to use the crowded spectrum. For example, cellular bands might exhibit different use between the business day and the weekend, just as they might vary from Salt Lake City to Green River. Hence a secondary user might utilize these less active bands, provided a tolerant level of PU interference could be ensured. Essentially just a radio and spectrum analyzer defined in software and driven by a decision algorithm, cognitive radio is expected to be the key enabling technology for this method of intelligent spectrum access [ 3]. As primary user activity is not spatially localized, a collaborative measure amongst multiple cognitive radio nodes has been suggested as a more accurate metric of activity [ 4]. The only caveat here being the loss of bandwidth due to the required control channel. As PU activity is non- deterministic in nature, the entropy of the control channel is a valid model of this lost bandwidth. If this loss is higher than the available band-width, the feasibility of this approach would be put to question. The widely held hypothesis that PU activity is Markovian in nature appeared to be the first obvious model to scrutinize. That is, if PU activity is indeed Markovian, the lost bandwidth could easily be measured. An ISM band spectrum analyzer was created in GNU Radio and a large sample set of PU activity recorded to chal-lenge this hypothesis. Upon further statistical analysis, we plan to present our findings at the forthcoming UROP Symposium. [ 1] Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, " Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act", Report to Congress on Agency Plans for Spectrum Relocation Funds, Feb., 2007. [ 2] FCC, ET Docket No 03- 222 Notice of proposed rule making and order, Dec. 2003. [ 3] S. Haykin, " Cognitive Radio: Brain- Empowered Wireless Communications", Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 23, No. 2, Feb. 2002 [ 4] A. Ghasemi, E. S. Sousa," Collaborative Spectrum Sensing for Opportunistic Access in Fading Environments," Proc. Symposium on Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks, Nov. 2005 Jim Gaines Neal Patwari THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 29 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Background In cardiology the gold standard method for measuring pulmonary artery pressure is right sided heart catheterization. Being able to measure this pulmonary pressure is a very important piece of information for the management of many cardiac and pulmonary diseases. Right side heart catheterization is an invasive procedure and expensive as well. There is research evidence that acoustic cardiography can estimate the pulmonary artery pressure. This method, if proven accurate, would be a good, cheap and noninvasive alter-native to right sided heart catheterization in many settings. Methods The method being utilized includes simultaneous recordings of the patients' electrocardiogram ( EKG) and their heart sounds immediately before their right sided heart catheterization is done. The heart sounds are captured through the use of the Audicor machine ( Inovise Inc. Portland, OR). Certain features of the second heart sound will be analyzed and then through the use of an equation, pulmonary artery pressure can be calculated and correlated with the actual pulmonary artery pressure measured during the catheterization. Results The results of this research are still pending. Currently the study is ongoing as we are at patient number fif-teen out of our study plan to enroll fifty subjects. Conclusions Conclusions are pending the analysis of the results of this study. Mariana Galvan, Alan Garcia, Brittany Garza ( Andrew Michaels) Department of Cardiology University of Utah Pulmonary Pressure Estimation Study Alan Garcia Mariana Galvan Brittany Garza Andrew Michaels 30 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Scale Up of a Chemically Modified Dextran Compound for use in the Prevention of Acute Exacerbation of Asthma Nathan Gooch ( Lisa Graham) Department of Bioengineering University of Utah The successful scale up of a Dextran- 10- Propionate- Succinate synthesis was evaluated through the use of two reactors. The computer programs Solidworks, Gambit, and Fluent were also used to predict synthesis conditions within the reactors. This study examines the laboratory results and the computer generated data to determine the ability to successfully perform a synthesis reaction in a six liter reactor. Careful considera-tion needed to be taken in order to ensure correct dextran substrate addition and, in turn, correct synthesis. Through the use of the three listed programs, three dimensional meshes of the two reactors were created, and in turn, used to simulate reaction conditions and verify that the proposed scale up was indeed feasible. The outcome of this study shows that the compound Dextran- 10- Propionate- Succinate can be successfully synthesized in a six liter reactor. This result indicates that the compound can be effectively mass produced. Nathan Gooch Lisa Graham THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 31 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Tahar Ben Jelloun is a renowned French author of Moroccan origin. In his novel The Sand Child ( 1985), the father of seven girls decided that his eighth child would be a boy even if it was a girl. The protagonist lives his life as a man trapped in a woman's body. Throughout the novel, he ( biologically a woman) observes the oppressive condition of the women in his family and he claims that the Qur'an is the source of women's repression. Fatima Mernissi, a Moroccan sociologist, upholds this view in her book Beyond the Veil: Male- Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society. She goes as far as to compare the relationship between men and women in Islam as a master- slave relationship and to claim that the Qur'an preferred men over women. On the other hand, Muhammad Abdul Rauf, an Egyptian Islamic scholar, argues in his book The Islamic View of Women and the Family that " The first steps towards true equality for women were made by Islam." Asghar Ali Engineer, an Indian Islamic scholar, states in his book The Rights of Women in Islam that women's rights in Islam appear in the true Qur'anic spirit but that" there has been much deviation from this spirit in prac-tice." For my research on women's rights in the Qur'an, I have reread meticulously key verses of the Qur'an with the help of theoretical/ scholarly texts. I have found that many interpretations of the text have been removed from its original meaning. These interpretations have been influenced by local customs which translated in practice into some prejudiced positions toward women. Or as Amina Wadud, an African American scholar, states in her book Qur'an and Woman, " These interpretations justify the restriction placed on the woman's right to pursue personal happiness within the context of Islam." Finally I argue that the dete-riorating condition of women's status in some Muslim countries today is the direct result of the remnants of pre- Islamic prejudice in local customs held against them, and not as is too often claimed as coming from the Qur'an. I will support my argument by analyzing the marriage contract, inheritance laws and women's rights in general as they appear in the Qur'an. Khadija G Guet ( Thérèse De Raedt) Department of French University of Utah In Search of Women's Rights in the Qur'an Khadija G. Guet 32 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Engineering Conopeptide- Based Therapeutics for the Treatment of Pain Tiffany Han ( Grzegorz Bulaj, Baldomero M. Olivera) Department of Biology University of Utah Venomous marine cone snails provide many drugs to treat neurological disorders, such as pain or epilepsy. Their venoms comprise of conopeptides, or peptide- based neurotoxins, that interact with ion channels and receptors in the nervous system. We recently discovered that one group of conopeptides, called μ- conotox-ins, block sodium channels and exert potent analgesic effects in animal pain models. This research is focused on engineering these conopeptides as future therapeutics for the treatment of neuropathic pain. One peptide drug design strategy is to minimize the structure of the peptide without affecting its biological activity. We designed three simplified analogs of Ì- conotoxin KIIIA, in which each of the three disulfide-bridges is removed. We call these analogs, KIIIA [ 1- 4Ala], KIIIA [ 2- 5Ala], and KIIIA [ 3- 6Ala]. We chemically syn-thesized and purified the peptides, followed by a two- step oxidative folding procedure to subsequently form two disulfide bridges. Preliminary results suggest that the synthetic analogs of KIIIA are active as block-ers of mammalian sodium channels. In particular, the KIIIA [ 1- 4Ala] analog exhibits characteristics of the native peptide. Ongoing studies include more in- depth functional and structural characterization of these analogs, including potential analgesic activity to treat pain. We aim to provide an efficient strategy to mini-mize conotoxin without compromising their biological activity. This strategy will be useful in generating conopeptide- based therapeutics for neurological disorders. Tiffany Han Grzegorz Bulaj THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 33 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ( CFS) and Fibromyalgia Sundrome ( FMS) are disorders whose pathophysiologies and etiologies remain unclear and for which defined treatments do not exist for many patients affected with the debilitating conditions. Our lab, directed by Dr. Alan Light, has hypothesized that a dysregulation of one or a group of molecular receptors results in the symptoms of CFS and FMS. Our lab has shown a relationship between ASIC3, TRPV1, P2X4, and P2X5 receptors using fluorescent calcium imaging of cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons ( DRG). By using DRG neurons isolated from C57- black mice, we tested a standard series of simultaneously changing concentrations of protons, ATP, and lactate ( metabolites) on normal C57- black mice and also ASIC3 knockout and TRPV1 knockout mice, both derived from a C57- black background. Additionally, some mice had their hind limb muscles injected with Di- I to retrogradedly label those DRG neurons innervating the injected muscles. Further, we used selective antagonist compounds to determine the relationships between the four molecular receptors found on DRG neurons. Through the calcium imag-ing experiments we found a synergistic relationship between the receptors at various metabolite levels that are thought to occur at different levels of exercise. Furthermore the real- time PCR analysis of mRNA levels found within leukocytes of human CFS and FMS patients before and up to 48 hours following exercise sug-gest that the cells are dramatically changing the levels of some of these receptors. A disruption of the syner-gy of these molecular receptors may result in the symptoms of CFS and FMS. Dysregulation of the expres-sion and/ or activity of these receptors through unknown mechanisms may be one cause of these syn-dromes. Shane Hawthorne, Cody Larson ( Alan Light M. D., Ron Hughen) Department of Anesthesiology University of Utah Analysis of ATP and Acid Sensing Receptors in Mouse DRGS and Human Leukocytes Yields Insight into the Possible Causes of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndromes Shane Hawthorne Cody Larson Alan Light Ron Hughen 34 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Measurement of Interstitial Pressures Utilizing a Microminiature Pressure Probe Austin Hill ( Robert Hitchcock) Department of Bioengineering University of Utah Interstitial pressures regulate, and are part of exercise physiology, muscle perfusion recovery and compart-ment syndrome. Additional understanding of how interstitial pressures regulate and effect these processes, could lead to more effective diagnosis of the approximate 200,000 annual incidences of compartment syn-drome in the US. The goal of this project was to study interstitial muscle pressures as a function of contrac-tile force in living tissue. The study compared generated pressures to muscle con- tractile forces at controlled stimulation intensities. We hypothesized that the slope of a pressure / force curve, generated from contract-ing muscle tissue would approach zero as the force reached a maximum. In order to compare interstitial pressures and contractile forces, we developed a custom pres- sure sensitive probe which was characterized for performance parameters including: sensitivity, offset and linearity. A completed device is shown in figure 1, and the characterization is shown in figures 2, 3 and 4. Figure 1 Pressure sensitive microchip shown on left and completed probe shown on the right. The chip measures 2.6mm in length and the probe measures 8mm in length. Figure 3 This plot shows the probe's ability to produce the same output with both in- creasing and decreasing pressures Figure 2 This plot shows the sensitivity of the probe to pressure change and demonstrates the linear relationship to changes in pressure Austin Hill Robert Hitchcock THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 35 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Figure 4 The probe's precision is shown by repeated trials under defined conditions as illustrated by the repeatability plot . The probe was placed in living tissue acquired from adult bull frogs. The probe was inserted in the gastroc-nemius muscle of the leg orthogonal to muscle fibers and the muscle was contracted at in- creasing specific intensities, generating tetanus. This provided a pressure versus force curve necessary to compare interstitial pressures to contractile forces. This experiment was performed under approval of the Institute of Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, protocol number 07- 08017. Experimental data demonstrates a different relationship than hypothesized. The results show an increasing pressure with force. The pressures also surpass 16 mmHg, the mean arterial blood pressure for adult bull frogs. It has been found that treating patients for compartment syndrome based on intramuscular pressures alone can cause undue risk to the patient. Understanding that inter- stitial pressures during muscle contrac-tion increase with increasing contractile force and that they can greatly surpass average arterial pressures may lead to a new clinical insight that will allow for more accurate diagnosis of compartment syndrome. Figure 5 Average individual results of three frogs with error (+ SEM). 36 In 1967 a fascinating hoax was perpetrated at the University of Utah, when a highly anticipated lecture by Andy Warhol was in fact delivered by a look- alike actor performing as Warhol. Uncovered and acknowl-edged only weeks later upon suspicion from students and faculty, the hoax caused a scandal at the University. The fake had in fact been sanctioned by Warhol's representatives and sent on a mini tour of col-lege campuses in the western states. Although the event has lingered well below the surface of University lore for decades, it has received little scholarly attention in the history of Warhol and Pop Art. Through detailed archival and interviews, I have solidified the circumstances of the event and developed new insights into its relevance for the history and criticism of Warhol and the representation of Pop Art in Utah. A fuller reconstruction of the events around the hoax enables a richer understanding of Warhol's construction of a distinct celebrity persona as its own artistic creation and helps to better understand Warhol's significance within avant- garde practices of the 1960s. Scotti A. Hill ( Paul Paret) Department of Art and Art History University of Utah UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Andy Warhol's Utah Hoax: Pop Art Identity and the Aesthetics of Indifference Scotti A. Hill Paul Paret THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 37 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Newts have an ability to regenerate limbs, spinal cord, portions of retina, and heart. This regenerative ability is possible because newt cells can undergo dedifferentiation. Research is being done in the Odelberg lab to determine which genes are up or down regulated during a variety of regenerative processes. Genes that are determined to be up or down regulated by microarray analysis are tested by real- time RT-PCR ( reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction) to confirm their differential expression. Using real- time RT- PCR, it is possible to determine the degree of up or down regulation of a particular gene by comparing the number of amplified products from the regeneration samples to the number in the intact samples following each cycle of PCR. By analyzing gene expression between regenerating and intact tissues from several different regenerating newt tissues and structures, we are working to identify genes that are similarly up or down regulated in all tissues during regeneration. Data is currently being collected in this project and is expected to be complete by spring/ summer 2007. William Hoang ( Shannon Odelberg, David Kent) Department of Cardiology University of Utah Regenerative Processes in Newts William Hoang Shannon Odelberg David Kent 38 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 An Analysis of Ceylon, a Zebrafish Mutant with Immunodeficiency Daniel Hu ( Sarah Hutchinson, Nikolaus Trede) Department of Oncology, Huntsman Cancer Institute University of Utah Understanding the developmental underpinnings of the immune system is essential to comprehend how defects in this process leads to disease. T cells are a crucial part of the adaptive immune response and per-turbation of T cell development leads to illnesses such as leukemia and immunodeficiency. To understand how defects in T cell development result in disease, we focus our analysis on ceylon, a zebra fish mutant that lacks T cells. Using mRNA in situ hybridization, our goal is to observe where and when genes labeling hematopoetic cells are expressed and how this is altered in ceylon mutants. Our data shows that ceylon mutants have a severe decrease of T cells. In addition, late hematopoetic stem cells ( HSCs) are severely reduced despite the fact that early HSCs are normal. These data suggest that a defect in late HSC develop-ment in ceylon mutants may cause the loss of T cells. Based on our observation of normal early definitive HSCs, our hypothesis is that there is a defect specifically in the niche required for late HSC proliferation and/ or survival, causing the loss of late HSCs. Currently, we are analyzing ceylon for defects in other non-hematopoetic organs and are studying cell proliferation and cell death within the late HSC niche to identify the cause of late HSC and T cell loss. Furthermore, we are employing a positional cloning approach to iden-tify the genetic lesion that causes these defects. The data from our study will lead to important insights into the cause and mechanism of immunodeficiency and other related diseases. Daniel Hu Sarah Hutchinson Nikolaus Trede THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 39 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS In type 2 diabetes, mitochondrial uncoupling occurs in the heart and may contribute to cardiac contractile dysfunction. This uncoupling can be induced by subjecting these hearts to high concentrations of fatty acids which activate myocardial uncoupling proteins, a process that is likely mediated by increased ROS pro-duction. While both type 1 and type 2 diabetic hearts have similarly increased serum fatty acid concentra-tions, similarly increased myocardial fatty acid utilization, and exhibit contractile dysfunction, it is unknown if mitochondrial uncoupling may also contribute to cardiac contractile dysfunction in type 1 diabetes. Here, we investigated if cardiac mitochondrial uncoupling occurs in insulin- deficient type 1 diabetic Akita mice. Glutamate- supported ADP- stimulated mitochondrial oxygen consumption ( 14.3± 0.4 versus 18.7± 1.0 nmolO2/ min/ mg wet weight; p< 0.05) and ATP synthesis ( 26.4± 1.9 versus 33.2± 3.0; p< 0.05) were decreased in saponin permeabilized cardiac fibers of Akita hearts. However, ATP/ O ratios, and mitochondrial respiration in the presence of the ATP synthase inhibitor oligomycin, were not different to wildtypes. Even Langendorff preperfusion of Akita hearts with high concentrations of palmitate ( 1mM) was not sufficient to induce mito-chondrial uncoupling in permeabilized fibers ( ATP/ O: 1.9± 0.2 versus 2.0± 0.4; n. s.), despite a 2- fold increase in uncoupling protein 3 ( UCP3) expression. Interestingly, superoxide production of isolated mitochondria was not increased but instead significantly reduced in Akita mice ( 22.5± 2.5 versus 32.3± 2.6 pmol/ mg/ s; p< 0.05), and mitochondrial aconitase activity was unchanged in Akita. Thus, insulin- deficient Akita mice do not develop fatty acid induced mitochondrial uncoupling, suggesting that mitochondrial function may impor-tantly differ between insulin- responsive type 1 versus insulin resistant type 2 diabetic hearts. Increased UCP3 levels do not automatically lead to increased mitochondrial uncoupling in the heart, supporting the hypoth-esis that fatty acid induced mitochondrial uncoupling in diabetic hearts requires a concomitant increase in ROS generation. Xiaoxuan Hu, Heiko Bugger, ( E. Dale Abel) Human Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes University of Utah Preserved Mitochondrial Coupling Despite Increased Uncoupling Protein 3 Abundance in Type 1 Diabetic Akita Mouse Hearts Xiaoxuan Hu E. Dale Abel 40 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Ronald McDonald House Project Layla M. Ismail ( Bonnie Billings, Carolyn Bliss) Ronald McDonald House Charity, Health Sciences LEAP University of Utah Needs Assessment: The Ronald McDonald House Charity children come to Salt Lake City from surrounding states for medial help. Questionnaires were developed that focus on how the residents perceive the service they are receiv-ing and ways to improve. Process: Questionnaire topics included stress management, recreational and nutrition needs. Residents were given questionnaires for a month as they check- in. Data was analyzed. In general people were highly satisfied with service received at the house. This required a change in the mindset of researchers. Little could be done to improve the service at the RMH, however, the need developed to improve the relations between residents and professions such as counselors who are assigned to help the families. Findings: Biggest need included ways to find resources close to RMH i. e. reasonably priced quality day- care, guide to restaurants, map outlining surrounding resources, and nutritional counseling. The highest concern is emo-tional care of the residents. Social workers at Primary children elucidate that parents seldom took advantage of available resources. When asked if they needed emotional support, most parents declined the offer and often took offense. Reason being the stigma people have to receiving emotional help. Many parents hold the view that social workers would delve deeply into the family dynamics and provoke feelings of guilt. Possible Solutions: Training program for emotional counselors could help overcome the opinion that many hold. This has been initiated in many medical facilities. Brochure could help residents overcome their fear and depict the coun-selors as compassionate people for the family. Conclusion: All of these areas for improvements have been started. Full implementation requires sometime to accom-plish. RMH appears to be functioning effectively and to be eager to improve their services in any way possible. Layla M. Ismail Bonnie Billings THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 41 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Only 2- 3% of a commercial building's lifetime cost ( LC) is incurred upfront during construction . For a mod-est increase of 0.05% LC, there can be a substantial positive return on investment ( ROI) in personnel 90% LC and in operations/ maintenance 8% LC, and effectuate a positive environmental impact. If the payback seems so apparent, then why aren't tenants demanding productivity enhancing office space, asset man-agers investing in energy reducing designs, and government agencies enacting policy to mitigate the net environmental impact of commercial structures? Constructing a new building or refurbishing an existing building using principles that address each of these three questions is known as building " green", or green building. While green building is gaining some popu-larity with tenants, property managers, and government entities; it remains overlooked in the majority of construction ventures. It was the aim of this honors thesis to examine: What defines a product, practice, or plan as being " green"? One of the greatest difficulties of green building is determining what items and actions have a positive value in terms of occupancy enhancements, decreased energy costs, or ecology . This research attempted to outline the current value rating systems, their short- comings, and various proposed solutions. Which green principles have a positive ROI and which green principles have the potential to become so? Since an income producing building is not valued singularly by its worth as an asset , any increase in con-struction or improvement costs must be passed through to the tenant. This creates a " premium conundrum" which ultimately then becomes a question of ROI. This research has attempted to focus on general building principles rather then individual practices, and discover those which can currently withstand the tenancy premium, and those which have the potential to do so through: frequency, technology, or policy. Who holds the key to unlocking the standardized use of green building in commercial structures? The traditional approach for marketing green principles focuses on a push strategy targeted at building owners/ developers . This research attempts to demonstrate that such an approach, although aimed at the design stage of a project, fails to adequately incorporate the true decision makers, the tenants. Stephen L. Jeffries ( Calvin M. Boardman) Department of Finance University of Utah Green Building: Unlocking the Potential of the Sustainability Movement 1 Lifetime of 30 years - for comparability purposes, this figure does not include the sustainable idea of extending a building's lifespan, which would even further reduce the upfront costs. 2 Every building project is different, but the most quoted construction premium is 2%, ( typical ranges are: 0% - 5%) 3 Life cycle analysis compares the net environmental performance of products and services. A fair, holistic analysis requires the assessment of raw material collection, manufacturing, transportation, usage and disposal. 4 Due to the scope of this project, an exhaustive list of qualifying green principles wasn't attempted. 5 Buildings are actually a significant tax shelter, for they are written as a depreciating asset, even as their market value may appreciate. 6 Focus has been placed on educating owners/ developers and having them sell, or push, the idea on the prospective tenants. Stephen L. Jeffries Calvin M. Boardman 42 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Investigations to Improved Precision of Glycated Albumin Measurements in Human Serum Hanna Jenkins ( David G. Grenache) Department of Special Chemistry ARUP Laboratories Background: Glycated albumin is a useful tool in monitoring the average blood glucose concentrations in patients with diabetes mellitus as an indicator of overall diabetic control. The quantitation of glycated albu-min in serum is based on the separation of glycated and non- glycated albumin by affinity chromatography assay followed by immunochemical measurement of albumin in the bound ( glycated) and non- bound ( non- glycated) fractions. The half- life of albumin is approximately 20 days and so the test is clinically useful as a short- term ( 2- 3 weeks) marker of glucose control and is more sensitive to short- term alterations in the average blood glucose concentration than glycated hemoglobin. However, the analytical technique is com-promised by a high degree of imprecision. Both quality control and patient- based data demonstrate a high coefficient of variation ( CV) that is often > 20%. The aim of this study was to improve the precision of the glycated albumin assay by modifying the methodology to 1) determine the mean result from duplicate measurements and 2) determine the total albumin concentration from a single measurement of albumin rather than use the sum of two ( bound and non- bound) albumin measurements. The effects of column lot-to- lot variation were also investigated. Methods: Five pools of human serum were made from residual specimens sent to ARUP Laboratories for clinical testing. The pools were targeted to span a concentration range of glycated albumin that is frequent-ly encountered in clinical practice ( 0.5- 7.0%). Pools were aliquoted and stored at - 20° C until testing. Glycated albumin was separated from non- glycated albumin using GLYCO- Tek borate affinity chromatogra-phy columns ( Helena Laboratories Corp., Beaumont, TX) and the concentration of albumin in the bound and non- bound fractions was determined by immunoturbidimetry on a Hitachi 912 chemistry analyzer ( Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN). Glycated albumin was calculated as: bound ( glycated) albumin/ total albumin and expressed as a percentage. To test the prediction that an average of two measurements would produce a more accurate measurement, affinity chromatography was performed in duplicate and the albumin con-centrations were determined in each sample. To test the prediction that a single determination of the total albumin concentration for use in the denominator would produce a more accurate measurement, serum was diluted with deionized water by a factor of 200 and 400 and the concentration of albumin was deter-mined. To assess the possibility that different lot numbers of affinity columns could be a source of impreci-sion, experiments using three different lot numbers of columns were performed. Results: Duplicate testing resulted in a slight increase in the CV. Compared to singlicate testing ( average CV of 11.63%), duplicate testing produced an average CV of 12.57%. Calculating the percentage of glycated albumin using a single determination of total albumin also did not improve precision. A 1: 200 dilution of serum produced an average CV of 25.11% and a 1: 400 dilution of serum produced an average CV of 25.53%. As stated above, the traditional method produced an average CV of 11.63%. Lastly, lot- to- lot variation in the affinity columns did not seem to be a source of significant variation as the resulting average CV from lots 107, 407, and 507 were 13.13%, 9.43%, 10.98%, respectively. Conclusions: These data suggest that no substantial improvement to precision can be made using the mod-ifications investigated in this study. Interestingly, results from the traditional method of testing produced a much lower CV during this study than has been observed using past performance data. In this study, the average CV was 11.63%, which is an improvement from a historical CV of > 20%. The cause of the historical imprecision remains undetermined, however, there are still investigations that can be done to explore this matter. Specifically, one aspect that was not investigated in this study is to test the effect that column stor-age conditions have on column performance. This could be accomplished by performing the assay with columns subjected to diverse storage conditions. The GLYCO- Tek affinity chromatography columns require specific storage conditions and it is possible that these conditions have not been consistently met. Hanna Jenkins David G. Grenache THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 43 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Chronic fatigue syndrome ( CFS) is a disorder characterized by severe persistent fatigue lasting at least 6 months. A similar often co- morbid syndrome, Fibromyalgia ( FMS) is defined by chronic widespread pain, accompanied by multiple tender points. This study examines alterations in peripheral molecular receptors that mediate pain and fatigue in patients with CFS and FMS. During strenuous exercise in normal subjects, increasing [ H+] and [ ATP] appears to cause increases in acid sensing ion ( ASIC) and P2X channels. Pro- inflammatory cytokines ( IL1ß, IL2r, IL6, IL13 & TNF · ) and adrenergic receptors are also increased in these conditions. These receptors, among others, are responsible for the delayed pain and fatigue felt following exercise, so called delayed- onset muscle soreness ( DOMS). It is possi-ble that these receptors are chronically dysregulated in CFS/ FMS patients causing the persistent fatigue and pain. CFS/ FMS patients and similarly matched, healthy controls will be tested to determine receptor and cytokine mRNA expression. Following an established exercise protocol, 5 blood samples drawn before, and 30 min-utes, 8 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours post- exercise will be taken. RNA will be extracted from leukocytes from these samples will be converted to cDNA with a reverse transcriptase ( RT) reaction. Real- Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ( RT- PCR) will be used to quantify the amounts of mRNA of the receptors and cytokines. These assays will determine whether CFS/ FMS patients differ from Controls in initial levels and in relative changes in receptor and cytokine mRNA in response to physical exertion. Initial data indicates that CFS/ FMS patients show a higher expression of P2X, adrenergic and cytokine recep-tors than controls, 48 hours following exercise. These increases in mRNA, if related to increased sensitivity of molecular receptors, may explain the enhanced pain and fatigue in CFS/ FMS patients. Knowing which receptors and cytokines are involved may lead to new treatments for these conditions. Ben Jensen ( Alan Light MD, Ron Hughen) Department of Anesthesiology University of Utah Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Syndrome Patients, Exercise and Receptor Expression Changes Ben Jensen Alan Light Ron Hughen 44 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Microarchaeology and Site Usage in Prehistoric Anatolia Reilly Jensen ( Bradley Parker) Department of History/ Middle East Studies University of Utah The Ubaid period site of Kenan Tepe in south- eastern Turkey is invaluable to archaeologists interested in pre-historic site- structures across the Middle East. In order to better examine the information contained within Kenan Tepe's 300 years of occupation, the method of microarchaeology is applied to the site's excavated soil and surface samples. Microarchaeology often yields subtle information about the contents and artifacts of a site ( lithics, ceramics, bone, shell) which traditional excavation techniques cannot gauge. Traditional excava-tion overlooks very small artifacts that are difficult to examine visually in the field. Microarchaeology can be effectively utilized to hypothesize elements of ancient lifeways such as site usage because it allows archaeol-ogists to examine small artifacts in their primary contexts. Larger artifacts are often cleaned up or discarded away from the location in which they were utilized, forming a midden, or trashdump. Because smaller arti-facts are easier to overlook and more difficult to get rid of, especially once they've been trampled into a work surface, they are more likely to be left at the location in which they were utilized or made. The field of microarchaeology is devoted to the study of these so called microartifacts. Microartifacts found within a site tend to remain in a primary context; that is to say, due to their miniscule size, they are more likely to be found at their places of everyday use. Macroartifacts are more likely to be found within secondary or tertiary contexts where they were likely discarded. Thus microarchaeology is able to reveal clues regarding site usage on a smaller, but no less important scale. Employing the techniques of microarchaeology to a specific area of Kenan Tepe, I have examined the archaeological evidence in several samples contained within trench E- 2 of the site, which is particularly rich with artifacts. Through careful analysis and recording of these material samples, I am able to hypothesize what activities took place at this particular location of Kenan Tepe and shed light on individual lifeways and patterns of village life during the Ubaid period. Reilly Jensen Bradley Parker THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 45 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Bent and Bradlow ( 2002) investigated whether the interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit ( the ISIB; the idea that two non- native speakers/ listeners of a language can possibly have a higher level of intelligibility than with a native speaker/ listener, or vice- versa), can be observed for matched native languages and/ or mismatched native languages. They found that ( a) for native listeners of English, the intelligibility of other native speakers was higher than with any of the non- native speakers, ( b) for non- native listeners of English, intelligibility of a high- proficiency non- native speaker from the same native language background was equal to the native English speaker ( the " matched" ISIB), and ( c) for non- native listeners of English, intelligibility of a high- proficiency non- native speaker from a different native language background was equal to or higher than the native speakers of English ( the " mismatched" ISIB) . The present research further explores the ISIB. Similar research is being done with native speakers of Mandarin Chinese and native speakers of German who are also English speakers. In this study, focused on Bosnian- accented English, we would like to answer two questions in particular: 1. What is the relative intelligibility of Bosnian- accented English speech to native English and native Bosnian listeners? 2. How is the intelligibility of Bosnian- accented English speech mediated by the English language proficiency levels of the speakers and listeners? The participants in our study are native Bosnian speakers/ listeners and native English speakers/ listeners. The study is currently in progress. We have recorded native Bosnian speakers and Native English speakers producing a set of intelligibility stimuli that include minimal pairs such as ‘ green' and ‘ grin', ‘ feet' and ‘ fit', and ‘ taste' and ‘ test,' and a pre- written paragraph that will be used for the accentedness- rating task in our study. We are beginning the listening tasks where native English speakers and native Bosnian speakers will give information on the intelligibility and the accentedness of the recorded stimuli they hear. Jamie Johnson ( Rachel Hayes- Harb) Department of Linguistics University of Utah Intelligibility of Bosnian- Accented English Speech 46 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Regulation of Development of Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes from Hematopoietic Stem Cells David E. Jones ( Rosemary Gray) Department of Biology University of Utah The objective of this research is to silence genes coding for mammalian target of rapamycin ( mTOR) path-way components, with 4E binding protein 1 ( 4EBP1) being the first candidate and protein of interest in this study. Also this research focuses on determining the optimum delivery method for small interfering ribonu-cleic acids ( siRNAs) for silencing of target genes in differentiated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes ( PMNs). To accomplish examining the mTOR pathway, the transfection method of electroporation was selected due to successful transfection experiments involving green fluorescent protein ( GFP) in non- termi-nally differentiated PMNs. PMNs that were differentiated from hematopoietic stem cells from human umbili-cal cord blood were transfected via electroporation at different time points during their development and differentiation. These experiments resulted in high transfection efficiency and cell viability following trans-fection in each time point except the terminally differentiated PMNs. The results from these studies indicate that it is possible to knockdown 4EBP1 protein expression in non- terminally differentiated PMNs. These results also suggest the possibility of knocking down expression of other proteins, including others involved in the mTOR pathway, in non- terminally differentiated PMNs. David E. Jones Rosemary Gray THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 47 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS The elliptical tube design implemented in the Charles de Gaulle airport terminal was a revolutionary con-cept which had not yet been constructed for high- traffic use in public space, placing it on the frontier of the modern building industry. With its collapse on May 23, 2004, an inquiry initiated by the prominent French engineer Jean Berthier produced an extensive structural analysis of the mechanisms of failure which brought about the terminal's demise. In addition to this report, analysis of the materials employed lends support to the proposed causes of failure in the structure. Thermal expansion issues involving concrete were prominent due to the dramatic temperature change of 20.9 ? C the week of the collapse. Furthermore, the supports used to hold the exterior glass shell of the structure in place pierced though the concrete shell in a number of locations, inducing crack propagation and raising questions about the potential of negligence in the construction process. Analyses of the effects of stress concentration due to the placement of these supports and issues associated with the elliptical tube design assist in the understanding of the mechanisms of failure. In order to better understand the occurrence of such catastrophic events in the building industry, the philo-sophical question of why humans attempt to defy the laws of physics and risk human life in order to fabri-cate aesthetics in our built environment is addressed, and a critique from each perspective provided. Sandy L. Jones ( David Richerson, Patrick Tripeny) Department of Materials Science Engineering and College of Architecture + Planning University of Utah Structural, Material, and Architectural Analysis of the Collapse of Charles De Gaulle Airport Terminal 2E Sandy L. Jones 48 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Altered ADAMTS- 13 Expression in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Cambria A Judd, BS1*, Stephen J Kling, BS1* Keith Warner, BS1* and George M Rodgers, MD, PhD1,2. 1Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, and 2Department of Pathology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center Body: von Willebrand factor ( vWF), as secreted by endothelial cells ( ECs), is a highly thrombogenic, ultra-large multimeric protein which promotes platelet adhesion and clot formation. This ultra- large vWF would lead to platelet aggregation even without vascular injury if not for the activity of a plasma vWF- cleaving pro-tease, ADAMTS- 13, which cleaves the ultra- large vWF multimers upon secretion into the more moderately-sized, less thrombogenic multimers commonly found circulating in normal plasma. The production of ADAMTS- 13 was first described in hepatic stellate cells, but has since been found to be produced in a variety of tissues and cell types including ECs. Production of ADAMTS- 13 by ECs is of interest as the newly secreted ultra- large vWF is immediately cleaved on the surface of ECs by ADAMTS- 13. Quiescent ECs normally exist as a confluent non- thrombogenic monolayer lining the lumen of the vasculature. Damage to the EC monolay-er results in cell activation, stimulating not only thrombosis but proliferation as the ECs attempt to prevent blood loss and repair vascular wall damage. To assess the production of ADAMTS- 13 by human umbilical vein ECs, as measured by a commercially- available ELISA ( American Diagnostica Inc., Stamford, CT), cellular supernatants were collected and cellular proteins extracted from either confluent ECs ( EC monolayers), dam-aged confluent ECs ( EC monolayers which had narrow strips of cells removed with a sterile pipette tip), or subconfluent ECs ( 50% confluence). After four hours, supernatants from subconfluent ECs contained 2.5X as much ADAMTS- 13 ( 161.5± 29.1 pg/ ml/ μg cellular protein; p< 0.002) as compared with either confluent or damaged confluent ECs ( 60.2± 22.5 and 56.0± 19.2 pg/ ml/ μg cellular protein, respectively). Similarly, cell lysates from subconfluent ECs contained 2.5X as much ADAMTS- 13 ( 645.1± 73.1 pg/ ml/ μg cellular protein; p< 0.002) as compared with either confluent or damaged confluent ECs ( 257.8± 32.8 and 311.3± 29.3 pg/ ml/ μg cellular protein, respectively). In time- course experiments, confluent, damaged confluent, and subconfluent ECs were fixed 4, 24, 48, 72, or 96 hours following injury ( producing the damaged confluent ECs). ADAMTS- 13 expression was subsequently detected by immunohistochemistry using a rabbit polyclon-al anti- human ADAMTS- 13 antibody directed against the metalloproteinase domain ( Abcam Inc., Cambridge, MA) and a fluorescent secondary antibody. Subconfluent ECs expressed more intense staining for ADAMTS- 13 throughout the time course when compared with the confluent ECs. By 72 hours, the dam-aged confluent ECs began expressing comparable intense staining, particularly in regions where the ECs were reestablishing the monolayer. Previous work has suggested that the hepatic stellate cells, as well as the other cell types which express ADAMTS- 13, produce this protease constitutively and that this production is not otherwise regulated. The data presented herein demonstrate that ADAMTS- 13 production, at least in ECs, is affected by the growth state of the ECs. This enhanced production of ADAMTS- 13 may limit the extent of platelet thrombosis at sites of vascular injury. George Rodgers Cambria A. Judd THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 49 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS The Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( HIV) is one of the world's most dangerous pathogens. Due to cultural and physiological factors, HIV infects a disproportionate number of young women than men. To combat this epidemic, researchers are developing microbicides: women controlled drug delivery devices to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV. An important aspect of microbicide design is minimizing the toxicity caused by the device when in contact with the vaginal tissue. Vaginal microflora, particularly lactic acid producing bacterial species such as Lactobacillus jensenii, play an important role in the natural defense against pathogens such as HIV. Therefore, assays that test for toxicity to L. jensenii are an important screening tool in microbicide selection. We have developed the first microplate based medium throughput toxicity assay that can be used to screen microbicide candidates against L. jensenii. We validated the assay by testing common materials used in vaginally applied products whose cytotoxic properties are known; including the spermicidal agent Nonoxynol- 9, and the vaginal drug carrier 2- hydroxy ethylcellulose ( HEC). The IC50 found for Nonoxynol- 9 was 1.71% w/ v, demonstrating cytotoxicity at a relatively low concentration. We also found that HEC causes no reduction in the viability of L. jensenii at a broad range of concentrations ( 0.1% - 10% w/ v). The results of these experiments demonstrate the utility of this assay as a tool to measure Lactobacillus viability. This will lead to a more effective methodology for screening microbicide candidates in the global effort to find a safe and effective microbicide. Elliott Karren, Alamelu Mahalingam, ( Patrick Kiser) Department of Bioengineering University of Utah Development of a Medium Throughout Assay to Measure the Cytoxicity of Materials to Lactobacillus Jensen ll as a Microbicide Screening Tool Elliott Karren Patrick Kiser 50 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Microbicide Vaginal Ring for Delivery of Merck 167 Manpreet Kaur ( Patrick Kiser) Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Utah There is a pressing need of prophylactic technologies that are inexpensive and provide high patient compliance to curb the HIV pandemic. Intravaginal rings ( IVR) delivering anti- HIV drugs can serve as a potentially high adherence prophylaxic technology to provide long- duration intravaginal delivery of anti- HIV drugs locally to susceptible cells in the vagina and thereby prevent male- to- female transmission of HIV. Consequently, my project focused on developing an IVR for delivery of Merck 167: an anti- HIV drug that inhibits HIV attachment to the host cell by blocking the host cell's CCR5 co- receptor. The thermal stability of Merck 167 was evaluated to determine the processing temperatures for IVR fabrication that will not compromise the stability of Merck 167. Due to the low thermal stability of Merck 167, ethylene vinyl acetate polymers ( EVA, ELVAX 360, 460 and 650 Q) were selected for fabrication of Merck 167 IVR as they can be processed at temperatures below 110 ° C. The EVA IVRs were fabricated using simple melt- extrusion tech-nique and evaluated for their mechanical properties and drug release kinetics. EVA rings required two- three times more load to compress than Nuvaring ® ( user compliant contraceptive vaginal ring currently in market). Merck 167 exhibited high solubility in labrasol ( a lipid- based self- emulsifying excipient), hence labrasol was used as an in vitro sink condition for the release study. The release study conducted with Elvax ® 460 and labrasol did not exhibit the linear release profile desired. These results suggest Elvax ® 360, 460, and 650Q do not exhibit the mechanical and release properties desired for vaginal ring sustained delivery systems. Manpreet Kaur Patrick Kiser THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 51 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Service- Learning: Renewal of Cancer Wellness House Logo, Business Card, Website Designs Charles C. Kim ( Jill J. Angerbauer) Cancer Wellness House Established in 1997, the Cancer Wellness House is offering a free program of hope, learning and friendship for anyone whose life has been affected by cancer. Cancer Wellness House is established with the following mission: Assist people whose lives have been affected by cancer in their quest for recovery by providing free psychosocial support as an adjunct to conventional medical treatments. Promote a higher quality of living which includes greater control and less fear throughout the cancer experience. Encourage individuals to actively participate with others in their quest for recovery. To help Cancer Wellness House be able to reach out for more, the Identity Design consisting of renewal of logo, business card, website design was completed. The original black and white logo was redrawn in vector format ( easy format to change sizes for printing) with colors. The business cards were redesigned and structured with eye catching design with warm colors. The website has been redesigned for easy navigation along with implementation of cutting edge design trends. I hope these design improvements help Cancer Wellness House in all areas of marketing and continue to be part of this wonderful program for years to come. Charles C. Kim Jill J. Angerbauer 52 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Acute lung injury is common cause for morbidity and mortality after burn injuries. The hallmark of acute lung injury is an increase in extravascular lung water and, when severe, leads to airspace flooding, a condi-tion called pulmonary edema. Animal models provide a means to study the complex inflammatory response in the lung following burn injury. Specifically, we are developing a survivable and reproducible burn injury using a mouse model. Burn Study After inducing general anesthesia, we administered a 15% total body surface area ( TBSA), third degree scald burn. Recovery times varied from 1 hour, 24 hours and 48 hours from group to group. Our first strategy for assessing the amount of pulmonary edema was to quantify the wet to dry weight ratio of a mouse's lungs. The lungs were removed, weighted and dried to constant weight over for 24 hours. A dry weight was then obtained and the wet to dry weight ratio was calculated. Lung wet/ dry weight measurement The wet to dry weight ( W/ D) ratio has been a good measure of pulmonary edema in other models of acute lung injury using rabbits, pigs, and dogs. In our mouse model, however, the W/ D measure did not show sig-nificant changes following burn injury. Histological evidence demonstrated an intense inflammatory response within the lung parenchyma but this was not associated with frank pulmonary edema. We con-cluded that the mice are more resistant to developing pulmonary edema compared to larger vertebrates. Pulmonary Mechanics Pulmonary compliance may be a more accurate way to measure pulmonary edema in mice. This procedure involves intubating a mouse and using a mechanical ventilator, flow probe and airway pressure transducers to derive mechanical parameters. To assess the sensitivity of our system to measure changes in compliance in response to increased lung water content, we induced pulmonary edema by injecting 0.5 cc's of saline into the mouse's lungs via the endothracheal tube; pulmonary compliance rapidly dropped in every case and was observed to be a very sensitive measure. Conclusion In a mouse model of scald burn injuries ( 15% total body surface area burn), mice do not develop frank pul-monary edema over a period of 48 hours. This observation limits the utility of W/ D measurements. Yet, we have observed that pulmonary compliance is a very sensitive method for measuring edema in mouse lungs. Studies are underway to assess pulmonary mechanics in our mouse burn injury. Joseph C. Kingston ( Randal O. Dull, MD., Ph. D.) Department of Anesthesiology School of Medicine University of Utah Assessing Burn- Induced Lung Injury in Mice Joseph C. Kingston Randal O. Dull THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 53 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Associations Among Marital Interaction and Parent- Child Interaction Quality Dan Lauritzen ( Marissa Diener) Department of Family & Consumer Studies University of Utah Marital interaction quality and parenting quality are both associated with child developmental outcomes. The associations between quality of marital interaction and parent- child relationship were investigated. One hundred and twenty six families participated in videotaped interactions. Theses interactions included a marital interaction task which measured the quality of marital interaction and a family discussion task which measured the parenting quality of each parent individually. Statistical analysis demonstrated a positive cor-relation between observed quality of marital interaction and parent- child interaction for both parents. Further analysis demonstrated that observed marital interaction quality predicted parent- child interaction quality. This correlation may be due to factors of stress, pre- existing skills and situational transactions. Other possibilities of the interaction may be that a transfer of learned parenting skills into interactions with partner thus increasing marital interaction quality. Further research is required to examine changes over time of these interactions and the nature of the skill transference from marital interaction to parenting. Dan Lauritzen Marissa Diener 54 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Associations Between Marital Conflict, Parent- Child Interaction and Children's Adjustment Daniel J. Laxman ( Marissa Diener, Russ Isabella) Department of Family and Consumer Studies, Department of Psychology University of Utah Recent research has attempted to identify the mechanisms by which marital conflict affects children. According to the emotional security hypothesis proposed by Davies and Cummings ( 1994), marital conflict, especially when it is unresolved, affects children by negatively impacting their emotional security derived from the parent- parent relationship. This study tested this hypothesis as well as examined whether the quality of parenting mediated the relationship between martial conflict and children's adjustment. Participants in this longitudinal study were one- hundred twenty- six families consisting of mother, father, and their first- ( n = 44), third- ( n = 43), or fifth- grade ( n = 39) child, recruited from the Mountain West. Families visited the laboratory for a 90- minute session during which parent- child interaction was recorded in three episodes. In one episode, the family discussed a recent disagreement that involved all three of them ( i. e., mom, dad, and child), including how it was resolved and how each of them felt about the resolution. In another episode, the parents discussed their division of household chores. In the third episode, families were instructed to select from a set of provided games and to spend five minutes playing that game together. Dimensions of parenting quality were rated from videotaped interactions. During the lab visit, parents and children completed ( individually) questionnaires assessing marital conflict. Children's emotional insecurity in the context of interparental conflict was assessed using the Security in the Interparental Subsystem ( SIS) Scale ( Davies, Forman, Rasi, and Stevens, 2002). Parents' reports of children's internalizing and externalizing behavior were obtained three years after the original visit. As predicted by the emotional security hypothesis, results indicated that interparental conflict was related to a decrease in emotional security in the sample. Results further indicated that as martial conflict increased, quality of parenting decreased. However, a significant relationship between quality of parenting and emotional security in the interparental subsystem was not found in this sample. A secondary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between martial conflict, quality of parenting, and internalizing and externalizing behavior in children. Results indicated that an increase in marital conflict is associated with an increase in children's internalizing and externalizing behavior. Results also indicated that a decrease in quality of parenting is associated with an increase in internalizing and externalizing behavior in children. Daniel J. Laxman Marissa Diener Russ Isabella THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 55 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Nature and Significance Congestive heart failure and the associated subsequent pulmonary edema are related to elevated capillary pressure. The lab of Dr. Dull has identified a glycoprotein- dependent signaling pathway that senses changes in capillary pressure and, in turn, alters lung capillary permeability. We hypothesize that this dynamic process, called mechano- transduction, is associated with the deformation of a multi- functional layer of gly-coproteins called the glycocalyx that coats the apical surface of microvascular endothelial cells. As a signifi-cant step in creating a detailed biomechanical picture of cell surface mechanics, we will measure the defor-mation characteristics of the glycocalyx. These properties will then be tested following treatment with heparanase and hyaluranidase, two glycoprotiens that have been shown to alter mechano- transduction. This strategy should provide important insight into the role that these glycoproteins play in that mechano- trasnduction. Investigative Strategy The primary means of experimentation is reflectance interference contrast microscopy ( RICM). The basis of RICM is that microscopic glass beads are deposited on the surface of live endothelial cells and illuminated with monochromatic light. The convex surface of the bead creates a difference in path length for the indi-vidual photons of light which creates an interference pattern that appears as successive rings. Microscopic changes in this pattern are recorded and can be used to calculate the vertical oscillations of the bead above the cell. These oscillations have an equilibrium point which is tracked and used to calculate the spring con-stant of the glycocalyx. The endothelial cells were cultured using standard conditions and testing was conducted on day six or seven post plating. Beads are applied to the live cells and a confocal microscope is used for local-ization. Mechano- transduction is believed to occur at the cell periphery therefore only beads near a cell- cell junction were tested. Data is obtained by capturing the interference rings using a digital camera and recording them via computer program. Mathematical manipulations are then made to convert the data into the suitable units before it can be analyzed as a potential energy profile. The spring constant is obtained by taking the second derivative of the potential energy profile. Results and Conclusions Beads at cell junctions yielded a spring constant value of 5.247E- 05 J/ m^ 2 ( std. dev. 5.011E- 05), whereas " fixed" beads ( beads that are held in place) produced a spring constant of 7.558E- 04J/ m^ 2 ( std. dev. 4.849E- 04). This data clearly shows that the spring constant of the cell surface proteins is an order of magnitude less than that of a bead held in place. Having validated the RICM system as a sensitive means of determining cell surface biomechanics we are now ready to perform complex biomechanical mapping and provide further insight into the elegant process of mechano- transduction. Matthew Lindsey ( Randal Dull M. D.) Department of Anesthesiology University of Utah Biomechanical Characterization of the Endothelial Surface: Relevance to Lung Mechano- Transduction Matthew Lindsey Randal O. Dull 56 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 The Effects of N- Butanol in Silvetia Compressa Kyle Logan, Ann Katie Miller ( Darryl Kropf) Department of Biology University of Utah Microtubules ( MTs) are essential for the proper development of most eukaryotic cells. It has been widely shown that dynamic rearrangements of MT's are necessary for cytoskeletal dependent processes. The fucoid alga, Silvetia compressa, is an excellent model organism for investigating the roles of MTs during development because multiple characteristic MT arrays are formed in the early phases of the zygotes growth. MT dependent processes of the first cell division include pronuclear migration, rhizoid morphology, nuclear positioning and rotation, and mitotic division. While much is known about the physical rearrange-ments of MTs during the development of S. compressa, very little is known about the signaling molecules that regulate the cytoskeletal rearrangement. Recently, PA has been found to signal to MTs, actin, and endo-mombrane based processes in plants, yeast and metazoans. To examine PA signaling in S. compressa, n-butanol was used to block PA production through the PLD signaling pathway. Interestingly, the use of n-butanol was found to affect MT based processes, but not actin- based processes. To examine the effects of n- butanol on the cytoskeleton, zygotes were chemically fixed and immunolabled to visualize MT's and con-densed chromatin. Loss of PA during zygotic development inhibited centrosomal separation and resulted in cells arresting in metaphase, unable to form a bipolar mitotic spindle. Additionally, cells treated with n-butanol after metaphase were unable to form a cell plate and divide. These results indicate that PA signal-ing to MTs regulates cytoskeletal rearrangements at all stages of early fucoid algal development. Kyle Logan Ann Katie Miller Darryl Kropf THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 57 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Vascular ceramide accumulation might contribute to obesity- related arterial dysfunction and hypertension. To test this hypothesis, mice were treated with myriocin ( M), an inhibitor of an enzyme required for ceramide biosynthesis ( i. e., serine palmitoyltransferase). Ten- week- old mice consumed chow containing 45% ( HF, n= 20) or 10% ( CON, n= 20) fat ± M ( 0.3 mg/ kg i. p., n= 10) or vehicle ( V; saline i. p., n= 10). After ~ 14 weeks mean ( MAP), systolic ( SBP), and diastolic ( DBP) blood pressures were recorded via telemetry for four 24- hour periods. Following an overnight fast, arteries were obtained to assess function and ceramide content. Vascular ceramide ( pmol ceramide/ mg aorta) increased ( p< 0.05) from 17± 4 in CON- V to 30± 3 in HF- V mice, and was suppressed in HF- M animals ( 10± 1). MAP ( mmHg) was greater ( p< 0.05) in HF- V ( 112± 2) vs. CON- V ( 107± 2) mice. This degree of hypertension was prevented in HF- M animals ( 108± 2). Results were similar for SBP and DBP. To estimate endothelium- dependent function, percent vasorelaxation of isolated femoral arter-ies was measured in response to 3x10- 8 mol/ L acetylcholine ( ACh) using wire myography. ACh- evoked relaxation was predictably less in vessels from HF- V ( 37± 3%) vs. CON- V ( 56± 3%) mice. Interestingly, this impairment was prevented in arteries from HF- M animals ( 58± 4%). Sodium nitroprusside- evoked vasorelax-ation, an estimate of endothelium- independent function, was similar ( 98± 1%) among all groups. Arterial pressures and vascular function were not different between CON- V and CON- M animals. These results sug-gest that vascular ceramide accumulation might contribute to hypertension and arterial dysfunction that exist in mice with diet- induced obesity. Supported in part by AHA GIA 06- 55222Y, NIH R15 HL091493- 01, and University of Utah UROP. Jason Losee, Jason M. Tanner, Devin T. Kearns, Judd Cahoon, Milda Palionyte, Brad B. Duncan, Scott Simpson ( J. David Symons) College of Health and Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes University of Utah Inhibiting Vascular Ceramide Synthesis Prevents Arterial Dysfunction and Hypertension in Mice with Diet- Induced Obesity Brad B. Duncan Scott Simpson J. David Symons Jason Losee Jason M. Tanner Devin T. Kearns Judd Cahoon Milda Palionyte 58 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS SPRING 2008 Effects of Sexual Selection on Genetic Structure Jane B. Martinson ( Wayne K. Potts) Department of Biology University of Utah Sexual selection ( female choice and male- male competition) is a powerful engine of evolution and is gener-ally thought to increase rates of fixation of beneficial alleles, resulting in greater fitness. However, sexual selection can also reduce genetic variation. We investigate the effects of sexual selection on fitness and pop-ulation genetic structure using Mus domesticus in a multi- generational selection experiment. Two groups of mice were organized: a " Selected" line and a " Nonselected" line. Selected mice were allowed to maintain sexual selecti