Category: 2012

Western Pond Turtle Habitat Ranking and Assessment in the Southern Willamette Valley

Presenters: Rebecca Winard, John Rogers, and Robin Clemen

Mentor: Peg Boulay

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 52

The 2011 Turtle Conservation Team ranked sites that were likely to have existing turtle populations, as well as some previously unevaluated ponds. We evaluated sites in the Eugene district of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The goal of the project is to gain a better understanding about where western pond turtles occur in the southern Willamette Valley, and the locations of suitable habitat, so that the species can be protected from the variety of threats they face. The team scored the overall quality of the sites visited and reported the findings to the BLM. The team also conducted basking surveys to monitor the populations of western pond turtles on selected suitable habitat sites. Turtles were only observed at Mosby Pond. Man-made sites like this have high potential for restoration work to create suitable habitat for western pond turtles.

Investigation of Supportive Cues in Early Stages of Pediatric Brain Cancer

Presenter: Kelsey Wahl

Mentor: Hui Zong

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 50

Medulloblastoma is the most common type of malignant brain tumor in children. During cerebellar development, granule neuron precursor cells (GNPs) proliferate along the external germinal layer in response to the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway. Mutations in the sonic hedgehog signaling receptor patched (Ptc) lead to tumors in the cerebellum through over-proliferation of GNPs. Over 50% of mice with the mutation develop foci of ectopic cells on the surface of the cerebellum between 3-6 weeks. Observations suggest that the ectopic cells may represent a pre-neoplastic stage of medulloblastoma. Although GNPs are unipotent progenitors that only give rise to granule neurons, lineage tracing studies in our lab have indicated that tumorigenic GNPs can also differentiate into glial cells. To further understand this fate switch and determine if it occurs prior to tumor formation, we looked for glia presence in Ptc pre-neoplastic lesions (PNLs). The appearance of glia cells in the earliest stages of tumor formation could provide insight into their potential supporting role in the tumor and in tumor cell transformation.

(Re)generative Process and the Edible City: Ecological Urbanism in Portland, Oregon

Presenter: Jack Thomas

Mentor: Hajo Neis

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 48

The modern city archetype is undergoing drastic change as urbanists and laypeople alike begin pulling the landscape into the world’s urban areas, which have in essence, become “edible”. Agriculture has undoubtedly shaped the city of Portland, Oregon as the landscape beyond its UGB trickles into the city fabric. Urban farms, sidewalk gardens, and everything in between have popped up throughout the city, offering plant education, social rehabilitation, community interaction, food security, and personal health, among other benefits. With different goals and values, Portland’s urban agriculture movement is varied in its intent, yet equal in its significance to a changing urban morphology derived from patterns and occurrences happening within the city limits. In better understanding Portland as a model for how notions of ecological urbanism have been applied both top-down and bottom-up, these discoveries can potentially be applied throughout the world, guiding urban growth and community development that is environmentally sustainable and conducive to both social and physical well-being. Through interviews, precedents, visual analysis, and a theoretical long-term plan for urban agriculture in Portland, a holistic understanding of the city as a complex structure of linked urban patterns can be made. The “Edible City” of Portland can be presented as a model of (re)generative process and ecological urbanism which might have the potential to catalyze in other urban scenarios.

The Indigenous Siberian Health and Adaptation Project: Adiponectin, Body Composition, and Cardiovascular Health among the Yakut (Sakha) of Siberia

Presenter: Elizabeth Streeter

Mentor: James Josh Snodgrass

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 46

Adiponectin is a hormone secreted by adipocytes that is involved in a number of metabolic processes. A decreased production of adiponectin is an important risk factor linking obesity with other cardiovascular risk factors. However, few population-based studies have been conducted on this emerging biomarker, and virtually all existing data come from Western clinical settings. This study, part of a long-term research project focused on the indigenous Yakut (Sakha) of northeastern Siberia, examines potential sex differences in adiponectin and investigates relationships with body composition and blood pressure. The data were collected in 2009 from 255 healthy Yakut adults (≥18 years old; 137 females, 118 males) and used to test two hypotheses: 1) adiponectin levels will be higher in females compared to males; and 2) adiponectin will be inversely related to body composition and blood pressure measures. Results indicate a significant sex difference, with greater concentrations in females compared to males (P < 0.01). Adiponectin was negatively correlated with several anthropometric parameters, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and percent body fat (all measures P < 0.01) among males, and BMI (P < 0.05), WC (P < 0.01), and percent body fat (P < 0.01) among females. However, adiponectin among the Yakut was not significantly correlated with blood pressure in either sex, which raises questions about its utility as a cardiovascular risk marker in this population.

Decorated Youth: The Street Fashion Revolution in Japan and the Reordering of Form, Aesthetic, and Identity through Dress

Presenter: Dorothy Siemens

Mentor: Alisa Freedman

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 44

Emerging street fashion trends in 1990s Japan changed fashion and clothing systems not only domestically, but around the world. These rebellious urban youth, and their eccentric styles, have landed Tokyo on the map as a legitimate city of fashion production; challenging the long established European hegemony of sartorial power. Of these styles ‘decora’ (which literally means to be decorated) stood out with its bright colors, extreme ornamentation, and command of all things cute. This thesis seeks to explore the iconic ‘decora’ style as a representation of how street fashion in Japan is used as a tool to reorder aesthetics, identity, fashions systems, and the meanings associated with dress. The research of Amelia Groom, Yuniya Kawamura, and Toby Slade are used widely in this study, and the ‘decora’ style is placed into their theories to better understand fashion and clothing systems, identity, innovation and imitation in a post-modern Japanese context.

The Genetics of Speciation in C. remanei: Post-Zygotic Isolation and Genetic Incompatibilities

Presenter: Max Ryan

Mentor: Patrick Phillips

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 42

Earth is home to an amazing amount of diversity, but the mechanisms through which new species arise are not well understood. Speciation, the study of these mechanisms, is a relatively young field, with significant research only conducted within the past 30 years. Since the start of this research, a large number of reproductive isolating barriers have been identified that inhibit gene flow between species. One such barrier is known as genetic incompatibility, wherein genes of different species, when mixed together in hybrid offspring, interact negatively. These negative interactions hinder the development of offspring, thus ensuring the two species remain isolated. In this study, we research genetic incompatibilities between two different populations of the soil nematode Caenorhabditis remanei. Initial research suggested that genetic incompatibilities arise in the second generation of inbreeding between the two populations, when the process of recombination introduces genes from both genetic backgrounds onto the same chromosome. This result led to further research into genetic incompatibilities between the two populations, focusing on the egg-to-adult viability of ten different combinations of mating crosses. The results of these assays confirm the existence of genetic incompatibilities between these two populations, with the genes likely involved in the incompatibilities located on the X-chromosome. Genome mapping is being conducted to identify possible genes. Through research like this, earth’s diversity may be understood.

Left Handedness in a Captive bonobo Group

Presenters: Tabatha Rood, Klaree Boose and Frances White

Mentor: Frances White

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 40

Handedness in great apes is related to laterality and cognitive development. Previous studies report a right-handed bias in 9 ape studies. This study observed a group of 16 captive bonobos (Pan paniscus) at the Columbus zoo that was presented with an artificial, baited termite mound. Data was collected from narrated video tapes taken June 29, 2011 – August 31, 2011. Handedness was recorded for 592 fishing and poking bouts by 14 bonobos. Following prior studies, handedness was defined from the percentage of bouts that were done with only the left hand, with 60% or more being left-handed and 40% or less being right-handed. This study group showed a left hand bias among individuals; 9 with left-handed bias (66.7% to 100% of tasks) and 6 with right-handed bias (39.4% to 0% of tasks). The group showed more left-handed (n=311) than right-handed (n=281) bouts, with 93 bouts involving both hands. Right-handed bouts were longer in duration, averaging 113 seconds, with left-handed bouts averaging 79 seconds. The frequency of left and right-handed bouts by individuals was compared to an expectation calculated from the 60% right-handed and 40% left-handed criteria from previous studies using a Replicated Goodness of Fit test and found to be significantly different (G=37.743, p<0.001) with significant heterogeneity (G=171.649, p < 0.001). We conclude that this group of bonobos is predominantly left-handed.

Effect of Loading Rates on Metatarsal Stress Fractures

Presenter: Howey Richard

Mentor: Li-Shan Chou

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 38

Metatarsal stress fractures (MSF) are some of the most common, most debilitating injuries that athletes experience. Most previous studies have focused on calculating the loading rates using the vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), with inconclusive results. The purpose of this study was to compare metatarsal loading rates in runners with retrospective history MSF and runners who have never sustained this kind of injury. This was done with ten runners, five with a history of MSF and five without. Plantar pressure measurements were collected using the FScan VersaTek wireless system. The runner ran on a treadmill at a self-selected speed that approximated their easy training pace. Thirty steps on each foot were recorded. The data was analyzed using the FScan Research software, then run through a custom LabView program that calculated the maximal force (MF), average vertical loading rate (AVLR), and instantaneous vertical loading rate (VILR). There were no differences in any of the dependent variables between the injured and non-injured feet of the MSF subjects and the matching feet of the control subjects. However, three of the five subjects did show significantly higher values for MF, AVLR, and VILR in the injured foot compared to the non-injured foot. Subject 5 also showed a significant difference between feet, but in the opposite way. These individualized responses, in combination with the small sample size, partially explain the lack of significance in the group analysis.

Assessing Relationships between Topography and Species Diversity in Restored and Remnant Wet Prairies

Presenters: Tatiana Piazza, Rachel Lytton, Willis Logsdon and Claire Reed-Dustin

Mentor: Peg Boulay

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 36

Wetland prairies provide numerous ecosystem services and habitat for native plant species. Our research project examines the relationship between microtopographic variation and native species diversity in six restored and remnant wet prairies in the West Eugene Wetlands. We predict that microtopography is influential in determining plant community composition. Along transects within each previously-established macroplot, we used an autolevel to measure soil surface elevation and water depth. We used a 1m x 1m quadrat frame to determine the percent cover of grasses, forbs, and non-forbs. To measure vegetation and litter height, we used the point intercept method. If the data currently being collected and our primary results support our hypothesis, then reestablishing microtopography will be essential in promoting native plant diversity and cover in restored wet prairies.

Variation of Dental Calculus in Captive Macaques

Presenters: Colin Oliveira, Daniel Vermillion and Lauren Moore

Mentor: Frances White

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 34

Dental calculus in nonhuman primates varies with diet, ecology, and immune health. As in humans, monkeys with excessive dietary carbohydrates can accumulate calculus buildup over time, although there is little information on variation of this dental pathology within nonhuman primates. Focusing on the variance between sexes and species, we scored the presence and severity of dental calculus in 91 skeletal specimens of captive adult Macaca mulatta (N=33) and Macaca fascicularis (N=58). An adult only sample was established to partially control for variance in calculus due to age, adult defined as erupted M3. Calculus was scored on each tooth from 0 to 3, with 0 as “none present” and 3 indicating “over 50% of surface affected”. Each side was scored independently. Missing teeth were evaluated for apparent causation of tooth loss. Most teeth exhibited some degree of dental calculus, but all four incisors were the most heavily calcified in both species. The anterior labial surfaces were the most impacted. The frequency of premortem canine removal in our sample prevented us from examining this trait in neighboring dentition. The least calcified were the M3s, probably due to the difference in eruption time between the incisors and the molars. We performed a one-way ANOVA on the total sample, and found no significant difference in calculus buildup between females and males for either species. We did find differences between the two species (F = 27.63, p<0.0001) with M. fascicularis exhibiting significantly more calculus.