Category: 2012

Ischemia Induced ER Stress in Skeletal Muscle Cells during Total Knee Arthroplasty Upregulates Proteins Involved with the Unfolded Protein Response

Presenter: Ryan Boileau

Mentor: Hans Dreyer

AM Poster Presentation

Poster 3

Estimated to be performed 3.48 million times annually by 2030, Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is the most common surgery to remediate chronic osteoarthritis in older adults. During surgery, blood flow is occluded to the operative leg resulting in anoxic conditions within the distal tissues. We have previously shown that proteins regulating cap-dependent translation initiation and elongation are downregulated and components of the catabolic and cell stress pathways are upregulated during ischemia and reperfusion. The purpose of this study was to further characterize the effects of anoxia in muscle cells on proteins controlling components of the ER stress pathway, i.e., the unfolded protein response (UPR). Muscle biopsies were obtained at baseline (before TKA surgery), maximal ischemia (before tourniquet release), and reperfusion. Preliminary results suggest an increase in cytoplasmic levels of downstream targets of the UPR (ATF4, CHOP, JNK, and Bcl-2). Further research will elucidate protein targets for preconditioning therapies that may ameliorate the UPR in an attempt to mitigate the substantial muscle atrophy following this increasingly common procedure performed in older adults.

Fall Risk in the Elderly and Joint Moments of the Supporting Lower Limb during Sit-to-Walk

Presenter: Elena Absalon

Mentor: Li-Shan Chou

AM Poster Presentation

Poster 1

Elderly adults suffer a high incidence of falls during daily activity. It is well documented that dynamic balance and muscle strength deteriorate with age. The goal of this study is to compare total support moment and joint moment distribution of the supporting lower limb during the sit-to-walk transition in groups of young, elderly faller and elderly non-faller subjects (≥ 70 years). Force plate and three-dimensional motion analysis data were collected during several trials of the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) to calculate total support moment and joint moments at the hip, knee, and ankle during sit-to-walk. Significant differences between the groups were found in the amount of ankle joint moment produced at seat-off and swing-off events. There were not significant differences in total support moment, hip, or knee moments at these events. However, there seems to be variation in the patterns of the total support moment graphs between the groups. The variation in the ankle moment between the groups identifies the correlation between the torque produced around the ankle and balance performance. The differences in total support moment patterns found between faller, non-faller, and young groups indicate different strategies used to perform the sit-to-walk motion that may compensate for impaired balance. The relevance of this study is that it provides a correlation found between balance performance and joint moment contribution, which would be useful in creating a fall prevention and balance treatment plan.

The Terminator: The Forgotten Role of Thomas B. Watters in Klamath Termination, 1953-1958

Presenter: Matt Villeneuve

Mentor: Glenn May

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A5 Perceptions of Cultural Change

Location: Oak Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

In 1953, the Klamath Indian tribe of Southern Oregon was controversially selected for termination by the US congress as a part of a new program to end the “special treatment” of Native Americans by the federal government. To carry out the details of this process, a man named Thomas B. Watters, former mayor of Klamath Falls, was tapped to serve as the middle man between congress and the Klamath as a private “management specialist.” After his arrival on the reservation and demographic research, Watters came to oppose the law he was hired to execute as he felt it was not in the best interest of the Klamath. Three years later, Watters was criticized for his stance by a contingent of the Klamath, Republican members of congress, and former Bureau of Indiana Affair officials, and eventually fired. Using materials from SCUA and the National Archives in Seattle, we will attempt to better understand Watters role in the process of termination and what his experience suggests concerning the nature of the federal program.

Wael Ghonim: Symbolic Figure vs. Representative Publicity

Presenters: Zeph Schafer, Mark Plumlee and Maia Salomon

Mentor: Vera Keller

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A5 Perceptions of Cultural Change

Location: Oak Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

This study emerged from an honors college seminar examining how public spheres began to form throughout the premodern era. Our research was informed by works such as German sociologist, Jurgen Habermas. Habermas proposed the idea of representative publicity to discuss the relationship between symbolic individuals and an emerging publicity. Informed by Habermas’s theories, we discussed the symbolic personhood of Wael Ghonim on the Egyptian revolution. As a symbolic figure who gave a face to the revolution, his release from jail played a pivotal role in the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. We looked at news articles and videos of the Revolution, and contrasted Ghonim’s role as a symbolic figure with the role of pre-modern monarchs in public displays of their body. Ghonim’s role in the revolution showed the role of a physical body in modern democratic revolutions.

Violence and Graphic Symbols in the Arab Spring

Presenters: Kathryn Carpenter and Eva Bertoglio

Mentor: Vera Keller

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A5 Perceptions of Cultural Change

Location: Oak Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

Our research was based on ideas of the public sphere in the last five hundred years that were discussed in HC 232, “Multiple Modernities, Ottoman and Early Modern Europe 1450-present”. We chose to focus on revolutions in the Arab Spring, and the body politic concept. We decided to discuss violence in relation to the body politic, and the way violence and violent symbols were employed in the Arab Spring. Drawing upon the ideas of the German sociologist Jurgen Habermas and historian Nina Berman, we analyzed the role of the body politic since the 16th century. We used photos, diagrams, and videos to represent different aspects of the revolutions and violence within them. We found that violence was brought into play by both the governing bodies and the general public, and symbolic violence and physical violence were both used to further the platforms of both parties.

The Mekong River Commission: Indicators of Successful Regime Strengthening

Presenter: Lauren Boucher

Mentor: Ronald Mitchell

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A5 Perceptions of Cultural Change

Location: Oak Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

International environmental regimes seek to create a sense of interdependence and community in order to solve transboundary issues of resource use and pollution. Regimes are a natural fit for transboundary water management and development. Water is a classic example of how states are forced to cooperate with each other. Shlomi Dinar argues, “When rivers and other bodies of water traverse or divide countries, transboundary externalities often produce conflict” (Dinar, 2008 1). Waterbodies respect no political boundaries and international water law and policy has emerged over hundreds of years to address the issues of water governance and transboundary conflict (Hildering, 2004 44). This conflict provides a medium for cooperation, a cooperation that almost always takes form in a treaty or regime (Dinar, 2008 1). The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an international environmental regime that promotes regional cooperation and sustainable development in the Mekong River Basin (MRB) of Southeast Asia. My research asks what have been the effects of the organization over its 17-year history and analyzes the political and environmental impacts of those effects. My analysis uses the logic model, created by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), to track the growth and development of the MRC over time. Using the framework of the logic model, my research argues that though effects of the MRC appear marginal and information-based, the organization is following a positive trajectory toward ultimate goal realization.

Quantifying the Self

Presenter: Rachelle DiGregorio

Mentor: Deborah Morrison

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A4 Identity and Progress

Location: Rogue Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

“Self knowledge through numbers.” This is the driving philosophy behind the Quantified Self (QS) community, a group of people who collect and reflect on their personal information. This practice is called self-tracking and is increasingly facilitated by digital tools like pedometers, mobile applications, and websites. My research explores the question: What leads to the widespread acceptance of digital self-tracking tools? I approach this question by measuring people’s awareness and perceptions of the technology as well as by deconstructing the success of popular tracking tools. I focus on tools that track fitness data because they are the most widely accepted. My investigations are supported by a thorough review of literature about technology acceptance, personal informatics systems, and behavior change. There is often a disassociation between popular tracking tools and the concept of self-tracking. Whether it is referred to as self-tracking or not, the practice is growing steadily. This is due to the ubiquity of personal data collection in our current digital environment. It is integrated into so many digital services and devices; it is more or less unavoidable. Leaders of the QS movement frame what they do as a new context for knowledge-making. It is more than just a few people’s hobby, it is a lens through which we see and create the world around us. An understanding of self-tracking is vital to our assessment of society’s digital evolution, especially as the practice continues to grow in popularity and influence.

No Man’s Land: The Herstory of Lesbian Intentional Communities as a Manifestation of the Pastoral Dream

Presenter: Phoebe Petersen

Mentor: Glenn May

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A4 Identity and Progress

Location: Rogue Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

Although not a well-known part of Oregon’s past, intentional communities, also called communes, have a long history in Oregon dating back over one hundred and fifty years. Oregon communalism reached its peak in the 1970s when there was a huge growth in lesbian intentional communities, particularly in Southern Oregon. These communities developed as a result of the back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and the radical wing of the women’s movement. However, there was another factor at play. Besides thinking about communalism and women’s liberation, the women were also harkening back to a long-held component of American cultural mythology: the pastoral ideal. Pastoral idealism, or the idea that a better, more egalitarian, and spiritually pure life is possible in the countryside, has been a driving force in the writings of authors such as Thoreau, Frost, and Jefferson and in cultural movements such as the migration to the suburbs. Although the members of communities such as OWL Farm and Cabbage Lane were attempting to isolate themselves from the patriarchy that was American culture, their writings demonstrate continued engagement with the idea that in the countryside, it was possible for them to create a simpler, more spiritually pure, and egalitarian life. In other words, even while advocating a separatist lifestyle, they engaged with American culture. In doing so, these women inextricably linked themselves to the past and future of America and must be seen as part of America’s history of idealism, communalism and activism.

When Reaching for the Stars is Not Enough: Addressing the Misalignment of Postsecondary Expectations and Preparation of High School Students from Low-Socioeconomic Backgrounds

Presenter: Eryn Block

Mentor: Josh Snodgrass

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A4 Identity and Progress

Location: Rogue Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

The vast majority of US high school seniors expect to graduate from college but only a small portion of these students will meet this expectation. Thus, there is a significant misalignment between students’ postsecondary preparation, expectations and attainment. Further, the expectations of low socioeconomic status (SES) students and high SES students are almost identical, but low SES students are much less likely to attain a college degree. This thesis describes a qualitative study of semi-structured interviews with low SES high school students in Eugene, Oregon that examines the underlying reasons for this misalignment. The study identifies examples of cultural and social capital that are linked with college preparedness. These examples include a student’s ability to identify barriers to postsecondary education, quality information, and college culture and vocabulary. Using case studies, this thesis illustrates that a mentor-like figure may help students overcome obstacles. As a result, Cross-age Peer Mentor Programs, in which a college-going mentor is matched with a high school mentee, may act as a partial solution to the postsecondary expectation-preparation misalignment. College students have valuable, first-hand perspectives of the college experience and can share cultural and social capital with their mentees. In conclusion, few students are likely to attend a traditional university, but all students should be prepared for success in their postsecondary endeavors.

McKenzie River Side Channel Restoration: The Enhancement of Salmon Spawning Habitat and Riparian Ecosystems

Presenter: Thomas Van Hevelingen and Ben Miller

Mentor: Peg Boulay

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A3 Trends in Restoration

Location: Metolius Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

The 2012 Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) is divided into six teams. The Stream Stewardship Team has devoted our efforts to the restoration and enhancement of McKenzie River side-channel ecosystems. In recent years, declining salmon populations have peaked both political and social interests in the Pacific Northwest. Our restoration efforts have been focused on the rejuvenation of Coho salmon spawning grounds and surrounding habitats in the McKenzie River side channels. Habitat enhancement methods includ- ed the placement of large woody debris, propagation of native plant species, and removal of invasive vegetation. We have monitored previous ELP management in order to assess the effectiveness of riparian restoration at this site. Our results indicate a significant de- crease in invasive vegetation and a high survival rate of planted native species. Furthermore, in-stream restoration efforts have proven successful in creating pools and sediment gradients beneficial to salmon spawning habitat. Management of the McKenzie side channel site has proven largely successful and could potentially be adapted to other locations in future restoration projects.