Category: Poster Presentation

Observing Responsive Caregiving and Action Monitoring (ORCA)

Presenter(s): Nisha Sridhar

Co Presenter(s): Camille Sullivan

Faculty Mentor(s): Tyson Barker

Poster 114

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Although parenting is a naturally rewarding activity, excess stressors such as food and housing insecurity impact a caregiver’s interactions with their children. Existing literature suggests that a caregiver’s reaction to their child’s social-communicative signals — known as responsive caregiving — is a strong predictor of positive child outcomes; however, the degree to which each parent engages in this practice varies greatly. Thus, to maximize responsive caregiving and consequently support child development, it is important to identify the mechanisms by which stress impacts parenting. Our goal is to determine the presence of a neurobiological indicator of caregiver reward that can provide insight on how stress impacts responsive caregiving, which would provide a quantitative way to measure the effectiveness of parenting interventions.

To examine these mechanisms, we recruited mothers with children ages 3-6 to observe their children complete simple computer tasks. During the tasks, the mother and child wear electroencephalogram (EEG) caps, which monitors the brain’s electrical activity, measuring observational reward positivity (observational RP) — the extent to which the mother responds positively when the computer rewards her child. While other studies have examined neurobiological components of caregiving via fMRI, the EEG can be operated in a social setting that mimics real-life caregiver-child interactions.

The expected outcome includes the identification of a proposed neurological mechanism that demonstrates the reduction of responsive caregiving as a result of parental stress. With the collected EEG data, survey information, and coded observed interactions, we intend to analyze the extent of the correlation between caregiving reward and observational RP. We additionally intend to examine the correlation between responsive caregiving and observational RP.

Qualitative Study of Speech Language Pathologists Working With Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Patients with Dysphagia

Presenter(s): Brianna Southworth

Faculty Mentor(s): Samantha Shune

Poster 80

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Dysphagia, commonly described as difficulty swallowing, affects a wide-range of culturally and linguistically diverse patients. As the importance of patient-centered care has continued to grow in the medical field, speech-language pathologists continue to search for ways to accommodate the needs, and wants of the countless diverse patients that they treat, particularly when they vary from the mainstream culture. This is especially true in inpatient settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. This qualitative study was conducted to identify common challenges and potential solutions for accommodating the unique preferences of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) patients with dysphagia. In this study we interviewed six speech language pathologists who had experience working with CLD populations in nursing homes and hospitals. Interviews were transcribed and data was then analyzed using thematic analysis, or “qualitative description” in order to identify the common themes across participants. Analyses revealed many problems created by the limiting environment that these patients are confined to, such as decreased flexibility in food options and eating times. It was clear that speech-language pathologists have to be creative and compassionate to minimize these barriers and that individualized care and trusting relationships are crucial. This research is vital for identifying strategies for speech-language pathologists to be able to better care for the ever growing diverse population in America.

Reliability and accuracy of post-mortem methods of manual 2D:4D assessment in primates Kendall Soriano, Sarah Brown, Enrique Gomez, Colin M. Brand, Frances J. White

Presenter(s): Kendall Soriano

Co Presenter(s): Sarah Brown

Faculty Mentor(s): Frances White & Colin Brand

Poster 31

Session: Sciences

The ratio of the length of the second to the fourth digitis[AH1] related to levels of prenatal hormone in exposure, specifically testosterone. A lower 2D:4D ratio indicates higher levels of prenatal androgen exposure, and a higher ratio indicates lower levels. Digit length is typically measured from the proximal crease to the most distal end of the digit in living and post-mortem individuals. However, post-mortem processes such as desiccation or decomposition can affect both landmark identification and accuracy of the measure. Digit length can also be measured on osteological specimens, but there is little information on how these measures compare to post- mortem measures. This study compares post-mortem measurements with osteological measurements taken on the same specimens. Here, we compared these measures across multiple primate species (N=40. We also examined the 2D:4D ratio in a macaque foot. First, using a caliper, measurements of the 3 segments in each digit were taken of a fully fleshed foot. Then, after removal of skin and flesh, measurements were taken of bones and tendons. Lastly, measurements of only bones were recorded after removal of tendons. This technique was shown to be an effective way of analyzing digit measurements as the results indicate clear differences in the ratio of digit sizes. This study demonstrates that the disarticulated measurement is the most accurate osteological method of estimating post-mortem 2D:4D. We want to take our knowledge of the relation between 2D:4D ratio and prenatal hormone exposure and apply it to across various other primate species.

An Analysis of the Connection Between Agnes von Calatin and Josephine Lang

Presenter(s): Elizabeth Soper

Faculty Mentor(s): Stephen Rodgers

Poster 143

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Josephine Lang is one of the few documented women composers from 19th-century art songs and analysis of her work is crucial for having a comprehensive knowledge of composers from this era. While research suggests the male composers from this era played a large role in Lang’s success, an equally important relationship was her friendship with Agnes von Calatin, an underrepresented female poet. This friendship was a great benefit to Lang’s career as she used Calatin’s poetry as inspiration. The unique relationship between these two female artists illustrates how mutually collaborative relationships are just as important as having supportive connections to famous male artists. By examining the original sources such as letters written by Emma Niendorf and Justinus Kerner and the art that Lang and Calatin co-created, I will illustrate how this relationship between Josephine Lang and Agnes von Calatin differed compared to her relationship with male counterparts. von Calatin provided more support and experimentation than was common in the traditional male mentorship, including personalized poetry, musical inspiration, and connections to prominent male composers and poets. However, because of von Calatin’s status as a female artist, not simply an artist, she was not able to provide as many exposure opportunities as her male counterparts for Lang. Most women composers from the 19th century found themselves in a similar dilemma where purely female collaboration promoted equality but hindered success in their careers.

Metatarsophalangeal Joint Mechanics Differ Between Overground and Treadmill Running

Presenter(s): Joseph Smits

Faculty Mentor(s): Mike Hahn & Evan Day

Poster 35

Session: Sciences

Treadmills are commonly used in fitness centers and physical therapy clinics for training and monitoring gait mechanics during return-to-running programs. Previous work has established kinematic and kinetic differences between treadmill and overground running. This study sought to investigate how metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) mechanics differ between the two conditions. Running trials were conducted on an instrumented treadmill (Bertec, Inc.) and on a 20-m overground runway at 4.0 m/s. Overground running velocity was monitored by calculating the average anterior-posterior velocity of a sacral marker during stance. Data were collected for five foot strikes and averaged for each condition for analysis. Participants all wore the same neutral footwear (Nike Streak 6 Flyknit) for both conditions. Range of motion, peak moment, and joint stiffness of the MTPJ were significantly different between overground and treadmill running. There was no significant difference in duration of the forefoot serving as the base of support (p=.18). Initial examination of these findings reveals that MTPJ kinematics and kinetics are different during overground and treadmill running. Clinicians and footwear scientists should be aware that treadmill evaluation may lead to inadequate translation to overground running.

Life History Responses to Variation in Bacterial Food Sources in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Presenter(s): Alexander Smith

Faculty Mentor(s): Patrick Phillips & Stephen Banse

Poster 73

Session: Sciences

Diet is directly tied to the life history traits of an organism. Life history traits, such as development, reproductive capability, and lifespan, respond to changes in diet. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can serve as a model to demonstrate the effect of various bacterial diets on development and fecundity. Using various available natural bacteria isolates, we screened for bacterial diets that produce observable effects on the health and development of nematodes. Two bacteria species, Comamonas aquatica and Comamonas testosteroni, were observed to produce accelerated development in the growing nematodes relative to the standard laboratory diet of E. coli OP50. This prompted investigation into whether a tradeoff exists between life history traits, or whether this food source is simply a better food. We measured the number of offspring produced by organisms given a diet of Comamonas aquatica or Comamonas testosteroni and found that it is less with the number normally observed in nematodes given a diet of E. coli OP50. This demonstrates a tradeoff that is also well understood in temperature. When temperature is increase, nematode development is accelerated, and total offspring count is reduced. We found that when fed a diet of Comamonas aquatica or Comamonas testosteroni that the pattern of change relative to temperature is not consistent with nematodes on a diet of E. coli OP50. This work shows that this change in diet produces a tradeoff between development time and total offspring count, and that interactions with abiotic factors do not alleviate the tradeoff completely. Future research could show the specific nutrient composition differences in bacteria species that are responsible for the accelerated development and reduced offspring count.

Social Isolation: Which aspects of Social Media are at Fault?

Presenter(s): Michael Silver

Faculty Mentor(s): Kate Harmon

Poster 110

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Social isolation as a result of social network use is a problem that has gained much media attention, but we don’t know how deeply rooted this problem is or how to approach it. While researchers previously have found our online lives cause socially isolating feelings, I would like to discover potential solutions in incentivizing a more meaningful online experience for our youth. Using an online survey and offering continuous focus groups over summer I hope to engage directly with Social Media Users to find out how we can best redesign key social media features to bring value to users’ online experience. There are strong indications that the current social networking model has some socially isolating features, while only specific use scenarios actually provide a positive benefit to the user. My hypothesis is that one-click features of social media usage are more socially isolating than others. To gather participants I plan to advertise a survey that asks to scale a social media user’s state of mental well-being as well as their social media usage for each particular social site and feature. After the survey has enough responses I will be able to use a Chi-squared test and dummy variables to deduce which features of social media are more socially isolating than others. Then using focus groups that will be held monthly I should be able to gather additional anecdotal evidence in figuring out which ways are most beneficial in bridging the gap between our digital and real-life experiences, so they can co-exist and complement each other. Learning from the past, I believe a brand new social network can be specifically re-designed to embrace the positive merits of social networking and bring value to the users themselves.

Grooming as an Indicator of Male Dominance and Reconciliation in Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Presenter(s): Caitlin Shreeve

Co Presenter(s): Nichole Biggs

Faculty Mentor(s): Frances White & Kylen Gartland

Poster 62

Session: Sciences

In primate societies, social rank is very important in males. Higher-ranking males get more food, more mates, and better social situations than lower-ranking males. Males, therefore, fight over rank and as a result, often need to “make-up” or reconcile after a fight. This reconciliation is important for repairing social bonds and group cohesion. Dominance rank is primarily determined by primatologists from watching aggressive interactions, but if fights are rare it can be hard to identify male rank. In this study, we will be researching whether it is possible to use a more common behavior to identify male rank. Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) spend a lot of time grooming, which is used to rebuild and strengthen bonds within the social group. The directionality of grooming may be indicative of dominance relationships because high-ranking individuals may receive more grooming than low ranking individuals. Additionally, reconciliation through social grooming may also be related to the dominance rank of the males involved. Through an examination of published studies, we will extract information on the relationship between grooming and reconciliation with dominance rank. We will then develop a data collection methodology which we will use in a research study of the adult males in the Japanese macaque group at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. Studies of reconciliation and dominance rank through the lens of grooming behaviors can give us a better understanding of the complex social relationships in multi-male Japanese macaque societies.

Sleep Intervention Effects on Sleep Quality and Mental Health

Presenter(s): Ari Sepulveda

Faculty Mentor(s): Melissa Latham

Poster 158

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Poor sleep hygiene and mental health issues are common amongst college students due to high stress and rigorous environments. This project uses the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess improvements in sleep quality and mental health after exposure to our developed sleep intervention. During the intervention, participants had a phone application which provided helpful suggestions (“nudges”) and reminders to help initiate healthier sleep hygiene, and improve related mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Participants in the study were given both the DASS and the PSQI surveys at the beginning and culmination of the five-week study. Our research indicates that although scores in the DASS measurement did not significantly decrease, overall sleep quality was significantly improved through the intervention. While depression and lack of sleep are correlated, sleep does not directly impact stress and other mental health issues. Although not all hypotheses were met, we were able to successfully implement the sleep intervention to impact the quality of sleep in college students.