Tag: Poster 26

Archaeology from Behind the Curtain: The Discovery, Research, and Conservation of Human Remains in Gozo, Malta

Presenter: Kirsten Lopez

Mentor: Diane Baxter

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 26

“Box 1” and “Box 2”–that was it. That is all that was written on the outside of the boxes that ultimately contained the contents of my research project. In the fall of 2011 I undertook an opportunity to experience museum collections and curation in Gozo, Malta, during an internship offered by IE3 through the University of Oregon. While I had experience working with collections here on campus, the ability to learn cross-cultural differences in storage, display, and perceptions of the past could not be passed up. As I went through my internship assisting with cataloguing of the contents of a storage facility, I stumbled upon these two boxes. With the encouragement of Heritage Malta and the Museum of Archaeology, Gozo, I developed a small project that addressed three questions: where did the re- mains come from, who were they, and how can we best preserve them for future research? Through an interview with a prior museum administrator, sorting, documenting, and obtaining professional verification on the dating of a diagnostic pot, I was able to discertain the location of recovery during 1980/1986, the remains as Tarxien Temple Period (3000 – 2500 BC), the minimum number of individuals (MNI), notable signs of pathology, and a complete rehousing and storage culminating in a written preliminary report. After considering nearby sites and the landscape involved, these remains may also prove to be key in a turning point for prehistoric Maltese archaeology as one of two skeletal collections of the Temple Period.

Molecular Evolution of Indian Hedgehog Following the Teleost Genome Duplication

Presenter : Ryan Loker

Mentor : Ingo Braasch

Major : Biology

Poster 26

Indian Hedgehog(IHH) is a signaling molecule that acts in several important developmental processes in vertebrates including gut, vascular, and skeletal development. Duplicated(paralogous) copies of the ihh gene have been retained in the teleost fish lineage, ihha and ihhb, following the teleost genome duplication(TGD). The mechanisms of evolution following a whole genome duplication are not completely understood, but one possible reason that ihh and many other duplicates remain in the teleost genomes is
that each paralog carries out essential sub-functions of the ancestral pre-duplication gene, following the Duplication-Degeneration-Complementation(DDC) model. Investigation of this mechanism requires characterization of the regulatory elements controlling expression of ihh genes in teleosts as well as the ancestral state, which can be represented using spotted gar(Lepisosteus oculatus), a member of a sister group to teleosts with an unduplicated genome. Here, we use a comparative genomics approach to compare the ge- nomes of several teleosts and gar in order to identify ancestral conserved non-coding elements(CNE) representing possible regulatory elements, and test their functionality in vivo using transgenic reporter constructs in zebrafish(Danio rerio). In addition to the insight of the evolutionary mechanisms, characterizing enhancers of ihha and ihhb will provide an opportunity to further characterize the role of these genes in developmental pathways, which are commonly conserved throughout vertebrates including humans.

The Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE): Depression and Body Composition Among Aging Populations

Presenter: William Olson

Mentor: Josh Snodgrass

Poster: 26

Major: Biology

Previous research has documented complex associations between depression and body composition; in some studies, depression increases risk for being underweight, while in other studies it has been linked to obesity. However, the links between depression and body composition remain relatively unexplored among older adults and, additionally, no studies have systematically examined this relationship in non-Western countries. We used Wave 1 data from WHO’s Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), a longitudinal study of nationally representative samples of older adults (>50 years old) in six middle income countries (China(nM=6024 nF=6803 n=12827), Ghana(nM=2237 nF=2050 n=4287), India(nM=3302 nF=3255 n=6557), Mexico(nM=869 nF=1330 n=2199), Russian Federation(nM=81 nF=267 n=348), and South Africa(nM=1551 nF=2103 n=3654)), to examine relationships among body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and depression (based on a symptom-based algorithm). Results indicate substantial differences in depression prevalence by sex and country, ranging from 1.6% (men in China) to 22.9% (women in Mexico). Variation by sex and country was also evident in prevalence of obesity (from 4.3% among Indian men to 52.7% in South African women) and underweight (0.5% in Mexican women to 40.3% in Indian men). Multiple regression analyses were used with weighted population samples to examine the relationship between body composition measures and depression classification while controlling for key covariates such as age, smoking, drinking, marital status, and income. Among older South African women, depression was positively associated with BMI (P=0.003). Otherwise, the lack of a significant relationship between depression and body composition variables in the individual SAGE countries suggests that depression is not a major driver of body composition among older adults.

Finding the Lesser Evil: A Comparison of the Environmental Impacts of the Iceland Deep Drilling Project and Conventional Geothermal Wells

Presenter: Hannah Greenberg

Mentor: Peg Boulay, Environmental Science

Poster: 26

Major: Environmental Science

The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) intends to harness geothermal power in a way that power companies hope will increase the efficiency of geothermal energy generation. The goal of the project is to drill deep for supercritical fluids with a high energy yield potential. Conventional geothermal wells are drilled to an average depth of 2 km and produce fluids up to 275 °C. The IDDP plans to drill 3.5-5 km deep for supercritical fluids at 450-600 °C. Geothermal energy is a renewable resource but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is sustainable: geothermal plants can affect the environment in different ways and it is important to study the potential impacts of this new approach. This study aims to compare conventional geothermal with deep drill wells in order to determine if it is a responsible advancement for the future in Iceland and around the world. After conducting this study, it has been determined that the potential benefits of the IDDP are worth investing in. Deep drill wells have the potential to produce more energy than a conventional geothermal well; meaning less land would be disrupted per unit of energy produced by a geothermal well. Further development of deep drilling for supercritical fluids is a step in the right direction for decreasing the impact and increasing the economic viability of geothermal energy.

The Role of Self Doubt and Empathic Accuracy in STEM Fields

Presenter: Kristina Lowney

Faculty Mentor: Sara Hodges, Gail Unruh

Presentation Type: Poster 26

Primary Research Area: Social Science

Major: Psychology

Funding Source: McNair Scholarship, McNair Scholarship Program

In their daily interactions, people demonstrate varying levels of empathic accuracy, a construct that refers to people’s ability to accurately infer the thoughts and feelings of others. This study examines whether feelings of self-doubt impact empathic accuracy, particularly in women, when they are interpreting feedback in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Women are underrepresented in the STEM fields as they choose not to continue their studies or not even pursue STEM fields at all. One reason for this trend might be attributed to how they interpret feedback in the domain. Seventy-two dyads composed of graduate and undergraduate students in STEM fields were recruited and held recorded conversations to discuss graduate school. Graduate students provided feedback to undergraduates interested in attending graduate school in a related field. Undergraduate students were asked about their feelings of self doubt, and they were also asked to infer the graduate student’s thoughts regarding the undergraduate’s future prospects in graduate school. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between male and female undergraduates for self doubt or empathic accuracy. These findings are considered in terms of other possible underlying factors contributing to women’s underrepresentation in STEM.

Correlation of Ground Reaction Force Transient Impact Peak and Peak Lower Limb Acceleration in Elite Endurance Athletes

Presenter(s): Alex Denton − Human Physiology

Faculty Mentor(s): Michael Hahn

Poster 26

Research Area: Biomechanics

Stress fractures are the result of repetitive high impact loading on the skeletal system followed by insufficient recovery. Elite endurance athletes, such as competitive cross-country runners, are inherently at risk of developing stress fractures in the lower extremities. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships between peak lower limb acceleration and ground reaction force (GRF) transient impact peak, as well as peak lower limb acceleration and GRF loading rate. It was hypothesized that both GRF transient impact peak and GRF loading rate would correlate with peak lower limb acceleration. Data was collected from 8 competitive endurance athletes using an instrumented split belt treadmill and three inertial measurements units (IMUs) placed on both shanks and superficial to the sacrum. Data were analyzed using a Matlab script to conclude peak lower limb acceleration is moderately associated with GRF transient impact peak, but peak lower limb acceleration is not associated with GRF loading rate. Further analysis of additional subjects is necessary to identify a quantitative abnormality in order to prevent stress fractures before they occur.

Sterilization and Treatment of Women and Children in Rajneeshpuram

Presenter(s): Lisa Kwan

Faculty Mentor(s): Bharat Venkat

Poster 26

Session: Sciences

My research revolves around the community of Rajneeshpuram, which was established and fully realized during the 1980’s in Antelope, Oregon. Headed by a spiritual named Bhagwan Rajneesh, residency on the ashram required adopting a specific lifestyle and ideology characterized by free sex and thought. Due to this, Rajneeshpuram often earns itself the title of ‘cult,’ although its members vehemently rejected this label. Rajneeshpuram was infamous for a number of reasons- -its rampant voter and immigration fraud, bioterrorism stunts, assassination plots, militia, and unethical practices regarding sex and reproductive health. This last issue is what my research focuses largely on, particularly the rumors surrounding sterilization and encouragement of sex in young girls. I explore how the principle of ideological totalism fueled an unhealthy perception of sex and sexual relationships in the community, as well as the pedophilia allegations against Bhagwan and many male Rajneeshis. Further, I did extensive research on the Rajneesh Medical Corp and the sterilization surgeries they performed on young girls. These discoveries led into an exploration of eugenics and reproductive control on the ashram, and more broadly, the treatment of women and children in the community. The demonization of nuclear family units as well as monogamous relationships created a unique isolation which deemed Bhagwan the sole emotional and spiritual outlet for these individuals. While preaching feminist ideology, Rajneeshpuram was in reality a destructive environment not only for women but also the young girls that grew up there.