Poster Session 2 - 11:30AM-1:00PM PST
Abstract Volume and Quick Reference Guide
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Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Purification of CYP8B1 for Novel Drug Screening to Treat Obesity /Diabetes
Advisor(s): Dr. Cedric Owens
Obesity is a national health crisis in America. Obesity related conditions includes heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Bariatric surgery is a modification of patient’s gastrointestinal track to improve weight profile. Currently not much is known about how these surgeries improve weight profile however with ongoing research it has found that bariatric surgeries improve weight through possible pathways affecting lipid metabolism, and bile acid salt concentration. Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) is a type of bariatric surgery that modifies the stomach morphology leading to change in enzyme expression. Previous research in the lab showed the expression of lipid metabolism enzymes was altered. One major change was a decrease of CYP8B1, a monooxygenase that is the rate limiting step of conversion of cholesterol into cholic acid. Inhibition of CYP8B1 by a novel molecule could possibly lead to a similar weight profile to patients that underwent the invasive VSG surgery. The goal of this project was to develop a methodology that can be used to synthesize functional CYP8B1 for structural characterization by X-Ray Crystallography. Solving the protein structure will help develop novel inhibitors for CYP8B1. Our research group used restriction digest cloning, transformation, and expression techniques to isolate and amplify the CYP8B1 gene of interest. Synthesis of the CYP8B1 protein was difficult in vitro as the whole protein either misfolded or was insoluble. A solution was the creation of CYP8B1 truncations. Truncations were made by comparing the motifs of CYP8B1 protein to a similar CYP7A1 protein to make truncations around the protein’s active site. Once all truncated protein was expressed one out a possible nine had a properly folded active site motif and had increase solubility due to an addition of a SUMO tag. Enzyme kinetics assay still needed to be performed to show that the truncation was a functional protein.
- Testing the Inhibitory Effect of the Diarylpentanoid CA27 in Breast Cancer Cells
Advisor(s): Dr. Marco Bisoffi
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers found in women around the world. It can be characterized by the overexpression of a protein known as the androgen receptor (AR). AR acts as a transcription factor for genes involved in cell growth and survival. In cancerous cells, AR signaling is constitutively active, leading to upregulated cell growth and proliferation. A specific subtype of breast cancer called triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks the expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), the progesterone receptor (PgR), and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2), making it challenging to treat with hormone therapies or targeted drugs. A synthetic analog of curcumin known as ca27 can downregulate AR expression and prevent AR signaling from taking place in cancerous cells. This study explores the ability of ca27 to downregulate the AR in breast cancer cells and further define its potential as a treatment. A TNBC cell line known as MDA-MB-231 and an ER+, PgR+, HER2- cell line known as MCF-7 were used in this project. Cells were treated in a dose-dependent manner to define which ca27 treatment concentration was most effective. The effect of ca27 on cell growth was tested using the WST assay and indicates that it is inhibitory in breast cancer cells. After treatment, protein lysates were obtained and separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Western blotting analysis was used for the detection and analysis of AR expression. Initial results support the ability of ca27 to downregulate AR expression in breast cancers.
Biological Sciences
- Locomotion of Atlantic Hagfish: Burrowing in Sand
Advisor(s): Dr. Douglas Fudge
Hagfishes are elongate, eel-shaped marine organisms notorious for their ability to produce large volumes of slime as a defense mechanism against predators. They are commonly found in the depths of the ocean, where they act as scavengers. Hagfishes have been known to squeeze through tight spaces and burrow in a variety of substrates, including sand, mud, and large animal carcasses, but the specific mechanisms of hagfish burrowing have not been widely researched. In this project, we studied the behaviors of the Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) burrowing in sand. This was accomplished by observing an Atlantic hagfish in a tank partially filled with sand and artificial sea water (ASW), filming with a mounted camera. Videos were used for kinematic analysis of tailbeat frequency, instance and direction of body rotation, and behavioral patterns. It was found that Atlantic hagfish sand burrowing is a specialized behavior that occurs in two sequential phases: the first phase began with the hagfish entering the substrate head-first, followed by lateral tail beating that had an initial increase in frequency, followed by a gradual decrease and rotational movements of the body. This persisted until the hagfish was partially submerged in the sand; the second phase began with a gradual lurching where the body would enter the substrate in a saltatory pattern over a longer period of time. These findings are significant within the context of vertebrate evolution as well as bettering our understanding of the diversity of Atlantic hagfish locomotor behaviors. A biphasic burrowing strategy has also been noted in burrowing and sand diving Osteichthyes, indicating that the lack of a vertebral column and the presence of an elongate body form of hagfishes does not impede, and may even functionally enhance, the burrowing lifestyle of myxinids.
- Are Pacific Hagfish Reactive to Light Stimuli?
Advisor(s): Dr. Douglas Fudge
Hagfishes are marine craniates that burrow into the ocean floor. Hagfishes do not have functional eyes, instead, they have unpigmented eye spots located on the top of their head. As such, hagfishes perceive light through a dermal light sense, using photoreceptors located within the eye, under the skin. Upon opening the holding tanks, and introducing light into the tank, Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii) appear to alter their behavior and begin moving when initially still. This observation led us to question if Pacific hagfish were sensitive towards light. Although light studies have been conducted on other species of hagfish, not much is known about the light sensitivity of Pacific hagfish. If this hypothesis was true, we predicted that Pacific hagfish would be disturbed and alter their behavior when introduced to a light stimulus. To test this, an LED light was fixed to the top of the tank to illuminate the tank during the trials. Using a GoPro to record Pacific hagfish movement during the 15-minute trials. Pacific hagfish were allowed a 15-minute adjustment period in the dark after the tank apparatus was set up, before being exposed. Using video analysis, movements of the hagfish could be quantified immediately after the light stimulus was introduced in the tank. In analyzing the footage, five distinct movements were identified throughout the duration of the trial. In response to bright light, Pacific hagfish first appear to coil tightly, then begin to move their tail and head, which can also lead into more active swimming behaviors. Our preliminary results suggest hagfish are, indeed, photosensitive. Further, the coiling behavior observed during the trials appeared when initally introduced to light and again when bumped by another hagfish. This leads us to believe that the coiling behavior may serve as a startle response, occurring when a hagfish is disturbed rather than a light specific behavior. Our results raise interesting questions about the role of photosensitivity in deep sea animals and the diversity of photosensitivity within the hagfish lineage.
- Locomotion of Atlantic Hagfish: Burrowing in Marine Mud
Advisor(s): Dr. Douglas Fudge
Hagfishes are elongate craniates that live on the ocean floor and are known for their use of slime as a defense mechanism and their evasive nature. Their unique locomotive behaviors have been characterized by anguilliform swimming, contortions like knotting, and expert burrowing in complex environments and confined spaces like carcasses. In doing so, they are able to scavenge and avoid predation with ease. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which hagfishes achieve such burrowing efficiency. In this study, we analyze and propose behavioral mechanisms by which Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) burrow into gelatin to understand how they navigate in marine mud sediments. Specifically, videos of the hagfishes burrowing were collected and quantified by frequency and amplitude of tail beats over time. Our results suggest that hagfishes use a methodical, biphasic approach for burrowing into substrate. A key behavioral pattern observed was an initially high tail-beat frequency and head wagging, which devolved into body-axis propagation with smaller undulatory frequencies until the animal had completely submerged. Our research coincides with previous literature on the evolution of locomotion in long-bodied aquatic animals and suggests that the biphasic mechanism they employ functionally enhances their burrowing lifestyle. Future experiments are expected to yield kinematic models for these locomotive patterns of myxinids and further insight into the diversity of hagfish locomotion.
- Skein Scaling in Hagfish
Advisor(s): Dr. Douglas Fudge, Dr. Yu Zeng
Hagfish are benthic scavengers that produce slime as a defense mechanism against predators by clogging their gills. The unique properties of this slime are mainly attributed to the silk-like threads produced by cells in the slime gland. These threads are coiled and stored in ellipsoid shaped “skeins” that reside in gland thread cells. Since the function of a skein is to be ejected from the hagfish, it has been hypothesized that size of skeins is not conserved across organisms as evolutionary and biophysical constraints may not apply to cells ejected from the body. Additional studies have found that the average skein is smaller in glands that are in the process of refilling with less mature skeins than in full glands with mature skeins. To better understand this evident variation of skein sizes in hagfish we investigated how thread diameter varies with skein size by measuring the thread diameter and skein length. Our results have shown that as skein size increased, the thread diameter increased as well in a positive linear fashion. There have also been positive correlations revealing skein size as measured by the length of the skein correlates with body size. This investigation is important in understanding the function of this biomaterial produced in the skeins, as the relative shape of skeins is conserved across different body sizes however skein size appears to vary.
- Dietary Ganglioside Improves Disease Activity Index in Pediatric IBD
Advisor(s): Dr. John Miklavcic
Inflammatory bowel disease is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and can be recognized as either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. This disease greatly affects the quality of life in many pediatric patients differently from adults, more specifically causing growth stunting, abnormal or delayed development, and can cause more severe nutrient deficiencies. The overall goal of the 10 week randomized, double-blind controlled intervention is to focus on the physiological effects of dietary gangliosides found in buttermilk powder and aim for an improvement of the disease activity index represented by a changing of category (ie. Severe to moderate). Secondary goals include improvement in ImproveCareNow Physician Global Assessment (ICN PGA) category, intestinal permeability, fecal calprotectin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) inflammation levels are crucial for these pediatric-aged children and are the main interest in this study. This clinical research trial will recruit 48 participants, aged 9-21 years old from Children's Hospital Orange County throughout a 12 month period. Inclusion criteria includes: participants with moderate disease activity, location specific IBD (ileocecal). Exclusion criteria: cannot be pregnant or have had a bowel resection. Participants, upon consenting, will be enrolled in a 10-week trial period where they will be randomly given either the treatment or the placebo. The treatment is given as 5 grams of buttermilk powder per day and the placebo group will be given an anhydrous milk fat complex. Throughout the study at specified times blood tests, stool and urine samples, adverse event indication forms and quality of life surveys will be given out. The overall effectiveness of the treatment will be assessed throughout the study with a focus on disease activity, intestinal permeability, calprotectin levels, and quality of life. The treatment group is expected to have improved quality of life, fecal calprotectin levels, and intestinal integrity and decreased CRP and calprotectin levels after 10 weeks.
Business
- Social Media Engagement for Global Eco-Influencers
Advisor(s): Dr. Kara Bentley, Dr. Charlene Chu Dr. Cristina Nistor
Consumers use social media to create content, generate online word-of-mouth, communicate with brands and other consumers across a global marketplace. Influencers have a truly global reach across the world. Their followers choose to engage with influencers who deliver content that is timely and interesting. However, there is little research on international aspects of social media, such as country of origin effects or variety seeking behavior across countries. Our project seeks to analyze the forces that drive consumer engagement across countries using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. We rely on a novel dataset of global sustainability influencers to empirically determine the forces that drive engagement for followers across the world. Our results indicate that the country match between the influencer and the followers is an important driver of engagement and is correlated with followers’ consumption behavior of social media content.
Chemistry
- Identifying Dissolved Organic Matter Leached From Microplastics in Aquatic Solutions with Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Advisor(s): Dr. Aaron Harrison
As the prevalence of microplastics in marine ecosystems has continued to increase, many studies have focused on characterizing and quantifying physical microplastic particles. However, very few studies have analyzed the chemicals that are leached from these plastics into aquatic environments. Particularly, the dissolved organic matter (DOM) leached is of interest considering this new source of carbon could have potential implications for the marine carbon cycle, as DOM serves as a base of the oceanic food chain. Our study sought to determine the feasibility of using the combined tools of steady-state and lifetime fluorescence spectroscopy in identifying microplastic-sourced DOM in natural solutions. We simulated natural microplastic leaching by creating artificial microplastic solutions from different polymer varieties and irradiating these solutions with UV light and obtaining fluorescence measurements after fixed time periods. We found promise in applying the method to the polymer Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), a plastic widely used in soft drink bottles, which was of interest as this polymer had not been used in previous studies. Moreover, lifetime fluorescence measurements were explored as a supplemental tool in further differentiating overlapping fluorescent components that appeared on the excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) obtained.
Computational Science
- Computational Investigation of the Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) Sensing Mechanism of the [Zn(Cys)4] Zinc Finger Domain in the Holdase Chaperone Hsp33 Protein
Advisor(s): Dr. O. Maduka Ogba
Zinc finger domains, comprised of the Zn(His)x(Cys)y architecture (where x + y = 4), provide structural rigidity in proteins, mediate protein/DNA interactions, and act as redox switches. As redox switches, these domains detect biological oxidants produced by host systems and hence play an essential role for bacterial defense against oxidative killing. Despite this crucial role, molecular insights into how these zinc fingers sense hypochlorous acid (HOCl) – one of the most potent biological oxidants produced during inflammation – is still in its infancy. This work incorporates computational techniques to investigate the HOCl-sensing mechanism of a [Zn(Cys)4] model for the holdase chaperone Hsp33 protein. The overarching goal is to elucidate the role of the zinc-complex in mediating the reactivity at the cysteines toward HOCl oxidation and compare these results to other HOCl-sensing zinc finger domains previously explored in our lab. Progress made toward these efforts so far will be presented.
- EEG-Based Motor Imagery Classification
Advisor(s): Elnaz Lashgari, Tian Lan, Dr. Uri Maoz, Dr. Aaron Schurger
on-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) would allow those who lack more efficient modes of communication to interact with their surrounding environment, particularly through the use of motor imagery (MI). One of the aims of BCI is decoding an individual’s intention. In particular, the ability to decode intentions would strongly enhance the scientific armamentarium used to investigate volition. Electroencephalography (EEG) has proved to be the most popular method due to direct measures of neural activity, non-invasive, inexpensiveness, and portability for clinical use. EEG signals could provide a pathway from the brain to various external devices resulting in brain-controlled assistive devices for disabled people and brain-controlled rehabilitation devices for patients with strokes and other neurological deficits. One of the most challenging topics in BCI is finding and analyzing the relationships between recorded brain activity and underlying models of the human body, biomechanics, and cognitive processing. As a result, investigation of relationships between EEG signals and upper limb movement, real and imaginary, has become a fascinating area of research in recent years. To implement an EEG-based BCI system for a particular application, a specific protocol and paradigm has to be chosen for all phases of the experiment. First, the subject performs a particular task (e.g., imagery task, visual task) in order to learn how to modulate their brain activity while EEG signals are recorded from the scalp. Using the recorded EEG as training data, a neural decoder for the paradigm is generated. Afterward, the subject performs the task again and the neural decoder is used for BCI control. Motor imagery is described as imagining a movement rather than executing a real movement. In this research, we will explore EEG and other physiological signals such as ECG, respiration, EMG and pupillometry for motor imagery classification offline with consideration for real-time classification.
Data Analytics
- Fear of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Advisor(s): Dr. Ann Gordon
Sexual harassment within the workplace is a realistic fear for many individuals within the workplace, the variables contributing to this fear are as diversified as the individuals who experience this concern. Within my proposed research paper I would like to utilize the data set provided in the Fear V Methodology Report. Specifically, I would like to focus on question 17d, “How afraid are you of sexual harassment within the workplace?”. There is no dominant explanation for this fear previous research has established, rather a plethora of of factors that have contributed to the act of sexual harassment itself occuring more for specific demographics. Research has been limited in both the time of it’s conduction (prior to the “Me too” movement era), as well as focusing on the percentage of sexual harassment occuring as a whole and not the percentage of individuals who fret this may happen to them. The data used is from the Fear V Methodology report The objective of my paper will be to determine what role gender, age, race and economic status play in the demographics that experience this fear the most. Following the era of the “Me too” movement I would like to identify the variables that contribute to individuals' level of fear surrounding this question. The purpose of this research will be to establish significant variables as well as enact contingency between combined variables such as “gender and race” or “age and economic status”. This research paper will also consider the literature surrounding this topic. I plan to look for potential missing variables as well as determine if the present variables are relevant to the analysis. Additionally throughout this research paper I intend to incorporate other relevant variables within the ANES 2020 data, for example label [forgive4] which questions if one agrees there should be “zero tolerance for offensive remarks”.
- Evaluating Luminance to Local and Global Interference for Autistic Children
Advisor(s): Dr. LouAnne Boyd, Dr. Vincent Berardi
The human ability to process visual information requires quick assessment and ongoing integration of multiple streams of information. For some people, the local and global visual information does not sync well which can create difficulty in understanding the “big picture”. Seeing the “big picture” is important to reading social situations effectively. In the current work, we created an assistive technology aimed to increase focus on global visual stimuli in photographs from everyday events. With the assistance of Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) working with autistic children, we designed an experiment to test a high-fidelity prototype we call a global filter. In order to design this global filter, we leveraged an open source data set and created filter parameters with the SLPs’ input. The photographs were filtered to deemphasize less relveavent local details. Using video recordings of eye tracking data, we analyzed the impact of luminance of shifting eye gaze to the global areas (“hitting” a “hotspot”. While the overall mean of luminance had no correlation with the hit rate, it played a statistically significant role in predicting a hit when the “not hot-spots'', or the dark background, was darkest. Implications of this finding are discussed.
- Spatial Frequency Implications for Global And Local Processing in Autistic Children
Advisor(s): Dr. Vincent Berardi, Dr. LouAnne Boyd
Visual processing in humans is done by integrating and updating multiple streams of global and local sensory input. Interaction between these two systems can be disrupted in individuals with ASD and other learning disabilities. When this integration is not done smoothly, it becomes difficult to see the “big picture”, which has been found to have implications on emotion recognition, social skills, and conversation skills. An example of this phenomenon is local interference, which is when local details are prioritized over the global features. Previous research in this field has aimed to decrease local interference by developing and evaluating a filter to help direct ASD patients towards normative processing of the global features in images. Within this process, this research focuses on whether an image’s spatial frequency was affected by the filter and how spatial frequency impacted the filter’s functionality. Spatial frequency can be defined as a measure of the periodic distribution of light versus dark in image. In this work, we isolated “hot spots”, which are areas in the image where the eye gaze of normative individuals fixated. Using the OpenCV package in Python, I implemented an algorithm to detect hotspots and draw a contour around each one. I then drew rectangles around the contours in each image and calculated the spatial frequency within each rectangle. Statistical analysis will reveal whether the spatial frequency of hot spots had an impact on the differences in normative and ASD fixations. We plan to use these findings to improve the image filter and conduct further research in this field.
English
- Resisting Performative Activism: A Rhetorical Analysis of the #MeToo Website
Advisor(s): Dr. Ian Barnard
This piece serves as a rhetorical analysis of the #metoo movement’s official website. Through close examination of the aesthetic choices, content, and navigation, I show that the website utilizes different rhetorical strategies to better support survivors of sexual assault and create a conversation that guides survivors through the entire timeline they might experience following their trauma(s). The #metoo organization challenges conventional social media activism and creates a platform that allows survivors and allies to speak out and share their thoughts, feelings, and stories in a way that uplifts and encourages others. The website works in opposition to performative activism and instead offers an intentional interactive site to directly force the audience to engage in the content being displayed on the site. Through the creation of a platform that amplifies the voices of minority and oppressed communities, the #metoo movement encourages intersectionality and reframes #metoo as a space that does not tolerate white feminism.
- #MeToo: Why Twitter Doesn't Do Enough
Advisor(s): Dr. Ian Barnard
In 2017 actress Alyssa Milano sparked the #MeToo movement as most people know it today. Unbeknownst to many, however, a black woman named Tarana Burke began the Me Too movement a decade earlier after working with survivors of sexual assault. As more and more injustice through discrimination comes to light, it is important to recognize privilege where it exists and what it allows to happen. This project is an analysis of the rhetoric of the #MeToo movement that aims to prove that this privilege is the problem with the movement. I intend to demonstrate how the use of Twitter to advance the movement is problematic because of its reliance on privilege and audience, things that even now are difficult for any non-white person to possess. In addition, I aim to show how the #MeToo movement has mostly succeeded in raising awareness but has largely failed to take any real action in changing the systems that allow widespread sexual harassment to take place. My research includes news articles, survey statistics, and interviews about the aftermath of the #MeToo movement and what has or has not changed, along with various tweets reviewed for both their content and their platform. This research is analyzed to support my conclusion that #MeToo is only the beginning of what needs to happen in order to eliminate sexual harassment.
Environmental Science and Policy
- Transnational Privilege During the Climate Crisis
Advisor(s): Dr. Ann Gordon
The idea of man-made climate change has been common knowledge in America for decades, yet there is still a significant number of people who are stead-fast climate deniers, regardless of scientific understanding. Past research has covered possible factors in one’s upbringing to cause climate change denials, such as political parties or religion. We seek to answer the curiosity of climate change denial with a much simpler variable: location. The Earth is covered in a myriad of ecosystems, each with its own regional climate. People live across the globe, so each has different values and principles about the environment based on their community’s climate. An effect of climate change is an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters, so people who live in at-risk areas directly experience the consequences of manmade climate change, perhaps making them more sensitive to the topic. Adversely, people who live in low-risk areas have fewer concerns about environmental consequences, thus allotting them the privilege of not having to believe in scientific reasoning and public outcry. We employ one survey containing three parts to assess the volunteer pool. Questions cover climate science aptitude, climate change beliefs, and general personal information gathered from the National Survey of Fear. The information gained from this study could be hugely beneficial for how the public talks about climate change. There is clearly some disconnect for climate change deniers, and learning exactly where that occurs in climate science communication is integral to its success. Environmentalists can use this data to create media content to spread awareness with specific audiences in mind; make it more accessible to everyone.
- Abstract on the Effects of Unclean Water
Advisor(s): Sam Risak
Our purpose for this project is to research and bring awareness about the deficiency of clean waters as well as the different causes of it around the world. We will be making a presentation that includes GIFs, as well as the modalities of text/language and short films that will bring to light the importance of water cleanliness. Our plan is to explicate the effects of unclean water and elaborate about the specific causes such as lead pipes, human waste, and pesticides. For our research methods, we will use business and environment-related articles that explore the negative effects poor water quality has on individuals and communities. We will also research by watching documentaries and taking small clips that will benefit our project’s topic. As we are not able to meet physically to film something, we will create our own GIFs by researching effective ones on the internet. GIFs are a great way of gripping the audience as its nature appeals to a wider demographic. They are funny and easy to consume. As we look through these effects, we can expect that consumption of unclean water will generally lead to lack of brain functionality, diseases like Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentery, and even death. In regards to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, the specific harmful effects were an increase in high blood pressure, kidney disease and infertility. Also, we realize that part of our project is to determine what causes communities to be exposed to unclean water and how the government is working to prevent this from happening. As we research deeper into the subject and the causes, we can find and expose certain businesses around the country that are the leading causes for unclean water and think of alternative ways of functioning.
- The Dangers of Overpopulation and How it Effects Our Environment
Advisor(s): Sam Risak
For our presentation, we are going to be talking about overpopulation and how it is affecting a variety of aspects of our society and our environment. To do this, we have made an informational podcast that features all four of us talking in a formal setting. We all thought this would be the best form to relay the information to a wide audience. Using a podcast, we were able to discuss, in depth, about the pressing issue of overpopulation in a conversational sense so that we didn’t lose our audience. Also, since this issue affects people from all walks of life, we wanted to make sure that it can be listened to by any audience member at any time. This is where a podcast is the most effective, as it can be listened to at a specific time or while doing other work and the message will still be clear. In order to get some multi-modality in the mix, not only did we record our podcast, but we also decided to show some photos in order to incorporate some visual-focused topics. For our podcast, we will each have a topic of discussion that we will be explaining to the best of our ability through our own opinions and factual research. In our podcast, we talked about a variety of issues related to overpopulation: food shortage, and other natural resources used up by overpopulation, how our massive carbon footprint is affecting our climate, how this many people in this condensed of a space is affecting other life forms, such as animals, plants, and other forms of wildlife, and how people are affected when it comes to a financial point of view. For example, how there aren't enough jobs in our economy for everyone to live care-free. Many people listen to podcasts like Joe Rogan’s The Joe Rogan Experience or NPR’s Planet Money and after looking more closely at them we were able to understand why they had drawn in such a large following. Joe Rogan uses a variety of guests to liven up the show while also using a video feed of the room. This allows the audience to feel like they were in the room with him and bridges the gap between creator and listener.
FFC
- Odin and Odysseus: A Heroes Journey
Advisor(s): Dr. Eileen Jankowski
Norse Mythology and Greek mythology share many similar tropes and characters. Odin is the Norse god of wisdom and the king of the Aesir tribe, his greek counterpart is Odysseus. Odysseus is also a king and soldier. Both of them baer this nature of self curiosity that leads them on journeys of self discovery. Odin and Odysseus are not merely strong warriors but also wise and honest lovers and in some instances in touch with the more feminine side of themselves. Through my research I will show how both mythologies, Greek and Norse, have counterpart characters, that through extreme measures, reveal important archetypal themes for humans. These archetypes give humans a road map for what to strive for. The themes are the same across these two mythologies and both try to teach similar lessons. I will specifically focus on the journeys of Odin and Odysseus.
- The Personification of Death
Advisor(s): Dr. Eileen Jankowski
The Personification of Death, Often times portrayed as a skeletal figure, the Grim Reaper wields a scythe or sickle that is said to collect and transfer souls to and from the afterlife This mythical figure originates from European base folklore and is often portrayed as the living embodiment of death itself. Alongside his scythe, the Grim Reaper is said to carry around an hour glass, waiting for your time to expire. For generations the story and appearance of the Grim Reaper has remained the same, haunting people to this day. In films, this mythical figure appears in darkness, wielding his scythe and wearing a hooded black clock. The Grim Reaper is very similar to the Greek god Thanatos. In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Thanatos was also considered to be the living embodiment of death, like the reaper. After the fates decide someones life has expired, Thanatos appears to carry people into the underworld, similar to how the Grim Reaper uses his scythe to reap the souls of humans. Unlike the Greek god Erinyes, Thanatos was known to give peaceful death by simply touching someone. Both Thanatos and the Grim Reaper are the living embodiments of death within their respected cultures, sharing many similarities.
- Osiris versus Hades: How Two Ancient Cultures Viewed the God of the Underworld and the Afterlife
Advisor(s): Dr. Eileen Jankowski
The ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece both imagined a very distinct pantheon of gods that they honored, respected and incorporated into their everyday lives. They paid homage to these gods in the hope that the gods would bless them and give them prosperous lives. Many mythological gods throughout different cultures and civilizations overlap in one way or another, whether it be in their qualities or what they represent. The Egyptian god Osiris and the Greek god Hades are examples. Both of these figures are seen as the god of the Underworld in their culture. While these two gods both oversee the land of the dead and the afterlife, Osiris and Hades rule their version of the Underworld and their dead in very different ways, depending on their particular culture’s views. The ancient Egyptians viewed death as a continuation of life and therefore would mummify their dead to allow their soul to be reborn in the afterlife. The ancient Greeks also believed that their soul continued to live on in the Underworld, but they viewed the afterlife as meaningless compared to their earthly life. The ancient Egyptians honored Osiris religiously and therefore did not fear death but rather saw it as an entrance into the next part of their life. On the other hand, the ancient Greeks greatly feared the evil Hades and his Underworld. Ultimately, Osiris and Hades embody the views of the death and afterlife within these two different cultures.
- Kanaloa Transformed
Advisor(s): Dr. Eileen Jankowski
The earliest history of Hawaiian civilization dates as far back as 400 C.E., when Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands voyaged over 2,000 miles to colonize the islands of Hawaii. The people brought with them Polynesian myths that became the foundation of the Hawaiian pantheon. One of the four main gods is Kanaloa. In Polynesian myths, Tagaloa (his Samoan name and one of many) is known as the god of the underworld and death, somewhat resembling the devil. This dark depiction comes from the creation of man: Kanaloa was the only god who was unsuccessful. His jealousy for the other gods led him to create other things, meant to bring bitterness and sorrow. Yet in Polynesian culture he is also credited as one of the world’s creators. Hawaiian myths acknowledge these powers, but limit them to creating water. In the stories he arrives with K?ne, another one of the major gods, from the Kahiki Pillars, which held up the sky. The two gods roam Hawaii, expanding the powerful ocean and creating springs on the islands. In this way Kanaloa’s significance is transformed, and he eventually takes his place as the main ocean deity in Hawaiian culture. Kanaloa has many sea creatures as his kino lau (many embodiments). He is the lord of the ocean and its winds, deity of the ocean currents and navigation, and god of fisherman and healing. Besides the healing plant Waltheria indica, the octopus, squid, dolphin, and whale are among many plants and animals of Hawaii associated with the powerful god. In chants honoring Kanaloa, Hawaiians ask for assistance in healing a patient, or ask for protection on the sea when fishing or sailing. The ocean’s spiritual importance dates as far back as when the first canoes reached the shores of Hawaii.
- Diving into the Myth of Pele
Advisor(s): Dr. Eileen Jankowski
Pele, the fire goddess of the islands of Hawai’i, is one of a family of seven sons and six daughters born to Haumea and Moemoe. Pele is known as the Goddess of Fire, wind, lightning, and is most well known for being the Goddess of Volcanoes. There are many stories of Pele. A particularly famous story shows how Pele came to reside in Hawai’i; Pele was expelled from her homelands, and so migrates from there in efforts to find a deep pit to house herself and her family. Her brother Kamohoali’i gives her a canoe, and a few of her brothers and sister Hi’iaka accompany her on the journey to Hawai’i. She approaches the islands from the Southwest, traveling between islands and stopping at Kauai during a hula festival. There she falls in love with the chief Lohiau. She longs to marry him but continues her journey to find a home, finally settling on Hawai’i island on the crater of Mokuaweoweo. Pele successfully digs the crater without striking water - the first island that she is successful in doing this; so she decides to reside on the Island of Hawai?i at Kilauea. Then she sends Hi’iaka to find the chief Lohiau whom she plans to share her new home with. It is here that things get very interesting as Hi?iaka and Lohiau end up together (Hi?iaka was very beautiful and Lohiau had fallen in love with her), and Pele is incredibly enraged. She first tries to send two of her other sisters to destroy the lovers, but they are also enamored with Lohiau?s attraction so they too fail. Pele then, in a fit of jealousy and rage, sends fire over the two lovers; Hi?iaka cannot be destroyed as she is a goddess but Lohiau is consumed by the flames. Hi?iaka then digs through the Earth to find him, and she eventually does and they are reunited.
- La Llorona: A Glimpse into the Representation of Women in Myth and Media
Advisor(s): Dr. Eileen Jankowski
The story of La Llorona has been passed down from generation to generation in different Hispanic communities, often used as a ghost story to keep children from misbehaving. There are many versions of her origin, but the main story is about a woman who is having issues with her husband, where he is either cheating on her or she is jealous of the attention he gives to their children. She then ends up drowning her children, either accidentally or on purpose, and is left to haunt the woods in search of other children to replace the ones she lost. The story changes depending on who is telling it, but the woman can often be viewed as either lonely and mistreated or jealous and mentally unstable. Most versions tend to lean towards the latter, bringing forth the issue of the misrepresentation of, specifically, Latin women in popular media. This view of La Llorona perpetuates the misogynistic idea that women are quick to overreact and make rash decisions. Looking at the different ways that La Lorona is depicted and who is telling these stories can help show the underlying meaning and consequences of this popular Hispanic horror story.
Film
- Rise of Korean Cinema and Its Impact On The United States
Advisor(s): Dr. Jocelyn Buckner
Korean Cinema is growing rapidly by making its marks in the film industry. For some time, Hallyu, the term for Korean Cinema, swept people off their feet with their blockbusters. The Korean New Wave emerged as the absurd Korean restrictions and censorships that were previously enforced on imported foreign films finally lifted in the late 80s. This resulted in an influx of Hollywood blockbusters and a drastic decline in the popularity of Korean Cinema. For Korea to protect the country’s industry, the government enforced policies that shifted the focus to export Korean culture. Since then, it has been around for more than two decades in the United States with only this year reflecting the utmost attention to Korean Cinema. During the 2020 Oscars, the comedic thriller Parasite became the first international film to win the Oscars. It is important to recognize and put in the effort to understand Korean Cinema as it will help America accept other cultures beyond its own. It is significant to import foreign films to learn from other countries as they did from Hollywood. In this paper, I will research the elements within Memories of Murder, Taxi Driver, and Parasite, such as the genres of the film and the visual designs to explain the rise and impact of Korean Cinema in the film industry and American culture. Actively accepting foreign films, meaning actively screening in theatres and not neglecting them from Oscars, will make a difference in how Americans view foreign culture and lead to embracing the value of diversity. I write this paper with the hope that America continues to diversify its culture by exploring and respecting non-American cultures.
Food Science
- Effectiveness of Registered Dieticians on Adults with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Diseases
Advisor(s): Dr. John Miklavcic
The purpose of this literature review paper is to analyze and establish the importance of registered dietitian (RD) involvement in the treatment of type 2 diabetes by quantifying how their inclusion in an interprofessional team can improve patients' self-management of their disease and comorbidities. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, blood serum glucose levels, blood pressure, body mass composition, and the number of medications used before and after registered dietitian intervention were analyzed. Other intersections examined with registered dietitian involvement include patients' perception of mental health and quality of life in addition to the roles of informal and formal caregivers in patient adherence to recommended dietary choices and medication usage. The use of an RD in an interprofessional team for type 2 diabetes patients has shown to reduce HbA1c levels and blood glucose levels. RD involvement has also shown improved body mass composition and well maintained or reduced weight. Patients who did not receive RD advice experience a perceived reduction in quality of life and poorer mental health status relative to patients that did receive RD intervention. Patients with formal and informal caregivers involved in the RD recommendations resulted in lower HbA1c levels and increased medical advice seeking. It was found that registered dietitians play an integral role in patient diet education which results in improved glycemic control, lower HbA1c, improved weight management, enhanced quality of life, improved comorbidity management, and increased self-efficacy in treatment. Early registered dietitian intervention is more cost-effective relative to the costs associated with treatments for neglected, poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. The role RDs possess in patient diet and nutrition education have shown to be essential in type 2 diabetes management and would behoove policy and decision makers to include RDs into their type 2 diabetes interprofessional team for improved patient health outcomes.
History
- Science, Sorcery, and Sin: The Defense of Natural Magic by Christian Scholars in Early 16th-Century Europe
Advisor(s): Dr. William Cumiford, Dr. Shira Klein Dr. Alexander Bay
My research project examines the study of 'natural' or ‘learned’ magic by male Catholic scholars in early 16th-century Europe, and explores how these men struggled to propose new ideas about science and religion while remaining within papal boundaries. My main inquiry is how the scholars successfully defended themselves against accusations of witchcraft by the church, despite being openly engaged in magical study. Historians of the European witch-hunt rarely attempt to find connections between the few male magicians of the era, or engage in nuanced discussions about them as a group instead of as individuals. Furthermore, there is no definitive study on how the specific group of Reformation-era male magicians justified natural magic, or distinguished themselves as different from accused 'witches'. I will initiate this scholarly dialogue by identifying patterns in the works of late-15th and early 16th-century scholars Johannes Trithemius and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim from Germany, Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola from Italy, and Paracelsus from Switzerland. These men were all well-educated and devout Christians who studied natural magic under the firm belief that they were not engaging in heresy. I will argue that these scholarly magicians used traditional Christianity, early Renaissance Humanist philosophies, and criticism of the church and academia to defend their work as heresy-free, but were unwilling to abandon the church entirely. In fact, instances when occult scholars intentionally strayed from the Christian religion were essentially non-existent.
Music
- Jews Rock: Understanding How Jews Helped Shape the Birth of American Rock Music
Advisor(s): Dr. Jessica Sternfeld
American rock emerged from a melting pot of influences, originating as rock and roll in the late 1940s and early 1950s which in turn drew from several other genres such as rhythm and blues, jazz, folk, and more. Compared to their impact on other popular art forms, Jews are not seen as having a substantial presence in the overall rock era of mid 20th century America, other than some important individual contributions. However, there is a significant Jewish impact on rock music and the birth of this genre as a whole that is oftentimes overlooked. Jewish influence on the development of rock extends into two facets, the first being contributions to influential genres and the second being a presence in the record business. This essay provides a historical account of the Jewish impact on American rock through contributions to the musical genres it directly stemmed from as well as to the infrastructure that allowed the rock industry to flourish. In doing so, this paper serves the purpose of shining light on the often silenced imprint of Jews on this powerful musical genre. A major aspect of this analysis involves the complicated topic of race relations, considering that rock and roll emerged primarily from historically Black genres such as rhythm and blues. While it is absolutely necessary to acknowledge and celebrate the African American origins of certain genres, Jewish influence and respective Black-Jewish relations within these musical styles should be accounted for as well. Despite the vacillating, somewhat turbulent relationship between Blacks and Jews throughout the 20th century, the two groups share a significant musical past that must be recognized.
- Exposing Music's Biggest Night
Advisor(s): Dr. Jessica Sternfeld
Once referred to as ‘Music’s Biggest Night’, the Grammy Awards sixty-one years in the making, has seen better days. The evolution of music and technology from the Recording Academy’s start in 1959, has not quite matched the social change and movements of the world surrounding it. The underlying sexism and racism within the industry and the Recording Academy have begun to unravel the infamous award show, exposing voting issues, and other discrepancies, plummeting their viewership rates. There has been a growing sense of unity among artists in the music industry, encouraging artists and executives alike to speak out against injustices, and the invisible patriarchal grip that will not seem to disappear. Big artists like Drake, Adele, Frank Ocean are calling for reform in all areas to win back the trust of artists and music lovers globally. In this paper I address the extensive, interior issues of the Grammy awards, the Recording Academy administration and offer a solution to move forward in an inclusive way that puts music first above all. I also raise the question if the award show is even worth saving, or if it could be salvaged in any sense.
- The Forgotten Remedy: An Analysis of the Underutilization of Music Therapy as a Treatment Option
Advisor(s): Dr. Jessica Sternfeld
Throughout history, different forms of music therapy have shown substantial results as treatment options for individuals with a variety of illnesses and disabilities. Research shows that music therapy treatments often lead to healing and the reduction of symptoms for children with mental illnesses. Not only does music therapy have emotional benefits, but it has physical ones as well. Especially when the therapy involves playing an instrument or some other form of movement, individuals with disabilities are often able to improve fine motor skills, coordination, strength and flexibility, and more. Additionally, music therapy is a particularly desirable treatment option because unlike most medications used to treat behavioral or mental issues, it has few to no negative side effects. Even though vast amounts of evidence point to the efficacy of music therapy, many barriers exist that have prevented it from becoming fully accepted into the medical, psychological, and educational fields. Stigma, reduced access to treatment, and a lack of education surrounding the benefits of music therapy have contributed to its underutilization in these fields. Obtaining state licensure for music therapists is the first step, but much more additional advocacy will be necessary to ensure its complete integration. This project examines the factors that contribute to the underutilization of music therapy in society, justify its value, and propose practical solutions that will encourage its implementation in mainstream treatment plans.
Physical Therapy
- Does Toe Walking Influence Activities of Daily Living (ADL) in Idiopathic Toe Walking Children Compared to Healthy Counterparts?
Advisor(s): Dr. Rahul Soangra
The pattern of walking on the toes without any heel contact is categorized as toe walking. Clinicians have not reported any cause for toe walking therefore it is more commonly known as idiopathic toe walking. Idiopathic toe walking (ITW) usually begins in early childhood, and some children are able to grow out of it, however, some other children continue toe walking even into their teens. Toe walking should be taken seriously because continued toe walking can lead to balance issues and an increase in fall risk. The purpose of this study is to investigate if toe walking influences the activities of daily living in children. Ten healthy children and 10 Idiopathic toe walking children participated in this study. The participants wore a McRoberts IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) attached to their sacrum level for three days of longitudinal data collection. All ADL tasks were performed non-intrusively in their natural environment. Data from one weekday were juxtaposed to data from one weekend day for the purpose of analyzing activities and identifying trends that are specific to toe walkers. Any observed trends were further analyzed and studied with the goal of determining the effects of idiopathic toe walking on ADL tasks by comparison between the age and gender-matched controls and the toe walking children.
Physics
- Analysis of the Transmon Architecture and the Cross-Resonance Gate
Advisor(s): Dr. Justin Dressel
Quantum computing is a burgeoning field of research in the fields of physics, computer science, and mathematics. As a fundamentally different and potentially more powerful method of constructing computers, quantum computing has applications in finance, chemistry, and many-body physics. However, in order to realize the benefits of quantum computing, the current systems need to be scaled to much larger sizes and perform with greater accuracy. To facilitate the development of scalable quantum computers, high fidelity gates for both one- and two-qubit operations are required. This project presents a numerical framework for the analysis of errors in one such operation on superconducting transmon qubits, the cross-resonance gate. The program includes methods to simulate the behavior of transmon qubits, the cross-resonance gate itself, and several environmental effects which degrade performance. These methods are implemented in Julia, with an interface designed to closely match the parameters which can be measured in the lab. Early numerical results clearly show the dependence of the cross-resonance gate on the anharmonicity and higher energy levels of the transmon model. In addition, further investigations demonstrate the degrading effects of various chip parameters for the performance of the cross-resonance gate.
Political Science
- The Dangers of "Acquaintance" versus "Stranger" Rape.
Advisor(s): Dr. Ann Gordon
The “Stranger In A Bush Myth” creates a dangerous misconception about the reality of Sexual Assault. Through the media, individuals are wrongly being taught that perpetrators can be identified, and that a broken legal system will protect them. Seuxal Assault is made out to seem like a predictable act; one that can be prevented, leading survivors to feel an immense amount of shame, guilt and confusion surrounding the traumas they have endured. Throughout this paper, I will be debunking this myth by diving into the demographic features and the personal factors that influence women to be more aware of a “Stranger Rape” than of an “Acquaintance Rape.” This paper will analyze the research provided by the American Fears Survery, which shows that fear levels are higher for rape by a strange, despite there being a higher likelihood of a rapist being known to the victim. While research has shown that the post trauma psychological effects differ little in terms of “Stranger” versus “Acquaintance” rape, this paper will attempt to address if this is accurately manifested in reality. Vulnerability Theory focuses on the concept that human beings are embedded in social relationships and institutions. By challenging the dominance of the individualized legal subjects, Vulnerability Theory argues for the recognition of actual human lives as socially and materially dynamic (Kanayson 2019). The data I will be focused on looks at how Vulnerability Theory factors into Acquaintance Rape. By using specific categories based on the Perpetrator-Victim relationships, this paper will allow for a comprehensive view of the uniqueness of individual “Acquaintance Rape” cases.
- The Effect of White Supremacist Groups in a Changing America
Advisor(s): Dr. Ann Gordon
White Supremacist groups in the U.S. are more of an increasing threat than one may currently think. The recent rise in membership and the number of groups pose a threat to national security and the well-being of those residing in the country. This fact is as scary as the harm they have physically caused racial and religious minorities, but yet, not much is being done about their existence or their acts of hatred. Previous literature on the topic has given insight to the rise of these groups and their motivation, along with perspectives on what it is like to be someone targeted by these groups and the toll it takes on their physical and mental well-being. Using the Chapman University Fears Survey, the level of fear of White Supremacist groups among some of the races and religions targeted by these groups and those who fear that whites will no longer hold the majority in America will be discussed. In addition, using the Fears Survey, the party identification of respondents, along with where they receive their news from (i.e. CNN or Fox News) will be analyzed in correlation with the rise of these groups in recent years and the respondent's feelings toward the groups.
- The Identity and Challenges of Asian Americans Voters
Advisor(s): Dr. Ann Gordon
One of the fastest-growing racial groups in the United States, consisting of fifteen ethnicities and about four percent of the electorate body, Asian-Americans are a small voting bloc that is often overlooked during national elections. Most of the literature focuses on the Asian American relationship between political participation and identity or the discussion of group attachment in the pan-ethnic identity. In the past two decades, Asian American voters have been steadily moving toward the Democratic Party: In 1992, National Election exit polls conducted its first year of data on Asian American voting patterns, 55 percent went for George H.W. Bush instead of Bill Clinton. The 2016 presidential election was pivotal as 65 percent of Asian American voters chose Hillary Clinton over Trump. Yet, Asian Americans remain the lowest voter turnout, and a majority of voters being naturalized citizens rather than U.S.-born (Pew Research Center 2018). With the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, the Asian American voting bloc has the potential to be an integral component for the Democratic party. From the data from the American National Election Survey, my analyses find that there is a lack of Asian American daily political participation and impressive Asian American democratic mobilization. I investigate the possible causes of low Asian American voter turnout and Asian American progressive thinking using the debate between national origin and pan-ethnic identity. The findings of my research will reveal that Asian Americans lack political conversation and have swayed towards progressive candidates. The Asian case of Asian Americans presents new insight into how racial identification influences individual political behavior and attitudes. The literature seeks to explain the findings by highlighting the pan-ethnic identity and the implications for future national elections, in addition to advocating for the need for increased Asian American political participation.
Psychology
- Exploring Optimism and Purpose in Life as Mediators of the Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Common Cold Susceptibility
Advisor(s): Dr. Brooke Jenkins
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Americans suffer from 1 billion colds a year. Correspondingly, previous research has shown that lower socioeconomic status (SES) during childhood is associated with lower adult health, including decreased resistance to the common cold. This correlation between childhood SES and common cold susceptibility may be mediated by an individual's optimism and purpose in life. Of interest, several studies have found evidence that higher childhood SES is associated with a higher purpose of life and higher optimism. Furthermore, previous evidence has confirmed that higher optimism and higher purpose of life are linked to better overall health, including greater resistance to developing the common cold. More specifically, both higher optimism and higher purpose in life are associated with better physical health and less unhealthy behaviors, thereby strengthening the immune system and increasing resistance to the common cold. Given this past research, this study analyzes the relationship of childhood SES and susceptibility to the common cold, mediated by optimism and purpose of life. Data was obtained from the Common Cold Project, analyses were conducted among 213 adults between the ages of 18 and 55 who were exposed to rhinovirus through nasal drops. Subjective and objective measures of both childhood SES and common cold assessments were used in the mediation analysis, which was performed using the PROCESS macro tool on SPSS. Significant correlations were found between the direct effects of subjective childhood SES and optimism (b = 0.31, p = 0.040) and optimism and subjective measures of cold (b = -0.09, p = 0.023). However, meditation analyses suggested that neither optimism nor purpose of life meditated the association between childhood SES and susceptibility to the common cold for all objective and subjective assessments (i.e., they did not account for the indirect effect). Overall, more research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which childhood SES is associated with health outcomes, such as the common cold.
- Stress and Negative Affect as Mediators in the Association between Parental Social Support and Lung Function in Adolescents with Asthma
Advisor(s): Dr. Brooke Jenkins, Dr. Eric Sternlicht
Asthma is the leading chronic condition amongst children in the United States as 7.5% of children are diagnosed with asthma. Studies have shown that positive social support is associated with positive asthma management. A strong social support system predicts good management of asthma symptoms; however, current literature has not yet examined how social support impacts lung function as opposed to merely symptom management. Stress and negative affect have been revealed to be associated with worse asthma control, as well as exacerbation of symptoms. Similarly, negative affect has been analyzed as a causal factor for worsening asthmatic symptoms. Therefore, this pilot study sought to assess parental social support, adolescent stress and negative affect, and adolescent biological lung function to determine whether these affective processes (negative affect and stress) might serve as mediators in the association between social support and lung function. Adolescents suffering from asthma ages 12-17 (mean age = 13.9) (n = 21) were recruited from the pediatric asthma clinic at CHOC Children’s Hospital of Orange County for this pilot study. Participants were asked to complete a baseline survey upon recruitment assessing parental social support and stress. Seven consecutive days thereafter, for 4 times a day, participants were given a spirometer and asked to record lung function values including Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) and Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) as well as negative affect emotionality. Regression analysis revealed that higher levels of parental social support were associated with lower negative affect, b = -0.44, p < 0.05, and stress, b = -0.40, p < 0.05. However, there was no association between parental social support and lung function, for both PEF and FEV1 values. Implications for this study suggest that children with asthma who have more social support from parents have less stress and less negative affect. Next steps in this work are to analyze these mediators again, by recruiting more participants to the present study.
- Child Postoperative Pain: Impact of Child Temperament and Parent Mood on Pain After Surgery
Advisor(s): Dr. Brooke Jenkins
Around 80% of children who undergo surgery experience moderate to severe postoperative pain. Various psychosocial factors contribute to exacerbations of this pain. A child’s inborn personality traits and style of interaction with the environment are known as temperament. Children who are less sociable and more distress-prone (e.g., those who cry, throw tantrums) are more likely to have an anxious temperament. This anxiety before and after surgery may lead to an increase in postoperative pain levels as well. Overtime, a parent’s mood may change how they perceive child pain. Parents who have more negative moods or report their child’s pain as worse and have a negative impact on a child’s pain. Given this, the purpose of this study was to see how child temperament factors are associated with postoperative pain and how parent mood moderates this relationship. These specific factors are analyzed in a sample of children ages 2-13 who underwent elective surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (N = 112). Parents completed online surveys assessing child temperament and parent mood. Postoperative pain measures were reported by both children and parents after surgery on days 1, 3, and 7. Child temperament factors did not interact with parent mood to predict postoperative pain. Emotionality and sociability were not significantly associated with parent pain measures or child pain after surgery (ps > 0.05). However, other studies have shown that child temperament does affect pain in a hospital setting more than they do at home. Interestingly, pain in children was low at home after surgery (less than 3 on a scale of 0 to 10). It is possible that the impact of temperament and mood on pain were less potent once the child is at home. Further investigation on the influence of temperament and mood on child pain is important to obtain more clarity and discover optimal methods of treating pain in children. Future work may benefit from investigating different surgical procedures that might lead to a greater diversity of pain once children are home.
- Testing Coping Flexibility and Psychological Distress with Resilience over Time
Advisor(s): Dr. David Pincus
Coping flexibility is the ability to stop an ineffective coping strategy and begin a new one according to the situation. Based on the coping flexibility hypothesis, the ability to adapt to new coping strategies will help reduce psychological distress. Past research has shown greater coping flexibility being related to lower levels of depression and anxiety; however, the research does not dive into the relationship between coping flexibility, resilience (e.g. self- and interpersonal relationships, mental flexibility, and emotional conflict), and time. The research indicates that different coping strategies and these different aspects of resilience have a relationship with each other. For example, a parent-child relationship filled with conflict may cause someone to use emotion-focused coping, but if peer social support is available, the person may use problem-focused coping instead. The efficacy of coping flexibility is also affected by time, but the measurements are given by a single-time questionnaire. The goal of this literature review is to inform the hypotheses in a future study that will measure coping flexibility against these aspects of resilience as they change over time.
- The interaction Between a Healthy Lifestyle and Offsetting Genetic Risk for Type II Diabetes
Advisor(s): Dr. Jennifer Robinette
More than 34 million people in the United States have type II diabetes. Both molecular and behavioral geneticists have confirmed a genetic basis for type II diabetes. However, there are various resiliency factors, such as a healthy lifestyle, that can lower the risk for type II diabetes. The current study examined whether healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as not smoking, getting adequate exercise, body mass index (BMI), and avoiding excess alcohol consumption, can combat high genetic risk for type II diabetes. Using the 2018 wave of data from the Health and Retirement Study, a composite variable was created that includes diet, physical activity, BMI, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Participants reported whether or not they had ever been told by a doctor that they have type II diabetes. The scale of genetic risk for a certain trait, such as type II diabetes, was calculated using polygenic scores. It is hypothesized that those with high polygenic risk scores for type II diabetes are more likely to have been diagnosed with type II diabetes, but that healthy lifestyle would attenuate this genetic influence. Results of a weighted logistic regression model suggested that genetics and healthy lifestyle both individually affect whether one has diabetes, but the two variables did not significantly interact, adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, sex, depression, and socioeconomic status. Future research will explore whether other factors, such as support from loved ones, may be a resiliency factor that combats high genetic risk for type II diabetes.
- Social Support as a Protective Factor Against the Genetic Risk of Depression
Advisor(s): Dr. Jennifer Robinette
Depression is the leading cause of mental disability. There are likely multiple etiological factors in the development of depression, including genetics, psychosocial, and environmental risk factors. Despite a genetic basis, some individuals are relatively resilient to depression, and psychosocial resources are often leveraged as a treatment to reduce depressive symptoms. Few studies have examined the extent to which social support can offset genetic risk for depression. Data from the Health and Retirement Study were used to test the hypothesis that people with genotypes associated with depression will be more likely to have been diagnosed with depression, but that this genotype-phenotype association will be weaker among those perceiving more support from social network members. Polygenic risk scores, summary measures that quantify the genotypes for depression a person carries, were used to assess genetic risk. Participants reported whether or not they had even been told by a doctor that they had a major depressive disorder. Other factors that may exacerbate risk for depression, such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, traumatic history, and education status, were included as covariates. A weighted logistic regression model was used to test the hypothesis that greater perceived social support from social network members would offset genetic effects on depression. Results indicated that although support from all types of network members was associated with a lower risk for depression, none significantly interacted with the polygenic risk score of depression. Both genetic and social factors appear to shape depression risk, and future research should investigate alternative psychosocial factors that may successfully reduce genetic risk for this debilitating mental health problem.
- Anxiety and Sleep Quality in U.S. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Advisor(s): Dr. Tara Gruenewald
Ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the COVID-19 disease was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, people across the world have experienced significant alterations in their daily lives and many have experienced significant threats to their economic, mental, social, and physical well-being. Recent research conducted in other countries such as Brazil and Italy have seen significant increases in anxiety and stress symptoms as well as a decrease in overall sleep quality (Barros et al., 2020; Marelli et al., 2020). This current study aims to examine the experience of anxiety and patterns of sleep quality during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic in a national sample of adults in the United States (U.S.). A total of 1,746 participants were recruited from 43 different states in the U.S. through the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform to complete three waves of surveys regarding their COVID-19 experiences, psychosocial well-being and behavior patterns. Based on previous research, it is predicted that anxiety and poor sleep quality will increase over the course of the pandemic. It is also hypothesized that increases in anxiety and poor sleep will be correlated with one another. Analyses will examine specific COVID-19 experiences and threats that may contribute to anxiety and poor sleep. Study findings are expected to help us better understand how psychological factors, such as anxiety, experienced during these unprecedented times can impact biological aspects such as sleep quality.
- Suspicious and Unhelpful? Does Greater Belief in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Lead to Lower Prosocial Behaviors and Orientations?
Advisor(s): Dr. Tara Gruenewald
Conspiracy theories are beliefs that a group of individuals is attempting to achieve sinister goals in secret. These beliefs usually result from fear and existential threat and are associated with negative consequences such as decreased psychological and physical well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many people in the United States, and in recent months, there has been growing popularity of COVID-19 conspiracy theories. These theories include the belief that the virus is not as dangerous as is it is presented to be, that the virus is human-made, and the virus spreads in ways that are unsupported by scientific research. Belief in COVID-19 related conspiracy theories can be dangerous to public well-being, as these beliefs are associated with lower preventative behavior and greater self-centered prepping behavior, such as hoarding. This study intends to analyze how COVID-19 related conspiracy theory beliefs are linked to COVID-19 prosocial behavior and general prosocial orientations over time. Analyses will utilize data from a national sample of over 1,700 U.S. adults collected through the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. Participants completed online surveys over an approximately 6-month period (April, July, September-October) to assess COVID-19 pandemic attitudes, experiences, and behaviors, and psychosocial and physical well-being. Measures included an assessment of conspiracy theory beliefs concerning COVID-19 and assessments of prosocial orientations (i.e., generativity) and COVID-19 related prosocial behaviors. We hypothesize that belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories will be associated with lower levels of COVID-19 prosocial behaviors and general prosocial orientations (generativity). We predict that COVID-19 prosocial behaviors will decrease at a faster rate for individuals who believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories than those who do not. Study findings will contribute to our understanding of the potential role of conspiracy beliefs in shaping prosocial behavior during public health threats.
- Smart Homes for Smart Health: Developing an Interactive System to Reduce In-Home Secondhand Smoke
Advisor(s): Dr. Vincent Berardi
Smoke from any source is potentially harmful because it contains fine particulate matter that is associated with acute and chronic conditions. Second-hand smoke (SHS) is particularly unsafe for children due to biological characteristics (higher breathing rates, immature lungs and underdeveloped immune systems) that make it difficult to filter toxins. To address this concern, researchers recently completed Project Fresh Air (PFA), an NIH-funded R01 intervention that installed air particle sensors in the households of tobacco smokers who lived with children. The purpose of our research was to extend PFA by developing a smart home device that interacted with an air particle monitor and allowed household participants to track SHS in various living spaces and receive an intervention aimed at reducing SHS in order to protect the health of children residents. Specifically, Amazon Alexa and Awair air quality devices were incorporated into a monitor. When fully developed, these smart home systems will be used in an intervention aimed at decreasing SHS exposure to children living in homes with guardians who smoke. Towards this aim, we developed the infrastructure of the components that was coded into the Alexa skill program and investigated the capabilities of the air particle detection system (Awair device) to best integrate it into the Alexa program. Furthermore, a skill map was designed to outline the progress of our development which also allowed the development of the Alexa skill to be understood by a wider audience. After the design and development of the Amazon Alexa and Awair Air Quality devices, we helped create a participant survey that will be used to assess participant feasibility. We expect the participants to be able to easily engage with the devices and successfully be aware of their smoking behavior. Overall, the success of our devices will allow participants to create a cleaner environment for both their own health and the health of their children.
- A Data-Driven Approach to Mood Classification and Neurofeedback
Advisor(s): Elnaz Lashgari
The current standard of care for depression consists of antidepressant medication coupled with psychotherapy. However, critical shortcomings with this route (e.g., variable efficacy, adverse side effects, and treatment-resistant depression) indicate a need for alternative treatment methods. Neurofeedback is a type of therapy in which patients learn to regulate their brain activity by way of real-time external feedback, and has previously been used for depression treatment (e.g. Choi et al., 2011). Unlike previous studies, however, we adopt a data-driven approach, using machine-learning to identify ideal neural regulation targets for each individual based on their own brain activity. We first record electroencephalography (EEG) from a mood-induction paradigm, then train machine-learning algorithms to decode each participant’s mood. Then, we will bring subjects back and give real-time external feedback based on personalized algorithms, allowing subjects to regulate brain activity underlying their mood. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of classifying mood from EEG, a critical first step for this project.
Sociology
- Asian Food and American Racism
Advisor(s): Dr. Stephanie Takaragawa
This project is part of FFC: Yellow Peril to Yellow Power, that critically examines Asian American history, culture, and identity. This project is an exploration of the relationship between the styling of food and racism, mainly through the lense of Asian American culture and the United States. Main topics include issues such as both americanization and orientalization of traditional Asian foods. American culture and restaurants tend to portray a pan-ethnic representation of all Asian countries and their food, creating harmful stereotypes and generalizations surrounding Asian culture. Many restaurants in the United States present themselves as making authentic Asian cuisine, but fail to fully address the differences between the countries of which the food originated from. Oftentimes, there are very few chefs and employees that actually are the nationality the restaurant claims to represent. On top of this, many of these same restaurants use stereotypically ‘Asian’ decorations that fail to actually represent Asian culture, such as awkwardly placed banners, lanterns, and sacreligious Buddha statues. Restaurants tend to use “exotic” spices and ingredients to lure in more customers, even when they are not part of the traditional recipes. They lazily feign authenticity, which inevitably has the opposite effect on many potential Asian customers, and reifies misconstrued representations of Asian cuisine and culture to non-Asian customers. This project aims to better understand how the presentation of food can fuel harmful stereotypes in our society.
Theatre
- How Color Psychology Informs the Emotionality of Live Entertainment
Advisor(s): Dr. Jocelyn Buckner
Color psychology is an integral part of our lives that interweaves through most of our subconscious decisions—whether we know of our own personal color associations consciously or not, people tend to gravitate toward colors that prompt certain emotional reactions. Further, differing colors can signal different things when we perceive them. For example, a deep purple, velvet robe gives a strong sense of regality and poise, whereas a red robe of the same fabric portrays a more daring, aggressive personality. While every individual has personal preferences and experiences that make them process certain colors with different meanings and significances, general color associations are a function of social learning and are thus a widespread way to access subconscious messaging. By understanding how color psychology impacts subconscious processing, lighting designers can make more informed choices in their designs and implement the message of a production with greater success. In order to garner a deeper understanding of color psychology, I will be researching the science of color psychology and human perception, pulling from my own experience to realize why I made certain creative choices, and attempting to implement the knowledge I have learned in a comparative example. Understanding the psychology behind color choices is crucial in the field of lighting design; by knowing the subconscious expectations humans hold for certain colors, designers can choose to heighten the tension in a scene, to drown the stage in a specific vibrant color, or to completely desaturate the look. This—combined with the emotionality of the actors’ performances, the directional vision, and the text itself—creates poignant scenes that can stay with audience members long after the show has ended, and has the potential to greatly impact viewers’ perceptions on their own life.