Poster Presentations
Agriculture
P-01 A Survey of Agricultural Conservation of Plants, Water and Farmlands in Jordan and an Educational Plan to Help Solve the Crisis
Stanley Beikmann, Department of Agriculture
The 2014 Research Poster will chronicle the work that our research team has been doing in relation to studying species loss of native and socio-economic plants of Jordan through overgrazing/collecting, the loss of water harvesting methods in recent decades due to increased dependence on non-renewable water aquifers and the loss of farmland due to development. Plans for an Agricultural Education Heritage Center have been designed and a narrative of educational exhibits underway to orient hundreds of schoolchildren to Jordan’s plight, bringing a strong sense of conservation to Jordan’s future populace. Outside funding and local participation is making this possible along with Andrews Faculty Research grants and the collaboration between Andrews Agriculture, Architecture and Archaeology at Tel Hisban, Jordan.
Archaeology
P-02 2014 Excavation Season at San Miceli: Exploring Early Christianity in Rural Roman Sicily
Shellie Berglin and Christopher Chadwick, PhD Students, Institute of Archaeology
The 2014 season at San Miceli, an ancient Roman/Byzantine settlement near the modern town of Salemi, was excavated with the purpose of better understanding the emergence of Christianity in western Sicily. Previous excavations at this site, the first in 1893 by Antonio Salinas, provided a tantalizing glimpse into the early centuries of the Christian era. The site includes a partially (not stratigraphically) excavated basilica that some date as early as the 4th century CE, and which continued in use until it was destroyed sometime around the 6th century. This basilica was established within the confines of what appears to be a Roman/Byzantine village that surface sherding indicates may go back as early as the 2nd century. The Andrews University project at San Miceli seeks to better understand both the establishment and socio-cultural development of this early Roman village, as well as the later emergence of Christianity within the context of a rural Roman town. In pursuit of these goals two fields were opened during the 2014 season: Field A was opened in order to expose the Roman/Byzantine village to the south of the basilica; Field B, the basilica itself, was opened with the hope of dating the structure and developing a better stratigraphic understanding of the basilica and its history. This poster will describe this initial season’s excavation and its results.
Communication
P-03 A Unique Approach to Doing Autoethnography
Rachel Williams-Smith, Department of Communication
The autoethnography-based dissertation, Adaptation and Beyond: From Isolation and Separation Toward Broader Cultural Inclusion and Integration, examines the unique challenges of adaptation from an isolated religious subculture to the broader social and cultural milieu. Systematic introspection and emotional recall captured relived experiences. Interviews with acquaintances provided objective perspectives on intensely subjective experiences. Interviews with me, conducted by others, yielded rich, otherwise unavailable insights. Reviews of a substantial personal journal collection provided objective accounts of remembered experiences. These four techniques together lend an increased authenticity and degree of objectivity to a research approach that is highly subjective in nature.
English
P-04 From the Academy to the Airwaves: Essaying with National Public Radio’s “Listener Commentary” Community at WVPE-FM 88.1 Elkhart, IN
Beverly Matiko, Department of English and Department of Communication
As a twenty-two-year resident of the United States, I have found myself drawn to the spaces that National Public Radio makes for the genre that is the subject of my doctoral dissertation and much of my teaching-the essay. Six months ago, I decided to take my expertise from the academy to the airwaves by embarking on a creative research project that involves interrogating my own experience for subject matter. I resolved to act on a belief that I share with nonfiction prose writer Annie Dillard: “What a marvel it [is] that so many times a day the world, like a church bell, remind[s] me to recall and contemplate the durable fact that I [am] here ...” (An American Childhood 17). To date, three of my essays-”Levi,” “Summertime and the Livin’ is Easily Misunderstood,” and “With a Birthday Bee in my Bonnet”-- have been written, recorded, and broadcasted; a fourth, “Oak à la Home” is pending.
P-05 Error gravity in a nonnative English speaker’s speech: The case of article errors and pluralizing non-count nouns
Eun-Young Julia Kim, Department of English
An empirical study was conducted to investigate the effect of article errors and pluralizing non-count nouns on the listeners’ comprehension and perceptions of nonnative English speakers’ speech by comparing the listeners’ responses in two different conditions: first, when the nonnative speech is grammatically accurate but marked for a noticeable foreign accent; second, when the nonnative speech displays both a noticeable foreign accent and common nonnative speakers’ grammatical errors in article usage and pluralizing non-count nouns such as ‘advice’ and ‘information.’ The study analyzed the comprehension and perceptions of 104 U.S. college students, who listened to Korean, Russian, and Chinese speakers and answered questions that measured their comprehension and perceptions. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the adjusted means between error groups and no error groups in comprehension and any of the perception items. Additionally, there were no statistically significant interactions between language groups and error groups in comprehension and perception items. This study has also confirmed the well-established notion that listeners tend to respond to the pronunciation. However, the strength of a speaker’s accent affected only certain aspects of how the listeners perceived them, but not enough to make a difference in comprehension.
Music
P-06 Musical Composition Fostering Project
Kenneth Logan, Department of Music
This past summer I travelled to a rural part of British Columbia, Canada for the express purpose of creating music within its highly- conducive environment, an aspect of my AU FRG-sponsored activity. I composed mostly outside, sitting in a pasture with an ebb- and-flow of some 35 alpacas, three horses and occasional dogs, often stopping to soak in the inspiring environment, to photograph in nature, and to exercise (including bicycle riding in the pasture). On average, I composed for approximately 40 hours per week, for about one month. This process was extraordinarily productive (even while mostly done less efficiently with pencil and paper instead of with computer and keyboard), yielding drafts of approximately a dozen new musical works. The major aspect was creating compressed-score drafts (“short scores”) for most of a four-movement concert band suite concerning Adventist history in Battle Creek, Michigan—publishing, college, tabernacle and cemetery. I am planning to complete this by 2015, the centennial of Ellen G. White’s death. Other drafts involved vocal, congregational or choral music including texts by George Herbert, Christina Rossetti and Christopher Smart.
Library
P-07 Why Go to the Library? Pedagogical Reflections
Terry Dwain Robertson, James White Library
This poster illustrates three pedagogical functions achieved through the competent use of library resources: 1. Memory — testimony about times, places, events and people not accessible through first-hand perception. 2. Mentoring — knowledgeable experts share what they know so novices can form expertise as well. 3. Discipleship — novice learners are invited to follow along as experts debate and work together on open problems. Implications: Library assignments would benefit from a more intentional framing of how the particular assignment fits into this memory/mentoring/discipleship paradigm. Key questions: Students: Why are you reading this particular source? Is it to acquire standard factual knowledge, or to learn from the wisdom of a mentor, or to engage with experts tackling a challenging problem? Professors: What are you expecting your students to experience as they access particular sources? Are you expecting them to become familiar with the status quo, or to think through a significant theme with the guidance of a mentor, or might it be to gain the cognitive and rhetorical skills that may contribute to a scholarly conversation?
P-08 What Students Really Want: Library as Place at Andrews University
Silas Bruscagin Marques, James White Library
Although there is abundant information available remotely, higher education students and teachers still seek the campus library to meet many of their teaching, research, and learning needs. The usefulness of the spaces provided is directly dependent on the match between these spaces and the learning and teaching styles students and teachers engage in today. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify what types of spaces students really want in order to better accomplish their academic requirements and learning needs. The data was collected through several ethnographic techniques, such as focus groups, design charrettes, and image analogy. Information from students reading, studying, or using their laptops and computers in other places in the university was also gathered with the main objective of identifying the reasons they prefer or choose to be there and not in the library. The findings was supplemented by an actual field survey so the participants could identify special priorities. Main results: 138 students participated in the design charrettes. Most students preferred individual study areas. 63% of the students where using individual carrels or computer stations. In average, students greatly value silence. 75% of the students indicate that they didn’t use more the library due to distance, and 50% because they preferred open spaces.
P-09 Adventist Librarianship: Worth Writing About
Lauren Matacio and Terry Dwain Robertson, James White Library
A Festschrift-style publication would provide a venue for SDA librarians to publish research and develop a body of professional literature that addresses the needs of SDA libraries and librarians. It is proposed because it does not involve specific time deadlines and allows for short-term commitments for editorial leadership.
P-10 Faith and Simplicity of Life and Praxis of Ancient Apostolic People: Early Inhabitants of Alpes Cottiae
Kathleen M. Demsky, James White Library and School of Architecture, Art & Design
There is a place of majestic grandeur in the northern Alps of Italy, once known as Alpae Cottiae, which few travelers to Europe discover. Nestled in these Alps lay the Piedmont valleys, home of Waldensian Christians. For a thousand years these witnesses to the truth found refuge in seclusion and obscurity in these dense alpine valleys. The name “Waldenses” is derived from Vallis Densa, meaning a dreary or dark, deep valley. These ancient peoples sacrificed all worldly honor and material goods to dwell in peace, practicing the pure faith of the Apostles with a patience and constancy that was an honor to their Creator and Redeemer. History relates that these ancient believers occupied these valleys from the ancient times to avoid the persecution inflicted on them by the Romans. The Scriptures were central to the Waldensians’ lives of faith. Men, women, and children committed large passages of Scripture to memory. They were not content to keep the truth found in Scripture to themselves. Acting as troubadours, Physicians, and merchants they went as missionaries to many parts of the world far removed from their native valleys. Wherever they found hearts open to the gospel they shared their faith at the risk of persecution and death notwithstanding the crusades against them, and the inhumane butchery to which they were subjected. They were hunted to death: yet their blood watered the seeds of the Reformation.
Religion
P-11 Millennial Young Adults and their responses to the Seventh-day Adventist Creation Fundamental
Leanne M. Sigvartsen,1 Jan A. Sigvartsen,2 and Paul B. Petersen,3 1PhD Student, Avondale College (Deferred),2PhD Student, Department of Old Testament, 3Department of Religion & Biblical Languages
The Beyond Beliefs study undertaken by ClergyEd.com and the Religion and Biblical Languages Department at Andrews University investigated responses to the Seventh-day Adventist Creation fundamental with a sample 679 Millennial young adults. This component of the Beyond Beliefs study asked participants to select a statement that best described their belief regarding the origin of the world; to identify how strongly they felt about this belief; and if they would be bothered if life on earth came about differently or on a different time scale than what they currently believed. The findings suggest that Seventh-day Adventist Millennial young adults hold varying views relating to the origin of the world; that they claim they feel very strongly about these beliefs; however, if life on earth came about differently or on a different time scale than what they currently believe, most would not lose their faith.
P-12 Millennial Young Adults and their responses to the Ordination of Women within the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Leanne M. Sigvartsen,1 Jan A. Sigvartsen,2 and Paul B. Petersen,3 1PhD Student, Avondale College (Deferred),2PhD Student, Department of Old Testament, 3Department of Religion & Biblical Languages
The Beyond Beliefs study undertaken by ClergyEd.com and the Religion and Biblical Languages Department at Andrews University investigated responses to the ordination of women clergy within the Seventh-day Adventist Church with a sample 679 Millennial young adults, approximately a third of which were born outside of the United States. This component of the Beyond Beliefs study asked if Millennial young adults agreed or disagreed with the ordination of women clergy, if the decision to ordain would positively or negatively influence their perception of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and if the decision to not ordain would positively or negatively influence their perception. Participants were also asked if they identified with conservative or liberal ideologies and if they would withhold tithe if the corporate church organization endorsed inequality in hiring practices with regard to female ministers/corporate leaders. While Millennial young adults (18-32 years) largely support the idea of women being ordained to ministry and many would have a positive to very positive response to this action, it would seem the decision to not ordain women, for many, would not be a deal breaker when it comes to their perception of the Seventh-day Adventist church and their willingness to support this church financially.
P-13 Projections and prophecies - the 2010 Brazilian Census and SDA Eschatology
Rodrigo de Galiza Barbosa, PhD Student, Department of Church History
My work evaluates from an Adventist prophetic perspective the religious tendencies of Brazil based on the last Census (2010). Brazil is one of the largest Catholic and Adventist country in the world which creates an interesting religious landscape. The numbers shows that Catholics are decreasing in number speedily while Protestants are rising. Since SDA prophetic interpretation suggests a Catholic “dominion” in the end times, does the numbers of the Brazilian Census contradicts this interpretation? I point why this is not so based on Canale’s historiography applied to prophetic interpretation. My suggestion is that when the CENSUS is carefully analyzed its tendencies may fit with the SDA prophetic understanding.
Visual Art and Design
P-14 Proximity
Kari Friestad, Department of Visual Art and Design
This series focuses on the experience, effects and phenomena of social networking. A progressively common aspect of this feature of modern culture is disconnection from the immediate social environment, facilitated by a total absorption in the ubiquitous online connection. Within a society dominated by a frenzied image-saturated culture, personal identity is now aligned with an online persona. We are defined, debatably in narrow terms, through the vehicle of the online profile, available on a huge range of available networks, gaming pages, work sites, personal websites, dating sites, blogs and more-- by our comments, our likes and dislikes, what we eat, who we vote for, how we look, what music we like, what we believe, and our vacations. We manufacture our virtual identity, however deliberately, through images and the increasingly reflexive “status update,” similar to the image crafted by celebrities and public figures. The digital world redefines the rules of boundaries, communication styles, personalities, and personal identity. These paintings juxtapose a singular figure within a solitary, undefined space, with the individual preoccupied by a glowing technical device. The progress in the last year with this project included exploring various dominant trends of online culture, such as the “selfie”, hashtags, and the “like” system of Facebook. One of my paintings from this series was shown in the 12th Michiana Annual Art Competition, where it won Best Painting. I also had the opportunity to show five of the paintings in an exhibition at Open Concept Gallery in Grand Rapids.
Psychology
P-15 Exploring religiosity and domestic violence beliefs of Hispanic, Adventist women in the Lake Union Conference
Melissa Ponce-Rodas, Department of Behavioral Sciences
In the domestic violence (DV) literature, few studies have explored perceptions of domestic violence among Hispanic or religious groups. Therefore, there is little empirical evidence to inform prevention and intervention programs targeted for these groups. The current study worked with Hispanic, Adventist women in order to begin understanding how these “cultures” intersect and impact their beliefs about which acts constitute domestic violence and their perceived acceptability of secular and church related resources for DV victims. Attendance at Adventist Youth Society, small groups, and church socials were positively related to endorsing broader definitions of what constitutes domestic violence in this sample. Attendance at local women’s ministry meetings was positively correlated with perceptions of acceptability of church related helping resources, whereas attendance at biennial Lake Union Conference women’s retreats was positively correlated with greater acceptability of secular helping resources for victims. Implications of these results and their potential usefulness in church-based programs will be discussed.
P-16 Kindergarten Children’s Number Comparison Skills Predict Later Math Scores: Evidence From a Two-minute Test
Nadia Nosworthy,1 Samuel Zheng,2 and Daniel Ansari,3 1Department of Graduate Psychology and Counseling, Andrews University, 2Toronto District School Board, 3University of Western Ontario
Children’s ability to compare symbolic (e.g., Arabic numerals) and nonsymbolic (e.g., dot arrays) numerical magnitudes has been found to correlate with their math achievement. Most research, however, has focused on computerized paradigms, which may not always be suitable for quick application in classrooms. Consequently, we designed a two-minute paper-and-pencil assessment to measure kindergarten children’s ability to compare symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical magnitudes and assessed the degree to which performance on this measure explains individual differences in achievement. Children were required to cross out the larger of two, single-digit numerical magnitudes. Results from 250 kindergartners revealed that symbolic and nonsymbolic number comparison accuracy scores correlated with individual differences in arithmetic achievement. Results also demonstrated that participants’ scores on the paper-and-pencil test in kindergarten was a significant predictor of math performance in a later grade. These findings suggest the important role of symbolic and nonsymbolic processing in children’s higher-level math abilities and the importance of assessing this very basic skill in children, highlighting the potential of this tool for the assessment of early, foundational numerical abilities.
Community and International Development
P-17 The Relationship between the Values of Social Science and the Values of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Philosophy of Education
Joel L. Raveloharimisy and Peter Injae Son,1 Community and International Development Program, 1Master’s Student
This paper analyzes the relationship between the values found in religion and social sciences using the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) graduate programs as a case study. By using mixed methods research, the study identifies and compares social science values and the values of SDA education philosophy, and analyzes various graduate social science programs in the SDA higher education system. We argue that the SDA philosophy of education puts greater emphasis on relationship values, which have three interconnected dimensions (God, self, and others) and is unified by three virtues (love, hope, and service). Applying the dimensions of SDA philosophy of education to the social science programs currently offered in the SDA graduate institutions, we found that the values in SDA beliefs espouse social science values. The conclusion of the paper discusses the relationships between social science disciplines and the dimensions of SDA philosophy of education, and the implications of those relationships in development.
Business
P-18 2013-2014 Publications
School of Business Administration
During the past year, the faculty of the Andrews University School of Business Administration published twenty-three different articles and conducted twenty-two presentations across the United States, Asia, and South America. These research topics spanned the fields of auditing, marketing, finance, management, economics, and Christian business leadership and were published in respected academic journals such as: Applied Financial Economics, International Journal of Commerce and Management, and Christian Business Academy Review. Through our research we continue to emphasize excellence in teaching our disciplines, and, ultimately, challenging students to search for knowledge illumined by Christian insight in preparation for service to the world.
P-19 Perceived Executive Leader’s Integrity in Terms of Servant and Ethical Leadership on Job Burnout among Christian Healthcare Service Providers - Test of a Structural Equation Model
Jerry Chi1 and Grace Chi2, 1School of Business Administration, 2Department of Nursing
Integrity is a key component in the definition of servant and ethical leadership, and honesty, authenticity, sincerity, respect and righteousness are major virtues and descriptors that make up this leadership integrity. Many leadership studies indicate that the lack of integrity from a leader, as well as the perception of the lack thereof, will exhaust the employees’ exhilaration, degrade their physical and psychological health, and lead to frustration, fatigue and anxiety. For human service professions, this has become an occupational hazard for human service professions and is regarded as the last straw for workers, causing people to burnout and quit their jobs. 325 Full-time employees of the Metroplex Adventist Hospital were surveyed. Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis showed that a leader’s integrity offers two virtues: perceived positive integrity behavior and perceived negative integrity behavior, both of which significantly correlated with job burnout in terms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Excluding ethnic backgrounds, some of the most significant demographic variables to determine a leader’s integrity and job burnout include Years of Service, gender and age. Employees with income below $29,999, have 1-5 years of service, who are Asian, and are of female gender have experienced the highest score of job burnout and perceived highest score of negative integrity behavior (NIB) and lowest score of perceived positive integrity behavior (IB).
Nursing
P-20 The impact of servant leadership on job burnout among Adventist healthcare nurses
Grace Chi1 and Jerry Chi2, 1Department of Nursing, 2School of Business Administration
Many nurses enter the healthcare with great passion. They believe nursing is to serve and help patients. However, the pressure and workload in reality frequently exhaust nurses’ enthusiasm and idealism. These lead to frustration and burnout. Servant leadership is a model growing among professionals. The concept begins with serving and inspiring followers. This model emphasized on partnership, trust, listening, and proper use of power. The study is to examine whether servant leadership is well implemented in a Christian hospital, to evaluate its influences to burnout levels perceived by nurses, and to identify which servant leadership components influence burnout. Online surveys are sent. Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) are used. The SEM results showed that the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) was sufficient: CFI = 0.910, Standardized Regression Weight= -0.68, Canonical Correlation=0.937, χ2= 3296.37, degree of freedom =1028, probability level (p)=0.000, RMSEA=0.021, NFI = 0.910, IFI = 0.910, TLI = 0.905.The findings demonstrate that servant leadership significant negatively influences nurse’s job burnout. Perceiving support from leaders is important. The practice of servant leadership increase job satisfaction and reduce burnout. The finding is beneficial in improving healthcare managerial skills to retain nurses and battle with nursing shortage issue.
Physical Therapy
P-21 Factors Influencing the Enrollment of Clinical Instructors in the APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program: Perspectives of the APTA Credentialed Trainers
Kimberly Ferreira, G. Daaku1, J. Zollinger1, and K. Miller1, Department of Physical Therapy, 1Recent DPT graduates
Introduction: The Physical Therapist Clinical Instructor (PTCI) is an essential role in the education of Physical Therapist students. In an effort to equip the PTCI, the American Physical Therapy Association developed the Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program (CCIP), a continuing education course that helps CIs learn how to effectively teach their students. Purpose: To investigate the factors that facilitate or impede the CI’s decision to take the CCIP from the perspective of the CCIP instructors, Credentialed Clinical Trainers (CCT). Review of Literature:. Subjects: Total population sampling of 204 CCTs. Methods: Descriptive exploratory study utilizing an idiosyncratic survey instrument. Pilot study was conducted. Internal consistency was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha. Majority trends in the data were found with frequencies and percentages. Results and Conclusion: CCTs perceive PTCI’s prefer to take CEUs relevant to clinical practice (n = 94/99, 95.2% A/SA), CI’s intend to take the course but are too busy (n = 82/99, 82.8% A/SA). CCTs perceived facilitating factors are, CI has a personal desire to strengthen their skills as an instructor (97.0% A/ SA), first time CI’s desire to gain new skills and ideas (88.9% A/SA), reduced travel time to the course (82.8% A/SA), and to gain CEUs (81.8% A/SA).
P-22 Validation of an Educational Kinesiology Tutorial for Entry-Level DPT Students
Jessica Stotz1, A. Davis1, R. Maltez1, E. Moll1, Lori Walton, and David Village, Department of Physical Therapy, 1Recent DPT graduates
Introduction/Clinical Relevance: Few educational aids have been developed and validated in the field of kinesiology to help physical therapy students learn and understand kinesiology and biomechanics. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of a newly developed kinesiology tutorial as determined by a panel of kinesiology experts. Methods: For this study, a rubric was developed to evaluate the tutorial against course objectives, APTA’s Foundational Sciences Matrix, and CAPTE accreditation standards. The electronic-based tutorial included video clips and images of human movement activities. Items from the multiple-choice question tutorial, along with the developed rubric, were distributed to content experts, selected based on their expertise in kinesiology concepts as evidenced by teaching foundational kinesiology content to physical therapist or exercise science students. Content experts reviewed their set of questions against the rubric, returning the rubric with constructive feedback to the researchers. Cronbach’s alpha, ICC, and kappa statistic were used to analyze the data. Results: Data analysis included calculating the intra-class coefficient (ICC) for reliability among reviewers (overall ICC = .756, p<0.001). Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated, comparing similar questions of the rubric among the five reviewers for consistency as well as individually comparing questions of the objectives of a Pathokinesiology course with those questions in the CAPTE Problem Solving Skills section of the rubric (scores ranging α = .656-.921, overall α = .954, p<0.001). Kappa statistic evaluating the percent agreement between reviewers’ scores revealed overall agreement of 62.7%. Discussion: Validation and reliability scores for the tutorial were significant, with good content and construct validity and excellent inter-rater reliability. Further research investigating the effects of using this newly validated tool in the classroom is suggested.
P-23 The Effectiveness of Contrast Bath on Reducing Hand and Wrist Pain
Elizabeth Oakley, A. Patton, and V. Sutton, Department of Physical Therapy
Intro: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of patient education compared to patient education and contrast bath, for alleviating symptoms of hand and wrist pain. Methods: Eight subjects were randomly assigned to either the control group (education only) or the treatment group (education and contrast bath). Upon Initial, mid and final Assessment, pain, strength, function and swelling was assessed. Descriptive data was analyzed and mixed model repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare differences between groups for the dependent variables. Data was considered significant at p= ≤0.05. Results: Friedman’s ANOVA found a significant difference for both groups for admit to discharge for wrist flexion (Chi square= 7, p= 0.008, df=1) and wrist extension (Chi square= 8, p=0.005, df=1). There was a significance found in the contrast bath treatment between admit and discharge for wrist flexion (Chi square=4, p=0.046, df=1) and wrist extension (Chi square=5, p=0.025, df=1). Subject’s AROM flexion and extension for the contrast bath group improved from baseline to final treatment. Conclusion: Contrast bath does not reduce hand and wrist pain, however, our results showed that contrast bath increased active range of motion for wrist flexion and extension and thus increases function.
Speech Language Pathology and Audiology
P-24 Musicians & Hearing Loss: Determination of Need for Curriculum for Music Majors in Universities
Darah Regal, Gerilyn Jones,1 Bethany Leavitt,1and David Regal,1 Department of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, 1Undergraduate Student
Musicians are exposed to potentially damaging sound frequently, but rarely wear ear protection. The objective of this study was to identify the need for specified curriculum for music majors by identifying prevalence of hearing loss, and determining knowledge regarding the need for hearing conservation among music majors at Andrews University.
Biology
P-25 Expression and characterization of Ecm14, a putative metallocarboxypeptidase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Matthew J. Schott1 and Peter J. Lyons, Department of Biology,1Master’s Student
Metallocarboxypeptidases are found in most organisms and function in the digestion and maturation of proteins. Ecm14 is a putative metallocarboxypeptidase found in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuole. There are a number of amino acids in the putative active site of Ecm14 that suggest a mechanism different from the typical carboxypeptidase. In order to investigate the enzymatic mechanism of Ecm14, expression of histidine-tagged Ecm14 protein was attempted in human HEK293T cell culture, S. cerevisiae, and baculovirus expression systems. No expression was detected in HEK293T cells in preliminary experiments. Expression in the yeast system resulted in insolubility of Ecm14, regardless of induction time, temperature, or inducer concentration. In contrast, following expression of Ecm14 in Sf9 cells using the baculovirus system, approximately 31% of Ecm14 was soluble and detected as a 40 kDa histidine-tagged protein by western blotting. Sf9-expressed Ecm14 was purified using metal affinity chromatography. No enzymatic activity could be detected for purified Ecm14 in the presence of substrate consisting of chromogenic 3-(2-furyl) acryloyl conjugated to a C-terminal dipeptide (Phe-Ala). Activation of Ecm14 by enzymatic removal of the prodomain is currently being pursued. Alternatively, Ecm14 may catalyze the cleavage of an unknown substrate or be an example of a catalytically-inactive protease-like protein.
P-26 Overexpression of the transcription factor NF-kB in HER2/Neu positive breast cancer
Denise L. Smith, Department of Biology
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women, accounting for about 40,000 deaths per year. A specific mutation in the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/Neu) has been shown to lead to a more invasive cancer and poor prognosis. Current research has shown that when HER2/neu is overexpressed, a transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) is also overexpressed. NF-kB exists as a dimer made up of five potential proteins. This research is evaluating the role of each of these five proteins in a HER2/neu positive breast cancer cell line NF-639.Using the technique of interference RNA (RNAi), each of the five separate protein’s expression has been blocked to evaluate its role in the function of the transcription factor and any phenotypic changes seen in the cancer cells. Protein levels and mRNA levels were also evaluated to validate the success of the RNAi.
P-27 The Effects of Juvenile Hormone III and Chelerythrine Chloride in the Selectivity of Phonotaxis and its Neuronal Correlates in Female Cricket Acheta domesticus
Benjamin Navia, Ashley Groeneweg-Lynch,1 Gordon Atkins and John Stout, Department of Biology, 1Master’s Student
Female A. domesticus exhibit variability in their phonotactic behavior. Some females respond to syllable periods (SPs) typical of the males’ calling song (CS; 50–70 ms), others respond additionally to CSs with shorter or longer SPs, outside the range of males’ calls. Other females are not selective to SP and respond to the full range of SPs. Nanoinjection of Juvenile Hormone III (JHIII) into the prothoracic ganglion increases phonotactic selectivity. Nanoinjection of chelerythrine chloride (a protein kinase C inhibitor) reduces the effect of JHIII. The L3 prothoracic interneuron responds selectively to the SP of the male’s CS and is proposed to be involved in controlling SP-selective phonotaxis. Prothoracic nanoinjection of JHIII increases selective responses of L3 which parallels its’ effects on phonotaxis. This increase in selectivity seems to result from a decrease in decrement, predominantly at the shorter and longer SPs. Such effects increase selectivity in response to the SPs that are most attractive phonotactically. The data support the hypothesis that processing by L3 contributes to the SP selective phonotaxis observed in this species. Data currently being evaluated suggest that chelerythrine chloride opposes the effect of JH III on L3’s SP-selective responses.
Chemistry
P-28 Preliminary Study of the Effect of PAMAM Dendrimers on Mushroom Tyrosinase Activity
Andrew Hong1 and D. David Nowack, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1Undergraduate Student
Traditional polymer chemistry has focused widely on the use of linear polymers; however, the unique properties of highly branched polymers, called dendrimers, exhibit different functional uses as opposed to their linear counterparts. A well characterized enzyme, mushroom tyrosinase, was chosen to investigate the biological function changes, if any, caused by dendrimers. Our study measured the kinetic’s parameters (KM and Vmax) of mushroom tyrosinase, then observed those parameters in the presence of PAMAMs (polyamidodiamines) dendrimers. Tyrosinase assays showed distinct inhibition of KM and Vmax as the concentration of the dendrimer (PAMAM G1) increased from 0.2 mM to 5 mM. From the analysis of the Lineweaver-Burk plots, the dendrimer had a mixed inhibitory effect on the enzyme, in which it is binding to the enzyme and to the enzyme-substrate complex to inhibit both species simultaneously. Mushroom tyrosinase and dendrimer interactions can be extensively studied as models for other enzymes and allow for further study of the biological applications of dendrimers.
P-29 Simultaneous Hydroxyl Number Determination and Moisture Analysis of Dendritic Polymers using NIR Spectroscopy
Ryan T. Hayes, HwukChan Woo,1 Seth Stacey,1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,1Undergraduate Student
NIR spectroscopy is a valuable tool for many industries, especially those that need rapid moisture analysis. NIR absorption spectroscopy has not been applied to highly branched (or dendritic) polymers such as hyperbranched polymers and dendrimers. Our research investigates the advantages and disadvantages of using NIR absorption spectroscopy to quantitate the hydroxyl functional group density, called Hydroxyl Number, simultaneously with the analysis of water content in a dendritic polymer sample. Hydroxyl-surface dendrimers are expensive which presents a sample size problem, and they are highly soluble in protic solvents which interferes with analysis. This research will demonstrate a methodology to overcome these challenges which allows the simplicity, ease, and quantitative power of NIR spectroscopy to be applied to dendritic polymer analysis.
P-30 Synthesis and Characterization of “Clean Surface” Gold Nanoparticles
Getahun Merga1,2, Nuvia Saucedo,1 Laura C. Cass,2 James Puthussery2 and Dan Meisel,2 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Andrews University, 2Radiation Laboratory and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame
We depict the synthesis of gold nanoparticle, free of stabilizing organic molecule, upon reduction of Au2O3 powder by hydrogen molecule in proportion of 0.8 g per 1.0 L of deionizer water. The content was free of oxygen gas by bubbled with argon gas through the spout and then saturated with hydrogen gas. The Au (III) reduction readily proceeds at elevated temperature, about 10 degree less than the boiling point of water, and at slightly higher pressure than the atmospheric pressure. The suspensions of the nanoparticles growth was monitored by UV-Vis, its size by TEM and dynamic light scattering and its surface chemistry by surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) employing a probing molecule. The stability of the suspended gold nanoparticles is suggested to have hydroxyl group on their surfaces.
Engineering and Computer Science
P-31 Development of paper based biosensor for PSA detection
Hyun J. Kwon, Department of Engineering and Computer Science
In recent years, researchers pay attention to simple and affordable paper based biosensor as the cost of biosensors and lack of equipment are obstacles for early detection of diseases. The paper based biosensor has advantages to become a point-of-care diagnostic platform especially in developing countries as it requires minimal equipment or trained individuals to perform the test. The biosensor can be prepared in a paper via inexpensive wax printing and run the sample fluid without a pump. The detection can be colorimetric so that the pattern can be identified by naked eyes or with the help of smart phone camera and app system. We are taking a first step into development of paper based biosensor exploring different fluid channel patterns and detection scheme. The model detection system is developed for prostate cancer antigen (PSA) that is an early biomarker for prostate cancer and is present in blood serum at an elevated level of 100 ng/ml for onset of the cancer. Antibodies are attached to 40 nm gold nanoparticle to deliver a clear red-purple detection mark when an elevated level of PSA is present in the sample.
P-32 Using Evidence-based medicine summaries to help answer health economic questions
Rodney Summerscales,1 Karen Fitzner,2 Shlomo Argamon,3 June McKoy,4 1Department of Engineering and Computer Science, Andrews University, 2DePaul University, 3Illinois Institute of Technology, 4Northwestern University
High quality meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and structured literature reviews are extremely useful for understanding the quality, and strength of published findings. However, high quality review studies, are time consuming and many published studies are suboptimal – lacking rigor, statistical power, or sufficiently specified models, a particular concern for cost-related studies. ACRES (Automatic Clinical Result Extraction and Summarization) is a machine learning-based software program designed to read abstracts from PubMed, extract the key trial elements, compute ratios (e.g., absolute risk reduction (ARR)) for proposed treatments, and generate summaries for the purpose of evidence-based medicine decision making. By generating detailed summaries and three ranking categories for PubMed search results, ACRES reduced time spent examining irrelevant papers, and was 4% more accurate in identifying relevant papers than was a systematic review on diabetes education and cost that was conducted by humans in 2008.
Mathematics
P-33 When Mathematicians Grade Proofs, Why Don’t They Agree?
Robert C. Moore, Department of Mathematics
Mathematical proof is a fundamental component of the undergraduate mathematics curriculum for mathematics majors. To teach students the deductive nature of mathematics and how to write proofs that meet an acceptable level of rigor and clarity, mathematics professors require students to write proofs for homework and tests. The professors then grade the proofs by writing marks and comments on them, assigning each proof a score, and returning the papers to the students. A larger study examined this process of grading students’ proofs, including the question of whether mathematics professors agree in their evaluation and scoring of students’ proofs. This poster focuses on one finding of the larger study, namely, that the scores assigned to the proofs by the professors varied considerably. Four reasons are discussed for the spread in the scores: (a) performance errors, (b) disposition toward grading, (c) judgments about the seriousness of errors and the student’s level of understanding, and (d) contextual factors.
Physics
P-34 Gravitational Waves: On the Brink of a New Astronomy
Tiffany Summerscales, Department of Physics
The Advanced LIGO detectors are being installed and are already reaching unprecedented levels of sensitivity. The new detectors will eventually be 10 times more sensitive than the initial LIGO detectors which will guarantee gravitational wave detections provided that the predictions of General Relativity and astrophysical population models are correct. To prepare for the new kind of astronomy that will be done with gravitational waves, the Andrews University LIGO group is helping to develop methods for estimating the parameters of gravitational waveforms from detector data.