STRATA

: The Presence of Histone Variant H2A.Z in Drosophila Melanogaster Egg Chambers; Histones are associated with gene regulation across species. Variations of the major histones potentially change this regulation as well as the structure of chromatin. In particular, it is thought that the histone variant H2A.Z may be implicated in development by causing changes in normal gene regulation. This study explores the relationship between Drosophila melanogaster egg development and the appearance of histone variant H2A.Z in the developing egg chambers within stages 1-13. Female wild type fruit flies were dissected and egg chambers in various stages were extracted from the ovaries. The egg chambers were washed with antibodies for H2A.Z and a fluorescent marker to indicate the location of H2A.Z in the egg chambers during any stage of growth. Although fluorescence was present in the final egg chamber slides, there was no indication of obvious localization within the chambers to decisively show H2A.Z presence. There was a difference in fluorescence between egg chambers washed with both 1o and 2o antibodies and egg chambers washed with only 2o antibodies, showing that egg chambers washed with both antibodies fluoresced more. This gives a small indication that perhaps H2A.Z could be present throughout various stages of egg development. However, these results are still inconclusive as to when H2A.Z first begins to appear in egg chambers. Literature suggests that any appearance would be after stage 10. More trials must be completed to determine if H2A.Z plays a role in development.

: The Price of Yellowcake: The Ecological and Human Health Impact of Uranium Mining in Church Rock, New Mexico.; In the Navajo creation story, it was stated that the people of the tribe had to decide between two yellow substances, uranium or corn pollen. The Navajo people chose corn pollen. They would use it for traditional purposes to heal the people. It was also used to protect them. Finally, they were instructed never to touch uranium. Uranium was described as a serpent, and if it ever was touched it would bring evil, death, and destruction. On July 16, 1979 in a small community on the Navajo Nation in Church Rock, New Mexico, an earthen dam built to hold waste from an underground uranium mine and mill broke and released 94 million gallons of radioactive waste. The spill contaminated the environment, which included soil, water, and livestock and also impacted human health. The contamination leaked into the main water source used for farming and livestock. The local residents were affected along with people living 80 miles downstream. Proposals to reopen Church Rock and other sites on the Navajo Nation are being considered again by major corporations. The purpose of this research is to inform the public and local residents living in the area about the effects of uranium mining and how it destroyed not only the environment but also the livelihood and health of the people. This is a big concern because the possibility of another mishap or spill is likely to occur once again if more mines and mills reopen. If one of the largest radioactive spills that occurred in U.S. history does not provide enough reasons to cease mining then what will? There are other sources that can be used to create clean energy, for example renewable energy, a much safer alternative in protecting the environment and the people.

: The Production of TNF-a By Raw 264.7 Macrophage Cells as a Result of Exposure to Aggregatibacter Actinomycetemcomitans; The goal of this research was to link a common periodontal pathogen to the chronic inflammation of type 2 diabetes through the production of TNF-a (Tumor Necrosis Factor - alpha) by inflammatory cells. TNF-a has been shown to interrupt the insulin pathway by deactivating tyrosine kinase phosphorylation required for glucose uptake. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.A.) is a gram-negative bacterium found in the oral cavity in numbers that directly correlate to the severity of periodontitis. Heat-killed A.A. were suspended in media and RAW 264.7 macrophage cells were exposed to a negative control of no treatment, a positive control of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) known to induce TNF-a production, or a concentration of 5.9x105 of heat killed A.A. The amount of TNF-a produced by the macrophages was measured using a TNF-a Quantikine Elisa from R&D Systems. The macrophage cells that received treatment of heat killed A.A. and LPS produced significantly larger amounts of TNF-a (40 pg/mL and 25 pg/mL, respectively) compared to the negative control of no treatment (3 pg/mL). These results indicate that periodontal pathogens such as A.A., through chronic inflammation, have the potential to induce insulin resistance that may lead to type 2 diabetes.

: The Provenience Paradox: The Benefits of Renewed Analysis on Biological Collections Without Context: A Proof of Concept; Within the field of anthropology, when a collection lacks or is limited in its provenience, the research potential of the collection is generally considered to be minimal. Because of the limitations for research, some argue that it is unethical to study or publish on such collections. The counter opinion argues that it is reasonable to study and publish on these collections despite the fact that circumstances surrounding their acquisition may be less than ideal. Moreover, such collections may have the most urgent need for thorough documentation and analysis to prevent further loss of information. This debate as well as a number of other ethical problems concerning scholarship, study, and publication of such collections are discussed in this paper. This study assesses the ability of a skeletal collection to convey information independent of its original context. Emphasis is placed on nonmetric methods relating to determination of ancestry in an attempt to demonstrate the value of renewed study on skeletal collections with limited provenience. The results of this study indicate that analysis of standard biological documentation can enhance research potential, even with limited contextual information. Specifically, cross tabulation analysis of age and sex data, cranial deformation, cribra orbitalia, cranial trauma, and nonmetric traits can shed light on population origins, patterns of disease, environmental conditions, and cultural practices. Using these easily observable characteristics, geographic and temporal information can be uncovered and additional areas of analysis can then be identified.

: The Psychology of Technology on Childhood Development: Reconnecting to Nature With Walkable Urbanism; Over the past two decades, the presence of many forms of technology in children's lives is increasing while time spent in natural environments is simultaneously decreasing. Overexposure to technology is resulting in negative effects towards children's physical and psychological development. More of the time children spend is indoors, and away from nature due to homework, television screens, and parental anxiety about the potential threats of strangers. The disconnect between children and nature is raising concerns about sustainable living for future generations. The purpose of this research is to examine the cognitive, emotional, and physical importance of childhood exposure to nature. From disappearing access to natural areas due to increased population and urban sprawl to competition for television and computers, homework and other time pressures, this research analyzes the factors contributing to childhood alienation from the natural world. This research also determines what the cognitive, emotional, and physical consequences are of spending a limited time in nature, including literature on the rise in obesity and attention disorders. It also proposes policy recommendations for government leaders to establish and implement principles and guidelines to promote change in the current structural and educational approaches to strengthen the development of children within elementary and middle schools. This research concludes by bringing attention to the possibilities of nature based environmental education and sustainable urban planning to promote walkable cities. The experience of nature is a critical component of human physical, emotional, intellectual, and even moral development. Findings show that outdoor play has been linked to increases in students' grade point averages and more efficient classroom learning, as well as positive associations with children's physical fitness, concentration, memory, behavior, and school satisfaction. In addition, more walkable developments are beginning to offer neighborhood residents with easy access to public transportation while creating a good mix of housing, shopping and employment possibilities. Walkable communities also lead to more social interaction, physical fitness, diminished crime, and increased wellness, addressing many social and economic problems.

: The Question of Ape Culture; What is culture? As defined by the textbook Anthropology: The Human Challenge, culture is, "society's shared and socially transmitted ideas, values, and perceptions, which are used to make sense of experience and generate behavior and are reflected in that behavior" (Haviland 8). As applied to humans then, culture is expressed and measured in our abilities to learn, analyze, teach, individually evolve, and grow in intellect and preference. Human cultures, widely diverse and varying across the globe, are part of what make us unique and define us as a species. Interestingly, however, it is suggested that Homo sapiens are not entirely alone in this regard; research from primatologists and anthropologists alike suggests that several nonhuman primate species, particularly the great ape group consisting of bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees, possess and transmit culture as well. Accepting this theory poses both problems and benefits. If apes possess culture, how is our relationship with them to change? Do they deserve human rights? Should our conservation practices shift accordingly? In a more positive light, the cultured ape can extend knowledge about human evolution, and even about human culture itself. My goal is to analyze research from professors, primatologists, and anthropologists supporting and opposing these questions and to evaluate this research through an anthropological lens with the intent of bringing nonhuman primate culture to light.

: The Rabbit Hole; Poem by Michaela Steiner, published in Fall 2013-Winter 2014 issue of Images.

: The Rape of Women and Men's Violence; The purpose of this research is to explore the underlying causes and contributory factors associated with violence and sexual assault committed against women. What attributed to men’s propensity to commit acts of violence against women to include sexual violence? As part of my research, the following areas are examined in order to grasp an understanding of rape: the historical context of rape, myths and stigmas associated with rape, the use of alcohol and drugs to coerce and manipulate rape, and rape culture. Finally, my research concludes by focusing specifically upon the violence and sexual assault of Native American women in Indian Country. I provide a comparison of how Native American women are victimized and impacted by rape as opposed to women in mainstream America.

: The Reintroduction of Cultural Concepts Into Diné Gardening Workshops: The Effect It May Have on Levels of Interest and Participation on the Navajo Reservation.; The Navajo Reservation was established on July 25, 1868 when the United States Congress ratified a treaty with the Navajo people. This ended the cycle of violence that had plagued the Diné for centuries. Now the Diné would have a chance to prosper in this new era of peace, but it would be short-lived and bittersweet. This paper will explore how the Navajo acquired agriculture, how it changed their culture, and many of the possible reasons the Navajos lost connection with it through archival research. It also examines post-modern efforts to revitalize interest in agriculture on the Navajo Nation (NN), such as the Yéego Gardening! Program (YGP). Issues of food security, food sovereignty, and access to healthy food on the Navajo Nation will also be addressed. The Navajo people have gone through a unique transition in the American Southwest when they entered the region around 1300 A.D. in hunter-gather nomadic bands. The Diné adopted the agricultural practices of the Puebloan people who already resided in the region but retained their transhumance way of life. When the Spanish introduced livestock into the area, sheep in particular, this new living capital fit right into the Navajos semi-nomadic way of life. The Diné had adapted to the precarious environment that constantly threatens the people trying to make a way of life here. Without a written language much of the traditional knowledge that made survival for the Navajos possible has been preserved through oral history and recently the language has been translated and formed into a written language. This has allowed the preservation of traditional knowledge and culture, which would have otherwise been lost. Equipped with this knowledge and expertise in modern agriculture methods researchers can access ways of reintroducing agriculture, through sustainable methods, back to the Navajo people. The Navajo tribe is in need of healthy food alternatives and sustainable economic practices, sustainable organic agriculture could be that vessel. The Diné people suffer from higher than the national average rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity. This is due to living in an isolated part of the United States and the average Navajo living below the poverty line as well as living in a food desert. Most of these problems could be combated with a return to simple gardening practices.

: The Relationship Between Personality Tendencies and Level of Physical Aggression; This original empirical study examined the relationship between personality characteristics and the level of physical aggression. Participants from introductory level college courses completed a survey with a modified physical aggression scale and extraversion and introversion measurement scales. However, in this particular study we discovered that our predictions were reversed. There was no statistical significance, p=0.213. The extroverted individuals had lower physical aggression scores, opposite of the hypothesis. Overall, this study has opened another door in the realm of sport psychology: can you predict an athlete's performance based off of their personality?

: The Relationship Between Seasonal Stressors and Innate Immunity in Wild Deer Mice Chronically Infected with Sin Nombre Virus; Hantaviruses are found throughout the world, but the Sin Nombre strain is highly prevalent in the Southwest region of the United States. Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is a rodent-borne zoonotic pathogen that causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in humans, a disease with exceptionally high (~40%) mortality rates. The primary reservoir for SNV is the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus). Once infected with SNV, deer mice remain infected for life but exhibit few symptoms. Despite these apparently asymptomatic infections, the extent to which SNV infection impacts the ability of deer mice to respond to other pathogens is unknown. Likewise, it is unknown how the immune response to SNV changes across seasons within individual deer mice. Fluctuations in immunocompetence could have important implications for human health, as deer mice with suppressed immune systems are more likely to shed SNV in urine and feces, thus increasing the risk of human infection. Therefore, the objective of our study was to determine whether deer mice differentially allocate immune resources during seasonally stressful periods, like reproduction. As part of this study, we conducted a capture-mark-recapture study in which we live-trapped three populations of deer mice monthly from April to November 2011. Upon capture, we collected blood samples from individual deer mice and recorded basic demographic information (reproductive status, sex, age, body mass, presence of ectoparasites). In the lab we used blood samples to screen for infection with SNV. We determined innate immunocompetence by culturing deer mouse serum with E-coli and quantifying the number of E-coli colonies killed by antibacterial agents within the serum. Our results indicated that the immunocompetence of deer mice infected with SNV is compromised due to seasonal stressors. This suggests when confronted with other pathogens, infected deer mice will have a weakened immune response in comparison to their non-infected counterparts.

: The Relationship of Extraversion Rating on Social Life: Facebook vs. Real Life Interactions; Over the last decade, Facebook has become a primal part of our internet culture today. Fort Lewis students were asked to fill out introversion/extraversion surveys and relationship satisfaction scales related to their online vs. offline relationships. Results showed that extraversion is related to Facebook use, but did not predict satisfaction with online or offline relationships. Results also showed that participants who scored higher on extraversion and satisfaction with online relationships had more photos on Facebook.

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