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Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Khamphoucanh Southisombath email@example.com Alvaro Garza, MD, MPH, Matt Stanich, MPH UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 1 Californians Who Access Healthcare Services in Another Country Lack of healthcare access is a problem in California. Studies have shown that California residents travel to Mexico for healthcare, however most of these studies have been restricted to populations along the border. To inform policy development in California, an investigation of a broader population is needed to understand the extent of healthcare access outside the state. We quantified and compared California adults who seek medical care and prescription medicines in other countries, with specific reference to Mexico, using the population based, 2001 California Health Interview Survey "AskCHIS" online query. Outcomes were given as weighted, aggregate estimates of the number and percent of persons for the respective variables with 95 percent confidence intervals. An estimated 356,000 California residents went to another country for medical care, 74% to Mexico. Approximately 695,000 residents bought medicines in another country; 86% in Mexico. The number and proportion of residents who went to Mexico for medical care or medicines was higher in regions closer to the Mexico border. Rural residents sought medical care and medicines in Mexico in higher proportions than urban residents. Noncitizens sought medical care in another country in the greatest number and proportion, but the U.S.-born bought medicines in Mexico in the greatest numbers (N=336,000). Latinos sought medical care in Mexico in the greatest number and proportion. A nearly similar number of Latinos and whites bought medicines in another country, the majority in Mexico. A significant number of California residents sought medical care and medicines in another country, particularly Mexico. This behavior was greater among non-citizens, Latinos, rural residents, and those nearer the Mexico border. However, a significant number of U.S.-born and white residents also bought medicines in Mexico. These findings are relevant to health care providers and policy-makers in both California and Mexico, and support further investigation of the phenomena. 74 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Kristin Leon, Pete Simis, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 2 Consumer Behavior: Factors Influencing Fan Attendance This study investigates why student attendance for Fresno State men"s basketball games held at the SaveMart Center was low in the first season (2003-2004). To that end, this study explores whether factors identified in the fan behavior literature might also explain sporting event attendance. Specific factors examined include identity salience, satisfaction, attachment, and enduring involvement. Other factors are examined as well. This study is a partial replication of Arnett and Laverie"s study (2000). The sample consisted of four hundred fifty Fresno State students. The survey was conducted in various lower and upper division general education courses. Student"s participation was voluntary although some courses offered extra credit for participating. Students were divided into three groups based on their attendance: non-attendees, moderately frequent, and frequent. An examination of the group means revealed some support for the eight hypotheses. Examining past attendance for the 2003-2004 season revealed significance between the non-attendee group and the moderately frequent group and the non-attendee group and the frequent group for all dependent variables. There was no significant difference between the moderately frequent and frequent group for all dependent variables. Examining planned attendance for the 2004-2005 season revealed significance across all three groups for all dependent variables. 75 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Stephen Reysen, Robert Levine, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 3 Publication of Nonsignificant Results: A Survey of Psychologists' Opinions A total of 236 Ph.D. faculty, and 1 M.A. faculty, completed an email survey regarding their opinions with respect to publication of nonsignificant results. Tenured faculty were significantly less likely than non-tenured faculty to write manuscripts for studies resulting in nonsignificance. A majority (69.2%) of respondents indicated conducting at least one study resulting in nonsignificant findings within the last five years. Of those, 68.4% did not write a manuscript to publish those results. However, of those who submitted nonsignificant results for publication, more than half (54.4%) had their manuscripts published. Reasons for not writing a manuscript included a perceived inability to publish the manuscript, time concerns, flawed methods or design, inability to interpret results, and the belief that the results are unimportant. Possible solutions to publication bias are discussed. 76 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Matthew A. Stanich, MPH firstname.lastname@example.com Alvaro Garza, MD, MPH, Maria T. Hernandez, MPH, Lorena Ayala, George F Lemp, Ph.D. UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research Univerisity of California Office of the President Universitywide AIDS Research Program Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 4 Healthcare Access among Mexico-California Migrants: Evidence from the California-Mexico Epidemiological Surveillance Pilot In California, studies have shown that the prevalence of tuberculosis, STIs, and high-risk behaviors associated with HIV/STI infection, is significant among the Mexican migrant population. The policy development of preventative services requires a better understanding of the relationship between migrants and their healthcare utilization. Our study aimed to describe the utilization of selected preventive healthcare services, and identify demographic, social, and behavioral characteristics associated with receiving services among Mexican migrants in California. We analyzed data collected between January and December 2004 in Fresno County for the California-Mexico Epidemiological Surveillance Pilot, a survey composed of a venue and housing-based, targeted random sample of Mexico-California migrants using a 35minute face-to-face questionnaire. Of 340 respondents, 101 (30%) received health services for HIV/AIDS, STI, or TB within the past 12 months. Approximately two-thirds received services in California. Health services were accessed more by females (35%) than males (25%). Half of MSM (N=11) and all transgender respondents (N=6) received services. Respondents who received health services showed a significant association with some schooling in the U.S. (18% vs. 5%; P<0.001), more years of education (8.9 years vs. 7.1 years; P<0.001), high/medium language acculturation score (51% vs. 23%; P<0.001), attending a health fair in the last year (14% vs. 7%; P=0.045), having access to condoms when needed (41% vs. 26%; P=0.009), and higher HIV transmission-risk knowledge score (85% vs. 74%; P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that accessing healthcare services was associated with high/medium acculturation score (odds ratio [OR], 2.4; 95%CI, 1.3-4.2) and years in school (OR, 1.1; 95%CI, 1.02-1.2). The Mexico-California migrant population in Fresno receives HIV/AIDS, STI, and TB services primarily in California. Our results suggest that education and acculturation significantly benefited migrant access to healthcare services. Our study supports continuing and expanding health educational and outreach efforts with Mexico-California migrants. 77 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Justin Matthews, Constance J. Jones, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 5 Facial Prominence: Connections to Gender and Occupational Status Media representations of men and women have differed for many centuries with respect to facial prominence (Archer et al., 1983). Differences by nationality (Dodd et al., 1989), race (Zuckerman & Kieffer, 1994), presentation modality (Copeland, 1989), and occupational status (Sparks & Fehlner, 1986) have also been found. The current study examined gender differences in face-to-body ratio, controlling for occupational status, in an attempt to clarify pervasive gender differences found in previous research. Approximately 900 photographs from six popular magazines (Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, People, Fortune, and Money) were categorized by gender and occupation and measured for face-to-body ratio. It was found that individuals depicted in intellectuallyfocused occupations had higher face-to-body ratios than individuals depicted in physically-focused occupations. Although found in previous research, gender differences in facial prominence in the current study did not reach significance. Results suggest that differing facial prominence could be related to occupational qualities in addition to gender. Methodological issues related to photo selection and facial prominence research are discussed. 78 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Tonya M. Atkins, Saeed Attar firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Chemistry Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 6 Attempts at the Synthesis of a Chiral Cycloruthenated Complex Chiral ferrocene-containing ligands which exhibit both central and planar chirality have figured prominently in the area of catalytic stereoselective organic synthesis. In addition, Ru(II) has been shown to be catalytically active in a variety of organic reactions (hydrogenation, oxidation, insertion, metathesis, etc.). In this study, our short-term goal was to prepare a cycloruthenated complex (3) of the known chiral ligand, N,N-dimethyl1-ferrocenylethylamine (1). In compound 3, in addition to the central and planar chirality, the Ru(II) center (being in a pseudo-tetrahedral environment) adds an extra element of chirality. The long-term goal of this project is to investigate the combined effect of these chirality elements on the stereochemical outcome of a series of organic transformations. In regards to our short-term goal, we have prepared the enantiomerically-pure (R)-(+)N,N-dimethyl-1-ferrocenylethylamine (1) based on a published procedure. The orthomercurated derivative (2) was then prepared as an orange solid by reacting compound 1 with t-butyl lithium (in dry pentane) followed by the slow addition of a THF solution of HgCl2 at –78 ?C. The synthesis of the ortho-ruthenated derivative (3) was attempted through a transmetallation reaction between compound 2 and the ruthenium(II) dimeric complex [(C6H6)RuCl2]2. The product mixture contained two distinct Ru-containing species (as indicated by 1H NMR), one of which showed the placement of Ru at the ortho position of the ferrocene ring. However, no "cycloruthenated" product could be isolated despite several attempts. The isolated Ru complex of 1 is currently being investigated for its catalytic activity in the stereoselective insertion reactions of small molecules (e.g. CO, RN?C, CH2=CH2, SO2) into the Ru-C bond. Our synthetic efforts, plus the latest results from the latter investigations, will be discussed in this presentation. 79 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Bao Vue, Saeed Attar, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 7 Synthesis and Characterization of New Ferrocene-Based Anion Sensors In addition to the roles they play in both biological and chemical processes, anions also contribute significantly to environmental pollution. Thus, the design of new and efficient anion complexing agents, i.e. anion sensors, is an area of much current interest. One strategy has been to design neutral organic receptors which bind anions through hydrogen-bonding interactions. A "molecular sensor" is designed in such a way that it exhibits a measurable physical response in the presence of a "guest" anion. With the above strategy in mind, we have prepared a series of ferrocenylamine derivatives (6-10) by the reduction of their corresponding ferrocenylimine parents (1-5) with NaBH4. The ferrocenylimines 1-5 were, in turn, synthesized from ferrocencarboxaldehyde and one the diamines, 1,3-diaminopropane (a), 1,2diaminobenzene (b), 1,8-diaminonaphthalene (c), 1,8-diamino-p-menthane (d), and 2,6diaminopyridine (e). Compounds 6-10 have been investigated for their "sensing" abilities towards a series of anions, introduced as Bu4NX salts (X = Cl, Br, I, PF6, BF4). In the 1H-NMR spectrum of each of the compounds 6-10, the change in the chemical shift of the N-H proton was measured as a function of the addition of molar equivalents of each anion (added as a CDCl3 solution of its salt). Any change in the N-H chemical shift was taken to be indicative of complex formation between each of the receptors 6-10 and each of the anions mentioned. The magnitude of the positive slope of a plot of chemical shift (N-H) versus molar equivalents of X would then be indicative of the strength of complex formation (sensing) by each receptor-guest pair. The results of the synthetic studies as well as those of the NMR investigations will be discussed. 80 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Koffi Afawubo firstname.lastname@example.com Lynn Sikkink, Ph.D. San Jose State University Department of Anthropology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 8 The Role of African Ethnomedicine in Modern Health This research seeks to examine the role of African ethnomedical system within the arena of modern medical pluralism. It focuses on its struggle to co-exist with biomedicine. The research then speculates on possible integration of the two medical systems to help address America"s health care issues. The research report describes ethnomedicine as the traditional healing practices of different cultures. It enlightens the reader about medicinal plant characteristics which are nothing but manifestations of the supernatural. From the dawn of human civilization, human beings have relied solely on plants and herbs for their health care needs. In spite of Western "scientific medicine"s" refusal to acknowledge ethnomedicine, millions of people still turn to traditional herbal medicine today. Ethnographic methods of participant observation, semi-structured, open-ended, and faceto-face interviewing, were some of the methods used for this research. Seven participants with an average age of 55 years, and who have used herbal medicine all their lives, have been interviewed. The research has successfully addressed its objective--the role of ethnomedicine in modern health care. Many people use traditional medicine because they trust its efficacy from childhood. They find it affordable. And it has supernatural element to it; something lacking in other medical systems. The research concludes that since our contemporary health care problems are getting out of hand and new and strange maladies for which no cures have yet been found continue to threaten our lives everyday, it"s about time we put all our medical resources together in a concerted effort to improve our health care system. 81 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Frederick Ringwald, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com John M. Culver, Rebecca L. Lovell, Sarah Abbey Kays, Yolanda V. Torres California State University, Fresno Department of Physics Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 9 The Research Productivity of Small Telescopes and Space Telescopes We present statistics on the research productivity of astronomical telescopes. These were compiled by finding papers in which new data were presented, noting which telescopes were used, and then counting the number of papers, number of pages, and other statistics. The journals used were the Astronomical Journal, the Astrophysical Journal (including the Letters and Supplements), and the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. We also compiled citations from the Science Citation Index. This work was designed to be similar to that of Trimble (1995), except that more recent journals (from 1995) and citations (from 1998) were used. We also did not restrict our sample to large telescopes only: we included all telescopes from which new data were presented, the smallest of which was a 0.1-m. The data were gathered by first-year workstudy undergraduates, who were instructed to include data for all telescopes for which they found new data were included in the journals. A by-product of this research was therefore the relative productivity of ground-based versus space telescopes, and the relative productivity of radio and other telescopes across the spectrum, versus optical telescopes. 82 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Thihan Padukkavidana email@example.com Abdhellatif Bahaji, Yulma Martinez, Glenda W. Polack, Alejandro Calderón-Urrea, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 10 Expression of CED3 Protein in Tobacco Plants Confer Protection Against the Parasitic Nematode Meloidogyne incognita One of the goals of our laboratory is to utilize genetic techniques to generate plants conferring resistance to nematodes, in lieu of the current, environmentally destructive, nematicidal techniques. The way we approached this issue was by using a genetic process by which cells may regulate their own death, called Programmed cell death (PCD). Our objective in this experiment was to induce PCD in the plant-pathogenic root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. For this purpose we employed the cell death gene Ced3, of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; this was because of its welldocumented cell death pathway and the probable evolutionary conservation of the C. elegans PCD genes in M. incognita. First the cell death gene Ced-3 was introduced into wild type tobacco plants by means of Agrobacterium–mediated transformation. Through the identification of the transgenic plants retaining a single gene copy, followed by genetic analysis of the plants using simple Mendelian genetics, homozygous Ced-3 plants were generated. These plants were measured for their gene expression using Western blotting with an anti-CED3 antibody that was generated against a CED3 peptide. Thereafter the transgenic plants were subjected to M. incognita infections in order to asses the ability of the homozygous Ced-3 plants to tolerate the pathogenic nematode. The results obtained from the western blots detected that the transgenic Ced-3 tobacco plants were in fact expressing CED3 proteins. There was also a reduction of the nematode gall formations (root knots) in the, M. incognita infected, Ced-3 homozygous transgenic plants. In conclusion we found that homozygous transgenic plants expressing the Ced-3 cell death gene confer tolerance to M. incognita infestation. One possibility for this is by triggering PCD in the invading nematodes; this, however, awaits confirmation. 83 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Alicia Moe email@example.com Andrea Van der Veer de Bondt, Sulekha Coticone, Ph.D. Fresno County Sheriff's Forensic Laboratory, Fresno California State University, Fresno Department of Chemistry Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 11 Stabilizing Forensic DNA Samples Using Trehalose In the forensic field, the preservation of DNA samples is very important. At this time all liquid blood samples are dried on filter paper and stored frozen until DNA analysis is requested. The cost to maintain the freezers is substantial and if the DNA can be stored at room temperature then the cost to store the evidence would be reduced. In the present study we have investigated the use of trehalose to stabilize DNA. Trehalose has previously been shown to stabilize proteins; however, its effect on DNA stabilization has not been reported. To assess the ability to improve the storage of blood and blood stains, trehalose, an osmolyte was incubated with blood samples for various time periods and extreme conditions (e.g. high temperature). DNA extracted from these samples will be analyzed using yield gels. The blood stain samples were subjected to the following conditions: frozen, at room temperature for three years, at room temperature for seven years, at 37oC for three years, or at 60oC for three months. Based on our slot blot results we found that the frozen samples gave the highest total recovery (ng DNA) and samples at 60oC for three months gave the lowest total recovery. We found that the DNA was less degraded in samples with 10% trehalose added to them compared to the untreated samples, shown by a yield gel. Further studies are being conducted by subjecting blood stain samples to various environments including low humidity (in a dessicator) etc) and higher temperatures to determine the effect of trehalose on long term storage of blood. 84 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Lora Bailey-Van Houten firstname.lastname@example.com Department of Justice Crime Laboratory, Fresno Sulekha Rao Coticone, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Chemistry Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 12 Comparison of Y-STR Multiplexes for Forensic DNA Analysis Y-STRs are short tandem loci on the Y-chromosome, only present in males. Y-STR technology has the potential to provide male genetic profiles in forensic mixture samples previously impossible to analyze due to low levels of male DNA mixed with high levels of female DNA. This research compared two Y-STR multiplexes, Y-PLEX12 (Reliagene) and PowerPlex Y (Promega). Both multiplexes were equally sensitive, providing complete profiles with 250 pg of male DNA. Both multiplexes had anomalies that could interfere with interpretation. Mixture studies indicated that the limit of detection of the minor component in a male: male mixture was 1:5 for Y-PLEX™12 and 1:2 for PowerPlexâ Y. While PowerPlex Y did not provide a full profile when male DNA was mixed with equal amounts of female DNA, Y-PLEX™12 provided a complete Y-STR profile with one hundred times excess female DNA. To assess the ability of the multiplexes to analyze forensic samples, testing on blood, oral swabs and male-female mixtures as well as previously adjudicated sexual assault samples were performed. Based on these studies, the relative ability of the two multiplexes to successfully analyze a variety of forensic samples were determined. 85 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Jennifer Kerber, Steven L. Skelton, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 13 Using Concurrent Therapy in Treatment of Phonologic Disorders Traditional therapy of speech sound disorders involves treating speech sound in a progression from presumed easy teaching tasks to harder tasks. In two studies (Skelton, 2004; Skelton & Funk, 2004) a speech sound was taught in with the presumed easy and hard teaching tasks randomly intermixed (Concurrent Therapy); this resulted in rapid speech sound learning by the children. In the current study, multiple speech sounds were taught using Concurrent Therapy. A multiple-baseline-across-subjects design was used with 3- to 6-year-old participants presenting with phonologic disorder (multiple sound errors with reduced speech intelligibility). Three out of the four participants rapidly acquired the four taught speech sounds and showed generalization within the clinic. The fourth participant also showed rapid progress, but dropped out of the research before generalization could be established. Results further expand the scope of application for Concurrent Therapy to children with severe speech sound disorders needing treatment of multiple speech sounds. 86 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Ashley Jensen, Lorin Lachs, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 14 The Effect of Acoustic Transformations on Audio Visual Integration in a Word Recognition Task There has been a recent increase in research investigating multisensory integration in human perception. However, psychology lacks a unified theory of how multisensory channels integrate to yield perception. The current study investigated components of the perceptual process that interact and influence the overall phenomenon of mulitsensory perception. The current study investigated multimodal integration in the domain of spoken language by examining the effect of acoustic spectral-domain transformations on the recognition of spoken words in noise under audio-alone and audio-visual conditions. Thirty introductory psychology students from Fresno State were tested under 3 signal-to-noise ratios in unimodal and multi-modal perceptual conditions. Participants heard 96 English words under four acoustic transformations. The acoustic transformations were: spectral shifting, in which the spectrum was shifted up by 250 Hz; linear scaling, in which the spectrum was scaled by a constant; nonlinear scaling, in which the spectrum was scaled with respect to a nonlinear function; and spectral inversion, in which the spectrum was rotated around a central frequency. Each participant heard words presented under all of the acoustic transformations, in both audio-alone and audio-visual conditions, and under one of the three signal-to-noise ratios. Participants were asked to type into the computer the words that they had heard. As expected, we found a main effect of presentation mode, with audio-visual presentation producing greater accuracy than the audio-alone presentations. In addition, we found that as the signal-to-noise ratio decreased that performance decreased. Furthermore, we found a main effect of transformation type. Finally, we experienced differential effects of spectral transformation on the ability to integrate acoustic and optic patterns relevant to speech. The results have implications for the theories of audiovisual speech processing. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that acoustic and optical displays of speech are integrated because they carry articulatory information about the underlying articulatory gestures. 87 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Po Shuan Wang, Nagy Bengiamin, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 15 Broad Frequency Band Vibration Based Power Generation -Analysis, Design and Control Numerous recent everyday electronic applications require developing alternative energy sources to replace batteries or similar conventional energy storage units. These units need to be replaced periodically, which can be costly and undesirable in applications like artificial human organs that require a surgery to be implanted. Recent advances in technology facilitate developing alternative ways to extract energy from the surrounding environment where natural sources of energy can be abundant. The objective in this study is to develop effective methodologies for extracting energy from natural motions and vibrations that exist in our everyday normal surrounding environments. While humans may feel vibrations like those that are caused by moving trains and trucks for example, other vibrations may not be felt due to their small amplitude and high frequency. This study presents analysis and design methodologies for small electric power generators that can be used in portable electronic gadgets. The main goal is to capture energy from a wide range of vibration sources with different frequencies and amplitudes. Existing designs utilize a single generator that is tuned to a single source of vibrations, while not being able to interact with many other sources that exist in the same environment. To broaden the range of the power extracting device, this study proposes designing a multi-generator device that is capable of extracting energy from a range of sources rather than depending on a single source. This improves the reliability of the device and facilitates a wider range of applications. The proposed device is designed and simulated on the computer for its performance. Characteristic curves are shown to demonstrate the device"s ability to interact with a wider range of vibration sources. The device proved successful in developing a more reliable self-powered system. 88 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Zhanna Bagdasarov, Lorin Lachs, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 16 The Effect of Language Familiarity on Voice Recognition The present study investigated whether language familiarity aids in identifying voices across sensory modalities. The study aims to shine some light upon audiovisual speech perception and further test the theories that have surfaced on this topic from previous research. For this study I tested native English speakers who have some familiarity with the Spanish language on their recognition of voices when the stimuli were presented in Russian (a completely unfamiliar language) and Spanish (a familiar language), as well as English, to serve as the control condition. A matching task was utilized in this study. Participants were presented with the "V-A" condition, which refers to the use of a visualalone movie clip of a talker uttering an isolated Russian, Spanish or English word. Soon after seeing the video display of the talkers, participants were presented with two acoustic signals of the words presented in the visual display. One of the signals consisted of the same talker they had seen in the video, while the other signal included a different talker. Participants were asked to choose which acoustic signal matched the talker they had seen ("First" or "Second") by pressing either "A" for "First" choice or "L" for "Second" choice. The results of this experiment were statistically analyzed in order to discover whether the data contained any possible main effects or interactions. This analysis revealed no statistically significant differences of voice recognition rates between English, Russian or Spanish languages. It appears that one"s level of familiarity with a certain language does not aid in the identification of unfamiliar voices across sensory modalities. This study illustrates that the actual articulation is highly significant in voice recognition and future research studies need to address this phenomenon from a different perspective in order to eliminate some of the current questions within this domain of psychology. 89 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Norma Marrun, Marcos Pizarro, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com San Jose State University Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 17 An Analysis of the Institutional Perceptions that Shape the Experiences of Latino Students in Middle School Latino students and in particular English learners are at the greatest risk for school failure because they are at various stages of learning to speak, read and write in two languages. The purpose of my research is to present information about bilingual education for English learners, with a particular focus on middle school. The research is based on the experiences and knowledge acquired through classroom observation and interviews with school superintendents, middle school principals and teachers. In elementary school students have the opportunity to participate in bilingual programs to help them learn English, but students in middle school do not have the same opportunities and access to bilingual programs. Middle school is a critical point in a student"s education. The lack of preparation and establishing a strong foundation during middle school can hinder the student"s academic success in high school. I looked at the differences in academic success between first generation, 1.5 generation , and second generation. First generation student"s needs are overlooked, are expected to learn English at a rapid pace and at the same time adapt to the American educational system. The 1.5 generation students" needs are unique because they exhibit characteristics of native speakers and non-native speakers. The second generation students have the advantage of been born in the U.S, but their parents may not be able to help their children in school because they either can not speak English or they hold a low education. Middle schools with programs modified to meet immigrant student"s needs is the key to their success by preparing them for high school and to make sure they have gained the necessary skills to academically succeed. Strengthening language skills and academic skills for immigrant students is not always a priority for many schools. 90 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Naomi Suzanne Kent, Carol Fry Bohlin, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Curriculum and Instruction Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 18 Duration of Teacher Participation in an NSF-Sponsored Professional Development Project: Relationship to Students' Mathematics Performance in Grades 2-6 In 1998 the National Science Foundation funded a five-year Local Systemic Change project entitled Strategies for Teacher Excellence Promoting Student Success (STEPSS). The goal of the project was to increase the mathematics performance of students in grades K –6 throughout a school district in Central California by providing a sustained program of professional development for all of the districts" elementary school teachers. STEPSS focused on increasing teacher content knowledge in mathematics, providing teachers with alternative strategies for instruction and assessment, and implementing peer coaching in the schools. The goal of this study was to address the following question: What is the effect of the number of years that a teacher participated in STEPSS professional development activities on their students" performance on statewide mathematics assessments? This question was addressed through an examination of student performance on the mathematics sections of (a) the criterion-referenced California Standards Test (CST) and (b) the California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition (CAT/6), as well as through a crosscohort comparison of the schools" Academic Performance Index (API) scores and the percentage of schools that met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements over a three-year period (2002-2004). A "cohort" consisted of the 3-5 schools beginning STEPSS professional development activities in the summer of a particular year (19982002). Analyses of variance were conducted to determine significant differences and correlations using one- and two-way ANOVAs, Chi-Squares Tests and Tukey LSD post hoc correlation tests. Analyses revealed that student performance scores indicated significant increases over time and a positive correlation existed between achievement scores and the number of years a teacher experienced STEPSS activities. Results of this study suggest that duration of teacher involvement in professional development activities promotes the attainment and maintenance of an increase in student mathematics achievement. 91 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Carlos Tristan email@example.com A. Bahaji, G. Polack, Alejandro Calderon-Urrea, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 19 Effects of Protein CED-4 on Wild Type and Mutant Ced 3, Ced 4 Caenorhabditis elegans Introduction: The programmed cell death (PCD) in C. elegans is essential for its normal developmental process. As part of its life cycle, approximately 131 cells must undergo PCD leading to a fully developed nematode. Cell death is triggered by the pathway that was largely delineated through genetic studies of Noble Prize winners Sydney Brenner, Bob Horvitz and Jonathan Sulston awarded in 2004. It has been found that CED-4 is a protease-activating factor that acts on a second core protein CED-3. Therefore, activated CED-3 initiates a series of events leading to cell death. We provide evidence that feeding C. elegans: (Ced 3, Ced 4, Wt), with bacteria expressing CED-4 protein reduced the population size in Wt and Ced 4 once compared to Ced 3 mutant. Methods: Using the E. coli TOP 10 (chem.) transformed by the PBAD-Dest-49 Ced-4 vector we could induce CED-4 synthesis by adding to the bacteria culture 20% of L-(+)Arabinose once the OD reached 0.5. The induced bacteria are then used to feed wildtype, mutant Ced 3 and Ced 4 C. elegans. The effects of CED-4 ingestion are quantified by population size throughout several generations in all three C. elegans used. Results: Feeding Ced 3 mutants with bacteria expressing CED-4, the results were as predicted, while in wild-type and Ced 4, over expression of CED-4 produced cell death. Mutant Ced 3 did not show significant decrease in population size due to the disruption of the PCD pathway. Mutant Ced 4 showed the highest mortality rate suggesting that ingestion of CED-4 triggered activation of PCD. Conclusions: Positive results in mutant Ced 4 and wild-type indicate that the bacteria feeding models may explain the role of CED-4 in PCD. Failure to activate PCD in mutant Ced 3 lead us to deduce, that there may be another mechanism involved in the protection against PCD. 92 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Kimberly Senatore email@example.com D. Goorahoo, Ph.D., S. E. Benes, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Plant Science Center for Irrigation Technology J. E. Ayars USDA Parlier, CA Water Management Research Lab Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 20 Soil Water Retention Properties of Soils Irrigated with Saline-Sodic Drainage Water Soil salinity, shallow saline groundwater, and drainage water disposal pose major challenges to agriculture on the westside San Joaquin Valley (SJV). Current research on drainage management for the westside is aimed at utilizing saline drainage water (DW) to irrigate salt tolerant crops and minimize the negative impacts of these saline-sodic waters on soil structure and hydraulic properties. As the demand for fresh water increases in California and other arid regions worldwide, it is likely that irrigation with saline waters will become more common. However, utilization of the saline DW from the SJV will be more challenging due to high levels of sodium which tends to disperse clay particles in soils. This in turn reduces the rate at which water infiltrates and drains through soil, otherwise known as the soil water retention (SWR) characteristics. Soils from Red Rock Ranch (RRR) on the westside were collected from areas irrigated with fresh-water (FW) and saline DW to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity and water retention characteristics. Irrigation water salinities ranged from 1 dS/m to 14 dS/m (EC) and soil textures were clay loams. Soil salinities ranged from 2.4 dS/m to 50 dS/m ECe and SARs from 8.6 to 85.4 for FW and DW irrigated soils, respectively. Saturated flow rates ranged from 1.02 X 10-3 to 7.58 X 10-7 cm/s, for DW-irrigated soils in Stages 1 and 4, respectively. SWR data demonstrated increased soil moisture (ƒás = 64%) and a reduced air entry index (ƒÑ = .001) in Stage 4 soils. The pore size distribution (n) increased dramatically, in Stage 4 as well, with values averaging 1.729 demonstrating a greater potential for clogging of the soil aggregates during irrigation. The SWR data obtained for these clay loam soils affected by sodium revealed that they have hydraulic parameters more typical of silts and silty loams. 93 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Alma Ortiz, Julia Curry Rodriguez, Ph.D. email@example.com San Jose State University Department of Mexican American Studies Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 21 Support Systems for Undocumented Students and Its Impact on Higher Education This is a qualitative study on the importance of support systems for undocumented students as a prime source of academic and financial networking, political awareness and encouragement needed to attain a higher education. The research takes participant observation techniques. My findings are based in the active participation of a student coalition composed of undocumented college students based in San José, California. The data reflects formal and informal interviews and record observations of their interactions with one another to assess how participation in the organization benefits their academic enrichment. Coalitions result as a lack of support at home or in the public institutions students attend. Joining organizations becomes an important source for undocumented students as it reinforces the idea that they are not alone in their aspirations, but rather they can rely on group members for support and guidance; which is something they cannot be granted elsewhere due to their legal situation. Student support groups facilitate funding needs. To find funding for their education, members resort to long and rigorous hours of scholarship searching, seek employment opportunities or develop fundraising techniques. For this reason becoming an active participant of the organization binds them to finding opportunities to continue their education. With scarce employment and scholarship opportunities these members depend on one another for assistance. In 2002 California passed an Assembly Bill 540 allowing undocumented residents to apply to community colleges or public universities while paying in state tuition. Undocumented students partake in a series of outreach programs that help understand the policy and forms for incoming students. In conclusion, the need of undocumented students to participate in organizations where they feel welcomed, encouraged, and learn more about the legal issues that affect their participation in our society is a critical part of their survival and educational attainment. 94 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Van Ly, Peter Chua, Ph.D. email@example.com San Jose State University Department of Sociology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 22 Placing Women's Health in the Forefront: A Study of Vietnamese Immigrant Women in the U.S. and Their Perceptions of Well Being and Preventive Care Immigrant women in America face many difficulties and challenges around medical healthcare. This study examines the ways in which these Vietnamese women in the U.S. have trouble receiving or accessing healthcare in preventing breast and cervical cancer. It also explores the obstacles in the in-take process as well as examines the bureaucracy and the structural systems locally. It includes a qualitative study based on semi-structured face-to-face interviews of nine immigrant women in Santa Clara County. They come from a range of ages, educational and socioeconomic level, and martial status. Conventional studies suggest that the idea of preventive healthcare for first-generation Vietnamese immigrant women in the U.S., oftentimes, are put secondary to their family"s well being. The entire issue of breast and cervical cancer prevention becomes problematic. My study, however, focuses on new meanings the Vietnamese women create for themselves, how they maintain their health and what is considered standard procedures for women in America as it pertains to breast and cervical cancer. This study gives us a better understanding as to how immigrant women interpret the meaning of health and preventive care as well as their perspectives of being healthy in Vietnam in comparison to America. This gives us a picture of the larger society in which the different interpretations of health of groups of people conflict with that of our nation"s idea of health and the policies involved. This study is significant in that it shows how, women as primary caretakers, going through the processes of obtaining medical care, come to see themselves as important members in their own family and how their health not only affects themselves, but also those around them. 95 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Claire Sham Choy, Ed.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Counseling, Special Education and Rehabilitation Bernard Arenz, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Curriculum and Instruction Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 23 Exploring Trust in African American Middle School Students' Relationships with Their School Counselors: Implications for Counseling and Learning Outcomes Recent figures (2002-2003) on the academic performance of middle and high school students indicate that the academic success of African American (AA) students is a matter of grave concern. In California, 1% of AA students drop out at grade 8 and this percentage increases at each grade. By grade 12, 12% of AA students drop out of school; the third largest dropout rate in the State for any ethnic group. Studies focusing on improving the academic experiences of students emphasize the role of trust in enhancing these experiences. Trust is regarded as one of the critical ingredients in the counseling relationship and in successful counseling outcomes. However, research on trust between AA students and their counselors shows that these students are generally mistrustful of their counselors. Additional research indicates that AA clients' mistrust of counselors can lead to premature termination of counseling, lower amounts of selfdisclosure and more negative attitudes about seeking help from counselors. In individual and focus group interviews, 25 AA middle school students from schools in Fresno County were asked about their meanings of trust, their experiences with their school counselors, what they look for in counselors they trust, and the kinds of implications a trusting relationship with a counselor can have on their academic success. Trust was viewed in several ways but the most common was 'having someone you can depend on'. Among other characteristics, trustworthy counselors encouraged and reassured, kept information confidential, avoided making assumptions, and helped students both academically and personally. Several verbal and nonverbal characteristics including paralinguistic communication were considered indicative of trustworthiness. Findings also revealed the impact of these characteristics on students' academic and personal behaviors. These results suggest that counselors' verbal and nonverbal as well as paralinguistic communication be taken into account in training school counselors in order to help them communicate better with AA middle school students. 96 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Taylor Harris, Lorin Lachs, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 24 The Effects of Acoustic Information on the Perception of Gender of Musical Instruments While many studies have focused on social factors as reasons why musical instruments are judged as either "masculine" or "feminine," this study investigates the role of acoustic factors – namely, "fine-structure" and "envelope." "Fine-structure" refers to a sound"s source (e.g., the reed of a saxophone) whereas "envelope" refers to a sound"s resonances (e.g., the body of a saxophone). Musical scales of different instruments found to be considered "masculine" or "feminine" were recorded; then the fine-structures and envelopes of the scales were exchanged to produce different combinations of new, synthesized scales ("chimeras"). Naïve listeners (n=22) assigned genders to the different chimeras, which sounded unnatural and could be described as "bizarre." Statistical tests revealed that there was a significant main effect for envelope gender but not for fine-structure. When fine-structures and envelopes of opposing genders were synthesized, participants generally assigned a gender to the new sound that was consistent with the gender of the envelope. This was also observed when fine-structures of white noise were synthesized with the natural envelopes of the instruments. When the envelope was feminine, the average feminine rating for the chimera was 64.27%, whereas the average feminine rating for chimeras with masculine envelopes was 36.49%. Similarly, when the envelope was masculine, the average masculine rating for the chimera was 63.63%, whereas chimeras with feminine envelopes received average masculine scores of 35.73%. The results of this study support the hypothesis that acoustic envelopes play a crucial role in the perception of gender of musical instruments. 97 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Vanessa Sanchez firstname.lastname@example.com Christine Edmondson, Ph.D., Sunde Nesbitt, Dan Cahill, Sarah Horton California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 25 Gender and Acculturation in Anger Expression of Mexican-Americans This study examines gender differences among Mexican-Americans in response to angering situations. Knowing how people express their anger is important not only in terms of understanding the nature of anger, but also clinically in terms of client problems and concerns (Deffenbacher, Oetting. Lynch, Morris, 1996). The number of MexicanAmericans in the United States is increasing (2000 census). In a traditional Mexican family, the gender roles of Machismo and Mariansimo are practiced and are likely to influence the manner in which anger is expressed. Machismo, the male gender role, encourages men to protect their families, have a strong work ethic, be a good provider, live up to their responsibilities, and possibly prove manhood through alcohol drinking (Redondo-Churchward, 1998). Marianismo, the female gender role, encourages women to be submissive, take orders from their husband, value marriage and motherhood, and to be modest (Galanti, 2003). We predicted that the Mexican-American males would be more likely to express their anger physically and unlikely to collaborate. We also predicted that the Mexican-American females would be more likely to express their anger verbally and more likely to collaborate. The participants consisted of college students of Mexican decent attending CSU Fresno. Each participant completed an interview about anger-provoking situations and a questionnaire about anger and anger expression. We conducted series of ANOVAS (Gender by Acculturation) with the questionnaire subscales as dependent variables. The results showed that there were no significant differences in anger expression across genders. However, there were trends for acculturation with unacculturated group scoring higher on the Trait Anger Scale (F(1,64)=5.85, p<.02) and with the unacculturated group scoring lower on the Anger Control (F(1,64)=7.27, p<.009), Physical Aggression Against Objects (F(1,64)=4.23, p<.05), and Time Out (F(1,64)=4.70, p<.04) subscales. There was also a trend for gender with men scoring higher than women on the Time Out (F(1,64)=4.41, p<.04) subscale. In conclusion, the questionnaires that were used in this study were unable to detect significant gender and acculturation differences in anger expression. In future research, situational factors should be considered when examining gender and acculturation differences in anger expression. 98 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Talia L. Shuman, Karl Oswald, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 26 The Malleability of Moral Judgments through Schema Change Humans make judgments on a daily basis about the morality or lack thereof of various situations. In addition, it is obvious that the dissimilarities throughout society and over time within individuals are ubiquitous. Modern morality theory, termed the NeoKohlbergian Approach by Dr. James Rest, addresses the issues of changing ideas of morality and environmental influences on moral judgment making with the help of schema theory, while still maintaining some of the classical moral theory tenets such as stages and partial versus full reciprocity. Rest and colleagues have theorized that the stages of moral development, Personal Interests Stage, Maintaining Norms Stage, and Postconventional Stage, have corresponding schemas that, when activated by environmental cues characteristic of that stage, elicit moral judgments from the framework of that schema and subsequently that stage of moral development. The current study investigated the malleability of those stages through selective schema activation. The hypothesis was that the subjects who received schema activation for either the Maintaining Norms or the Postconventional Stages, would make moral judgments that were characteristic of that stage. Sixty Introduction to Psychology students at California Stage University, Fresno participated in the study. Twenty subjects participated in each of the three conditions: Maintaining Norms, Postconventional, and control. In the Maintaining Norms and Postconventional conditions, subjects were shown stimuli in the form of photos with descriptions intended to elicit that particular schema. Then, they completed the Defining Issues Test, a test that determines one"s stage of moral development. The subjects in the control condition completed the Defining Issues Test and received no stimulation. A One-Way Between Subjects ANOVA test revealed no statistically significant differences between the conditions, however there were absolute differences that corresponded with the hypothesis. The lack of statistical significance was interesting to note because the integration of schema theory with moral development theory would indicate that moral stages are malleable and thus a statistically significant find should follow. Consequently, these data suggest that connection between schemas and morality needs to be evaluated more closely and perhaps redefined, though much more research is definitely needed. Nevertheless, this research is widely applicable to the fields of marketing, politics, parenting, and any other area where manipulation of individual or public opinion is attempted. Perhaps our attempts to expose people to circumstances intended to impact their views on certain circumstances are not as effective as previously thought. Future research should include various types of judgment manipulation and schema activation to assess the most efficient forms of moral manipulation. 99 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Florence Cassel S., Ph.D. email@example.com Dave Goorahoo, Ph.D., Morton Rothberg, Diganta Adhikari California State University, Fresno Center for Irrigation Technology Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 27 Benefits of a New Forage Grass for Controlling Nutrient Levels in Effluent-Irrigated Soils Irrigation with effluents waters from dairy and food processing operations can be a major source of water and soil pollution due to accumulation of nutrients, such as nitrate and phosphorus. Therefore, it is important to develop best management practices to reduce the levels of these nutrients. The goal of the study was to evaluate the benefits of planting "Promor A", a perennial forage grass (Pennisetum Sp.), for controlling soil nutrients in effluent-irrigated soils. The grass, commonly known as Elephant grass, is a luxury feeder of nitrogen and phosphorus and has the potential to absorb significant amounts of excess nutrients from soils. The Promor A grass was introduced into California in 1994, and has now been planted in five locations in the State. In this paper we present the research we have been conducted over the past five years to evaluate the benefits of Promor A grass as a bio-filter. Results indicate that the Promor A grass can absorb up to 2000 pounds per acre of nitrates in a 60 day cutting cycle and up to 1500 pounds per acre of phosphorus during the growing season. This indicate that the grass has significant potential and benefits for up-taking large amounts of excess nutrients and can be used as a bio-filter for best management practices in effluent-irrigated soils. Additionally, the stooling growth habit of this grass should provide a secondary benefit through reduction of water velocity and consequent sedimentation of water borne particles when the grass is used as barrier plantings or buffer strips. The results from this research are very important for the agriculture processing and dairy industries as increasingly more strict discharge regulations are being implemented by regulatory agencies. 100 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Rachelle Sugimoto, Michael Fisher, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Mathematics Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 28 Peano's Space-Filling Curve Peano"s space-filling curve is exactly what its name implies – a continuous onedimensional object that "wiggles" so much that it fills a two-dimensional object (the unit square). The curve was discovered in 1890 (by Peano); it was the first of many to be studied. Many mathematicians of that era regarded it as an anomaly. Peano"s curve can be regarded as a fractal since its Hausdorff dimension (2) is strictly bigger than its topological dimension (1). (Roughly speaking, topological dimension measures the dimension of the object from the perspective of the object and Hausdorff dimension measures the dimension of the object from the perspective of the surrounding space.) We can think of Peano"s curve as a continuous function, p, that maps the unit interval [0, 1] onto the unit square [0, 1] x [0, 1]. Since p takes points in [0, 1] to points in [0, 1] x [0, 1], we can view p(t) as (x(t), y(t)). That is, x(t) and y(t) are p"s coordinate functions. Our interest lies in these coordinate functions. We compute the box-counting dimension of x(t) and y(t). (Box-counting dimension is another dimension that can be computed for various objects, and for "nice" objects, it equals the Hausdorff dimension.) Our method is based on work done by McClure (2003). In his paper, McClure uses a digraph IFS scheme to compute the box-counting dimension of the coordinate functions for Hilbert"s space-filling curve. 101 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Amy Lukianov, Sharon Brown-Welty, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Education Administration and Supervision Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 29 The Effects of Service-Learning on College Student Development in the Jumpstart Program Institutions of higher education are responsible for student learning, promoting character, civic responsibility, and preparing students for future careers. Not only is higher education being held accountable for students, but also for the growing societal problems facing communities. While many colleges and universities are facing difficulty in financial stability, the responsibility for student development is growing more and more challenging. One way to meet higher education's mission for student development is to engage students in becoming responsible citizens is through effective service-learning. With the growing demand for research in this area, this study addressed the impacts of servicelearning on college student development within the Jumpstart program. With over 50 Jumpstart early literacy sites across the country, the Jumpstart National Education and Training Department continuously conducts research to improve training and development for tutors. In 2001, Jumpstart at Fresno State began a model for tutor training and development by means of a service-learning course. Since 2001, five Jumpstart sites have replicated this model of a service-learning, tutor-training course. While viewed as an ideal model for tutor training within the Jumpstart program, this pedagogy has not been researched to test its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to determine if Jumpstart programs with service-learning tutor training courses have a greater effect on college student development as compared to Jumpstart sites with a non-service-learning tutor-training component. Jumpstart measures the impact of the program on the college students who participate as Corps members on an annual basis. The Corps Member Survey was used to collect data, which assesses the effectiveness and growth of college students engaged in the Jumpstart program. This study used data collected for the fall of 2003 and the spring of 2004 at seven universities. The data analysis will consist of: distribution frequencies and measures of central tendencies, correlations to investigate relationships between demographic characteristics and respondent data, samples will be compared to see if the experimental group and the comparison group are similar, and t-tests will be conducted to see if there are significant differences between the responses of the experimental group and the comparison group. Statistical analysis using SPSS is currently being performed, and findings will be completed by April 21st. 102 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Kijuana C. Hartshorn email@example.com Maribel Avalos, Sulekha Coticone, Ph. D. California State University Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 30 Developing a Hispanic Population Database to Genotype Individuals with Mononucleotide Repeats In medical diagnostics, microsatellite instability (MI) analysis using PCR utilizes mono and dinucleotide repeats to detect familial forms of colon cancer, and predisposition to gastric, endometrial and ovarian cancer. However, artifacts, specifically "stutter" produced during the PCR amplification complicate the analysis. A small number of organic molecules in nature have been shown to influence the thermodynamic properties of proteins and nucleic acids. These compounds named "osmolytes" provide anti-stress protection without changing the normal metabolic functions. The present study is being conducted to evaluate the effect of osmolytes on the reduction of the stutter artifact thereby improving genotyping methods. We are developing a Hispanic DNA database to genotype individuals using mononucleotide repeats. The DNA from the individuals is extracted using Chelex. The DNA is then amplified using primers specific for the BAT-25 locus. The BAT-25 locus is a marker used to detect microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer. To assess the ability of osmolytes to reduce stutter, sorbitol, an osmolyte will be used with a fluorescent assay to genotype mononucleotide repeats. The concentration of sorbitol will be optimized to improve analysis of genotyping of mononucleotide repeats. 103 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Jon C. Phillips, Ph.D. email@example.com April Drukin, Mary-Kate D. Francesco California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Department of Food Marketing and Agribusiness Management Heather Kazmaier, Russell Bassett California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Department of Animal and Veterinary Science Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 31 An Empirical Study of Issues and Trends Affecting the California Raisin Industry Objectives: The Fresno, California area has historically been the largest producer of raisins in the world. Turkey, a country with impressive capabilities, is challenging our position, however. This challenge paired with the financial importance of the industry makes it a good candidate for strategic research. This study explored the issues and trends affecting the California raisin industry, emphasizing technology and regulation. Methods: Researchers designed a telephone survey instrument to obtain information from raisin packers in California. Respondents had the opportunity to address relevant issues by answering open-ended questions. Twenty-three packers were identified as potential respondents from which thirteen interviews, lasting approximately fifteen minutes each, were conducted. Upon completion, transcripts were made and a master summary of the responses was created. Results: Responses differed among packers due to variations in firm characteristics, e.g., size, enterprise mix, and years of operation. The majority of subjects exhibited vertical integration among growing, processing, packing, and shipping. Adverse weather and insect infestations are risks, and can increase costs. Additional risks are fluctuations in market conditions and volume regulations. Respondents indicated that the availability of cheaper labor overseas threatens the domestic industry. However, the U.S. produces higher quality than foreign countries. The increased utilization of mechanized harvesting and sorting processes has enabled U.S. producers to compete internationally and reduce costs, but substantial investments are required. Growers must address regulations/specifications in the following areas: inspection for quality, moisture content, insect damage, and mold; pesticide usage; and grading standards. Conclusions: We conclude that growers should carefully consider increasing mechanization in order to maintain cost competitiveness. Also, the federal marketing order and other regulations should be reviewed and updated. An issue that requires further investigation is consumer demand. A mail survey of grocery retailers is planned to answer questions regarding the demand and marketing of raisins. 104 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Jenise Caetana, Constance Jones, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session I, Poster Board No. 32 Cohort, Sex, and Study Duration Differences in Moral Virtue Ancient Greek society considered moral virtue an important goal in life, a goal that appears not to be shared in modern society. Within the scientific field of psychology, the study of virtues was initially popular, but eventually was replaced by the study of personality traits. Recently, however, the study of virtue has reemerged in the field of positive psychology. This study examined cohort, sex, and study duration differences in moral virtue using California Psychological Inventory data collected from original participants of the Intergenerational Study and their spouses (1920"s cohort) and their children (1950"s cohort). It was hypothesized that (1) the 1920"s cohort would show more moral virtue than the 1950"s cohort, (2) women would show more moral virtue than men, and (3) original participants would show more moral virtue than their spouses and children. A total of 364 participants were included in this study. Results confirmed Hypothesis 1: the 1920"s cohort showed more moral virtue than the 1950"s cohort. Results obtained for Hypothesis 2 were opposite what was expected: men showed more moral virtue than women. Hypothesis 3 was not supported. The cohort and sex differences shown provide information about society that will be of aid to the further study of moral virtue. 105 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Kimberly Campeau-McAllister email@example.com Nicole Campeau-McAllister California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Animal and Veterinary Sciences Jon C. Phillips, Ph.D. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Food Marketing and Agribusiness Management Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 1 Factors Influencing the Attractiveness of the U.S. Fresh Orange and Grapefruit Industry Objective: The objective is to analyze the U.S fresh orange and grapefruit i1ndustry environment, focusing on the forces that shape competition within the industry. The study examined competition within the U.S. fresh orange and grapefruit industry as well as the global market. Methods: Secondary data related to this industry was reviewed. The data was organized according to Porter"s Five Forces Model, which specifies factors that determine industry attractiveness. These factors include the power of buyers and suppliers, the threat of entry and substitute products, and the degree of rivalry among existing firms. In addition, key industry informant interviews provided valuable in depth and first hand information regarding internal and external factors affecting the industry. Results: Applying the model, the results imply the competition between U.S. orange and grapefruit producing firms is very strong among established firms, yet there is little threat of new firms entering due to entry and exit barriers. It is a concentrated market with few buyers, giving them leverage. Among competitors within the U.S. industry, the large firms have bargaining power when dealing with buyers and suppliers of inputs. There is a pattern of stability between existing firms and their buyers. The large firms maintain their size and their buyers while smaller firms create long standing relationships with niche markets. In recent years, consumer preferences have moved toward more convenient foods, thus increasing the threat of substitute products. Despite higher production costs compared to international competitors, the U.S. remains one of the top producers of fresh oranges and grapefruits in the world. Conclusions: Due to the industry forces mentioned, the fresh orange and grapefruit production industry is not attractive for new entrants. Due to historically stable relationships between producers and buyers, existing firms should be able to maintain a competitive yet secure livelihood. 106 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Matt Beene, Charles Krauter, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Plant Science Dave Goorahoo, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Center for Irrigation Technology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 2 Ammonia Emissions from Fertilizer Applied with Precision Agriculture Precision agriculture is the term applied to the use of GPS for location and guidance of farm equipment in the field combined with GIS techniques to vary the application of seed, fertilizer, soil amendments, and pesticides in a site-specific manner. These precision agriculture practices allow the grower to match the yield potential of the soil in areas of the field as small as 10 square meters by adjusting the amount of product applied. The primary advantage is economic, as areas of the field with lower yield potential will only have the seed and fertilizer applied that are needed for those soil conditions. The advantage in regard to air quality is the reduction of the excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizers being applied that may result in higher ammonia emissions. A nitrogen fertilizer trial in the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley was used to compare variable rate nitrogen application practices with conventional practices. Ammonia sampling was conducted before, during, and after the application, in an attempt to detect differences in ammonia emissions from the different nitrogen rates. The method utilized was active chemical filter packs or denuders at various elevations up to 10 meters. The test was conducted in 2003 and 2004. Levels of ammonia monitored seemed to track with applied amounts of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer. After three or four days ammonia monitored in the plots were close to background levels. 107 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Jarrod Hicks, Patrick Machado firstname.lastname@example.com Peggy Trueblood, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Physical Therapy Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 3 Fall Into Prevention Background and Purpose: The number of people over the age of 65 is expected to increase from 31 million in 1990 to 68.1 million in 2040. One out of every three individuals over the age of 65 falls each year. These falls are the leading cause of injury related deaths and are the most common cause of injuries and admissions to hospitals for trauma. Case Description: A power point presentation was assembled for the California Chapter (CCAPTA) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for fall prevention. The presentation is to inform individuals over the age of 65 about balance and the risks to maintaining balance. The power point lecture was presented to a class of 15 individuals over the age of 65 that were presently taking a balance class to see what information was learned. Face validity for the presentation was obtained by two expert analysts. Outcome: A pre-test score of 8.25 out of 10 was calculated and a post-test score of 8.67 was calculated. The test scores showed that there was a 4.2% increase in scores. Discussion: There is no current data on the recall of people over the age of 65 years of age and fall prevention lectures. More research needs to be performed on the level of knowledge already acquired through common means about balance. The small increase in knowledge from pre-test to post-test may be attributed to the fact that these individuals were already in a balance class. Further research needs to address the uniformed, with regards to balance, individual over the age of 65. This presentation is going to be used for the California chapter of American physical therapy association for their "Move California" campaign that is being used to inform the public about safety within their communities. 108 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Ryan P. Lopez, Ruth Ann Kern, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 4 Soil Moisture Patterns in Sierra Nevada Mixed Conifer Forest The goals of this experiment are to quantitatively describe temporal (seasonal) and spatial (horizontal, vertical) variation in volumetric percent soil moisture of forest soils in Sequoia mixed conifer forests within Sequoia National Park, California. Soil moisture is an important factor in determining overstory and understory species richness, density and pattern within these forests. This experiment was designed to allow testing of hypotheses concerning the patterns of soil moisture availability in forest gaps and understory and how these patterns relate to solar radiation and canopy cover. Soil moisture was measured in both canopy gaps and along linear transects located within the range of canopy covers found in these forests (closed canopy to open gap). Percent soil moisture was sampled using permanently installed rods and Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) measurements. Within forest gaps, rods were installed at four depths (10, 30, 60, 95 cm) in six canopy gaps (three < 0.3 ha and three > 0.5 ha) established at 2200 m elevation. Rods were placed as a radial array of transects crossing each gap (N-S, W-E, NW-SE, and NE-SW). Soil moisture under canopy cover was assessed using a total of thirty 50-m long transects (linear transect) with TDR sample points at 5-m intervals established in six plots (five transects per plot) at 1600 m (2 plots) and 2200 m (4 plots) elevation. Soil moisture measurements were made every two weeks throughout the snow-free season. In addition, hemispherical photos were taken at all sample points in gaps and transects for characterization of canopy cover (percent canopy openness) and solar radiation (percent total transmittance). The draw-down in soil moisture was mostly complete by mid-July in all plots. Soil moisture in the gap center was higher than the gap edge and forest understory, and this difference diminished with increased soil depth. Preliminary results indicate that there is more soil moisture throughout the growing season (May-Oct) in the South, Southwest, West, and Northwest, compared to all other parts of the gap. The magnitude of this difference decreases with distance from gap center. Project results will improve the understanding of forest dynamics in the middle and southern Sierra Nevada and will be useful to forest managers and scientists attempting to preserve this resource. 109 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Kevin M. Moseley email@example.com Steve C. Blumenshine, Ph.D., Frederick W. Zechman, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 5 Central Valley Algal Biodiversity Study The objectives of this study are 1) to determine the diversity of algal species found in the San Joaquin Valley (with an emphasis on the Fresno River watershed), and 2) to correlate various water chemistry parameters with species richness within the region. To achieve objective 1 and get a perspective of the overall algal diversity, approximately 200 collections were made from aquatic habitats on the San Joaquin Valley floor and Sierra Nevada foothills from August 2000 to August 2002. Taxonomic identification and vouchering of species was accomplished with a compound light microscope equipped with a digital camera. Representatives of 30 Chlorophyte genera (14 Charophycean, 12 Chlorophycean, and 4 Ulvophycean) were found, along with representatives from 33 genera of diatoms. Other groups, like Pyrrophytes (3 genera) and Rhodophytes (1 genus) were poorly represented in the region. The high diversity of Chlorophytes and diatoms in relation to cyanobacterial diversity found at most sites not affected by agriculture runoff suggests that those regions are not experiencing widespread eutrophication. To achieve objective 2, ceramic collection tiles were placed at 20 sites within the Fresno River watershed and left in situ for approximately two weeks. This experiment was repeated four times, from June 2003 to March 2004. Temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, salinity, and other physical and chemical parameters of the water were recorded when tiles were placed at the sites. Physical and chemical parameters of the water, as well as the number of species in higher taxa (Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, Ochrophyta, Rhodophyta, and Euglenophyta), were recorded to estimate species richness and taxonomic diversity. Principal components analysis was performed using CANOCO to determine which environmental parameters most influenced species richness and taxonomic diversity. Initial results are inconclusive, but other tests, along with elimination of redundant variables and transformation of the data may yield more conclusive results. 110 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Denise Lopez, Mamta Rawat, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 6 Coenzyme F420 is Involved in the Degradation of Malachite green in Mycobacteria Malachite green is a triarylmethane dye that is widely used in the fish farming industry, as it is an extremely effective antiparasitic agent and is relatively inexpensive. Malachite green is also toxic to mammalian cells and is mutagenic and carcinogenic. Due to its solubility and stability in water, malachite green is very difficult to remove once it has been applied. A possible solution to malachite green contamination is bioremediation by organisms like Mycobacterium smegmatis, which can decolorize this toxic dye. Identifying the genes from this Actinomycete involved in the decolorization may facilitate the development of bioremediation strategies to address malachite green contamination. In order to identify genes from M. smegmatis involved in the decolorization of malachite green, we have developed a high-throughput method to screen a transposon mutant library for mutants impaired in their ability to decolorize the dye. The site of the transposon insertion is identified by utilizing outward-facing primers, specific to the transposon, to isolate the flanking genomic DNA. The disrupted gene is then identified by sequencing this region and conducting a BLAST search. To date, approximately 5500 mutants have been screened and 8 have been isolated that are impaired in their ability to decolorize malachite green. We have identified the disrupted gene in 4 of them. One of the mutants, DLmal1, is disrupted in a putative fbiC gene, the product of which is essential for the biosynthesis of coenzyme F420. Coenzyme F420 is used as a cofactor by a variety of enzymes and is also responsible for the activation of the experimental anti-tuberculosis drug, PA-824. In order to complement the mutation, a functional copy of the fbiC gene with its native promoter was inserted into the genome of DLmal1. The complemented mutant, DLmal100, regained the ability to decolorize malachite green, confirming that coenzyme F420 is involved in the decolorization of malachite green. 111 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Todd L. Johnson, Mamta Rawat, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 7 Thiol Content of Mycobacteria and Related Actinomycetes Glutathione (GSH) is the predominant thiol found in most living organisms where it plays an important role in maintaining the reducing environment of the cell. Bacteria in the order Actinomycetales do not have glutathione but instead synthesize a unique thiol called mycothiol (MSH). Recent studies have reported the purification of glutathione dependent enzymes from such Actinomycetes as Streptomyces griseus ATCC 13273 and Rhodococcus AD45. Since the thiol profile of these strains was not reported, we analyzed the types and levels of thiols in these strains. We also analyzed the thiol content of another actinomycete, Kineococcus radiotolerans which was isolated from highly radioactive soil. Numerous studies have indicated that thiol status may be a critical factor in cell survival after irradiation and thus the types and levels of thiols in this strain may be an important factor in its resistance to radiation. Cells were grown in tryptic soy broth media, which contains minimal level of glutathione and harvested during log phase. The cell pellets were lysed and the thiols were labeled with the fluorescent reagent monobromobimane and 7-diethylamino-3-(4"maleimidylphenyl)-4-methylcoumarin (CPM). In both methods, the labeled samples were separated using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and detected via a flourometer or a spectrophotometer, respectively. Our results indicate that Actinomycetes principally contain mycothiol with few exceptions. 112 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Moises De La Torre firstname.lastname@example.com D. Lopez, T. Johnson, R. Chow, V. Cadiz, M. Rawat, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 8 Identification of Genes Contributing to Mycobacterium smegmatis' Resistance to Diamide Thiols are ubiquitous in mammalian and other living cells. They have several important functions, including protection against oxidative stress. Treatment with diamide, a thiol oxidizing agent, leads to decreased cellular levels in low molecular weight thiols thus its application can provide a useful experimental model of thiol deficiency as a source of oxidative stress. The aim of this study is to identify genes in Mycobacterium smegmatis, a non-pathogenic saprophyte used as a model system for the study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis biochemistry and physiology, which contribute to its ability to thrive under stressful oxidative conditions caused by diamide. A transposon mutant library of 7000 mutants was generated and screened for mutants sensitive to diamide. Genomic DNA from mutants displaying sensitivity to diamide was isolated and the region flanking the transposon was sequenced. BLAST analysis of flanking DNA sequence lead to the identification of the disrupted genes. Among the genes whose disruption leads to diamide sensitivity are genes involved in lipid metabolism, signaling, and oxidation-reduction. 113 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Michelle R. Davison, Alice D. Wright, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University Fresno Department of Biology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 9 Cloning the Promoter Regions of tfdR and tfdS Introduction: Pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides are a mainstay of modern agriculture. Two-four-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a synthetic plant auxin used for effective broadleaf plant control. Since its introduction in the 1940's, numerous soil microorganisms have evolved unique pathways to coompletely metabolize 2,4-D into CO2 and H2O. This project will investigate the promoter regions of the regulatory genes, tfdR and tfdS in the model organism Ralstonia eutropha JMP134, to further investigate the evolution of catabolic pathways and expression of the regulatory elements of the 2,4D pathway. Methods: 1. Amplification of the promoter regions of tfdR/S by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). 2. Cloning of amplified target regions into a TOPO plasmid vector for sequencing and blue/white selection. 3. Digestion of the TOPO plasmid and subcloning of promoter region into the promoterless pKRZ1 expression vector. 4. Analysis of promoter region activity under induced and uninduced conditions by means of a Beta-Galactosidase assay. Results: DNA from strain JMP134 was successfully extracted. Using published sequences from previous work, primers were designed to amplify the promoter regions of tfdR and tfdS. Primers were designed with unique restriction enzyme sites BamHi and SalI to allow for directional cloning, and confirmed by sequencing. Both tfdR and tfdS promoter regions have been cloned into pCR2.1-Topo vectors/ The tfdR fragment was sequenced and BLASTed in GENBANK to confirm identity. Conclusions: The findings of this study will yield insight into the mechanisms of evolution for regulatory elements in catabolic pathways. Questions that will be answered include: Is expression of tfdR/S regulated? If so, then how? As more is understood about the metabolic pathway and how it can be induced, this knowledge can be put to practical use in bioremediation, allowing harmful herbicides to be removed safely and effectively from the environment. 114 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Noemi Vega, Christine Edmondson, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 10 Acculturative and Gender Differences in Anger Definition, Expression, and Provocation Research on anger and acculturation within the Mexican American population is nonexistent. The purpose of our study is to begin the process of understanding the relationship, if there is any, between a student"s acculturation level and the way they define, express, and are provoked to anger. Participants were recruited from the Psychology 10 subject pool. In order to participate, students must be of Mexican descent (having familial connections to Mexico). Individual interviews were administered to a total of sixty participants, thirty female and thirty male. The interview consisted of openended qualitative questions followed by three questionnaires: the Anger Management Strategies Questionnaire, the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory –II, and the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans. Preliminary qualitative analyses indicated that students who scored lower on acculturation levels tended to express their anger in, meaning they kept their anger to themselves. Those students who were lower in acculturation also tended to indicate that machismo would negatively influence the way a male expresses his anger, listing more outward forms of expressions such as excessive yelling or screaming and hitting. Qualitative analyses also indicate that there are no differences in the way men and women as well as lower acculturation and higher acculturation individuals define anger. Thus far the researchers may conclude that there are differences between the levels of acculturation in regards to an individual's expressions of anger and the way they are provoked to anger. These findings have implications for community mental health centers that deal with issues of anger with Mexican Americans. 115 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Yogita Karkhanis, Nagy Bengiamin, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University Fresno Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 11 Robust Control of Direct Current Voltage Converters Introduction: Whether for entertainment, house-hold, medical, or industrial applications, electronic devices are usually powered by a Direct Current (DC) electric power source like batteries or other unregulated voltage sources for high power applications. Often, more than one voltage level is required to operate different parts of the electronics in the same device. Also, holding the voltage level to a specific tolerance regardless of the loading of the power source and depletion of energy storage batteries is an important engineering design task. Large swings in voltage level may cause failure or malfunction of electronic devices. Converting voltage from of level to another is usually achieved by designing a voltage converter. Several converter configurations are available, where the voltage can be raised (boost) or lowered (buck). The performance of the converter is usually determined by how steady the produces voltage signal is and how fast it changes level when called upon. A feedback controller is then designed to regulate the voltage to its specified tolerance for these converters. Most controllers change performance with the change in operating condition of the device, which causes a corresponding deterioration in the performance of the device. The objective in this study is to develop a robust controller for the buck converter. This controller should insure no change in performance under different operating conditions, like loading of the power supply or depletion in energy storage sources. Method: Known for their robust performance, Sliding_Mode Control (SMC) methodologies are adopted in this project. The converter is modeled mathematically and a controller is designed and tested on the computer simulator. Results and Conclusion: The proposed controller proved successful in minimizing voltage variations under different loading conditions. Presented computer simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of SMC over traditional Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers when applied to Buck Converters. 116 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Maria I. Mendez, Lynnette Zelezny, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 12 Latino Identity and Social Norms Media This survey assessed the relationship between ethnic identity and believability of social norms media related to student health behaviors at CSU Fresno. Based on past qualitative research, it was predicted that there would be a difference between Latino students and the general population of students on believability of and identity to social norms media. University students (N=148) were asked to view four social norms media posters, and complete two questionnaires: an ethnic identity scale and a self-designed questionnaire that measured the believability of social norms messages. Although not statistically significant, notable patterns emerged with consistency. Latino students identified more with the social norms media than the general population of students. Moreover, Latino students reported higher believability of the social norms media than the general population. These findings were surprising and may suggest that Latino students, who reportedly identify with and believe social norms messages intended for a general student population, do not require specially created social norms media targeted at ethnic identity. Other implications will be discussed. 117 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Mari Sanchez email@example.com Lorin Lachs, Ph.D., Karl Oswald, Ph.D. California Stae University, Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 13 Explicit and Implicit Memory on Talker Variability and False Recognition This study examined the nature of explicit and implicit memory of spoken word lists on voice retention of talkers and false recognition. This experiment served to replicate and extend the research of Roediger, McDermott, Pisoni, and Gallo (2004). Episodic encoding research suggests that the retention of voice specific information, as a part of episodic memory, provides for cues in the accuracy of recognition. However, the participants in the Roediger, et al. experiment were not able to use vocal cues to increase their accuracy in their investigation of voice effects on false memory. It is hypothesized that these differences may be due to instructional aspects of the experiments, one utilizing implicit means for the retention of voice characteristics and the other drawing on explicit instructions to identify which voices stated the words. The study utilized a 2 (explicit/implicit instructions) x2 (single speaker/multiple speakers from the presentation to the recognition phase) x2 (same/different speakers of words in the presentation and recognition phase) mixed subjects design. The "same/different" variable was a within subjects factor. Those in the explicit instructions condition were directed to attend to the voice of the speaker in addition to the word stated, while those in the implicit instructions conditions were only directed to attend to the word stated. Multiple speaker conditions included two speakers: one male and one female. The 24 word lists used in this experiment were derived from Roediger and McDermott"s (1995) 15-item false memory word lists. Sixteen lists were tested; the remaining eight were used as filler words during the testing period. Analyses were performed on both veridical and false memory occurrences across conditions. In regards to accuracy, a significant main effect of same/different speakers of words in the presentation and recognition phase was observed, F(1,60) = 72.526, p = .001, with a benefit for same speaker. The findings concerning false memories will be discussed. The results of this study have implications for contemporary theories of speech perception (episodic encoding), false memory (activation and monitoring), and explicit and implicit memory. 118 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Jim Kitch, Steve Blumenshine, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 14 Spatial Patterns of Zooplankton Density and Composition in Central Valley Reservoirs Water quality and quantity are important attributes of water in Central Valley reservoirs. Water quantity is controlled by supply and demand, while more variables can regulate water quality. For example, measures are taken to avoid excess runoff of plant nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) from watersheds to water bodies. These nutrients can impair water quality by facilitating the growth of phytoplankton, which reduce water clarity and impede water filtration. However, the ability of aquatic herbivores to improve water clarity is often overlooked in reservoirs. The ability of zooplankton to "graze" down phytoplankton and improve water clarity is well documented in natural lakes however. As part of a larger study examining factors attributing to water quality variation in Central Valley reservoirs, this study examined spatial variation of zooplankton assemblages within and among reservoirs. We measured zooplankton taxonomic and size compositions as well as density at three stations and depths (3x3) in Eastman, Hensley, and Pine Flat Reservoirs. Zooplankton densities were lowest in Pine Flat, the reservoir with the clearest water, while the highest densities were found in Hensley, which was the most turbid. This pattern suggests that zooplankton are not likely having a positive effect on water clarity, and that their densities are not limited by food supply. Another indicator of the ability of zooplankton to control water clarity is based on the size distribution of individuals. Larger zooplankton graze more efficiently, since their filtration capacity increases as the square of their body length. Ironically, zooplankton size structure was very similar in Hensley and Pine Flat. Zooplankton size range in Eastman was much higher due to a high proportion of Daphnia (the "cows of the water column"). This suggests that zooplankton in Eastman may be able to ameliorate the impending "spring bloom" compared to zooplankton in Hensley and Pine Flat. 119 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Zachary Hoover, Steven Blumenshine, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 15 Relating Water Quality to Storage in Three Central Valley Reservoirs In recent years, many Central Valley reservoirs have experienced losses in total water storage due to evaporation and water releases exceeding supply. Unfortunately, reduced storage may lead to poor water quality. To test this relationship, annual and seasonal reservoir storage was compared to the Carlson Index, which uses variables such as water clarity, phytoplankton abundance, or available nutrient concentrations. This index ranges from 0 to 100, where low values are desirable and relate to good water quality. Three Central Valley reservoirs (Hensley, Eastman, and Pine Flat) were sampled seasonally beginning in Fall 2003. Hensley and Eastman reservoirs had Carlson Index scores indicative of a low water quality (64 and 50 respectively). Pine Flat had a moderate value of 43, suggesting relatively good quality. Index values of 30 or less are desirable. These reservoirs experience the lowest annual storage values during the summer months when water quality is likely impaired. To determine if this was true, summer index values were compared to summer storage volumes for corresponding sampling dates. Index scores for Hensley, Eastman, and Pine Flat were 68.9, 68.8, and 58.8 respectively, and were the highest of any season. These high index scores agree with a relationship between low water volume and decreased water quality. The seasonal scores were then regressed against storage. Hensley values produced the most significant relationship (r2=0.9185) while Eastman and Pine Flat trendlines suggested a less dependent relationship (r2=0.4214 and 0.4585). This implies that Hensley is likely to have consistent water quality problems due to the low variation between parameters. However, reservoir conditions may improve due to above average precipitation in 2005. This extreme wet year has followed four consecutive drought years and is ideal for testing general relationships between water storage and quality. 120 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Jamie Jackson firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno California Department of Fish and Game Paul R. Crosbie, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 16 Analyses of Treatment Regimes and Recovery Rates for Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) Suffering Avian Botulism Poisoning The objective of this study was to evaluate different therapeutic treatments for avian botulism, an often fatal disease characterized by paralysis of musculature and respiratory systems in affected organisms after ingestion of botulinum Type C neurotoxin, produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The bacterium is an obligate anaerobe and persists in wetlands and soils in a spore form that is highly resistant to heat and drying and is capable of remaining viable for many years. The first symptoms of botulinum poisoning appear within eighteen hours and progression of the disease may continue for six days. As the toxin begins to take effect, birds progressively become paralyzed, ultimately losing complete control of muscular coordination. Death may result from either drowning, as an affected bird is no longer capable of holding its head above water, or suffocation, as the diaphragm becomes paralyzed. The progression of the poisoning process is characterized by five distinct ranked categories, 0-5, with 0 being nonintoxicated and 5 representing death. In this study, different treatment regimes were evaluated in promoting recovery of infected birds. The study was designed with the defined ranking scheme of intoxication in conjunction with different specified treatments. The four treatment regimes were water and shade, pedialite administration, shade alone, and inoculation with type C specific anti-toxin. Preliminary results indicate a strong relationship amongst groups of birds categorized as 0-3 with the simple treatment of fresh water and shade which was as effective as pedialite, shade, and type C specific anti-toxin (0.98, p<0.05). In groups categorized as 4-5, addition of type C specific antitoxin was no more effective than any other treatment (0.18, p<0.05). These results suggest a strong relationship between treatment and recovery rates of birds in categories 0-3, and that birds in groups 4-5 are not likely to recover regardless of treatment. 121 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Scott Peat email@example.com Jose Soto, Paul R. Crosbie, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 17 A Phylogenetic Analysis of Sarcocystis neurona from Marine Mammals This study assesses the genetic variability of Sarcocystis isolates from Southern sea otters, specifically by sequencing the ITS-1 region of nuclear DNA, and a portion of the Cytochrome Oxidase-1 region of mitochondrial DNA. Apicomplexan protozoa in the genus Sarcocystis are well known as encysted forms in the tissues (chiefly muscle, but also brain) of vertebrates. Fatal protozoan meningoencephalitis (PM) has been recognized in Pacific harbor seals and Southern sea otters from Northern California; the causative agent has been identified as S. neurona, which is also the cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). The molecular data gathered will be used to test several phylogenetic hypotheses, in particular that there are multiple genetic lineages of Sarcocystis present in marine mammals in California. Phylogenetic analyses will be conducted using parsimony, to determine the relationships of each otter isolate to one another, as well as their relationship to isolates obtained from vertebrate hosts. Preliminary results indicate that all isolates obtained from sea otters are indistinguishable from S. neurona. This study may be crucial in deciding future management actions related to sea otters, which are state and federally listed as threatened with extinction. This project is a collaborative endeavor with the California Department of Fish and Game and the University of California, Davis. 122 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Ryan Smith, John V.H. Constable, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology E. Magill California State University, Fresno Department of Biology California State University, Stanislaus Endangered Species Recovery Program Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 18 Restoration of Central Valley Ecosystems: Implications from Studies of Nitrate Reduction Retirement of unproductive agricultural lands has heightened interest in restoration of native plant communities, however, restoration success has been limited by superior growth of introduced species. This study hypothesized that differences in soil nitrogen availability affects growth and the activity of nitrate reductase (NR), the rate limiting step in nitrate assimilation, such that introduced species are favored at high nitrogen availability, whereas natives are favored at low nitrogen availability. A common native species (Phacelia ciliata) and an introduced species (Bromus madritensis subspecies rubens) were grown for three months in sand-culture at low (0.25 mM) and high (1.5 mM) nitrogen availability during which time percent germination, height and in vivo NR activity were assessed. Activity of NR in Bromus increased by 51% at high nitrogen (1.33±0.16 µmoles NO2•gFW-1•h-1) relative to low nitrogen (0.88±0.17 µmoles NO2•gFW-1•h-1). In contrast, the NR activity in Phacelia was unchanged by nitrogen availability (0.40±0.08 (low nitrogen) vs. 0.41±0.09 µmoles NO2•gFW-1•h-1 (High nitrogen)). Despite an elevation in NR activity at high nitrogen in Bromus , neither percent germination (~75±9%) or final height (201±4 mm) changed. Similarly, elevated nitrogen did not alter percent germination (50±11%) or final height (162±9 mm) in Phacelia. NR activity was also assessed in retired agricultural (R) soil containing residual nitrogen and native soil (N) lacking residual nitrogen, but the results differed from the sand-culture study. Bromus displayed little change in NR activity between the soil types (1.14±0.14 (R) and 1.24±0.16 (N) µmoles NO2•gFW-1•h-1), whereas NR activity in Phacelia increased 45% in R (4.67±0.73 µmoles NO2•gFW-1•h-1) as compared to N (3.21±0.59 µmoles NO2•gFW-1•h-1) soil. These results suggest that soil nitrogen availability can alter nitrogen physiology of these species, but does not clearly drive differences in growth that could account for the observed growth superiority of introduced species in field restoration trials. 123 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Satinderpal Dhah, John V.H. Constable, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 19 Differences in Photosynthetic Responses to Light and CO2 in Vegetative and Reproductive Leaves of Podophyllum peltatum (Berberidaceae) The developmental shift between non-reproductive and reproductive states frequently results in a change in carbon (C) acquisition and partitioning. Each season the understory perennial Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple) produces either a single vegetative leaf or a bifurcated reproductive leaf. These ephemeral leaves initiate development early in the year when light is ~50% of full sun and senesce ~2.5 months later at light levels of ~12% of full sun. It was hypothesized that greater C demand by reproductive leaves for flower and seed production elevates the carboxylation efficiency (CE) and maximum light saturated photosynthetic rate (Amax) relative to vegetative leaves. Plants were greenhouse grown under ambient conditions and at~ 9-15 days old a portable photosynthesis system was used to measure photosynthetic responses to CO2 (80-1200 mol•mol-1) and light (0-1000 mol•m-2•s-1). In reproductive leaves, CE was 14% greater than in vegetative leaves (0.076±0.003 vs 0.087±0.002 mol•CO2•m-2•s-1 per mol•mol-1 CO2). Similarly, the maximum measured photosynthetic rate at 1200 mol•mol-1 CO2 and saturating light of reproductive leaves exceeded that in vegetative leaves by 13%, 28.2±1.0 vs. 25.0±0.7 mol•m-2•s-1, respectively. Reproductive leaves were 14% more efficient in light use (AQE) than vegetative leaves, 0.059±0.003 vs. 0.051±0.002 mol•CO2•m-2•s-1 per mol light•m-2•s-1 absorbed. Greater respiration (Rd) rates were also found in reproductive (1.6±0.1 mol•m-2•s-1) leaves over vegetative (1.0±0.1 mol•m-2•s-1) leaves along with a ~50% greater light compensation point (LCP, 15.2±1.5 (vegetative) vs. 22.6±2.0 (reproductive) mol•m-2•s-1). The greater C demand for flower and seed production by reproductive leaves resulted in greater CE, Amax and AQE relative to non-reproductive leaves. However, the greater Rd and LCP of reproductive leaves also possessed greater Rd and LCP suggesting diminished photosynthetic function in low light environments. Therefore, successful seed production may require more rapid development of reproductive leaves than vegetative leaves to avoid the late-season light limitation that occurs in understory environments. 124 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Emily Magill firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology California State University, Stanislaus Endangered Species Recovery Program N. Ritter California State University, Stanislaus Endangered Species Recovery Program John V.H. Constable, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 20 Soil Type Differentially Affects Growth of Native and Invasive Plant Species Effective restoration of native plant communities on retired agricultural land has been problematic due to rapid growth and dominance of invasive species. Using a common native (Phacelia ciliata: Great Valley phacelia) and an invasive species (Bromus madritensis ssp. Rubens: red brome), this study hypothesized that optimal photosynthesis and growth of Phacelia and Bromus would occur on native (N) and retired agricultural (R) soils, respectively. In November 2004, seeds of both species were planted in a 2x2 experimental design using two soil types (N and R) and two water availabilities (high and low). In January 2005 when plants were small, soil moisture was abundant (40-70% volumetric soil moisture content) and a minimal difference existed between water treatments. At this time, photosynthesis (Pn) of Phacelia in R soil was ~300% greater than in N soil (3.3 (R) vs. 1.1 (N) mol•m-2•s-1). In Bromus a similar pattern existed, Pn in R soil was ~40% greater than in N soil (~7.9 (R) vs. ~5.5 (N) mol•m-2•s-1). Differences in Pn due to soil moisture availability were minimal in both species. Growth of both species in R soil was ~200-600% greater than in N soil regardless of water availability. Biomass of Bromus was consistently <45% that of Phacelia, and had 200400% greater root-to-shoot biomass ratio (R/S) in both soil types and water availabilities. At elevated water availability, Bromus biomass increased in N (+23%) and R (+9%) soils, while Phacelia displayed a less consistent pattern, a 61% increase in N soil, but a 36% decline in R soil. Residual nitrogen in R soil likely accounts for differences in growth relative to N soil. However, the dominance of Bromus in many field locations may result from the high R/S ratio facilitating water uptake and early season germination which may constrain growth of native species such as Phacelia. 125 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Bobby Kamansky, Steve Blumenshine, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 21 Frequency Distribution and Percent Similarity for 20 Vernal Pools at the James K. Herbert Wetland Prairie Preserve The vernal pool landscape at the James K. Herbert Wetland Prairie Preserve is dominated by non-native annual grasses, such as Mediterranean barley (Hordeum marinum spp. gussoneanum). The current management plan calls for restoration of native vernal pool grassland species through adaptive management, including monitoring and iterative refinement of treatment method and intensity. To provide information for management actions, data was needed to describe the existing plant assemblages. Analysis of aerial photographs yielded the location of wetland pools; identified pools were field-checked against previously determined criteria. Pools with similar edaphic and vegetative characteristics were identified by three criteria: 1) a visible clay bottom caused by continual inundation; 2) at least three vernal pool obligate plant species; and 3) a minimum length of at least 40 meters. 40 pools conformed to the similarity criteria. These pools were mapped with GPS to create vernal pool maps with perimeter locations. Each pool was assigned a number and 20 pools were chosen randomly for further vegetation study. The plant assemblage of each pool was characterized across across a 20-point transect not less than 40 meters in length with the frequency frame method. Each pool and surrounding grassland was documented with a slide photograph from a repeatable location. Knowledge about co-existing biological communities may thus be gained and treatment response quantified. Pre-treatment monitoring data can then be used to compare to posttreatment data to study community responses to treatment on multiple levels, utilizing biological community parameters as response variables. This approach would be unique among vernal pool studies. Frequency data ranged from 0.99 to 0.01, this provides a measure of species occurrence across the pools for 2004. Pool frequency data was used to compare pools for percent similarity to determine if pools can be compared. Pool similarity ranged from 6.9 to 87.6 percent; 100 percent similarity would represent identical pools. 126 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Nazia Khan, Christine Edmondson, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 22 Understanding Comorbid Anger and Depression Several studies of anger in clinical settings indicate that it is frequently comorbid with depression. The present study attempts to understand comorbid anger and depression by identifying similarities and differences in these syndromes in terms of general psychopathology, affective functioning, and early maladaptive schemas. If personality pathology is the causal mechanism for the co-occurrence, then it is assumed that there would be differences between depressed and angry depressed groups in early maladaptive schemas and general psychopathology with the angry depressed group indicating more significant psychopathology. If angry depression is a manifestation of two emotional disorders, then there would be differences between the group in general affective functioning. If angry depression is a subtype of depression, then the groups would be similar in general affective functioning and merely differ in terms of the manifestation of anger. A depressed sample from the Anger Disorders Validity Study was used to attempt to understand the mechanisms that account for comorbid anger and depression. Participants completed a structured diagnostic interview and a questionnaire battery. They consisted of the Young Schema Questionnaire, to determine the degree of problematic schematic processing; the Emotional Dominance Inventory, to measure general affective functioning in terms of positive affect, negative affect, and dominance; the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), and the Anger Disorders Scale to measure the manifestations of anger. A series of ANOVAs were conducted on the dependent measures. Results indicated that there were significant differences between the groups in the manifestation of anger. In terms of anger behaviors, the angry depressed group was more likely to engage in impulsive anger out strategies and the two groups were similar in terms of anger suppression. In terms of motivations for anger behaviors, the two groups were similar in terms of tension reduction, but the angry depressed group was more likely to have coercion and revenge motives. Also, the angry depressed group was more likely to ruminate about anger provocations, feel hurt, and be suspicious about other people"s motives. Implication for the diagnosis of anger and depression and the treatment of comorbid anger and depression will be discussed. 127 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Indranushi Chaliha, MD, MPH email@example.com Elizabeth A. Holly, Ph.D. MPH, Paige M. Bracci, MS MPH, Manjushree Gautam, MD UCSF Fresno Pediatrics Doctoral Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 23 Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer in a Population-Based Series of Patients Background: Pancreatic cancer typically is diagnosed at a late stage when prognosis is poor. Aim of the Study: To study symptoms experienced by patients before diagnosis of pancreatic cancer to aid in early detection. Methods: A brief clinical questionnaire was administered to a subset of 120 consecutive population-based patients to determine symptoms related to their pancreatic cancer. These 120 patients were part of a large case-control study of pancreatic cancer. Symptoms were analyzed by duration, sex, tumor location and age 65 and >65 years. Results: At diagnosis, 67% of patients" tumors were in the head of the pancreas, 23% in the body or tail, and 10% were not otherwise specified(NOS). The most commonly reported symptoms were: jaundice(55%), weight loss(54%), abdominal pain(52%), appetite loss(52%), fatigue(46%), light or tan colored stools(42%) and altered ability to sleep(28%). Upper gastrointestinal symptoms commonly reported included unusual heartburn(37%), unusual bloating(36%), unusual belching(25%) and nausea or vomiting(23%). Lower gastrointestinal symptoms of diarrhea(18%) and constipation(15%) were reported less frequently. Presentation of some symptoms differed by age. Median self-reported symptom duration before diagnosis ranged from 2 weeks for jaundice and dark urine to 20 weeks for altered sleep. 67% of first physician visits were ≤1 month after the self-reported first symptom and 84% of first physician visits were ≤1 month after the occurrence of the symptom that prompted patients to seek medical care. Conclusions: Early detection of symptoms with appropriate follow-up testing and therapy may improve prognosis and survival for pancreatic cancer patients. Keywords: Pancreatic neoplasms; signs and symptoms, digestive; adenocarcinoma; pancreatic neoplasms/epidemiology; human; adult 128 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Craig Kellogg email@example.com Genevra Ornelas, Madhusudan Katti, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 24 Rush Hour Traffic Noise and the Morning Chorus of Bird Songs The acoustic environment plays a major role in shaping animal communication systems. Animals that communicate vocally (e.g., birds, frogs, crickets) have evolved various physiological and behavioral mechanisms to ensure that their messages get through to recipients given the physical structure and acoustic interference characteristic of most natural environments. For example, many birds sing during the dawn hours (i.e., the morning chorus) because conditions are optimal for good sound transmission in terms of air temperature as well as their daily energy cycles. Humans, particularly in cities, profoundly alter the acoustic structure of their environment, with elevated noise being the most noticeable effect. In most contemporary cities, vehicular traffic is a major source of noise, and it tends to show daily peaks during the morning and evening rush hours. Since rush hour often coincides with the post-dawn window of optimal sound transmission and the morning chorus of birds, we hypothesize that it has a significant effect on the timing of morning singing by birds. Specifically, urban birds near major roads may be forced to sing earlier or later than their counterparts in quieter areas. To test this hypothesis in the Fresno area we compare the hourly frequency of singing birds in contexts with and without rush hour noise, in two ways. We compare: 1) habitats near busy roads during weekday and weekend mornings, and 2) habitats close to and farther away from busy roads during weekday mornings. Here we present preliminary results from comparisons made during spring 2005. Finally, we suggest that cities are fruitful grounds for research on the evolution of animal communication systems, with broader implications for conservation in human-altered environments. 129 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Dana K. Nagy, Ruth Ann Kern, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology Carolyn Hunsaker USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, Fresno Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 25 Riparian Vegetation and Microenvironment in Headwater Streams of the Southern Sierra Nevada This study investigates the variation in riparian vegetation and microenvironment on four small streams located within the Kings River Experimental Watershed, Sierra National Forest. The questions addressed are: how does microenvironment vary within and among these headwater streams, and how does the composition of riparian vegetation change with the microenvironment and physical features of these streams. To address these questions each headwater stream was segmented into 100 m reaches. Within each segment a 10-m long transect was established perpendicular to the channel extending 5 m on either side of the thalweg. Two 1-m² vegetation quadrats were established on this transect line, one along the green line on either side of the stream. Fifty-two transects were established for a total of 104 vegetation plots. All plants within each quadrat are identified to species and percent cover was recorded to the nearest 1%. The % cover of bare ground, sand, rock, litter, and wood was also recorded. Hemispherical photos were taken at each vegetation quadrat to determine light availability. Microenvironment was monitored at five of these transects on each stream. Locations were constrained to include two closed canopy locations, two open canopy, and a meadow site on each stream. Air temperature and relative humidity (measured at 0.5m above ground), soil temperature (top 10 cm of soil depth) and water temperature (deepest part of the thalweg) were measured using HOBO® data loggers. Volumetric soil moisture was measured at a depth of 26 cm using time domain reflectometry. Soil temperature and moisture sampling locations were located along one side of the transect line at 1, 2, 3 and 4 m from the thalweg. Physical variables measured at each vegetation transect include wetted width, bank slope, aspect and height from the water surface to the vegetation plot. A rapid assessment was taken for bank condition, bank angle and bank cover. The role of headwater streams is integral to the function and health of riverine systems within the Sierra Nevada. The results of this study will increase our understanding of the role of riparian vegetation for the Sierra Nevada and its importance as a link between lotic and upland systems. 130 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Michael Guerra, Jr., Brian Agbayani email@example.com California State University of Fresno Department of Linguistics Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 26 Functional Projections and the Initial State of Second Language Acquisition The logical problem of second language acquisition – that is, how do second-language speakers possess the grammatical knowledge of the second language with little or no input from either the native language or the second-language are able to produce and understand second-language sentences – has been a controversial issue among researchers. In recent years, researchers have created divergent theoretical frameworks to explain: 1) the initial grammatical knowledge of the second-language learner, 2) growth and development of second-language syntactic knowledge, and 3) to what extent is second-language acquisition similar to first-language acquisition. In the linguistic field, this is commonly known as the "second-language developmental problem." A continuum of competing interpretations concerning the initial-state of second-language grammars involves the issue over how much access second-language learners have to Universal Grammar. This suggestive study investigates the presence of functional projections in the initial grammars of three Spanish-speaking students enrolled eighth grade at an inner-urban, low-income school in the city of Fresno. Linguistic data for this study was collected from recordings of a comic strip narrative in an attempt to counter claims made by early hypotheses arguing in favor of the transfer of lexical over functional categories in initial grammar. Transcriptions of the narratives and investigation of the use of functional words were analyzed by a comparison between the three competing hypotheses on second-language grammar acquisition: Minimal Trees, Valueless Features, and Full Access. The results suggest that projections of functions are present in the initial-grammars of the participating English learning Spanish-speakers. In addition, this study found the role of interlanguage to be limited or negligible at best. Lastly, the results from the study were found to be best explained by the use of the "Full Access" theory in Second Language Syntax. 131 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Madhusudan Katti, Ph.D. email@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Biology John Martin Anderies Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Eyal Shochat George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center, Oklahoma Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 27 Living in the City: Resource Availability, Predation, and Bird Population Dynamics in Urban Areas Understanding the factors that control population structure and species diversity remains an active area of research interest. We combine elements from both individual and population perspectives to explore the relative importance of top-down and bottom up effects in shaping population structure in a relatively novel environment that has received scant theoretical attention: the city. Urban bird communities exhibit high population densities and lower diversity, a pattern correlated with relatively constant food availability and lower predation. Recently, it has been suggested that in addition to the high density of resources, the highly predictable input of resources to urban environments may be responsible for the high densities of urban populations. This, in turn, leads to urban populations with a few winners and many losers in terms of access to food resources and reproduction. To test these assumptions, we present an individual-energy based model of a population with two phenotypes differing in foraging ability and compare population structure under high predation and fluctuating resources vs. low predation and constant resources. We show that under low predation, equilibrium population structure is skewed in favor of the weak competitor, and vice-versa under higher predation. We also show that fluctuating resources favor the weak competitor at high frequencies and favor the strong competitor at lower frequencies. Thus, increasing the period between resource pulses can generate a shift in population structure from dominance of weak to dominance of strong competitors. Given recent evidence that supports the hypothesis that resources are more constant and predation is lower in urban areas, the model helps shed light on observed urban bird population structure. 132 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Dong Nguyen, Cheryl Chancellor-Freeland, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com San Jose State University Department of Psychology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 28 The Effects of Chronic Stress on Cognitive Performance in C57BL/6 Male Mice Previous research has shown that immobile behavior of rodents observed during the Forced Swim Test indicates behavioral despair, the animal model for depression. The cold water forced swim (CWFS) test is particularly stressful, and has been shown to induce a two-fold increase in adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) hormone levels and adrenal weights following 14 days of stress. Other forms of chronic stress have also been shown to impair cognitive functioning in rodents through stress-induced adrenal glucocorticoid (GCC). Because the hippocampus is especially sensitive to GCC, sustained hypersecretion of GCC is reported to damage areas of the hippocampus necessary for cognitive functioning. This is particularly true for the aging model. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of chronic stress on hippocampal-dependent cognitive functioning in aging mice. Cognitive performance was assessed in young and aged male mice following 60 days of twice daily CWFS. Behavioral measures during the swim test, in addition to adrenal weights were used to validate our stress paradigm. Contextual Fear testing was used to assess cognitive performance. Results indicated that for the control groups, aged mice showed impaired cognitive performance relative to young mice. For the stressed groups, aged mice showed no difference in cognitive performance when compared to age-matched controls or to stressed young mice; whereas, young mice showed impaired cognitive performance relative to age-matched controls. We also observed that adrenal weights from stressed old mice were reduced relative to the stressed young, indicating reduced stress reactivity for the aged group. These reduced adrenal weights for the stressed old mice were also found to correspond with increased immobility during CWFS. We speculated that the elevated immobility during CWFS was an adaptive response to the stressor and, therefore, served as a buffer to the deleterious effects of CWFS. 133 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Shria Watkins, Steven Millner, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com San Jose State University Department of African-American Studies Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 29 The Missing Pages of History History is supposed to instill patriotism into individuals, but how can African-American women feel patriotic in a society that doesn"t recognize them? U.S. history has continually been written in a way that excludes African-American women and their contributions to American society. My study examines the lack of attention given to African-American women"s social, political and organizational contributions often shapes their representation, identity, and culture in modern society. My research attempts to study the lives of African-American women who go unnoticed because history lacks extensive work that addresses the many aspects of their difficult lives and extraordinary contributions. It is important to understand who these women were in order to fully comprehend the complexity of African-American women today. Moreover, it is of equal importance to understand the environment and backgrounds of these influential women and the many factors that contributed to their phenomenal achievements and status despite adversity. American society is based on ascribed, not achieved, qualities. The system is structured to create tension among the masses and historical accounts that highlight the accomplishments of Black women is often ignored or overshadowed. This often leads to society leaving historical accounts inaccurate or incomplete. It is important for Black women today to understand their ancestor"s role in change. Black women have the potential to achieve success and have a life that extends beyond the limitations placed upon them as a result of society"s expectation of mediocrity. 134 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Erica Nicole Hasenbeck, Debra Harris, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com California State University, Fresno Department of Social Work Education Graduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 30 Substance Abuse Recovery and Reunification in the Child Welfare System: Mothers' Stories of Success This qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews with eight mothers who have achieved sobriety and successfully reunified, or were regaining child custody, through Fresno County Child Welfare Services (CWS). Although there were many findings, the most salient themes that emerged regarding how the participants were able to "beat the odds" included: seeing the intervention as a necessary start to sobriety; children needing to be with mothers in treatment; therapy and classes being helpful; a sense of hope and inspiration, in addition to seeing children regularly, played critical roles in their journeys; receiving support from staff at the program made a positive impact; and believing that social workers need increased knowledge of addiction, as well as the essential values of compassion, non-judgment, and support in client relationships. Implications for social work practice in child welfare are discussed and recommendations for further research are suggested. 135 Journal of the 26th Annual Central California Research Symposium Nora Ly, Bill Reckmeyer, Ph.D. firstname.lastname@example.com San Jose State University Department of Anthropology Undergraduate Student Presenter Poster Session II, Poster Board No. 31 Alternative Foreign Policies for the 21st Century After the events of September 11, 2001, the critique of America"s role in the world has become more significant than ever. Initially in this study, an analysis was taken of how the United States can become a responsible and effective leader for the 21st century in an age of increase globalization, terrorism, cultural conflicts, and rapid changes. The goal was to find ways to improve U.S. foreign policies that will make the world a better place for everybody with the confidence the U.S. would remain world leader. During the research process, the focus on America"s role in the world shifted to a different focus. The suggestions made by majority of pundits tend to have an ethnocentric and Western view of how the world should be. They offer solutions that only perpetuate the existing problems of extreme inequalities that seeks to modernize all developing countries in order to rid the world of the current problems. As a result of the finding, that was not going to meet the set goal, continued research was conducted to find alternative solutions to the traditional take on foreign policies. Different theoretical approaches were used to compare and contrast this issue. In this study, a multi-disciplinary route was taken by integrating various methods and perspectives, which includes systems science and anthropology. Systems science provides a different viewpoint and way of examining the world that is considerably more effective in today"s world, with the incorporation of anthropological knowledge. A mix of scholarly, governmental, and academic was referenced. The results show alternative capitalist systems are possible. Argentina, which has recently rejected western forms of capitalism and has become an independent country, no longer governed under FTAA, was given as an example. The results raise questions to be evaluated that the current pundits and decision-makers lack to acknowledge. 136
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