High blood testosterone has been linked to the expression of aggressive behaviors, but few studies have investigated the relationship between testosterone and competitiveness in anticipation of athletic competition. To examine the relationship between competitiveness and the anticipatory total serum testosterone response to athletic competition in female collegiate endurance athletes.  Twelve college-aged female athletes participated in a relay-style track race. As a performance incentive, a $10 gift card was awarded to each member of the fastest team. Total serum testosterone was measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay 24 hours and 15 minutes prior to a competition. Subjects completed the Revised Competitiveness Index (RCI) upon finishing the race. A dependent t-test was used to compare mean serum testosterone between the two samples. A Pearson correlation assessed the relationship between RCI scores and 15 minute pre-race serum testosterone levels. No significant differences were found between 24 hour and 15 minute prerace serum testosterone levels (p=0.855). There was no correlation between RCI scores and 15 minute prerace total serum testosterone level (r=0.05, p=0.915). These results suggest that in female collegiate runners, serum testosterone does not increases in anticipation of a simulated race, and that prerace levels are unrelated to competitiveness.

I am interested in examining how masculinity is portrayed in a male dominant sport such as hockey and how females position themselves in this sport, specifically focusing on female players, fans and females in hockey media. This connects to current research by Marie Hardin about cultural norms and hype masculinity, as well as Christine Baker’s case study about women’s basketball and Bill Buford’s work regarding hyper masculinity and soccer. As hyper masculinity is a large part of Hockey, it is important to acknowledge and accept women hockey players on the N.C.A.A level. According to Klein in the New York Times he states, “(t)he concussion rate in N.C.A.A. women’s ice hockey is 2.72 per 1,000 player hours. For men’s ice hockey it’s 1.47 per 1,000. Even for N.C.A.A. football, the rate is 2.34 per 1,000 which is lower than it is for the women on the ice.” By examining these statistics as well as many others such as the number of women’s hockey teams in the US and the number of professional women hockey players, I will be able to conclude how females place themselves in the hockey world. I will use the methods of photovoice, twitter, videogames, media and movies to further analyze my question. This research matters since gender equality should be present in every sport especially in the twenty-first century. In a continuously changing society women should have a strong influence on the masculine sport Hockey and not only break the social norms and barriers that exist but also break the geographical and regional opinions on the sport.

My Mary Gates Leadership Scholarship has allowed me to examine ways in which Pacific Islander’s identify themselves by breaking stereotypes through sports and education. I want to know why society has stigmatized every Pacific Islander male to be associated with football, and how this ultimately affects how young Pacific Islanders identify themselves. This connects to current research [Billings 2007] by addressing the inequalities and discourse among minority athletes. I will be using the methods of participant observation, photovoice, and interviewing to analyze my question. I will mainly be working with the camp participants of a non-profit organization: The Taro Roots Foundation, which is an organization that targets Pacific Islander youth (ages 10-14) and emphasize the importance of higher education through cultural, academic, and health workshops as well as training in skills through football. Along with this group I will also be interviewing and observing some of the Pacific Islander football players at the University of Washington and compare and contrast outcomes. This research is important because it contributes information about the Pacific Islander community that is unspoken of and receives little no attention. The media has stigmatized the Pacific Islander community and created stereotypes that are very much prevalent in society today. My research and organizations such as Taro Roots are ways in which we are able to break these stereotypes and shed light on the true Pacific Islander culture. Our Pacific Islander youth are more than just athletes; they are scholars in the making.

Through social media, images, and news stories, professional and collegiate athletes are shown to the public. This serves as a much larger platform for the younger generation to be heavily influenced positively and negatively. Unfortunately, the identities of male athletes of color in the major sports of football, basketball and track and field have been challenged through stereotypes that have developed over time by forms of media and social constructions. Observing and analyzing men of color within the world of collegiate athletics exposes the concerning stereotypes that belittle the talent and skill that these athletes possess. Features that will be focused on are masculinity, cultural representation and identity within the sports of football, basketball and track and field. Masculinity will be analyzed through the ways in which male athletes envision themselves through an outside perspective and the manner in which they present themselves during competition as well as off the field, court or track. Cultural representation, which may relate to masculinity, will be analyzed by how the athletes regard themselves both during competition and their social lives according to their specific ethnic background. In order to research the issue of identity, both cultural representation and masculinity will be considered through a series of interviews which will ask the athlete recognizes their identity and its relationship with his sport. Other features such as photo voice and social mapping within their respective sports will be thoroughly analyzed to determine how the stereotypes of the aforementioned three components are clearly present in magazine advertisements, websites and local newspapers. Since collegiate athletics is increasingly becoming popular in America, high school events such as recruiting, sports websites and national signing day will also be taken into consideration in order to fully grasp the concept of stereotypes amongst male athletes of color in collegiate sports.

Significantly reducing caloric intake without malnutrition (calorie restriction) has been shown to extend lifespan in many organisms including yeast, nematodes, and mammals. Since calorie restriction (CR) can also result in the extension of healthspan, CR or CR mimetics may be useful in the prevention of aging related disorders such as cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and cardiovascular disease. However, before long-term CR or CR mimetics can be considered safe for humans, more information is needed on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the effects of CR. In addition, since long-term voluntary CR may prove difficult to endure in humans, the consequences of reinstating a normal or ad libitum (AL) diet after prolonged CR must be investigated. We hypothesized that switching back to an AL diet after prolonged CR would reactivate pro-aging molecular pathways, such as the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway. To test this, we obtained kidney tissue from aged F344 rats that had been subjected to long-term CR. Some of the long-term CR treated rats had been gradually switched to an AL diet and the rest had been maintained on the CR diet. Proteins were extracted from the kidney tissue and then analyzed by Western blot. Switching to an AL diet after long-term CR resulted in a significant increase in the phosphorylation of downstream signaling proteins in the TOR pathway in kidney tissue. In addition, after switching to an AL diet, there were significant changes in autophagy, which is regulated by the TOR pathway, as indicated by increases in the autophagy markers LC3 and p62. These results indicate that reinstating an AL diet after prolonged CR results in an increase in the activation of the pro-aging TOR pathway. This suggests that the TOR pathway may regulate some of the physiological effects of reinstating a normal or ad libitum (AL) diet after prolonged CR.

In the aftermath of the 1916 Everett Massacre, the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), the City of Everett, and local newspapers struggled to control the story of this armed confrontation, and the ensuing trial of I.W.W. member Thomas Tracy. There has been a great deal written about the Massacre and trial, but limited research on the attempts of labor, political parties, industrialists, and the local community to control the story. To research this topic, I have examined a number of books, along with the Seattle Daily Times, the Everett Daily Herald, and various regional labor publications. I have also to conducted archival research in various documentary sites, as well as conducting informal interviews with archivists, and people in Everett. I argue that the rhetoric used by the attorneys at the trial, the I. W. W. literature, along with coverage in the local periodicals, provides an example of the larger battle waged for the control of the production of stories and historical memories. This paper uses the depictions of the massacre by various groups to raise broader questions about how memory is produced, and the lengths to which people will go to further their cause, and to have their views elevated to the story of history.

In any niche occupied by multiple species, competition is inevitable; whether through killing opponents, or depleting resources first. Ecological theory posits the existence of r- and K-selected competitors. r-selected organisms colonize well and reproduce quickly (often at the expense of individual survival). K-selected organisms succeed in stable, dense environments and are typically larger and live longer; typically investing in self defense mechanisms. This observed quantity vs quality competition is the foundation for the r/K selection theory. One limitation of existing r and K models is that factors causing organisms to be either r or K selected are not clearly defined. Release of toxic substances (i.e., interference competition) is an example of a factor that could allow for a species to be good at excluding others near the carrying capacity. To study this, we created a bacterial warfare model with two antibiotic producing bacteria, Chromobacterium violaceum (Cv) and Burkholderia thailandensis (Bt). These species were competed in at a 1:1 ratio and were disturbed (re-plated via coring) at varying intervals. Both bacteria produce their antibiotics when cell density is high. Cv behaves like an r-selected organism in that it grows quickly but has a weak antibiotic. Bt shows characteristics of K-selected organisms, growing slower, but creating antibiotics that rapidly kill Cv. Our initial observations show that Cv succeeds in frequently disturbed environments by not allowing Bt to effectively reach quorum, while Bt wins in more static environments where its ability to produce potent antibiotics to pay off. Also, controls indicate while Cv's antibiotic provides an edge, its growth rate appears to be the determining factor for success. These results provide evidence that disturbance frequency acts as a primary selective force in the antibiotic mediated competition, and may provide parallels and contrasts to other systems where r and K selected organisms compete.

Differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) demonstrate the potential for regenerative medicine and drug discovery utilizing rationally assigned cell fate. But hESC are limited by the technical difficulty of recapitulating an ever growing set of cellular phenotypes using a finite set of pluripotent cell lines. The resulting molecular deficiencies limit the ability of differentiated cells to integrate into host tissue, and diminish the translational potential of findings based on differentiated hESC. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be derived from patients with or without genetic disorders, and have much greater use for drug discovery and basic research, and patient derived iPSCs are less prone to rejection by host tissue. However, iPSC generated by insertion of genes into the host genome, increasing risk of rejection and limiting maturation of iPSC-derived cells. RNA-induced pluripotent stem cells (RiPSC) offer a solution to problems of genomic modification by inducing pluripotency exclusively through the transfection of mRNA. MicroRNA (miRNA) exhibit widespread regulation of mRNA translation and degradation, and do not directly alter the genome. A bioinformatics study curating publicly available microarray data for components of the miRNA biogenesis pathway, pluripotency factors, and miRNA expression will generate hypotheses about the functions of miRNA and relevant proteins, with a focus on differentiation and neural cell fate. Quantification of miRNA and mRNA expression in hESC and RiPSC during retinal differentiation will support or disprove hypothesized relationships between protein and miRNA expression. Transfection of miRNA will be used to determine the ability of these miRNA to enhance differentiation and maturation of retinal cells. Additionally, the resulting retinal progenitors will be implanted into mouse retina, directly testing the potential of miRNA to improve clinical outcomes of stem cell based therapies for the nervous system.

 Microencapsulation of xenogeneic recombinant cells within Alginate Poly-L-lysine Alginate (APA) matrices is an alternative approach to drug delivery. The APA encapsulation matrix protects xenogeneic cells derived from individuals or species foreign to the host immune system without the need for immunosuppressive or genetic therapy. Furthermore, matrix permeability allows for the continuous delivery of secreted cellular therapeutics at the implantation site. Although this technology is well-established, the ability of these cell-loaded APA particles to secrete antigens activating specific immunity towards HIV over long periods of time has not been studied. My research is aimed at developing implantable, cell loaded microcapsules capable of producing immunostimulatory molecules preventing the transmission of HIV in the genital mucosa. Using cellular viability and quantitative protein assays, my work will examine the long-term stability and protein production of human 293T cells expressing fluorescent HIV pseudovirions. The immunomodulatory effect of cell-loaded APA microcapsules will then be investigated using cell reporter assays. The results of this research may demonstrate the ability of cell-loaded microcapsules to deter HIV transmission over long periods of time by priming the immune system for HIV attack. We expect that this research could lead to studies of the ability of these particles to provide long term protection against HIV infection in animal models. The results of this work may also be applicable for developing vaccination strategies for other sexually transmitted infections.

The longevity of an organism is influenced both by internal (genetic) and external (environmental) factors. With respect to internal factors, a significant effort is being made to identify novel pharmacological agents that extend lifespan by targeting genetic pathways with a defined role in the aging process. On the external side, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the positive influence of environmental interventions, such as dietary restriction and mild stress, are being widely explored. The environment experienced by humans in modern societies already contains countless compounds that may influence longevity. Understanding the role that the most prevalent of these compounds play in the aging process will be important to predicting and interpreting the outcome of introducing new interventions. Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug worldwide. Prior studies indicate that caffeine may positively impact age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. In the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, we observe that low concentrations of caffeine extend lifespan in worms in a temperature-dependent manner. Initial evidence from experiments combining caffeine with previously identified aging interventions suggests caffeine may increase life span by reducing signaling through the insulin/IGF pathway. We have also shown that caffeine delays pathology in a worm model of polyglutamine disease. Additionally, caffeine and dietary restriction by bacterial deprivation show non-additive life span extension, suggesting that they impact aging through a similar mechanism. Our initial effort is focused on characterizing the effect of caffeine on longevity and health span, and exploring the interplay between caffeine and other aging interventions.

Populus tremuloides, quaking aspen, is the most widespread tree species in North America and one of the most important. Because of its valuable ecological role, aspen is considered to be a keystone species, crucial to maintaining the structure of an ecosystem. Aspen populations have been steadily declining throughout the country, particularly in California. In response, Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California has implemented a mapping and assessment program to evaluate the health of aspen stands within the park. Forty-eight stands of aspen were mapped and assessed for risk during 2004-2007, 2009, and 2011. I hypothesize that a majority of the stands are at high risk of disappearing and that the decline can be tied to the influence of one or more features of the stand’s environment. I assigned a risk rating to each stand based on a rating system developed by the Aspen Delineation Project and used by the US Forest Service and National Park Service. Using a geographic information system, I looked for associations between the relative risk rating and environmental features such as proximity to roads, proximity to streams, fire history, and elevation. The results of this study will assist in the development of a strategy to prevent aspen loss in Lassen Volcanic National Park. In addition, the results of this study may help inform the management of aspen in other similar environments in the United States and will lead to a better understanding of the drivers of aspen decline.

Planetary Nebulae (PNe) are the final stages of stellar evolution for the majority of stars including our Sun. They consist of a very hot white dwarf surrounded by a shell of gas that was ejected from the progenitor star as it aged. The white dwarf produces ultra-violet photons that ionize the gas in the shell producing the bright structures that we see in images produced by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Classical models that predict the ionization structure of planetary nebulae generally assume constant gas density in the shell. The simple symmetry of the models allows them to adopt a 1-dimensional (1-D) geometry for the calculated ionization structure of the shell. Our HST images allow us to test these models. We obtained HST images using the light from ionized hydrogen (H⁺), doubly ionized oxygen (O⁺⁺) and singly ionized nitrogen (N⁺). We use H⁺ to find the full extent of the ionized nebula, O⁺⁺ to select one of the key ionization volumes within it, and N⁺ to study the region where the ionization state of the gas changes from fully ionized to neutral. From those images we generated ratios of N⁺/H⁺ and O^++/H⁺. These ratios are being used to test the veracity of and identify departures from theoretical models.

The effect of evaporative cooling is a common experience that people can relate to. For example Sweat cools us as a result of evaporative cooling. However latent heat is released when liquid water condenses. This transition from gas to liquid brings with it a large amount of energy. This effect is important because it implies that heat is transferred to objects more readily in humid environments. I ran a series of experiments demonstrating this effect. For example, liquid in a soda can will heat almost twice as much in a humid environment as compared to a dry environment at the same temperature.

The Fourth Amendment requires police officers to obtain probable cause before conducting search and seizures. In Terry v. Ohio (1968), the Supreme Court held that reasonable suspicion—more than a mere hunch, but less than probable cause—was enough to justify a temporary street stop and a pat-down for weapons. This article identifies the Terry (1968) case as a landmark turning point in the history of American criminal justice. The reduced standards of the Court's 1968 ruling directly resulted in an unparalleled increase in incarceration and set precedent for the following half-century of pro-police jurisprudence. This article coins the term “Terry umbrella” to refer to the kit of Terry-inspired tools that subsequent cases either revamped or established from scratch. The surge in proactive policing has disproportionately affected people of color, particularly young black and Latino males. This article refers to this unequal enforcement as Terryism, as it was made possible by the Court's 1968 ruling. The recent rulings of the Roberts Court in particular are examined. 

Mathematics is an important piece of our education. It is used in our everyday lives and is critical in understanding the world around us. Despite this, our education system fails to reach many students that struggle with the subject. The inadequacies within traditional math education stem from its heavy dependence on the use of lecturing and textbook work. Students that have difficulty following this style of teaching can quickly fall behind and become disengaged from mathematics. In order to reach these struggling students, a new approach to accommodate diverse learning styles is needed. We hope KinectMath provides that approach. KinectMath is a practical software tool that takes advantage of Microsoft’s Kinect sensor. It gives the user the ability to easily control abstract math concepts physically and in real time. KinectMath allows students to manipulate graphs and functions easily by using their body. Its low cost, interactive based learning has the potential to increase student engagement, comprehension, and interest in mathematics through involvement both physically and mentally. Now that a usable product had been created, the focus has changed to examining how teachers implement KinectMath within their classes. By utilizing surveys provided to teachers and voluntary response data given from students, we have begun to study how KinectMath affects classroom performance by observing and measuring student engagement, teacher lesson plans and the new teaching ideas that educators have created. From our data, we are cautiously optimistic that the KinectMath software may impact student achievement positively, but we understand that a longer more formal in-depth study will be necessary. The data we have collected thus far is being used to refine KinectMath while also influencing the exploration of providing additional modes and styles of learning.

The harmful bloom-forming alga, Heterosigma akashiwo, has a dual-stage life cycle, transitioning between a vegetative, motile stage in the water column and a resting, non-motile stage in the sediments. Previous observations have revealed a large shift in neutral lipid content as cells transition between vegetative and resting life stages. The relative neutral lipid content per cell decreases as cells enter the resting stage, followed by a rapid synthesis of neutral lipids once cells emerge from the resting stage. Neutral lipid bodies are thought to be a source of cell energy reserves. The purpose of my research is to study how fatty acid profiles shift in H. akashiwo during these life cycle transitions. Understanding changes in fatty acid profiles is important in understanding how cells respond to changes in environmental conditions and how lipids are used in metabolic processes. In this study, two strains of H. akashiwo (CCMP 452 and UWC 13.03) are signaled to enter the resting stage by putting cell cultures into the dark at 10 °C for 18 days. Resting cells are activated by exposing the cultures to growth supporting conditions of light and increased temperature (12 °C). Cell viability and relative neutral lipid content is determined by staining with the SYTOX-Green DNA stain and the BODIPY505/515 neutral lipid stain, respectively, using flow cytometry. Fatty acid profiles are determined using an established gas chromatography- mass spectrometry method developed in the Cattolico laboratory. I will report on the outcomes of the fatty acid profiling for H. akashiwo over the alga’s dual-stage life cycle. I anticipate distinct change in the fatty acid profiles between these life stages.

Edible fungi can accumulate certain toxic metals, including cadmium, lead, and copper, in a species dependent manner. Forests that have been treated with biosolids have elevated soil metals, which could lead to additional accumulation in mushrooms growing in treated sites. This can be a possible safety hazard for people who gather wild mushrooms for consumption. My objective was to determine metal concentrations in several species of edible mushrooms and whether these species accumulate metals above background levels in their soil substrate. Collections of edible mushrooms from biosolid treated forest and control sites were analyzed for toxic metal concentrations. Mushroom concentrations of cadmium and silver were significantly higher in biosolids treated forests, while the other metals were not significantly different. The overall results showed that metals uptake was more strongly influenced by species than by biosolids application. Gomphidius subroseus exceeded the European Union regulatory upper limit with Cd and reached it with Cu. Metals in all other mushrooms in this study were below recommended safe annual limits for moderate levels of consumption.

Double stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses such as herpesviruses, adenoviruses, and many bacteriophages, have common development pathways. In these cases, a packaging motor (the terminase enzyme) inserts the viral genome into a capsid shell. We study the DNA packaging motor from phage lambda as a model system. Lambda terminase plays four critical roles: (1) It has a site specific DNA binding activity where it binds to the cos site on the lambda genome, (2) it has an endonuclease activity where it cleaves the lambda genome at the cos site, (3) it has a “helicase” activity where it then separates the cleaved DNA strands, and (4) it has “packaging” activity where it translocates the “matured” viral DNA genome into a capsid shell through a portal ring structure. The lambda gpFI protein is required for virus assembly but the function remains unknown. In this study, we use a defined in vitro system to study the effects of gpFI on the endonuclease, helicase, and DNA packaging activities of lambda terminase as our first steps towards an understanding the function of gpFI in virus assembly. The information obtained from these experiments will be useful in understanding similar processes in the eukaryotic herpesviruses and adenoviruses.

Our world is becoming increasingly integrated with motion sensor technology. However, the usefulness of motion sensor data is still vague and difficult to understand. Several applications using sensor infrastructure in the home, often referred to as smart homes, aim to support independence for older adults. The goal of this project is to try to understand smart homes for aging in place in general and complex motion sensor data within independent retirement communities. Our focus is in trying to understand how aggregated motion sensor data can be useful for clinicians, patients and family members, how to present aggregated motion sensor data, and how to proactively manage health to support aging in place. Our group is implementing ubiquitous motion sensors in independent retirement communities to assess mobility. Various parameters that influence mobility, including cognitive ability, psychosocial activity, and environmental characteristics, are noted and integrated into the data. The projects goal is to evaluate mobility in older adults and consider actions or treatments to prevent disease onset or discomfort. Preliminary findings from the ongoing longitudinal feasibility study provide strength to the argument that motion sensors may provide a supporting role for aging in place.

Along with best research evidence and patient values/needs, practitioner expertise is an essential component in the promotion of evidence-based practice. Utilizing this practitioner insight to inform research can be an effective way to contextualize results and check the validity and practical relevance of research findings. The Public Health Activities and Services Tracking (PHAST) study recently generated findings that describe fluctuations in funding for certain public health services including WIC and other maternal and child health (MCH) services contrasted against the estimated need for these services in three participating US states. This project aims to validate, clarify, and determine the relevance of PHAST study findings regarding WIC and MCH service distribute to public health practice by surveying key public health practitioners. Purposive sampling of public health practitioners in participating states was used to collect data from individuals who have optimum experience and are working in the local public health practice fields represented in the PHAST study findings. Via an online survey, participating practitioners were presented with key findings from the PHAST study, including geographic representations of public health service funding fluctuations and the estimated need for those programs by county. Survey questions pertained to the validity of the findings, and queried participants about any additional interpretations they may have about the findings, the relevance of the research to practice, and any further research questions that practitioners may feel warrant further investigation. Qualitative analysis of the survey responses is being used to identify recurring themes and to account for potential discrepancies between practitioner perceptions and study findings. Data collection is in process. Preliminary results show that public health practitioners surveyed confirm the validity of PHAST study findings and have identified other areas of research relevant to their practice.

We are focusing our study on mushrooms in the genus Cortinarius that have a symbiotic association with the roots of trees. Our specimens are from an Oregon White Oak forest located in the Columbia River Gorge, Washington. The Cortinarius species associated with Oregon White Oak form a unique combination of species in comparison to those in conifer forests from the Pacific Northwest. Cortinarius species from Oregon White Oak strands do not reproduce every year, consequently the data we have from Oregon White Oak strands collected over a period of three years provides a special opportunity to study these unique species. We have multiple collections of a large number of species, and it is likely that many of them will be new to science. DNA sequences of the ITS-28S gene regions are being used to determine species diversity and the relationships among species. Molecular analyses provide an excellent tool for studying relationships among mushroom species and will allow us to catalogue the diversity of the oak associated species in the Pacific Northwest. This project is part of a larger study of Cortinarius in the Northern Hemisphere.

AB Aur is a protostar with a surrounding protoplanetary disk. By taking coronagraphic images of AB Aur using an occulting mask to block out the star in order to get a more detailed look at the young circumstellar disk we are able to analyze the potential formation of any extrasolar planets. Because it is unclear where the exact center of the star is behind the occulting mask, we simulated the effects of mis-centered stars by shifting 24 individual images of the disk 4 times at different pixel shifts. Using 14 areas of interest we were able to compare the intensity changes for each final shifted image. Any significant variations in the intensity graph indicated the region was not an actual structure. We concluded there was a spiral arm forming on the right side of the disk and the gap above the star was real and not strongly affected by any mis-centering of the central star behind the corongraphic mask.

Ozone in surface air is toxic to both humans and plants, and has negative implications to human health and crop yields. Surface ozone is enhanced by anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, which are a direct result of fuel combustion and other industrial activities. Yet, the highest concentrations of ozone in California are often observed in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, some 50-100 kilometers from the urban plumes of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. How anthropogenic emissions affect ozone in areas strongly influenced by biogenic emissions remains a critical question in our understanding of air quality, with implications for control strategies. To examine these issues we are using data from two multi-year atmospheric chemistry field measurement campaigns: CALNEX SJV and BEARPEX. CALNEX SJV took place in 2010 near Bakersfield, CA, an area heavily influenced by urban and agricultural emissions. The BEARPEX 2007 and 2009 campaigns took place in Blodgett Forest, CA, a rural forested area primarily influenced by biogenic emissions. We are quantifying the extent to which anthropogenic emissions of hydrocarbons affect ozone production in these two regimes by performing a statistical analysis of a unique set of chemical indicators, acyl peroxynitrates, or APN. APN are produced in the atmosphere during the photochemical degredation of hydrocarbons that leads to ozone production. APN carry a fingerprint of an anthropogenic or biogenic hydrocarbon precursor. Through linear combination modeling of ozone using various APN compounds and trend analysis along independent axes such as temperature and day of week, we estimate the relative importance of anthropogenic and biogenic hydrocarbons. Moreover, by comparing data from these two sites, we provide a much broader understanding of such effects in both rural and urban areas.

An animal’s particular level of dominance within the group that they live with has been observed by various studies on its impact in regards to obtaining food, finding sexual partners, and how conflict is dealt with. Macaca fascicularis is a species of primate found all over Southeast Asia in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Thailand. They are most commonly known as long-tailed macaques. Studies show that they are matrilineal the males leave tend to leave their groups upon sexual maturity, preserving an abundant of female to male ratio. Studies show that the more dominant males within groups containing multiple males are given higher priority for the access of essential elements such as food and mate selection, sustaining the fitness of the individual. The males who are dominant to the other males should displaying aggressive behavior such as biting, kicking, directed vocalization, lunging, chasing, and threatening gestures suggesting imminent attack whilst the submissive male must in turn perform a submissive behavior. These include lip smacking, fleeing, avoiding, vocalization, or grimacing. We found, through open field observance, that between the only two adult male long-tailed macaques that lived in the observed group, that there was a significant difference in perceived dominance based on agonistic and submissive interactions. Also, the dominant male spent significantly more time engaging in sexual behavior than the submissive male, which aids the supporting the hypothesis that there is a link between dominance and frequency of sexual behavior in groups of long-tailed macaques. The observations that made helped discern how aggressiveness impacts the lives of male animals and their ability to survive and reproduce and provided data on group dynamics, which is important to the overall management of the island population. Supported in part by the UW Center for Global Field Study; PSSP-IPB, Indonesia.

I am examining the issue of overfocus on the body of athletes in sports and how the media perpetuates societal norms of hyper masculinity and hyper femininity in the culture of sports. This topic connects to a number of current research. I am utilizing research by Hardin and Whiteside from their article “Homophobia and Heterosexism in Women’s Sports Coverage”, which discusses how homophobia in sports has reinforced the images of hyper masculinity and hyper femininity that is constantly being circulated by the media as the norm. I am also utilizing research by Wenner, specifically issues raised in his article “Gendered Sports Dirt”, which discusses themes of masculinity, femininity and specifically the annihilation of women in media versus commercials that highlight women with the idea that “sex sells”. To analyze this issue, I use the methods of photovoice, interviews, and analysis of social media like twitter profiles of athletes and brands they endorse. This research is important because it challenges the societal norms and the gender stereotypes that the media constantly creates and perpetuates in the culture of sports. It is essential to question these norms that the media is propagating since whereas some of the male athletes are constantly being portrayed as these strong, buff and physically built individuals, some of the women athletes on the other hand, regardless of their achievements, are being portrayed as sex symbols. The impact this representation has on the society has detrimental effects as it continues to push gender inequality as the social norm. 

I examined the use of prosthetics in mainstream sports with an emphasis on track and field. I researched the development of prosthetics over time and how the view of them has changed in our society. There was a time when a disabled athlete competing alongside an able-bodied athlete was seen as purely inspirational. However, now athletes using prosthetics are getting penalized. Aimee Mullins was the first amputee to compete in Division I track. She broke barriers for disabled athletes in the mid-1990s, and now with astonishment those barriers are being restored (Angel 2008). This connects to current research that was done by Ian Brittain in “Perceptions of Disability and their Impact Upon Involvement in Sport for People with Disabilities at all Levels”. I will used the methods of photovoice and media analysis to analyze my question. I believe that this is a timely topic in not only the world of sports, but in an anthropological view of our culture as a whole. More and more young men are returning from war with missing limbs, and their use of prosthetics is viewed differently from the usage of disabled athletes. This research matters because of the increasing controversy surrounding the idea of an unfair advantage. Oscar Pistorius is a South African sprinter who is a double amputee. He uses a type of prosthetic called Cheetah-Flex-Foot Legs, and because of these prosthetics the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has been banned him from competing in the Olympics. With the advance of technology rising, prosthetic limbs are being engineered more efficiently than they were in the past. This technology should not be a set back that restores the barriers disabled athletes have overcome.

More than 3000 landslides have been identified as occurring as a direct result of the March 11, 2011, Tohuko Earthquake, using Google Earth disaster satellite imagery (1 m resolution). Landslides were categorized into 5 types: disrupted, lateral spread, flow, rock fall, and block slides. These types were analyzed using ArcMap, a type of Geographical Information System (GIS) to map spatial patterns of landslides in relation to surficial geology, peak ground acceleration (PGA), distance to epicenter, and topography. The areal size versus frequency of the Japan landslides was also compared to distributions of landslides inventoried in previous studies. The Japan distribution was found to follow an inverse power law function; this is an extremely useful relationship because it allows us to “fill in” an incomplete inventory, and can have predictive value for landslides in areas that were not covered by the disaster imagery. In knowing how many landslides and where the susceptible areas are likely to occur, potential damage and injury can be avoided. Landslides can be dangerous and the disruption they cause in distribution of supplies especially aid after an event, this research can strengthen the ability for governments to plan for and find ways to diminish problems associated with such blockages. Further work can be done to determine how roadway systems and infrastructure can be safeguarded against failures to ensure life and property damage does not occur.

The control of infectious diseases in low-resource settings continues to be impacted by the limited availability of low-cost, easy to use diagnostics. However, even in developing nations, smart phones are common and can be used as "instruments" to control diagnostic devices. Here, we aim to use a smart phone to input a sound wave into a microfluidic card and measure a sound wave coming out of the card to determine whether a disease is present in the sample. This can be done by creating a network of fluid channels that can be modeled as an electrical circuit containing resistors, inductors, and capacitors (RLC circuit). When the sound wave is input to the system, it causes the fluid to oscillate and has a resonant frequency that is dependent on the characteristics of the system (the resistance, inductance, and capacitance). A chemical reaction of an analyte—the chemical that indicates a disease is present—causes a change in the fluid resistance, fluid inductance, or fluid capacitance (e.g. the creation of a bubble would change the capacitance). This change in R, L, or C shifts the resonant frequency of the fluid circuit, allowing the presence of the analyte to be recognized. This project seeks to integrate a means of detection (like a microphone) into the diagnostic card to measure the analyte-dependent resonant frequency. Completion of this would take the system one step closer to bringing simple and effective diagnostic platforms to developing nations.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a Gram-negative pathogen that causes gastroenteritis. Components of the outer and inner membrane, characteristic of Gram-negative bacteria, contribute to Salmonella’s mechanisms to avoid detection and killing by the host immune system. The anionic bacterial cell surface is disrupted by cationic antimicrobial proteins (CAMP) that increase outer membrane (OM) permeability and access to the inner membrane. To resist CAMP killing Salmonella activates the PhoPQ two-component system, which is essential for pathogenesis. Because many PhoPQ-regulated enzymes are dispensable during infection, we conducted a forward genetic screen that identified new components of the PhoPQ regulon involved in maintaining the OM permeability barrier. Sequencing revealed mutations in genes encoding a variety of membrane proteins including transporters, phospholipid and lipopolysaccharide biosynthetic enzymes and efflux pumps, as well as regulatory proteins. Amongst the results, yejM mutants expressed the highest levels of membrane damage. YejM is an inner membrane protein with a periplasmic enzymatic domain that is critically involved in maintaining the OM permeability barrier. Structural alignments suggest that YejM is a member of the alkaline phosphatase superfamily. Attempts at full length deletions of yejM were unsuccessful suggesting the transmembrane domain is essential for viability, whereas periplasmic deletion mutants were viable but expressed varied levels of OM damage. Complementation with periplasmic deletion mutants and plasmids carrying the periplasmic domain rescued the OM permeability defect. Using structural models generated by a Protein Homolog/analogy Recognition Engine (PHYRE), we located putative metal binding sites involved in catalysis. To investigate the enzymatic mechanism, specific metal-binding residues were mutated via Polymerase Chain Reaction. We aim to determine if these residues contribute to the OM permeability defect of the yejM mutant Salmonella.

With more than 5 million new infections each year, the HIV pandemic presents a growing problem to which a cure has thus far been elusive. High rates of mutation and variability across HIV strains complicate antibody production via the secondary immune response. HIV surface protein shedding (gp120 and/or gp41) via membrane-proximal external region (MPER) specific antibodies has been shown to neutralize viroid infectivity1, however the conserved MPER of gp41 remains protected by surface proteins, and denatures when removed from its lipid environment. We have developed a vaccine system using lipid bilayer-polymer core virus-like nanoparticles (VLPs) that allows for the delivery of MPER in a native conformation. These VLPs have been controlled for size, polydispersity, and surface characteristics to allow intercalation and presentation of MPER in a hydrophobic state. We plan to characterize cellular uptake and cytotoxicity characteristics of these VLPs using in vitro assays. We will evaluate secondary immune response in a mouse model, examining antibody titers post inoculation. This vaccine platform may prove to be a robust technique for the delivery of hydrophobic antigen moieties, readily uptaken and producing a strong antibody response with low cytotoxicity.

This project demonstrates a new synthetic approach to tetrapod-shaped colloidal nano structures using a combination of Mn doped CdSe quantum dot cores and CdS rods. These structures are achieved using a variation in quantum dot hot injection synthesis in which Mn is added before the injection of the anionic precursors. Once the initial synthesis is complete the products are characterized by UV/VIS absorption, photo-luminescence, EPR, and TEM imaging. Once characterized the doped quantum dots are re-immersed for arm growth to achieve the tetrapod shape. Mn doping provides a magnetic probe in the nano particle that would allow us to probe the carriers during temperature dependent luminescence. Semiconductor quantum dots are believed to be useful materials in solar energy cell applications because their band-gap can be manipulated by changing the size of the particles. However, one of the limiting factors in the efficiency of these dots is the fast recombination of the carriers in the material. Tetrapod nano structure semiconductors have demonstrated the ability to extend the lifetime of exitonic emission which enables greater separation of the carriers and may potentially increase the efficiency of future solar applications. Preliminary results show that Mn doped tetrapods can be synthesized using this method; however yields need to be maximized in order for future applications to come to fruition.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are an important, but generally not well understood topic in oceanography. The dinoflagellate, Alexandrium catenella, is a common HAB phytoplankton that can lead to a buildup of toxins in commercial shellfish and cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans that consume them. When conditions for growth in the water column are unfavorable, Alexandrium forms a protective cyst that sinks and lays dormant in the sediment. The goal of this project is to create a more efficient way to enumerate HAB species cysts in sediments around the Puget Sound to create a record of past HAB events. I propose to use density gradient centrifugation and rapid flow cytometry on sediment cores from Puget Sound to determine how cyst concentration has changed over time, using sediment depth as a proxy for age. Density gradient centrifugation will be used to separate cysts out of sediments by using variations in specific gravity, and provide concentrated cyst samples. Then rapid flow cytometry will be used to determine the cyst concentration in each sediment sample based on the specific fluorescent signature of cysts. Preliminary results indicate that the density centrifugation method is able capture at least 85% of cysts at any given sediment core depth. Using this method I will also estimate the frequency of HABs in the past 50 years using lead 210 isotope dating on sediment cores. These methods will allow HAB researchers to reconstruct past Alexandrium events to fine tune models that predict periodic Alexandrium occurrences. This coupled with performing germination experiments on cysts to understand their biology will help the research community understand the conditions that control Alexandrium blooms as well as their frequency and intensity. None of this can be achieved until a fast, simple, and reliable method for obtaining and enumerating cysts in sediments is created.

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive type of primary brain tumor, which is treated by surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation. A majority of cases prove to be highly resistant resulting in uniform fatality. At present, research has been moving towards developing a patient-centered model of treatment that is developed by finding the unique characteristics of a patient's tumor growth kinetics and response to therapy. GBM is a very heterogeneous disease despite having a generally poor prognosis. A promising method of investigating this heterogeneity has been through finding patterns in the molecular-genetic makeup of these tumors. Large-scale mathematical analysis on data from open-source repositories such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) has already led to the discovery and validation of four GBM subclasses which point to characteristic areas of origination in the brain as well as differential growth behaviour. A limitation in this strictly data-oriented approach is the lack of meaningful clinical perspective applied which has resulted in the findings only being directed towards gauging patient survival. The focus of our research has been the discovery of information about individual characteristics of patients tumors that may have more clinical significance for each patient. Our hypothesis is that there is a correlation between the different biological subtypes classified by cluster analysis and the different kinetics of tumor growth measured by imaging. This work will be done by developing tools to investigate the genetic changes that may be driving different kinetics of disease progression (the proliferation and migration rates of the tumor cells) measured from actual patient imaging. This approach is guided by the belief that individual patient tumor biology can be used to inform the data analysis techniques and ultimately bring us closer to the goal of identifying the most discriminating treatment to effectively treat an individual's cancer.

"The S.P.O.T.", which stands for Students in Partnership for Organizing Transformation, began constructing a physical space on the University of Washington Bothell (UWB) campus in the fall of 2011. This space is meant to serve as a multipurpose room for recognized student organizations (RSO) to collaborate in creating a campus culture inclusive of diversity, representation and open dialogue. The purpose of this study is to critically analyze how The S.P.O.T. exists as a site of struggle, produce by the complex interplay of passionate and influential social actors including The Office of Student Life, RSO leaders, and dedicated faculty. I also document how RSO leaders negotiate public space on campus in an effort to mobilize the wants and needs of their organization. I have conducted a series of in-depth interviews with RSO leaders, participated in several UWB Club and Innovation Forums, and spent months directly observing how students attempt to understand public space on campus. Through this research I argue that The S.P.O.T., designed with the purpose of igniting social change, has itself become a powerful social actor in shaping students understanding of UWB initiatives and policies. RSO leaders must continually employ a series of strategies to maintain visibility and legitimacy in a constantly shifing sociopolitical landscape. By unraveling the unseen forces behind the creation of student spaces, such as The S.P.O.T., and exposing the limitation, as well as the potential, we can better understand how students make sense of complex social issues. This research is necessary if students, RSO leaders, and faculty are committed to increasing awareness, respect, and understanding by transforming physical space on campus.

Steel Plate Shear Walls (SPSWs) are structures used to mitigate damage to a building due to lateral forces caused by earthquakes. A literature review is being conducted on SPSWs to create a unified database that will be made public on the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Website. The database will include information on Steel Plate Shear Wall tests, such as wall properties and information on drift levels for various repair states. Drift is a measurement of lateral displacement divided by total wall height. Repair states correspond to the values of drift at which a certain type of repair of the wall is required. Drift levels will be organized by their associated repair state to create fragility functions. Fragility functions are cumulative distribution functions that tell the probability of a SPSW reaching a specific damage state at a specific drift level. These functions can help engineers design SPSWs and predict what level of damage or repair is expected under a certain level of earthquake shaking.

It was 1909, a time of great economic and political instability, when Filippo Marinetti allegedly stumbled forth from the “maternal ditch” of industrial waste. With wild passion and exuberant fury, he penned the Futurist Manifesto. Encouraged by his young, well-educated friends, he rejected passivity, and called for the celebration of active living through battle, steel, and speed. He broadcasted his declaration in the Paris newspaper, Le Figaro. Such a direct, cutthroat approach, expressing the objectives of a group of artists who did not yet exist, took the art world by surprise. His zeal has since been imitated many, many times over. A century later, The Freee Art Collective, a trio of British protest artists, revamped the work. By simply replacing words and phrases within the original document’s structure, Freee reordered the Futurist Manifesto, making its demands fresh and relevant to contemporary art and culture. Through a comparison of Marinetti’s original Futurist Manifesto and Freee’s New Futurist Manifesto, this paper aims to examine the evolving function of the manifesto, not only as a voice of artistic movements but also as a means of revealing cultural mentalities and concerns of a time and place.

Gliomas are invasive, fatal brain tumors that can be detected using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, MRI does not reveal the entire size of tumor. By using a mathematical model developed by Kristin R. Swanson and colleagues, glioma growth can be quantified from the diffusion rate of the tumors cells, the net proliferation rate, and the carrying capacity of the tissue. These parameters are unique to each patient and can be determined by measuring the tumor volume from different MRI modalities as they change over time. Our lab collects data from patients consented to our study and records information about what treatments a given patient receives, since this can affect how the image appears. In my role as a member of the measurement team, I examine patient images to determine the extent of tumor burden on a given date. To obtain these measurements, I use Calcmri, a MATLAB program developed by our lab. Depending on the modality, enhancement on MRI slices can indicate tumor volume as well as other fluids. Calcmri can adjust the intensity threshold at which MRI enhancement will appear, which allows me to isolate the tumor and specify a region for the program to measure. I measure a series of two-dimensional cross section images in order to calculate a combined into 3-dimensional volume. These measurements are used to model the growth of the tumor, “in silico”. Our lab uses information from these models to discover clinical applications, such as to suggest more accurate treatment dosages and to predict life expectancy, which follows an overall goal to better capture the extent and invasion of tumor burden than what appears on MRI.

The fossil record in western Montana and central Oregon of the late Oligocene-early Miocene period, about 20-30 million years ago, presents a rich fauna of gophers (Geomyidae) of the subfamily Entoptychinae. These burrowing creatures may represent up to 25% of the mammalian fauna of certain fossil assemblages. Understanding the ecology of this large population is thus important for interpreting community-wide ecological changes. Prior to investigating their ecology, it is necessary to understand the taxonomic and morphological diversity of these fossil gophers. Previous attempts have been made to differentiate these gophers by using cranial and dental material. However, skulls and dentaries of such small rodents are rarely preserved. Isolated teeth are sometimes the only material available for identification. As a consequence of their abrasive diet, geomyids wear down their teeth over time, erasing potentially diagnostic features of the occlusal surface of the tooth. Therefore, several authors have suggested that differences in the shape of the teeth could be used as a means of species differentiation. This hypothesis has yet to be quantitatively tested. Geometric morphometrics allows such analysis of shape independently of size. This method involves the statistical comparison of geometric coordinates of landmarks placed on an object of interest. I will apply this method to the enamel band of the last premolar and last molar of 140 fossil geomyids. The goal of this study is to test the hypothesis that the shape of Entoptychine teeth can be used as a tool for species differentiation. Preliminary results of the analysis of M3s reveal statistically significant differences between genera. More specifically, the angles of the tooth (tilted anteriorly or posteriorly), its shape (rectangular versus square), and the proximity of its two lophs, appear taxonomically diagnostic. This analysis will allow me to distinguish between gopher taxa, and allow the investigation of their ecology and potential roles in the community.

The purpose of this research is to develop a user-friendly interface for rapid deployment of virtual machines in the academic industry utilizing an agile development methodology and the Model-View-Controller framework. Virtualization technologies have allowed many enterprises to modify the traditional client server model. While virtualization technologies have many benefits, they are not always easy or cost effective to manage with existing tools. In order to manage changing requirements and reduce maintenance cost associated with tight coupling among software components; this development project follows the agile development methodology of Scrum to produce a web application using the Microsoft ASP.NET Model-View-Controller 3.0 framework. The application developed improves the manageability of virtual machines used by information technology instructors who currently employ Microsoft Hyper-V in the classroom. It allows for the rapid configuration and deployment of virtual machines by instructors for use by students. The product will be of benefit outside higher education, for system administrators who regularly deploy large numbers of virtual machines images.

Motivated by recent interest in developing compact, inexpensive, and reliable eye-safe lasers, the effect of quantum confinement on a saturable absorber material, cobalt-doped zinc selenide (Co²⁺:ZnSe), was explored in colloidal quantum dots. Co²⁺:ZnSe diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots (DMS-QDs) are semiconducting nanocrystals with structural lattices that include substitutional magnetic ions in addition to the primary metal cations. While previous work has been conducted on the saturability of optical absorption in bulk Co²⁺:ZnSe, the research presented here focuses entirely on quantum-confined colloidal DMS-QDs. The ability of these particular DMS-QDs to behave as saturable absorbers was explored in depth. This property is directly related to the long lived ⁴T₂(F) excited state of the Co²⁺ dopants, which gives rise to bleaching of the Co²⁺ ligand field transitions, leading to increased transmission of light upon irradiation at high powers. Specifically, absorbance features associated with excitation of ground-state electrons localized in the d-orbitals of the dopants are lost. To examine the saturable absorber behavior of Co²⁺:ZnSe, we looked at the optical transmittance of the quantum dots as a function of photoexcitation power. This was done by slowly increasing the power of a pump laser exciting the sample and observing changes in the absorbance spectrum at characteristic Co²⁺ ligand-field transition features. The bleaching of the ligand field Co²⁺:ZnSe in its nanocrystal form demonstrates that these colloidal materials are candidates for saturable absorbers in Q-switched eye-safe lasers. From this point, it should also be possible to explore excitation of the electrons from the first excited state (⁴T₂(F)) into higher energy states (excited-state absorption).

The current study investigated the effect of music type and music tempo on food consumption. Previous research shows that restaurant patrons decrease meal duration and spend less money when background music has a faster (compared to slower) tempo. However, the effect of music type on consumption behavior has been investigated less and few studies have examined both tempo and type together. The study had a between-subjects design, with one control and four experimental groups. 16 participants were randomly assigned to each group (80 participants total (61 female)). The experimental groups had a 2x2 design, with 2 levels of music tempo (fast, slow) and 2 levels of music type (classical, jazz). Participants also indicated their hunger level (7-point Likert scale) before and after the experiment. Participants in the experimental groups listened to 10 minutes of music; the control group simply waited 10 minutes. The dependent variable was number of items of food eaten (choices were goldfish, pretzels, Skittles, M&M, 40 pieces each). Participants were told that it was important that they relax before the actual experiment and to feel free to eat the snacks. Participants in the experimental groups were also told that music helps people relax. The researcher left the room and without informing the participant, recorded eating behavior through a one-way window.  Analysis of before-experiment hunger levels showed a significant difference between jazz and classical groups. Thus, a 2x2 ANCOVA (covariate = hunger) was performed. The results showed a marginal main effect of music type, F(1,64) = 3.758, p = .057, with participants in the jazz group eating more on average (43.4 items) than did participants in the classical group (11.1 items). Neither the main effect of music tempo nor the interaction were significant. An implication from this study was that listening to certain music types could increase consumption. 

HIV has infected over 30 million people worldwide and has resulted in the loss of millions in healthcare costs. HIV vaccines have the potential to prevent infection and drastically reduce infection rates. A potential strategy for vaccine development is to elicit a mucosal immune response, since sexual transmission of the virus is the leading cause of new infections. A successful functioning vaccine would deliver an HIV antigen, such as the highly conserved regions of the HIV membrane surface protein gp41, and an adjuvant, such as the synthetic organic molecule R848, through mucosal and cellular barriers. Here, a delivery vehicle for a complex HIV vaccine is synthesized by using a single emulsion method to formulate a polymeric nanoparticle, consisting of a biodegradable polymer core surrounded by a lipid layer. Previous research has shown that a lipid shell increases serum stability and immunocompatibility in vivo. First, design parameters, such as solvent and surfactant properties, were modified to yield consistently monodisperse populations of nanoparticles with controlled size and surface chemistries. Different methods for encapsulating the adjuvant into the polymer core were also explored. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of the adjuvant, as measured using liquid chromatography, was less than 1%. We delivered an HIV antigen by intercalating it within the lipid layer surrounding the polymeric core. Encapsulation efficiency of the antigen was measured with a proof-of-concept peptide attached to a fluorophore. We used ELISA and cell culture studies to test for the controlled release and immunogenicity of the immunogens. Finally, a mouse model will be constructed to test the particles in vivo. This project demonstrates a design for creating nanoparticles with controlled characteristics for eliciting a comprehensive immune response against HIV.

This project uses commercially available CD printable inkjet printer with a chitosan solution as a replacement for ink to pattern chitosan nanofiber. Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide composed of randomly distributed β-(1-4)-linked D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine derived from chitin. Chitin is the second most abundant polymer in the world. It mainly occurs in the cell walls of fungi and exoskeletons of arthropods (i.e. shrimp, crab, and insects). Chitosan and chitin are used in many applications, such as functional food, wound dressing and sutures, and most recently bionanoelectronics. Unlike chitin which is insoluble in most common solvents, maleic chitosan dissolves in water at mild conditions. Printing is the most widely used technology to deposit small particles onto various surfaces. Since printing enables the fabrication of large areas and arbitrarily high-accuracy patterns and scales well to nanoscopic sizes, we can use it to pattern nanostructures. In this fashion, self-assembled 3 nm chitosan nanofibers are printed.

I concentrated on Haiti and how they have used sports to cope with the earthquake in 2010. They used sports as a way for mental and physical rebuilding. Sports allow leaders to emerge and provide positive influences to children and show the importance of media and power. By Haiti making sports teams that are constructed of people rising above their injuries, they are showing the world they can move forward. If media only shows the devastating events of the earthquake and not how people have overcome it, they are neglecting the whole truth. The methods I used are photovoice, data analysis and interviews. This research matters because if sports can be used to increase morale after a traumatic event then they should be incorporated into schools. By examining the impact of sports in rebuilding, I have observed how determined people can rise above the devastating events and continue life. This shows how sports can be used to direct and encourage people, especially in lower socio-economic status.

The transport of heavy metals in the environment poses serious threats to ecological and human health. One major factor that influences the transport of heavy metals in the environment is interactions with microbial surfaces. To better understand the influence that endospores, a ubiquitous microbial surface in the environment, have on metal transport, we studied cadmium and uranium adsorption onto endospore surfaces. We focused on three main experiments: how fast metal adsorbs to spore surfaces (kinetics), the extent of metal adsorption, and the reversibility of metal-spore adsorption. These data are essential to deriving thermodynamic parameters that may quantify the interactions under conditions not directly studied in the laboratory. The ultimate goal of this research is to give environmental engineers the ability to incorporate microbe-metal interactions into geochemical models of contaminant transport and possibly aid in optimizing bioremediation strategies using endospores.

This research explores the function and dynamics of gold nanoparticles functionalized with azobenzene- modified DNA. When exposed to UV light, the azobenzene groups photoisomerize, melting the DNA and dissociating aggregated nanoparticles. This process is reversible with introduction to blue light, initiating the isomerization that allows the DNA to rehybridize and the particles to form aggregates once again. Our research focuses on the dynamics of this transition, determining the extent of trans-cis isomerization of the azobenzene DNA coupled to gold nanoparticles, a process which is monitored through pronounced changes in light absorption between the trans and cis conformations. This information creates a baseline for future photoswitching calculations, accounting for differences in behavior between free azobenzene DNA and such DNA in the presence of gold nanoparticles. We also use the kinetics of the light-induced dissociation and reassociation to provide information about the composition of the DNA, with respect to location of the azobenzene group embedded in the DNA strand. This information can assist with detection and location of base-pair mismatches within the coupled DNA.

The complexity of the factors underlying the aging process and difficulty in categorizing definitive aging phenotypes complicates efforts to elucidate the pathology of aging. One approach toward understanding human biology is to look to model organisms as simpler starting points. Specifically, we can ask which aging genes have counterparts in more complex organisms and, of those, which also influence longevity. The Kaeberlein lab is in the process of completing a genome-wide screen of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for genes that alter its lifespan. The more difficult challenge is to piece together the pathways connecting the myriad products of these genes into a cohesive model for their effect on the aging process. A pathway of particular interest is the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mtUPR). This stress response pathway is activated by accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the mitochondrion. After stress, signaling from the mitochondria to the nucleus can increase mitochondrial chaperone presence to promote proper protein folding. This pathway might play a role in some of the lifespan extending effects of the genes identified through the genomic screen, and there is evidence that some mechanisms of longevity in other organisms also involve the mtUPR. Our goal is to develop a GFP reporter system for the yeast mtUPR and investigate mtUPR activation in the lifespan mutants already identified by the lab. By creating a yeast GFP-promoter construct, we will be able to conduct experiments using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry to quantitatively determine mtUPR activation for a variety of genotypes and environmental conditions.

Many neurological diseases that are prevalent in our society, as well as serious addictions, affect one’s ability to make optimal decisions. In order to provide further insight on these conditions, the underlying mechanisms and processes of decision-making must first be determined. Previous research shows that the inactivation of amygdala during bouts of stress blocks any stress effects on later decision-making performance. This study aims to answer how this occurs by determining the necessary brain structures for the decision-making task. Because prefrontal cortex lesions have not disrupted decision making on the task in earlier studies, lesions of subcortical regions should negatively affect decision making. Specifically, we lesion the central and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala, or the dorsomedial striatum of several rats, two subcortical regions known to be strongly associated with reward-related behavior. Decision making is assessed through a series of baseline and bias tests on a figure-8 maze. The rats run through a series of equal-reward baseline sessions on the maze, then switch to bias testing for three days (unequal reward), and finally are tested on reverse bias (unequal reward, larger side switched). It is suspected that significant decision-making impairments will be seen after either the amygdala or the dorsomedial striatum is lesioned.

We, the researchers in Dr. Wendy Stone’s Lab, examined the developmental trajectory of motor imitation from 12-18 months and its relation to social functioning and language ability at 24 months in younger siblings of children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; ASD-sibs), compared to younger siblings of typically developing children (TD-sibs). Motor imitation is the reproduction of a modeled presentation of a motor event and ASD refers to neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social-communication and the presence of stereotyped, repetitive behaviors. It is important to study ASD-sibs because they are at an increased risk for developing an ASD or sub-clinical symptoms. Young children with ASD display motor imitation deficits, but currently, studies have not examined motor imitation in ASD-sibs within the first 18 months of life. Thus, the age at which impairments emerge remains unanswered. Further investigation of motor imitation is necessary given its importance for learning and social interactions. Using the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers (STAT) to measure motor imitation, the Mullen Scales of Early Learning to assess language, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule to determine ASD severity, we expect to find that: a) motor imitation will show significant growth between 12-18 months of age; b) ASD-sibs will have lower baseline levels and lower rates of growth than TD-sibs; c) baseline levels and rate of growth for motor imitation will predict ASD severity and language ability at 24 months. Hierarchical linear models will be used for the developmental trajectories of motor imitation from 12-18 months of age. Linear regressions will be used to examine whether baseline levels and growth predict later ASD diagnosis and language outcomes. This study may provide information leading to earlier detection of ASD. Earlier diagnosis of ASD allows for earlier intervention, which has been shown to improve children’s social-communicative outcomes.  

Between 1875 and 1918, the German Social Democratic Party grew from an isolated and persecuted sect to become one of the largest, most well-organized, and most prestigious socialist parties in the world. The party's theoretical foundation was Marxism. Its leaders, intellectuals, and many of its rank-and-file members espoused a doctrine that prophesied the inevitable collapse of capitalism and the global transformation of society through socialism. However, on August 4, 1914, the party's representatives in the Reichstag  stood side by side with their conservative and liberal opponents in voting to provide funding for the war that had recently broken out in Europe. Furthermore, in defiance of the party's ideology and tradition of intransigence, a number of influential writers and intellectuals within the party had begun to articulate theories that attempted to harmonize German imperialism and Marxism. Contrary to the principles of the international solidarity of the working class, these thinkers argued that the acquisition of overseas colonies was essential to secure Germany's continued prosperity and the well-being of German workers. Many equated the so-called noble and civilizing values of German culture with socialism. The triumph of German imperialism thus laid the foundation for the coming socialist order. My research concerns a critical reading of primary source documents from prominent socialist newspapers and treatises of the period in light of the relevant secondary source literature to reconstruct the party's transformation from intransigence to imperialism. I seek to analyze these theories of socialist imperialism within the context of the party's growth and bureaucratization, the rise of powerful trade unions, and the emergence of theories that challenged orthodox Marxism. Ultimately, these theories of socialist imperialism discredited the party following the war with the disastrous consequence of making its leaders and members unprepared to contest the rise of Nazism in the 1930s.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a pediatric disorder of higher executive functioning which may persist into adulthood. This disorder is estimated to affect 5.4 million children aged 4 to 17. Neuroimaging evidence suggests the underlying neuropathology is characterized by a delayed, but otherwise typical, brain maturation process. A previous study analyzed electroencephalograms (EEG) recorded from children (aged 10 to 13) while they were actively anticipating visual stimuli. They found under-connectivity (a) within the frontal lobes and (b) between the frontal and parietal lobes in the ADHD group. These data were consistent with a delay in cortical maturation in the ADHD group. This project builds upon the results of the previous study by examining the eyes closed, resting state-EEG recorded from the same children (42 ADHD and 21 controls) at the same recording session. Cortical maturation is assessed using dense array EEG coherence spectra to characterize functional connectivity differences between groups. We are investigating if the previously demonstrated connectivity differences are static in respect to behavioral state or if these differences are a function of cognitive demands.

 In this project I explore how New Women and adolescent girls influenced each other within the context of changing gender ideals and perceptions of adolescence in the 1920s and 30s. I focus on this interaction specifically within Miss Ruth Brown’s Seattle Camp Fire Girls and the two girls’ camps she founded: Camp Sealth on Vashon Island and Four Winds Camp on Orcas Island in the San Juans. Uniquely, New Women such as Ruth Brown created space within summer camps and the Seattle Camp Fire Girls for white adolescent girls to be liberated from restrictive gender roles of the time. This liberation was not inevitable, nor was it universal. Ruth’s camps were examples of more liberating spaces, yet not every white Seattle Camp Fire girl attended them, and the racialization of Miss Ruth’s fantasy play and "gypsy" culture, which was liberating for some, perpetuated the racialization of the ideal womanhood. In studying Ruth Brown and her sphere of influence I deeply analyze changing female roles in the 1920s and 30s. I have analyzed many primary sources concerning these topics including issues of the Seattle Camp Fire Girl’s periodical during this time, poems written by Ruth Brown, newspaper articles, and other literature of the time concerning adolescent girls. In pursuing this research I will provide a deeper history for both Camp Sealth and Four Winds, still active camps in Washington. I aim to do this not only through completing an analytical, 40-50 page undergraduate thesis by March 2012 and presenting at the 2012 University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium, but by writing an accessible, exciting hi-story of Ruth Brown, the Seattle Camp Fire Girls, and summer camps in the Seattle area by June 2012 for distribution to campers and camp alumni.

The nuclear transport pathway performs the fundamental function of moving cargo between the cytoplasm and nucleus in all eukaryotes. Nuclear transport is carried out through a highly conserved mechanism across all eukaryotes. Yet, in Drosophila, several components of the nuclear transport apparatus evolve rapidly under positive selection. Genetic conflict with selfish elements has been suggested as a possible cause for this pattern of rapid evolution. Here, we present a comprehensive phylogenomic analysis of importin gene evolution in Drosophila. Importins are adapter molecules that directly mediate the transport of cargo into the nucleus. Our analysis reveals a recurrent pattern of gain and loss of importin paralogs across independent lineages of Drosophila. Interestingly, we discovered that almost all new copies of importins have acquired a testes-specific expression pattern since their birth through gene duplication. This pattern of repeated gains of testes-specific copies of importins and signatures of episodic lineage-specific positive selection suggests a function in suppressing genetic conlifcts such as segregation distortion in the male germline.

Precipitation varies naturally and with human-caused climate changes, and we are interested in the range of these changes. We use data from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) archive, which contains precipitation and energy flux data from 1850 to 2100 from climate model simulations. The comparison of model data from past years with the observed climate record can be used to test the simulations. We use matlab to calculate the mean of precipitation and energy fluxes of each model in CMIP5. The precipitation differences are interpreted with the energy budget. While the precipitation clearly increases in 21st century, there is model-to-model differences over the 20th century. The 20th century differences may be caused by different strengths of aerosol effects related to the second industrial revolution during that period. We will continue data analysis to find the reason for the differences in model predictions over both the 20th and 21st centuries. The differences in the comparision are helpful for validation of the prediction of precipitation in the future and to show the effect of global warming.

The 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens caused the bathymetry of Spirit Lake to change drastically resulting in an increase in surface area and a decrease in average depth. Subsequently, Spirit Lake is experiencing an increase in productivity. This study measures concentrations of nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus in sediments and aquatic plants in order to understand the source of the lake’s increasing productivity. Over the summer of 2010, we collected surface sediment samples and a short sediment core. The results of these analyses, together with aquatic plant data obtained by Bellarmine High School students and Portland State University, will be used to estimate the role of sediments in nutrient cycling in Spirit Lake.

This research aimed to examine ways in which society imposes femininity on female athletes, and the implications these stereotypes and perceptions of beauty have in regard to race. More specifically it aimed to understand why society has stigmatized particular female sports as “masculine” and others as “feminine” and the effect these stigmas have on society’s racial stigmas. This connects to current research and academic discourse already conducted by Ernest Stringer, Andy Billings, Benjamin Goss and Christine Baker on the impact of media in sports and the transcendence of socially constructed gender roles and racial differences being carried into sports. This research utilized the methods of participant observation, photovoice, discourse analysis, and interviewing to examine these cultural norms. The majority of fieldwork was conducted at the University of Washington Women’s basketball games as well as University of Washington gymnastic meets throughout the season. Also taken into consideration was media surrounding those games as well as popular media sources in society that perpetuate racial stereotypes and notions of femininity. This research is important because it brings to light the stereotypes and issues already prevalent in society today, and demonstrates how these stereotypes have trickled into sports culture as well.

Puget Sound is home to countless aquatic species, all of whom are dependent on healthy water conditions. At the bottom of the trophic web are foraminifera—single celled organisms that directly reflect the environment they live in, because each species has a very narrow range of acceptable habitats. Foraminifera can be used to assess local conditions on a very fine scale, and to assess the large-scale health of the body of water. This type of study has been done on numerous bodies of water throughout the world and is well proven, but has never been applied to Puget Sound. As a small part of this overarching project, I focus on identifying and analyzing foraminifera from Port Madison, a part of Puget Sound relatively sheltered from anthropogenic impact. Port Madison thus acts as a control with which to compare samples from other locations in Puget Sound. Preliminary results indicate that Port Madison has a very high diversity of foraminifera with at least 12 different species immediately apparent, but a relatively low abundance of about 28 foraminifera per gram of sediment. In comparison with other locations throughout Puget Sound, this shows that anthropogenic conditions decrease the diversity of foraminifera, and areas like Port Madison where little anthropogenic activity is present yield higher diversity. Data from sheltered areas help build a knowledge base for a healthy Puget Sound, which in turn gives us an idea of what to work toward in future attempts to promote a healthier Puget Sound.

Suppose an investigatory pilot study has been performed and indicates that there may be some difference between two populations, but not to the level that statistical significance is satisfied. If we assume that the pilot data is roughly reflective of the true populations, then we can simulate what might happen if there were, say, twice the number of participants, and we can deduce whether or not there would be a statistically significant difference. Normally, one might simply resample the data and perform a standard t-test comparing the two sample populations, repeating this procedure while slowly increasing sample size until statistical significance is detected. This procedure works well with simple data. A problem arises, however, if you want to compare two populations where a single data point for a subject consists of a vector with hundreds of dimensions. This is not uncommon in such domains as microbiome research, for example, where a single person will have hundreds of diferent types of gut bacteria. The standard t-test (or variants such as Hotelling's T^2 test) cannot be applied to this type of multi-dimensional data. Instead, we must resort to something called a multi-response permutation procedure (MRPP), wherein a distance matrix of the populations is built and sampled in a specific way to detect a difference between the populations. The goal of this project is to implement a package in R that utilizes MRPP in simulations based on sample data and can give projected statistical difference between larger, hypothetical populations. In addition, the project aims to explore the statistical backing behind this methodology to determine both the power and accuracy.

Aging is a degenerative process characterized by a progressive deterioration of cellular components and organelles resulting in mortality. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to study the biology of aging, and several determinants of C. elegans longevity are conserved in higher order organisms. The specific mechanisms of longevity in C. elegans have not been completely identified and many pathways are still poorly understood. Dietary restriction is one promising pro-longevity intervention, though like other aspects of longevity, its mechanism is also poorly defined. DR, a reduction in caloric intake in the absence of malnutrition, extends lifespan and has been found to delay the onset of age-associated disease, not only in C. elegans, but in a wide range of species including yeast, flies, mice, and primates. We are performing a genome-wide screen of the Vidal RNA interference (RNAi) Library, which has a catalog of 11,511 clones. By knocking down specific genes within the C. elegans genome through RNAi, we are able to observe an extension or reduction in longevity in response to DR. We will follow up on our collected data by measuring the full lifespans of all mutants that respond strongly in the screen. By screening such a large number of genes, the widespread effect, and hopefully mechanism, of DR will be elucidated. We hope to see genes significantly affected by DR cluster into groups with common functionality, or along the same pathway, and then follow up on those specific pathways to clarify the mechanisms underlying DR. If these pathways are conserved, research findings relating to C. elegans may be applicable to other organisms. We hope to confirm these results and further investigate the interaction between DR and other potential longevity pathways.

Paleontological evidence has shown that during large scale extinction events, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) rises to abnormal levels in Earth’s atmosphere. To survive these extinction events, an organism would be required to counter-act the negative effects of H2S by evolving unique adaptations. It can be hypothesized that many of these unique adaptations still exist in present-day lineages. Modern plants, for example, may have developed a method of utilizing H2S in order to survive, and possibly thrive, in what would be considered a highly toxic atmosphere. Through experiments involving species Phaseolus vulgaris and Pisum sativum, it was discovered that applications of H2S to seedlings increased growth at rates of up to 200% within 1 week. In addition to the increases in growth, increases in plant mass and photosynthetic activity were also observed. In order to better understand the effects of H2S on P. vulgaris and P. sativum, seeds of the species were also exposed to H2S, under the same controlled conditions. The effects of the seed experiment were similar to the initial seedling tests. Time to germination decreased with exposure, and the overall rates of germination increased. Large scale implications of these findings present benefits such as greater crop yields and perhaps a more efficient method of bio-fuel production. Continuing research of H2S and its effects on plant life could someday create a powerful means to deal with our ever-expanding human population…and the ever-expanding human footprint that goes along with it.

The Cordilleran Ice Sheet filled Puget Sound during the last ice age. Its maximum extent is defined by glacial deposits, including large "erratic" boulders, near Olympia in the southern Puget Lowland. The age of maximum glaciation can be determined using the build-up of cosmic ray produced nuclides in these rocks. We sampled two large granite erratics and separated quartz for analysis of cosmic ray produced Be-10. After dissolution, beryllium was extracted and purified, and the Be-10/Be-9 ratio measured by accelerator mass spectrometry. The Be-10 concentrations (approximately 75,000 atom/g) are used to calculate the time the boulders have been exposed to cosmic rays, and thus date the retreat of the Puget Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet from its maximum extent.

Singapore is renowned to be a multilingual and a multi-ethnic society where Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions coexist beneath the veneer of a western cosmopolitan metropolis. The result of this multiformity, however, shows a regressive trend of youths maintaining their Mother Tongue language. This research investigated 24 mature teenagers about their language attitudes towards their Mother Tongue as measured by the Language Attitude Questionnaire and interviews. Various results from other related published materials have also been used in the analysis. Ethnicity and education levels are the independent variables of this analysis. Statistical analysis report that the youth’s attitudes towards their Mother Tongue are off-putting and less esteemed than the English Language despite it being the language of their cultural identity. However, youths from the lower education level generally were found to have a more positive attitude towards their Mother Tongue compared to the youths from the medium and high level education. These findings confirm that the language attitude of the youth is remodeled by the rigidity of the education system and as well as social factors. Singapore’s insistence of the second language education could show signs of demise of language acquisition despite her ascertained objectives.

Due to the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors among young adults, research focusing on the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STI) is crucial. Risky sexual behavior (RSB), reflected by low condom use and high number of sexual partners, is a likely precursor of STI contraction. One factor that may be associated with RSB is optimistic bias, the difference between one’s ratings of self risk and risk to others, reflecting a lower risk to oneself. Research has demonstrated that young adults exhibit the optimistic bias in perception of STI risk. It was found that those who expressed lower RSB did not tend to show optimistic bias, demonstrating that there may be a relationship between perceived invulnerability and sexual behaviors. Research has found mixed results about how gender may play a role in optimistic bias towards sex risks. Some research has found no gender difference in optimistic bias of risk, whereas one study discovered a negative correlation between optimistic bias and condom use amongst sexually inexperienced females. Using measures of sexual and alcohol-related sexual behaviors and perceived sex-related risks to self and risk to others, the present study will examine how one’s ratings of STI risk will play a role in sexual behavior. Participants, consisting of 958 randomly sampled undergraduate students ages 18-30, completed an online survey comprised of RSB measures. It is hypothesized that the discrepancy between perceived STI risk for oneself versus perceived STI risk for the average same-sex college student will be positively associated with RSB (i.e. increased number of sex partners and decreased condom use). Furthermore, it is expected that this association will be stronger among female than male students. Results from this study will help to inform interventions aimed at reducing risky sexual behavior and thus the spread of STI among the young adult population.

Translation of public health materials to Spanish is important because many Spanish speakers in the U.S. have limited English proficiency. Health departments generally outsource translation of health materials and cannot afford to translate many important materials to Spanish. Use of statistical machine translation (SMT) software combined with post-editing to correct errors in SMT output by bilingual staff could reduce the cost of translating documents and dramatically increase access to public health information for the Spanish-speaking population. Raw SMT output such as that from Google Translate is not accurate enough to be used in published materials. Our goal is to develop technology that, given an English document and a statistical machine translation to Spanish, detects and corrects translation errors to minimize the need for post-editing. We analyze linguistic features of machine translations to automatically detect translation errors. We focus on detection and correction of error types found to be most displeasing to potential readers of translated materials. We employ a language model (LM) as an information source for error detection. An LM predicts the probability of words within a sentence appearing in the given language given a contextual history. We observed that incorrectly translated words tend to have lower probabilities than correctly translated words suggesting this approach would be a useful metric for error detection. In addition to the word-based LM approach, we will also apply a similar LM approach that is based on word classes such as parts-of-speech. But since LMs gather word probability statistics from a finite set of training data they cannot reliably distinguish rare word sequences from truly erroneous ones. For this reason we plan to incorporate other sources of error information such as measuring discrepancies in word alignments between original and translated sentences.

Social identity theory posits that the closer one identifies with a referent group the more their behavior will conform to the perceived norms of that group. Previous research suggests that in-group identification is positively associated with one’s attitude towards acceptable alcohol use. Furthermore, research has indicated that the association between perceived drinking norms (an individual's perception of the drinking behaviors of others) and one’s own drinking behavior is strengthened by strong identification with a referent group. To further examine these relationships, the primary goal of the present study is to expand the understanding of how injunctive normative perceptions (what we believe others approve or disapprove of), attitudes, and identity relate to personal drinking behavior and negative consequences. A random sample of 1,002 of college students from a major Pacific Northwest University ages 18-30 participated in a one time only survey that assessed drinking and risky sexual behaviors. Analyses for the present study will be conducted using measures of daily drinking frequency, alcohol related negative consequences, injunctive norms, and in-group identification. It is hypothesized that injunctive norms will be positively associated with the amount of alcohol consumed and negative consequences experienced. It is further expected that this relationship will be mediated by attitudes, especially among those who strongly identify with the normative referent. Results will help to inform preventative intervention for high-risk drinking among college students.

Aqueous calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) play an important role in biologic processes and can trap atmospheric carbon dioxide through the formation of carbonate minerals. One source of aqueous calcium and magnesium is from silicate mineral dissolution. Silicate dissolution rates, controlled by both chemical and biologic factors, can influence the flux of Ca and Mg into aqueous systems. To better understand the influence of non-metabolic bacterial surface adsorption on silicate dissolution rates, we studied the effects of bacterial spore surfaces on forsterite (Mg2SiO4) dissolution rates. Experimental assays were composed of a known concentration of Bacillus subtilis spores and forsterite mineral powder in a weak electrolyte adjusted to pH 7.5. Control assays consisted of forsterite suspensions without bacterial spores. Each assay was sampled for 30 – 40 days and all samples were analyzed for calcium, magnesium, silica and dipicolinic acid, an organic acid released by spores. Experimental assays displayed higher concentrations of forsterite dissolution products over time relative to control data. This suggests that adsorption reactions between bacterial surfaces and aqueous silicate dissolution products may increase the rate of forsterite dissolution. This data provides us with quantitative constraints necessary for modeling the influence of bacterial surfaces on silicate dissolution rates.

There is high demand for clean, inexpensive, alternative fuel sources to supplement or replace fossil fuels.  The alga, Botryococcus braunii, is well-studied due to its high oil content (15-76%) and ability to store extracellular hydrocarbons which can be extracted and converted to a variety of fuels. Investigation of variable growing conditions for potential biodiesel sources can help researchers determine optimum conditions for maximizing hydrocarbon yields while lowering production costs.  Though oil from B. braunii is still too expensive to produce commercially, utilization of natural light outdoors can lower the overall cost of production. This work models the normal outdoor light levels found in the Pacific Northwest.  Growth rates of algae exposed to light intensities averaging 0.78 Klux for a daily cycle of 8 hours of light were compared with that of algae grown under standard conditions of 10 Klux for a daily cycle of 12 hours of light.  Studying these conditions allows for a more accurate estimate of the amount of supplemental light needed for optimal growth during the fall and winter for an outdoor photobioreactor.  This type of data is critical to evaluating the role algal-derived biodiesel might play in a suite of alternative energy sources for the Pacific Northwest.

The volume of glaciers and ice sheets controls global sea level and plays a major role in climate change. However, it is difficult to reconstruct the history of glaciers and ice sheets from their deposits because these deposits are commonly overrun and re-worked in each successive glaciation. An alternative approach is to measure cosmic-ray-produced nuclides, such as isotopes Beryllium-10, Aluminium-26, and Chlorine-36 (in order of decreasing half-life) in bedrock. These nuclide concentrations build-up due to cosmic ray exposure during interglacial periods when glaciers are at their smallest extent. The present day concentrations are the cumulative result of exposure during ice-free periods and radioactive decay during periods of ice cover. By working with nuclides of different half-lives, we can obtain information about the long-term glacial history. We are measuring these nuclides in samples from elevation transects on mountains beside Scott Glacier and Beardmore Glacier in Antarctica. Concentrations of all three increase with elevation. Summit samples have Be-10 and Al-26 concentrations close to saturation levels, but lower Cl-36 concentrations. This suggests that ice cover during glacial periods was thicker and more prolonged in the last 0.5 – 1 Myr than the 2-5 Myr average. In contrast, samples from the base of these mountains have lower and more uniform concentrations of the three nuclides, which is consistent with glacial erosion of the surfaces. Measuring depth profiles in the Beardmore Glacier samples will allow us to test this interpretation.

Our goal is to introduce a transgene into the plastid genome of maize instead of the nuclear genome because a plastid-localized transgene is not transfered via pollen. Plastid transformation will be performed using vectors based on plastid DNA (ptDNA) replication, terminal sequences, and and maintenance within plant tissues, work previously done in our lab. The first step is to extract ptDNA from maize seedlings. PCR is used with the ptDNA to get a product containing the plastid genome targeting left and right border sequences (LBS and RBS, respectively). To be more specific, the region amplified corresponds to nucleotides 128500 to 131000 of the maize plastid genome and designated 5'End2-to-3'End1. The second step is to insert 5'End2-to-3'End1 into the cloning plasmid pUC18, creating the plasmid, pZMCP101. It also must be mentioned that three other vectors will be tested, using slightly different LBS/RBS (3'End2-to-5'End1, 5'End2-to-5'End1, and 3'End2-to-3'End1). The next series of steps adds expression control regions and reporter genes between the LBS/RBS. We use the16s rRNA promoter and psbA 5'-and 3'-UTRs regions from maize ptDNA. For reporters the gfp gene, a visual marker, and pmi gene, metabolic selection, are used. PMI will be used because a plant without the pmi gene will not grow on mannose. So, after we combine gfp, pmi, and the control regions with pZMCP101, we now have pZMCP201-the final plasmid vector. Then we will shoot pZMCP201 into maize plastids using particle bombardment. We will use both the circular and linearized vectors and expect greater efficiency with the latter. We will be able to determine if the vector was incorporated into the chloroplast genome by visualization of GFP expression and growth of transgenic tissue on manose selection medium. 

Ulnar-Mammary Syndrome (UMS) is a congenital syndrome that is characterized by ulnar abnormalities and breast hypoplasia. The Bamshad Lab discovered that UMS is caused by mutations in the gene, TBX3. The goal of our project is to find novel TBX3 mutations that cause UMS, and expand the knowledge of how different mutations correlate to the severity of the disease. We collected DNA samples from three UMS families, and sequenced the exons of TBX3 via Sanger sequencing. Sequence analysis software allowed us to search the sequence for mutations and their locations within the gene. In the family K31928, previous screening showed that the proband and her sister, have a mutation called 1294_1301dup8. We screened the parents for mutations in TBX3, and we found that the father had the insertion mutation as well. The father’s clinical findings were very mild, but this screening confirmed that he passed the mutation causing UMS to his daughters. No mutations were found in members of the other two UMS families. The next step of this project is to investigate, in the families without TBX3 mutations, other candidate genes, as well as regulatory regions of TBX3, for mutations that could cause UMS.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) have been detected in many natural and engineered water systems, such as estuaries, surface waters, and drinking and waste water treatment plants. Although many ARB are likely to be inactivated during water treatment, their ARGs may survive treatment by means of protection with cell debris or adsorption on to particulate matter. This is a potential risk for human and animal health, as certain clinically-relevant bacterial populations can undergo horizontal gene transfer by means of natural transformation, which requires only intact, free DNA and a live recipient cell (no donor cell required). These risks can possibly be mitigated through optimization of disinfection processes. However, the current treatment processes focus on deactivating the viable microbes, not the ARGs. Our study focuses on the deactivation and degradation of ARGs in disinfection processes. Our data suggests that current CT (= oxidant concentration in mg/L * time of exposure in min) values for the use of free chlorine (10⁰ to 10¹) and ozone (10^-1 to 10⁰) in disinfection are sufficient to deactivate in vitro ARGs; however the CT values for chloramines (10² to 10³) are likely not able to deactivate the in vitro ARGs. In the case of in vivo ARGs, even higher CT values are likely to required, as cell debris can protect the genes. For example, our data show that a CT value of 90 mg/l*min of chlorine, which is a very high CT value, can deactivate all the cells, but has no effect on the genes inside.

Millions of people in developing countries die from infectious diseases (e.g. malaria and dengue), yet many of these deaths can be prevented if given the tools for accurate diagnosis. However, current diagnostic capabilities with the required clinical sensitivity, a measure of the number of people with the disease who are correctly diagnosed, are confined to laboratory settings due to cost, electrical, and personnel requirements. Thus there is a medical need for diagnostic tools with the required level of clinical sensitivity for use in low resource settings. The current standard test performed in low resource settings is a lateral flow test, like the common pregnancy test, which incorporates gold labeled molecules that allow for visual detection of antigen, e.g. disease specific protein, levels in a sample. In previous work, I helped design a prototype paper-based malarial diagnostic test that utilized a gold enhancement solution via a metal catalytic reaction to amplify the gold labeled molecules with a four-fold increase in sensitivity. The goal of my project is to increase sensitivity further by characterizing the effect of gold label particle size on the performance of gold and silver enhancement solutions. The gold label acts as the catalyst for the metal catalytic reactions. Smaller gold particles have the potential to bind at higher densities in the detection region, which could increase the catalytic surface area for the metal catalytic reaction and potentially lead to greater improvement in sensitivity. For my project I will redesign the current prototype malarial diagnostic test to incorporate the most promising signal amplification reagents, and the sensitivity of the device will be characterized.

Plants use hormone-signaling pathways to regulate growth and development. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are critical plant hormones that regulate growth such as the elongation of the embryonic stem. We study the specific mechanism of this process by testing the hormone-induced growth responses of both wild type and mutant Arabidopsis seedlings. We are testing whether growth repressor SPATULA is involved in BR growth response. We hypothesized that the growth repressor SPATULA is downstream of the BR pathway. To test this hypothesis, we acquired mutants that lack SPATULA function. After confirming the genotype of the mutants by PCR, we used a high-resolution camera to observe growth throughout early development in response to hormone treatments. Data is recorded by the camera over the course of 132 hours. The images are then analyzed and growth rates are calculated. Using these data, we determined if SPATULA is involved in the BR growth response.

Membranes are used frequently in water filtration to remove bacteria and contaminants from fresh water. Natural organic matter (NOM) collects inside the permeable membrane, and causes resistance against the water flow. As NOM collects, more force is required to move water through the membrane, and the energy required to continue the process increases. When the pressure required to move water through the membrane has increased, the membrane has fouled. This project examines the filtration and adsorption of NOM in fresh water obtained from Lake Washington. Heated aluminum oxide particles (HAOPs) act as an adsorbent layer, trapping NOM and protecting the membrane from fouling. The HAOPs protect the membrane by collecting and removing NOM through deposition and backwash cycles. During deposition, twenty grams per meters squared (g/m²) of HAOPs are pumped inside a plastic, tubular membrane with a pore size of 2-3 microns. Lake water is then pumped through the membrane at a flux rate of 200 liters per meters squared per hour (lmh), and trans-membrane pressures are measured within the system. Trans-membrane pressure is measured to calculate the amount of pressure necessary to move water through the membrane. Samples are collected periodically throughout a 20 hour run time and analyzed for UV absorbance. UV absorbance measures the amount of light able to transmit through a sample of lake water; the amount of light that travels through the water correlates with the amount of contaminants or NOM that remain in the water. HAOPs successfully remove NOM molecules and protect the membrane, preventing it from fouling quickly. 

The study of chronological and replicative aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has provided both post-mitotic and mitotic aging models in this single-celled organism. In chronological aging, lifespan is determined by the length of time a yeast cell can survive in a non-dividing state, whereas in replicative aging, the lifespan is determined by the number of daughter cells produced by a mother cell prior to irreversible cell cycle arrest. The primary goals of this study were to observe how the chronological aging of yeast cells influences replicative lifespan (RLS) and to determine whether changes in the extracellular environment that influence chronological lifespan (CLS) would also influence subsequent RLS. By buffering the pH of the medium to 6.0 or reducing the concentration of available glucose (dietary restriction), we show that these manipulations were able to suppress the reduction in RLS associated with chronological aging, when compared with cells aged in synthetic complete medium with 2% glucose. The production of ethanol and acetic acid due to yeast fermentation may be responsible for cellular damage leading to reduced RLS, and it can be inferred that by buffering the pH to 6.0 or dietary restricting the cells, this damage is attenuated and replicative capacity is increased following chronological aging.

 Postcards, as the modern Western world knows them, function as tools for communication, providing evidence of a supposedly successful touristic experience. Acting as an essentialized idea of a location, postcards are bought as an artifact by tourists to qualify their experience yet are inherently misleading in not only their apparent sense of direct contact with the peoples of a different location but with their supposed depiction of photographic reality.By extensively analyzing modern literature regarding postcards, anthropological literature on tourist motivations,and hundreds of individual postcards, this research examines how the work of 20th century British photographer John Hinde depicts Ireland as a fantasy, thereby transcending the nature of the already illusory postcard to altogether loftier heights of deception. By making deliberate, significant enhancements and manipulations in composition, color, and subject, Hinde created postcards of an idyllic Ireland that amplified the unreal in the name of both economy and pleasure. Hinde’s postcards were especially problematic because of the ultimate illusion they constructed. This imagined fantasy as constructed by Hinde further disconnects the tourist from the reality of the place they are visiting, allowing their use of the false images as evidence, ultimately reflecting the inevitable failure of the tourist: to really understand the place they are visiting. The significance of this research lies in examining the futility of being a tourist and how visual representation can further complicate cross-cultural experiences. It is important for all people, tourists in particular, to question and become aware of how images can influence their perceptions and motivations.

We consider a mathematical optimization problem that can be used to describe various physical situations that arise in physics and EE applications. In its general form, we study the following physical setting: There is some substance emanating from a source, which propagates through an inhomogeneous medium and reaches a drain. As a motivating application, we imagine a spark of fire igniting and spreading through a forest landscape. Alternately, light may be emitted from a point source and travel in a space with lenses of varying indices of refraction. In each case, we would like to influence the substance’s movement by optimally altering the medium in which it propagates. In the case of a forest fire, this corresponds to locating optimal places on the forest landscape to place water, in order to minimize the first arrival time of the fire at a specific location. To solve this convex optimization problem, we perform two tasks. In its general form, our first task relates to finding the shortest distance between a pair of points on a curved space, which is the solution to the Eikonal partial differential equation. Secondly, we take the derivative of the Eikonal solution with respect to a medium parameter. Due to the nature of our problem, these operations cannot be performed analytically. The results are approximated with the Subgradient Marching Algorithm. The unique element of this project has to do with the way we preform the algorithm. Once the shortest-path-length solution and its subgradient are known, we recognize a strategic location on the forest landscape to place a fire deterrent. In this work, we study and implement the overall optimization algorithm, and demonstrate an application to the forest fire problem.

As carriers of globally prevalent diseases such as Malaria and Dengue Fever, mosquitoes are an important model for research in vector biology. Previous studies have shown that many mosquito species are capable of changing their host-seeking behavior to match environmental shifts in host availability. However, the sensory mechanisms that mediate the shifts in hosts remain unknown. Because many other insect species are capable of learning novel associations throughout their lives, we hypothesized that this behavioral shift in mosquitoes was an indication of a similar capacity for learning. This study examines the degree, speed, and accuracy with which female Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes respond to Pavlovian conditioning. We paired seven different odors with a blood reward to gauge the change in the insects’ reactions to these scents over time. We found that mosquitoes were capable of Pavlovian learning, but not when stimulated with odors known to be naturally repellent to mosquitoes. Moreover, compared to other insects, mosquitoes quickly learned the association between the reward and the novel odor. They also demonstrated selectivity towards the odors they were trained on, and showed little response to odors that were similar to the trained odor, suggesting that their learning process is highly odor-specific. These findings suggest that learning behaviors may be an important factor to mosquito survival in natural conditions. Pavlovian learning in mosquitoes has never before been shown, and further research into the neural mechanisms mediating the shift in host preferences could very well lead to advancements in the prevention of mosquito-borne pathogenic infections.

Conventional belief has held that the icy regions of our solar system and planet are too cold to support life. However, new research has suggested that below the surface of some moons, like Saturn's Enceladus, lay pockets or oceans of liquid water. In addition, lakes, rivers, and whole ecosystems have been discovered beneath glaciers, areas previously thought devoid of such features. Unfortunately, accessibility remains a primary challenge to further study of these areas. One Applied Physics Laboratory experiment aims to provide a simple and practical alternative to current ice bore-hole technology by developing a heated probe that simply melts through the ice collecting data as it descends. As part of this project, I designed and developed a thermal temperature string, to be deployed behind the probe as it descends, to monitor the conditions of the glacier at depth. The result is a sensor array capable of providing data on the internal glacial temperature for prolonged periods of time. The thermal string consists of a number of sensors evenly spaced along a 100-meter bus wire and controlled by a microcontroller. This microcontroller samples the temperature of the ice at each sensor and stores the resulting data in onboard memory. Currently, the prototype setup transmits the data to a computer, which employs software I have written to interpret this data and display the sensor temperatures. In the future, the software will apply a quadratic calibration correction to achieve expected accuracies of ±0.05°C or better, compared to ±0.5°C without it. We plan to use this sensor array as part of the available instrumentation onboard the probe in places like the Greenland ice sheet or Antarctica. The design can also be modified for other types of sensors or experiments.

Reactive halogen species (RHS, e.g., X·, X2·- and HOX), which can be generated during solar irradiation of sea water, can abiotically produce organohalogen compounds by reacting directly with natural organic matter (NOM). In order to obtain a better understanding of the mechanism involved in these systems, a novel technique that allows monitoring RHS production in sea water is required. For this purpose, I have performed a variety of tests to aid in the development of a highly-sensitive method for measuring RHS yields using the probe compound 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (DMPZ), which can rapidly and selectively form monohalogenated products by interacting with certain RHS. In this work, samples of artificial sea water containing DMPZ were irradiated in a 1700-W Xe arc lamp solar simulator for 48 hours. The concentrations of the main photochemical reaction byproducts (4-bromo-3,5-dimethylpyrazole and 4-iodo-3,5-dimethylpyrazole), which are formed in proportion to the concentration of RHS generated during irradiation, were determined by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). From this work, we have demonstrated that DMPZ is suitable for use as a probe of RHS. In addition, we have used this method to study the influence different chemical species (NO2-, NO3- , Fe3+, I- and natural organic matter) present in the water matrix on yields of halogenated DMPZ. Results of these experiments will be presented, and discussed with respect to likely relevance for natural environmental systems.

The selective activation and functionalization of the C-H bonds of arenes and alkanes would directly yield products that are of importance to industry. Late transition metal complexes have shown great promise in the selective activation of C-H bonds. Coordinated acetate has also been shown to facilitate thermolytic C-H activation by electrophilic metal centers. The results of our studies concerning the reactivity of high valent tridentate rhodium and iridium bis-acetate complexes with unactivated arenes and alkanes will be presented. Specifically, the reactions of the complexes (NCN)Ir(OAc)₂(H₂O) (1) and (NOCON)M(OAc)₂(H₂O) (2; M= Rh, Ir) under a variety of conditions will be discussed. Novel complex 2 was synthesized in 65% yield and characterized using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.

Autosomal DNA, the non-recombining Y chromosome (NRY), and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are all efficient means of predicting an individual's genetic ancestry. Commercially available autosomal DNA ancestry estimates are obtained using loci that show large frequency differences between continental groups known as ancestry informative markers (AIMs), and NRY and mtDNA ancestry estimates rely on haplogroup information to trace an individual's genetic lineage. Since autosomal DNA is bi-parentally inherited and the NRY and mtDNA are uni-parentally inherited, autosomal DNA potentially contains more information regarding an individual's genetic heritage than the NRY or mtDNA. Our goal is to determine the accuracy of NRY and mtDNA ancestry estimates for predicting autosomal DNA ancestry. Ancestry estimates have been obtained for 965 individuals from a global panel of human populatins from the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP-CEPH). Ancestry estimates were compared based on one's biogeographical ancestry or the geographic location of one's ancestors. Autosomal DNA ancestry was determined by the greatest proportion of ancestry based on seven biogeographic groups: African, European, Middle Eastern, Central/South Asian, East Asian, Oceanian, and American. Since each haplogroup is associated with a biogeographic group, the accuracy of NRY and mtDNA haplogroups in predicting autosomal DNA ancestry was determined based on a statistically signifcant number of individuals classified with their correct autosomally determined biogeographical ancestry. This information is useful to assess the quality of different ancestry estimations for use in population-based studies and direct-to-consumer ancestry tests. 

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has claimed more than 25 million lives worldwide, and a further 33.2 million are currently living with the disease. Current treatment for HIV involves highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which commonly involves the oral administration of a combination of small-molecule drugs that target HIV at different stages in the viral replication cycle. Oral administration requires larger doses of drug due to loss during metabolism, which can lead to greater costs and increased toxicity for patients. To avoid these issues, a lipid-encapsulated hydrogel nanoparticle was synthesized as a mucosal drug delivery vehicle for small-molecule antiretroviral drugs. The nanoparticles, comprising a crosslinked polyacrylamide core surrounded by a phosphatidylcholine bilayer, were synthesized via photopolymerization and characterized using dynamic light scattering for size, zeta potential, and morphology. They were then synthesized encapsulating zidovudine or tenofovir, which are reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or maraviroc, an entry inhibitor, and the encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release kinetics were measured using high-pressure liquid chromatography. In vitro cellular uptake of the nanoparticles was measured using bone marrow dendritic cells (BMDCs). The nanoparticles showed a tenfold increase in the encapsulation efficiency of all three drugs and a slower release profile as compared to liposomes encapsulating the same drugs, indicating that this system allows for HAART dose reduction. The nanoparticles were also taken up preferentially by BMDCs as compared to drug-loaded liposomes and soluble drug, further indicating greater targeted delivery of drugs to infected cells and suggesting a future use for the delivery vehicle as an HIV vaccine.

Zebrafish have a defined striped pattern that results from pigment cell differentiation and migration during development, and this developmental process provides a good model for studying the process of boundary formation. Elucidating the mechanisms by which boundaries are formed is critical for understanding vertebrate development, and will give insight into what might cause them to malfunction during metastasis where cancer cells invade other tissue types, thus breaking the boundaries that have formed. While zebrafish have these defined patterns, a closely related species, the pearl danio, lacks stripes and instead has different pigment cell types intermingled. We hypothesize that the pearl danios have lost the mechanism for pigment cell boundary formation found in zebrafish and my goal is to identify genetic differences between the two species that could have caused this change pattern development. Preliminary RNA sequencing has identified candidate genes that appear to be differentially expressed. I am using in situ hybridization to compare the expression patterns of candidate genes between the two species. This is a technique where whole larval fish are incubated with RNA probes which are complimentary to the mRNAs of the genes I am screening for. Wherever the candidate genes are transcribed into mRNA, and thus expressed, the probe will hybridize. I am able to visualize this through labeling of the probe and staining with antibodies. I expect to find that some of the candidate genes will have different patterns of expression between the two species. This result will indicate that these genes are involved in the pigment pattern formation process, although it will not explain their specific function. However, once I know which genes are involved I will be able to manipulate their expression through knockdown or over-expression, which will provide further insight on the mechanisms of boundary formation in pigment patterns.

Photolysis of chlorine under sunlight results in generation of hydroxyl radical. Hydroxyl radical can in turn sensitize chlorine-resistant forms microorganisms such as Bacillus subtilis spores or Cryptospordium spp. occysts, and can make those microorganisms more vulnerable to chlorine. If the photolysis rate of chlorine and quantum yield of hydroxyl radical are known, microorganisms’ exposure to hydroxyl radical and free chlorine during a photochemically-enhanced chlorination process can in turn be derived. It is known that the decay of chlorine follows a first-order decomposition reaction under sunlight. Therefore, the reaction constant and half-life of chlorine can be computed according to first-order reaction equations. Understanding how pH and temperature affect half-life of chlorine can improve accuracy of prediction on required chlorine dosage in order to achieve a certain extent of disinfection in this photochemically enhanced chlorination process. The photolysis rate of chlorine under sunlight was investigated by determining chlorine’s half-life under various temperature and pH. Reaction solutions were irradiated by a Newport-Oriel solar simulator. Chlorine samples were taken at different time points and residual chlorine concentration was measured by DPD method. The results to be reported here showed that at the same temperature, the decay of chlorine was slower in a more acidic solution, which was due to the increasing ratio of [HOCl]/[OCl-]. Temperature also influenced chlorine’s photolysis rate: chlorine decayed more slowly in 5 °C than it did in 25°C. These findings will help to optimize the application of this disinfection process for inactivation of chlorine-resistant microorganisms.

While research has focused on the presence of child disengagement during caregiver-child interaction, there is a gap in the literature analyzing the duration of time that a child is disengaged from an interaction and what implications this may have on the caregiver-child relationship. In addition, there is a gap in the literature that has examined the relationship between the duration of child disengagement and parenting behavior. One such behavior that has proven to be influential on a child’s developmental outcomes is caregiver sensitivity. A sensitive caregiver recognizes and responds appropriately to a child’s cues as well as provides a safe and stimulating environment in which the child can learn. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between caregiver sensitivity and the duration of time that a child exhibits potent disengagement cues during a caregiver-child interaction. Recorded caregiver-child interactions from a previous study were coded for the duration of time during the episode that the child displayed a potent disengagement cue. The definitions of the potent disengagement cues were taken from the NCAST Programs Caregiver/Parent-Child Interaction Teaching Manual. Caregivers’ sensitivity was assessed and scored using the NCAST Teaching Scales. Results demonstrated that as caregiver sensitivity increased, length of child disengagement decreased. The discovery of this relationship between caregiver sensitivity and duration of child disengagement serves as a gateway to new areas of research that could promote the quality of caregiver-child interactions and therefore have positive effects on the child’s developmental outcomes.

Engineered vehicles capable of matching the performance of natural systems in collision avoidance have not yet been developed. The purpose of our research is to translate the collision avoidance capability of schooling fish to an algorithm that could be applied to engineered vehicles. We want to determine if collision avoidance in schooling fish is related to an engineering method of collision avoidance termed collision cones. The collision cone is a set of velocities for one fish (or agent) that indicates it will collide with another fish (or agent). In order to avoid collision, the fish’s velocity vector must lie outside all collision cones. Constraints with this method are that it only works under certain conditions: each vehicle has constant velocities, uniform and full view sensing, noiseless measurements, and planar motion. This method already works well for engineered systems under these conditions. Our research is exploring how to alter the conditions to encompass the biological characteristics of the fish. As of now, the data that has been collected has revealed promising results. If further research reveals that collision cones do not match schooling fish’s collision avoidance capability, other algorithms will be explored. This research is significant in that it will impact the development of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and other autonomous technology.

Vervet (Chloebus pygerythms) and Sykes (Cercopithecus albogulans) monkeys are both primarily arboreal monkeys living in overlapping habitats in Eastern Africa and exhibiting different patterns of social organization.  Vervet troops are comprised of multiple males and multiple females, while sykes troops have strictly one male amongst multiple females.  Species, such as sykes, which show no male cooperation and are in competition with surrounding troops benefit from having close members. Affiliative behavior increases cooperation and binds individuals to the group.  This more cohesive unit serves as a barrier against opposing troops. Monkey species, such as vervets, that have some degree of male cooperation and are less threatened by surrounding troops are able to separate in the warm climate.  We hypothesize that higher rates of affiliative behavior will be exhibited in Sykes, who show no male-male cooperation, than in vervets. While studying abroad in Kenya, we compared the affiliative behavior of Sykes and vervet females by conducting longitudinal focal animal sampling.  Females were studied because males have different roles in each species and the sex of juveniles was difficult to identify. Affiliative behavior was defined as instances of contact, embrace, groom, hold, huddle, muzzle or touch and the number of instances per hour per female was recorded.  Preliminary data indicates Sykes females display significantly higher rates of affiliative behavior per hour than vervets (two-tailed, unpaired t-test, p=.0034).  Our results support the hypothesis that affiliative behavior is more frequent in uni-male Sykes troops than multi-male vervets.  We suggest that social organization lies at the root of these behavioral differences, but more research is needed to verify these findings.

This project researches the garbage collection in the city of Tacoma. By looking at current routes, then determining the most efficient routes using GIS for collection in order to eliminate backtracking as much as possible. Is there a better system of routes than those that are currently being used by the city of Tacoma? What is the carbon footprint of the Municipal Solid Waste in Tacoma before and after the new routes? We have determined how many individual routes will be needed in order to service all the customers in the service area based on best routes, time needed to drive, and average number of customers per load. This information was used to determine a network of routes for each day of the week in order to determine how many routes were needed per day to evenly distribute the weekly pick-ups. The new routes were calculated using information and number of trucks the city plans on using. The network for the project was setup with parameters such as street pick-up only, where possible, road layers that connect, and starting and ending points. This is important because new tools such as GIS allow for a more sustainable system which will reduce the carbon footprint of not only Tacoma but many more municipalities and private companies.

Over the past few decades the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has emerged as a prominent model for aging research. One method for measuring aging in yeast is to determine the replicative life span (RLS) of mother cells, defined as the number of daughter cells produced prior to irreversible cell cycle arrest. The Kaeberlein Lab Dissection Team has measured RLS for hundreds of thousands of yeast mother cells over the past few years. In addition to RLS, we have also recently began recording the budding pattern at end of life as an additional phenotype of interest since these mutations have been known to lead to irregular cell cycle regulation. 4 different categories are used to define the terminal morphology of yeast cells: unbudded (U), small bud (S), long bud (L), and clumped (C). From the data gathered thus far, a positive correlation has been made between the terminal budding pattern of cells with reduced RLS compared to their unbudded counterparts. Meaning contructs that stop replicating mid cell cycle (S, L, or C) live shorter lives. We speculate that genomic instability contributes to terminal arrest in the budded state, but further research needs to be conducted to confirm this theory. It will also be of interest to determine how specific genetic defects lead to altered frequencies of the 4 different terminal morphologies and their relationship to replicative life span.

Genetic conflicts arise between two genetic elements that compete to promote their own evolutionary success. Transposons and host defense factors are a classic example. Transposons are selfish, mobile DNA elements that threaten to disrupt other genomic sequences when active. Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins, previously thought of exclusively as developmental regulators, can also function as transposon-silencers. Several PcG proteins are rapidly evolving under positive selection in Drosophila, suggesting they might be engaged in genetic conflict with transposons. My research project seeks to determine whether transposons are the biological force driving the signature of selection observed with certain PcG proteins. In order to test this, I am in the process of creating transgenic Drosophila melanogaster flies that are homozygous mutants for a given PcG gene and harbor a diverged, transgenically introduced allele of the PcG gene instead. I created the diverged PcG constructs using stitch PCR, cloning and sequencing. I plan to measure the transposon activity levels of these transgenic flies. Elevated transposon expression in flies that harbor a diverged PcG gene would suggest that transposons are responsible for the signature of selection observed at several PcG proteins.

Clean water reserves have become difficult to obtain for much of the world’s population, due to drought as well as heavy use by certain industries in some regions. There are multiple solutions to this issue but they all require high costs that are only affordable to large corporate institutions. Therefore this project proposes a solution that attempts to be financially accessible and environmentally conscientious utilizing the analysis and critique of previous work. Building on the previous work my research suggest that the sun and seawater can work together to produce a purified form of water by using a magnifying glass to evaporate seawater and condense it into a container. I think that the availability and simplicity of this device would make it financially accessible and environmentally conscientious.

This study will analyze whether body composition norms within the sport of running are reproducing unhealthy eating habits that may lead to eating disorders, specifically among females. Current research shows that being skinnier does not directly correlate with running faster. It is common for female runners to reduce food intake to unhealthily low levels in an attempt to adhere to female perceptions of thinness. The method of photovoice will be used to display images of obsessive thinness within the sport. Negative norms are reproduced repetitively in running-related media without any significant opposition, the most common dealing with obsessive thinness and compulsive eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia. Analysis of the Nike Cross Nationals videogame, social media such as Twitter, and advertising within the sport of track and field will be used to determine why these norms are reproduced when it is detrimental to the current and future health of the athletes. In addition, I will draw on my positionality as a female collegiate runner to develop a greater understanding of the social pressure related to body weight. Research will analyze how advancements in technology and social media exacerbate the prevalence of unhealthy body weights in the sport of running. Contribution to this area of research is vital because it has the power to reach a community lost in the obsession of thinness and reestablish norms for healthier lifestyles among runners, both competitive and recreational.

Estimation of the firing range is often critical for reconstructing gunshot fatalities, where the main measurable evidence is the gunshot residue aslo known as stippling and soot, which will be used throughout the study. In the present study, a diverse range of gunshot wounds with four different guns with their appropriate ammunition have been used to gain knowledge about the image and patterns of gunshot wounds depending on the weapon and the firing distance. There were a total of 21 target shootings, there are about 6 targets per weapon used each with varying tested distances (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 in.). By increasing the firing distance away from targets, targets demonstrated a clear decrease of soot pattern (the black powder left by the firing)  and increase of stippling (gunshot residue- burnt gunpowder) diameter. Further analysis showed a linear relationship between the diameter of stippling and the firing range. The amount of soot and stippling was highly dependent upon the gun and ammunition used. The results allowed a basis for estimating the firing range in diverse gunshot wounds, helping to determine the manner of death between suicide or homicide. The reason that the research has to be re-done various times, due to law and individual cases, but the research sets a starting point to where the detectives can initiate study.

Ultra-high vacuum (UHV) techniques make it possible to observe interactions on clean, ordered surfaces without the complexity of realistic systems.  Final construction and testing of an improved UHV adsorption microcalorimeter capable of measuring the heat of adsorption of metals on single crystalline surfaces have recently been completed.  This calorimeter is the first of its kind to employ an electron beam evaporator to create a high, stable flux of metal atoms with low source radiation, which is then pulsed onto the thin single crystalline sample. Due to the properties of the electron beam evaporator, metals with high heats of sublimation such as Pd, Pt, and Au can be evaporated while maintaining the base pressures necessary for maintaining ideal surface conditions.  The new chamber is also equipped with a sample preparation chamber in which metal oxide surfaces can be grown on single crystalline samples.  Absolute calibration of the microcalorimeter was achieved by measuring the heat of formation of Cu multilayers on a Pt(111) surface, indicating that the theory behind our electron beam evaporator is correct, and will allow for the first direct measurements of the heats of adsorption of catalytically important metals such as Pt, Pd, and Au on any surface.

Hyperlipidema is associated with the formation of vascular plaque and development of atherosclerosis. Recently, hyperlipidemia was implicated in macrovasculature dysfunction including decreased nitric oxide production, angiogenesis, and pericyte density. Consequently, macrovascular dysfunction has been implicated in compounding the hemodynamics of atherosclerosis. However, the effects of hyperlipidemia on the microvasculature, an important component of vascular tone, has not been carefully examined. Apolipoprotein-E (ApoE) is a class of apolipoprotein found in chylomicrons and lipoproteins, which bind to specific receptors in both liver and peripheral cells. Previous literature has implicated the absence of ApoE in hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. Due to ApoE’s known effect on blood cholesterol levels, and the genetic homology of the ApoE locus between mammals, ApoE knock out (ApoE KO) mice are often utilized as a model organism for hyperlipidemia. My previous work with The Reyes Lab has demonstrated, through histological quantification, that the number of capillaries in the hearts of ApoE null mice are significantly reduced compared to wild type mice. In contrast to a decline in capillaries, the number of venuoles and coronary arteries, identified by the presence of a smooth muscle layer, remained unchanged between the two groups. In turn, our findings indicate that the decline of cardiac vasculature in ApoE animals occurs within the microvasculature. Herein I present our experiment aimed towards elucidating the mechanism of microvascular decline in ApoE animals. Specifically, I tested the hypothesis that microvascular decline is a result of endothelial cell dysfunction, attributed to elevated concentration of lipids and cholesterol in the circulation. In order to test this, wild type microvasuclar heart endothelial cells were exposed to hyperlipidemic serum and their response analyzed for nitric oxide synthase activity and the presence of reactive oxygen species. These studies will shed light into possible mechanisms of hyperlipidemia induced microvascular dysfunction.

Hydrogel tissue scaffolds have emerged as a useful tool for extensively mimicking and reproducing the cues of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of native cell environments. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a synthetic compound that is often used as a hydrogel as it is nontoxic and exhibits strong mechanical properties. PEG, however, does not allow cell adhesion and cannot be degraded by cells. To resolve this issue, the incorporation of denatured collagen, or gelatin, was used. This process was completed via addition of methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) to photocrosslinkable PEG hydrogels. The addition of the polysaccharide hyaluronic acid (HA), which is an integral part of the ECM, is in part a novel approach to further provide chemical cues to activate specific receptors (i.e. CD44) within cells. Moreover, cells have also been known to respond to physical stimuli such as changes in the topographical environment. We have developed a technique to produce a nanotopographic pattern on hydrogel scaffolds via the use of a nanopattern mold. Here, we propose the novel integration of the chemical signals produced from the hydrogel in conjunction with a nanopattern for directing cell migration and proliferation in vitro. In this experiment, Wnt1-Cre derived dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) were cultured on these scaffolds. Cellular regulation was reflected in changes in morphology and migration due to exposure to the combined chemical and physical signals of the tissue construct. Cells cultivated on patterned scaffolds showed significant alignment along the pattern compared to flat controls. In addition, cells on HA-PEG-GelMA hydrogels exhibited aggregation over time to form spheroids that persisted for the duration of the experiment. These findings suggest that the microenvironment of HA-PEG-GelMA hydrogels plays a significant role in regulation of the spatial arrangement of cells.

Obesity and atherosclerosis (AS) are major contributors to poor health in the developing world. Hepatic lipase (HL), an enzyme produced in the liver that plays a central role in plasma lipid metabolism, may affect both obesity and AS. HL converts large, cholesterol rich high density lipoproteins (HDL) into cholesterol poor HDL that will circulate through the body and collect cholesterol, possibly reducing AS development. However, HL also converts intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) into low density lipoproteins (LDL), which is a major risk for AS development. We hypothesized that lipoprotein hydrolysis by HL releases free fatty acids that may modulate satiety and therefore play a role in obesity. It was recently discovered that HL promotes weight gain and food consumption (in mice with HL) whereas the absence of HL protected against weight gain (in mice without HL), supporting our hypothesis. To apply this discovery to human disease, we created a transgenic mouse model expressing human HL. We created a catalytically inactive HL (ciHL) mouse model to study the contribution of non-hydrolytic properties of HL to obesity. Our current study utilizes these mouse models to assess the role of catalytic and non-catalytic effects of HL in promoting weight gain by assessing daily food intake and weight gain and by determining energy expenditure using indirect calorimetry. Because HL lipoprotein hydrolysis might have both pro-and anti- atherogenic effects, we are also examining the contribution of active and catalytically inactive HL to AS in mouse models that have been crossed with LDL receptor-deficient mice, a validated atherosclerosis model with high plasma cholesterol. In this model we will test the hypothesis that catalytically active HL promotes atherosclerosis. If our hypotheses that HL contributes to obesity and atherosclerosis are supported in the humanized mouse models,  a pharmaceutical agent could be developed to inhibit HL in humans.

Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) is a gamma2-herpesvirus that infects humans and can cause tumors in immunosuppressed individuals. Rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) is a related herpesvirus of macaques that is similar to KSHV, but has significant differences as well. While KSHV infections are predominantly latent with only low levels of spontaneous replication, RRV replicates much more readily. For this reason, RRV is a useful tool in studying the mechanisms of reactivation and replication of rhadinoviruses. We sought to identify the regulatory promoter elements of the replication and transactivator (Rta) gene, which induces the lytic stage of the virus. To find this, we transfected cells with different length clones of the Rta promoter region and tested the activity using luciferase assays. We identified a potential binding site of the transcription factor Sp1 and tested its function through mutagenesis. Our results indicate that the Sp1 binding site is required for high level promoter activity suggesting that this is an important regulatory element within the promoter sequence. We also tested the activity of the RRV Rta promoter in the presence of the RRV latency associated nuclear antigen (LANA), a gene known to inhibit replication through suppression of Rta expression in KSHV. We found that with LANA present, the activity of the Rta promoter decreases significantly. Because Rta has a critical role in viral replication, the regulation of the Rta promoter by the cellular factor Sp1 and the viral gene LANA may have important implication on the RRV life cycle.

A proto-planetary disk is a disk of gas and dust that surrounds a star that is still in the early stages of evolution. This disk contains the gas that accretes onto the proto-star and also contains the dust and gas from which planets form. Unfortunately the star is a much brighter than the disk and so direct imaging of the disk is difficult and time consuming, but can be accomplished using a coronagraph. To help interpret coronagraphic imagery of the protoplanetary disk system AB Aur, we created 3D models of the system using the Monte Carlo code of Whitney et al. 2002. We compared the observed the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the system, compiled from observed data reported by Robitaille et al. 2006, with predictions from our Monte Carlo model. An SED is a plot of the brightness versus wavelength of a star. We tested other variables like the composition of the disk, and the percentage of the disk that is composed of small grains and large grains, etc. We discuss how changing each of these variables influenced the resultant SED and model image of the AB Aur system; and hence influences our ability to study the process of planet formation around young stars.

In order to assess protective behavioral strategies (PBS) employed while drinking and their relationship to drinking behavior, Martens et al. (2005) developed a PBS survey. Findings indicated that PBS were associated with lower alcohol consumption and fewer alcohol-related problems. Furthermore, Wechsler et al. (2007) found that both frequent and occasional heavy-episodic drinkers were more likely to engage in alcohol-related consequences compared to lighter drinkers. Thus, due to the fact that heavy drinkers are at a higher risk for alcohol-related consequences, it is fitting to investigate whether heavier drinkers benefit more from PBS compared to lighter drinkers. It is hypothesized that among college age drinkers, the negative relationship between PBS and negative consequences will be moderated by alcohol consumption, such that this relationship will be stronger for heavier drinkers. Undergraduate students (N = 1,002; 56.9% female) participated in a web-based survey and received $20 for survey completion. The mean age of the sample was 20.61 (SD = 2.07). Participants (n = 666) in the final analysis will include those students who reported consuming at least one drink per typical week in the past three months. Measures to be included in the data analysis are the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (Collins & Marlatt, 1985), the Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey (Martens et al., 2005), and the Young Adult Alcohol Problems Screening Test (Hurlbut & Sher, 1992). Results from the study will help researchers further understand the effectiveness of protective behavioral strategies when taking into account different levels of college drinking.

Why do smokers with epilepsy suffer from cooking and not cigatte-induced burns? 21% of our patients smoke, yet cigarette-induced burns are uncommon. We studied whether nicotine might change seizure thresholds in patients undergoing video EEG telemetry (VEEG). We tested NP effects on duration of stay, rate of seizure aquisition and number of seizures collected in patients undergoing VEEG. 762 consecutive patients charts were screened for proven epilepsy (EPI) and NP use during their VEEG hospitalization (n=33). Randomized controls, EPI patients without NP (n=33), were also selected. Outcome variables included duration of stay number of seizures collected on day 2, and total number of seizures. T-test comparisons were done. Patients with psychogenic non-epileptic events (PNES) with NP (n=52) were compared to a randomized NP-free PNES group (n=52). The duration of VEEG in EPI patients with NP was 5.42 days (s.d=1.66) vs. 4.33 (s.d=1.74) days in patients without NP (p= 0.01). EPI patients with NP had a total of 3.88 (s.d.=8.82) seizures, while those without had 7.58 (s.d.=1.44, p=0.21). On day 2, 0.94 (s.d.=1.44) events were captured in patients with NP, and 2.18 (s.d.=5.38) events in patients without (p=0.21). PNES patients with NP spent 3.73 days for VEEG, those without 3.98 (p=0.46). No relationships were seen in PNES patients for day 2 or for total events captured. No differences in provider-specific stay durations were seen. In epilepsy subgroups, partial-onset EPI patients without NP stayed 4.41 days, those with NP 5.56 days (p < 0.05). Generalized EPI patients showed no differences. In conclusion, NP use during VEEG may prolong length of hospital stay in EPI patients, but not for those with PNES, this effect may be more notable in patients with partial onset epilepsy.

This research examines the way Indigenous cultures and identities are represented at Tillicum Village, a Seattle-area tourist attraction. Recent changes in ownership and management at the site have proved controversial among the Indigenous populations represented, who perceive the focus as shifting away from cultural authenticity and toward economic profit. This project explores the issues of a corporation's responsibility in accurately and fairly representing the cultures it profits from. The concepts of staged authenticity and heterotopia are essential to the theoretical framework of this issue, as is placing Tillicum Village in the context of colonial tourism. Data are being collected using traditional ethnographic methods and historical research, and analyzed through critical theory. This research ultimately hopes to illuminate way in which Tillicum Village can better address the grievances of, and collaborate with, the Indigenous communities it portrays.

In recent years, electronic sensors, database technologies, and digital devices have been successful in improving the automated collection of personal activity data in a pervasive manner. Through these developments and advancements in mobile computing, the ability to accurately record and maintain complex health records has been realized. Yet, although an instrumental tool in preventative medicine, dietary assessment still lacks automated and objective means of data collection and analysis. Current methods of clinical dietary assessment are paper-based, burdensome, costly, and subject to bias, especially in terms of the estimation of food volume intake. To improve upon these deficiencies, we have developed the Dietary Data Recording System (DDRS). The DDRS incorporates a client-server architecture to efficiently collect, process, and store dietary data. The client is a mobile sensor package that is used for data collection, and the server runs image processing algorithms and maintains a database where organized and processed intake information can be accessed by clinicians through a specialized interface. The foundation of the sensor package is a Mobile Structured Light System (MSLS), which uses a laser to project patterns on viewed food and a mobile phone camera to capture video. The distinctive feature of the DDRS is the use of the MSLS and image processing techniques to determine the volume of food from recorded video without the aid of scale-identifying fiducial markers. Preliminary results prove the feasibility of this approach for assessing dietary intake with the DDRS, and future work will focus on automating and integrating the entire processing pipeline. The automated diet intake tracking resulting from this future development could provide clinicians with an invaluable tool in definitively correlating the long term intake of certain foods to cancer, heart-disease, diabetes, and various health disorders.

The syntax of common practice tonality creates the potential for expansive musical works, with almost guaranteed gratification for the listener through a harmonic interplay between tension and resolution. The evolution of common practice tonality from the older system of modes spans the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With a focus on the seventeenth century, this study endeavors to clarify how, when, and, to some extent, why the monumental shift between modality and tonality occurred. A discussion of crucial differences between the two systems of musical organization—mainly the melodic basis of the modes versus the harmonic basis of the tonal major and minor scales—serves as the starting point for analysis. Following is an examination of figured bass practice as well as music theorists’ increasing acknowledgement of a tonal system in order to shed light on how contemporary tonal developments were understood. Finally, an analysis of music highlights sixteenth-century tonal seeds and shows how composers from Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) to Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) developed discreet tonal regions and linked them through directed harmonic motion to establish tonal hierarchies locally and globally. Ideally, this project does justice both to the breadth and specificity required of this expansive topic and serves either as an extended study for a music survey course or as a springboard for further focused research.

 Understanding the role computer utilization plays in the lives of older adults has been studied closely throughout recent years. The personal well-being of older adults (older than age 62) is determined in this study by whether or not technology is implemented in the lives of older adults. This research examined how often technology, specifically computers and cell phones, is used by older adults to keep in contact with children and grandchildren, and the level of ease they perceive when using said technology. Two local community retirement homes in Seattle, Washington were visited, Hilltop House Retirement Community and Council House Retirement Home. A survey was distributed asking the older adults how easy they perceived using computers and cell phones to be. How often modern technology is used for communication with children and grandchildren was measured based on if the older adult could easily use computers and cell phones, or if they were encouraged to use this technology by family members. Our findings show that ease did not significantly relate to the net total usage of technology by older adults. Encouragement from the family of the older adult to use cell phones was found to be a significant predictor in how often it was used by the older adult, whereas encouragement to use a computer was not significant. It was found that usage of technology becomes easier for older adults who have access to their own technology through deals like cell phone family plans. Much is being done to train older adults how to use such technology earlier in their lives, which will help increase perceived ease of usage in old age. Studies like this will provide gerontologists with information to successfully integrate new technology into the lives of the growing generations of older adults.

Recent advances in remote-controlled multi-rotor helicopters have propelled them to become a uniquely capable means of aerial cinematography. The video camera can now chart paths never before possible, weaving around and over objects, and bringing us along as it moves quickly through a space. The implications for art are largely unexplored. I will investigate ways this camera movement’s affect on our sense of space in film, and how these techniques, when used over a large area, may refigure our understanding of the city. My research requires constructing an experimental remote-controlled helicopter, building off the most current research this a dynamically evolving field. I will then employ my system to explore and capture footage the suburban environment, from which I will compose a non-narrative short film. The goal of this project is to see what compositional structures follow from these new techniques, and ultimately to see how they might lead to a reimagining of neighborhoods. Portions of this film and documentation of the process involved will be presented.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is an important modulator in the pathophysiology of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).  Specific Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR4 alter the immune cell responsiveness to bacterial lipopolysaccharide and various endogenous activators, such as heat shock protein (HSP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and nitric oxide (NO).  This project utilized data generated from patients presenting with AIS to University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) and Harborview Medical Center (HMC) between September 2005 and May 2009.  DNA was first extracted from patient serum samples collected at regular intervals following AIS.  The DNA was then analyzed using Direct-PCR for the presence of various TLR4 SNPs, such as 1063 A/G (Asp299Gly) and 1363 C/T (Thr399Ile).  In an analysis adjusted for both initial stroke severity and age, the presence of either TLR4 SNP was associated with an increased rate of infection and a decreased likelihood of favorable outcome at 3 months following stroke.  In addition to pointing to a functionally and clinically significant genetic variation in TLR4 SNPs for AIS patients, these results suggest a direct connection between TLR4 function and stroke pathophysiology.  

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation that is usually progressive and associated with an enhanced chronic inflammatory response in the airways and the lung to noxious particles or gases (GOLD, 2011). There are two classes of medications to treat COPD, bronchodilators and corticosteroids. Some patients are prescribed multiple inhalers to maximize treatment effectiveness. Correct inhaler technique is important to ensure proper deposition of medications in the airways; however, administration techniques vary across devices. This raises the question as to if there is a relationship between the number of prescribed inhalers with patients’ confidence in their inhaler technique and medication behavior. We hypothesized that patients using multiple inhalers would have decreased confidence in their inhaler technique and adherence to inhaler use may be lower. To answer this question, we used data collected from an ongoing longitudinal observational study looking at biological causes and functional consequences of depression in COPD patients. Our analyses showed that patients who were on 3 or more inhalers had the same level of confidence in taking their inhalers correctly as patients who were on 2 or fewer inhalers. They also did not differ in forgetting to take or being careless about their medications compared to patients who took fewer inhalers. In addition, they were no less likely to take their inhalers when there were changes in their daily routine. These results refute our hypothesis, and instead, demonstrate that there is no relationship between the number of prescribed inhalers and inhaler technique confidence and medication behavior.

There is a high need for transitional housing in areas affected by natural disasters, particularly transitional housing that is permanent, high performing, economical, and sustainable. Current solutions, predominantly large tents, do not provide a satisfactory living state for the tens of thousands of people displaced by these natural disasters. Alternate housing options have been developed and implemented, but the response of these alternatives under seismic loading has not been sufficiently studied. A promising alternative is the use of strategically stacked earthbags in combination with frictional material between the bags, strapping, and render for aesthetic purposes. The placement and configuration of these materials impacts the flexural and shear response of the entire housing system. Through modeling force versus deflection of various models, we can predict the response of the earthbag structure. Using strategic bag placements and placement of restraining components, the goal is to quantify the response of the structure. We anticipate that weaving strapping throughout the bags will provide more resistance to buckling and failure in the configurations discussed throughout this paper. By quantifying the relationship of materials and response, we can design an economical and viable transitional housing solution to respond more predictably under earthquake loading. The design of this structure can provide an economical, accessible, and easily constructible housing alternative.

I am interested in examining concepts of masculinity in male football fans as influenced by advertising. This is especially important to investigate as advertising is based on establishing a need in a consumer base, often through implications or assertions of worthlessness or incompleteness, and offers a product as a means of making the consumer whole while football in general is considered a masculine sport. I will use the methods I noted as effective in an article by Jabari Mahiri entitled; African American males and learning: what discourse in sports offers schooling (Mahiri1994), such as interviewing and participant observation. I will also conduct my research and observations of fans by observing directly the interactions of said persons and the language they use and the equipment they maintain such as sports clothing and footwear. Special interest will be taken in regards to brand loyalty and affiliation of equipment used by fans as this equipment is advertised aggressively at them and makes reference to masculinity. This research is significant because it showcases influence on fans of football by advertising and examines its effect on what it is to be masculine.

The diatoms are a prolific and productive group of phytoplankton belonging to the Phylum Heterokontophyta. They are responsible for ~23.5% of global primary production and their high photosynthetic capabilities depend on their abilities to synthesize chlorophyll. A key step in the biosynthesis of chlorophyll is catalyzed by the enzyme 'light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase’ (POR). Early in the evolution of diatoms, the gene encoding this enzyme (por) was duplicated, resulting in two homologous but later divergent genes: por1 and por2. We aim to create a comprehensive heterokont por gene phylogeny to determine whether the gene duplication event occurred before diatoms diverged from sister taxa in the Heterokontophyta, early in diatom evolution, or in only one diatom lineage. Additionally, this phylogeny will allow us to determine the effects of natural selection in shaping the evolution of these genes. Preliminary studies suggest that positive selection acted in the past on both por1 and por2, though these protein sequences are now conserved within diatoms. To create this por gene phylogeny, we will sequence the por genes of various organisms representative of the major orders within the diatom class, Bacillariophyceae. Additionally, we have successfully sequenced numerous representatives of other Heterokont classes that will serve as the background to the Bacillariophyceaen gene phylogeny. These studies require the cultivation of various strains of algae, DNA extraction, PCR with por specific primers, and gene sequencing.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), the parasite responsible for human Toxoplasmosis, has previously been shown to be inhibited by Bumped Kinase Inhibitors (BKIs) via inhibition of Calcium Dependent Protein Kinase 1 (CDPK1) in vivo. While BKIs inhibit T. gondii very well with high selectivity for parasite and not human functions, and have low toxicity, CDPK1 itself is significantly less inhibited by the compounds in vitro, suggesting that the observed inhibition may in part be due to other enzymes. Using genomic data, we selected three T. gondii kinases with similar gatekeeper regions to CDPK1 that could be structurally vulnerable to BKIs as well. In an effort to identify and understand these Off-target enzymes, two ongoing experiments were conducted. The first aim was to purify the suspected Off-target enzymes and assay them in vitro against the same BKI compounds that were so effective against CDPK1. The second aim was to genetically manipulate the protein structure of the Off-targets in the gatekeeper region of the enzyme to match that of the known CDPK1 enzyme, to verify the mechanism of action of the BKIs. The likely enzymes to be Off-targets were difficult to purify, and the project is in progress. Future work depends on new methods to purify the Off-targets, in order to make progress toward completing the goals of the project. CDPK1 is an attractive target for therapeutic development for Toxoplasmosis, and further knowledge of Off-target enzymes that are vulnerable in the same way in T. gondii can lead to much-needed low resistance therapeutics.

I feel that agenda setting and social identity theories are important elements to consider when studying assumptions and impressions created by consumer media, especially when looking at the effect on youth populations. In my current class we are looking at many critical analysis’s regarding imagery surrounding sports and athletes. I am interested in identifying topics being expressed in community/individual sports related art that are not expressed in mainstream sports media. I would like to address, specifically, effects of media representations on children. I have used the photovoice, social mapping and participant observation methods to study forms of art from both parties and assessed effects on the general public and myself. I will also use discourse analysis, focus groups and interviewing techniques in the coming weeks. Significant data that I have collected includes: identification of art forms that use sports to express issues, including graffiti, athlete art, corporate ads, pecha kucha sessions, Olympic art, photovioce projects, individual art and community art projects. I have identified fabricated realities and over articulated topics by media representations such as: norms regarding sexuality, criminality and leadership. I have also identified experienced realities by community members and individuals such as: disempowerment, empowerment, rejection of fabricated norms, and oppression. This research will contribute to the identification of issues inherent to youth populations that are exposed to large quantities of sports media. With my work I aim to reinforce efforts by communities and individuals to raise awareness for affected parties. Successful completion of this work will raise awareness about existing negative mainstream media, norms forming issues and provide positive substitutes for the youth population.

Spreading equity in the public education system for the deaf community is essential as it decreases educational disparities. Recent studies have shown many African American deaf students share similar experiences in different communities as such they feel segregated from individuals from hearing culture (Clark, 2010). This is significant as many deaf students expressed concerns about communicating with hearing culture since ASL is not a common language found in our mainstream society. By using the participant observation method and from compiling surveys that acknowledges the services the deaf community would like to see in an education setting, we hope provide insight into a service that can be successful to the deaf community in a hearing academic environment. In other words, the goal of our project is to find ways students with such disabilities can receive the support necessary to be successful in the classroom. This can be achieved by creating a translating system into a laptop that inputs sounds projected from source, and then translates the speech sounds into ASL. We hope that it would increase interaction between hearing and Deaf culture as well as increase one of the many opportunities deaf individuals can use to communicate. It will also help them become academically successful within public schools that do not cater to the needs of deaf students. We hope that our idea would increase empathy for the deaf community as well as inspire ideas to spread equity to all minority groups in an academic environment.

A spherical domed ceiling has been a proven artistic space since the era of Antonio da Correggio’s famous dome fresco, The Assumption of the Virgin. Mix that together with the University of Washington’s planetarium and an extremely fertile space for artistic collaboration and exploration is revealed. Today, brand-new digital projection technology at University of Washington’s planetarium provides a unique space for digital artwork in comparison to more classical, non-digital domes. However, because of a planetarium’s contextual history, a significantly greater amount of time has been spent continuing planetarium-like experiences rather than attempting more artistic and experimental explorations. Over the past year, I have worked in collaboration with the Astronomy and DXARTS departments to create a fully immersive and experimental film for fulldome projection. Through research, development, and testing, I have also produced a robust framework for future artists to create their own works in fulldome spaces, especially at the University of Washington. As Correggio has shown, being creative with illusionistic perspective on a dome can lead to impressive results. Even in the 21st century, his techniques can be applied towards scientific and artistic experiences as well as open up other unique avenues of exploration within a fulldome space.

What is the effect of corporate environmental performance (EP) and social performance (SP) on financial performance (FP)? Conducting research on the effects of environmental performance and social performance on financial performance could encourage corporations to engage in more sustainable business operations. The potential benefits of better environmental performance and social performance range from a cleaner environment to healthier societies. Therefore, the goal of this research is to investigate the relationships among SP, EP, and FP. Freeman’s stakeholder theory (1984), defined as integrating (through who and what, processes, and allocating resources) multiple stakeholders, who affect and are affected by the firm on multiple issues (i.e. their “stakes”), is the basis for testing the following hypotheses. H1: Better environmental performance leads to higher financial performance. H2: Better social performance leads to higher financial performance. Our sample, which includes 90 Fortune 500 publically traded companies from the US, Europe, and Asia, represents a variety of industries. Environmental, social responsibility, and financial performance data were extracted from 2008 and 2009 annual financial and sustainability reports. We analyzed the data with descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and linear regression. If research findings reveal positive correlations among environmental, social responsibility, and financial performance, corporations will find it beneficial to be environmentally and socially responsible. The current study may contribute to the literature and managerial practices in two ways. First, reduced pollution, waste, and energy used can lower costs to corporations, thereby increasing profits, while benefiting the planet. Second, better relations with stakeholders can enhance the firm’s reputation thus financial performance.

Following the Norman invasion of England in 1066, King William I instituted a new system of royal forests throughout England. Intended as royal hunting preserves, these areas were vast in extent, and a distinct system of law restricting land usage and hunting rights applied within their bounds. While information on baronial reactions to this change is readily available, the attitudes of commoners and the lesser gentry are more obscure. I argue that the primary audience of the ballads of the famed English outlaw Robin Hood was non-noble, and examines their earliest editions – and the activities of historical outlaws in the 15th century – in the context of both forest law and the appearance of a non-noble “middle class” concurrent with the tales’ apparent origins. Beginning with the origins of forest law and its departures from Anglo-Saxon precedent, I focus on the symbolic significance of the deer-hunt as a royal or noble privilege and the way deer-poachers, fictional and historical, both mocked and mimicked noble hunting rituals – a tendency inexplicable by the mere need for food. Most Robin Hood scholars seek either to identify the tales’ primary audience, or to identify a “historical” Robin Hood; those few that address forest law do not seek to tie these tales’ popularity to the resentment of noble privilege rife at the time of their inception. Robin Hood’s portrayal as a paragon of justice, coupled with his direct defiance of forest law, reveals a complex view of the matter: the stories’ hero defies laws that are specifically royal while upholding the status quo values of his time, up to and including the concept of kingship itself. Resentment is focused against the attempted royal monopoly of a symbolically-charged resource, rather than against the hierarchical structure of society as a whole.

High gradient mountain streams are characterized by drops known as steps, followed by depressions in the bed known as pools. This step-pool morphology governs habitat availability and sediment transport of many high gradient streams. A notable characteristic of most pools is the presence of clast-size based sorting on their bottoms. We seek to understand how this sorting forms, as it may provide more insight into the currently debated topic of how such pools are formed. We propose that there is a decrease in shear stress on the bed from the base of a step to the lip of a pool. We suspect the effects of this difference in shear stress are proportional to changes in stream gradient, as step height has been shown to increase with gradient. If our hypothesis is true, we suspect to see a range of sorting patterns from low gradient to high gradient mountain streams. We will survey a number of pools in streams of varying gradient to determine whether such a range can be documented. Preliminary field observations have indicated that such a range is present, although we seek to quantify that observation. For each pool, we will use a pebble count procedure accompanied by geometric measurements of the pool to quantify sorting patterns and evaluate the relationship between sorting and stream gradient. By understanding how sorting is affected by gradient, we can start to determine what aspects of stream hydraulics control pool formation.

The alginate polymer is a promising material emerging in the field of controlled release. Alginate is a naturally occurring anionic polysaccharide derived from the cell walls of green and brown algae. Alginate can be crossed-linked using divalent cations to create a hydrogel. Using a double emulsion process, the alginate can be formed into microparticles and loaded with a desired therapeutic such as protein, DNA, RNA, drugs, or other agents. However, under physiological conditions, ionically cross-linked alginate degrades rapidly, resulting in the burst release of the particle’s contents, leading to higher initial drug delivery and reduction in the effective lifetime of the delivery system. Previous research in the Bryers lab de3monstrated that the reaction of alginate with methacrylic anhydride results in a methacrylated alginate, which can then be covalently cross-linked via free radical polymerization to form a more stable alginate hydrogel. It has been suggested the methacrylated alginate polymers may degrade at a slow, consistent rate and are therefore hypothesized to allow for a prolonged, linear release of therapeutic agents. This project has tested this hypothesis by creating protein-loaded microparticles from methacrylated alginate as well as microparticles from ionically cross-linked alginate, which were subsequently coated with a methacrylated alginate shell. This investigation used bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a protein to model antibody delivery in vitro. The successfully release of BSA could lead to a novel vaccine delivery system. The implication of this research is broad, but may have the deepest impact in clinical studies, including less frequent administration of desired therapeutic leading to better patient compliance and increased convenience, reduced side effects due to the delivery of the effective concentration, less of therapeutic per patient and therefore lower cost per patient.

I am interested in exploring the culture of gymnastics and the linkages between the social norms and the pressure for female gymnasts to have a certain body image. I will be looking at the insider and outsider perspectives of the gymnastics culture. Do insiders and outsiders of the gymnastics culture see the social problems and the emphasis on the body of a gymnast differently? This connects to the current research by Melford S. Weiss who did a research project and wrote an article called Culture, Context and Content Analysis: An Exploration of Elite Women Gymnasts in the High School World. There has also been research done by Trent A. Petrie and Eva M. Krentz, who both wrote articles about eating disorders in gymnastics. I will use the methods of interviews, positionality, and participant observation to analyze my question. This research matters to society because the culture of gymnastics is largely hidden to outsiders, but it is a culture that teaches these young women how to face adversity. Sometimes the gymnastics culture gets pushed under the rug because people do not understand it, but if more people could learn about it maybe more people would understand why gymnasts have such a struggle with social norms and body image. 

Congenital heart defects are the most common form of birth defect, affecting about one out of every 100 newborns in the US. Ten percent of these afflicted newborns will experience a narrowing of their aorta, formally called coarctation of the aorta. Coarctation can result in extreme hypoxia in tissues that do not receive sufficient blood supply, and can eventually lead to congestive heart failure; surgical repair is required for the infant to regain normal circulation. The etiology of coarctation has been linked in many cases to migration of cells from the ductus arteriosus into the aorta. The ductus arteriosus is a fetal vessel that must close at birth, and does so by constriction of its smooth muscle cells until its lumen is occluded. If these contractile cells migrate into the aorta, they can constrict, narrowing the aortic lumen. Preliminary data from experiments on the region where the ductus inserts into the aorta show a differential expression of chemorepulsive signaling proteins from the Slit and Robo families in ductal versus aortic tissue, suggesting that a distinct tissue boundary forms in this region. This is supported by previous studies in lineage mapping, which demonstrated a distinct somite-neural crest smooth muscle lineage boundary in the aortic arch. In order to elucidate the role that Slit and Robo proteins play in determining the ductus-aorta boundary, I use reverse transcription PCR analysis to examine the expression of Slit-Robo ligand and receptor proteins in perinatal ductal and aortic tissue. By comparing expression in normal samples with samples from patients with coarctation, more insight into the influence of Slit-Robo chemorepulsive signaling on boundary formation will be gained. Characterization of the ductus-aorta boundary by identification of differential ligand-receptor expression is critical to understanding the role that abnormal boundary formation plays in coarctation of the aorta.

Opiates are considered an effective treatment of severe pain for a long time. However, repeated exposure to opiates induces analgesic tolerance, which has been correlated with an increase in opiate associated deaths due to respiratory depression. This project aims to compare and contrast tolerance to opiate-induced analgesia and tolerance to opiate-induced respiratory depression. We hypothesized that the rate of development of the former tolerance phenomenon occurred faster than that of the later tolerance phenomenon. In such a case, patients may be more likely to develop respiratory depression as the dose of opiate is escalated in an attempt to provide continued analgesia. To date, animal tests have been conducted to look at effects on nociception and ventilation produced by various doses of opiates in opiate naive and opiate experienced rats. The nociception testing was conducted through paw withdraw experiments, where the time for rats to move their paws under a hot light indicated analgesic effects, and the ventilation testing was conducted using whole body plethysmography, where ventilation signals of rats were conveniently and accurately measured and recorded. In the ventilation testing, rats’ responses to different ambient carbon dioxide concentrations up to 5% were measured. From the collected data, a potential therapeutic window for morphine was found to be between 5 mg/kg to 15 mg/kg, under which no obvious respiratory depression was observed while above which severe respiratory depression happened and almost no respiratory response to carbon dioxide was noticed. Future results may indicate the relative large discrepancy between the magnitudes of tolerance to opiate-induced analgesia and that of tolerance to opiate-induced respiratory depression. This may further indicate the different mechanisms mediating these two opiate-induced tolerance phenomena, a better understanding of which may allow treatments that make opiates safer for patients with chronic pain.

Since WWII there has not been a major intra-European war, with the very large exception of the 1992-1995 wars of Yugoslav Succession. These wars were a conflict between the different ethnicities of the republics of former Yugoslavia: Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Montenegro. The Serbs are widely viewed as the “aggressors” of this conflict, with their leader Slobodan Milošević responsible for inciting nationalism. However, importantly I argue that nationalism was already in place before Milošević rose to power. While most of the current scholarship focuses on the timeline of political developments, my paper moves beyond the political events to look at the cultural transformation of that nationalism from 1980-86 and the importance of nationalistic fervor.  I argue that after 1980, socio-economic and political circumstances reacted with historical revisionism and a resurgence of WWII memories by a group of Serbian intellectuals to produce this new form of nationalism that the Serbian state has been “victimized”.  This "victimized" feeling is crucial to understand the later events of the Yugoslav wars under Milošević.  This transformation is evident in the individual works produced by these Intellectuals culminating in 1986 SANU Memorandum, a dynamic list of grievances that Serbian Intellectuals had with the Yugoslav state. Because of this feeling of “victimization,” the Serbs felt that their group identity was being threatened by their “subordinate” position within the Yugoslav state.

I am committed in examining the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) salaries for players in comparison to their position played on the court. I believe there is an unequal distribution of wealth in the NBA when differentiating between a point guard, shooting guard, center, power forward and small forward. Theses five positions add up to complete a team, which represent the offense and defense. It can be seen that positions on the court are associated with physical attributes acquired by players, for instance, their size. It is widely known that the position of centers are typically the tallest players in the game, which can have an influence on one's salary. I believe there is a strong positive correlation between the two. A website by the name, Draft Express, contains the statistics for each NBA team including player’s height, salary, position and years played. I have analyzed the data from this website to demonstrate the potential for skewed earnings. I applied research methods like social mapping, data and media analysis, as well as participant observations. These techniques contribute in probing player’s positions along side their earned salaries. The time period for this research will focus on figures from previous years, specifically the players on the NBA’s team roasters between the years of 2010 – 2012. Conducting this research will allow me to sort out the quantitative ranks of salary with the qualitative outcome it plays on teammate relationships and sports culture.

The reduction of CO₂ has become a global priority as the concerns of climate change and the adverse effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on the environment continue to rise. One method of reducing CO₂ emissions is through conversion and utilization as a chemical feedstock. CO₂ is cheap, nontoxic, and can be recycled to produce valuable new products, making it an attractive feedstock. The increasing importance of CO₂ utilization processes requires a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of its conversion. The industrial conversion of CO₂ is typically achieved using a heterogeneous catalyst, usually consisting of small transition metal particles supported on a high surface area metal oxide. Our project focuses on elucidating the mechanism of the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction on platinum, an extensively studied catalyst with a highly active surface. Our goals are (1) to quantitatively measure the RWGS rate under conditions of low H coverage and (2) to compare the measured rate to the rate of CO₂ dissociation (the rate-limiting step according to the surface redox mechanism) and to the theoretical rate calculated using a micro-kinetic model based on the associative mechanism. The information we gather from the investigation will clarify whether the RWGS reaction proceeds on platinum via the surface redox mechanism or the associative mechanism.

Our goal is to use human adenovirus to investigate how human defensins interact with viral capsids to neutralize infection. Defensins are small antimicrobial peptides of the innate immune system that prevent bacteria and viruses from infecting their host, but the mechanisms by which defensins neutralize viruses are not yet well known. For human adenovirus (HAdV), we have shown that infection by serotype 5 (HAdV-5) is completely sensitive to defensins while that of HAdV-19c is resistant. Adenovirus is a non-enveloped DNA virus with an icosahedral capsid comprised primarily of the hexon protein. Fiber proteins attached to penton base proteins at the icosahedral vertices interact with host cells during cell entry. Previous studies showed that penton base and fiber proteins contain specific sequences important for conferring sensitivity to defensins. In order to identify these sequences in the HAdV-5 penton base protein, we constructed a number of chimeric viruses in which parts of the HAdV-5 penton base are replaced with the HAdV-19c penton base. Replacing the last half of HAdV-5 penton base, but not just the third or fourth quarters, with the corresponding sequence from the HAdV-19c penton base resulted in significant resistance to defensins. Based on these results, we created new chimeras by replacing the entire third quarter in combination with specific residues in the fourth quarter of the HAdV-5 penton base in order to determine exactly which residues confer resistance to defensins. After identifying these residues, we will create new chimeras by replacing the fourth quarter and mutating specific residues in the third quarter of the penton base. Together with quantitative binding studies to measure the impact of these changes on the defensin-adenovirus interaction, these studies will provide insight into the molecular mechanism of defensin-mediated neutralization of adenovirus that may be generalized to other non-enveloped viruses that are sensitive to defensins.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of man-made chemical species that were manufactured as refrigerants the mid 1900’s. Though now banned, PCBs are highly resistant to degradation and persist for many decades in the environment where they are known to have adverse affects on the health of organisms, and are a suspected carcinogen in humans. My research examines the impact of tidal cycles on the re-suspension and transport of PCBs adsorbed on sediments in the Duwamish River estuary. Aquatic systems contaminated with PCBs may lead to accumulation of the toxins in the tissues of aquatic organisms, such as shellfish and endangered Chinook salmon. Consumption of these valuable food resources poses a threat to human safety, and therefore it is critical to understand the spread of PCBs due to tidal oscillations in estuarine systems. In the Lower Duwamish Waterway, a salt wedge estuary with a sharp boundary between fresh and salt water, turbulence created by the relative motion of these bodies of water can move contaminated sediments to new areas. By testing a variety of water quality parameters, including total and dissolved organic carbon content, suspended solid content, salinity, pH, and PCB concentration, my work evaluates the likelihood that elevated PCB concentrations correspond to periods of maximum tidal turbulence and re-suspension of contaminated sediment from the river bottom. Aqueous and solid samples were collected from the estuary at different depths during various stages in the tidal cycle. I have measured key aforementioned water quality parameters according to standard methods, and developed a combined microwave-accelerated solvent and solid-phase extraction procedure for PCB recovery in particulate and aqueous phases. Using these methods, I will quantify the samples’ PCB concentrations using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine sample composition, and attempt to correlate these measurements with suspended sediment and organic carbon concentrations.

Climate change is arguably the most important issue society faces in the next century. A principle driver of climate change is the emission of “greenhouse” gases to the atmosphere, which enhance warming by trapping heat. Methane in particular has a powerful warming potential relative to other greenhouse gases. One potential source of methane to the atmosphere is gas hydrates, solid crystalline structures of natural gas and water found in marine sediment. Gas hydrates are solid only under certain conditions of temperature and pressure; otherwise, the crystal structure releases gaseous methane in the water column. Gas hydrates pose a threat to the climate in two ways – by dissociation in unstable conditions and by passive “leakages” of methane from deep reservoirs that bypass the gas hydrate stability field. Both processes result in bubble plumes of methane gas in the water column, which may be reaching the atmosphere through gas exchange. Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon, represents a good model system to study for understanding gas hydrate dynamics, and it is a known site of passive fluxes of methane. This study uses novel sampling methods, such as ROV sampling for increased accuracy, to collect water samples at Hydrate Ridge which will be analyzed for methane content. Multibeam sonar data were also collected to image the spatial extent of the bubble plumes. The data will indicate the degree to which methane is penetrating into the water column and reaching the atmosphere. Hydrocasts from the research vessel R/V Thompson were taken at Southern Hydrate Ridge over two years, 2010 and 2011, for analysis in the lab with a gas chromatograph. The end goal of the project is to quantify the flux of methane into the mixed layer of the ocean, which exchanges methane with the atmosphere faster than it is consumed by microbial oxidation.

Variable stars are stars that fluctuate in brightness over time, usually with sinusoidal patterns. We can plot the brightness of variables over time to create light curves, which allow us to examine the periodicity of the stars. SX Phe variables are a specific type of star that have not been extensively studied and classified. We examined seven SX Phe candidates in order to more precisely determine their light curves. The periods of the candidates had been roughly estimated with data from the LINEAR survey. The goal of this project was to determine these periods more precisely and to image the stars in multiple filters, which will tell us more about their properties. At the University of Washington Manastash Ridge Observatory (MRO), these seven candidate SX Phe stars were observed in the Sloan g’ and r’ filters over at least 1.5 periods. Photometric images of the candidates were obtained from these observations, and light curves were produced. It was determined that the majority of candidates have periods of variability of about 1.35 hours, almost half as long as previously hypothesized. Further analysis of these more accurate light curves is needed to classify the candidates as SX Phe stars.

Astronomers do not yet completely understand how galaxies evolve. Current leading theories propose that spiral galaxies merge and the result is an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy or ULIRG, which is a galaxy with an active galactic nuclei (AGN) that is obscured by warm dust and gas. After the ULIRG phase, it is thought that the galaxy becomes a quasar after a blowout stage occurs. The blowout stage is when the huge energy output from the accretion process of material falling into the central black hole expels the gas that was previously obscuring the central quasar. The blowout stage would be short-lived, however, and therefore difficult to directly observe, so evidence of this process is scarce. In order to study the blowout stage, we obtained 2-D K-band integral field data with SINFONI (Spectrograph for Integral Field Observations in the Near Infrared) on the Very Large Telescope for a sample of six quasars that are divided into pre- and post–blowout by comparing their ratios of infrared luminosity to the luminosity of the optical 'big blue bump’. We measured the spatial distribution and column density of the warm molecular gas but did not find the correlation of these quantities predicted by blowout models. To further explore the relationship between post- and pre-blowout galaxies, we fit the luminosity profiles of the molecular gas and compare this to the profiles of the stellar population which traces the gravitational potential.

We are studying Earth’s upper atmosphere, one of the least understood atmospheric regions, wind and temperature fields to determine stimuli behind the movement of neutral particles (pushed, heated, interacted with charged particles, etc.). This project focuses on these regions in the Southern Hemisphere, which are essential to understanding movement in all areas of our atmosphere. The climate, long term trends, of the MLT (Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere) will be studied via instrumentation at the Mount John Observatory (MJO) in New Zealand. The optical observations will provide characteristics, such as wind, kinetic temperature, and emission rates, for groups of species of molecules, which act as tracers for the ambient gas. The time series of motions and temperature from MJO, which provides an understanding of upper atmospheric behavior, extends slightly over one solar cycle. This extensive amount of data can provide us with a broader view into the effects of Global Climate Change. My role is to alter the spectrometer design to enhance the light collection section enabling improved measurements of the atmospheric changes and increased accuracy regarding wind/temperature. Future efforts consist of investigating effects of the lower on the upper atmosphere, and studying relative importance of the processes in action.

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is a robust neuroprotective phenomenon in which a brief period of ischemia leads to tolerance to subsequent ischemic attacks. Characterizing the mechanisms of IPC is a major focus in stroke basic research. Prior IPC investigations focused primarily on gray matter – infarct volume reduction in rodents following a surgical stroke model, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). IPC reduces infarct volume by greater than 50%. This effect has been shown to be dependent on immune cell receptor Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). However, human brains have a far greater percentage of WM than rodents and WM injury is a major component in human stroke. Preliminary studies from our laboratory have shown that IPC in vivo can protect optic nerve (a pure WM structure) from subsequent prolonged ischemic injury in vitro. This effect is also TLR4-dependent. We hypothesize here that specific IPC-induced changes in optic nerve gene and protein expression are responsible for WM protection. Based on prior work from our laboratory, we hypothesize that two sets of genes in particular: (i) AMPA class glutamate receptors and (ii) Interferon stimulated genes play a role in IPC-induced WM protection. To test this hypothesis, we are using our standard model of WM IPC (15 minute common carotid artery ligation) to generate preconditioned (ipsilateral) and control (contralateral) optic nerves. Three days later, the optic nerves are dissected out and homogenized. We then isolate either total RNA or total protein. We then use targeted PCR arrays and immune- (Western) blotting techniques to quantify expression of the AMPA glutamate receptors and interferon-stimulated genes. We anticipate that IPC will induce selective down regulation of the former and broad-based, TLR4-dependent up-regulation of the latter. Based on our results we hope to identify novel molecular pathways for therapeutic intervention in WM injury following either stroke or ischemic optic neuropathy.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease characterized by inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system. Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a mouse model used to study MS. Previous studies have shown that EAE can be induced by helper T cells of both the Th17 (IL-17 producing) and Th1 (IFNg-producing) lineages. In classic EAE induced by Th1 cells, inflammation is observed predominantly in the spinal cord, however in our model of atypical EAE, induced by transfer of Th17-skewed cells, inflammation is observed in both the brain and spinal cord. This atypical model is closer to the disease course of MS in humans, because only rarely do MS patients have spinal cord inflammation without accompanying brain inflammation. Using mice that lack IL-17RA, a protein required for IL-17 signal transduction, we can study the mechanism of IL-17-induced inflammation in the brain versus the spinal cord. In our model we have shown that IL-17 promotes neutrophil recruitment to the brain, but is not required for neutrophil recruitment to the spinal cord. The presence of neutrophils in the spinal cord in IL-17 receptor knockout mice suggests some other mechanism must be used to recruit neutrophils in the spinal cord. Using RT-PCR we have been looking at the role of other factors (IFN-g, CXCL5, CXCL2, CXCL1, GMCFS, and IL-1b) in recruiting neutrophils in spinal cord independent of IL-17.

Men who undergo androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) often experience depressed and anxious mood, low energy, and cognitive decrements. Studies examining the extent of these changes over treatment have used self-reports from patients to measure change. However, the incidence of self-reported symptoms is 5-25% lower in men and 10-40% lower for patients over the age of 65. Companion report of patient symptoms has been widely used as a tool in oncology when the patient is unable to self-report, and may be more accurate to true patient condition when involving non-physiological symptoms. This study examined self-reports of patients about the effects of ADT compared to the reports of companions. ADT patients currently enrolled as part of a larger study examining treatment effects were approached to participate with a companion (spouse, partner, family member or friend). Companions were contacted via mail and completed questionnaires that the ADT patients had also completed. Measures used included the POMS, FACT-cog, FACIT-F, SF-36, and PHQ9.  The majority of participants (mean age 68 years) were women and the spouses of patients. The areas of assessment analyzed for agreement are mood, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, depression, pain, and emotional difficulties. So far in data analyses, the companion scores for most measures were higher, indicating a more severe endorsement of symptoms than those of patients. The trend so far is for more deviation in dyad scores with lower cognitive test performance. Some patients undergoing ADT may under-report their symptoms in comparison to companion views. Companion assessment may be a valuable tool for assessing non-physiological variables in patients, particularly if ability to self-evaluate is affected by mild or marked cognitive decline. 

          Disproportionate collapse is a phenomenon in which the localized failure of a small portion of a structure triggers the failure of adjoining members, resulting in damage disproportionate to the original cause. In Steel Gravity Framing Systems (SGFSs), connections between members are designed solely to support nominal gravity loading in shear, exemplifying a system which may be particularly vulnerable to collapse if subjected to unanticipated loading.  If unanticipated loading compromises a column’s ability to resist gravity loading in a SGFS, demands on the shear connections become significantly more complex. Under this scenario, gravity loading initially induces primarily shear and bending moment on the connections, which are resisted through friction and clamping forces and later through horizontal bearing forces at the bolt holes when the friction is overcome. As the beams rotate, the gravity loading becomes resolvable into components perpendicular and parallel to the beam axes, generating large tension forces in the connections. Thus, connections originally designed only to resist shear are subjected to a complex combination of bending moment, shear, and tension forces.  This research experimentally investigates the behavior of steel gravity framing connection subassemblages under loading consistent with a column losing its load carrying capacity in order to evaluate connection performance and system-level integrity of existing SGFSs. Furthermore, once the demands on the connections are adequately characterized, practical solutions to improve connection robustness and SGFS integrity can be developed.

Ongoing neurogenesis in the adult brain is a fundamental process of neural plasticity. The songbird is an established model for studying neuroprotection, neurogenesis, and neuronal turnover due to dramatic plastic changes in morphology and function in the nuclei that control avian song production. HVC, a region of the brain that times the production of song, doubles in size at the beginning of the breeding season, largely as a result of an increase in new neuron incorporation. The new neurons also send projections to and stimulate growth in their target nucleus, RA. In the non-breeding season the song control circuit rapidly regresses in size. Full growth and regression of HVC occur within 7 days of a rapid transition between breeding and non-breeding conditions, and neuron number changes by around 25% (> 68,000 neurons) due to neuronal recruitment or apoptosis, respectively. We examined the time course of neuronal turnover in relation to changing rates of apoptosis and neuronal recruitment during periods of rapid growth and regression of HVC. To test the hypothesis that turnover of new neurons is elevated during non-breeding season, we labeled two cohorts of new HVC neurons with thymidine analogs at one, two and four month intervals in birds maintained in breeding and on-breeding condition. We determined turnover rate by measuring the number of new neurons in each cohort of neurons at the different intervals. Preliminary data suggest that turnover rate is higher in non-breeding conditions. We also find that the balance between neuronal incorporation and apoptosis in HVC changes rapidly during transitions between breeding and non-breeding conditions. These studies show that neuron number in HVC results from a shifting balance between neuronal birth and death.

The geographic ranges of species are strongly influenced by climate. As temperatures increase, species are expected to shift poleward in latitude and upward in elevation, a prediction supported by observations of range shifts in recent decades. Species interactions also play a crucial role in setting geographic ranges of global biomes, and could be critical in determining the response of species to climate change. Due to limited data on interspecific competition in the boreal biome, Earth's largest land biome, it is largely unclear how climate change will affect the range limits of the individual tree species that occupy it. In recent decades, spruce trees (Picea engelmannii) have increased in abundance at high elevation locations formerly dominated by larch trees (Larix lyallii). This change is thought to result from improved climatic conditions for spruce establishment but has not been tested. I hypothesize that spruce have higher establishment rates than larch where the two co-occur when temperatures are high. To test this hypothesis, I will harvest 120 stems of each species at locations in the North Cascade Mountains in the summer of 2012. I will then count the number of annual growth rings for each sapling to determine establishment year. Next, I will model the relationship between establishment rates and climate in different decades of the last ~100 years for each species. Finally, I will compare the establishment-climate relationships of the two species to infer how the relative abundances of the species might shift with warming. These results have large-scale implications for changes we should expect to see in global biomes as warming continues. In particular, this hypothesis suggests that spruce will replace larch as climate change progresses.

Somali women immigrants have significant trauma histories related to their experiences of torture, rape, and displacement. They commonly present with somatic complaints for which there is no "medical explanation" and few acceptable or helpful treatment options. A community health program, Daryel, was started 3 years ago by a nurse at Harborview Medical Center to address somatic pain among Somali women through yoga and massage. Daryel primarily serves women over 50 years of age who are not fluent in English. This project consists of preparatory work for the development of a culturally congruent training manual for Health Care Practitioners working with Somali women. The following three methods will guide training manual development: 1) Conducting a literature review using databases such as ETHNOMED, CINHAL, PUBMED and gathering background on Somali traditional medicine, beliefs, and the cultural practices of Muslim women with regard to health; 2) Participating in individual conversations with Somali women and the Health Care Practitioners who serve them; and 3) Outreach to massage therapists who have stopped volunteering at Daryel with a set of questions on their volunteer experience. The results: 1) Findings based on the literature review show that taking time to establish rapport, understanding Somali culture and traditions, listening to their explanatory model of illness, and working skillfully with interpreters are important factors that will help gain success with Somali women patients; 2) Conversations with Somali women in Seattle confirm that a program such as Daryel is helpful for Somali women immigrants; 3) A survey of past and current volunteer Massage Therapists showed they want more training on Somali culture and language. In conclusion, a culturally congruent training manual will aid Health Care Practitioners in providing essential quality care to Somali women immigrants.

We are interested in exploring the discourse of race in basketball. This connects to theories by Branch who discussed the commodification of male athletes of color, ideas by Goss who demonstrates that representations in the media of athletes ofcolor are often presented as hyper masculine and criminal. We specifically looked at Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBA.com, Seattle Times and other popular sports magazines and seen how basketball players are portrayed. We’ve also research video games and analyzed interviews to explore our research project. This research makes an important contribution because it exposes how the bodies of male athletes of color are used for entertainment value, and how this limits the talents and abilities of these athletes.

This project focuses on using microbiota to determine environmental changes in Puget Sound, specifically benthic foraminifera. Benthic foraminifera are single celled organisms that produce a shell and live at the bottom of the ocean. Because foraminifera have characteristic ecologic requirements, they can be used to document environmental changes over time. In addition, foraminifera’s short reproductive cycle (weeks to months) and species specific reactions to environmental changes enable high resolution studies of ecosystem health and reaction to mitigation efforts. By examining the density, diversity and assemblage composition of foraminifera in samples of sediment several determinations can be made about environment in the local region at the time the sediment was deposited. This study focuses on stations in Bellingham Bay, WA using 11 sediment samples taken between 1997 and 2011 by the Washington state Department of Ecology. From 2002 to 2006 a clear drop in foraminiferal density is observed in Bellingham Bay. This indicates a serious change in environment for the area during this period; changes that may include an increase or decrease in pollution, an increase in pH, or changing climatic conditions. In the Bellingham Bay area a very low species diversity is also observed. This lack of diversity can also indicate various climatic or other environmental conditions. For example, the most dominant species in these samples, Eggerella advena, is known to colonize areas of sewage pollution in other bays. By comparing the Bellingham Bay stations to others in Puget Sound, it will be possible to document environmental shifts over the last 15 years.

While necessary for many biological functions, essential heavy metals, such as copper and zinc, are highly toxic when elevated, requiring their concentrations to be tightly regulated.  This need to maintain homeostasis has led to a variety of adaptive mechanisms that chemically sequester excess heavy metal ions.  One such mechanism is the biosynthesis of phytochelatins by the enzyme phytochelatin synthase (PCS), found in plants, algae and several fungal species.  Induced in cells of certain organisms exposed to elevated levels of heavy metals, phytochelatins also bind non-essential heavy metals such as cadmium and arsenic, offering protection against anthropogenic toxins.  Despite their demonstrated ability to synthesize phytochelatins, the PCS gene has not been investigated in conifers.  The simplest method of probing genomc DNA (gDNA) for specific genes is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.  However, lack of sequencing data presents a challenge in designing universal primers for conifers.  The objective of this project was to develop degenerate primers capable of amplifying the PCS gene in a selection of conifers native to Washington State.  The degenerate primers were designed from known and putative PCS sequences of non-conifer plant species obtained from a BLAST query.  The sequences were aligned and primers selected from regions of high consensus, while controlling for degeneracy.  The primers were used in PCR trials to probe the gDNA of thirteen species of conifers.  To date, I have amplified and sequenced PCR gene segements of 267 and 133 base-pairs in Pinus ponderosa and Pinus contorta, respectively; adding two species of conifers to the list of PCS genes sequenced, and allowing me to design primers with increased specificity for conifers for use in subsequent PCR trials.  Future studies could develop molecular assays for expression of the PCS gene for use in assessing metals stress at the cellular level for conifers in contaminated sites.  

Seyfert galaxies are a type of galaxy that is part of a larger class called active galactic nuclei (AGN) in which the central supermassive black hole is accreting surrounding material. On large scales, Seyfert galaxies look identical to quiescent galaxies in which the supermassive black hole is inactive. However, on a smaller scale, around 10 – 10³ parsecs, we are now starting to detect differences in the molecular gas and stellar properties that can help us reach our goal of determining what the key differences are between the Seyfert galaxies and the quiescent galaxies and what results in the generation of an AGN. One of these differences could be star formation at the nucleus of the galaxy. To determine if this is a factor, we can use spatially resolved 2-D spectra to detect any Brackett Gamma (Brγ) emission within the central 10³ pc. For galaxies that have Brγ emission, we can measure the equivalent width of the Brγ line and, through comparison with stellar population evolution models, constrain the age of the stars. A potential complication with using the Brγ line is that there can be an additional broad component of the line generated by high velocity clouds very near the central black hole that is not associated with star formation. We minimize the impact of this broad component by fitting and removing it to isolate the narrow line emission of interest. The age can also be further constrained by estimating the supernova rate and the mass-to-light ratio. We have found that Brγ is significantly more prominent in Seyfert galaxies than in quiescent galaxies, suggesting that there is more active star formation in the nuclear region of Seyfert galaxies. Constraining the age of this stellar population will determine the role of these stars in fueling the central AGN in these galaxies.

The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mitoUPR) is a protective mechanism that is activated when the mitochondria experience stress. mitoUPR signaling has been linked to systemic inflammation and the innate immune response in multicellular organisms as well as being an important factor involved in the etiology and progression of many diseases, especially mitochondrial diseases such as Leigh Syndrome, and in aging. We are using HSP60 and HSP6 GFP reporter expressing Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), which express green fluorescent protein when the mitoUPR is activated. By specifically inhibiting and altering mitochondrial function with different drugs, we hope to identify the signaling components of the mitochondria that induce (or inhibit) the protective mechanism. In addition, we are constructing HSP6 and HSP60 expressing plasmids to be taken up by the bacteria that the C. elegans eat. By feeding HSP6 and HSP60 to the worms we can determine if the mitoUPR can be induced through exogenous heat shock protein uptake in the gut. We are also feeding the C. elegans different strains of bacteria to observe the effect of how different bacterial proteins can affect the strength of mitoUPR induction and whether the innate immune response can induce the mitoUPR. From this data we hope to gain a better understanding of the mitoUPR, and configure a model on how this mechanism is expressed.

 Extraterrestrial regolith can be utilized for a variety of in-situ resource utilization applications including the production of oxygen and slurry materials. These capabilities are crucial for the success of long-term missions to both the Moon and Mars. However, the value of the regolith often depends on extracting a specific particle size. Therefore, our objective is to develop a regolith sifting system for integration into extraterrestrial surface systems. Furthermore, this system will be designed to operate independent of gravitational forces in order to offer flexibility by maintaining the same degree of reliability and efficiency in terrestrial, lunar, martian, asteroidal, and orbital environments. To accomplish this task, a centrifuge design was adopted. A container fitted with two sets of sifting screens is rapidly spun so that the centripetal forces cause the particles to pass through the screens. At high speeds the effects of gravity and particle cohesion become negligible. The design was carried through several stages of development where parameters such as geometry, induced agitation, sample size, rotation speed, and test duration were optimized to give accurate sorting results with minimal energy input. Data collected from ground testing will be compared to data collected on NASA’s low-gravity aircraft in June. The low-gravity testing introduces more challenges to the design, such as automated gates that keep the particles from self-sorting in between low-gravity flight parabolas, and integration into a air-tight glove-box for safety. For future research, techniques for autonomous and continuous operation will be crucial for adoption into extraterrestrial surface systems.

 Amongst other struggles, providing health care suitable for its population's needs remains a major challenge for Nigeria as a nation today. To assess the health of the population and the use of health care services, Nigeria's National Population Commission carried out Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in 1990, 1999, 2003, and 2008. Knowing that several states in Nigeria have populations dominated by one of the three major ethnic groups, my project used DHS data to examine how state of residence influences health measures, controlling for all other relevant factors. I used the ordinary least squares - multiple regression method in order to separately analyze the degree of influence each independent and control variable has on determining the aggregate health measures of each state. The health measures I focused on include child malnutrition and diarrhea, female circumcision, and maternal health behavior. In the past, studies have consistently revealed that amongst the three nationally dominant ethnic groups, Hausa people suffer the worst health measures for children and mothers; however, mixed results exist for how well Yoruba and Igbo communities fare relative to each other. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between Yoruba and Igbo dominated states using data from Nigeria's most recent and largest nationally representative sample yet - DHS 2008. I hypothesized that Igbo-dominated states fare worse than Yoruba-dominated states, because the Biafran War mostly damaged infrastructure in "Igboland", and reports indicate that the Yoruba region stands more highly urbanized today, which suggests greater postwar fitness. I also hypothesized that as the number of minority ethnic groups a state hosts increases, the worse the state-level health measures will be, according to predictions from social disorganization theory. If my results support my hypotheses, then Nigeria's future health initiatives should consider health disparities along lines of ethnicity and ethnic diversity within a state.

Reading comprehension is a critical issue for deaf individuals. Around 60% of deaf students graduating high school have achieved no higher than a fourth grade reading level. The most obvious, and frequently hypothesized, reason for this is deaf individuals are not able to access the auditory basis of the word-to-sound connections present in an alphabetic language. Using Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) we are analyzing neurocognitive processes that mediate the links between subject variables and reading outcomes. ERPs reflect summed, simultaneously occurring postsynaptic activity of cortical pyramidal cells. ERPs are differentially sensitive to aspects of reading (including sound, meaning, and grammar), and the magnitude of these effects relates directly to proficiency in that aspect. The specific aims of this project are as follows: 1) Identify the differences in language-sensitive ERPs between hearing and deaf young adults. 2) Determine the relationship between the size of these ERP effects and standardized reading comprehension scores, especially within deaf participants. 3) Within the population of deaf young adults: A) Identify the differences in language-sensitive ERPs between participants with cochlear implants and those without. B) Determine the best predictors for both robust language-sensitive ERPs and reading scores, focusing especially on presence of a cochlear implant, age at implantation (for those with implants), and speechreading ability. C) Using mediated regression, determine the specific neurocognitive process(es) that mediate the relationship between the predictor variables and reading scores. Three groups of participants are involved: hearing, deaf and deaf with cochlear implants. The ERP analysis is providing a real-time measure of processing of language components. These analyses not only show the differences in language-sensitive ERPs between hearing and deaf participants, but suggest what factors best predict robust language-sensitive ERPs and strong reading scores, and how they may be causally related.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress have been proposed to contribute to organismal aging. In the nematode C. elegans, reduction of mitochondrial function through knockdown of genes encoding components of the electron transport chain (ETC) is sufficient to increase life span. The increased longevity is not solely the by-product of decreased oxidative damage generated by the ETC, but also involves induction of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR^mt), as evidenced by the observation that life span extension requires an intact UPR^mt. The cytoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria have each evolved compartment-specific signal transduction pathways to alter nuclear gene expression in response to perturbations in protein homeostasis. However, little is known about the UPR^mt and the mechanism by which unfolded proteins are recognized in the mitochondria and signal changes in gene expression. Previous studies demonstrate that knockdown of ETC components and a subset of mitochondrial proteins induce the GFP reporters for mitochondrial chaperones hsp-6 and hsp-60. To identify novel genes involved in the UPR^mt, we are performing a forward genome-wide RNAi screen using the hsp-6::GFP reporter and measuring UPR^mt activity by fluorescent microscopy. Upon completion of the screen, we expect positive hits to include mitochondrial proteins, signaling molecules, and transcription factors that regulate the UPR^mt. Consistent with previous studies, gene knockdowns that have robustly induced the UPR^mt thus far in our screen are largely components of the ETC. In addition, the screen has yielded many novel hits including genes outside of the mitochondria and of unknown function. After the screen is complete, we will validate the RNAi clones that induce the UPR^mt and perform lifespan experiments to understand how the UPR^mt is involved in the aging process. Our screen will further understanding of how the mitochondria and nucleus communicate with one another in order to maintain mitochondrial proteostasis and illuminate how mitochondrial stress contributes to aging.

Aging is a process that causes decline in normal biological function, eventually leading to disease and death. Aging is influenced by a number of factors, including stress-response pathways such as the hypoxic response. Over-expression of the hypoxic response pathway regulator, Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1), increases lifespan in the nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans. Under atmospheric oxygen, HIF-1 is targeted for degradation by the Von Hippel Lindau (VHL-1) tumor suppressor protein, whose deletion increases nematode lifespan through increased HIF-1 activity. Since knocking out VHL-1 in mammals is known to cause disease, it is important to better understand the hypoxic pathway in nematodes to develop targeted therapies for age-related diseases in humans. The goal of this research is to determine the tissues and genes downstream of HIF-1 that modulate aging in C. elegans. To determine tissue specificity, we have developed vectors designed to reintroduce VHL-1 into VHL-1 knockout worms under the control of tissue specific promoters. Lifespan and other age-related parameters will be measured in these transgenic animals and compared to that of control groups. To further test tissue specificity, we are also developing vectors to overexpress a mutated non-degradable form of HIF-1 in specific tissues in wild-type worms, essentially the reverse of the reintroduction of VHL-1. To test for genes downstream of HIF-1 important for longevity, we have performed a screen and identified several genes that are important for HIF-1-induced lifespan extension. Our experiments will examine whether C. elegans lifespan is increased by the over-expression of these proteins, which would then suggest further characterization and a search for conserved proteins. Together, the results from these experiments will provide important information on how we might utilize the hypoxic response pathway to improve human health.

Magellanic penguin morphology is likely to influence the survival and reproductive success of an individual. Although Magellanic penguin colonies are not genetically differentiated, there may be significant differences in the structural size of penguins among colonies, as suggested by Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules that appendage size changes with latitude. We used data collected on 792 Magellanic penguins at 12 colonies in Argentina, Chile and Falkland/Malvinas Islands to compare weight, bill length, bill depth, flipper and foot. We expected penguins to be larger at southern colonies and have longer flippers and bills at northern colonies to shed heat. We expected variation among colonies as morphology should reflect adaptation to the local environment. We matched the years, months and approximate gender ratio of the measurements collected from the colonies with a randomly selected sample of penguins from Punta Tombo, Argentina, a northern colony. We performed an ANOVA on these data using Stata. When ANOVAs were significant, we performed pairwise comparisons (Tukey HSD) among the colonies. All traits varied among colonies except flipper length for females. Average female flipper length was 14.6 cm. suggesting that flipper surface area may be more important for foraging success and survival than for shedding heat on land or conserving heat in the water. Bill length decreased with latitude for males and females (males: R2 = 0 .73, females: R2 = 0.58). Exploring the interactions between latitude and morphology suggests selection is favoring penguins with longer bills at lower latitudes. Does bill size reflect diet changes with latitude or changes in heat and cold stress? Penguin morphology changed with location but flipper size did not which is not consistent with Allen’s rule. Flipper size may be so important in foraging success that selection favors a “standard" flipper size regardless of latitude and temperature.

Despite widespread global immunization with the current tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, BCG, TB remains a serious problem, killing almost 2 million people every year. In addition, because BCG is a live vaccine it is unsafe to give to immunocompromised individuals, especially those with AIDS. Therefore, a new and effective vaccine that is safer is urgently needed. We are testing nanoparticles blended with polymers, designed to stimulate CD4 and CD8 T cells, as a delivery system for a TB vaccine. Nanoparticles coated with M. tuberculosis epitopes recognized by both CD4 and CD8 T cells were used to immunize mice subcutaneously. T cell responses were detected in immunized mice using both MHC class I and II tetramers, and also by intracellular cytokine staining. Immunized mice, or unimmunized controls, were then challenged with M. tuberculosis via the aerosol route. Mice immunized with the nanoparticles displayed T-cell responses to the relevant CD4 antigens, but this response did not lead to a lower bacterial burden in the lung when the mice were challenged with M. tuberculosis. Future studies are needed to further optimize protection provided bthe nanoparticle vaccine platform.

Essentially all growth and developmental processes in plants require action of the hormone auxin. Auxin regulates gene expression by mediating the degradation of repressor proteins called Aux/IAAs. At low concentrations of auxin, these IAA proteins repress auxin-responsive genes by binding to auxin response factor (ARF) activating transcription factors. A subset of ARF and IAA proteins are involved in the initiation of new lateral roots, which are important for overall root architecture and function. Mutant phenotypes in these ARFs and IAAs fall into two separate classes. Based on this evidence, we hypothesize that the structural properties of specific ARF and IAA proteins cause them to have specific binding preferences. For example, we predict that ARF5 has stronger binding preference for IAA12 than IAA14, while ARF7 has stronger preference for IAA14. To test interactions between these proteins, we are expressing them in the yeast, S. cerevisiae. This allows us to look at individual protein interactions at single cell resolution, which is not possible using a plant based system due to the ubiquity of auxin responses and the presence of multiple IAAs and ARFs. We are using a bimolecular fluorescence complementation approach, in which two complementary halves of fluorescent proteins are fused to two interacting proteins of interest. Specifically, we have fused halves of different fluorescent proteins to IAAs and ARFs, such that each specific IAA-ARF complex exhibits a different color of fluorescence. Using this system, we will compete two different IAA proteins for binding of a single ARF. This approach will allow us to analyze the binding preferences of proteins through quantitative comparison of fluorescence of protein complexes. The results of my research may explain some of the specificities between ARF and IAA mutant phenotypes found in Arabidopsis and how distinct protein properties lead to differences in gene expression and development.

Phase Change Memory (PCM) exploits the difference in resistivity between the amorphous and crystalline solid phases of chalcogenide alloys. With easier scalability, faster write speeds, and higher switch endurances, PCM is set to replace Flash Memory and lead the way to greater functionality of our everyday electronic devices. The major obstacle preventing development of this technology is the power required to transition between the two solid states. In order to switch between phases, the material must first be melted and at greater cell densities, it becomes uncertain if the memory access device can supply enough current for resistive heating. A solution for the high power consumption is to adopt a nanowire (NW) structure whose geometry lowers the melting temperature of the phase change material. Our research was focused on improving simulation codes written by Ph.D. student Jie Liu for Nanowire Phase Change Memory (NW-PCM). As the code was based on macroscopic electro-thermal equations, a significant part of the research became to determine how accurately macroscopic physics could describe the operations of NW-PCM cells with mesoscopic dimensions - where quantum mechanics is known to cause fluctuations from classical results. By simulating published experiments on NW-PCM and comparing the results, we concluded that NW-PCM with dimensions ranging from 5nm – 200nm can be adequately described by classical physics within an error margin. The conformity of results for NW-PCM dimensions as low as 5nm was unexpected as devices with dimensions smaller than 10nm have been experimentally observed to undergo ballistic electron transport. The anomaly piqued interests in the published experiment that caused it and the data analysis from our research as a whole went towards identifying how the simulation should be improved.

Hydrocephalus is a medical condition affecting one in every 500 to 1,000 live births in which an excessive amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the brain ventricles. Accumulation of CSF can occur if the pathway of CSF drainage is blocked or if too much CSF is being secreted. If CSF buildup is unchecked, intracranial pressure (ICP) will increase and lead to intracranial hematoma, cerebral edema, or brain herniation.Hydrocephalus is commonly treated by an implanted CSF shunt which is small catheter with one way pressure or flow controlling valve which diverts CSF from the brain ventricles to the heart or peritoneal cavity thus lowering ICP.However, 40% of the existing shunts fail in one year and 95% of the shunts fail in five years. Valve obstruction accounts for 50% of shunt failures. The high obstruction rate is due to the fact that existing CSF shunt valves suffer from complicated internal regulating mechanisms that are prone to obstruction. To have a significant impact on reducing the number of failures due to valve obstruction, a novel shunt valve design is necessary. Thus, the primary goal of our design is to reduce the valve failure due to obstruction. Our approach is to replace the internal regulating valve with a simple regulating mechanism. The key features of the valve designs are that there is no contact between CSF and regulating components and a simple flow path.This CSF shunt valve can maintain ICP within a physiological range by regulating the rate of CSF drainage according to ICP.

Prejudicial attitudes toward others based on physical appearance arise when an individual’s biological sex does not appear to match their gender category.  Transgendered people are males and females who desire to belong to the opposite gender category than their biological sex.  Transphobia is described as the stereotypical beliefs, prejudicial attitudes, disgust, and rejection of transgendered people based on sexual discrimination.  The participants (N = 57) were exposed to images of transgendered people, and rated each person on six different character judgments.  There were two conditions for this study (photo stimulus: full-body vs. only face/hair), with participants in both conditions being exposed to images of the same people.  Of these images, six were congruent (passable) and six were incongruent (impassible). Participants also filled out the Genderism and Transphobia Scale (GTS), developed by Hill and Willoughby, which measured levels of transphobia.  It was predicted that participants who rated higher in levels of transphobia would hold higher prejudicial attitudes toward incongruent transpersons.  There was a significant interaction effect between congruency and transphobia scores. Higher levels of transphobia were related to lower character ratings of incongruent transpersons, indicating that highly transphobic individuals are more likely to hold prejudicial attitudes towards incongruent transpeople.  There was an interaction effect between the adopted gender of the transpeople in the images and the participant’s level of transphobia. These findings add to the small amount of current research pertaining to perceptions of the transgendered population.

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), a proliferative and angiogenic tumor commonly associated with AIDS. The predominant cell type in KS tumors is the latently infected spindle cell, which expresses markers of lymphatic and blood endothelium. KSHV infection dramatically alters a number of host pathways, including angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. KSHV induces angiogenesis, but the viral gene or genes responsible are unknown. Also, KSHV infection of blood endothelium induces expression of lymphatic endothelium markers. Our data indicate that the viral gene vIL-6 is sufficient, but not necessary, to induce blood to lymphatic endothelial cell reprogramming. The goal of my project is to identify the latent viral gene or genes responsible for both the induction of the angiogenesis and blood to lymphatic endothelial cell reprogramming. My first aim was to determine if any single latent gene is sufficient to induce angiogenesis, through increased expression of the integrin alphaVbeta3 expression, or induce blood to lymphatic differentiation, as indicated by expression of prox-1, the master regulator of lymphatic endothelium. The results indicated that no single latent gene was sufficient to induce either change in expression. My second aim is to express the entire latency locus in endothelial cells to determine whether it is sufficient to induce angiogenesis-related phenotypes and/or lymphatic reprogramming. The KSHV latency locus will be cloned into an adenoviral vector and transfected into blood endothelial cells, which will be evaluated for alphaVbeta3 and prox-1 expression. If the latency locus is sufficient for induction of prox-1 or increased expression of alphaVbeta3, I will next silence each latent gene using siRNA to determine if any of the latent genes are necessary for the phenotypic alteration. My studies will help elucidate mechanisms by which KSHV induces activation of endothelium, and ultimately causes KS.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be 73,510 new cases of bladder cancer in the United States during the year 2012, and an expected 14,880 deaths due to the disease. With a 50-70% chance of recurrence, bladder cancer is one of the most expensive cancers to treat. If detected and treated early, the cost of this cancer could be dramatically reduced. Some current methods of detection are conducted by using a cystoscope inserted through the urethra to image the interior wall of the bladder. These cystoscopes can be fairly large—ranging from 3.3-5.3mm in diameter—and sometimes require general anesthetics, which increase costs due to additional bodies within the operating room. In contrast, the scanning fiber endoscope (SFE) developed in our lab is 1.2-1.6mm in diameter; at this small size the cost of anesthetics can be greatly reduced. In addition the SFE produces high resolution images by using red, green, and blue diode laser light from a single scanning optical fiber. Our research aims to combine the cancer specific biomarker 5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and the SFE to fluorescently detect and treat cancerous legions. Once inside a cell 5-ALA converts to Protoporphyrin IX (PPIX), which has a fluorescent excitation peak at 405nm; the corresponding emission peak at 635nm causes cancerous regions to appear red. This is possible because 5-ALA has a high binding affinity to cancerous cells, allowing for a contrast to be seen between healthy and abnormal cells during fluorescent imaging. With prolonged 405nm light exposure and an increase in laser power, we can also cause death of cancerous cells with photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT causes the photosensitive and cancer bound PpIX to release a singlet oxygen molecule, which in turn destroys vital organelles within the cancer cells, leading to the eventual death of the cancerous mass.

The glass transition temperature is a feature of polymer systems that dictates the transition between glassy and molten-like states in amorphous solids. Glassy polymers have many advantageous properties and are highly desirable for commercial and industrial uses. However, the conditions that lead to glass formation are usually well above room temperature, making implementation of most polymer glasses unfeasible. In a recent discovery, ultra-stable poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) glasses were formed using a technique known as matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE). These results showed a significant decrease in the polymer’s density, while maintaining chemical stability under normal conditions. The exciting experimental discoveries hold great promise for future technological developments. However, there is much to understand about the underling atomic scale features that arise from MAPLE deposited glassy polymer films. To help answer some of these questions, molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations were used to understand the mechanisms behind the ultra-stable polymer formation. Previous studies include observing the collapse of the polymer PMMA from an extended to a globular-like state under various solvent and temperature conditions. This poster will show how we track formation of the globular state using different order parameters (e.g., radius of gyration) and also show our generalized strategy for quickly building new polymer simulations. Understanding the fundamentals behind ultra-stable glass formation can unlock discoveries in the development and implementation of new materials.

Autophagy, or “self-eating”, is a process cells use during times of stress or starvation to break down their own proteins or organelles to provide the required nutrients. I focused on the autophagy-related protein 13 (Atg13), a regulatory protein that controls the initial stages of autophagy. Specifically, I was interested in defining the distinct roles of the N and C-termini of the Atg13 protein. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing the full length, N-terminal, and C-terminal half of Atg13, I tested how these protein domains affected autophagy processing. To monitor this I looked at the autophagy dependent processing of aminopeptidase 1 (Ape1) and alkaline phosphotase 8 (pho8). Western blots were used to monitor the changes in Ape1 protein length after processing, and a colormetric phosphatase assay measured autophagy-dependent increases in pho8activity. Using these techniques I found that the two domains of Atg13 play distinct roles in the process of autophagy.

Industry and academia often use approaches from systems biology in therapeutic protein production. Maximizing the yield of therapeutics from a cell culture is an important need. Current computational approaches use flux balance analysis (FBA) to predict outcomes given certain inputs with the goal of increased protein production. FBA is a method for tracking fluxes within a biological system and studying these systems quantitatively. While commonly implemented within the biotechnology industry, few studies quantitatively validate the results of FBA. This project attempts to conduct a thorough in silico comparison between fluxes determined through FBA and the steady-state fluxes via kinetic simulation. I developed a method for constructing realistic but synthetic networks. Each network features randomly-generated reactions, including a biomass function around which the reaction rates are optimized. The optimization of the model’s kinetic parameters is crucial, for FBA assumes such when determining its solution of fluxes. A genetic algorithm is then applied to select the combination of rate constants that optimize the biomass function. The fittest “organism” determined through genetic algorithms and in silico evolution and the resulting steady-state fluxes will then be statistically compared against the solution of FBA. This assessment of FBA using kinetic simulations could give the scientific community a clearer view of this methodology and its capabilities. Further experimentation and analysis of the findings could direct other groups to where exactly FBA succeeds and where it falls short, thus pointing out the areas that require additional attention. In addition, the construction of synthetic, randomly-generated metabolic networks is novel. The applications of these networks could expand beyond the intentions of this project. It could provide others with a useful tool for tutorial building and a limitless supply of artificial networks for testing and validating other methods or applications.

The concept of dynamically causing physical distortion of molecular frameworks to influence reactivity offers an intriguing opportunity for synthetic polymer chemists and materials scientists. Strained rings have been shown to undergo chemical transformations under different stimuli but their mechanochemical behavior is a relatively newer field of study. We postulate that directing a reaction pathway mechanochemically may be a viable means to increasing the selectivity in the ring opening event. Before the mechanochemistry is investigated, the polymeric materials containing these ring systems must be designed and synthesized. The development of our strained ring system is multi-step synthesis starting from a commercially available small molecule. Once the strained ring small molecule is created, the final step of the synthesis is to incorporate it in the middle portion of a polymer. After the molecular framework has been built, its mechanochemical reactivity is studied via solution-based experiments using an ultrasound probe and processor (20 kHz) of variable power output (up to 750 watts). This approach will facilitate product characterization, mechanistic inquiries, and reactivity profiles. Collectively, the ambitious research objectives provide a fundamental basis of how mechanical forces may be used to guide and control reaction profiles.

The purpose of this research is to gain insight into prosthetic sock thickness trends of multiple sock stacks. For amputee patients, stacked sock combinations are necessary to accommodate volume change of the residual limb in the short and long term. The thickness of these stacks is quantified by the total number of ply. For example, a 1-Ply sock and a 3-Ply sock make a 4-Ply “stack.” However, with this method of measurement, total sock thickness depends on how many socks are worn. The focus of this test is to evaluate existing standards by comparing the thickness of multiple socks to a single sock of the same total ply. The results from this research should provide useful information to prosthetists fitting patients with prosthetic limbs. As the residual limb matures after amputation and swelling decreases, there is a reduction in volume and a change in shape. From the first prosthesis, the practitioner optimizes the fit with the expectation of the residual limb size decreasing. The practitioner advises the patient to add socks to take up space when the residual limb feels loose in the socket. By adding socks, the patient can maintain a proper fit, and the practitioner can track limb change and socket modifications so as to appropriately time fabrication of a new socket. The present research brings quantitative information about sock thickness, both for single socks and for stacks of socks, to clinical care. This quantification should help the practitioner determine just how much larger the socket is than the patient’s residual limb, and should help guide design of a new socket. This research collected in the present study may also facilitate documentation to justify the need for a new socket.

The ability to detect magnetic nanoparticle tags could be an important technique in a wide variety of biological applications such as particle tracking and immunoassay labeling. We aim to detect magnetic fields at the nanometer scale using the optical detection of the electron spin resonances of Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. This system combines the possibility of high spatial resolution with magnetic sensitivity. I am developing a diamond based magnetometer designed for biomagnetic nanotag sensing at room temperature. The magnetometer is a diamond substrate with a dense layer of NV centers at the surface. Magnetic nanoparticles are placed on the surface and detected by utilizing wide-field photoluminesence imaging. The intensity of the NV photoluminescence is highly sensitive to magnetic field; therefore we can obtain information about the local magnetic field magnitude and direction and thus the position of the nanotags. I am working on building data acquisition and instrument control software for the magneto-optical microscope. It involves instrument control of a Radio Frequency (RF) signal generator, automated data acquisition using an EMCCD camera, integration of RF unit with data acquisition and real time image processing.

Synthetic biology holds great promise regarding the production of important compounds, and the degradation of harmful ones. Last summer, we harnessed the power of synthetic biology to meet the world’s needs for fuel and medicine. We constructed a strain of Escherichia coli that produces a variety of alkanes, the main constituents of diesel fuel, by introducing a pair of genes recently shown convert fatty acid synthesis intermediates into alkanes. Using this method, we were able to produce on average 160 mg of alkanes per liter. Also, we identified a protease with gluten-degradation potential, and then reengineered it to have 100 times increased gluten-degrading activity, allowing for the breakdown of gluten in the digestive track when taken in pill form. Finally, to enable next-generation cloning of standard biological parts, BioBrick vectors optimized for Gibson assembly, an emerging DNA cloning technique, were constructed and used to construct the Magnetosome Toolkit: genes for biofabrication of magnetic particles.