Since the social realization of barrios and ghettos in the United States, scholastic analyses of their locations have formed conclusions ranging from proximity to labor centers to social population controls (Jargowsky, 1996) (Meyer, 2000). One topic which social scientists have avoided when addressing the geographic localization of poverty, is that of the plot itself. Specifically are there undesirable qualities, either geographically or geophysically, of the land where ghettos are built that makes it less attractive to populations with higher social standing? Here we show that a majority of “high poverty” zones in three American cities are built in areas which are more susceptible to damage by earthquakes and/or landslides. These conclusions were formed, by performing geographical comparisons of poverty population maps comprised of U.S. Census data to geological hazard maps provided by United States Geological Survey. Seattle, Los Angeles; both focuses of “The Other Burgess Model,” and Hawaii were selected for comparison. In all three cases, areas with the largest concentration of families and individuals under the U.S. poverty line were more likely to be in areas of greater threat from earthquakes or landslides. My results suggest that populations living in poverty are more likely to be both physically and financially affected by these two natural forms of disaster. In the United States where safety from landslide and earthquakes are protected under the Bill of Rights, it is both illegal and unjust for populations with less access to resources to be directed towards areas of greater hazard. I anticipate this project will be a starting point for further research on the imbalance of safety concerns brought about social, economic, and ethnic inequalities.

When water is placed in contact with a hydrophilic surface and light, a zone clear of all solutes measuring several micrometers long forms at the area of contact. The water in this exclusion zone (EZ) differs from bulk water in that EZ water is negatively charged, more viscous, and highly stabilized with the water molecules being further aligned and constrained. The energy required to generate this zone comes from ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths of light, and while the specific mechanism for their production is unknown, it is hypothesized that light increases hydrogen bonding from the hydrophilic surface into the water, producing the EZ. Metals also contain the necessary properties for generating EZs, and have the potential of producing exclusion zones on a large scale. Current results show that EZs form only when the interface between copper and water is exposed to sunlight, suggesting that exposure to light specifically at the interface might be responsible for producing a photoelectric effect involved with separating the interfacial water into EZ water. Repetitions will be needed to confirm the trend that sunlight light is responsible for producing EZs along copper. A positive result will have significant influence on developing water filtration technologies using just sunlight and copper by harvesting the pure EZ water, fit for drinking. The potential also exists to engineer solar panels using copper and sunlight, and harvesting the stored negative charge in the EZ as a source of energy.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the use of electromagnetic induction to generate an electrical current beneath a conductive coil, has proven to be a non-invasive technique that can be applied to cortical areas in the brain to produce evoked action potentials. The behavioral effects of TMS are subject to the frequency, duration, and intensity of the magnetic stimulus being applied, and either long-term potentiation or long-term depression of neurons can be produced. Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) employs the use of repeated stimulation at 1 Hz, and has been shown to cause a short-term depression of cells. A newly developed protocol, continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS), applies three pulses (50Hz) in bursts of triplets, and has been reported to produce stronger long-term depressive effects than low-frequency rTMS. While the effects of both low-frequency rTMS and cTBS have been extensively studied in regards to their effect on motor cortex function, few analyses have been conducted on their effect on language. In the current experiment, we compare the effects of cTBS and low-frequency rTMS on two tests of language comprehension abilities including a sentence comprehension task and a naming task. If language processing can be modified using TMS, one would predict that the response times for the tests of language comprehension would increase, with greater response time increases following cTBS than following low-frequency rTMS. Initial results from this experiment show that pre-post TMS response times for a sentence-comprehension task after low-frequency rTMS is applied to their left hemisphere is decreased, but is increased after cTBS is administered. Opposite results are produced when applied to the right hemisphere, with rTMS increasing response time, and cTBS decreasing it, respectively. Although data collection is still under way, our goal is to determine whether rTMS and cTBS produce significantly different effects on sentence reading and word naming paradigms.

Imidacloprid (IMI) may be a viable alternative to carbaryl for controlling burrowing shrimp that destabilize sediments, resulting in poor survival and low yields of Pacific oysters. However, efficacy varies among substrates and laboratory tests indicate the shrimp are relatively insensitive to IMI (24-h LC50's > 12,000 ppb active ingredient [ai]) and 10x greater than those in sediment pore water following application of 4x the desired application rate. These results contrast sharply with observed efficacy in the field, with significant mortality occurring 72-96 h post application in sandy substrate at 0.5 lbs ai/ac. Reasons are not known, but an understanding of the factors governing efficacy in the field may improve control within muddy substrates and those with eelgrass. We exposed adult N. californiensis in seawater to IMI (Nuprid® 2F) simulating concentrations reported in sandy substrate following application of 0.5 lbs ai per acre. Concentrations were the means from a pore-water fate curve: 0-6 h = 150 ppb ai, 6-24 h (24), 24-48 h (10), 48-72 h (6), and 72-96 h (4.3) plus negative controls with 10 shrimp at each time interval (5 IMI, 5 controls), a loading of 0.31 L/g, and water exchanges at the end of each time period. Water quality and overt effects were monitored. At the end of each exposure, the ability of shrimp to burrow in sandy substrate was evaluated. All IMI-exposed shrimp survived, were overtly affected, and none burrowed. In contrast, all controls appeared normal and 96% exhibited burrowing behavior. Results suggest applications of IMI (0.5 lbs ai/ac) will not directly kill shrimp, exposed shrimp may not be able to maintain their burrows, and death may result from burrow collapse. Factors that maintain burrow integrity (mud/organic matter, eelgrass roots) may explain differences in observed efficacy. Laboratory tests with shrimp exposed to IMI within burrows are needed.

The human body is roughly two-thirds water, much of which interacts with intracellular hydrophilic surfaces, materials that exhibit water-attracting properties. Near any hydrophilic surface such as biological tissue, a zone of water extending a few hundred micrometers from the surface called the “exclusion zone (EZ)” exhibits exclusive and stunning properties far different from those in normal, bulk water. For instance, EZ water does not exist as a solid, liquid, or gas but instead forms a unique, ordered liquid crystalline state that is solute-free, highly organized, and electrically polarized. When EZs are exposed to light, their sizes increase as they absorb and store energy. Cells could utilize this potential energy through growth or other cellular activities. However, it is hypothesized that EZs absorb not only light energy, but also other energy sources such as acoustic energy. To measure the effects of sound on EZs, sheets of hydrated Nafion, a hydrophilic polymer that generates EZs, were submerged in water and exposed to various frequencies and intensities of audible sound produced from an underwater speaker. Microspheres, small spherical particles made from synthetic material, were used to visualize the EZs. Because EZs exclude solutes, the EZs were represented by the areas void of microspheres. During and after exposure to sound, the EZ sizes were monitored over time. Recent results showed that during exposure to multiple audible frequencies (1-8 kHz), the sizes of the EZs decreased transiently. After the sound was removed, in some cases, the size recovered to its original value. These results may suggest enormous biological implications. Everyday sounds produced in our environment could have a large impact on cellular behavior.

The carotid artery bifurcation is one of the main sites of atherosclerosis, a disease that causes plaque buildup on artery walls, which can lead to Stroke. Through examination of the flow in the carotid artery bifurcation, we expect to better understand the influence of hemodynamics on plaque formation and growth, as well as on potential treatments. In order to investigate this, we have designed a model of the carotid artery using medical imaging and computer aided design software (SolidWorks). We are investigating rapid prototyping techniques to create a physical model of the carotid artery. Utilizing the physical model of the carotid artery lumen, we cast a mold made of water soluble material. This allows us to remove the mold leaving behind a reconstruction of the carotid artery with the necessary physical properties. Currently this project is focused on finding an ideal casting process that preserves the optical clarity. The next phase of this research will be to examine flow through the mold using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The setup of the PIV involves adding tracer particles to the flow that are illuminated with a laser. Using the light scattered by the particles to record the displacement collected with a photographic camera synchronized with the laser illumination. These images will be processed using an algorithm that compares the displacement from two consecutive images. The velocity of the flow will be calculated from the displacement of the tracer particles and its profile is used to determine the shear stress acting on the walls of the artery. This measurement of the stress acting on the arterial wall, together with the transport of chemical species to and from the arterial wall, is crucial in understanding the influence of hemodynamics on the physiology of the arterial wall and the development of atherosclerosis.

Mast cells regulate both inflammatory responses and tissue repair in human diseases but there are conflicting reports on the role of these cells in the pathogenesis of various kidney diseases. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an interleukin that acts as both a pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine. From our preliminary studies we have demonstrated that IL-6 and its receptor gp130 are pro-fibrotic in renal fibrogenesis. Here we measure mast cell function in unilateral urethral obstruction, a well-characterized model of renal fibrosis, using mice in which Cre recombinase is expressed under the control of a segment of the carboxypeptidase A3 (Cpa3) promoter bred to IL-6 flox/flox mice. Mast cells from the C57BL/6 Cpa3-IL-6 (fl/fl) mice do not express IL-6. We have groups of 10 for each of the following strains: control1; Cpa3-Cre, control2; IL-6fl/fl and experimental mice; Cpa3-IL-6. Mice under general anesthesia had the ureter ligated at 2 sites distally from the kidney and sacrificed after 14d. We measured the level of fibrosis by measuring hydroxyproline colorimetrically and by measuring area of Picro Sirius red in stained kidney sections, and quantified by pixel analysis. Our preliminary results indicate that the absence of IL-6 in mast cells is important in renal fibrosis. When IL-6 was ablated from mast cells the level of fibrosis measured by collagen and the expansion of extracellular matrix was reduced. These preliminary results suggest that mast cell-derived IL-6 promotes renal fibrosis after unilateral urethral obstruction.

Many occurrences of glomerulonephritis present recurrent acute inflammation episodes. With time these conditions often lead to progressive fibrosis and chronic renal failure. My project studies the role of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), one of the most proinflammatory cytokines, using the nephrotoxic serum (NTS) nephritis mouse model. The ubiquitous expression of IL-6 makes it a challenge to study this interleukin. We have genetically engineered mice with ablated IL-6 in the F4/80+ macrophages and the Ytgax (CD11c+) dendritic cells. We hypothesize a greater level of glomerular damage and disease in the wild type mice compared to the IL-6 depleted mice. IL-6 +/+ (IL6WT) and -/- mice (IL6KO) were injected with NTS in the tail vein and placed in metabolic cages for seven days. Urine was collected to measure renal failure and progression of the disease. Mice were sacrificed at 7 days after the injection and both kidneys harvested and sectioned. Extraction, quantification and quality analysis (RNA integrity number) from the IL6WT and IL6KO frozen kidney samples were conducted and later cDNA synthesized. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) reactions were carried out to analyze gene expression of IL-6 family genes and pathological analysis of frozen or paraffin embedded tissue was done to assess glomerular and interstitial damage. Preliminary results from histopathology analysis and qPCR suggest a significant role played by IL-6 in glomerular damage. IL6WT diseased mice show upregulated expression of IL-6 and greater degree of disease relative to the IL6KO. We plan to continue gene expression quantifications and perform immunostaining to compile more data and validate our results. These findings will help to establish the efficacy of IL-6 neutralization as a therapeutic option for kidney disease.

Chronic inflammation is a silent killer, contributing to death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and other chronic disorders, such as diabetes and obesity. Although the specific molecular pathways linking inflammation contribute to CKD pathogenesis still remain unclear, interleukin-6 (IL-6), the prototypic inflammatory biomarker and a potential mediator, is believed to be able to help us understand the mechanism that leads to CKD. We have been investigating the role of IL-6 family of genes using different animal models, such as the Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction (UUO), to induce interstitial fibrosis. The results from our studies have demonstrated that IL-6 and gp130 are profibrotic molecules. Therefore, our goal was to understand the mechanisms of IL-6 in myofibroblasts, the major contributors of collagen during fibrosis. For these studies, we used wild-type mice, IL6 (+/+), IL6 (-/-) and αSMA-Cre-IL-6(fl/fl), in the UUO model of interstitial fibrosis. We hypothesized that IL-6 regulates the crosslinking of collagen by regulating the lysyl-oxidase gene. Therefore, we assessed the Extracellular matrix expansion and collagen accumulation by measuring the changes in gene expression of Col-1, 3, and 4, IL-6, Lysyl-oxidase, Fli-1 and Hells at different time points during renal fibrogenesis. We consider that the change in collagen crosslinking is an important factor in the turnover rate of collagen and it changes its stability to be degraded/accumulated. The examination of the role of IL-6 could potentially provide a new therapeutic breakthrough for treatment and better detection/assessment of renal fibrosis.

Neural networks are often employed to model the brain. One such model developed by Numenta’s research group is the hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) model. A comparison of the HTM model and more conventional neural networks such as the network architectures available in the Stuttgart Neural Network Simulator (SNNS) is missing from the literature. This study aims to report on the performance on machine learning problems of HTM neural networks as compared to the performance of other common network architectures. The HTM neural network will either be built on the JAVA platform using the descriptions in Numenta’s publications or be used as provided by Numenta for public use. The SNNS network architectures will be used as provided by the University of Stuttgart. Possible learning problems considered will include: motion detection, character recognition, recognition and tracking of humanoid forms, object identification, and general pattern recognition. Possible SNNS network architectures include: backpropagation through time (for recurrent networks), quickprop through time (for recurrent networks), self-organizing maps (Kohonen maps), TDNN (time-delay networks) with backpropagation, Elman networks and extended hierarchical Elman networks. Evaluation of a network’s performance on each problem will be based on accuracy of identification, and time required for computation, while holding learning resources constant (same time exposure and same number of examples during learning stage). A qualitative comparison of the similarities of the learning problems to cortical learning algorithms and brain architectures may be attempted depending on time constraints. These results will be useful for evaluating both the usefulness of HTM neural networks and their connection to the cortical learning algorithm.

In the United States, there are approximately 50,000 people newly infected with HIV each year. Fear of rejection and other factors related to stigma affect how and when people communicate their HIV status. Research has shown that HIV disclosure through non-face-to-face modes, for example with e-mail and chat, afford benefits that include helping both parties control and process emotions and lessening the chance of violence. To help facilitate the process of an HIV-positive person communicating her or his HIV status in an effective, informative, and non-face-to-face manner, we designed an e-disclosure service called PositiveMagnetism. PositiveMagnetism is a web-supported animated e-card service, allowing the sender to input personalized text and video to convey a message to the recipient. The personalized message is incorporated into an educational video of evidence-based facts and preventative tips regarding HIV - all conveyed in an animated info-graphic form. PositiveMagnetism consists of three parts: a website allowing a person to upload or webcam a personalized video message; an animated e-card video incorporating HIV facts and prevention strategies with the personalized video message; and an invitational e-mail welcoming the recipient of the e-card to view the e-card video. We assembled and collaborated with an advisory board consisting of HIV/AIDS researchers, people living with HIV, and other related professionals to help us throughout the design process. In addition, we conducted two surveys targeting participants who have experienced HIV disclosure. The contributions of this work are design artifacts consisting of a service website, an animated infographic of core supportive information, and a video prototype demonstrating two users (sender and receiver) interacting and utilizing the PositiveMagnetism service. This work contributes to increasing knowledge, awareness, and education regarding HIV to help facilitate HIV disclosure between potential serodiscordant partners.

Tickle-Degnen and Rosenthal identified coordination as signaling a strong interpersonal connection between two people (also known as dyadic rapport). This coordination, termed behavioral synchrony in past research, can be conceptually defined as the unintentional mirroring of another’s behavior. Investigations on the relationship between rapport and synchrony in educational (Bernieri; LaFrance) and clinical (Ramseyer & Tschacher) settings provide evidence validating this rapport-synchrony interaction. Situational conditions may impact dyadic rapport, including perceptions of authority (Dunbar; Grahe & Sherman). Focus on the dyad’s gender-makeup is also salient to power theory as gender roles can be associated with dominance (Dunbar). The present study examined these phenomena using a research design drawn from a project proposal by Dr. Fabian Ramseyer for the Collective Undergraduate Research Project. Alongside his proposal, Dr. Ramseyer generously provided access to the Motion Energy Analysis (Rokesby & Ramseyer), an innovative tool designed to evaluate synchronous behavior. This computerized program translated video footage of a dyadic interaction into quantitative measures of synchrony, thereby eliminating the need for researchers to subjectively code the videos. In the experiment, participants (Ndyad = 34) first responded to a short pre-test measuring empathy and interpersonal behavior intentions. Dyads then completed a dyadic task developing a six-course menu for a party in a 2 (Gender Specificity: Superbowl vs. Baby Shower) X 2 (Partition of Responsibility: Equal or Individual) X 3 (Dyad Makeup: Male-Male, Mixed, Female-Female) between-S design. After the interaction, they completed post-test measures of mood and relationship quality. Results from this research can be extended to both clinical and non-clinical settings, acting as guidelines for the construction of dyadic partnerships in a way that encourages effective rapport-building.

Do cultural norms and expectations affect the purpose and value of an educational system? For my research, I traveled to Tahiti and observed the educational system at the University of French Polynesia. Employing ethnographic research methods, I conducted informal interviews with professors and students of different educational levels about their views on higher education, and the importance of their culture in their educational experience. As a comparison, I interviewed those who did not attend higher education. For the other half of the multisided research project, I conducted similar interviews in the United States at universities such as the University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University, and Highline Community College, and compared my findings. I found that in French Polynesia many Tahitians believe that higher education is not the only way to attain their dreams, while Americans typically agree that higher education is the best way to become successful. A key factor in these opposing views is best seen through the differences of cultures and the meaning of education. My research determines that it is essential to recognize that culture and education are closely linked to one another, in order to better understand education on an international level.

Statistical learning is the process of identifying a language’s structure by tracking patterns of regularities within the language. Recent studies indicate that infants can use the statistical regularities of syllable patterns to find words in fluent speech, which enables them to associate meanings to words. We do not know, however, if statistical learning can also help adults learn words. In the present study, 40 adults ages 18-30 will participate in a segmentation phase in which they listen to 5 minutes of an artificial speech stream consisting of nonsense words. The artificial language will ensure that adults are being exposed to a language that is unfamiliar to them. To teach the labels, adults will be presented with novel objects matching each label. They will hear four words they heard previously in the segmentation phase and four new words. The method of teaching and testing labels will be the same as used with infants. However, the task for adults will be more complex because they will be presented with more labels. To test participants’ knowledge of the two types of labels, we will examine their ability to look at the correct object when they hear the specific label. Our expectations are that, similar to infants, the segmentation phase will help adults link the labels to the correct objects. Without the previous segmentation experience learning the labels is expected to be more difficult. This study will reveal how the learning processes of adults relate to the learning processes of infants.

Emotion is a human universal but interpretation of facial expressions and the prescribed meaning may differ across cultures. In Faces and Feelings we attempt to examine this cultural variation by testing East Asian and European American participants’ responses to various stories presented with photos of facial expressions. Recent research has indicated that European Americans judge faces primarily using features of the face, whereas East Asian participants judge faces inferring from the person’s social situation. Expanding on this, we predict different factors such as interdependence and dialectical thinking will influence interpretation of facial expressions cross-culturally. Participants are asked to complete a computer-based experiment consisting of essay responses, multiple choice questions and demographic information. We will then perform qualitative analyses on the data collected. We expect our results from this ongoing study to yield similar results to the earlier pilot studies which supported the hypotheses. While people in every culture express their feeling on their faces, there may be differences in what those expressions communicate and in how they reflect what a person is feeling. Knowledge of these differences may help diverse cultures understand and relate to each other in positive and more productive ways.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection and some types have been linked to cervical cancer. Approximately twenty million Americans are currently infected with HPV, and an additional six million will become infected next year. In 2006 a vaccine was approved to protect against certain types of HPV. This research seeks to understand the attitudes and beliefs surrounding the decision to be vaccinated. Specifically, the research will examine how perceived risk of infection by HPV has affected the vaccination decisions in the unique cohort of women who were above the recommended vaccination age when it was first released. Through focus groups and anonymous, online questionnaires involving undergraduate women in Seattle, this research examines factors, especially sexual contact, that affect perceived risk. This investigation is repeated with a cohort of undergraduate men of the same age in Seattle in an effort to explore any possible differences in perceptions that seem to be polarized by gender. By uncovering young adult perceptions of HPV vulnerability, this project can provide insight to future public health work related to HPV vaccines and other sexually transmitted infections.

Past studies have documented that musical tones separated by an octave interval are perceived as highly similar (“octave equivalence”). A recent study of children showed that they downshifted their fundamental frequency (F0) during a nonword imitation task to match the target, which was below their vocal ranges, at an octave above the target. This was the case for stressed syllables in all children and for unstressed syllables as well in the children without speech sound disorder (SSD). This finding was interpreted as implying that children utilize the octave equivalence effect to enhance their imitations when the target is below their vocal ranges. Here, we expand on this finding by investigating the hypothesis that octave-shifted pitch matching can also be observed in adults. Specifically, we ask whether men match a target spoken by a female adult at an octave below the target, and whether women and children match targets spoken by a male adult an octave above the target. Participants were not asked to match the pitch of the target; they were simply instructed to imitate the nonwords as they heard them. For each participant, imitation/target ratios were calculated and averaged. As in the 2008 study, the role of lexical stress and speech sound disorder (SSD) is addressed as well. Initial results show octave shifting occurred most often with the adult male participants. One woman directly pitch-matched the male target. During the remainder of this project, we will evaluate the role of lexical stress in each participant group and the role of an SSD history in the adults. We will also compare conversational F0 for each participant, drawing on the results from a companion study. Evidence of pitch matching at an octave interval implies the presence of octave based perceptual similarity in speech sounds.

Escherichia coli can contaminate food, such as beef and spinach, causing illnesses ranging from recurring diarrhea to death in susceptible individuals. They may produce a toxin typically associated with another harmful bacterium known as Shigella spp. This toxin is referred to as “Shiga-toxin”, and E. coli that produce this toxin are known as STECs. While E. coli O157 remains the most common STEC in the United States there are over 100 STECs that can be just as harmful. My project, conducted in collaboration with individuals at CSUEB and the USFDA, involves identifying chemical indicators that would help detect different strains of non-O157 E. coli in contaminated foods, and determining if these STECS are vulnerable to a coliphage and a Bdellovibrio sp. invasion. Specifically, nine different STECs were chosen to be screened for their ability to produce catecholate siderophores (phenolates), such as enterobactin, chelating compounds important for some pathogenic bacteria in the acquisition of iron. The same STECs were screened for the presence of acyl homoserine lactones, chemicals involved in bacterial communication, also known as quorum sensing, and expression of virulence factors. Assays were conducted to determine if a coliphage and a Bdellovibrio sp. can infect these STECs. Detection and identification of non-O157 STECS is not easy, which hinders determination of their origin and, subsequently, how to eliminate them. If new tools, such as the use of predators or chemical indicators were developed to facilitate detection of these bacteria, then determination of the source of contamination (e.g., packing plants and fields) may occur, and quicken measures that prevent or, at least, decrease further infection, disease and/or death.

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a proposed motor speech disorder. At present, there is no universally accepted catalogue of diagnostic criteria for CAS. Peter & Raskind described a motor-based familial speech disorder in two multigenerational families where one or more children had a diagnosis of CAS. The current study attempted a qualitative analysis of errors made by adult members of five multigenerational families (N = 22), including the two families with the previously described motor-based speech disorder subtype, on real word and nonword repetition tasks, rapid automatic naming tasks, and measures of reading. In one family, three biologically related individuals showed slowed alternating, but not repetitive, oral movements and deficits in sequencing during multisyllabic word and nonword repetition and reading, but unimpaired naming speeds. Results are consistent with a familial CAS subtype characterized by multimodal sequencing deficits, which has implications for future diagnosis and treatment of CAS.

People with severe visual impairments cannot drive, so they often rely on public transit. The usability of the public transit system is, therefore, of crucial importance to blind people. One major challenge blind people experience when using public transportation is finding the exact location of bus stops. We have developed StopFinder, a system that uses crowdsourcing to provide information about non-visual landmarks around bus stops to enable blind people to find them more easily when navigating with a cane or a guide dog. It is developed in iPhone, and blind people can use our system using the access technology called VoiceOver, the built-in feature of iPhone that enables them to hear the information in the screen and navigate screen through simple hand gestures like single or double finger flicks, taps etc. The crowdsourced information includes which street/avenue has the bus stop, which direction to walk to reach the bus stop once you arrive at the intersection and what to expect once you arrive at the bus stop like the presence of shelters, garbage cans, benches etc. Since we are using crowsourcing for getting information, we provide an option to rate the entry. In addition to accessing and rating information about a bus stop, blind people can also contribute information through a non-graphical interface. The interface consists of mostly multiple-choice questions that are convenient to fill in a short time while waiting for a bus using VoiceOver. Since one of our primary foci has been the ease of using Stopfinder, we conducted interviews with blind people that informed the design of the application.

Adolescent use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs is on the rise in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) annual National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (NYRBS), nearly fifty percent of all teens have smoked cigarettes at some point and nearly seventy-five percent have tried alcohol. Research has established several factors known to put adolescents at risk for negative behaviors, including family problems, socioeconomic status, and lack of parental supervision. However, fewer studies have examined what factors prevent at-risk adolescent populations from using alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. Many potential factors have been identified as buffers for at-risk adolescent populations; some these are creativity, service learning, and community involvement. But research investigating these factors is still limited in scope. The present study examines relationships between protective factors and risky health behaviors of at-risk adolescents. First, we pilot-tested our measures on emerging adult college students and found that students who reported higher levels of family cohesion reported lower levels of cigarette use, illicit substance use, and drunk driving. However, contrary to our hypothesis, the higher the level of reported creativity, the more students reported illegal drug use. Based on our preliminary findings, we are revising our survey and plan to survey adolescents at a Boise, Idaho community center about their use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs using the NYRBS. In addition, factors thought to serve as buffers against these risky health behaviors, including the five characteristics of Positive Youth Development, competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring using the Positive Youth Development Inventory (PYDI). We hypothesize that adolescents who possess these five characteristics will be less likely to engage in risky behaviors. We will test this hypothesis using Pearson's r correlations. Using our research findings, we hope to suggest future prevention program offerings to the community center.

Recent advances in genome sequencing have allowed for the study of metagenomes, genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples. This has produced an enormous number of enzyme sequences without efficient methods for characterization. Since it is unknown whether a characterized enzyme is the best catalyst for a specific reaction, uncharacterized, natural enzymes in the metagenome may be better candidates for catalyzing the specific reaction. Thus, I am developing methods to search for and computationally characterize metagenomic enzymes with the same function as enzymes of therapeutic and commercial interest. By utilizing the Rosetta Software Suite to produce highly accurate models of enzyme structures, this method will evaluate an enzyme sequence’s potential for catalysis directly from a gene sequence. In order to validate my computational techniques, I will experimentally determine catalytic rates of enzyme candidates. As the method for an efficient metagenome search is still unknown, I am working to determine proper parameters for a homology search by using visual and statistical analysis of enzyme structure models in order to produce a diverse set of genes for experimental characterization.

Gluten intolerance disorders such as Celiac sprue elicit a painful immunological response in the intestines of patients who consume gluten. Gluten is a polypeptide found in wheat, barley, and rye, and contains repeating Pro-Gln-Leu-Pro (PQLP) motifs. Currently the only treatment for gluten intolerance is elimination of gluten from the diet. Our goal is to design an enzyme therapeutic that can be taken as a drug therapeutic in pill form. The engineered enzyme will break down the immunogenic PQLP motifs before gluten reaches the small intestine and can elicit an inflammatory response. Kumamolisin-As, a protein isolated from Alicyclobacillus sendaiensis, demonstrates promising proteolysis on PQ residues, and works in the low pH of the stomach. Using the protein-engineering program “FoldIt,” we designed novel mutations to Kumamolisin to improve its activity on PQLP. Our best version of the enzyme, dubbed KumaMax, degrades gluten over 700 times faster at pH 4 than SC-PEP, an enzyme currently in clinical trials. After further protein characterization, we hope to start clinical trials on KumaMax with the future goal of creating an effective treatment for gluten intolerance.

Cognitive theorists argue that mental states, including disorders, are generated and maintained by personal, subjective beliefs, and that events can only be appropriately labeled by the individual experiencing them. Additionally, pervasive negative thoughts are a part of both depression and anxiety. Whereas with depression a person is likely to believe they are incompetent, or that life is hopeless, with anxiety a person is likely to have negative thoughts about what might happen or about threats in the future. Additionally, high levels of self-hate are associated with bulimia and high levels of self-control are associated with anorexia. Current research indicates a connection between depression, anxiety, and self-talk (ST). However, studies have yet to examine whether ST in men suffering from depression, anxiety, or disordered eating (DE) differs from that of women. The purpose of this study is to explore potential gender differences in ST (as measured by the automatic thoughts questionnaire-revised and the anxious self-statements questionnaire) with student’s scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Eating Disorders Inventory. These differences, if found, may help to explain the disparity between the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and DE between genders. Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety and ten times as likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder. We hypothesize that there will be differences in ST between men and women, and that these differences in ST will mediate the relation between gender and depression, anxiety, and disordered eating.

Washington State is home to unique prairie ecosystems that have been invaded and degraded over the last several decades. A habitat restoration study is underway at 4 research sites in Western Washington. Areas at each site were prepared with solarization, burning, or herbicide, and plots were seeded with a diverse mixture of native species following site preparation. I am researching the effect of these treatments on the physiological profile of soil microbial communities and on available nitrogen (N) mineralization. Soil samples were collected from 5 locations at each site: the site preparation treatments, an unseeded herbicide area, and an untreated area. The samples were either inoculated into a Biolog EcoPlateTM containing 31 carbon sources and 3 water well controls, or used to extract a KCl solution for N mineralization amounts. The wells of the EcoPlatesTM contain tetrazolium, which changes color in response to microbial activity. The color development was recorded when plates were first inoculated using a micro-plate reader at a wavelength of 590nm, and were then incubated for 24 hours. Readings were then taken every 12 hours for 96 hours. The normalized data are analyzed using PCA and PERMANOVA.N Mineralization rates are obtained by subtracting the results of time 0 from time 1. PVC tubes were inserted into the 5 treatment plots on day 1 and removed to collect samples for mineralization. To obtain the second sample PVC tubes were left in the 5 treatments plots and collected after 40 days. Samples were mixed with a 2M KCl solution to extract NO3 and NH4 amounts. The resulting amounts of NO3 and NO4 from day 1 will be subtracted from day 40 to obtain mineralization rates. This research is important to the larger restoration project because it is examining how strongly the restoration treatments affect the soil microbial community.

Homo floresiensis diverges from the traditional morphological form associated with bipedalism: the size of their foot is long compared to the length of their femur. Here we examine the effect of lengthening the foot of modern humans to proportions like that seen in H. floresiensis on gait parameters. We hypothesize that the swing leg will need to be raised to allow the longer foot to clear the ground.  A sample of 8 women aged 18-30 years was used. A ratio of 0.87 (foot length / fibula length) was calculated using estimated measurements of the type specimen of H. floresiensis (LB1). A foot extension device (FED) was created to extend the feet of each participant. Each participant walked for a total of 10 trials at slow, preferred and fast velocities both with and without the FED. An 8-camera Qualisys system was used to measure the 3D trajectories of 3 markers placed of standard anatomical landmarks. The trajectory of the patella marker was analyzed to determine if there was a significant change in the height that the leg was raised while wearing the FED compared to without. Participants raised their right leg an average of 121 mm without the FED and 125 mm with, a nonsignificant difference (p = 0.446).  These results indicate that there is no significant change in the kinematics while walking with an extended foot, although a larger sample might reveal more subtle changes. Future work will include the analysis of more anatomical markers and larger sample sizes.

Geoarchaeological analysis of sediments collected during recent excavations of Khao Toh Chong, (KTC), rockshelter in Southwestern Thailand has provided detailed results describing the natural and cultural processes influencing site formation and occupation. This region has a complex history of sea level change during the Holocene but the prehistoric human responses to these changes are not well understood. Palaeoclimate records are sparse because of the lack of typical proxies such as pollen cores. To better understand the human-environment relationship in prehistory, this study characterized the sediment profile and utilized changes in stable carbon isotope ratios of soil organic matter (SOM)  to identify and interpret shifts between ancient C3 and C4 vegetation communities. These two types of plant communities may indicate palaeoclimatic conditions with periods dominated by C3 plants representing cool, wet, and cloudy climates and periods dominated by C4 plants representing hot, dry environments. The stable isotope data are interpreted in context of other geoarchaeological analysis and the material culture recovered from the site. This is the first study of stable carbon isotopes in SOM at an archaeological site in mainland Southeast Asia. These palaeoclimate and archaeological data, in combination with sea level data, give us a more detailed understanding of the human-environment dynamics in this region.

Plants respond with a sink stimulation of photosynthesis when colonized by bacterial and fungal mutualists, which compensates for costs of carbohydrate allocation to the microbes. Problems may arise when light is limited and plants cannot increase photosynthesis. We hypothesize that under such conditions the costs for maintaining the mutualism outweigh the benefits, which ultimately turns the beneficial microbes into parasites exploiting resources and reducing host fitness. We study these plant-microbe interactions under different light availabilities using lima bean plants, rhizobia (nitrogen-fixing bacteria), and mycorrhizal fungi. In our study, we apply two levels of light (full light and light intensity reduced by 50%) and four levels of microbial inoculation (sterile soil, rhizobia, mycorrhiza, and rhizobia x mycorrhiza). Fitness-relevant plant parameters are measured including plant vegetative growth as well as flower and seed production. Our study will provide first insights into potential shifts in functional interactions between plants and plant-associated microbes under light limitation.

Decision making and risk factors such as media, peers/friends, and family, represent the two main areas that researchers have examined in an effort to understand the cause of disordered eating. Research on decision making has identified a strong tendency toward self-gratifying or disadvantageous decision making among disordered eating populations. Furthermore, persons with disordered eating demonstrate sensitivity towards risk factors as a source for self-perception which in turn plays a large role in binge eating symptomology. However, research on the interaction of these two components with regards to disordered eating is yet unexplored. This gap in understanding was the source of inquiry for my study. Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is the most prevalent of the eating disorders. Being that I did not have access to a sizable BED group, I focused on subthreshold BED (SBED). I hypothesized that (a) SBED participants will demonstrate disadvantageous decision making; (b) SBED participants will place high value on media, peers, and family as a source self-perception; (c) SBED participants’ high sensitivity to media, peers and family promotes self-gratifying DM; (d) Gender differences will be significant with regards to external risk factors, but no difference in decision making. Participants were recruited from introductory psychology classes. An online survey was administered to measure eating attitudes, decision making pattern, and influence of media, peers, and family on binge eating symptomology. I anticipate finding that SBED participants demonstrate decision making impairments and sensitivities to risk factors. Additionally, I anticipate differences in the way risk factors are perceived between genders. Understanding the interaction between decision making and risk factors could lead to possible therapies for and preventive measures against disordered eating. A more in-depth study of clinical and subthreshold disordered eating is needed to ascertain a clearer understanding of the interplay between these two key components of disordered eating.

Identifying the sources of sediments that make up an archaeological site can be useful for understanding changes in site formation processes. Changes in site formation processes can relate to climate change and changes in the human use of the site. We analysed sediments from Klipfonteinrand, a Middle Stone Age site in western South Africa and sediments from seven potential source locations in the surrounding landscape. We used an acid digest procedure to extract elements from the sediments and identified and quantified 34 elements in the sediment extract using ICP-AES. Our results revealed elemental profiles of major geologic units in the landscape and changes in the source of sediments in the archaeological deposit. We explore the implications of these changes for our understanding of palaeoclimate, human history and human-environment relations at this site.

Traditionally, nonword imitations have been used as a measure of phonological awareness. In a recent study of nonword imitations by children where the targets were below the children’s vocal pitch ranges, it was surprising to find that the children matched the low vocal pitch one octave above the targets (Peter et al., 2008). This was interpreted as a covert awareness of the perceptual similarities between octave-shifted vocal pitches. It was unknown whether children and adults would match pitches directly when the target is within their vocal range. This question is addressed in my current project, which also evaluates the role of lexical stress and speech sound disorder (SSD). SSD occurs when articulation and phonological mistakes continue beyond the point when the child should have mastered the sound through normal development. In a dataset collected for a multigenerational family genetics study, men, women, and children imitated nonwords produced by men and women. Each family in the study had a history of SSD represented in several members of the family. Data analysis is complete for all participants in the study. This consisted of determining the fundamental frequency for each vowel in the non-word for two different imitation tasks (Syllable Repetition Task and Tennessee Test of Rhythm and Intonation Patterns). The participant’s fundamental frequency is compared to the fundamental frequency of the target. Results indicated that the participants showed strong evidence for direct pitch matching in these tasks. I am currently working on determining conversational pitch for each individual to show that the participant is changing his/her pitch to match that of the target voice. In addition, I am determining what effect SSD has on the direct pitch-matching task. Finally, I will also consider the role of stressed verses unstressed syllables has on the expected pitch matching.

 The social phenomenon of mass incarceration has opened the door to a full range of perplexing issues that continue to stymie researchers and policy makers. One particular and obdurate social problem is sexual offending, which seems immune to the so-called "evolving standards of decency" ideas espoused by the United States Supreme Court. Whereas society's rules of law and punishment are theoretically evolving to become more civilized and less barbaric, the practices of many of its citizens, including sex offenders, is not keeping pace with the evolution of ideas and behaviors. In fact, sex offenses are a ubiquitous fact of life - directly or indirectly - for many people in the United States. Not even a prison mandate issued by President George Bush in 2003 called the Prison Rape Elimination Act has positively affected the problem of sexual victimization in prison. This research seeks to add prisoners' voices to the ongoing conversation that exists among researchers and policy developers on the complicated and emotionally charged subject of sex offenders. This research asks a simple question: What are prisoner attitudes about sex offenders? The hypothesis maintains that inmate attitudes, when measured by the CATSO (Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offender) scale, will mirror mainstream attitudes that have been measured using the same instrument. The purpose of this study is to improve prison policies that pertain to sexual victimization by revealing a piece of the prison rape and prison violence puzzle that may be hidden within the attitudes of men and women held captive in U.S. prisons. 

Learning and memory require that neural activity be flexibly organized. Neurons must sometimes fire together in ensembles so that important signals are not lost in the complex activity of the brain, but these ensembles must also be capable of forming, breaking apart, or reforming at a moment’s notice. Such transient synchrony of neural activity may be achieved by means of oscillatory firing. Oscillatory firing at various frequencies is commonly found in electrophysiological recordings from the brain and may underlie the dynamic organization of neural activity. We investigated oscillatory activity in a brain region critical to learning and memory, the hippocampus. The power of oscillatory activity in the hippocampus at several frequency bands including gamma (30-80 hz) has been linked to successful encoding and recall in hippocampus-dependent memory tasks. Prior work has also shown that inputs from the ventral tegmental area are necessary for normal hippocampal function and for spatial learning and memory. These inputs occur in two forms: tonic baseline firing and intermittent phasic bursts. We tested genetic knockout mice that lack phasic but not tonic inputs from the ventral tegmental area while animals foraged for food on a spatial navigation task. We simultaneously recorded local field potentials in the hippocampus, which represent the net inputs to a region of the brain and allow us to assess the power of oscillatory activity. In the preliminary data, knockout mice demonstrated more rapid learning in response to successive manipulations of the reward location compared to controls. Knockouts also showed higher gamma-frequency but not theta-frequency (4-10 hz) power. These results suggest that phasic inputs from the ventral tegmental area selectively inhibit gamma-frequency oscillations in the hippocampus. This role may be behaviorally relevant, reflecting the possibility that these oscillations play a role in organizing learning and memory.

Is the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) successful in reaching its goal of supporting students through the completion of their first year at IHE (Institutions of Higher Education) schools? CAMP assists disadvantaged undergraduate students who are children of migrant/seasonal agricultural workers and who are usually migrant workers themselves. The program assists students by providing financial resources, tutors, personal academic advisors, and emotional support to students. Currently, CAMP measures its success by increasing the retention rates of its students and providing them with services that prepare them to enter their second year in good academic standing. Although these programs have been shown to have positive impacts on student retention rates, there is need for analysis of the extent of these successes and whether program methods could be improved to further increase graduation rates. This study examines, in depth, the current status of the program’s various factors ( i.e. funding, culture, academics, recruitting) that enhance and or deter students from continuing on to their second year and considers how improvements could be made. This study will be completed through literature reviews, policy analysis, and program evaluations of current CAMP programs. Ultimately this project aims to uncover the program’s strengths and weaknesses and to recommend at a grass roots practitioner level, as well as at the policy level; the expansion of financial resources, social capital and social support. This study will show that the successes of these types of programs are directly related with funding; the more resources CAMP obtains, the more effective it is as a whole. This research is important because the CAMP program serves as a model for future and current programs. Understanding the CAMP program can lead to creating more effective educational policies that cater to disadvantaged students.

 A Plasma Pencil Atmospheric Mass Spectrometer (PPAMS) is a new surface analysis device which allows mass spectrometry (MS) to be conducted on samples under normal atmospheric conditions. This enables surface analysis on samples that could previously not be analyzed under the current standard vacuum-based techniques, broadening the field of surface analysis. However, characterization of this method of surface analysis needs to be done in order to maximize the benefits of the PPAMS device and to determine the extent to which the traditional vacuum-based methods can be replaced. This process of characterization involves determining the ionization rate of the plasma pencil probe, performing various experiments while changing parameters (i.e. sample concentration, thickness, and gas type), and comparing results to established methods. Our current investigation is focused on the determination of the ionization rate of the PPAMS device. Initial experiments were performed on polyurethane-based samples dissolved in dimethyl acetamide and spun-coated onto a gold-coated silicon wafer. These samples were then probed by the PPAMS over controlled time intervals. A multivariate statistical method, Principal Components Analysis (PCA), was used to evaluate whether the MS signals obtained varied as a function of exposure time. We hypothesized that the signal would resemble our bare gold background once all of the polyurethane had been ionized. Instead, the MS signal was found to stay constant over a 15 minute exposure time implying a longer exposure time is needed. Current work is focused on evaluating the effect of PPAMS exposure to polymer thickness as a secondary means of evaluating ionization. Future work will center on investigating the changes to the ionization rate under different experimental conditions. The results of our device characterization will provide valuable insight into the limits of the PPAMS device that will enable improved experimental design.

This project’s goal is producing microporous scaffold for tissue growth. These scaffolds are made out of crosslinked 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), a hydrogel. They are formed by polymerizing the HEMA around polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) beads that are of a constrained and predetermined size. The PMMA is washed away and we are left with a porous scaffold of precise pore size. These scaffolds are used to encourage tissue growth and reduce inflammation and the foreign body reaction. The purpose of my research is to investigate blood vessel penetration into scaffolds by producing the largest sized scaffolds I can using novel techniques. We are currently limited to tissue scaffolds of a maximum thickness of 1 mm using our current techniques. With a larger thickness our scaffolds could be used for many more applications that are presently unavailable with a thin scaffold. Our methods are varied and include creating multiple mold designs, polymerizing techniques, and chemical washing techniques. Once I can create these larger scaffolds we will test them in vivo to evaluate the foreign body reaction as well as angiogenesis in the region. There is a large range of possible future applications for these scaffolds. They could be tuned to encourage many different types of tissue growth.

Though many fields that were previously male dominated have moved drastically towards gender equality, the field of computer science continues to reflect a large gender disparity; less than 20% of undergraduate degrees in computer science were given to women in 2009. Role congruity theory posits that women are more inclined to participate in activities that are congruent with their gender role. Current stereotypes of computer science reflect a societal perception that computer scientists work alone, and this stereotype is incongruent with the female gender role, specifically with communal goals. Previous research has found that communal goals, such as helping others and working with people, predict female interest in occupational fields. This research examined how perceptions of communal and agentic goals in a field are related to interest in a taking six different science classes. I hypothesized that women will be more interested in majors that endorse communal goals. Measures of personal importance of communal goals were taken as a potential mediator between interest in high communal and low communal majors. Surveys were handed out to students on campus at the University of Washington. The sample population included students attending the University of Washington who were 18 years of age or older. This study is a preliminary study to a series of experiments that will manipulate perceptions of communal goals in computer science classes. As many computer science departments hold a strict no-collaboration policy in their introductory courses, implications of this study may include how these policies potentially influence female college students to join or continue in the computer science major. Further, fostering perceptions of collaborative activities could potentially increase female participation in computer science through appealing to their interest in communal goals.

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is one of the most common types of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma with a 50.4% five-year survival rate.  Previous work has shown that some patients with aggressive DLBCL have increased expression of the transcription factor NF-kß, which can alter normal growth and function of B-lymphocytes.  Interestingly, a protein upstream of NF-kß in the B-Cell Receptor Pathway called PKCß is found to be highly activated in many DLBCL cases, suggesting that PKCß overexpression may be altering the lifecycle of those with DLBCL.  Therefore, PKCß may be a significant new target for therapy.  We designed a transgenic mouse expressing a dominant active form of PKCß expressed only in B-cells (Rosa26 DAPKCß XCD19-Cre).  With this model, we measured differences in B-cell  germinal center development and in antibody responses between WT and DA PKCß-Cre mice immunized with T-dependent antigen NP-CGG.  We hypothesized that DA PKCß-Cre mice may have an increased response compared to WT because of its dominant active form of PKCß, which leads to increased NF-kß and hyper-activation of the responding B-cells.  Thus, we used ELISA and ELISPOT assays to quantify the expressed antibodies and immunohistochemistry to analyze the architecture of the spleen.  Immunohistochemistry has shown that the immunized DA PKCß-Cre mice have slightly larger germinal centers than WT mice, although not statistically significant.  Immunized DA PKCß-Cre mice show no difference in serum antibody levels by ELISA, but have slightly increased numbers of anitbody producing cells by ELISPOT.  Overall, the data suggests that over expression of PKCß in B-cells results in a hyper-proliferative phenotype, but does not strongly alter the antibody response to the T-dependent antigen NP-CGG.  Since we saw a difference in mice immunized with Pertussis, which stimulates the Toll-like Receptor (TLR) Pathway, we will look at different responses of TLR ligands in vivo and in vitro.

 The effect of viral evolution on the duration of latency in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) infection has been studied extensively in men. The asymptomatic latency period, after HIV-1 infection and before the onset of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is characterized by high viral variability. In many cases, a viral phenotype that utilizes CXCR4 and/or CCR5 receptors on target host cells to advance HIV-1 infection progress also emerges during this period. Despite known sex-dependent variation in the progression of HIV-1, the effect of viral evolution and CXCR4/CCR5 utilizing virus (X4 virus) prevalence on HIV-1 latency has not yet been studied in women. I am investigating trends in viral evolution in 9 women from seroconversion until initiation of antiretroviral therapy. I will then compare my results to previously studied male viral evolutionary trends. Ultimately, a total of 72 blood plasma samples, an average of 8 samples from each woman collected progressively during the course of infection, will be used to generate 25-30 HIV-1 sequences per time point. These sequences will then be evaluated through 1) viral divergence from a founder strain 2) viral population diversity and 3) emergence and prevalence of X4 viruses. I will then analyze the relationship between viral evolutionary trends and X4 virus prevalence, and the duration of HIV-1 infection before the onset of AIDS. Ultimately, a comparison between the sexes will be made. Furthering the scientific communities’ knowledge of sex-related HIV-1 infection variation could lead to more effective sex-specific treatment and vaccine development. The important biological question of whether sex can influence HIV-1’s evolutionary path will be addressed. This project is currently in the preliminary stage of sequence generation. Trend analysis and conclusions will take place in Fall 2012.

 Craniofacial Microsomia (CFM) is a congenital condition that occurs in approximately 1:5,600 lives births and involves malformations that result in underdevelopment of one or both sides of the face, usually affecting the ear and jaw. It has been previously thought that in patients with unilateral CFM, the other half of the face remains unaffected. Recent studies suggest that the ‘unaffected side’ of the face may be smaller when compared to individuals without craniofacial conditions. This is an expansion of our previous pilot study where we found some support for this claim. We aim to quantify the facial differences clinically observed in the ‘unaffected’ side of the face in a larger sample size of 75 children with CFM compared with 75 children without craniofacial conditions using anthropometric measurements on 3D surface images obtained with the 3dMD® camera system. The outcome variables are coordinates and interlandmark distances using facial landmarks obtained on 3D images from individuals with CFM and controls. We compare distributions (mean and standard deviations) and proportions of the anthropometric measurements between children with CFM and controls using a two-sided Student’s t-test with unequal variance. Ultimately we hope this information will help us to better understand the etiology of this condition and treat children with CFM. We plan to integrate the results of this study into future assessments of patients with CFM to ensure they are receiving the highest quality of care and ensure that interventions are improving patients’ quality of life.

Over the last decade, neurofeedback has become increasingly popular as a potential treatment option for various neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders. As a completely noninvasive procedure, electroencephalographic (EEG) neurofeedback uses auditory or visual methods to provide an individual with information derived from scalp-electrode recordings of his or her own brain activity. The feedback information may relate to the spatial distribution of activation across the brain or the energy distribution across specific frequency bands. To date, no studies have been undertaken to investigate the potential use of EEG neurofeedback in the clinical management of stuttering. Stuttering is a high-prevalence (1% of the population) speech disorder that often develops into a chronic, life-long problem with severe social implications. The ultimate causes are unknown, but recent studies have revealed structural and functional neural deficits that impact sensorimotor functioning. The present project therefore aims to test the feasibility of developing EEG neurofeedback procedures that may reduce the severity of stuttering in adult participants. Initial testing with 19 data channels and BCI2000 software focuses on reliably discriminating between rest and speech or nonspeech motor activity and designing conceptually relevant feedback displays that represent the spatial or energy distribution of the recorded brain signals.  If successful, this research could have important clinical implications in the treatment of stuttering.

Many university student organizations host events for a broader population than just their member base. Yet, these organizations’ events often lack visibility among the broader student population. We examined this problem in the context of the University of Washington, a large public university in the Pacific Northwest. The goal of this project was to develop an effective solution for both students and organizations. To understand students’ needs, we deployed a survey to the general student population and received 72 responses. We also interviewed three student organization leaders and six students on event attendance habits. Based on this data, we identified key features for an information system that would be responsive to students’ needs. To refine these ideas, we developed and tested feature concepts in multiple prototypes to explore various designs. With this feedback, we then built a website that provides students with: (1) access to more events; (2) ability to personalize profiles to display only events likely of interest to them; and (3) integration with Facebook. Specifically, when students create an account on the website, they are able to select specific “tags” (i.e., social, academic development, and so forth) and specific student organizations that match their interests. The events displayed in students’ profiles match their set preferences. From the organizational perspective, our solution enables easier promotion of events. A core focus of the website is Facebook integration. Students are able to log in to our website with their Facebook accounts for their convenience. Student organizations are able to create a profile, then upload events to our website by directly importing events information from Facebook. For our solution to be successful, the website must gain wide adoption by students and organizations. Ultimately, we hope wide usage of our website will lead to increased event visibility and participation amongst the student community.

As young people between the ages of 16 and 24 become more engaged in their communities, they begin to seek out ways to contribute to volunteer activities. As this occurs, young people often need to track their service efforts, and organizations need to regularly reach out to volunteers and validate their participation. Despite advancements in web technology, paper logs that are prone to becoming unorganized or misplaced are still used by people and organizations as the primary method for keeping track of volunteering records. Such was the case for our nonprofit client, the University of Washington Foundation. To improve this situation, we first conducted a literature review on attitudes and behavior around volunteering. We then designed an online survey that was filled out by 64 qualifying respondents, and conducted 20 in-person interviews with students from local Seattle Public Schools and the University of Washington. Results suggested that young people consider (1) organization, (2) history tracking, and (3) event coordination as important qualities in helping to better manage their volunteering efforts. Building on those findings, we sought to create a web application called vTracker that allows volunteers to centralize their records in an online database for better safekeeping, verification, and retrieval. vTracker’s design and implementation process included the creation of wireframe diagrams, user interface design specifications, and a functional prototype. According to feedback from students and our client organization that tested our prototype, vTracker provides a convenient way for volunteers to set personal service goals and have their volunteer hours validated by participating organizations; similarly, organizations can share volunteer opportunities, confirm volunteer profile records, and recommend the work of their volunteers. Eventually, the Student Philanthropy Education Program of the University of Washington Foundation will adopt the web application as an active record-keeping tool because vTracker effectively streamlines their volunteer management process.

Many species have been driven, or nearly driven, to extinction by overexploitation. Without a proper understanding of their complexity, we will continue disrupting ecosystems with unsustainable harvesting. For example, the concept of maximum sustainable yield places priority on maximizing harvests by ignoring most of the consequences. Resource populations are reduced to stimulate productivity without fully accounting for the effects of doing so. To what extent we can sustainably reduce resource populations. Empirical patterns in the reduction of prey populations by natural predators fully account for ecosystem complexity to inform us. We analyzed data from numerous published studies in which the population size of various prey species (marine, fresh-water and terrestrial) had been monitored before and after a predator species was either introduced or removed. The population size was compared with and without predators, to determine the extent to which resource populations are reduced by nonhuman predators. The effects of natural predation is a variable that is currently being ignored as a source of guidance in regard to population reduction, and hope that this work can contribute to more holistic decision-making in this regard. The overall objective is that of maintaining sustainable populations, ecosystems, and fisheries.

Relationships can be beneficial in many aspects of one’s life. For example, intimate relationships may provide individuals with the ability to cope in stressful circumstances. On the other hand, it may cause an individual to experience more stress during different situations. Bergman and Surrey (2009) found couples may experience as many as 3 or 4 stressful situations in a given day. According to previous research, couples faced with certain stressful situations will often look to their significant other for support (Neff, 2009). I will be looking at intimate romantic couples for this study. I will examine if couples help or hinder their partners during a stressful situation. By using math problems as a stressor, I will examine how couples cope with stress with their partner and if their significant other increases or decreases their stress during and after the process of solving a math problem. Having each one take the survey, I will be assessing the stress levels of both partners. In this study, I will use the Math Self-Concept Scale (MSCS), the Statistics Test Anxiety-Emotionality (STAE), Cooperative Problem-Solving Measure (CPSM), Subjective Units of Distress Level (SUDS), and math equations for the survey they will be taking. These measures will examine each individual’s level of stress before, during, and after the survey questions are completed.  I anticipate, during the process of solving math equations, the involvement of an individual’s partner will either increase or decrease their stress levels associated with the activity. I hypothesize that the individuals who are assisting their partners who are taking the survey will find themselves more stressed during the problem solving process and less stressed after the activity ends. This study could provide professionals and counselors with some valuable information that could perhaps teach couples more successful methods of support and communication.

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals due to river runoff is a pressing issue. Through the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA), I will conduct research during the spring term analyzing the presence of heavy metals in the Puget Sound and the possible bioaccumulation in harbor seals. Sediment is collected using a Van Veen Grab from set sites around the Puget Sound once a month for the span of a year. Sediment samples will also be taken from various sites along the Snohomish River during the month of April. These samples will be sent to the Everett Environmental Laboratory to be tested for levels of mercury, arsenic, lead, zinc, cadmium, and copper. We will then attempt to obtain harbor seal excrement from the Everett Marina and send to the lab to be tested for the heavy metals listed above by the beginning of May. The data will be used to compare the amount of heavy metals found in the sediment of the Puget Sound to the amount of heavy metals found in secondary consumers (in this study harbor seals).

Where plankton reside in the water column is affected, among other things, by haloclines. Therefore the salinity stratification of the water can have major effects on the levels of plankton present. Our study focused on Possession Sound zooplanktons’ response to varying levels of salinity in a vertically stratified column. We questioned the preferred salinity level of various zooplankton found in a sample of Possession Sound water. We hypothesized that most zooplankton will prefer waters approximately 24 ppt since that is the average salinity of Possession Sound. We have so far looked at literature surrounding the subject and constructed the necessary apparatuses for the experiment. As part of our spring thesis research, we plan on observing the plankton’s response to the introduction to this environment.

Marine based industries, particularly the shellfish industry, are increasingly concerned about the viability of their product due to changing ocean pH conditions. Many other organisms with calcareous shells or exoskeletons are impacted by this change in sea water acidity due to anthropogenic gases. One such organism is the Artemia salina, or brine shrimp. Acidification causes dissolution of the shells into calcium and carbonate ions that float freely in the water. It was hypothesized that three closed systems could be created to replicate the ocean conditions of the present and future, specifically in 50 years and 100 years. Brine shrimp were chosen to be test subjects due to their ease of propogation. The closed systems provided pH, Ca2+ concentration, and the vitality of the tested brine shrimp community data. The working hypothesis is that Ca2+ ion concentration will increase as the exoskeletons dissolve with the decrease of pH.

Plastic pollution in marine environments has received considerable attention from scientists, policy makers and the media. Only recently, however, has much consideration been given to the unique problems microplastics (0.3 mm - 5.0 mm) present to aquatic systems. The small size of these plastic particulates makes them difficult to study and potentially more hazardous to marine and freshwater environments. While most efforts to quantify microplastic pollution have focused on marine environments, this study investigates microplastic load in a large freshwater body (Lake Washington) and the possible link between rain events and microplastic concentration. Water samples were obtained with flow meter-equipped plankton nets modified for accurate surface collection, and then processed using an oxidation reaction and visual inspection method developed by UW Tacoma. Results suggest freshwater microplastic pollution reflects average mass found in marine environments, and that there may be a correlation between rain events and higher microplastic concentrations.

In this study, the incompressible viscous flow over a circular cylinder is studied numerically. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically in 2D with the pressure-correction method and second-order finite difference scheme on a uniform Cartesian mesh. The circular cylinder is treated numerically by using the immersed boundary method originally developed by Peskin (1972). The simulations were performed at three different Reynolds numbers, ReD, based on the cylinder diameter ranging between 55 and 100. The numerical results such as the mean drag coefficient are compared at three different Reynolds numbers with experimental results.

Dugesia tigrina, commonly known as planaria, have a primitive, yet bilaterally symmetrical centralized nervous system and utilize many of the same neurotransmitters as humans. This allows us to use planaria to study the mechanisms of drug action and the effect of compounds on behavior in a relatively inexpensive in vivo model. Our lab explored the effects of over-the-counter commonly abused drugs on planaria activity, including seizure-like behavior, signs of withdrawal or habituation, or place conditioning. We have found that dextromethorphan (DXM), a cough suppressant contained in most over-the-counter cough medicines, increases seizure-like behaviors and reduces motility in a dose dependent manner.  DXM also has effects on place conditioning and withdrawal. DXM is thought as a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, so it can also be compared to the behavioral effects of DXM to that of NMDA stimulation. 

In recent years, gold nanoparticles have been utilized in biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility as well as unique optical properties. In order for the gold nanoparticles to become effective agents, they are functionalized with vectors that will target the nanoparticles to specific cells to be imaged. Conventionally, hybrid gold nanostructures have been produced by complex, multistep chemical cross-linking bioconjugation procedures usually involving biologically-unfriendly stringent conditions. To overcome difficulties related to conventional cross-linking methods, we propose a novel surface functionalization platform using biocompatible gold-binding peptide templates (AuBP). AuBPs were previously selected from combinatorial FliTrx peptide library and demonstrated nanomolar binding affinities to a gold surface under physiological conditions. We then conjugated AuBP with other binding domains engineered to bind to the constant Fc-region of an antibody (FcBP). This antibody is then recognized by receptors in the cell membrane for absorption. The bifunctional AuBP-FcBP peptides self-assemble on the surface of the gold nanoparticles, and effective gold binding is shown through a localized surface plasmon resonance, high-salinity stability assay and gel electrophoresis. A dot blotting assay is used to confirm the binding of the antibodies. These peptide-functionalized and cell-specific nanoprobes have a great potential for developing novel bioimaging tools for diagnostics and therapy.

Measuring client adjustment throughout psychotherapy has been supported as a method to improve client outcome upon cessation of treatment. Weekly assessments inform the clinician how the client is responding to therapy and illuminate when adjustments to treatment may be necessary.  The Evidence-Based Assessment System for Clinicians (EAS-C) is a computerized outcome tracking system that allows psychotherapists to measure weekly progress and instantly view results with their clients in session. While there are excellent measures for tracking general psychological adjustment, many are too lengthy and arduous to facilitate completion on a weekly basis. Therefore, we created the seven-item Brief Adjustment Scale for EAS-C. We hypothesized a high correlation between the BASE-7 and the Outcome-Questionnaire 45.2, an established measure of psychological functioning. Furthermore, we hypothesized participants would report more willingness to complete the BASE-7 and would rate it as easier to complete than the OQ-45.2. Adult participants were recruited through the online survey website, Mechanical Turk, and completed the BASE-7, OQ-45.2, and an acceptability and utility questionnaire online. The BASE-7 correlated highly with the OQ-45.2, indicating high concurrent validity. Participants rated the BASE-7 significantly more acceptable than the OQ-45.2, suggesting participants would be more willing to complete the BASE-7 on a weekly basis. Participants’ ratings of the utility of the BASE-7 and the OQ-45.2 were not significantly different, indicating participants believed both measures would adequately communicate levels of psychological distress to a mental health provider. These findings demonstrate that the BASE-7 is a valid tool for measuring psychological distress that may be more suitable for weekly administration than lengthier measures. As a brief outcome measure, the BASE-7 is a promising new tool that may be used to inform both clinician and client of treatment progress over time.

This research uses multi-agent simulation to explore the sustainability of different types of water supply networks. Sourcing, collection and storage, treatment, and distribution are all defining components of water supply chains. A functional water supply chain is one that supplies water to the end user in sufficient quantity and of sufficient quality. Factors such as pressure-driven leakage, fluctuating water supply, and seasonal water quality issues all affect water availability and delivery. To explore how water supply networks compare on a systems level, each supply chain type is modeled using a stochastic, multi-agent simulation platform. This platform allows statistical analysis of water supply systems under varied internal and external system conditions to gain insight into the strengths, weaknesses, and potential sustainability of each type of network. This research enables side-by-side water supply network comparisons that are unavailable in the real world, and is applicable to water supply network design and re-design.

Research on Dugesia tigrina, a species of planaria, has drastically increased over the last decade. Planaria are non-parasitic flatworms that have a primitive, bilaterally symmetrical central nervous system and utilize many of the same neurotransmitters as humans. This makes them a model organism to study drug effects and drug actions on the nervous system. Our lab studies some of the most commonly abused over-the-counter drugs and looks at the behavioral responses of planaria. Our lab has found that Dextrometorphan induces “C” like seizures and screw-like hyperkinesias. I have extended out analysis to look at  Salvia divinorum, an abused drug that can cause hallucinations. Comparing to our previous work with Dextromethorphan, I have found that Salvinorin A, the active component of Salvia divinorum, causes similar and different effects on planaria behavior and motility. This poster reports this comparative analysis. 

Why are urban forests not replacing themselves?  For example, recent surveys demonstrate that adult trees are dying faster than new saplings are recruiting in Seattle (Washington), implying that the health of local coniferous forests is in decline.  Extensive resources are spent planting trees to combat this problem, but the underlying causes of this "lost generation" of trees remains unknown.  We investigate factors limiting seedling establishment of native conifers (Thuja plicata, Tsuga heterophylla) in Seattle, and use results to suggest strategies resource managers can use to address the "lost generation" problem.  We examine the effect of removing non-native English Ivy (Hedera helix) and adding mulch to understand what is limiting conifer regeneration, and to explore possible management techniques for improving growth and survival of transplanted seedlings.  We measured survival, general health (visually assessed), and height as response variables to the two treatments.  As of yet, no studies have empirically tested both of these factors.  We observed the highest transplant survival rates in areas where mulch was added, for both focal species.  Surviving transplants in the mulch treatment were also healthier than the transplants with no mulch added.  Ivy presence did not affect health or survival of either species, but it did affect growth of Tsuga heterophylla.  Treatments affected growth of the two species differently.  Growth of Thuja plicata was not affected by either treatment.  For Tsuga heterophylla, however, growth was highest in the ivy-removed treatment, but was not significantly affected by the presence of mulch.  Our results suggest that seedling survival is limited by a lack of mulch and that competition with invasive understory plants may limit growth for some species.  Our recommendations for park management are therefore that restoration transplants should be paired with mulch addition, as well as Hedera helix removal for Tsuga heterophylla, to maximize survival and growth.

The problem of real-time gesture from videos is explored, using techniques of dimension reduction to approach this by using methods analogous to those developed for detecting objects in images and voices in sound data. A variety of innovative pre-processing techniques significantly downsize the total video data. This makes the use of the relatively computationally expensive Higher-Order Singular Value Decomposition (HOSVD) for the classification process feasible. The HOSVD transforms the data into a mathematical space where the classification process becomes much simpler. Once the input video of a gesture is transformed, it is tested against a training set that was created a priori and specially indexed to optimize the search. This process is a refined extension of the ‘eigenfaces’ technique developed for face recognition. The performance is compared to other contemporary methods and its feasibility for larger gesture databases discussed. It is our pre-processing which makes SVD feature selection possible and makes our method robust to variations in translation, rotation, and scale of the gesture in the video. The primary difficulties with scale include both temporal and spatial variations, specifically the rate of the gesture over the video length and the size of the hands performing the gesture. It is shown that our pre-processing steps sufficiently handle the aforementioned challenges except for the variations in time. Comparisons are made between various methods and a balance between computational load and accuracy is discussed. Minimizing the computations is essential for real-time recognition and we intend to release our core code to be incorporated into other computer vision projects.

Given a very fast calculator and a digital camera, is it possible to relate what the camera “sees” to everyday life as we know it? Impossibly fast electronic signals pass from our optic nerves to our brains to our muscles to give us the power of object recognition and the ability to articulate that recognition. Algorithmically, this project attempts to take the wizardry of that recognition and “dumb it down” for computer consumption. Using the Python coding language, through a mathematical approach, an attempt is made to add rudimentary letter and word recognition to a Scribbler robot. The input to be analyzed is gathered by a hardware add-on, which provides a 220 x 220 pixel still-image camera to the Scribbler robot. Through an established letter recognition scheme, the Python code scans for matching values and assigns letters accordingly. The letters are then stored into string values and fed to the Scribbler's built-in text-to-speech command. Through this experiment, the bridge between human and computer understanding will be linked, if only for a crude, brief second.

Opiates have long been a useful tool in medicine due to their potent analgesic properties. Although there has been a significant increase in prescribed use of opioids in recent years there has also been a large increase in deaths related to prescription opioids that may involve abnormal control of ventilation. Opiate effects on ventilation have largely been considered to be due to depression of respiratory chemosensitivity (sensitivity to carbon dioxide and/or acid-base balance), but another effect may include decreased oxygen consumption and therefore decreased production of carbon dioxide. In this study, we are using a whole body plethysmograph and a respirometer to measure the rate of oxygen consumption levels in juvenile rats 18-23 days) during sleep - before and after administration of morphine at varying dosages (5mg/kg to 45mg/kg). Our initial findings show no decrease in oxygen consumption and surprisingly instead demonstrate increases up to 50% following opioid administration. These unexpected findings illustrate the need for additional investigation on possible causes of prescription opiate associated deaths. Increased oxygen consumption (and therefore increased carbon dioxide production) in the presence of drug induced decreased sensitivity to carbon dioxide may interact to lead to dangerous compromises in the control of ventilation in patients taking a broad range of opiates doses in the community.

People always say ‘never talk about religion at a party,’ this is true even for college students. But if you’re a female in college, talking about religion is not only taboo, it’s unheard of. After being brought up by parents with two different ideologies, Christianity and Islam, I set out with this research project to better understand what role religion plays for my other female peers. Analyzing predominantly what their chosen theology means to their identity, how they advocate for their faith, how their ideology intersects with dating and what they perceive to be the biggest misconception about them for being religiously affiliated. I chose women who were students at UW from a variety of majors who identified with either Christian or Islamic based faiths, since this is where the majority of my previous research and experience has been. My primary methods were through long-form interviews, ethnographic observations and interacting with them on a daily basis as they moved their lives and their faith. Hearing about the challenges these women overcome on a daily basis just for identifying with a particular religion has solidified my hypothesis that ideology plays a pivotal role in their undergraduate career. Based on my research thus far, it has proven that it affects them in regards to their academics, involvement on campus and their interactions with their peers on campus. Further research will yield more information about the depth that these affects have taken. Overall, the outcomes have also been both surprising and inspirational to see how these women embrace, advocate and represent their faith. This work aims to open up and spark some dialogue about what religion means to college students and how societal framework does not always accurately represent these identities.

According to the World Health Organization, every year about 3.3 million babies are stillborn and more than 4 million die within 28 days of birth. Yet the death of a baby remains a very difficult subject in contemporary American society and bereavement interventions in perinatal medicine are still quite limited. This research will expand our understanding of the role photography plays in assisting parents with the process of mourning neonatal, perinatal, and infant death. By examining the perspectives of healthcare professionals, photographers, and parents in regard to the practice of bereavement photography, the research will investigate the ways in which photographs are used and transmitted, in both the private realm of bereaved families and the public domain of cyberspace. This study aims to understand how photography is used in the process of memory making and consequently, how the act of creating memories enables emotional healing. Finally, it will explore how bereavement photography exists at the junction of two shifts simultaneously occurring in cultural practices and social attitudes: the renegotiation of the boundaries between public and private, and the development of newer, characteristically modern, expressions of grief. This work has the potential to raise awareness about this developing mourning practice and increase the efficacy of bereavement interventions in neonatal and perinatal care, with the ultimate goal of providing a more widely available framework for helping parents cope with this hitherto often unspoken of, and invisible, loss.

Pelvic morphology varies between quadrupedal and bipedal primates due to locomotor behavior.  Flat, posteriorly oriented ilial blades and narrow bi-acetabular distances characterize terrerstrial quadrupeds, while bipeds have curved blades with wider acetabular distance.  While both groups exhibit an orthograde body plan, an ancestal characteristic for arboreality, humans as bipeds have modified this for a terrestrial environment.  Due to the constraints of parturition, human females have been shown to have wider bi-acetabular distances than males, but whether or not their interspinous distance or bi-iliac breadth is different remains to be determined.  The main objective of this study was to evaluate bi-iliac, interspinous, and bi-acetabular breadth in human males and females, using macaques, as the quadrupedal comparison group. Using Osirix imaging software, these pelvic dimensions were measured from the radiographs of 10 human males and females, and 11 adult macaques.  Since macaques only show sexual size dimorphism in the pelvis, we did not distinguish between sexes.  From the average dimensions, three ratios were calculated (bi-iliac breadth/interspinous distance (BI/IS), bi-iliac breadth/bi-acetabular distance (BI/BA), interspinous distance/bi-acetabular distance (IS/BA)). Sex and species differences were examined statistically using Stata (StataCorp, College Station, Texas).  As expected, the ratios in macaques were significantly different than humans (all p’s < 0.001). While human bi-iliac breadth and interspinous distance was greater than bi-acetabular distance (all p’s < 0.001), macaques showed nearly identical proportions in the three measurements.  These findings reflect different locomotor patterns morphologically shown by the transition between vertically oriented iliac blades to more anteriorly wrapped iliac blades.  Between males and females, females differed from men in bi-iliac/interspinous ratio (p = 0.038).  Unexpectedly, the sexes did not differ in the other two ratios.  Like macaques, humans did not show evident sexual dimorphism in relative pelvic proportions.  

The purpose of this study was to investigate one explanation for why religious people have been found to be happier than non-religious people. Given that gratitude has been shown to be an important aspect of psychological well-being, we theorize that an individual’s gratefulness towards God should mediate their happiness due to an increased availability of gratitude expression as well as creating a larger pool of events to be grateful for. We expected this mediation to manifest in the form of a participant memory bias as well as significant contributions to well-being after accounting for their gratitude disposition. In order to test this hypothesis, we analyzed the reported religiosity, well-being, and recalled significant events taking place in the past month of 133 college students. The results from this study seem to indicate that gratefulness towards God may not explain the happiness of religious people beyond their general gratitude.

Homo floresiensis exhibits lower limb morphology that is different from that of H. sapiens, leading some to conclude that gait would be different between the two species. For instance, the ratio of foot to fibular length in H. floresiensis is smaller than the ratio in modern humans, even after differences in body size are accounted. This increased foot length in H. floresiensis is thought to lead to a reduction in energy efficiency. In this study we artificially lengthened the foot of 8 women aged 18-30 years so that their ratio of foot to fibular length was similar to that of H. floresiensis. This was accomplished by creating a foot extension device (FED). Participants walked unshod on a treadmill at five self-selected and randomized velocities. Each velocity was maintained for five minutes, with a four-minute rest period between velocities while the volumetric rate of oxygen consumption (VO2) was assessed with a SensorMedics Vmax29 metabolic cart. We then increased the foot length with the FED and the participants walk at three self-selected velocities. The cost of transport (CoT) curve for each participant was calculated from their normal and FED walking trials. Walking with the FED did not change CoT (p > 0.05). From this result, we conclude that lengthening the foot to the proportion seen in H. floresiensis does not change walking energetics.

Life is abundant on planet Earth but we have relatively few locations in which we can study environments similar to those on other celestial bodies. One possible terrestrial feature that is similar to those on some of the moons of Saturn and Jupiter is Lake Vostok, located under 4000 meters of ice in Antarctica. If we can prove that life can survive in this desolate environment that has been covered by ice for the last 35 million years, there is a heightened chance that extraterrestrial life exists within our own solar system. To study this area, we are designing a probe that will melt through the ice and take measurements from the lake to determine if bacteria or other life forms can survive in such a harsh environment. The main goals of my project were to create a mechanism that will allow the probe to move vertically in the lake via user control, determine the optimal cable and wire storage method for such a large endeavor, and eventually design a housing for the probe that can withstand immense pressure without leaking. I did this by using 3D computer aided design software and pressure and stress analysis tools. From these designs, I manufactured actual prototypes to test my concepts. Eventually, this work will lead to a functioning probe that will survey Lake Vostok and other sub-glacial lakes in an attempt to find evidence of life.

Infection depends on the successful colonization of a host by a pathogen. For a virus to infect its host, it must come into contact with the host, gain entry into target cells, and replicate. There are a variety of factors that could influence the likelihood of a host becoming infected. For example, a higher concentration of virions in the environment will increase the probability that a host will come into contact with one. The relationship between viral concentration and the number of hosts infected could exhibit various forms, such as linear, logarithmic, or exponential. Viral genetic differences could also influence infectivity if certain genotypes are more effective at initiating infections. In this study we examined the relationship between dose size and the proportion of hosts infected by the fish rhabdovirus Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), and whether this relationship differed between virus genotypes. We compared the minimum infectious dose of two genotypes, one with higher virulence (HV) and one with lower virulence (LV), to determine how infectivity is associated with virulence. Previous studies indicate that at 100% infection levels, HV reaches higher viral loads than LV, in addition to having a host entry advantage, but to our knowledge the minimum infectious dose of either genotype has not been investigated. We hypothesized that the more virulent genotype would have a lower minimum infectious dose. We infected groups of fish with 10¹, 10², 10³, 10⁴, and 2x10⁵ pfu/mL of one of the two genotypes. After allowing the virus three days to initiate an infection, the fish were euthanized and their viral RNA was extracted and counted with quantitative real-time PCR to determine whether each fish was infected. The information gained about infectious dose can be used to produce a more refined understanding of viral fitness, and thus, viral evolution.

The purpose of this study is to conduct an analysis of the availability of quality multicultural children’s literature in Treasure Valley elementary schools. Of particular interest are several schools from the Boise and Kuna School Districts. Four schools will participate in the study, including at least one Spanish/English dual immersion school or program. Current research suggests multicultural literature supports the psychosocial well-being of students in all classrooms. Exposure to a variety of cultures increases awareness and acceptance among students, reading multicultural literature encourages children to reaffirm the values of their own culture and come to appreciate those of others. Furthermore, multicultural literature, defined as literature that accurately portrays diverse views and cultures, has a significant impact on students’ developing identities. For these reasons this study focuses on the multicultural literature availability and content of school libraries in elementary schools. In this study I will investigate the availability, or lack thereof, of multicultural literature and the quality of the multicultural literature available in the school libraries by analyzing the library’s multicultural collection. The measure used to analyze the literature will be composed of distinguished books that have received any of the following awards: Notable Books for a Global Society Award, multicultural literature awards such as the Coretta Scott King Award and the Pura Bulpre Award from the American Library Association, and the Carter Woodson Award; within the past five years. This study will also take into account the need for multicultural literature in the particular schools by comparing the demographic population of the schools and the relationship to the library’s inclusion or lack of inclusion of multicultural literature. This study will prove useful to teachers, administrators, librarians, and parents when making decisions in regards to literature purchases and donations for school libraries. It also provides critical information that can be used to analyze student levels of engagement with library resources.

Autonomous control systems are critical for the operation of aerial vehicles and spacecraft. This project focuses on the development of an autonomous control system for a robotic vehicle by simulating the model of the vehicle using computer software. This model will then be used for testing various control schemes. In particular, variation of the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller will be used and tested. The main goal of this research is to implement the autonomous control system on the vehicle and compare the response of the vehicle to those generated by our computer simulation. Specifically, the research will focus on the development process of the PID controller. Our results will then verify whether the developed mathematical model is accurate for the purpose of predicting actual system response. The objective of the analysis is to confirm the advantages and disadvantages of each control scheme and to develop an autonomous control algorithm for the vehicle. In-depth analysis will also provide insights into the difficulties and challenges of developing a mathematical model that accurately simulates all states of the system, as well as the complications involved in creating a system that precisely controls the vehicle as desired by the user.

The purpose of this study is to determine how contemporary American society and its military view the concept of dying and how one is able to have “a good death.” For primary sources, I use Medal of Honor citations, letters home, newspaper obituaries and articles. Preliminary results have shown that the best way one could die was in the action of saving another’s life. Medal of Honor citations alone have indicated this. Of the 258 Medals of Honor, which have been awarded, often posthumously, since the start of the Vietnam War, 56% have been awarded for actions that demonstrated self-sacrifice for others. In the conflicts after Vietnam the proportion of Medal of Honor citations in regard to self-sacrifice have risen: of the 12 Medals of Honor that have been awarded, self-sacrifice made up 75% of the citations. I expect to find more corroborating evidence as I continue my research. It is hoped that information gleaned from this research will help mental health professionals better treat veterans by assuaging any potential survivor’s guilt that military personnel may possess.

Ultrasound (US) and microbubbles (MBs), as tools for gene transfection, have promising implications for gene therapy. Through permeation, US facilitates the diffusion of a gene or drug from the capillaries into the cell. Binding of the gene or drug to the MBs can further enhance the delivery efficiency, and when exposed to US, the MBs are ultimately cavitated once they have reached their target. Our goal is to create MBs that will enhance US-mediated transfection. Concerning MB production, we have shown that our prepared MBs are more concentrated, stable, and consistent than those of the leading manufacturers, via flow cytometry and Coulter Counter analysis. In in vitro experiments, we have shown that US, by itself, increases transfection efficiency (plasmid concentration in cells) of pGL3 and pGFP in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. 293 cells are transfected very readily and consistently and are therefore useful as a way to accurately quantify gene expression from transfection. Combined with MBs, transfection efficiency is further improved upon. US parameters (intensity, exposure time, frequency) and MB characteristics (concentration, size, distribution, stability) are interdependent, and thus the optimization of each parameter is important. With regards to US parameters, exposure times have been varied from 1 to 5 minutes, at intensities ranging from 0.5 to 2 watts, and the optimal condition (cells transfected minus cells killed) has been found to be 2 watts per square centimeter for 3 minutes. These conditions have been combined to quantify 293 cell gene expression. It has been shown that MBs enhance transfection rates by up to 25 times when compared to those with just US. These results have important implications in gene therapy as a means of non-invasive, localized, and efficient gene delivery.

The process of a sperm entering an egg during fertilization is not well-understood at the molecular level for any organism. Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, serves as an ideal model organism to study the normal process of fertilization and what goes awry in cases of sterility. A novel membrane protein termed GCS1 is suggested to play a crucial role in fertilization in angiosperm plants and protists. Disruptions of the gene in these organisms are sterile due to defects in gamete interactions. Comparative genomics suggest that GCS1-like proteins are conserved across a wide variety of eukaryotic species, including Drosophila, suggesting that the GCS1 gene is of ancient origin. We have cloned a genomic fragment containing a putative Drosophila GCS1-like homologue (dGCS1) and showed that it rescues mutations in a gene called pskl, which when mutated results in male sterility. This result confirms that dGCS1, like GCS1 in other organisms, plays a role in fertilization. However, our mutants also show that dGCS1 has roles in both sperm formation and sperm function during fertilization. Currently, we are using Minos, a DNA transposon inserted near a protein-coding exon of the dGCS1, to disrupt the gene. We have obtained over 100 Minos excision alleles and are comparing these derivatives genetically and molecularly to determine if we can define specific portions of the dGCS1 protein that contribute to male fertility. These ongoing studies should be informative for identifying regions of the Drosophila gene and protein that are important for function, and should shed light on how GCS1s in general function during fertilization.

Recovery after severe skeletal muscle crush injury is a major research focus, especially for the armed forces and after major natural disasters. Evaluation of statistics in major American wars displays astonishing numbers of severely injured soldiers, many of them undergoing amputations of major limbs. Much of the research has focused on recovery from exercise-induced muscle injury but little is known about crush injury-induced recovery pattern. Cytokines such as interleukins and tumor-necrosis factors recruit immune cells to the site of injury to clear cell debris, repair cell injury, and stimulate the growth of satellite cells. The time course for the expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha is not well characterized in injured skeletal muscle of mice. The purpose of our investigation is to develop a crush injury animal model to study the expression pattern of these proinflammatory cytokines in the recovery process following crush injury. In our experiments, RNA was extracted and reverse transcribed into cDNA from the right gastrocnemius of injured mice for qPCR to determine the expression levels of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha at 0, 4, 8, 24, 48 and 72 hours post injury. From preliminary data, we see a linear increase in TNF-alpha expression from 0 to 24 hours, and a rapid increase in IL-1beta and IL-6 with a linear decrease over the following 4-24 hour time points. Analysis of later time points is ongoing. This work provides a baseline in preparation of treatment trials to study the healing process and related cytokine production following injury. By understanding the time course and functions of these cytokines and how they interact, we can contribute to the scientific foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of therapies used in managing wounded soldiers.

Neutrinos and antineutrinos are elementary particles with no electric charge and very small masses. From neutrino oscillation experiments we know their mass differences but not their absolute scale. Additionally, it is unknown whether neutrinos are their own antiparticles. These are two of several significant questions in neutrino physics and are important for furthering our fundamental understanding of the universe as we extend the Standard Model of particle physics. These questions can be probed by a search for the rare hypothetical radioactive decay known as neutrinoless double beta decay. The Majorana Demonstrator experiment will look for neutrinoless double beta decay in ⁷⁶Ge. Currently, the Majorana Demonstrator is in the development stage, and involves the collaboration of several universities and national laboratories. My research characterizes electrical crosstalk between nearby readout channels for this experiment. As neutrinoless double beta decay is hypothesized to such a rare process, a thorough understanding of the electrical crosstalk is necessary to adequately interpret the measured signals.

The concept of "inclusion" is a class placement method for children who have special needs; this involves integration into a classroom with traditional student group populations. Previous research states to the extent possible, and deemed appropriate, students with special needs have been known to benefit simply by being surrounded in a learning environment with diverse peers. While the focus is usually on the particular child(ren) with special needs, research mainly analyzes cognitive development. There may be various positive impacts placed upon the other students on social and emotional levels of development. This literature review examines whether classroom inclusion enhances a typically developing student's sense of empathy, acceptance, and equity for non-traditional student (including students with special needs) population groups among the developing traditional four year old students. This research project anticipates that there will be "enriched" development and a higher sense of empathy, acceptance and equity for the general population groups. These inquiries will be addressed through a literature review to synthesize what we currently understand about the effect of inclusion on typically developing children. The review will investigate work related to empirical studies on preschoolers' experiences in inclusive classrooms. Additional investigation will include foundational perspectives as presented by leading scholars and organizations in the field of early childhood special education. Based upon future findings, the examination of further research of behavioral patterns amongst both populations will be implicated.

OneBusAway is an application providing real-time arrival information to tens of thousands of transit riders daily. As a system built on providing reliable information, one of the cornerstones of OneBusAway is threatened when it does not provide accurate information to its users. Our surveys and interviews of current OneBusAway users confirmed that inconsistencies in the application have a significant impact on riders’ transit experience by making them miss their bus and lose trust in the application. In addition, users of the application have limited options for reporting issues with inaccurate information and lack the means to easily receive targeted feedback about their reports. Furthermore, reports received by OneBusAway are not currently categorized, verified for validity, or sent to one central repository, leading to a significant amount of manual work for OneBusAway developers.To address this problem, we designed an issue-reporting system that relies on a network of users to submit, approve, and resolve issues encountered in OneBusAway. Using OneBusAway to establish communication between transit riders and agencies, our system will direct issue reports to the source for resolution and provide feedback to users when the problems are resolved. Our application will empower users with the tools to get actively involved in their transit community and improve the transit experience.

Adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by the involuntary spasm of the vocal folds, which results in an effortful, strained voice quality. This altered voice quality may result in negative reactions from speakers with ADSD as well as their communication partners. One qualitative study reported that some ADSD speakers expressed feeling inadequate, as though their “capabilities” were called into question, when conversing with others. In reality, the way in which individuals perceive a person with a communication disorder may reveal inherent biases that extend beyond voice quality. For example, when researchers manipulated the rate and pitch of a normal voice sample, listeners similarly altered their assessment of that speaker’s characteristics, such as intelligence. Literature also indicates that the more severe an individual’s voice quality, the more negatively that individual’s traits will be perceived. Additional studies have examined how listeners’ perceptions of voice quality relate to a speaker’s voice handicap; neither topic has been investigated in ADSD. Therefore, the objectives of this study are: 1) to determine whether there is a relationship between listeners’ perceptions of severity of ADSD speech with perceived speaker’s confidence; and, 2) to determine whether listeners’ ratings of speaker confidence relate to speakers’ self-rated voice handicap. Twenty speakers with ADSD were previously recorded and completed validated questionnaires (Voice Handicap Index; VHI). Twenty inexperienced listeners are enrolled in this study. These participants will listen to and judge ADSD speech samples on overall vocal effort and speaker confidence using 100 mm visual analog scales. It is hypothesized that speakers with more severely effortful voices will receive lower ratings of speaker confidence. It is also expected that more negative assessments of confidence will correlate with a speaker’s higher VHI score. Results of this study have implications for understanding the role of potential biases in ADSD outcomes.

Diabetes is an escalating health issue that can lead to a multitude of health problems, including heart disease, blindness and death. In 2011, the Center for Disease Control reported that diabetes afflicts 25.8 million Americans, is the seventh leading cause of death, and that it incurs an annual cost of $174 billion. Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) accounts for 90-95% of adult diabetes, for which there is no definitive cure. Studies show that 84% of patients undergoing Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) experience near immediate, weight-independent remission of T2DM, and virtually all achieve improved glycemic control. The exact mechanism of remission is a quandary, however the hypothesis is that RYGB improves glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity through differential expression of gastrointestinal peptides. To explore the molecular mechanisms of this, 44 Ossabaw pigs are obtained and raised on a high fat diet that promotes weight gain and insulin resistance. Pigs are randomized to undergo one of 5 operations: RYGB (n=8), RYGB with Vagotomy (n=8), Gastrojejunostomy (n=8), Gastrojejunostomy with Duodenal Exclusion (n=8), or sham (n=4). Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT) and meal tolerance tests (MTT) are performed once before the surgery, then again at 30 and 60 days after the surgery. Gastrointestinal tissue samples are collected during surgery and at necropsy on day 60. Samples are taken from the following sites: the stomach, proximal and distal duodenum, proximal and distal jejunum, proximal and distal ileum, and the pancreas. IVGTT and MTT blood samples will be used to determine the physiologic response by analyzing glucose, insulin, GLP-1, PYY, GIP, and ghrelin levels. GI and pancreatic tissue samples will undergo histopathological and mRNA analysis to provide insight into the differential expression of peptides at various locations. The conclusions of this study will help determine the mechanism of glycemic improvement and the cause of T2DM remission.

Phytoliths, microscopic plant silica bodies, inform us about the types of plants that remain in the fossil record, allowing for reconstruction of past flora, climate, and ecosystems. The existing method for reconstructing vegetative structure and habitat type (open vs. closed) using phytoliths depends on the presence of presumed open-habitat grass types. This method may not be able to reliably reconstruct vegetation type when open-habitat grass phytoliths are absent, and depends on the assumption that open-habitat grasses have always been restricted to open environments. Therefore, a taxon-free, morphological approach may be more informative for inferring habitat openness using fossil phytolith assemblages. This study looks at the effects of light variation on epidermal cell shapes in modern grasses as a first step in creating a proxy for determining habitat type from the fossil record. Based on patterns observed in dicotyledonous plants, we hypothesize that epidermal grass cells will be more undulated when grown in reduced lighting condition. To test this, five species of grasses were grown in varying light treatments (20%, 60%, 100% (control), and 120% relative to the control). We took morphometric measurements of long and short cell types from epidermal peels and calculated their degree of undulation (UI). Results show three species where long cells had higher UI in deep shade (20% light) than in enhanced light (120% light), though the relationship is non-linear. With short cells only one species displayed a continuous increase in UI as light levels decreased. Thus, data from long cells show the greatest promise for use in the fossil record. To further test this method for paleoecological work, the UI of epidermal cells in soil phytolith assemblages from known modern habitat types will also need to be examined to see whether this UI and light correlation persists under natural growth conditions.

In a population of organisms, traits that increase fitness, or the ability to survive and reproduce, are passed on to progeny and become more prominent in the gene pool. It has been similarly shown that E. coli with a phenotype that increases or decreases fitness given an environmental pressure can be tuned to correspondingly decrease or increase fitness through random mutagenesis and selection of desired mutants. However, this process does not focus mutations and does not confer the maximum fitness benefit or cost per mutation. In order to isolate mutation location and effect, and increase the rate at which evolution occurs, I am applying a tool called Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs). SSRs are repeats of short nucleotide sequences (AAA…, ATATAT…, etc.) that have been shown to mutate primarily in the form of insertions or deletions of an SSR and have a rate of mutation four to five orders of magnitude higher than non-repeat sequences. Most importantly, it has been shown that when SSRs are inserted between the ribosome binding site (RBS) and start of a gene, every insertion or deletion has a discrete, predictable effect on the level of expression for that gene. We have inserted SSR spacers in front of lacZ, lacY, and lacI in the lac system, and will show that we can rapidly optimize the expression of the genes. This could serve as a significant tool for tuning other, novel behaviors in bacteria.

Pyroclastic Density Currents (PDCs) are the most dangerous hazard associated with explosive volcanic eruptions. Due to the danger associated with observing these ground-hugging currents of searing hot gas, ash, and rock in real time, their processes are poorly understood. In order to understand flow dynamics, including what controls how far PDCs travel and how they interact with topography, it is necessary to study their deposits. The May 18th, 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens produced multiple PDCs, burying the area north of the volcano under tens of meters of PDC deposits. The eruption is one of the best observed on record, and deep drainage erosion over the past 30 years has exposed the three-dimensional structure of the PDC deposits, making this intensive study possible. For each flow unit we measure deposit thickness, bedding style, clast size, density and sorting, and degree of pumice rounding with distance from source. The intricate vertical and lateral facies changes and complex cross-cutting relationships away from source, including rapid changes in bedding and granulometry characteristics within each unit, indicate that the currents interacted with complex topography early in their propagation. We use this observation and analysis to better understand and interpret flow dynamics. The data we collect will be used to refine and validate numerical models of PDCs, ultimately providing a more accurate hazard assessment for explosive eruptions.

Perception of natural hazards and risk among Pacific Northwest (PNW) residents is not well known. Familiarity with a given population's perception of natural hazards and the threats they present is vital for the development of effective education prior to and emergency management response after a natural event. While much work has been done in other active tectonic regions, little work has been completed in our region. The objective of this work is to assess the current perception of earthquake and volcanic hazards in the PNW, and to better understand the factors which drive the public's behavior concerning preparedness and response. We developed a survey to assess the participants' knowledge of natural hazards common to the region, perception of risk concerning these hazards, and level of preparedness should a natural hazard occur. The survey was distributed to the PNW public via a class project in 'Living with Volcanoes' (ESS 106) in March of 2011 and 2012, which returned more than 1000 responses. Here we highlight the responses from the UW student population because of their uniqueness as a large semi-transient population (typical residence of less than 5 years). Knowledge of natural hazards and proximity to hazard sources was found to be low/inaccurate, which corresponds to a low perception of risk. Understanding/awareness of evacuation/coping protocol for natural hazards was also found to be low, suggesting this large, semi-transient population lacks the understanding of proper preparation for and response to a natural hazard. Results from the survey indicate need for education of this population concerning the risks of natural hazards in this region and the steps for better preparedness. The ultimate goal of further education is to create a "culture of safety" rather than "moments of reaction" (USGS initiative).

According to American cultural tradition, domestic and work responsibilities are typically split between the spouses. The wife satisfies the domestic role and stays at home to care for the house and children while the husband goes out into industry to earn money. But with the recent economic decline, there has been an increase in the number of husbands enacting the domestic role as stay-at-home dads. Like many emerging social profiles, stay-at-home dads are struggling to establish a sense of community and individual identity given their limited networking resources and experience in the domestic domain. Transitioning from a role defined by the status of their job and their level of income, new stay-at-home dads may find it difficult to adjust to their new role. The primary scope of this project is twofold: 1) to create a profile of usability needs for the emerging audience of stay-at-home dads, and 2) to develop an online space for both new and current stay-at-home dads so they can network and share their experiences in the domestic domain. While our contextual inquires and competitive analysis of preexisting stay-at-home dad forums demonstrate a growing audience, our individual interviews with stay-at-home dads confirm the high demand for a user-friendly online space to stay connected with other stay-at-home dads. We report initial findings from research activities focused on designing an online space that meets the expectations of personal and social growth for stay-at-home dads.

This project was conducted as part of a larger research endeavor called the Triadic Eye Gaze (TEG) project, a 5-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The TEG study is an ongoing investigation into the efficacy of one type of communication intervention for children 10 to 25 months of age with moderate-to-severe motor impairments and delayed expressive communication. Our project's purpose was to compare the routine interventions these children received for early signals of communication to standard clinical practices as recommended in the literature. We specifically wanted to know how much treatment the children were receiving and from which professionals, how much of that early intervention focused on communication, and how parents were involved in the treatment sessions. The population for this study was a convenience sample from the larger TEG study, comprised of 15 children with a range of disorders including cerebral palsy, several genetic syndromes, and general developmental delay. Intervention documents, including Individualized Family Service Plans, daily notes, and attendance records, were obtained for each participant from the appropriate birth-to-three center. Quantitative data reduction methods were used to determine the average number of treatment sessions per month, average minutes of treatment per month, and the proportion of total treatment time that each professional provided. Qualitative methodology was used to determine how much of the intervention focused on early communication signals and how parents were involved in this intervention. Results will be compared to clinical practices recommended in the literature. If we find inconsistencies, it will suggest that the typical treatment these children receive is not sufficient. It will be imperative to conduct further research with a larger, more in-depth study to expand upon these findings.

Smokeless tobacco use, 90% of which occurs among males, typically begins in adolescence and significantly ceases by the end of young adulthood. This study tested the hypothesis that psychological factors consistent with the Theory of Triadic Influence (TTI) longitudinally predict male SLT acquisition and cessation. This is the first known study to test these predictions. TTI psychological risk factors (parental noncompliance, friend compliance, rebelliousness, and thrill-seeking) were assessed in a cohort of Washington State males participating in a 40 school district tobacco study. To predict acquisition of daily use, never SLT users had their risk factors assessed at age 12. Their SLT use was assessed at age 18 (N = 2,468; 94.8% 5-year retention). To predict cessation, all daily SLT users had their risk factors assessed at age 18. Their SLT cessation status was assessed at ages 20 and 28 (N = 182; 86.9% 10-year retention). All models were tested with logistic regressions adjusting for experimental condition, team sport participation, parental education, and clustering among participants in the same school district. Scoring high on the following psychological factors at age 12 increased the odds of daily SLT use at age 18: 156% increased odds for friend compliance (OR = 2.56; p <.001), 116% for rebelliousness (OR = 2.16; p <.001), and 133% for thrill seeking (OR = 2.33; p <.001). Parent noncompliance was not a significant predictor (p =.33) of SLT acquisition. None of the psychological factors at age 18 predicted SLT cessation at ages 20 or 28 (p value range: .13 to .94). This study provides the first evidence that friend compliance, rebelliousness, and thrill-seeking strongly predict SLT acquisition among males. However, there was no evidence that the psychological factors predicted SLT cessation. Targeting these psychological predictors early may help prevent SLT use among males.

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), or auxin, is a plant growth hormone that is vital to the regulation of growth and development in plants. Although auxin’s function in plants is to control growth, it potentially regulates any gene in other organisms, making it a powerful regulatory tool. By investigating the synthesis of auxin, it can be generated in organisms besides plants. The goal of this project is to take the first step towards that reality through the synthesis of auxin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast). Due to the thorough characterization of S. cerevisiae, the organism is an optimal choice because the mechanisms involved with the manipulation of its gene networks are well understood. This project integrated the tryptophan-2-monooxyngenase (iaaM) and indole-3-acetamide hydrolase (iaaH) genes from Agrobacterium tumefaciens into the yeast genome. The enzymes produced from these genes convert tryptophan into auxin. In an attempt to reproduce this synthesis pathway, the two genes were amplified and integrated into the yeast genome through the use of the Gateway® cloning system and integrating vectors. Checking for successful auxin synthesis utilizes the auxin signaling pathway that was built in S. cerevisiae by the Klavins Lab. This system involves interactions between two proteins, an AFB (auxin signaling F-box) and an Aux/IAA (a transcriptional regulator of auxin responsive genes). The presence of auxin triggers the degradation of an Aux/IAA. By fluorescently tagging an Aux/IAA, the expression of the protein was observed. A decrease in fluorescence indicates the production of auxin. Successful auxin synthesis in yeast creates further possibilities for establishing regulatory systems based on the use of auxin in non-plant cells.

 As a river feeds into the ocean, a buoyant, laterally spreading, rapidly moving layer of fluid which runs seaward over the ocean surface (i.e., a river plume) is formed. At the interface between the fluids, shear stress creates turbulence, which causes mixing and plume deceleration. Additionally, pressure differences due to density differences and the plume surface slope create a pressure imbalance. The interplay of these and other processes are poorly understood. This lack of understanding is in contrast to the importance of river plumes dynamics: plume dynamics determine the ultimate concentration of contaminants and biological debris (notably red tide) in a larger (geostrophic) scale current which forms after the plume decelerates significantly. This geostrophic current runs along the coast and can transport contaminants to coastal marine ecosystems, beaches, and coastal communities. In order to predict the potential danger in the propagation of river contaminants along coasts, it is necessary to develop a quantitative understanding of plume dynamics. To this end, a momentum balance (an application of Newton’s Second Law to fluid flow) is currently being carried out. The relevant terms in this balance are the along-flow pressure gradient, the vertical turbulent interfacial stress gradient, and the total acceleration. Each of these terms can be constructed from velocity and density profiles which have been obtained for different experiments under both channelized and spreading conditions using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and particle laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF). By comparing the relative magnitudes of terms in the balance, a quantitative understanding of the importance of different dynamical processes will be obtained, and by comparing the form of the balance in channelized and spreading cases, a hypothesized relationship between spreading (which causes the fluid to collapse and accelerate) and turbulence/mixing (the magnitude of which is determined by the speed of the plume) will be investigated.

Tuning the gene expression of biomolecular pathways is an area of intense interest and value to synthetic biologists. Through the use of a mixture controlled turbidostat (MCT), we have been able to streamline, and in many cases enable the processes involved in this area of study. A turbidostat is a continuous culture bioreactor that maintains constant culture volume and cell density while diluting with fresh media to keep cells in an exponential growth phase. With the addition of mixture control, the turbidostat can vary the chemical environment within the culture vessel without altering cell density levels. Tuning gene expression in Escherichia coli is a simple matter when using a MCT. Currently, an area of global interest is the industrial production of butanol with E. coli. The first step towards this is enabling E. coli to live in rich butanol environments. Because butanol is naturally toxic to E. coli, an increase in gene expressions of the biomolecular pathways responsible for detoxification of butanol is required. By placing laboratory grade E. coli into our MCT, the concentration of butanol can be increased over time while the cell density remains constant. This will allow fitness increasing mutations within the biomolecular pathways responsible for detoxification of butanol to prevail over many generations, with the hope of eventually converging to a final population of E. coli that subsists in highly concentrated butanol environments. Through increasing E. coli’s resistance to butanol, we hope to illustrate the usefulness of MCTs in tuning gene expression of biomolecular pathways.

Comic books have long been used as an educational tool to improve and protect public health in the U.S. In 2008, the Native Comic Book Project (NCBP) was launched as a youth-focused community education project of Native People for Cancer Control (NPCC); a National Cancer Institute funded Community Network Program Center, based at the University of Washington. The availability of cancer screening tests, high quality health care, encouragement for health promoting behaviors, and access to cancer clinical trials, are often not available to tribal communities. As a result, American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) experience the worst cancer related disparities and have the poorest survival rate among all other racial/ethnic groups. The purpose of the NCBP is to reduce cancer risk by involving AI/AN youth in creating comic books on health topic such as health living, tobacco use, cancer risk, disease prevention, and physical fitness. The NCBP is modeled after Dr. Michael Bitz’s The Comic Book Project, but is adapted for AI/AN youth and incorporates Native storytelling and traditional ways of living. We are currently conducting a formal evaluation of the NCBP using pre- and post-intervention assessments to measure knowledge, habits, and decision-making regarding tobacco use, healthy eating, exercise habits, and human papilloma virus (HPV).

Immigration law is developed and enforced through cooperation between the state and federal government. There are times when the state legislature creates laws that supplement federal policies in order to conduct immigration enforcement unique to their situation. A state’s public perception regarding immigrants can result in the legislature drafting pro-immigrant or anti-immigrant policies. Previous research by Merkowitz and Yoder (2009) discusses how the U.S. national legislature responds to public opinion about immigrants. They find legislatures are influenced by demographics of their districts. This research will examine the state legislature of Idaho and its response to public perceptions about immigrants. I will be testing to see if immigration policy is a function of the following variables: party affiliation, state demographics, and regional industries. Each variable will be tested independently while controlling for other potential explanatory factors. I will get data for this analysis this summer by conducting a survey using a sample of Idaho state legislators, advocacy groups, and special interests that represent the state’s participants on immigration policy making. In addition to the survey, I will make an analysis on how legislators vote on immigration related legislation from the years 2000 to 2010. Finally, I will create an index that will determine if the responses from the survey and a legislator’s votes are pro-immigrant or anti-immigrant. I will define if a legislators pro-immigrant or anti-immigrant by how far their proposals deviates from current federal immigration policy. I expect the results will show that the state legislature responds more to the state’s demography and economy than the legislator’s party affiliation. The results from this research will reveal who are the primary actors in Idaho’s immigration legislation process. The results will show if there is a difference between the national legislature’s reaction to public pressure and how Idaho’s state legislature reacts.

Curiously, Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) thrives on the rocky riverbanks of Washington under nutrient-poor conditions few other species dare tolerate. Their prosperous lives could be the result of nitrogen-fixing bacteria that inhabit the tree's stems and roots. It is the hypothesis that these endophytic bacteria provide trees with organic nitrogen throughout their lives, where the river side substrate fails to provide sufficient nitrogen for the Poplar to otherwise live. Wild Black Cottonwood seeds were collected from Three Forks Park along the Snoqualmie River in Washington then grown in greenhouses. Endophytes were isolated from these trees and tested for the presence of the nitrogenase gene (nifH) using PCR. The nitrogenase proteins equip bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen into forms plants can readily use. Understanding the life cycles, inoculation techniques and genetic make-ups of these bacteria enable us not only to grasp a little better the diversity of life, but to think beyond Black Cottonwoods, to how these bacteria could be recruited to be used on crops and degraded fields. Nitrogen is necessary for plants and often a growth limiting factor; harnessing these nitrogen-providers may help reduce our dependency of energy-intensive industrial ammonia.

What the media has termed as Mad Cow disease is a form of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE). It is also known as a prion disease and occurs when the normal prion protein in the brain misfolds. This is thought to induce other prion proteins around it to misfold, leading to brain degeneration. Scrapie is a form of TSE in sheep; primarily infecting the central nervous and lymphoreticular systems. There is currently little explanation for why the process occurs, although, studies show that cytokines may be involved. Scrapie will not readily cause disease in normal mice. However, transgenic mice can be infected. These transgenic mice have a prion gene knockout with an insertion of the sheep version of the prion gene, which makes them susceptible when directly infected with scrapie prions. To further our understanding of prion diseases, we aimed to learn more about its source material, transmission, host genetic markers, and immune response with the help of a transgenic mouse model. We challenged transgenic mice with scrapie via the intracerebral route and observed them for signs of disease. Certain tissues were collected and analyzed at multiple points of infection for infectivity, potential co-localized proteins, cytokine dynamics, and growth factors. Various cytokine levels could increase, decrease, or stay the same throughout the infection period. This will enable a better characterization of immune response to prion disease and potentially provide a measure of disease progression using blood cytokine levels.

Increasing the efficiency of biofuel production is critical to decrease the dependence and consumption of fossil fuels. In the United States, most car fuel contains about 10% ethanol, the result of fermentation, and 90% gasoline. The process of fermenting sugars into ethanol relies on agricultural stocks, decreasing the area of arable land available for food production. Non-agricultural plant species can be used, but the lignocellulose material from the total plant contains both five and six carbon sugars. Baker’s Yeast can ferment the six carbon sugars, but a novel yeast species is necessary to ferment the five carbon sugars. The goal of my research is to isolate and identify wild yeast species growing in non-agricultural plants that ferment five carbon sugars, such as xylose, into a usable product; xylitol in this case. Xylitol can be sold as an artificial sweetener to subsidize the overall costs of biofuel production, or alternatively, may be converted to ethanol through biochemical pathways that some yeast species have. After attempting to grow yeast from nine different plant species growing in Pack Forest with xylose as their only carbon source, one yeast species from red alder, Alnus rubra, exhibited growth. The other eight species did not show significant growth compared to controls: common Baker's Yeast and PTD3, a previously isolated yeast. Further research of these yeasts was not pursued. Next, AR (for Alnus rubra), was tested for xylitol production. First, AR was grown in a medium with xylose as its sole source of sugar. By placing the growth culture in an air-tight flask, any xylitol production would be prevented from evaporating, making it measurable with a high-performance liquid chromatography machine. The yeast isolated from red alder successfully fermented xylose into xylitol, making it a potential source of efficient biofuel production.

 Insulin secretion from the pancreatic islet β cell is required for normal glucose homeostasis. The pancreatic islet has an extensive capillary network lined by endothelial cells. These endothelial cells are known to produce factors that can enhance β cell survival and proliferation. My hypothesis is that the islet endothelial cell also produces paracrine factors that can impact β-cell secretory function. The aim of my study is to determine the time course over which secreted factors from islet endothelial cells can enhance glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) from islet β cells. To perform these studies, we first generate islet endothelial cell conditioned media (IECCM) from MS1 cells, a transformed murine islet endothelial cell line. Pancreatic islets are then exposed to IECCM for up to 48 hours, and insulin release in response to basal (2.8 mM) and stimulatory glucose levels (20 mM) is determined. We have shown that exposure of islets to IECCM for 48 hours does not alter basal insulin release, but enhances glucose-stimulated insulin release by 50%. My ongoing studies will determine whether exposure of islets to IECCM for 1, 4, 12 or 24 hours is also able to enhance glucose-stimulated insulin release. These time course experiments will form the basis for studies planned for my senior year, where we will determine whether this increase in insulin release results from increased insulin biosynthesis, or is independent of insulin production, acting for example to stimulate exocytosis of preformed insulin-containing secretory granules. These studies may uncover the existence of a novel endothelial-endocrine axis that is crucial for β-cell function. These data could lead to new targets for therapeutic drugs that promote release of endothelial factors that regulate β-cell function.

RNA Polymerase V is a DNA-dependent RNA polymerase involved in RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) (Matzke M et al 2007). RdDM is required for transcriptional silencing of intergenic regions, repetitive DNA, and transposons genome-wide. Arabidopsis polV mutants show increased developmental instability and aberrant root hairs. We hypothesize these phenotypes are the result of alterations in transcriptional silencing and we predict changes in transcriptional silencing are due to altered chromatin accessibility. To asses chromatin accessibility in polV mutant plants we will use a technique called DNaseI-seq that chops up chromatin with a restriction enzyme. This technique allows us to measure which regions of the genome are highly accessible to transcriptional machinery and which are not. Currently, I am developing transgenic plant strains as well as quality control assays to improve DNaseI-seq feasibility in polV mutant plants.  Thus the knowledge will enhance our understanding of developmental instabilities in Arabidopsis and plants in general.
 

It is estimated that an average of 1 in every 110 children in the United States is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This makes Autism currently one of the most prevalent childhood disorders facing the nation. As such, Autism impacts not only the child, but the families, friends and others involved. This research focuses on the siblings of individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, often labeled as “typically developing” siblings. One of the longest lasting relationships that an individual with Autism may have is with their sibling(s). Therefore, it is important to understand in more detail the perceptions and experiences of these “typically developing” siblings. This research addresses the question: How do individuals with autistic siblings feel Autism Spectrum Disorder impacts their lives and social relationships? Research methods included interviews with siblings, parents and health care specialist involved with individuals with autism to learn about their personal experiences. In addition,  participant oberservation was accomplished by attending support groups for siblings of individuals with disabilities including, Autism Spectrum Disorder. There is an ample amount of research focusing on the causes and cures of Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, this project atttempts to shift the focus to the social relationships impacted by the disorder. Ultimately, this research explored some of the under researched social implications in an effort to highlight the hidden impacts of Autism. 

In a world of childhood obesity, soaring gas prices and climate instability, bicycles are quickly becoming a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable alternative to single occupancy vehicles. In May, I will be organizing chaperoned bike-trains for elementary school children in Wedgwood and Thornton Creek elementary schools, with the intention of increasing the number of children commuting by bicycle. A bike-train is comprised of elementary school children and adult chaperones riding safe and efficient pre-determined routes to school. Children learn bicycle safety, rules of the road, and riding etiquette, all while acquiring social and communication skills, as well as physical confidence. These rides also build community among adults, as chaperoning, organizing and discovering shared passions are all part of this process. While implementing bike-trains is a small-scale project, it addresses the most pressing issues of our day: health concerns, social isolation and environmental degradation. This project will examine two methods of organized bike-trains:  traditional, multi-stop routes in at Thornton Creek Elementary, and a more casual "meet and ride" route at Wedgwood Elementary. With the culmination of this project, I will compare the outcomes of both methods of bike-trains, compiling my research into a document enabling parents, teachers and staff throughout Seattle schools - and potentially worldwide - to implement bike-trains in their communities. Bike-trains, an experiment in applied research, cultivate local solutions to current global concerns.

The Greek sovereign debt crisis has required controversial bailouts, austerity measures that have caused Greek citizens to riot in the streets, and tense political negotiating in the Eurozone. However, it is only one part of a larger problem of economic stability and political unity facing the European Union (EU) today. My research, then, seeks to answer three main questions: (1) what were the causes of the Greek sovereign debt crisis, (2) what are the potential policy solutions to the Greek debt problem, and (3) what are the implications of these policy proposals on the future of the European Union as a whole? Using an institutionalist approach, which emphasizes the role of institutions in determining the rational decisions of political actors, I analyze both the policies of the EU (in bailing out and financially strengthening Greece) and the institutional defects of the Eurozone (i.e., the European Central Bank has limited power and banking regulations are still national). I evaluate proposed solutions according to which would present the greatest benefits for the fewest costs, in terms of democratic legitimacy, economic competitiveness and efficiency, and political feasibility. My research finds that the Greek debt crisis was caused largely by incentives created by the European political environment and by the institutional structure of the EU’s Economic Monetary Union. Thus, to move forward, the EU must take an active role in restructuring its institutions to promote both economic and political convergence. Correspondingly, it must develop strong political leadership, a polity that identifies with the European project, and a democratic process that provides democratic legitimacy without forgoing its technocratic efficiency.

The vestibular system, a complex system involving the inner ear, is responsible for maintaining eye stability and posture during head movements.  Rotational and linear accelerations of the head are sensed by the end organs of the vestibular labyrinth, and are used to initiate and modulate reflexes.  Dysfunction of the vestibular system can produce symptoms ranging from mild dizziness to debilitating attacks of vertigo.  Our group has developed a vestibular prosthesis to replace vestibular function through the use of electrical stimulation. The device has three electrodes which are surgically implanted into the three semicircular canals of vestibular labyrinth to allow for direct electrical stimulation of the end organ. Our ultimate goal is to artificially restore vestibular function in patients, in part to accurately control eye movements.  To do this, we need to understand the relationship between eye position and eye movements during stimulation with the prosthesis. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that transient eye velocities elicited by short stimulation are linearly related to the initial position of the eye in the orbit.  We need to understand if during prolonged stimulation eye position also has a significant effect on eye velocity. In this study, we characterize the effects of eye position on the maintained velocities elicited by a long stimulus train. These observations will allow us to more accurately control eye movements to stabilize the eye with electrical stimulation of varying durations, or at different frequencies of head rotation. We have trained one rhesus monkey to track a moving visual target.  A long duration stimulus was administered to each of the three semicircular canals in that animal.  All visual stimuli were removed during the stimulations.  Preliminary results suggest that there is a relationship between eye position and eye velocity elicited by long duration stimuli.

Ascidians are invertebrate chordates that live in the ocean and have an interesting life history. Normally, a tailed chordate larva hatches from the embryo, swims, becomes competent, and then responds to settlement cues, which initiate metamorphosis. Metamorphosis triggers apoptosis and tail loss. The notochord is lost as the tail reabsorbs and the juvenile settles to a substrate. In the ascidian family Molgulidae, species have evolved tailless larval development at least four times independently from a tailed ancestor. Using next generation sequencing techniques, we sequenced transcriptomes of a tailed and tailless species and their hybrid through development. We examined genes that have been shown to be expressed during metamorphosis in other ascidians and saw earlier expression of genes critical for metamorphosis in the tailless species. The number of transcripts were quantitated and we have cloned many of the genes. We show that there is early expression of metamorphosis genes in Molgulidae, including genes involved in the Mannose Binding Lectin (MBL) Complement pathway, such as MBL and MASP. We hypothesize that the maturation of the immune system early in tailless larvae could be a progression to competency and trigger to metamorphosis. We further hypothesize that a heterochrony in metamorphosis is responsible for the early activation of programmed cell death in the tailless ascidian larvae. In situ hybridizations were used to examine the localization of expression of these genes and quantitative PCR was used to independently validate RNA counts from our transcriptome data. Our ultimate goal is to elucidate the ascidian molecular trigger for metamorphosis and uncover whether heterochrony of metamorphosis leads to tailless ascidians.

Genetic and molecular analysis is important to understand the evolutionary trends and relationships between chordates and hemichordates. Hemichordates share significant characteristics with chordates, including pharyngeal gill slits, a worm-like body plan and a post-anal tail. We have been studying the development of the central nervous system (CNS) in hemichordates to compare development to chordates. During early development in chordates, Shh and BMP play major roles in neural tube formation and dorsal ventral CNS specification. Elav has been used as a neuronal marker in chordates and is expressed within neural plate during early neurulation. We looked for expression of Shh, BMP and Elav in hemichordates to compare the development of the CNS in each group. We cloned and sequenced Shh, BMP and ELAV in S. bromophenolosus and P. flava, using primers designed from S. kowalevskii. Our purpose is to examine the expression of Shh, BMP, and Elav in the developing neural tube in S. bromophenolosus and P. flava by in-situ hybridizations. We see expression of Elav in the CNS of S. bromophenolosus, and expect to see Shh expression in the hemichordate endoderm. BMP expression has already been reported in the dorsal ectoderm and neural tube of S. kowalevskii, but those results were interpreted as a dorsal-version in chordates. We suggest instead that this hemichordate expression pattern is identical to that of chordates during neurulation. These results suggest that hemichordate and chordate central nervous system develop by similar genetic pathways.

Plants sense and respond to changes in their environment. For example, elongation of the embryonic stem ensures seedlings reach light after they germinate. This critical stage in a plant’s life is highly regulated by hormones, including gibberellic acid (GA) and brassinosteroids (BRs). Using the model system Arabidopsis thaliana, we discovered GA and BRs interact to control stem elongation during early development. We found that treating seedlings with both hormones resulted in a synergistic growth response during some phases of development but not others. We are exploring the genetic basis of this response using seedlings mutant in different aspects of their GA and BR pathways. For example, DWF4ox seedlings over-express a gene that encodes a BR biosynthetic enzyme. These seedlings make more BRs and have an enhanced growth response. DELLAs (RGA and GAI) repress growth and are degraded by GA. Seedlings that have reduced DELLA (rga gai) function also have enhanced growth. We are testing the growth responses of the DWF4ox rga gai triple mutant looking at hypocotyl elongation rates. By using these and other mutants that have compromised GA and BR pathways we hope to better understand the molecular mechanism of the interaction between these two hormones.

Many examples of control systems are found in modern-day industrial applications, ranging from the Segway to cruise control in an automobile. The self-stabilizing inverted pendulum serves as an archetypal problem by which the robustness of such control systems, which use feedback to control themselves, is measured. In this project, I analyze several simple control systems involving the inverted pendulum, and attempt to find their stability solution. I have also built a computer simulation in Mathematica, a computational software package, which demonstrates fundamental concepts in control theory, as well as the difficulty of manual control and the usefulness of feedback in self-stabilizing systems. This simulation provides a useful learning tool to users who otherwise have little experience with the theory of control. Finally, I investigate theoretical problems related to the so-called radius of stability, which is a number that tells us how far we may deviate from equilibrium before the control system fails. I hypothesize that as further variables are introduced into a control model, the radius of stability will decrease accordingly. Since control systems are widely used in modern day society, it is important that we understand the stability of such systems, thereby maximizing the safety and effectiveness of their applications.

For an animal whose brain only contains about 100,000 neurons, the fruit fly is capable of striking behavioral complexity. The goal of our work is to identify neuronal circuits that process sensory cues and transform them into changes in motor activities. Our work relies on the Gal4-UAS (Upstream Activation Sequence) system, a commonly used genetic tool that allows us to label and manipulate small subsets of neurons. The system takes advantage of different enhancer elements to drive expression of the Gal4 transcription factor in various tissues. When Gal4 flies are bred with UAS flies that contain GFP (green fluorescent protein) or RFP (red fluorescent protein), the Gal4 will bind to the UAS, and enable the production of GFP or RFP. This allows the desired cells to fluoresce, which can be tracked using a microscope. With this, we can identify Gal4 lines with interesting neuronal expression patterns and test the function of these neurons in Drosophila. Expressing the ion channel UAS-TrpA1, for example, activates neurons when the temperature is shifted from 22 °C to 27 °C. I crossed different Gal4 drivers to UAS-TrpA1. After performing a temperature shift on the progeny, I observed that various Gal4 flies became twitchy while others collapsed. These behaviors were reversible when the temperature shift ended. Fluorescing the Gal4 lines that allow for this behavior would allow insight as to the activated neurons in the brain and thoracic ganglia. The confocal images would allow us to see the neuronal expression. Through this model organism we can hope to comprehend and apply the knowledge in understanding complex systems, for example, what neurons coordinate behaviors such as navigation and locomotion.

Most adults have some degree of atherosclerosis. In a subset of these individuals, atherosclerosis progresses more rapidly. Increased activity of proteases (enzymes that digest proteins) in atherosclerotic plaques is a plausible cause both of atherosclerosis progression and of atherosclerotic plaque rupture. Plaque rupture is often a terminal event that results in blockage of arteries, heart attacks and strokes. Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA, a protease that is present in plaques) functions by converting plasminogen (a zymogen, or enzyme precursor) into its active form, plasmin. The uPA/plasminogen pathway facilitates macrophage migration, enhances the release of inflammatory mediators, and activates other proteolytic enzymes, all of which may contribute to atherosclerosis progression and plaque rupture. We hypothesize that inhibition of uPA will decrease atherosclerosis progression and prevent plaque rupture. To begin to test our hypothesis, we use a mouse model of uPA-accelerated atherosclerosis (mice that are genetically predisposed to develop atherosclerosis and express high levels of uPA). We inject an antibody (mU1) that binds to and inhibits uPA, or a control antibody, and we measure atherosclerosis in aortic roots and pinned aortas. We anticipate finding less atherosclerosis in mice treated with mU1. We also expect to find fewer macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques of mice treated with mU1. If we find that inhibition of uPA decreases atherosclerosis progression and that it is also well tolerated by mice, we will later set up an experiment in older mice to determine whether anti-uPA treatment with mU1 will prevent plaque rupture. If uPA activity contributes to atherosclerosis progression, and if inhibiting uPA decreases atherosclerosis progression and prevents plaque rupture, drugs could be developed that inhibit uPA. These drugs could be used to treat humans who are at high risk for atherosclerosis progression and plaque rupture.

In 1965, the Higher Education Act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson to provide financial assistance for need- based students in higher education. Under Title IV of the HEA, student financial aid programs and educational opportunity programs are administered, including the Federal TRIO Programs. TRIO has eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students from disadvantaged backgrounds to progress academically from junior high school to post baccalaureate studies. One of the eight programs under TRIO is the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program; designed to aid historically underrepresented undergraduates attain PhD degrees and assist students in academic and professional development. The purpose of the McNair Program is to prepare undergraduates for doctoral study through participation in research and scholarly activities. McNair Scholars have often faced hardships; whether financial, family, scholastic, or health; and have had critical experiences and relationships that have propelled them to continue with higher education. By interviewing McNair Scholars and engaging in literature review, this research will present an in-depth exploration of their behavioral patterns and find a theme to their academic success, such as social capital. The goal of this research is to reinforce the impact of educational programs that aid underrepresented students at an early stage to better prepare them for post-secondary school and doctoral studies. Also, by examining behavioral patterns possible solutions will be gained to implement towards higher education for underrepresented students.

The Middle-Late Miocene (~11 million years ago) was a period of cooling following the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, the warmest period in the last 35 million years. However, because of the scarcity of fossil floras of that age, our understanding of vegetation response to this climate change is poor. The Middle-Late Miocene fossil flora from Vasa Park therefore adds invaluable information that allow us to better reconstruct how the vegetation and climate has changed over time in the Pacific Northwest. Previous work on the Middle-Late Miocene in this region has focused on macrofossils and pollen/spores; this study will add information about phytolith assemblages. Phytoliths form when silica from the ground is deposited within and around various types of plant cells. When the plant dies, the phytoliths from the plant gets preserved in sediment, retaining the shapes they had in the living plant. Our understanding of phytolith production in modern day plants and their climate preferences allows us to infer, from fossil phytoliths not just what kinds of plants they represent, but also something about the climate at that site. Specifically, Vasa Park will help us understand the flora of the Middle-Late Miocene in the Pacific Northwest and how it transitioned out of a very warm time into cooler current day temperatures. Based on our knowledge of the general climate during the Middle-Late Miocene, the Vasa Park assemblage should contain evidence of a more warm-adapted flora than what we see currently in the region. Indeed, preliminary evidence from phytoliths, macrofossils (leaves and flowers), and fossil palynomorphs (plant spores and pollen) indicate that the area was a relatively warm subtropical forest. The inclusion of the Vasa Park phytolith assemblage greatly adds to our understanding of Earth’s most recent warming period and helps us infer how vegetation will change with current warming trends.

In nearly all institutions, programs exist with the goal to recruit a diverse body of applicants and then, to retain this diverse body of students. Diversity is a loaded term, yet the federal definition – which I will be following – focuses on underrepresented, low-income and first generation students. This research project examines the specific steps involved in attaining a higher education and identifies factors, which enhanced their chances, and barriers, which they had to overcome. There is a lot of research done on the effectiveness of these programs, both K-12 pre-college and programs in the university. However, it is important to look at another aspect: the role the surrounding community plays in the pre-college experience, including preparation and motivation. I am conducting a literary review on the power that social and cultural capital holds in a students success at achieving a higher education. Through this research we can institute a new community based program that will effectively address these barriers, as well as enable us to address the current recruitment and retention programs in state to make them more effective.

Cultural backgrounds are foundations for the way we speak, interpret, and behave. This study examines cultural-related factors that influence the selection of extracurricular activities by African-American students and Asian students from China and Korea. These cultural factors are being examined along with their influence on the success rate (I.E., graduating with a competitive GPA) of these students. This is important because our society is becoming increasingly more culturally diverse and more competitive for students pursuing higher education. Understanding cultural differences will help determine why certain cultures do particular things. Looking at the cultural factors, as well as societal pressures geared toward high school students of color, it is interesting to present differences in activites that have been believed to be the students choices to participate in. The activities outside of school can negatively or positively affect a student's ability to succeed because the time outside of school will not be spent entirely on coursework. The methodology of this research is conducting literature review of current research in the areas of outside of school activities in relation to cultural influences and academic success. The anticipated results are that the socioeconomic status, education level, and geographic location of the high school student's parents influences the choices of extracurricular activities for the student. Activities that are intellectually stimulated or academia related are activities that positively affect a students' success while activities that do not use information learned in school negatively affect a students' success. The differences in the cultural factors raise questions as to why different activities are pursured by students of different cultural backgrounds. Knowing why there are differences will help schools determine where money needs to go or what measures need to be taken in order to encourage students to pursue activities that are not normally participated in.

Quorum sensing is cell density-dependent communication that regulates many functions in bacteria. Signal synthases (I) produce acyl-homoserine lactones, which diffuse into the environment and activate signal receptors (R) when they reach a critical concentration. Synthases and receptors often form cognate pairs. The soil bacterium Burkholderia thailandensis encodes three I-R pairs. The I-R1 system controls cell-cell aggregation and activates many putative aggregation factors including the bce genes that likely encode an exopolysaccharide. The I-R2 system controls antibiotic production. The antibiotics are members of the bactobolin family and are effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Both aggregation and antibiotics are believed to promote competitiveness in the diverse soil communities where B. thailandensis is found. We have developed genetic screens to learn more about quorum-controlled antibiotics and aggregation in B. thailandensis. The first screen identified bactobolin-resistant isolates of the soil bacterium Bacillis subtilis, which is normally sensitive to bactobolin. We submitted these mutants for whole genome sequencing to investigate the mutations that confer resistance, and with our results we hope to gain insight into how bactobolin acts on target cells. The second screen was designed to isolate variants that overproduce aggregation factors. Quorum sensing mutants do not wrinkle but variants arise that produce aggregation factors by other means. We are isolating such variants and identifying the underlying mutations to understand how they compensate for the loss of quorum sensing regulation. This may reveal the elements involved in regulating aggregation. These variants will also be useful to learn about the advantages of aggregation in different contexts. Through our two screens we hope to better understand quorum-controlled aggregation and antibiotic phenotypes. Our findings will be useful in further studies of the importance of each of these in competition.

The purpose of this research is to increase compliance among undocumented workers and propose an incentive package that will benefit both the U.S. economy and provide a new way of obtaining citizenship for immigrants. This research focuses on the growing “tax gap” in the United States: “What are the effects of undocumented workers and their income on the national and local economies in the United States? What can be done to increase the number of undocumented workers to report their income?” By thoroughly examining various policies and practices related to these matter(s), this study synthesizes wide range finding(s) and outcome(s) of various policies and its output to introduce multiple alternative resolutions to better both parties (Literature Review). This study also further explores the future implication and outcome of the current and alternative policy recommendations related to the “tax gap” and undocumented workers. By examining the report Reducing the Federal Tax Gap: A Report on Improving Voluntary Compliance by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the startling estimates of unreported incomes in the U.S will be presented. As New Mexico and Utah propose state guest worker programs, I will examine the benefits and disadvantages of their proposed solutions. By shedding light on the tax gap for the past three years and its relationship to undocumented workers income, the anticipated findings will reveal an increase in the tax gap and demonstrate that the currently policy is not effect.

The Middle-Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO) was a period of rapid warming that occurred 15 million years ago. The climate change likely affected plant community composition as grasses spread across North America, but because of the scarcity of plant macrofossils from the MMCO in North America, the response of vegetation in the area to this climate change is poorly understood. Many modern crops are C3 and C4 grasses (distinguished by their photosynthetic pathway), and thus, gained understanding of the response of forest vs. C3 and C4 grasslands in deep time may help us predict the possible response of modern plants to our changing climate. Plant silica microfossils (phytoliths) are abundant in fossil soil layers however, and can be used to reconstruct the biotic response to the warming event. Polled Herefords is a site in southwest Montana that has easily accessed fossil soil layers from the MMCO that are phytolith rich. Phytolith assemblages from previously collected samples are currently being analyzed. Preliminary results show on average 2/3 – 3/4 of the phytolith assemblage in a given sample is grass silica short cells, diagnostic of grasses. The remainder of the sample is made up phytoliths indicating palms, monocotyledons, dicotyledons, conifers, and other non-grass types of plant. This suggests a fairly open habitat, and a high abundance of C3 grasses within the grass indicators indicate a climate that was warm and wet. More samples will be collected to increase the spatial and temporal resolution of the study, and to help determine if changes in vegetation reflect spatial or temporal variability, or both.

Historically, if an individual entered the U.S. without authorization it was not considered a criminal offense. Today the term “illegal immigrant” is commonplace; with many simply assuming this is how it has always been. "Crimmigration”refers to the phenomenon of increasing overlap between criminal and immigration law, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms.Using newspaper articles, this research identifies the percentage share of crimmigration discussion in several major news outlets as a proxy for the climate of public opinion.This study analyzes the changing rhetoric of immigration since WWII. Through an investigation of newspaper articles, this research examines whether economic downturns have contributed to the criminalization of immigration debates in the public sphere. I expect to find that economic factors are important predictors of the prevalance of crimmigration-related articles, after controlling for the other explanations suggested by past research, such as changes in immigration law.

Chronic social-stress is known to lead to a number of aberrant behaviors, including anxiety and depression. Using a mouse model of social-defeat stress, this project aims to better understand the relationship between the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR), a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) previously shown to be activated by multiple forms of stress, and its role in generating anxiety-like and aversion behaviors in mice. Different forms of stress lead to the release of the endogenous KOR agonist, dynorphin, which activates an intracellular signal transduction cascade resulting in anxiety-like and aversion behaviors. Prior studies have demonstrated that the long-acting KOR antagonist, norbinaltorphimine (norBNI), is able to reduce social-defeat induced social avoidance behaviors when administered prior to social defeat stress exposure. Although these studies have implicated the KOR system in social-defeat induced behaviors, pretreatment of pharmacotherapies prior to a stress event is limited in therapeutic benefit.  In this research, the ability of norBNI to reverse repeated social-defeat induced changes in social behaviors was tested by administering norBNI following exposure to the social-defeat stress. The results have so far shown that post treatment with norBNI is able to effectively counter the altered social interaction behaviors caused by a repeated social-defeat stress; moreover, the reversal of the stress-induced social interaction deficits also correlates with a reduction in anxiety-like behaviors. These data suggest that social interaction deficits are due to increased anxiety in previously benign social settings, and norBNI has the therapeutic potential to reverse these social-stress induced behavior alterations.

Pain is a complicated sensory experience involving several neural circuits and structures. Previous research has examined the neural activity associated with processing and perceiving pain. One study examined the relationship between the average self-reported pain ratings and the average electrophysiological brain activity of Spinal Cord Injury Participants with chronic pain, as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). Significant relationships between pain perception and alpha wave activity around the sensory integration areas of the brain (electrode sites T3 and T4) were found. This study aims to further explore the relationship between expression and perception of pain and corresponding EEG measurements. Waveform analysis of the raw EEG data recorded just before and after the reporting of each pain rating will allow us to examine pain-related neural activity in more detail surrounding the time the participant consciously perceived and rated their pain.  Independent Component Analysis (ICA) allows us to isolate and examine the specific contribution of each frequency at each electrode.  Main effects of each wavelength and how they may interact will also be explored. Analysis software will help us graphically visualize and model the data, creating a preliminary visual representation of the neural activity measured. Further use of neuroimaging analysis software will help to better understand neural pain pathways. With further analysis, it may be possible to utilize computer programs to create a model that can imitate and test these indicated circuits. This analysis will provide us with a more dynamic understanding of the “chronic pain brain” and  will provide a baseline against which to compare brain activity after treatments.

Online education is an effective and efficient electronic source for students to gain knowledge. Online education modules allow educators to bridge the gap between theory and practice for students. The modules created during this project tackle several topics in Materials Science & Engineering such as ceramics, hardness of materials, the use of light optical microscopy, corrosion and more. They are designed to encourage students to think critically, form questions and go through the scientific method in order to solve complex problems. They are formatted to combine a variety of learning styles by combining a power point lecture, assigning reading materials and having the hands on experience via demonstration or experimentation. This benefits students immediately in that they will learn how to apply the knowledge in education, research and industry. The educational modules are evaluated several times in order to perfect the lesson plan. In having the modules evaluated by current educators and individuals in industry the modules can be altered and adjusted in order to focus on specific key points. A few of these modules are completed and ready to use in a classroom setting specifically tailored to advanced high school, technical schools, community colleges and four year educational institutions.

Women have been steadily increasing their representation in many careers that have been traditionally male-dominated; however, women continue to be underrepresented in computer science. If women learn that their gender is underrepresented, that could lower their interest or deter them from joining because they believe they do not belong in this field. On the other hand, it could increase their interest if they feel they are wanted. This study examined whether learning about the underrepresentation of women in computer science would increase women's interest in this field. We predicted that women's interest would increase especially if they see it as an opportunity to stand out and be unique. Female students in the psychology subject pool (PSP) at the University of Washington voluntarily signed up to participate in the study. There were two conditions: in the control condition, participants were given an article that stated computer science had high demand and that less than 30% of job openings are filled by college graduates; in the underrepresentation condition, participants were given an article that stated computer science had high demand for women and that less than 30% of college degrees are earned by women. After participants read the article they answered questions about their interest in computer science. Results were statistically significant: women who were told that women are underrepresented in computer science showed more interest and belonging in the field than those who were not told. These results imply that an intervention to raise awareness of underrepresentation of women in computer science could help more females become interested and likely to join this field.

Women who are targets of a positive stereotype (i.e., women are nurturing) assume that the stereotyper also holds negative stereotypes about them (e.g., women are bad at math). The present research investigates whether being the target of a positive stereotype leads women to underperform on a math test because they fear confirming assumed negative perceptions of their group. In this study, female participants were randomly assigned to either the positive stereotype condition (i.e., “why women are generally more nurturing than men”) or the no positive stereotype condition (i.e., “why some men and women are generally more nurturing than others”). Participants then proceeded to take a math test. Results showed that women in the positive stereotype condition underperformed on the math test compared to women in the no positive stereotype condition. This study suggests that praise in the form of a positive stereotype may be counterproductive, resulting in negative consequences for people who are targets of a positive stereotype. Moreover, targets of a positive stereotype may perceive negative stereotypes as being implicitly imposed onto them. Therefore, positive stereotypes may lead women to not only underperform on a math test but also accept associated negative perceptions of their group.

‘Gaydar’ is the phenomenon by which people are able to determine a person’s sexual orientation based on mere observation. Recent research has shown that people can judge sexual orientation with above-chance accuracy from facial photographs. The present research investigated if smiling is a cue that impacts judgments of men’s sexual orientation. Smiling is associated with femininity, and as gay men are generally stereotyped as feminine, we hypothesized that a man smiling would be rated as appearing more gay (vs. straight) than a man who was not smiling. We also predicted that because smiling, a femininity cue, may be less expected on more masculine faces, the impact of smiling will be greater in straight (vs. gay) men’s faces. Participants judged the sexual orientation of a total of 64 gay and straight men’s faces with smiles or neutral facial expressions (using a scale of 1=very gay to 7=very straight). As expected, men were judged as looking more gay when smiling (vs. neutral), and this effect was greater among straight (vs. gay) men’s faces. The findings of this research suggest that subtle gender cues can be conveyed by emotional facial expressions and influence perceptions of sexual orientation.

Asian Americans respond negatively to being the target of a positive stereotype (e.g., Asians are smart) even though these stereotypes are often attempts at praising their group (Siy & Cheryan, under review). The current work focuses on how responses to positive stereotypes vary depending on the race of the person stating the positive stereotype. We hypothesize that Asian Americans will respond more positively to other Asians who state positive stereotypes about their race than Whites who state positive stereotypes about Asians, because Asians are assumed to have "cultural credentials" about their own race. In this case, cultural credentials are defined as the perception that a person has sufficient knowledge about a group to enable them to make comments about that group that outsiders cannot. In this study, Asian American participants imagined a situation in which they were positively stereotyped by either a White classmate or an Asian classmate. Results showed that participants responded more positively to the positive stereotype when the stereotyper was Asian, compared to when the stereotyper was White. Positive responses to Asians who state positive stereotypes about their own race were explained by the belief that Asian stereotypers had stronger cultural credentials. This study shows that taking the time to establish cultural credentials may be a useful strategy for times when one desires to praise a group for their accomplishments.

In Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), adhesion of leukemia cells to the bone marrow microenvironment confers resistance to chemotherapy drugs. The receptors CXCR4 and CD44, an E-selectin ligand when properly glycosylated, have been implicated in the poor prognosis of AML. It has been shown that adhesion inhibitors restore chemotherapy sensitivity, but the E-selectin pathway has not been previously investigated. Previous data have shown that 81% of the AML patients tested showed at least 10% expression of E-selectin ligand. Hence, we proceeded to test E-selectin by utilizing antibodies to E-selectin ligand and chemokine receptor CXCR4 to block the association with stromal cell components in vitro. CFSE staining protocol was then utilized to read fluorescence intensity of cells with and without antibodies. The ability of HECA 452, antibody to E selectin ligand, and GMI, the bifunctional inhibitor to E-selectin and CXCR4, to block adhesion to stromal cell line HS27a was investigated. To further assess the interaction between E-selectin and AML cells, plates coated with E-selectin as opposed to HS27a stromal cells were utilized in the blocking assay. It was found via the use of Cell Titer Glo that HECA and GMI displayed a significantly lower luminescence compared to their respective control indicating that both antibodies were effective in preventing AML cell adhesion. We plan to continue this study by utilizing chemotherapeutic agents Cytarabine and Daunorubicin in conjunction with the antibodies to eliminate AML cells in vitro. Our research will allow us to determine how to prevent chemotherapy resistance which would make it effective in treatment of patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Helmets have been trusted to provide protection against head impacts for millennia and have become a universally promoted piece of safety equipment. Current helmet standards provided by NOCSAE, SNELL, and ASTM for football, ski, motorcycle, and other activities specify the requirements for critical impacts under varying conditions such as; temperature, impact location, and impact energy. However, most standards only minimally account for the effects of sub-critical collisions and the natural fatiguing processes experienced by a helmet during its use. Intuition suggests that these seasonal cycles and minor impacts attenuate the utility of protective headgear; however, a scientific inquiry into such effects could illuminate or invalidate this assumption. The working hypothesis of the research team under Professor Randal Ching and Irv Scher was that sub-critical impacts and seasonal cycling would diminish a helmet’s protective abilities (as measured by metrics such as peak linear acceleration and severity indices), and the goal was to illustrate that current standards and refurbishing methods need to account for these various effects of age and use. Accordingly, my research group designed a helmet drop tower to test a variety of different helmets (football, motorcycle, and ski) according to SNELL and NOCSAE standards, and used helmets were compared to their new counterparts. Direct comparisons between used and new helmets were used to evaluate the effects of age and minor impacts on helmets, the effectiveness of current standards at predicting the utility of helmets, and the expected lifetime of helmets under given conditions. As the first independent study of helmet performance in the state of Washington, this study could give vital feedback to helmet manufacturers, helmet standard foundations, and helmet users alike.

Today there exists a plethora of nutritional information as Americans are increasingly becoming health-conscious consumers seeking to manage their exposure to disease risk-factors through diet and lifestyle changes. The ever-expanding scope of the media and internet, especially through the increased use of popular health blogs and forums has "democratized" nutritional science--making nutritional information more easily accessible. Yet, despite the growing body of research in nutrition made available to the general public, the history of nutritional advice has been notoriously unstable, inconsistent and inaccurate as science, food industries, and various ideologies contend for validation. For example, from the consumption of saturated fats and carbohydrates to raw cow’s milk (which is supposedly "nature's most nearly perfect food" Americans are left confused when making decisions and establishing “truths” regarding the nutritional health benefits of other foods. Because the science of diet and nutrition are highly contested areas of knowledge, the purpose of this study was to delve into the social, cultural, and political aspects of food to better understand how we make sense of nutritional advice. To that end, this research project acquired and synthesized past and current scientific research literature to explore what it means for foods to be "healthy" how one may navigate the massive array of contending knowledge and different dietary models to obtain information on "healthy food" and additionally, how competing corporate interests, scientific findings or interpretations, and anecdotal evidence of the lay consumer may influence nutritional data made available to the public. So far the general trend shows corporate influence supersedes that of medical and scientific advocates; however, more research is required to determine how health consumers navigate the wealth of information. Recommendations for a potential solution at a policy, educational and, or mass media level will also be discussed in further detail.

The composition and abundance of lipids preserved in lake sediments provides information on the past environment, and changes in this geochemical signal through time may be driven by climate. To understand precipitation changes in the Pacific over the last few thousand years, sediment cores have been collected from lakes on multiple islands, including Poza de Los Diablos and Pozas Verdes on Isabela Island in the Galapagos. Lipids from these sediment cores were solvent-extracted, individual compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and abundances of these compounds were quantified using a gas chromatograph-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Poza de Los Diablos data reveal elevated concentrations of both middle and long chain-length n-alkanes from approximately 1450 to 1850 AD, and indicate an enhanced contribution of material from both aquatic and terrestrial plants during this interval, which may be caused by shifting hydrologic patterns. However, these changes might also reflect a local event such as an altered flow path for surface water due to river or wave erosion. To improve our understanding of paleoenvironmental changes indicated by the Poza de los Diablos data, lipids from cores taken from nearby Pozas Verdes were also extracted and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Due to their close proximity (<1 km), any climate event that affected Posa de Los Diablo would have also affected Pozas Verdes, but with significantly different modern salinity (Diablos = 10, Verdes = 40) and ecology, each lake is likely to have responded quite differently to changing precipitation patters. By analyzing both records together we seek to improve our interpretation of the past environment.

The Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental conditions that are diagnosed based on a child’s impaired social and communication development, restricted interests, and repetitive and behaviors. ASDs impact individuals for a lifetime and result in needs across a variety of domains. Previous research suggests that genetic factors contribute significantly to the development of ASD, with a clinical diagnostic yield as high as 17-21%. While research has been done to characterize the genetic abnormalities associated with autism in a pediatric population, no study has yet been conducted on genetic abnormalities in adults with ASDs because the majority of ASD adults have either never had genetic testing or the testing was done long ago and did not benefit from the increased yield of modern genetic testing. This study describes the prevalence of clinical genetic test abnormalities in adults with ASDs as well as the physical and demographic features of individuals with these genetic abnormalities compared to those without abnormalities. We performed both retrospective and prospective medical chart analysis on adults seen in the UW Adult Genetics Clinic and abstracted data from the charts such as age, sex, ASD diagnostic subtype, genetic test results, brain physiology test results, neuropsychological test results, physical exam features, medical history, medications, family history, developmental history, and social demographics. We then used statistical analyses to compare the clinical and demographic features between individuals with and without genetic abnormalities. This study can help to provide information to guide clinicians in making decisions regarding genetic testing for adults with ASDs. Identification of genetic test abnormalities can also inform medical treatment and health screening for individuals with ASDs, and also influence family planning for these individuals and their siblings.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disease caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the protein huntingtin. The age of symptom onset has been correlated with the length of this repeat. Adults with a repeat length of greater than 35 polyglutamines typically present symptoms between the ages of 40 and 50. Greater than 60 polyglutamine repeats causes a rapidly progressing early onset of the disease in adolescents. While both types of HD result in cognitive deficits and neuron loss, 25-35% of early-onset HD patients exhibit epileptic seizures that become less responsive to anti-epileptics over time. One of the earliest molecular changes in HD is the loss of the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) before symptom onset. Activation of CB1 inhibits the release of neurotransmitters and protects neurons from cell death, whereas genetic deletion in HD models exacerbates motor symptoms. Additionally, activation of CB1 prevents the onset of seizures. The goal of this study was to determine if loss of CB1 activation increased epileptic activity, decreased survival, and whether elevating endocannabinoid (CB1 agonists) levels reversed these effects in early-onset HD. R6/2 mice (a rapidly progressing mouse model of early-onset HD) were treated with SR141716A (a CB1 antagonist), WWL123 (elevates the level of endocannabinoids), or vehicle (a control) and the frequency and severity of spontaneous and handling-induced seizures were analyzed. Preliminary results demonstrated that R6/2 mice treated with SR141716A had a decreased lifespan and more frequent seizures whereas WWL123 decreased seizure severity. This suggests that the endocannabinoid system has a regulatory effect on seizures associated with early-onset HD. Future experiments in the lab will further characterize the role of endocannabinoids and CB1 in early-onset HD seizures as a novel therapeutic pathway.

This research focuses on the reproduction and adaptation of Khmer (Cambodian) classical dance and its role in the maintenance and transmission of culture in the Cambodian community of Long Beach, California. The term “reproduction” is used because this cultural art form has been modified and influenced by a wide range of events in Khmer history, including the period when the Khmer Rouge, a communist group, seized control of Cambodia. The genocide of the Khmer Rouge resulted in the death of nearly two million Cambodians, including 90 percent of Khmer classical dancers. The life threatening atmosphere in Cambodia, as well as the cultural suppression experienced, led to the mass displacement of Cambodians who sought refuge in Long Beach, California. Upon their arrival in Long Beach, Cambodians began to reestablish their cultural practices, including Khmer classical dance, which had been prohibited during the Khmer Rouge period. The purpose of this research is to observe Khmer classical dance and the success of its reproduction and transmission in Long Beach. This research is based on data collected from participant-observation and personal interviews at Khmer Arts Academy (a non-profit dance studio), and observations at the Cambodian Art and Culture Exhibition, held November 2011. After studying Khmer classical dance in Long Beach, I have developed conclusions with regard to the significance and need for dance in the Cambodian community. My data suggests that performing Khmer classical dance at cultural events, celebrations, and festivals allows Cambodians to ensure the transmission and maintenance of their culture, and illustrates their success in sustaining and reclaiming their cultural identity.

DNA benefits from a system of self-maintenance, containing genes that code for the repair of its damage. The base-excision repair pathway serves as the primary means of preventing mutations attributed to oxidative stress, such as 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG), within both the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Initiated by the 8-oxogunine DNA glycosylase (OGG1), the removal of 8-oxoG is known to prevent genomic instability and neoplasia. The current study presents new data indicating a role for OGG1 in the maintenance of energy homeostasis at both cellular and whole-body levels. Oxidative stress introduced via high-fat diet (HFD) yielded increased adiposity and hepatic steatosis within the OGG1 knockout (OGG1-/-) mouse model. The HFD-fed OGG1-/- mice were also prone to increased levels of plasma insulin and impaired glucose tolerance. The same mice exhibited a higher resting VCO₂, indicating a preference for carbohydrate metabolism versus fat oxidation. Analysis of expression levels in the livers of OGG1-/- mice revealed significant downregulation of the metabolism-regulating transcriptional coactivator PGC1 and other genes integral to fatty acid oxidation. Consistent with a reduction in PGC1a, multiple genes involved in the TCA cycle were significantly downregulated. Also noted was a reduction in glycogen stores within the OGG1-/- livers, and fasting plasma ketones were significantly reduced. We conclude that OGG1 deficiency alters cellular substrate metabolism, fosters a fat-sparing phenotype, and renders the OGG1-/- mouse highly susceptible to obesity and related diseases. An understanding of OGG1 and its role in energy homeostasis will contribute to the direction of research within the realm of disease initiation due to oxidative stress.

Augmenting course material to be relevant and accessible to students is a ubiquitous challenge throughout academia. We aimed to design, develop, and evaluate the effectiveness of activities meant to promote the learning of difficult concepts in Anatomy and Physiology. More specifically, we focused on the neurophysiology chapter of an open access Anatomy and Physiology course sponsored by the Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative (OLI). This course is being created for pre-nursing students attending community colleges. We used the six-level schema of Bloom’s Taxonomy, a module addressing the knowledge and development of intellectual skills, to design learning activities that encouraged students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate concepts rather than simply recall, explain, and define them. By compelling students to work at higher cognitive levels during the learning process, we hypothesized that there would be a corresponding elevation in critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the material. Our curriculum design strategy was informed by cognitive science research that shows increases in learning efficacy when students are motivated to work at higher cognitive levels. Assessments were designed to align with these higher cognitive level learning activities. Our learning activities were tested by Anatomy and Physiology students using Carnegie Mellon’s OLI course. The Carnegie Mellon course uses an innovative digital dashboard platform which allowed us to track individual student’s understanding of concepts before, during, and after using our materials so that we were able to analyze their success and effectiveness. We revised our learning activities based on these results.

Genomic engineering has a wealth of possible applications, from curing genetic disease to curbing the spread of malaria. Homing endonucleases (HEs), which cut DNA at long, specific DNA target sites, are useful for genomic engineering because of their high site specificity. However, to use HEs for engineering, we must be able to modify their target site. Though this can be done with current computational and experimental protein engineering techniques, some HEs are resistant to those approaches. Therefore, we are working to develop a general methodology to modify the site specificity of HEs, based on a new synthetic biology technique called phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE). PACE is a continuous evolution system in which the evolution of a desired biomolecular activity is linked to the reproductive cycle of phage particles containing the evolving gene(s), and should allow us to develop proteins or nucleic acids with almost any desired activity or specificity. We have built an automated system to keep the growing host cells and phage at a constant cell density and temperature, which is required for PACE. We are also working to design a mechanism to link HE DNA binding activity to phage reproduction by engineering plasmids in the host cells and phage. In the future, we will be refining the hardware set-up and protocol even further, and looking for ways to modularize the PACE system.

This research explores music education as a potential vehicle for enhancing socially desirable behaviours in young people and teaching inhibition of socially undesirable behaviours as well as increasing proficiency in language, math and science. There will be special focus on methods of teaching that are noncompetitive such as Suzuki’s Talent Education Method. It involves literary review synthesizing neurobehavioural research and music education research to correlate music education with positive behavioural outcomes for at-risk youth and a reduction in juvenile criminal offense rates as well as recidivism at later ages. I predict that the research will support that the earlier and more consistently the individual receives music education, the stronger the correlation with improved performance in school and social situation and lower negative outcomes. In the past few decades, the United States has slipped farther down the list in world rating of education. Music Education programs in public school would benefit all students and lead to higher rates of graduation. To implement this in practice necessitates that music programs be reinstated and expanded in public schools and potentially be available to children as young as three years old in tandem with programs like Jump Start.

Although college student drinking receives considerable attention (Hingson, Heeren, Winter, & Wechsler, 2005), and depression rates are known to be high (ACHA, 2010), less is known about how these rates vary for immigrant students. The current research focuses on differences between students born outside of the U.S. and native students in drinking and mood, and is part of a larger study on developing an on-line intervention for students who have both high-risk drinking and depression symptoms. Immigrant students may experience challenges related to “acculturative stress”, or being the first in their family to attend college. These students may be at a higher risk than other college students (Buddington, 2002 ), yet few studies have investigated drinking behaviors and depression rates of this population. Some evidence suggests increased drinking in U.S. students studying abroad (Pederson, Larimer & Lee, 2010) yet it is uncertain how students who have moved here from abroad compare.  Analyses will examine whether immigrant students differ in drinking and depressed mood from native students. Study participants (N = 1,603; 57% female; mean age = 19.6 years) were students at a west coast university. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to measure alcohol consumption and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to measure depressed mood. 15.6% of participants reported being born outside the United States. Those born outside the U.S. reported significantly lower AUDIT scores (M=3.91 vs. M=6.80, t(1601) = 6.90, p <.001) and more depression (M=11.09 vs. M=8.50, t(1601) = 4.30, p <.001) than native students. Additionally, we will examine whether students’ immigration status and how many years they have lived in the US moderate the relationship between alcohol use and depression. An understanding of specific drinking patterns and depression rates among immigrant students could aid in the development of targeted interventions for this population. 

There are currently very few effective treatments to repair damage resulting from spinal cord injury (SCI). The project I have been working on in the Moritz Lab involves the exploration of Intraspinal Microstimulation (ISMS) and its ability to promote functional recovery after SCI in a rodent animal model. Our group employs a unilateral incomplete spinal cord contusion injury using the Ohio State University contusion device at the level of the fourth lamina in the cervical spine, or C4. We then place stimulating wires in the spinal cord, specifically in the ventral gray matter caudal to the injury at C6-C8, in order to deliver ISMS to the motor pools innervating the triceps and other forelimb muscles. My independent project in the lab is a histological analysis of triceps and forelimb muscles taken from the SCI models to determine whether the use of ISMS preferentially recruits fatigue resistant (FR) muscle fibers in the affected forelimb of these rats. After paresis resulting from SCI, muscles atrophy and undergo a "slow-to-fast" transition in the myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform content. My goal is to examine whether ISMS can slow or even reverse this slow-to-fast conversion after SCI. I am using immunohistochemistry to differentiate muscle fiber types in the triceps muscle. I stain for the unique MHC isoform that is expressed by the various slow and fast type fibers. My hypothesis is that there will be a higher population of type I and type IIA FR fibers in the stimulated muscles of ISMS group than in the control group, which will mostly consist of fast fatigable types IIB and type IID. The long-term goal of my project is to determine the benefits of using ISMS as a neural prosthesis and regenerative therapy for individuals who have suffered from spinal cord contusion injuries.

A continuous measurement of wall shear stress can be achieved using shear sensitive liquid crystal coatings (SSLCC). Utilizing thin films of polymer-embedded birefringent liquid crystals as sensors, they deform elastically when subjected to shear stresses. The light passing through the SSLCC is recorded with a charge-coupled device camera and is processed by the specialized birefringence detecting Milliview. Shear magnitude and direction are determined from the results. A single coating comprises of polymers, solvents, and liquid crystals in varying proportions. When applied to a surface, solvents vaporize, leaving liquid crysals embedded inside polymer structures. By adjusting the proportions of the components, the viscosity and curing rate of the coatings can be controlled to match the method of application. A series of formulations were applied to a flat, glass substrate using methods such as airbrushing and direct deposition. Each combination was tested repeatedly at free-stream speeds ranging from 5 m/s to 36 m/s. The best coatings were determined by optical clarity, surface smoothness, signal strength, and reusability both through visual observation and testing in a small wind tunnel. Few combinations yielded both a high signal strength and reusability.

X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID) is caused by a mutation in the interleukin 2 receptor gamma (IL2Rγ) gene, which is required for lymphocyte development. Affected patients lack functional lymphocytes and die unless cured through bone marrow transplant or gene therapy. However, gene therapy treatment was stopped due to risk of leukemia resulting from insertional mutagenesis, and this prompted the pursuit of alternate treatments, such as gene repair. Gene repair requires the use of two essential components, a homing endonuclease and a repair template, that harness homology directed repair mechanism, which repairs double stranded DNA breaks in cells. Homing endonucleases are enzymes used to target and cut DNA near a mutation in the genome, while a repair template is the DNA sequence used to correct the mutation. My project involved performing experiments to optimize specific components of gene repair using the Sce-SCID mouse model that contained a recognition sequence for the homing endonuclease, I-SceI proximal to the IL2Rγ mutation. I used adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) to deliver I-SceI and a repair template to hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) isolated from Sce-SCID mice. I tested the hypothesis that delivery of AAV encoding I-SceI homing endonuclease to Sce-SCID HSC would result in recognition and cutting of the Sce locus. Cutting of the Sce locus is essential to gene repair because it initiates the repair of DNA double stranded breaks through homology directed repair with the repair template. Previous experiments in the Rawlings lab demonstrated cutting of the Sce locus with stable I-SceI expression, but my experiments involved transient AAV delivery. Transient delivery is critical for the safety profile of gene repair. Once I-SceI cutting was established with transient delivery, I performed experiments that invovled both I-SceI and repair template in an attempt to correct the SCID phenotype of the Sce-SCID mouse.

Vernalization is a mechanism by which plants induce changes in gene expression during cold winter conditions to allow flowering competency in the spring. While expression of the Flowering Locus C (FLC) gene represses genes required for flowering, vernalization inhibits FLC expression. Epigenetic modifications have been implicated in the vernalization process. Arabidopsis thaliana mutants for Histone Acetyltransferase of the CBP Family 1 (HAC1), a gene which encodes an epigenetic modifier, maintain FLC expression in vernalization conditions. We hypothesize that HAC1’s role in vernalization is to upregulate the expression of Swinger (SWN), a component of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). PRC2 is a complex of proteins known to contribute to the inhibition of FLC. Wild-type and hac1 plants were genotyped through 3-primer PCR to ensure homozygosity of the hac1 plants. To test our hypothesis, we have exposed wild-type and hac1 mutant Arabidopsis plants to cold (~5°C) as well as greenhouse (~22°C) temperature conditions. RNA was isolated from leaves of wild-type as well as hac1 plants subjected to these different conditions. Through RT-PCR, we will examine the relative expression levels of HAC1 and SWN as well as the control gene Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 4A-1 (eIF4a1)-a ubiquitous initiation factor unaffected by cold treatment. We anticipate that if our hypothesis is supported, SWN will not be expressed in the hac1 plants but will be expressed in wild type plants, supporting HAC1’s role in epigenetically modifying the SWN locus during vernalization. Future experimentation would require examination on whether SWN gene has undergone direct epigenetic modification by HAC1 or whether there is a mediating factor between the two genes.

A vast quantity of water is moving in the atmosphere under the direct influence of solar energy. Therefore, it is important to understand the energy balance to characterize the behavior of the water cycle of a particular region. Water gets back from ocean and land masses to the atmosphere through the process of evaporation and evapotranspiration (ET). Evapotranspiration is an important phenomenon in the water cycle for the estimation and evaluation of the available water resources. If we understand how ET is changing over space and time, then we can more accurately calculate the crop water requirement (CWR) at a high resolution for that region. This can help farmers in managing water resources very efficiently. Current research has difficulty in projecting how ET is going to change over different locations in the future. Therefore, through this research we are trying to understand the partition of the energy balance components and quantify them to help the water management in southern Idaho. To support this research, we will use the data from both Land Surface Hydrology Model and field observations and present the trends in surface energy balance components, including net radiation, latent (ET), sensible and ground heat fluxes. 

Most American universities provide academic support for multilingual students. These supports tend to fall into the realms of one-on-one tutoring, study groups, or specialized classes. Less common, however, are institutionally provided social supports – that is, support settings not focused on classroom specific education or academic learning, but instead provide an environment where students can develop a sense of community, form relationships with their peers, and ultimately gain a better understanding of U.S. culture. To assess the impact that institutional social supports can provide, we will conduct a case study of two students participating in Thursday English Afternoons (T.E.A. Time) at the Boise State University Writing Center while taking regular college courses during the summer intersession. We will consider the role that T.E.A. Time fills among students’ other social and academic activities, whether it fills a need that is otherwise absent, and we will assess it for positive impacts on students’ academic work. To conduct this case study, two participants will fill out pre and post surveys, and they will be interviewed three times over the course of this study. The surveys will assess students’ perceptions on the T.E.A. Time program, and how it relates to their lives in the United States. The interviews will focus on students’ lives, both in the classroom and in social situations outside of T.E.A. Time, and will be analyzed to determine common themes that suggest social or academic needs that are not otherwise being met. We hypothesize that this study will show participants self-reporting a significant increase in confidence with spoken English and will show strong support for the T.E.A. Time program among participants. Additionally, we will explore possible links among T.E.A. Time, students’ social lives, and their academic performance.

The purpose of this study was to examine how students from different backgrounds and ethnic groups experience UW-River Falls. Previous studies, including the Campus Climate Survey (surveying all faculty, staff, and students in 2009), have shown that white students may experience fewer incidents of discrimination or bias as compared to students of color. While the Campus Climate survey gave us a broad understanding of differential experiences on campus, we felt it was important to dig deeper into students’ beliefs and experiences. In addition to asking about experiences of discrimination on campus more generally and with professors, we also asked about a variety of other issues: GPA and time spent studying, perceptions of their own intelligence, levels of self esteem and ethnic identification, and background experiences (among many other questions). Our survey was based on a much larger survey of UCLA students (Sidanius, Levin, van Laar, & Sears, 2008) that was modified to fit UW-River Falls. The survey was administered to over 293 students from across campus in classes, student organization meetings, and special sessions set up to collect data (General Psychology Participant Pool). Our results indicated that students of color had lower GPA’s and felt less smart than white students but they also reported studying more on average. Students of color reported lower Self Esteem but higher ethnic identification than whites and they perceived UW-River Falls as less diverse than whites. Students of color reported more experiences of discrimination on campus as well as more biased professors. Finally, among students of color it seems that ethnic identification may have a somewhat protective effect. Higher levels of ethnic identification were correlated with higher self esteem, but also with greater perceptions of campus and professor bias.

Organic matter (OM) production and decomposition is important to wetland health as it serves to cycle nutrients throughout the ecosystem. Current wetland monitoring programs in the Laurentian Great Lakes focus on structural indicators, such as fish, bird, and vegetation communities but lack the use of functional metrics such as organic matter processing. In this study we aim to create a new suite of functional indicators that focus on OM production and decomposition. Decomposition rates were measured using mesh litter bags containing dried bulrush tissue (Schoenoplectus acutus) as well as by the use of cotton strips incubated for 8 weeks at 20 coastal wetlands of Lakes Michigan and Huron. Nutrient limitation of decomposition was also measured using nutrient diffusing bags containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and a combination of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. OM production rates were measured by periphyton biomass accrual on acrylic rods over an 8-week period. In addition, nutrient diffusing substrates were deployed to test the effects of nutrient limitation on algae growth. We predicted that decomposition rates would be positively associated with higher nutrient concentrations. We also predicted that algae growth rates would be greatest on substrates containing high nutrient concentrations. When developed, functional indicators could be used alongside current structural indicators to provide a better overall assessment of wetland health.

Paraeducators are increasingly becoming a key component in special education. As class sizes increase, schools are hiring paraeducators to work with students with disabilities.  However, qualifications and training of paraeducators are minimal in most states. In Vermont, only 30% of jobs specifically required previous experience working with children. The majority of states have no educational requirements for paraeducators beyond a high school diploma. Typically, paraeducators do not receive much training besides an orientation to school policies and special education teachers do not usually help paraeducators understand IEP (individualized education plan) goals. Unfortunately, these kinds of practices lead to turnover rates that can be as high as 50% for recent hires. High turnover rates are costly to the school district, impede cooperation between IEP team members, and negatively impact student learning. A review of recent research pertaining to paraeducator training and instructional strategies for working with students with special needs led to the development of this toolkit. The purpose of this toolkit is to support paraeducators and classroom volunteers who are working with students with a variety of special needs in many different classroom settings. This toolkit provides information about specific disabilities, instructional strategies, background information on special education, and further resources. Particular emphasis was placed on special education in Washington State. There are more paraeducators in the United States than there are special educators—under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), trained paraeducators are allowed to provide special education instruction. However, most paraeducators get little to no training and a great deal of responsibility for students vulnerable to academic failure or stagnation. This toolkit was designed in the hopes that, as a free resource, it could provide much needed background information to paraeducators and classroom volunteers.

Previous research has shown that the economic/income level of Hispanic families is associated to the type of treatments children and adolescents receive. However, little research has examined other possible predictors that affect the type of treatment approaches Hispanic children receive who are diagnosed with depression. It is important to look at possible factors in order to understand why some cases would end up in premature termination or why others have higher levels of success. It is believed that possible predictors of type of approaches to treatments are cultural aspects for immigrant families, ethnic match with their therapist, treatment acceptability and treatment barriers (transportations, babysitter, lack of understanding, etc.) This study hypothesized that Hispanic families would choose certain therapies as more favorable based on the accessibility and the ethnic background of their case manager and have the potential to lead to higher rates of success and decrease the rate of premature termination. The result of the study provides support for the current findings of favored therapeutic approaches by other ethnic communities and further construct a better-designed accessibility to treatments.

Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 is a methylotrophic bacteria ubiquitous in the environment and in particular on the undersides of leaves. This organism is able to metabolize both single carbon compounds like methanol and multi-carbon compounds such as succinate and pyruvate. M. extorquens has been studied for decades because of its potential for not only creating value added compounds from methanol, but important regulatory systems including the regulatory pathway of methanol metabolism, which has yet to be fully elaborated. Our laboratory focuses on single carbon compound metabolism and the regulation of the pathways required for growth. The first step in methylotrophic growth is the oxidation of methanol via methanol dehydrogenase encoded by the mxaFI genes. Promoter fusion data suggests a complex regulatory system involving two two-component systems MxbDM and MxcQE, two homologues of the main methanol dehydrogenase XoxF12, and an unknown transcriptional repressor. In order to elucidate this process, the direct binding of a transcriptional regulator to the mxaF promoter region must be demonstrated. Unfortunately all putative regulators have historically failed to show activity in vitro. In order to isolate direct regulators, whole cell extract will be washed over an abundance of the mxa promoter region that is bound to magnetic beads. Then using a magnet, the promoter region can be removed along with proteins that have bound from the cell extract, any non-specific binding proteins can be washed off using a low salt buffer, and specific binding proteins removed using a high salt buffer. The elutions containing the proteins of interest can be run out on an SDS PAGE gel, and the unique bands of interest excised and sent for mass spectrometry analysis for identification. Our work will define transcriptional regulators of the mxa operand, determining which specific proteins are binding the promoter region of that operand.

The Brome Mosaic Virus (BMV) is an RNA virus that infects granary plants. It consists of three distinct viral particles which consists of each of three distinct BMV RNA molecules wrapped by many copies of the Coat Protein (CP). CP's regulatory roles in the replication processes of BMV are conducted through controlling the efficiency of both RNA replication and protein translation. Previous studies have shown that a 22-residue peptide (CPNT) derived from the N terminal region of CP can penetrate the host cell membrane and deliver the BMV genomic RNA into the host cell. The long-term goal of this project is to investigate the conformational characteristics of CPNT and to explore its binding characteristics on the different parts of BMV genomic RNA. As a first step, a 29 residue-long peptide mimicking the N-terminal region of CP (CPNT-1) was chemically synthesized and its overall conformation was investigated using Circular Dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The CD spectra showed that it has only 12% of a-helix structure and 50% of random coil, implicating high conformational flexibility. Given that these Cys residues are not a part of the functionally crucial region of CPNT, we designed a new CPNT construct without any Cys residues (CPNT-2). Our preliminary results showed that the 1 dimensional NMR spectra showed that CPNT forms appreciable amount of secondary and/or tertiary structures in native sequence (27 amino acid residues on N’ end: CPNT-2). When the end of CPNT was replaced by multiple Cys residues (CPNT-1), it is either aggregated or becomes a random, flexible conformation. CD as well as nuclear magnetic resonance analyses have been performed on CPNT-2 and the preliminary data showed that the peptide forms secondary structure. Currently we are investigating the detailed structural characteristics of CPNT-2 using CD and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

Animals must strive for a balance between foraging for food and avoiding danger in their daily environments. The amygdala has been shown to be a key brain structure involved in mediating both innate and learned fear responses in order to optimize the organism’s survival. Previous research using Pavlovian fear conditioning has shown that animals without an amygdala have deficits associating a conditioned stimulus (CS) with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). A Closed Economy is a semi-naturalistic paradigm in which all nutritional needs are met by completing a cost of procurement. Male Long-Evans rats were housed in the Closed Economy chambers for 24 hours under aversive stimulation in the form of foot-shocks (US) preceded by a light CS in the foraging area. I investigated whether the amygdala’s role in the modulation of foraging strategies is affected by the predictability of fear. Electrolytic lesions to the basal lateral amygdala (BLA) and central amygdala (CeA) were given to the experimental group, while controls were given sham surgeries. The animals were shaped to a chained fixed ratio 50-continuous reinforcement schedule, by which they were able to control their meal frequency and average meal size. After stable meal patterns were obtained, the rats went through seven day periods of baseline, shock, and extinction. Animals with lesions to the BLA and CeA initially exhibited deficits in the light-shock pairing, but over time, learned to avoid the shock in the foraging area. These results question whether the amygdala is necessary in associative fear learning and suggests possible compensatory mechanisms that could mediate long term fear learning in an environment with a chronic exposure to an aversive stimulus.

Mesanchymal stem cells (MSC) can differentiate into a variety of cell lineages, including adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteoblasts. This gives them great potential for use in regenerative medicine. To harness this potential, we must understand the effects of the various stimuli that can be applied to cells in in vitro culture. We produced an ECM mimetic nano-grooved cell culture substrate via capillary force lithography. An agarose diffusive microfluidic device was used to establish an SDF-1 α gradient across the nanogrooved substrate. Bone marrow derived mesanchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) were seeded on the substrate, and live cell imaging was carried out over a few days’ time. Using the time-lapse images, the differentiation, proliferation, motility, and elongation of the BM-MSC were analyzed and quantified. Understanding the synergistic effects of topography and bio molecular gradients will prove helpful in future efforts to create MSC regenerative medicines.

Traditional classical guitar making heavily relies on the use of precious wood and animal materials, many of which are endangered. These materials are illegal to trade under the CITES Treaty (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) and the U.S. Lacey Act which have unintentionally shifted material demand to countries of weak legal enforcement, resulting in environmental degradation. I would like to examine different factors involved through a production function, which comprises organization, technology, human capital, physical capital, labor, and natural resources to suggest a better institutional arrangement for classical guitar making. I will also gather historical data on Brazilian Rosewood, an essential material in guitar making. This will include its relative price to alternatives, its users, and the tree population to examine what is at stake. I predict that a better-designed international legal institution will facilitate the process of conservation while redressing the issue of resource limitation. Next, the formation of an international de facto standardizing institution will emerge to facilitate certification and ecolabeling programs, and incentivize sustainable forestry and business through market force. Furthermore, an increase in demand will lead to acoustic and construction technology advancement to remedy resource deficit. Through examining guitar making, I hope to propose a model for sustainable business and to tackle challenges in resource management for an ever increasingly populated world.

The effects of temperature and salinity on growth rates and toxicities of a dinoflagellate species in the genus Alexandrium will be determined. Species of Alexandrium can produce a suite of dangerous neurotoxins, the most potent being saxitoxin, that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans if contaminated shellfish are consumed. These potentially lethal toxins are dangerous to humans and marine mammals alike. Toxins accumulate in both wild and farmed shellfish during a harmful algal bloom (HAB), and can result in shellfish harvesting closures causing economic losses to commercial shellfish growers. Climate change scenarios project increased freshwater input to the Puget Sound region (causing decreased salinity) and warming of surface waters. These changes were simulated in the laboratory using a temperature gradient bar – a cell culturing apparatus designed to facilitate cell growth over a range of uniformly distributed temperatures (5-28°C) and salinities (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 ppt). Nutrient concentrations in the culture media is locally relevant and light is on a 12:12 h light:dark cycle. These experiments will be conducted for two Puget Sound isolates of Alexandrium collected in 2010 – one from Cypress Island in the north and one from Quartermaster Harbor in the south. Preliminary results for the northern Puget Sound isolate indicate zero to low growth at all temperatures for the 15 ppt salinity treatment, while greatest growth occurred between 15°C and 22°C in the 20 and 25 ppt salinity treatments. Toxin analyses are yet to be performed. The growth and toxicity response surfaces generated from this study will be used in a model to assess potential range and timing of future blooms under projected climate change scenarios.

The Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) is listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to small population size, and limited breeding range. The Short-tailed Albatross (STAL) breeds on Torishima and Minami-kojima Islands off Japan and migrates to Alaskan waters during the summer. The NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Observer Program, in collaboration with the USFWS, instructs observers to carry out seabird monitoring activities in addition to their recording of bycatch during fishing operations. Using Observer Program seabird sightings and vessel-bird interaction data from 1993-2009, we examined potential vessel interaction threats to the recovery of the population, as well as the frequency and geographic expansion of Short-tailed Albatross sightings. Our data indicate that Short-tailed Albatross sightings increased more than the Short-tailed Albatross population during this time period (6.5% population growth per year), with observer days remaining relatively stable. We also found that incidences of discard feeding and/or vessel following are not increasing disproportionately to population size as the population continues to grow, thus it is unlikely that vessel interactions threaten the STAL population recovery. Lastly, we found that the sightings of Short-tailed Albatross show an eastward expansion since 1993, thus suggesting an expansion of this species within their historic range.

The San Juan Islands of Washington are a unique habitat for both humans and wildlife. Although geographically close to many urban cities, these islands remain relatively rural and have maintained close connections to wildlife. Marine and terrestrial wildlife are very different in their ecology and how humans perceive them. Yet, there are few distinctions between how marine and terrestrial wildlife is generally presented in educational materials for the public. The San Juan Islands are also home to a large, seasonal ecotourism industry. Consequently, there tends to be a high density of tourists in the area, particularly during the summer. I worked with Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Friday Harbor, WA on San Juan Island to evaluate human interactions and attitudes regarding wildlife. For ten weeks I volunteered and used participant observation methods at the facility. I conducted eight semi-structured interviews ranging from 30 to 120 minutes to examine differences in human actions and attitudes towards terrestrial and marine wildlife, as well as any differences in attitude between visitors and residents of the islands. Initial results indicate that, unlike visitors, residents are more likely to view all wildlife as a nuisance. Moreover, marine animals tend to be more appreciated and less intentionally harmed by humans. Based on these findings I evaluated the current outreach materials used by Wolf Hollow and made recommendations for improvements, which included implementing new methods and materials in order to more effectively educate the public about how to live harmoniously with all types of wildlife.

With global temperature predicted to increase by 1-6 degrees C by 2100, the question of how species will adapt to such a rapidly changing environment is becoming increasingly urgent. Some of the most widely observed responses to climate change have been changes in phenology, or the timing of life-history events such as the timing of migration, flowering, or mating. These apparent adaptations may be the result of genetic evolution or plasticity, and while both can prevent a species from extirpation during rapid environmental shifts, they vary markedly in their long-term effects on population viability. The Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus, are one group of organisms whose survival is intimately linked to climate conditions. Because salmon die after they spawn, their entire life cycle depends on the success of one spawning season, which in turn depends on their ability to migrate up rivers to spawn during months favorable to their survival. Even small increases in water temperature and flow rates can greatly increase pre-spawning mortality for these fish. Using existing knowledge of Chinook life-history and fine-scale climate projections for the Columbia River Basin, together with an eco-evolutionary model, we assess the potential for Chinook salmon to shift their migration timing to adapt to future climate change. We hypothesize that Chinook are likely to have the evolutionary potential to allow them to avoid spawning during the warmest times on a long-term scale. While this is reassuring for the survival of pacific salmon, in general the extent of adaptability will depend on the life-history of the organism of interest.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a degenerative disease leading to fatal respiratory and cardiac complications. It is caused by loss of functional dystrophin through mutation of the dystrophin gene. Possible treatments could use Adeno-associated virus (AAV) to introduce genes into muscle cells. This strategy requires muscle specific regulatory cassettes containing sequences specific for transcribing the therapeutic gene in muscle cells. My studies seek to increase the activity of one such cassette, MHCK7. Since AAV vectors can package only ~5000 basepairs of DNA, the dystrophin cDNA and regulatory cassette must be miniaturized. I am modifying MHCK7 by adding a 95 bp intronic enhancer (SIE) from the muscle creatine kinase (MCK) gene that is important for MCK expression in slow muscle fibers and cardiac muscle. The SIE has been placed ~1kb 3’ of the MHCK7 luciferase reporter cDNA to mimic its endogenous genomic location. SIE addition was performed by introducing a HindIII site 3’ of the luciferase polyA sequence by site directed mutagenesis, and the subsequent opening of DNA at that site. The SIE was transferred from a previously made plasmid and ligated into the opened MHCK7. Restriction digests and gel electrophoresis were used to assess successful introduction of HindIII and to confirm digests for opening the DNA and isolating the SIE. New recombinant MHCK7-3’-SIE will be transfected into skeletal and cardiac muscle cultures, and its activity will be assessed through luciferase activity. The SIE’s contribution to expression will be compared to that of the original MHCK7 plasmid as well as to MHCK7 with the SIE located immediately 5’ of the cassette. If the new regulatory cassette is more active than MHCK7 and 5’-SIE-MHCK7, further studies will test the cassette in conjunction with a microdystrophin cDNA. If activity is not increased, I will test alternative locations of the SIE.

Approximately 1 million Americans live with a lower-limb amputation and this number is increasing. During both the postoperative recovery period (up to 18 months) and the subsequent period patients undergo substantial changes in the volume and shape of their residual limb. Therefore, both the fit and comfort of their prosthetic are compromised. Edema, gait instability and skin irritation are often severe consequences. Patients often use socks, pads and fluid-filled bladders to compensate for these changes in volume. I am currently investigating the fluctuations in the volume of the residual limb of below-the-knee (trans-tibital) amputees. The goal is to identify patterns in the volume fluctuations over the course of the day. We have created sock logs on which patients record the changes in their sock ply during the day. Our goal is to provide practitioners, patients, and industry with insight into how often and when patients change their sock ply. We hope, with this knowledge, to propose more automated solutions for patients to manage their residual limb volume. Automation is needed because many patients elect not to change sock ply even though they need to so as to maintain a proper prosthetic fit. Similarly, our research is also focused on investigating the correlation between limb volume changes and the need for a new socket. With this data, we hope to establish a relationship between the changes in sock ply and the time at which a new prosthetic socket is needed. We predict that we will be able to foresee when a patient requires a new socket based on changes in their sock ply. With this knowledge, the information will be shared with practitioners with an expectation that it will allow them to change their daily practices to recognize the need for a new socket.

Vascular calcification (VC) is an indicator of atherosclerotic plaque burden and is a strong, independent predictor for future cardiovascular complications, significantly increasing the risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Type II diabetes (T2D), the 7th leading cause of death in the US, is associated with increased incidence of VC clinically, as well as in our recent animal study. Although VC was considered a degenerative process involving passive accumulation of calcium-phosphate salts associated with tissue necrosis, numerous studies have indicated that VC is an active, cell-mediated process that resembles embryonic bone formation and remodeling. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) have been implicated in giving rise to bone- and cartilage-like cells in calcifying blood vessels by undergoing lineage reprogramming in response to local environmental cues. We investigated the association of S100A11, a calcium binding protein, with a multi-ligand receptor, the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), as a possible signaling mechanism involved in the lineage reprogramming of SMCs under T2D settings. We used a genetic fate mapping strategy to trace SM-derived cells in the model T2D mice that developed vascular calcification. Immunofluorescent dual staining for S100A11 and RAGE, along with immunohistochemical staining for Runx2/Cbfa1, an early osteochondrogenic marker, was performed on aortic sections of the T2D mice. The results revealed that S100A11-RAGE signaling is most likely to be involved in cartilage lesion development. This is supported by co-localization of S100A11-RAGE markers within cells of chondrocyte morphology in cartilaginous and calcific areas of blood vessels. Interestingly, almost all S100A11-RAGE positive cells were derived from SMCs that have been labeled by specific transgenes. These results highlight the significance of S100A11-RAGE signaling in VC and possibly provide for the development of preventative or therapeutic targets against T2D-related VC.

 Myocardial infarction, heart failure, and congenitive heart disease are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, current cell therapies remain inadequate in addressing this clear medical need. One of the primary obstacles limiting the success of cell therapies is that stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (SCDCM’s) tend to be functionally immature, providing only a small fraction of the force generation of their matured counterparts. Thus, the work here focuses on developing a growth platform which incorporates topographical and mechanical properties in order to rapidly and thoroughly mature SCDCM’s. The field of tissue engineering is becoming increasingly aware of the roll that the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays in driving cellular differentiation and behavior, and the importance this has on the design of biomimetic scaffolds and growth platforms. A study of the native cardiac environment has revealed that the presence of aligned nanoscale matrix fibers plays a key role in establishing organization within the myocardium. This insight has allowed us to construct polymeric scaffolds which mimic the in vivo ECM, greatly improving cardiac culture techniques. There exists an optimal feature size and configuration at which nanogrooved topography is successful in promoting anisotropic alignment and elongation of cardiomyocytes, an increased action potential conduction velocity, and the substantial expression of cell-cell coupling proteins. Our current focus rests on understanding the way in which mechanical and chemical variations to the growth substrate can affect cell morphology and contractile properties when manipulated in conjunction with nanoscale topographical stimulation. This research will provide a strong foothold towards the development of a cardiac patch, which, implanted directly onto the infarct surface of the heart, could reduce scar tissue formation, promote healing and angiogenesis, and provide crucial contractile and mechanical strength.

Cell transplantation has been shown to improve cardiac function following myocardial infarction (MI). The mechanisms behind improved function are not well-understood, but are correlated with changes in myofilament protein phosphorylation, which likely affect Ca2+- and length-dependent (preload) changes in force. This project was designed to test the hypotheses that 1) responsiveness to ventricular filling (Frank-Starling relationship) will decrease following MI, and 2) neonatal rat cardiomyocyte (NRC) transplantation after infarction will ameliorate this loss of function. One week after induction of MI, fluorescently-labeled NRCs were injected into the area of infarction of some of the animals. Sham-operated rats served as control. After 4-6 weeks, cardiac performance for all groups was preliminarily assessed using echocardiography. Then, whole working heart preparations were used measure cardiac power output, testing the heart’s ability to follow the Frank-Starling relationship. NRC-injected hearts exhibited higher average power and response to ventricular filling than sham (media-only) injected hearts, indicating that NRC-engraftment significantly ameliorates MI-induced decreases in preload responsiveness. Force and Ca2+ sensitivity (pCa50) of demembranated myocardial strips from these hearts were then assessed. NRC-injected hearts strips had a sarcomere length associated change in pCa50 that was similar to uninfarcted hearts (0.07 ± .02 vs. 0.10 ± .03, respectively), which was significantly improved as compared to strips from untreated, infarcted animals (0.0 ± .03). These results indicate that loss of preload dependence following MI is, at least in part, due to altered myofilament function and this is reversed following NRC engraftment. Current work involves investigating myofilament phosphorylation profiles to assess the mechanism of myocardial function changes. Preliminary results show decreased phosphorylation levels of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in NRC-injected hearts compared to sham-operated and infarcted hearts. These changes in phosphorylation may be associated with the changes in force production following cell therapy.

In recent years, increasing numbers of single amino acid mutations in cardiac troponin C (cTnC) have been identified in patients with cardiomyopathies. The troponin protein complex regulates cardiac muscle, as Ca2+ binding to cTnC initiates contraction. Previous studies of the mutations associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients show increased Ca2+ sensitivity and of those with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients, decreased Ca2+ sensitivity. However, it is still unclear how a change in Ca2+ signaling might precipitate the disease, and unknown why a myofilament protein variant affects the Ca2+ transient, which is regulated by calcium handling proteins. This project focuses on the I61Q cTnC variant, which previous studies have shown decreases fraction shortening (produce weaker contractions) and Ca2+ binding of myofilaments. Determining how or if abundance and activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) proteins vary will shed light on the mechanism behind the change in Ca2+ transient. All cardiomyocytes were isolated from healthy adult rats and transfected by adenoviruses containing the I61Q gene. Transduced cardiomyocytes were cultured for 48 hours. Then, Western blotting determined abundance of Ca2+ handling proteins in the SR, such as phospholamban and SERCA-2.  SDS-Page gels were used to determine protein phosphorylation. Using imaging software to analyze the bands in the gel will result in a quantitative comparison of protein abundance and phosphorylation. The difference in protein expression and regulation provide insights for understanding the mechanism behind the change in Ca2+ sensitivity, and potentially allow I61Q to be delivered through gene therapy in patients with HCM to restore normal Ca2+ sensitivity. Past contractile measurements were performed at 25°C, but since the heart normally operates at 37°C, future experiments will be performed at this temperature for transduced cardiomyocytes. Contractions will be induced by electrical stimulation so that cell lengths, rates of sarcomere contraction/relaxation, and Ca2+ transients can be measured simultaneously using IonOptix video microscopy.

Muscle contraction begins when Ca2+ binds to sTnC, which removes the inhibition of myosin binding to actin, allowing force development or shortening. Our laboratory has engineered sTnC variants with differential Ca2+ binding affinities to investigate how it affects healthy and diseased muscle. Chief among these variants are I60Q and M80Q, which have lower and higher Ca2+ binding affinities than the native protein, respectively. Expression of these variants in diseased or damaged muscle as a therapeutic treatment will be accomplished by viral transduction with cDNA. This method does not achieve 100% replacement of the native protein. Thus, my project is to determine the minimum variant level that needs to be replaced to have a signficant effect on contraction to help design treatment studies. Replacing native sTnC with I60Q or M80Q is also expected to gradually produce reduced or greater contraction when exposed to higher [Ca2+] prior to sTnC extraction and following reconstitution with variant:WT mixtures to determine force outputs. pCa50 is compared between pre-extraction, and reconstitution. Variants used in this study also contained polyhistidine tags, allowing us to quantify the amount of reconstitued protein incorporated into the fiber. These data show us the the effect of a particular reconstitution ratio and the amount of protein necessary to produce this effect. My preliminary data suggest that there is a progressive effect of increasing I60Q in muscle fibers to reduce the calcium sensitivity of force, thus reducing contractile strength. This variant may therefore be effective in reducing contraction in muscular dystrophy, thus maintaining muscle integrity and function.

Current network frameworks that are in widespread use today are insufficient for protecting sensitive data, and cybercrime activities are continuing to rise at alarming rates. By adopting new network framework designs into current computing infrastructure, we need to offer users a more safe and secure infrastructure by which to handle sensitive information and data, while not limiting their ability to be productive. For this purpose, we show how a private cloud can be highly assured by integrating the current network infrastructure with the High Assurance Platform (HAP) framework. The National Security Agency proposed the HAP framework in order to provide a high security environment in which to conduct day-to-day computing activities by utilizing a mix of commercially available virtualization and network security technologies. By integrating a private cloud for an academic computing environment with the HAP framework, we can demonstrate how a high assurance private cloud can be designed and implemented. We plan to create a private cloud in a university computer lab using computing resources that are currently in use or available to the general public. This high assurance private cloud allows students to conduct day-to-day academic activities in the freedom of a low assurance environment, by offering low restriction access to common resources such as email, web browsing, and file sharing across an internal network. At the same time, students will have access to a high assurance environment in order to reference confidential or sensitive information. Through the use of virtualization technology and network security technology, sensitive information can be better protected than what is commonly seen today in our academic computing environment and students still have the freedom to perform daily computing activities quickly and efficiently.

Using the Internet is leaving tremendous amount of the identity information about the person who accessed. Perhaps it may not be an issue if this information were not used against this person. However, this is a wrong impression of anonymity of the online users who have formed by the users themselves trying to achieve Internet anonymity to ensure privacy. Most of the time the users are not aware of two types of information that can be gathered online: the information that software is gathering from the users and the information that every person leaves about himself, or herself. My research includes reviewing of the United States and Washington state cyber-crime law, developing a new model of cyber-crime investigation procedure and suspect’s profiling, mapping modern techniques of revealing the Internet identity, and developing a prototype of a software application Cyber Bounty Hunter with usage of Python and C++ programming languages. I created Cyber Bounty Hunter as all-in-one tool for tracing suspects via IP-address, HTTP cookies, flash cookies, tracking bugs, HTTP referrer, TCP protocol, browser plugins, search engine's queries, social networks and so on. All of these tools and options can be used in cyber-crime scene investigation applying to tracking of suspects and fugitives, analysis of crime profiler and suspects’ identity. Cyber technologies opened up new possibilities in tracking. Generally, Cyber Bounty Hunter application software deploys cyber-espionage techniques and is capable of tracking and profiling suspects such as professional hackers, thefts, cyber-stalkers, cyber pedophiles, electronic terrorists and vandals.

Information technology is changing at an exponential rate. The advent of cloud computing allows small businesses to take advantages of technological services that reduce the cost of their capital expenses. The Software as a Service (SaaS), which is the top layer of cloud computing, is taking the helm in this technology era for small businesses that cannot afford initial capital expenses for their businesses. Now software can be rented as a service instead of being purchased as an application package. The first purpose of our research is to demonstrate how cloud computing can be beneficial to the small businesses: we discover a need for photographers who are small business owners and have limited revenue for the commercialization of their products and services. To sell their photos via the internet, photographers are using other storefronts to sell. Our cloud based shopping cart allows photographers to create their accounts and sell their own photos; thereby, saving on cost and expenses. The second purpose of our research is to demonstrate how an agile software development methodology, Scrum, can be beneficial to the SaaS providers: we as the service providers manage the cloud-based shopping cart development project for photographers by using Scrum. The use of the agile methodology helps us to timely respond the changes of user requirements and the deliveries of the service components in a cloud environment.

Beginning level programmers have learned basic programming concepts and skills without considering security at the beginning. However, the broad adoption of the Internet technologies allowed more software applications to be connected and vulnerable to attacks. It has become more important for beginning level programmers to learn coding with a security perspective in order to avoid bad coding habits. For this purpose, we introduce threat model to beginning level programmers, while they are studying programming fundamentals and examine how the threat model can create a paradigm of higher assurance when the beginning level programmers develop programs with the threat model. We conduct two programming assignments in a course for beginning level programmers without or with the threat models, respectively. Through the threat modeling, we create Data Flow Diagrams to check security trust boundaries and analyze the diagrams to countermeasure vulnerabilities of the programs. The number of vulnerabilities in the source code and the time for implementing the threat modeling are compared and analyzed. Regardless of the longer time for the threat modeling implementation, the early adoption of the threat model allows the beginning level programmers to discuss and expand ideas from the data flow diagram, help them to understand security trust boundaries better, categorize threats with computer security threat classifications, and make their code more secure.

The world of computing has made major migrations into cloud computing. More and more enterprises, both big and small, begin to rapidly relocate their infrastructure to the cloud both internally, and externally. Virtualization has also become a key component to this migration and is often times inseparable from a particular application of a cloud computing solution. This major jump can be readily seen from major technology industry heavyweights such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. It is important to note that this migration to cloud computing is not only taking place externally as companies seek to provide cloud services for clients and consumers, but also taking place as companies and organizations move their internal infrastructure operations to the cloud, particularly, with a virtualized infrastructure as a service (VIaaS). Deploying a VIaaS provides cost effective and convenient solutions to companies and organizations that do not desire the rigors of managing and maintaining their infrastructure by way of physical locations. However, with the utilization of VIaaS, comes a host of concerns from an information assurance standpoint.We propose a scenario in which a simulated small business has moved their infrastructure to the cloud through a VIaaS. Specifically, two common servers in a given network, web and email, are used for testing and evaluation process in which an iterated approach is used after initial installation and configuration. Based upon our experiments using VIaaS, we will address and analyze the configuration and security issues that arise when employing a VIaaS. Since VIaaS can be different for each business, general best practice guidelines are proposed for developing the infrastructure.

 As the number of persons living in the United States with permanent criminal records rapidly increases, finding stable and affordable housing for ex-offenders and their families becomes exceedingly difficult. In the interest of promoting and protecting public safety, complete exclusion of those with criminal histories from the both the workforce and public housing has proven to be ineffective. While housing and employment are fundamental in preventing recidivism, those with criminal backgrounds face inevitable obstacles. Nevertheless, landlords and other officials of public and subsidized housing programs have a legitimate interest in ensuring the safety and well being of their residents. An evaluation of Seattle Housing Authority’s use of criminal history in determining which applicants to exclude from its various housing programs is thus necessary to address this conflict. By analyzing both the eviction notices and denial letters of housing applicants, our research aims to examine how criminal history impacts both potential and current residents, as well as determine whether the policies and subsequent actions of Seattle Housing Authority are consistent with the ultimate goal of providing secure housing for those in need. Through these findings we will develop policy recommendations that encompass a comprehensive understanding of the problem, while considering the legal, ethical, and social consequences of excluding applicants with criminal histories.

There is a dearth of evidence-based parenting programs for caregivers of teens in the child welfare system. This is especially troubling considering the increased challenges facing foster teens including early initiation of sexual activity, and higher incidence of drug use, and school drop out. The current research project is an effort to help fill this resource gap through adapting Staying Connected with Your Teen, an evidence-based parenting program originally designed for use with families not involved in the Child Welfare System. Previous research demonstrates the original program’s effectiveness in reducing risky sexual behavior, substance use, and violence among teens. The current adaptation research is guided by the ADAPT-ITT model, originally developed to balance the needs of cultural adaptation with implementation fidelity for efficacious HIV interventions. Building off of the previous research on Staying Connected through utilization of the ADAPT-ITT model, focus groups were held to determine necessary program adaptations. I worked with other researchers to organize and facilitate 9 focus groups (n=9) in two Washington Children’s Administration (CA) regions: 3 each with former foster youth aged 18-21 (n=20), foster caregivers (n=16), and CA staff (n=27). Using a conventional content analysis approach, I worked with other researchers to identify codes and primary themes in the focus group transcripts. The dominant theme that emerged was the lack of genuine connection between caregivers and foster youth due to frequent placement changes, caregivers’ tendency to “other” foster youth, and difficulty parenting youth from diverse backgrounds. To address these barriers to connection, I drafted program adaptations and augmentations focused on developing a connection between foster youth and their caregivers, providing opportunities for meaningful interaction, and assisting youth in gaining necessary life skills. Further testing of these adaptations is currently in progress. This presentation will describe the focus group process, data analysis, and subsequent adaptations made.

Latinos are the largest and fastest-growing majority in Washington State, but over the past thirty years they have been systematically underrepresented in local office. This research focuses on city council and school board races across the ten counties which have the largest Latino populations, and the resulting report is the first to document the severe history of Latino underrepresentation in Washington. Through the same surname analysis used by the Department of Justice in its investigations of racially polarized voting, we analyzed the precinct-by-precint electoral results and found that Latino candidates are routinely defeated by non-Latino candidates. Previous studies have demonstrated that at-large elections - which are used in more than 90% of Washington's local races - tend to dilute minority votes and depress minority representation when minority candidates run against majority candidates. We found that Latinos win far less than half of their races against non-Latinos, suggesting that the extensive use of at-large elections has been combined with racially motivated voting patterns to systematically deny Latino candidates local office. Through interviews with Latino leaders and prominent members of various communities in Yakima County, we also found that Latino communites face more than just structural barriers to effective political participation and proportional representation. Our findings strongly suggest that the Revised Code of Washington ought to be amended to allow local jurisdictions to move away from at-large elections, that local jurisdictions should strive to provide more bilingual services, and that community organizations ought to prioritize the cultivation of local Latino leaders. This report was written as part of the State of the State for Washington Latinos project, which is an ongoing community-based research program at Whitman College. Our research was conducted in partnership with the National Voting Rights Advocacy Initiative.

This study focuses on how the global efforts of a politically active and increasingly visible movement of adult autistic activists are challenging the common framing of autism and shifting the contemporary autism debate. Common representations throughout the autism field contextualize the autistic experience through diagnostic categories of difference, constructed primarily by psychologists, neurologists, educators, and service providers. These characterizations are determined through observational criteria such as delayed communication, repetitive physical behaviors, and marked deficits in social skills. While the deficit mindset dominates the media and the public perception of autism, there is a lack of attention and research on how the social impact of these ‘perspectives from the outside’ influence the lived experience of autistic adults. This work counters the hegemonic deficit interpretation by investigating the multiple meanings of autism, and studying whether politicized tensions over autistic representations—and misrepresentations— influence public conversations surrounding service delivery, treatment design, and provisions of care. Drawing on qualitative cultural research methods including narrative, textual and image analysis, as well as ethnographic field notes, this study critically analyzes the lived experience of adult autistics and their efforts to re-humanize public assumptions about autism while living in a society, they suggest, that stigmatizes their experience as emotionally isolated, socially deficient, and mentally diseased. I analyze the socio-political discourse of autism and the conflicting representations put forth by medical professionals, mainstream media, institutions, scholars, and—autistics. These contradictory interpretations produce a cultural system of difference engaged in debate over autistic autonomy, self-determination, and justice. To critically engage this ‘culture war’ this inquiry considers who has the right to speak for the autistic community? Whose values are characterized as authentic by the public? Finally, this investigation asks, can autistics redefine autism and how will this definition reframe their position in political discussions about them? 

Fear conditioning is a form of classical conditioning where an initially neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) is paired with an inherently aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). After multiple CS-US pairings, CS alone produces conditioned fear responses. The amygdala has long been considered the key brain structure where fear learning-related plasticity primarily occurs. However, it has not been well studied how the US directs CS-US association in the amygdala. We recently found that stimulation of the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) could serve as a US in tone fear conditioning, indicating the dPAG may be a key structure in relaying US information to the amygdala during fear conditioning. In this study, we investigated the role of the amygdala in auditory fear conditioning where dPAG stimulation acted as the US. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were bilaterally implanted with stimulating electrodes in their dPAG and with guide cannulae in their amygdala. Prior to training, muscimol (0.3 µg/0.3 µL per side) was infused into the amygdala using infusion cannula and a microsyringe pump. For training, a tone (2.9 kHz, 85 dB, 20 sec) was used as a CS, and electrical stimulation (0.1-ms width, 100 Hz, 2 sec) of the dPAG as a US which co-terminated with the CS. Next day, an 8-min tone was presented continuously in a novel chamber as a tone testing, and the following day, 8-min exposure to the training chamber was given to the rats as a context testing. While the muscimol-injected animals displayed comparable level of freezing to the control animals during training, their freezing to the tone and context was disrupted during the testing, indicating fear conditioning was blocked by the amygdalar inactivation. These results suggest that the amygdala is critical for dPAG stimulation fear conditioning and may be the center of dPAG-directed US and tone CS convergence and plasticity.

Decision-making is a complex behavior where one must weigh cost and benefit to maximize the likelihood of the best possible outcome. A common example of this is a decision between a small yet certain reward (e.g. $1 or 1 piece of candy), and a larger uncertain reward (e.g. $10 or 10 pieces of candy 50% of the time). It has been suggested that context and dopamine levels play a critical role in the willingness of decision makers to take risks. We tested this hypothesis by assessing behavioral and neural differences between groups of rats trained on an equivalent risk-based paradigm conducted in different contexts. Rats started training in an operant chamber or a decision maze, and then switched contexts (i.e. tasks). These tasks involved the rat making a decision between two levers or doors, one of which was associated with a certain small reward (1 sugar pellet), and the other which is associated with a large (4 sugar pellets) reward that appeared with decreasing probability (100%, 50%, 25%, 12.5%). To test the influence that dopamine has on risk taking behavior, we used a dopamine antagonist (flupenthixol) to inhibit dopamine in both the maze and operant chamber contexts. Our results suggest that when analyzed as a group, rats are less willing to take risks in the maze context. We hypothesize this is because risk taking on the maze is a more complex behavior, perhaps because of a longer delay between a choice and reward delivery. Our pharmacological findings of high numbers of trials in which levers were not pressed in the chamber, or trials not run on the maze, suggest that blocking dopamine interferes with the ability of rats to make risky decisions. Together, these results support the idea that risk-based decision-making is influenced by many factors, including context and dopamine.

Despite major advancements in our understanding of the neural systems involved in persistent developmental stuttering (PDS), the causal mechanisms underlying acquired neurogenic stuttering (ANS) remain poorly understood. ANS typically occurs after stroke, and its primary symptoms resemble those of PDS (i.e., within-word dysfluencies). However, individuals with ANS often show no adaptation effect and no fluency-enhancement with altered auditory feedback. To date, little is known about differences and similarities between ANS and PDS in terms of the loci of stuttering—that is, the locations of stuttering moments within spoken utterances. Brown’s research on PDS has shown that stuttering is more likely to occur on (1) longer words, (2) words that occur early in the sentence, (3) content words, and (4) words that start with a consonant. In this study, we therefore compared ANS and PDS with regard to the distribution of stuttering moments as quantified by Brown’s word weights (for each stuttered or fluent word, 0-4 points are assigned based on the aforementioned four factors). As expected, adults with PDS showed greater word weights for stuttered versus fluent words. Individuals with ANS showed a highly similar pattern with greater word weights for stuttered versus fluent words. Calculating word weights for each factor separately (word length, sentence position, grammatical class, initial consonant) revealed that the ANS group also did not differ from the PDS group in the relative influence of each individual factor. Thus, although there are several known differences between acquired neurogenic and developmental stuttering, the loci of stuttering appear to be influenced by similar factors in both disorders. Of those factors, word length and grammatical class had the strongest influence on the occurrence of dysfluencies in both groups. These findings can be used to generate new hypotheses regarding the neural basis of fluent and dysfluent speech production.

Previous studies have shown that neurologically healthy subjects learn to generate adaptive motor commands when either sensory feedback (e.g., visual or auditory information) or the movements themselves (e.g., arm movements for reaching or jaw movements for speech) are experimentally perturbed - a phenomenon known as sensorimotor adaptation. In parallel, a different line of research has shown that for both nonspeech and speech movements the central nervous system (CNS) differentiates between self-generated and externally-caused sensory input by comparing actual and predicted inputs - a detected mismatch causes the input to be attributed increasingly to external sources. Here, we investigate these two phenomena in combination by means of two experiments that examine whether sensorimotor adaptation in speech production is diminished, or even abolished, when an auditory feedback perturbation (shifted formant frequencies) is either delivered with increasing delays or made increasingly large. Based on our own pilot data and recent findings from other labs, we hypothesize that increasing either the delay or the extent of the formant perturbation will cause the CNS to increasingly interpret the perceived error as an external manipulation rather than a production error that requires adaptive corrections in future trials. For each experiment, acoustic analyses are used to determine adjustments in subjects’ produced formant frequencies from a baseline phase (unaltered feedback) to the perturbation phase (formant-shifted feedback) across conditions varying in delay and amount of shift in the auditory feedback signal.

 The vestibular system is composed of the semicircular canal system, which detects rotational movements, and the otolith organ system, which senses linear accelerations and tilt with respect to gravity. The two systems can interact in a complex way during movement. The vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR) stabilizes a retinal image during head movement by commanding the eyes to move in a direction opposite to that of the head movement. Under some conditions, both the otolith organs and the semicircular canals contribute to the VOR. Unilateral or bilateral loss of vestibular function often results in vertigo and oscillopsia, which are debilitating and could be life-threatening because they result in falls or injury. In principle, a vestibular prosthesis could treat a functional loss of inner ear vestibular function by sending electrical stimulation into the three semicircular canals via electrodes to help maintain balance and stable vision. However, if the otolith organs are still functional, the signals from the prosthesis might be interpreted incorrectly in different head orientations, limiting the efficacy of the treatment. The interaction between the output from the otolith organs and artificial electrical stimulations from the implant is not known. In this experiment, we oriented a head-fixed rhesus monkey in different static positions along either of the roll and pitch axes prior to electrically inducing a VOR using the implanted vestibular prosthesis. Results showed that stimulation in the posterior canal induced a higher eye velocity in backward-tilted position than in the upright position, while stimulation in the anterior canal induced a slower eye velocity in the forward position than in the upright position. This project demonstrates that the performance of the implant changes under different body orientations. The prosthesis provides a unique experimental tool allowing us to disambiguate canal and otolith inputs in the intact organism.

Despite a surge in research efforts over the past two decades, scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying motor learning remains limited. Although many procedures have been designed to assess an individual’s ability to update motor commands in an altered environment, few attempts have been made to design procedures that assess, and possibly improve, an individual’s ability to learn a completely novel mapping of motor commands and sensory consequences. This is unfortunate because the latter approach has potential clinical applications: various brain disorders cause sensorimotor deficits, and learning alternative movement strategies may aid recovery. Whereas the above studies focused on hand or arm movements, our own research focus is on the speech motor system. The present project aims to design protocols to test and quantify the ability of the speech motor system to learn neural representations of a novel link between motor commands and sensory results. We make use of 3D electromagnetic motion capture technology that tracks 3 position coordinates and 2 angles for up to 9 sensors on the tongue, lips, and jaw; thus for a maximum of 45 dimensions. These 45 dimensions are mapped onto 2 dimensions of movement for a cursor displayed on a computer monitor. As subjects are instructed to move the cursor, their performance (i.e., learning of the novel mapping) is quantified. We will also test individuals from a clinical population (such as those with motor speech disorders or stuttering) and analyze their performance over time to design the most optimal techniques and procedures for quantifying the speech sensorimotor system’s ability to learn the complex relationship between a high-dimensional movement space and a 2D visual space.

English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is an increasingly prominent invader of western Washington forests, yet little data exists on its effects on western Washington native flora. A population study of holly in a 15.9 acre study area in St. Edward State Park suggests that holly reduces the abundance and diversity of native vegetation. We hypothesized that these negative effects are caused by shading and/or litter fall from holly canopy. We studied native vegetation cover in four treatments (holly shade, holly litter, holly shade + litter, neither) to determine the importance of these two factors. We also contrasted photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD) under holly canopy with PPFD under native tree canopy and in full sun, and compared PPFD under holly canopy with existing data on compensation points for native plant species occurring in the park. If holly reduces native vegetation through shading, we expect to see reduced native vegetation abundance in our shade treatments and to find that PPFD levels underneath holly canopy are lower than required for some or all native plant species. If holly leaf litter is suppressing growth, we expect to see reduced native vegetation abundance in our litter treatments and to find that holly leaf litter is deep enough to negatively affect seed germination. Preliminary results suggest a significantly lower total vegetation cover underneath holly canopies compared with total cover outside of holly canopies, and we have recorded leaf litter depth as much as 17 cm underneath holly canopies. This study will provide quantitative data which can aid forest managers in assessing the threat holly poses to western Washington forest biodiversity. Results and implications will be discussed.

I conducted a five month field experiment, from October 17th, 2011 to February 17th 2012, with the purpose of exploring the effects of prairie plant density on survival rates. I performed the experiment at the Pierce Oakwood prairie location utilizing the Mima Mounds preserve as a reference. My hypothesis was plants in moderate density will have a better success rate than those in low and high density. The methods for this design were established by plotting three polygons of 2m x 2m each. I divided each polygon divided into three sections, each containing low, moderate, and high density and plants randomly planted. Plot spatial arrangements were random at each polygon. Each plot contained the same species with an increasing number from low to high density. Prairie plants consisted of plants commonly found throughout Washington State. Each polygon contained Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon grape), Achillea milefolium (White Yarrow), Holodiscus discolor (Ocean Spray), Castilleja miniata (Scarlet Paintbrush), and Aruncus dioicus (Giant Goats Beard). The following variables were measured and recorded biweekly: height, width, temperature delta, human foot traffic, and faunal foraging patterns. Mahonia aquifolium, Castilleja miniata, and Achillea milefolium had high survival rates in low, moderate, and high densities. Aruncus dioicus had high survival rates in high density, and Holodiscus discolor was most successful in low density. My results highlight the need to better understand optimal planting densities of individual species in prairie restoration planning.

Populations of P. menziesii on islands should exhibit reduced genetic diversity and canopy coverage, lower population age, increased reproductive succession and reduced understory species richness with respect to Mainland populations. Populations sampling within the same region and elavation should exhibit similar patterns. Seedling density as well as distribution of trees in multiple size classes and their diameter to height ratios were presented for each site. Species richness represented plant community structure and constituted of understory plants and percent coverage for each species within the plots. Genetic analysis consisted of laboratory analysis for selected individuals within the sites. Despite the vulnerability of small trees in establishment due to predation and greater sensitivity to environmental factors, high energetic costs to maintain large support structures of older trees create an additional unexpected source of vulnerability within the population. As genetic variation is component of successful reproductive succession and establishment, reduced variation in populations could result in greater sensitivity to more extreme environmental conditions as might be expected with climate change.

Biochar is the product of biomass that undergoes pyrolysis, the process of thermal degradation in the absence of oxygen and is a type of charcoal. Research has shown biochar to be an effective soil amendment but the optimal levels of incorporation are unknown. This study examines if an optimal level for plant growth exists and to determine if introducing a stress factor will alter the optimal point. Five levels of biochar amendments at 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, and 15% by volume have been made into root media with high or low nutrient availability as a stress factor. Sweet peppers plants were grown from seed in flats for one month and seedlings were transferred to larger pots with appropriate biochar level. They will be grown for two months and destructively harvested for dry biomass data. We hypothesize the pepper plants will have an optimal biochar level for growth and this level will change with plant stress.

My senior project explores the use of art to activate public spaces, specifically urban mixed-use alleys. It has two purposes. First, I want to determine whether an alley art walk event can enhance community wellness and revitalize alleys in the University District. And second, I want to explore how context shapes meaning by examining how the blunt contrast between fine art, typically reserved for an exclusive gallery setting, and a public alley, typically seen as a hub for crime and debauchery, can shape our perception of both art and alley. To achieve these goals, I have organized an event called Alley Art Walk that will be held in the University District in May, 2012 featuring UW student artwork and musicians. I have drawn on the advice of the non-profit The international Sustainability Institute to organize this event as well as my own research into street art events and alley activation methods. I will assess the project’s impact using interviews and observations of the event and its participants. The result of my work will be an established infrastructure for future Art Alley events, a greater sense of community and place in the University District, and a reconceptualization of alleys, art, and the relationship between the two.

In 2007 strange cars began appearing around the United States. Clad in eccentric color schemes and a curious cluster of cameras jutting from their roofs, these cars were in the service of Google’s Street View project. As an extension of the company’s Maps program, Street View has systematically photographed panoramic views of the roads of the United States and the World. Unsurprisingly, related projects, specifically utilizing Street View technology in the service of art, have sprung up. For example, The Google Art Project began as a way to bring museum collections to Internet users using Street View technology. Art Project allows “visitors” to “walk” through museum collections from all over the world, choose paintings and view them in excruciating detail. Alternatively, artist Jon Rafman culls images from Street View that range from the banal to the picturesque, often beckoning the viewer to formulate enigmatic and, at times, counter-cultural narratives out of the chaotic mash. In my presentation, I want to mediate these two projects, The Google Art Project and Jon Rafman’s 9eyes. While I argue that Google Street View is an emergent medium for artistic investigation and a provocative new consumer technology, I ask if and how new media provide agency to their globalized users. Through the use of accessible new media technologies, Street View shifts the role of the user from static and passive to dynamic and active, but does it emancipate the spectator? Here my focus turns to Rafman’s concept of the virtual sublime. Using the writing of critical theorist Elizabeth Grosz and Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben as a guide, I discuss Rafman’s image “strings” in regards to the overall Street View project.

Clay, as Barbara Babcock describes it, is regarded as a god-given, living and life-sustaining substance. Clay, she continues, is a material which one takes, makes, and gives with thanks, and which one never handles lightly. For the Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest, the medium is inseparable from their spiritual, artistic, and utilitarian practices. Their collection, use, and treatment of clay involves a complex system of ritual and respect — an observation that continues to inform present-day artists. Nora Naranjo-Morse, contemporary Tewa artist, retains the sacred nature of clay that Babcock describes. Drawing from Tewa cosmology, worldview, and daily life, I examine the deep significance of clay as a source of artistic production and cultural symbolism. My argument is that, even in the sterility of the gallery space, Naranjo-Morse invokes the spiritual, artistic, and utilitarian practice associated with the medium. 

Today, a number of artists have returned to drawing -- in a big way. For example, Julie Mehretu uses swarming masses of lines and geometric shapes to document the urban environment in which she thrives. Her canvases are huge documents, often measuring more than ten feet in both directions. Likewise, Gosia Wlodarczak uses large-scale linear-line drawings. In her wall-covering installations, she brings forth a wide range of shapes and figures to create a visual atlas of her life. Common to these artists' works is a sense of infinite expansion. The artists' use of layering creates an unexpected depth that blurs the line between the artists' reality and the abstract. It is as if their drawings continue out into space and enter ours -- the spectator in front of the work. Using the idea of infinite expansion, we compare these artists' work and discuss the underlying geometric structure within their explosive drawing fields and how it relates to the world around us.

Illustrations of the Irish dating from the Victorian era were often layered with political commentary, making it important to differentiate between the art of caricature and that of cartoons. A defining characteristic of caricature is the emphasis on the grotesque, whereas in cartoons it is associated with comedic content. This research will examine the hidden nature of British political cartoons that demeaned the character of the Irish by veiling caricature under the guise of comedy. Through analysis of political caricatures from the mid to late-nineteenth century British publication Punch magazine, I will trace the emergence of the use of crude simian imagery to portray the Irish. The horrific appearance of such caricature had its basis in political suppression and was implemented in order to rationalize British sovereignty over Ireland. The art of caricature was a common tool for cartoonists, such as John Tenniel, to promote stereotypes and false sciences regarding the Irish. These caricatures also have far reaching implications, which went beyond the confines of the United Kingdom. Emigrating along with Irish immigrants, who fled their nation during the Great Famine, the stereotypical depictions of the Irish extended into the United States and even impacted the Kennedy administration. Caricature in America perpetuated the second-class status of Irish immigrants and created obstacles on the path toward assimilation.

Most people associate images of the halos with holiness or sainthood. Although heavily charged with religious symbolism, over the centuries, the halo as a personification of religious values has existed in a variety of forms. Moreover, throughout its history it has taken on very diverse meanings within an assortment of Western and non-Western art forms such as the mandorla used in Buddhist imagery or perhaps the more familiar Christian halo seen in images of Christ. In this research, I look deeper into the connotative and denotative meanings associated with its historical uses, identifying veiled messages hidden within its various forms. In my analysis, I utilize Saussure’s study of semiotics as well as Roland Barthes “Myth Today.” I seek to understand not only the history and progression of meanings associated with the halo, but how its form continues to circulate within modern-day culture. My contention is that Andy Warhol’s Gold Marilyn Monroe reprises this age-old form. Examining Warhol’s work reveals how on the one hand, the myth of the halo plays a role in its current definition and communication to the viewer. Yet on the other, I illustrate how Warhol manipulates and undermines the signified meaning of the halo and ultimately the form of the halo itself.

Dust is something usually swept away and discarded after it falls. Most would not consider dust as a medium for artistic expression, yet artists have utilized dust in their work. For example, Duchamp used a year’s worth of collected dust in his Large Glass. Indeed, Man Ray’s photographs of the dust on Duchamp’s piece are almost as famous as Large Glass itself. Additionally, Rauschenberg showcased dust in his series of White Paintings — monochrome canvases that act as, according to John Cage, “landing strips for dust motes, light and shadow.” Dust is not merely a nuisance — it has the potential to add a layer of meaning to art, something that can be seen in recent artists’ work. The shroud of dust on the crumpled covers of Tracey Emin’s Bed transforms it into a piece of the past. To an even greater degree, Gosia Wlodarczak explores the potential of dust in her series of covered pieces, aptly named Dust Cover. For Wlodarczak, dust shows the collected presence of the energy of a space. In this presentation, we begin with an historical overview of artists’ use of dust. We then consider these more recent artists’ work: Emin and Wlodarczak. Here, we discuss how such tiny particles add meaning; the collection of dust on the surface of these works documents the passage of time.

Paris has a long history of being one of the most beautiful cities in the world. In the immediate postwar era, despite public opposition, a towering, Manhattan-like skyscraper was built in the middle of Paris, marring the traditional skyline. It was initially backed by President Charles de Gaulle. But because of the lack of funding as well as public protest, its construction was delayed over a decade. An American real estate developer, Wylie F. L. Tuttle, was the major force behind this controversial matter. So our questions are -- How did this controversial tower come about? And who is Tuttle and how did he get involved? My professor, Meredith Clausen and I formulated the hypothesis that Tuttle must have been a well-established real estate developer in the U.S. Also, we hypothesized that somehow must have had strong and powerful connections in France and internationally. I started my research by a background search on Mr. Tuttle. An initial hurdle was that he was not cited in any electronic text database. So I had to search more specifically in the historical archives of the NYT, Wall Street Journal, and other daily newspapers. At this point, I am moving on to researching American real estate developers who began invested in Paris in the postwar era, and how Tuttle got interested in this international investment. Thus far I have found some but only limited information about Wylie Tuttle. My professor as well emailed Carol Willis, adjunct professor of Urban Studies at Columbia University and the curator of Skyscraper Museum, who replied she had never heard of him. With more research, I hope to find out how he got involved in this politically as well as urbanistically controversial American “invasion” of Paris. My goal is to supply this missing piece in real estate investment history.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution established a theocratic regime in Iran whose leaders based much of their legitimacy on their bellicose opposition to the United States. However, US President George Bush’s 2002 speech grouping Iran, Iraq and North Korea into an “axis of evil,” and the demonstrated willingness of the United States to use its military might to overthrow one of the members of this axis, presented the Islamic Republic of Iran with the very tangible prospect of invasion. The course of this research has been to determine how Iran’s leaders adjusted their public attitudes to account for this possibility. This has been done through an examination of the translated speeches of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader and its most powerful figure, as collected in online archives and international press reports. While it might be expected that Iran’s leader would slacken his traditional bellicose anti-Americanism in an effort to mollify the vastly more powerful United States, we find this was not the case. Khamenei’s speeches from January 2001 through the fall of Saddam Hussein in May of 2003 show the Iranian leader’s public attitude in regards to the US threat remained essentially unchanged. Despite the massive invasion of Iraq, Khamenei continued to espouse his long held belief that the United States would not invade his country, but would rather seek to undermine the Islamic Republic through subversion and “cultural aggression.” Combined with his belief that the United States and the Islamic Republic will forever remain fundamentally opposed, regardless of what actions Iran might take, Khamenei’s speeches reveal the ineffectiveness of force as a lever to sway Iranian behavior.

Historically, Islamist leaders — from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to the Jamaat e Islami in Pakistan and Bangladesh — have insisted that Sharia law is applicable to the modern nation state without political molding. Upon obtaining political power, however, they have always significantly moderated their conservative religious politics and adjusted their ideology to pragmatic realities. In my research, I ask what happens when an Islamist group does not moderate their politics to match political realities. I argue that any Islamist group which does not align their ideology with pragmatic realities after achieving power is destined to become a failed revolution. To test this theory, I analyzed the Afghan Taliban, a group which made no attempt at altering Sharia law to meet political demands domestically and internationally. Ultimately, this led to their deterioration as a political party. Through this, I conclude that it was the direct implementation of politically unmodified Sharia law which undermined their once robust popular support and lead the regime on a path to collapse. In turn, this paper implies that a government truly based upon Qu’ranic law is not sustainable in the modern world. In my research I relied entirely on an extensive literature review. I reviewed the premier literature on Islamist movements in and out of Afghanistan, as well as extensively on the history and ideology of the Taliban revolution in Afghanistan. Additionally, I reviewed Theda Skocpol’s theory on revolution to place the failed Taliban revolution in the frame-work of contemporary social science.

In the wake of the Ottoman Empire, Mustapha Kemal sought to modernize the republic of Turkey, ushering it head-first into the 20th century. His manifested ideas resulted in a huge departure from the country’s Ottoman past. An officer in the Ottoman military, Kemal viewed the empire as decadent and corrupt, embarking on a journey of reformation that altered the future of Turkey forever. Independence and democracy were at the forefront of Kemal’s mission, and in Kemal’s mind these pursuits were inseparable from secularism and nationalism. Kemal claimed that politics corrupted religion and that only secularism could restore purity to Islam in a post-Ottoman world. However, the 1970’s saw the rise of the National Order Party, an Islamist political group. Unfortunately for the ambitious party, unrest and a failing economy framed their rise to power and in 1980 the military took control of the government, claiming that the Islam in government was unconstitutional. The military used Kemalism to legitimate that, and several future coups even though Kemal himself stated that the military should also be separate from politics. The resulting struggles between Islamic groups and the Kemalists saw the rise of the AKP, a group composed of Islamist actors. The AKP has straddled the fence between secularism and Islam, promoting social, democratic, and economic growth. The argument proposed shows how Muslim leaders have moderated themselves and become the heirs to Kemal’s Revolution by following Kemalism's tenets for modernization: republicanism, statism, nationalism, popularism, revolutionism, and secularism. By examining the current economic and political academic discourses concerning Turkey's historic and current events I am able to contradict the debated notion that assumes that Islam and democracy are not compatible while taking it a step further to assert that a party with Islamic roots has continued one of the most successful revolutions in history.

Since the attacks on September 11, 2001 the international eye has fixed on the effects of political Islam and the impacts that transnational Islamic organizations such as al Qaeda have on global politics. A critical impact of transnational Islamic organizations is their involvement and impact on nationalist struggles. By using Chechnya as a case study this paper analyzes the effect of transnational Islamic organizations, in particular al Qaeda, on a nationalist struggle. This project is the result of my extensive research and a peer review process in an attempt to understand how nationalist struggles are changed by transnational Islamic organizations. Chechnya has been fighting for independence from Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in two separate wars. Al Qaeda started to become involved in Chechnya after the first Chechen War of Independence and their presence has caused dramatic changes. During the Second War for Chechen Independence there was a dramatic shift in both ideology and practices by the Chechens. New organizations, such as the Islamic International Brigade (IIB) appeared and preached a hard line of fundamentalist Islam in addition to carrying out violent attacks in the name of Islam and Chechnya. Their tactics shifted from local guerilla warfare to grandiose terrorist plots within Russia proper, including taking over a school in Beslan which resulted in the death 300 Russians. In addition to the large scale attacks suicide bombing became a technique the Chechens used, though there is debate on whether this is the result of al Qaeda. My research studies how the battle for Chechnya changed from nationalism to jihad, and how this case study can shed light on the question of how transnational Islamist organizations impact nationalist struggles.

As hundreds of thousands Pakistanis inundated the cities of Lahore and Karachi to hear the rising cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan speak, commentators and politicians alike were left baffled: how did the peripheral figure and his respective party become a formidable voice in Pakistan’s politics within a few months? This paper will argue that the ascension of Imran Khan’s party, the Tehreek-e-Insaaf, can be attributed to its adoption of Post-Islamist rhetoric of religiosity and rights, which came to be publicly appealing following the formation and failure of the Islamist conglomerate the Muttahida Majles-e-Amal. Due to Postcolonial Pakistan’s institutional divide between State and society, as well as Islamism’s failure to bridge such a gap, Pakistan is experiencing a Post-Islamist turn, where a novel relationship between political institutions and the public sphere is being negotiated. In conclusion, this paper will contend that Post-Islamism may prevail given Pakistan’s pre-existing democratic institutions.

Urban women’s boycotting of the 2005 elections in Iran cleared the way for hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s ascension to the presidency and a subsequent regression in women’s rights. This serves as an entry point to an understanding of the intricacies of a feminist movement in which women subjected themselves to an ideologically conservative president as part of a conscientious and contentious strategy for achieving equal democratic rights. If not through formal politics, what articulations and organizational capacities are available to and employed by women to demand and influence reforms within an Islamic Republic? This paper will examine three facets of the women’s movement in Iran; first, the role of women in mobilizing support for and successfully electing the reform candidate Mohammad Khatami to the presidency in 1997, and how the successes and failures of reform politicians and women in government reflected the limits of formal politics to elevate Iranian women’s rights through legislation from 1997-2005. Second, the paper will address how Iranian feminists have employed an Islamic justification for women’s rights that is both compatible with the prevailing Iranian politico-religious context, and useful in reconciling secular and Islamic feminist perspectives under a common cause. Finally, the implications of various feminist approaches to engaging in “informal” politics will be explored; specifically, the organizational structures supported through the use of new media that mobilizes feminist solidarities and collective action, pressuring the Iranian regime from within and without. The efforts of Iranian women reveal a movement that is not content with gradually reforming within, or conforming to, a restrictive legislative process; rather, Iranian feminists have adopted an Islamic modernist position focused on the removal of religious authority from the state, based on the recognition that the achievement of a fully democratic political space is fundamental to the adaptability and sustainability of the women’s movement.

Research on resilience (ability to overcome obstacles in life) has shown that early childhood socio-emotional competence is a strong predictor of future resilience as an adolescent and adult. Research shows that resilience is not a stable quality of individuals, but rather a changeable, dynamic pattern of functioning that is influenced by protective factors such as positive relationships, strong attachment bonds, and self-regulation skills. Early childhood intervention programs have been found to make lasting effects on the functioning of individuals into adulthood. Children who have attended preschool programs are less likely to be incarcerated, drop out of school, and placed into special education programs. (Barnett, 2002) However, research on preschool intervention has focused mostly on cognitive and adult outcomes, rather than socio-emotional competence in childhood. This study seeks to learn if preschool programs targeting disadvantaged children, is related to outcomes of protective factors and behavioral concerns, as measured the the DECA-C, an assessment tool becoming widely used to study resilient functioning in children ages 2 to 5 years. The design of this study involves two full-day, demographically-similar preschool classrooms. In addition to comparing children’s scores on the DECA instrument, teachers were audio-taped and observed for 20 hours to identify the quality of teacher-child relationships, a factor known to be very influential to child self-efficacy. It is hypothesized that children that participate in high-quality preschool intervention programs will show higher DECA scores measured over the course of one year. This research has implications for teacher-training, curriculum design, and family programs that have a stronger emphasis on socio-emotional development in low-income early childhood classrooms. This research is also specifically interested in how early childhood intervention can promote resilience to future adverse life experiences for underprivileged children.

According to the 2011 Citizens’ Report Card on Washington State Education, 18 out of 100 Washington State kindergarteners continue with their education and eventually graduate from college. Within those numbers, there exists an achievement gap that divides along racial, ethnic, geographic and socio-economic fault lines. Despite decades of raised awareness on the issue and despite enormous efforts and billions of dollars in investments towards proposed “solutions”, this gap is actually widening in Washington State. Privileging an Applied Anthropological perspective, this research will investigate some of the roles that Community Based Organizations (CBO) play in addressing this pressing issue. With the intent to provide deliverable recommendation to the CBO for improvements and tangible steps towards holistic solutions, this project will examine ways in which the South Seattle Neighborhood is addressing the education deficit outside of the classroom. This project will employ Participant Action Research methods (such as peer-led focus groups, participant observation, photo-voice, and discourse analysis) within a a non-profit organization in the Jackson neighborhood that offers college planning advising and financial aid assistance. As a participant in their Mentor2College year long program, I will experience the program first hand as a mentor and will be able to lay that experience into the macro picture in an effort to provide recommendations to help the CBO provide more effective, culturally competent and more relevant services with quantifiable outcomes. 

The Common Core State Standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, in order to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare American students for college, the workforce, and successful competition in the global economy (www.corestandards.org). The Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (henceforth, “the Standards”) were published on June 2, 2010 and have since been adopted by forty-five of the fifty states, including Washington. As schools begin the enormous effort of re-shaping their curricula to meet the Standards, students and teachers will find themselves subject to many changes. This presentation focuses on the changes that will impact the teaching of literature in the high school English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. It reveals the underlying assumptions the Standards make about literary texts: that they are not argumentative texts, that they therefore cannot be used toward the teaching of argument, and that they are therefore somewhat irrelevant to the Standards’ goals of college and career readiness. It then draws upon interviews I conducted with local ELA-teachers and relevant academic literature in order to critique these assumptions, demonstrating that literature not only can be used to teach argument, but should be. In short, it makes the case that using literature to teach argument better prepares students for college and the workforce than the use of informational text alone and, moreover, imparts the additional benefit of preparing students for responsible citizenship in a democracy.

The recent increase in international students at the University of Washington (UW) has been an extremely controversial issue. As undergraduate tutors in a writing center that serves these students, we are concerned with how this changing institutional climate affects both the students we work with and the university. This has prompted us to ask: What are these students’ needs, how can we best support them, and what institutional structures and policy must be changed or developed in response to the increasingly multilingual and multicultural demographic of the university? Through further development of a peer-led group tutoring program, Targeted Tutoring (TT), we have explored these questions and their implications for academic support models and policy relating to English Language Learners (ELLs) and international students. In particular, we have focused on researching ELL policy and support mechanisms at other universities and developing research designed to assess how student feedback about classroom and writing experiences and their perceptions of second-language writing at UW can be used to improve existing programs and policy. In practice, this has focused on efforts to design student-centered research methods and materials (reflective writing, surveys, interviews and observations), used in conjunction with TT, that can supply student feedback in order to assess our response, and the university’s response, to the increasingly diverse student body. While incomplete, this research has already shown promise. It has demonstrated the value of opening new avenues for students to communicate their needs, concerns, and views – providing the university with a clearer picture of these students’ needs and enabling a more effective response to, and support of, an increasingly diverse student body. In doing so, our research has the potential to be a valuable resource for students, administrators, and academic support programs and inform the university’s response to the changing student population at all levels.

As environmental degradation continues to worsen around the world, finding ways to mitigate the effects is increasingly important. Currently, school systems widely utilize standardized testing as a method of teaching resulting in disconnect between children and nature. Environmental art education is a medium that can be used to develop tangible connections between the youth and the environment. It has even been shown to promote environmental concepts as well as produce more environmentally aware citizens.Through my capstone experience, I will be working with Nature Consortium and the Yesler community center to develop environmental art curricula and evaluate the impact of these curriculum on creating tangible connections between the youth and the environment. I will be developing 10-20 environmental art curriculums and projects. Comparative evaluations of the students that have particpated in the environmental art curricula and the students who have not participated in the lessons will be conducted through surveys. Through this project I will also be responsible for creating plans for an environmentally aesthetic  classroom to contribute and facilitate the connections between the environmental art lessons and the students. My deliverables resulting from this project will include 10-20 environmental art curriculums, annotated bibliography, capstone journal logging my hands-on experience, and research material on the environmental art education. This data will help contribute not only to the organization I am working with, but to the future organizations. Discovering how to engage youth with the enviornment is key to both mitigating environmental degradation and creating adults who are more environmentally aware. 

The essay “Radical, Racial Antisemitism: The Building Blocks of Nazi Policy” explores the progression of religious antisemitism throughout history into the modern practice of a more severe form of discrimination, radical, racial antisemitism. This resulting radical, racial antisemitism, or the belief that Jews belonged to an inferior race, penetrated the Weltanschauung (world view) of key founding members of the Nazi Party, including Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and Joseph Goebbels. Nazi leadership embraced radical, racial antisemitic ideology as a foundational principle of their party politics during their rise to power between 1919 and 1933. As such, this radical, racial antisemitic philosophy determined Nazi policy, laws, and doctrine that led to the eventual mass extermination of the Jews of Europe. By examining and analyzing historical antisemitic documents, the writings of Hitler, Himmler, and Goebbels, and texts of early Nazi laws, the essay establishes the connection between the radical philosophies of prominent Nazi officials and the formation of the foundations and frameworks of the early political policies implemented by the Nazi regime in the early 1930s.

In twelfth-century northern England, the historical imagination was dominated by the region’s most powerful and most popular saint.  The bishops of Durham drew on St. Cuthbert’s renowned history and well-established authority to underline their own spiritual legitimacy. Involvement with the saint’s cult was not limited to the ecclesiastical elite or the monks of the cathedral convent. Throughout the twelfth century, lay interest in the religious life dramatically increased, and saints’ cults were a popular focus of lay religious energy. Reginald of Durham’s Libellus de admirandis beati Cuthberti virtutibus, complied in the 1160s and 70s, provides a richly detailed glimpse of this period when the saint’s miracle working powers were claimed by religious and laity alike. Much scholarly attention has already been paid to the increasing prevalence of pilgrimage to Cuthbert’s shrine in the twelfth century. Pilgrims who visited Durham generally sought miraculous cures, and as we would expect there is a higher proportion of stories about healing miracles in the Libellus than in earlier Cuthbertine hagiography. But pilgrims were not the only laity who became involved in St. Cuthbert’s cult in the twelfth century. In addition to stories of miraculous healing, Reginald’s Libellus contains accounts of the saint arbitrating the conflicts of lay inhabitants of the bishopric of Durham. My research examines these often overlooked “miracles of justice” in order to provide a fuller picture of lay interaction with St. Cuthbert in twelfth-century Durham. I analyze miracle stories involving freeing from false imprisonment, protection of lay interests, and punishment of immoral behavior in order to explore how and why members of every social strata increasingly claimed the patronage of the saint in order to mediate secular conflict. What emerges is a clearer portrait of a distinctive local political and social culture underlined by communal association with St. Cuthbert.

How exactly is history of science related to philosophy of science? Answers range from denying there exists any substantial relation at all to asserting that the relation is one of necessity, in which philosophy of science without history of science is worse off and vice versa. In this research I give a brief survey of the relevant literature. I then suggest that thus far the various approaches taken toward resolving the general problem have not been satisfying and, hence, that a new approach is needed. I use a case-based analysis of a recent essay in philosophy of science by Kyle Stanford to demonstrate what I believe to be a novel, fruitful approach to the problem. Rather than speculating about the relation in the abstract, in this new approach I focus on how Stanford uses history of science to make his philosophical argument go through in practice. Here the problem becomes: How is history of science related to philosophy of science in Stanford’s essay? I argue that the payoff of this approach is that although the conclusion I draw is not as general in scope as those offered by previous philosophers, in its narrowness this new approach is more detailed and, hence, more illuminating of the relation between history of science and philosophy of science. Attending to how philosophers work out this problem in practice, I argue, is the approach that we should take in trying to understand the nature of this precarious relation. Finally, I compare my analysis of Stanford’s essay with some of the existing accounts delineated in the beginning of the paper, in order to determine whether any of the generalizations they offer hold in this particular case.

The Svoboda Diaries project seeks to translate and digitize a nineteeth century travel diary written in Arabic by a nineteen-year-old European named Alexander Svoboda. The Newbook project is the second phase of the Svoboda Diaries Project. The first phase of this project focused on the development, transcription, and translation of the travel journal. Alexander Svoboda kept a thorough record of his journey including a trip with his family across the desert to Damascus, from there by train and boat to Cairo, then finally to Brindisi and Paris. Phase one of the project resulted in an XML mark-up text in both Arabic and English automatically rendered in HTML for web display together with notes and supporting materials such as maps, PDF's, rare books, and a Wikipedia associated with the site, referred to as a Svobodapedia, which organizes our rare materials into a easily accessible database. Presently our group is collecting and organizing images and genealogical material, to identify family members within the diary and lead to a better understanding of the Svoboda family and others who traveled with Alexander. Many factors have been undertaken on our road to publication, including correcting and regularizing the XML tagging and formatting to result in an errorless XML mark-up language. Finally, collaborating on a Newbook website, where text, supporting material, and a print-on-demand version of the text will be available to the public. The Newbook project is a collaborative effort, including research faculty, PhD students, and undergraduate researchers, the result of this this union has led to a more comprehensive approach to creating a visually interactive publication.

From the late 14th through the 15th century, the German Hanse was a major player in economic, political, and military conflict –areas traditionally associated with state actors –throughout northern Europe, despite being a decentralized, non-sovereign, non-territorial entity. The Hanse was a late medieval/early modern trade organization, the driving purpose of which, from its founding and throughout its development, was to provide for the mutual protection of its member cities’ merchants in the course of their business and ensure and expand their rights and privileges in foreign ports; to protect their merchants against the predations of both pirates and kings. It is thus one of the great historical ironies that the Hanse became a source of piracy and mercantile harassment rivaling those of the sovereign states of Northern Europe. The Hanse’s relations with England throughout the late 14th and 15th century, especially in the decades surrounding the English dynastic struggle of the Wars of the Roses and concurrent Anglo-Hanseatic War, exemplify the Hanse’s role as a state-like actor in international conflict. Current scholarship on the Hanse focuses on cliometric trade analysis and linear narrative history, but I emphasize the unique nature of the Hanse and how it determined their actions on the international stage, critically reading Parliamentary records, royal appeals, and major secondary sources in light of my analysis of the Hanse’s foundational documents. I explore the motivations of the Hanse in its conflicts with England and determine that the Hanse’s use of piracy and the harassment of English merchants represented a natural continuation of their founding principles. My research addresses questions of the motivations and internal dynamics of one of the most successful and longest-lasting international trade leagues to-date as it interacted with more traditional state-entities in diplomatic and economic contexts.  

The modern parents' choice between disposable and reuseable affects not only their child but their global and local community. In exchange for more convient disposable diapers the industry has degraded the environment, introduced public health hazards, strained waste management efforts, and increased monetary costs of diaper consumers. Cloth diapers provide parents a less impactful option and a good value economically. This paper will explore the harmful effects of disposable diapers, the benefits of cloth diapers, why and how parents choose their diapers, and why most parents (90 percents) choose disposables. The motivation behind parents' choice will be studied, and their knowledge of diapers will be assessed. Interviews will consists of parents with young children using either cloth diapers or disposable diapers. Analysis of the interviews will access disparities between the parents and how society might educate parents to choose a diaper that is more ecologically sustainable, financially endurable, and better for their children's immediate health and development.

The American Farmland Trust estimates that we are losing more than an acre of farm and ranch land every minute. This rapid conversion of farmland to residential and commercial development presents an urgent and dangerous problem, as it severely compromises our ability to grow our own food, and raises serious issues of food security, resiliency, and environmental degradation. However, there are numerous tools that counties can employ to reverse this trend and protect local farmland. Counties are in the driver’s seat when it comes to farmland preservation, and this research looks critically at what counties can do to prevent conversion using the tools of regulation, development rights, tax incentives, and economic development, while highlighting the Puget Sound Basin as a case study for what is working and what needs improvement at the county level. I gathered most of this information in my internship with the American Farmland Trust, where I worked with a graduate student to create a scorecard using the above criteria, and used it to evaluate the farmland protection programs of the 12 counties in the Puget Sound Basin. Among our findings are that total farmland acreage in the Puget Sound is dwindling, that no county reaches the ideal in farmland protection programs, and that farmland across the Sound remains vulnerable. Fortunately, there are a number of counties that are using certain tools very effectively, and counties can draw on one another’s strengths and examples to shape better farmland protection programs across the region.

The current geographical configuration of the Titlow Beach area in Tacoma, Washington has its origins in the 1903 purchase of the northern half of the W.B. Wilton Land Claim by Aaron R. Titlow. It now includes a city park, a state marine preserve, and a residential neighborhood with a few businesses. Our project is to research and delineate the geographical changes over time to this area, beginning with the arrival of Europeans to its shores. The word “arrival” is key to our project, as the various modes of transportation which brought Europeans and then Americans to the area will be used to convey each major shift in the land’s use. The three modes of transportation most responsible for these geographical changes are boat, railroad, and automobile. Boats brought the first European settlers to the area; the railroad helped fulfill Aaron Titlow’s dream of turning the area into a vacation destination; and the invention and subsequent proliferation of the automobile effectively put an end to his dream, transforming the area into a residential suburb. Our research includes comparing the area’s current features to its original Wilton land surveys of 1868; analyzing the methods used to make the area accessible by boat, then railroad, and then automobile; interviewing local long-time residents; and researching state and city data pertaining to the area’s respective marine preserve and park. Of particular interest to us is the ecological impact Titlow’s hotel had on the area, including his litigious influence on the Northern Pacific Railroad’s specific route through his tourist destination, and the three-story hotel’s subsequent transformation to a one-story lodge. We also hope to uncover the ecological impact on the beach that has resulted from the oil-tar-creosote-coated derelict pilings that are still standing after the dismantling of the beach’s ferry terminal.

Storm water runoff has been a growing issue in recent years. Many of us know that the increase of land cover by impermeable surfaces, such as concrete and home shingles, has caused much of this issue. Puyallup was once a vast valley of fertile soil, but is now seen as a fast growing suburban area. The transition between these two points in time explains a lot about the storm water runoff problem the Puyallup valley is now facing. Deforestation was the first step to the storm water runoff problem; before the early settlers of the Puyallup valley could start utilizing the fertile soil of the valley for agriculture, they had to rid of most of the trees in the area. Mono crop agriculture was the second step, depleting the soil of its natural ability to hold itself together. Urbanization, paving and building in particular, are the most recent and relevant to the issue of storm water runoff in the Puyallup valley. I have examined each of these historical events in detail to explain how the use of land in Puyallup corresponds to storm water runoff. My research includes primary source information from some of the first settlers of the Puyallup valley and land surveyors’ reports over time. I have also used GIS maps of the Puyallup area and information from peer reviewed scientific research articles on storm water runoff. My research shows that the change in land use over time has brought us to the storm water runoff issue we face today. The progression through time shows that deforestation, mono crop agriculture, and development shaped the issue of storm water runoff we face today.

Neurons contain two highly specialized compartments: the dendrite, which receives synaptic or sensory inputs, and the axon, which relays these signals to other cells. Different types of neurons often have unique, type-specific dendrite morphologies and proper dendrite patterning is important for normal neuronal function. Underscoring the importance of dendrite morphology to neuronal function, defects in dendrite patterning likely contribute to numerous neurological disease states and the cognitive decline that accompanies normal aging. However, the many genes that contribute to the complex dendrite patterns remain largely uncharacterized. To identify genes involved in this process, we conducted a genetic screen for mutants that alter the patterning of sensory neuron dendrites that innervate the body wall of fruit fly larvae. Briefly, we mutagenized fruit flies with EMS, a chemical mutagen, and screened for late-larval stage lethal mutations that perturb dendrite patterning using a fluorescent protein that allowed us to visualize a single functional class of sensory neurons in living larvae. Here, we report our analysis of a novel mutant, messi. Using live cell imaging and quantitative analysis, we found that messi leads to exuberant dendrite branching and intermingling of dendrites in sensory neurons. This latter defect is of particular interest since “self-avoidance” may represent a general mechanism for organizing sensory dendrites and little is known about the genetic basis for this phenomenon. Using time-lapse microscopy, we found that messi causes progressive dendrite defects: the dendrite patterning of messi mutants is indistinguishable from wild type early in development, but becomes abnormal later in development. Similarly, dendrite defects in many neurological disorders are progressive, therefore further analysis of messi may contribute to our understanding of how dendrite maintenance is deregulated in diseased states. Currently, we are working towards identifying the gene affected in messi mutants and determining whether messi affects dendrite patterning in other functional classes of sensory neurons.

Mood disorders affect twice as many women as men. Yet most research done on mouse models is male-focused. For example, social stress induces social withdrawal behavior, which is observed in many mood disorders. However, in many species it is difficult to observe the effects of social stress in females because of low aggression levels. We studied the monogamous California mouse because males and females of this species are aggressive. We focused on the mesolimbic dopamine system because its function is altered in accordance with reduced sensitivity to reward in depression. Female California mice exposed to three episodes of social stress show a decrease in social interaction not seen in males. Preliminary studies suggest that social stress activates kappa opioid receptors (KOR) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Activation of KOR induces dysphoria through activation of p38 MAP kinase. We found more phospho-p38 positive cells in the NAc of males and females exposed to three episodes but not in one episode of social stress. We are now examining effects of the KOR agonist U50,488H and antagonist (norbinaltophimine, NorBNI) on conditioned place aversion and social interaction. Human and animal studies suggest that there may be sex differences in sensitivity of KOR. Preliminary data indicate that a conditioned place aversion and social withdrawal are induced by U50,488H, dose dependently. Knowing the effects of KOR can provide better insight into the long-term effects of social stress and effective ways to target this complex network. Targeting kappa opioid receptors to treat depression may provide fewer side effects than dopamine target approaches because the distribution of KOR is more restricted than dopamine receptors.

The immune response of individuals with disrupted sleep such as night-shift workers has been shown to decrease relative to individuals with regular sleep patterns. Cytokines are small molecules secreted as part of the immune response to infection. Certain cytokines have been shown to regulate sleep, and this regulation likely constitutes a critical component of the immune response. A common consequence of exposure to unusual light-dark (LD) cycles, such as those under jetlag or shift-work schedules, is the internal desynchronization of circadian rhythms. This desynchronization is associated with disruptions in the sleep-wake cycle and we hypothesize that this disruption may be linked to abnormal secretion of cytokines. Using an animal model of internal desynchronization, we exposed rats to a 22-hour LD (11L: 11D) cycle which leads to desynchronization of the sleep stages known as Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REMS) and nonREM sleep (NREMS). In these animals, the temporal sequence of REMS and NREMS changes stably between days of alignment, in which the sequence is normal, and days of misalignment, in which this sequence is disrupted. We will analyze levels of three cytokines, interleukins 1, 6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) over a 24-hour period in animals either bled during days of alignment or during days of misalignment. Our hypothesis predicts lower production levels of these cytokines in misaligned rats.The implications of this study may indicate that the alignment of circadian rhythms, particularly of the sleep-wake cycle, are critical to maintaining normal cytokine levels and to sustaining normal immune response.

Contact influences the behavior and associations of delphinids and other cetaceans. However, little is known about the role of contact in beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) social interactions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the degree of contact in eight belugas at Sea World San Antonio using a focal sampling procedure of 10 minute observations. Frequency and/or duration were recorded for the initiating /receiving beluga, type of contact, body part used to contact, and object receiving contact. Data were collected during two seasons: Summer 2011, which examined contact behaviors between belugas and Fall 2011, which examined contact behaviors between belugas and object contact. During the summer, 27 contact events occurred across 120 observation sessions. Contact occurred at a rate of .02 events per minute, indicating belugas rarely contact each other. Most of the contact events that did occur were initiated by the three non-adult belugas, during affiliative play interactions and were short in duration. A third of the events occurred between a mother-calf pair while the calf was in infant position and lasted longer than most social interactions. During the fall, 17 physical contact events and 909 object contact events occurred across 120 observation sessions. Physical contact occurred at a rate of .01 events per minute. Like the summer session, most of the physical contact events were initiated by the three non-adult belugas, during affiliative play interactions and were short in duration. Again most of the events occurred between the mother-calf pair while the calf was swimming in infant position and were longer than most social interactions. Object contact occurred at a rate of .76 events per minute. Objects were contacted through rubbing 94% of the time, and objects were contacted through touching 6% of the time. Overall, belugas contacted objects more than each other.

When a photon is absorbed by materials called semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs), the energy from the photon is also absorbed and can be used to excite the semiconductor nanocrystals. If the energy of the photon is at least twice the energy of the bandgap, or the energy between two specific states, at least two charge carriers can be created. Charge carriers are inherent in any material which can absorb energy and undergo a process of excitation to a higher energy state by the photon followed by relaxation to its normal energy state accompanied by a release of energy. Conversely, when the energy of the light does not exceed twice the band gap, only one excitation is observed. If a material exhibits the property of creating multiple charge carriers, often called Multiple Exciton Generation (MEG), it can be stated that this material will likely enhance a solar cell since energy from the light absorbed by the cell will result in multiple charge carriers created followed by multiple relaxations and the releasing of energy. MEG has been shown to exist in a variety of QDs. Here, we attempt to confirm the presence of MEG in germanium QDs. This was done by pumping 400 nm and 800 nm light with a pump-probe laser and collecting the absorbance spectra at different power levels. The spectra can be analyzed to demonstrate if MEG occurs by comparing the absorbance at these different power levels. The results have provided no conclusive evidence of MEG in germanium nanoparticles. This result allows for further research to be performed on what may impact MEG and what materials are ideal for MEG.

Since the phrase Continuous Partial Attention, or CPA, was first coined by former Apple and Microsoft executive Linda Stone in 1998, it has gained considerable press both printed and online. Describing a cognitive tactic employed daily by many who have grown dependent on their digital gadgetry and networking technology, it has been asserted that there are specific consequences associated with prolonged use. These include a heightened level of stress as well as an inability to focus, self-inflect, and an overall feeling of being unfulfilled.
Although discussed and widely accepted as a valid and prevalent condition by many writers in the online blogosphere, there is currently no scholarly research investigating the validity of CPA as an actual condition. This current scientific study proposes preliminary steps towards formulating empirical based research to address a crucial and as of now unexamined question: Is Continuous Partial Attention real?
As there currently is none in existence, the first phase towards answering this question will entail the creation of a scale intent on measuring the purported effects of CPA as detailed by Stone. This will broken down into three separate categories to be measured: the physiological effects, the cognitive effects, and the effects on the individual’s state of mind.
Once a reliable scale is developed, it is hoped that an experimental phase will follow whereby attempts will be made to induce CPA in a controlled laboratory environment so that its effects might be measured and recorded. This will be done in an effort to gather valid evidence to support its existence.
If it is found that the claims surrounding CPA are in fact real and valid, then it is a condition causing scientifically unrecognized cognitive and physiological harm to countless unsuspecting individuals in our current techno-reliant society.
 

At a time in the United States when religious participation by youth has decreased (in a recent Pew Forum report, those born in 1981 or later hold the lowest church attendance) there is a rapidly growing church with roots in Washington: Mars Hill. Practicing a unique brand of evangelism, Mars Hill employs a variety of methods, some of them technological, to attract increasing numbers both in their campuses and online. In order to explore what these methods were, I began attending services and researching the current state of religious participation in American Protestants. I then approached my conception of Mars Hill through the works of various philosophers, including Paul Tillich and Emmanuel Levinas. The third aspect of my work is a journal-based account of my experience throughout this project. My project will reflect the above methods in three main sections: The Numbers, The Theory, and The Experience. I plan to present what it is about the reality of Mars Hill that is fulfilling and attractive for today’s religious population. The reality Mars Hill creates uses novel modes of delivery for its message, which has a high-production value and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and an Iphone app, among a larger web presence. In addition, Mars Hill offers an experience of community that substantiates strict doctrine on a weekly basis and provides unique accountability for members. This doctrine argues against a conception of Christianity as a “religion”, which moves Mars Hill into a space of new orthodoxy where meaning is born from contradiction in the potentialities embedded in language. My telling of my experience there will demonstrate the difficulty I experienced regarding the dichotomy between participant and observer roles, resulting in a difficult ultimate decision. To uncover the difference in Mars Hill, I started with numbers, continued with theory, and end in experience.

What makes one country happier than another? For centuries mankind has searched for an answer to what brings bliss, producing a great variety of answers. Over the past two years I have been on my own search; first collecting data and readings from varying scholars and fields of education, I then presented my findings at last year’s URS. A major division between western medicine and eastern wisdom split my presentation, and left me wanting a more visceral experience. Fortunately, my advisers Dr. David Barash and Dr. Judith Lipton took on a book to tackle my primary question, and allowed me to watch their house in the Central American sunspot, Costa Rica. Additionally, Costa Rica had been named the world’s happiest country by several organizations. Both my advisers and I had some qualms on how these organizations (World Happiness Database, Yale Environmental Performance, Happy Planet Index) addressed such subjective variables, and thus my project split. For the summer, I was to explore the country, conduct informal interviews with locals, tourists, and collect field notes to form answers towards some broad questions. Are Costa Rican’s the world’s happiest? What mechanics create such joy? Finally, what can we learn from them? Presently, I am conducting further investigations on how these organizations rank happiness. Possible methodological faults are addressed by comparing mental health and social inequalities to their rankings. In my attempt to put boundaries on an abstract emotion, quantitative and qualitative in nature, I have distilled cloudy answers to what makes us happy. I view these as primal ingredients towards a universal ‘elixir’. This ‘happiness variable’ takes flexibility, openness, purpose, & awareness to create. I believe we all have the capacity to be happy and hope to present some tools discovered while researching to help construct understanding and accessibility to this enriching experience.

I am interested in the affect deforestation and globalization has on indigenous cultures, like that of the Wehea Dayak in Borneo, Indonesia. The deforestation that is a result of palm oil plantation production creates significant challenges for the indigenous community adjacent to the plantations, such as the Wehea Dayak. The Wehea Dayak experience cultural degradation, forced migration and monthly flooding linked to deforestation.  My research will explore the ripple effects of deforestation. Through participant observation and interviewing, I will research links between environmental degradation, poverty, and illness. By having lived there previously, I have a strong, trusting report with the community. This research is imperative for the global community because indigenous communities possess deep ecological knowledge as a result of centuries of living in a specific area. I want to participate in this research because it exemplifies applied work and by helping record and provide cultural documentation the community can then advocate for themselves. The Wehea Dayak voiced their wanting for help in preserving their unique culture and lifestyle, and by applying the research I have obtained through the means of helping a targeted community is an imperative goal of anthropological work.

 CARICOM (Carribean Community) is a community based trade agreement association within the Caribbean region which is comprised of 15 nations. Regional progression is outlined through accelerated, coordinated, and sustained economic development. Theoretically, CARICOM has been ideal in the growth and expansion of the post-colonial Caribbean market. With the rise of it’s global and local commerce, CARICOM can be criticized as a neocolonial paradigm. Although this organization has historically been instrumental in Caribbean advancement, it has begun to reinforce systems of oppression and create cultural rifts within political nationalism. Research will comprise a collection of ethnographic interviews and thorough analysis of text course reserves from the University of the West Indies in Cave hill, Barbados. It was evident throughout my fieldwork in the Caribbean, that tourism still remains a major sector of its economy. How does regional tourism negotiate power relations within Caribbean nations? I will explore possible avenues of exploitation, degradation, and discrimination within Caribbean tourism and its evocative nature of neo-colonialism.

 In 1943 Hanford, Washington became home to the first full scale nuclear production complex and is now the most contaminated nuclear Superfund site. How have the lived experiences, local knowledge, health indicators and perceptions of risk in disparately-impacted communities shaped the complex processes of planning and decision-making of the clean-up at Hanford? Community Based Action Research can provide critical insight into the socio-cultural dimensions of the Hanford site needed to understand the complex processes that shape clean-up efforts, and how those decisions affect the lives of primary stakeholders. This methodology can also be utilized to critically examine how those decisions impact the experiences and health of the larger community. Archival research, participant observation and interviewing have been utilized to identify stakeholder groups and create accessible collaborative descriptive accounts of the Hanford site. This research will add to our collective understanding of the importance and use of cultural resources found on the Federal reservation, the contemporary economic importance of the super fund site, as well as how Hanford has and continues to affect a diverse array of stakeholders. This research has the potential to contribute to understandings of environmental justice policies as well as increase involvement of marginalized stakeholders and facilitate the implementation of collaborative, sustainable solutions to mitigate threats to population health and safety.

While sexual co-mingling of the races in the Americas began as early as the first cases of colonization, miscegenation remained an unspoken taboo in America until roughly the mid-century, when many cases of mixed-race couples began increasing in visibility in local communities, popular culture, and the courts. These couples found themselves thrust into the spotlight as either martyrs for the cause, fuel for the propaganda against mixed unions, or examples for popular interest pieces in magazines and newspapers. The role of news outlets in bringing public awareness to the presence of interracial relationships, for good or for bad, was crucial. This project explores newspaper articles over a 20 year period (late 1950s through the early 1970s) from three American Black newspapers: New York Amsterdam News, Pittsburg Courier, and Atlanta Daily World, and analyzes them from several perspectives, considering regional differences, date of the article (before or after the Loving v. Virginia decision), and subject matter of the article. Findings revealed several themes: emphasis on the white, female opinion, shifting generational divides, and the role of celebrity and celebrity mixed unions in public interracial marriage awareness. This project displays my discoveries in how the black community felt about interracial marriages during this period, as well as how the black media sought to influence public opinion regarding the topic.

In today’s digital world, cultural transmission through popular media, such as music, occurs on a grander scale than ever before, connecting people and ideas across the globe. Dancehall music is deeply embedded in Jamaican culture as a culturally significant source of self-identification, but it has also spread globally. This is a study of the globalization of culture through popular media, including aspects of production, dissemination, consumption and appropriation of Jamaican dancehall music in the United States. Many studies of the commodification of culture describe diminished creative authenticity; however this study will attempt to situate actors in their social context as culture creators. It will address the dynamics of economic production and artistic creation as cultural products and social processes, while exploring the strategies employed to create and disseminate music. By looking at cultural transmission through music as a social process, this study is seeking to address questions of authenticity and hybridity, explore local and global identities, and reveal cultural assumptions stemming from musical interactions as key discursive elements in the limited body of research concerning dancehall music culture.

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Asian Americans were labeled as the “model minority.” The integration of the Asian American community into mainstream American society without relying on welfare or political protest was used to demean the civil rights struggle of African Americans and Latinos. The Immigration Act of 1965 and the aftermath of the Vietnam War saw an influx of Asian immigration prompting the homogenization of disparate Asian groups within American society. The 1980s were a period of turmoil for the US economy, while Japan was an economic power on the rise. The dialogue about Asian Americans changed during this decade to reflect the growing threat of Japanese economic supremacy. The rhetoric of the model minority shifted to represent the Asian American as smart and hardworking tying it to Japanese success in the auto industry and the threat of Japan’s economic rise. The deindustrialization of U.S. manufacturing jobs, created a backlash against Asians Americans. The homogenization of Asian groups in the 1980s ignored class differences and became a tool to dismantle affirmative action and welfare services. This article will explore the model minority myth and the representation of Asian Americans in American society. The study will include popular media during the 1980s: newspapers, television, periodicals, political speeches, and movies. The use of these primary source documents will track the changing perceptions of the U.S. population during the 1980s. Research into the Asian American model minority myth and the shift in public perception during the 1980s will shed light upon the changing nature of race perception and relations in the United States.

The traditional black slave narrative was a political tool used to document the experience of being subjugated and commodified in early America. A revised literature has appeared in the contemporary, post-Civil Rights moment that takes on the pretense of the slave narrative: the neo-slave narrative. Unlike traditional slave narratives, neo-slave narratives’ potency does not hinge on veracity--each neo-slave narrative is a synthesis of oral history and the author's imagination. In this presentation, I investigate how narratives go so far as to rerender history, and transform the image of the brutalized slave to a determinist, autonomous figure in exceptional situations using humor. I will close read two neo-slave narratives: Flight to Canada (1976) by Ishmael Reed and Oxherding Tale (1982) by Charles Johnson. Of particular interest to this literary investigation are the novels’ respective protagonists who, between them, bear atypical Western educations, cosmopolitan friends, and traverse the landscape of the Antebellum South with wit and manner. I highlight how Johnson and Reed cater to contemporary readers' premonitions of what ought to happen in a treacherous slave narrative by creating comical encounters between the subjected and the empowered. I also discuss how Johnson invokes explicit Western and Eastern philosophical concepts to lend an air of consciousness to slavery's absurdity, and how Reed places deeply stereotyped characters in an anachronistic setting--a time structure that often conflates the events of the Civil Rights moment with the early 19th century--in order to track how black political progress has and has not changed in the intermediate time. Ultimately, I unearth how the two authors use neo-slave narrative humor as a tool to subvert notions of the slave as a stagnant, brutalized subject and foster discussions of black agency between the signposts of enslavement, emancipation, and progressivism in the black experience through American history.

My research aims to counter the notion that women do not mind the silencing, sexualization, and objectification of their bodies by providing a platform whereby the often unseen and unheard female body can voice a resounding reply that, on the contrary, she does mind, and very much so. My research examines works of contemporary historical fiction, like Toni Morrison’s A Mercy and Chang-rae Lee’s A Gesture Life, in order to explore the silencing of particular women in critical moments of capitalist transformation within and beyond the United States: the transatlantic slave trade, colonization, and imperialism, and the subsequent 20th century proliferation of neoliberalism, nation-building, and imperialism. It highlights this silencing by tracing traumas the female body endures. And does this specifically by defining the different female body parts that function as primary shock-absorbers as women who are coping with the effects of dislocation, displacement, and diaspora are not only gendered and sexualized in these labor markets but are also raced – a key component of representation and sexual exploitation. Vehemently criticizing the phallocratic order responsible for these various states of uprootedness is Luce Irigaray, whose essay “This Sex Which Is Not One” is concerned with the search for and implementation of a uniquely feminine language. My research interrogates the possibility of such a language existing and the significance it would bear in breaking the univocal shroud restricting the expressions and movements of the female body. This analysis utilizes a Marxist reading of the commodification of woman and her sex, as well as Irigaray’s conception of mimesis as it pertains to the recognition and viewing of the female. The injuries of being sexualized, gendered, and raced, unfortunately restrict the feminine discourse that female bodies could potentially produce by dehumanizing the female and rendering her nothing but a voiceless soft slip of flesh.

A monastic reformation movement swept through Europe in the eleventh and twelfth centuries resulting in increased access to the religious life for peasants and noble women. The introduction of these new elements caused tension and anxiety among existing ecclesiastical elites. A prime example of these tensions is the Gilbertine Order, a monastic sect founded in England ca. 1131 that provided for the needs of these newly active populations. Originally created to serve a group of cloistered nuns, the Gilbertines soon began to include lay brothers to oversee the external governance of the monastery. At some point after 1147, the Gilbertine Order introduced Canons, monks of socially elite backgrounds, who usurped the lay brethren’s position of authority. This usurpation created tensions that resulted in the Gilbertine lay brothers filing a formal complaint with the pope ca. 1161. Existing research on this topic generally relegates the lay brothers’ actions to a marginalized extreme and scholars have often described the brothers’ actions using terms originally employed by the lay brothers’ adversaries, such as “rebellious” and “violent.” There has been little attempt to understand the lay brothers’ intentions nor to situate the petition in relation to the larger social, political, religious, and economic movements sweeping throughout Western Europe in the mid- to late-twelfth century. My research has found that their actions represent an attempt, albeit frustrated, to integrate themselves within a larger, society-wide discussion of rights, duties, and relationships between the period’s various social hierarchies, both ecclesiastical and lay. A comparison of the language and procedures outlined in letters surrounding the Papal investigation of the lay brother’s petition indicates that, rather than being an attempt to upend prevalent social hierarchies, the lay brothers’ actions serve to illustrate their attempts to integrate themselves within these power structures.

A reversible tissue adhesive is a surface that is capable of sticking to tissues repeatedly without losing adhesive ability, similar to how geckos' feet can adhere to smooth and rough dry surfaces. This project seeks to combine the reversible adhesion exhibited by geckos and the bacterium E. coli, a model for receptor-ligand tissue adhesives. This technology has the potential to benefit laparoscopic forceps designs, which are required to manipulate delicate tissues easily punctured or torn during a medical procedure. FimH is an adhesive protein expressed at the end of E. coli fimbriae that binds reversibly to mannose, a sugar expressed in human endothelial tissues. A FimH receptor-ligand adhesive has worked on small length scales (μm²), but adhesion fails at larger scales (cm²), possibly due to the propagation of a single crack at the adhesive interface. My project addresses this failure by 1) fabricating the geometry of the existing adhesive in PDMS allowing an interface size without damaging force instruments and 2) combining E. coli fimbriae with polymer molds of micron-sized pillar arrays that mimic the topology of gecko footpads and arrest crack propagation on dry surfaces. Spherical PDMS slices of increasing size (40μm – 300μm radii) were coated with mannose and brought down to fimbriated cell-culture plates. Results show that PDMS measures higher adhesion (226 nN) than the existing receptor-ligand adhesive (25 nN), indicating a successful increase in adhesive interface size. The PDMS surface can be used to measure and compare the adhesive capabilities of various micropillar array geometries coated with E. coli fimbriae. In conclusion, micropillar geometries that measure higher adhesion than plates coated with fimbraie have the potential to be developed into a tissue adhesive. Future studies may show reversible adhesion is achieved when fimbriated-micropillar substrates are brought in contact with cultured and dissected tissues.

A key issue in synthetic biology is the evolutionary robustness of synthetic circuits. Creation of robust circuits requires the development of design criteria to extend evolutionary timescales, and insight into the relative evolutionary fitness of different circuit designs. Experimentally, this research requires the use of multiple cell culture runs that are time-consuming and laborious. To accelerate this work, development of a high-throughput, automated, and parallel mini-chemostat and turbidostat device is proposed. While the development of nutrient-replenishing chemostat devices dates back to 1950, and the usage of such devices is well-documented, even modern chemostats are not well-suited to evolutionary experiments. Current designs face significant issues of equipment fouling, specialized complexity, and prohibitive cost. Presently there is a lack of cost-effective options for highly parallel milliliter-scale chemostat devices which can be applied to problems in synthetic biology. The proposed device is small and modular, utilizing multiple standard petri dishes for parallel culture experiments. The design features integrated media refreshment and temperature control mechanisms. Visible and fluorescent direct-view, real-time imaging systems are included. The device is constructed of readily-available parts to maintain low cost. Parts are modular such that used petri dishes can be easily removed, disposed of, and replaced. The design is scalable such that numerous devices can be stacked or tiled for parallel experiments. At present, design and fabrication of the device hardware have been completed, and the device has been verified functional for an operational period of at least 24 hours. Directed evolution experiments to measure of loss-of-functionality mutations in engineered E. coli will be conducted to assess live-culture performance of the device. An open-source software package and electronic microcontroller system are being developed to allow for automated real-time measurement and customization of growth and measurement parameters.

The Paul Yager Lab in the University of Washington’s Bioengineering Department has been researching the dynamics of fluids on two dimensional paper networks of nitrocellulose. Knowledge of this science will allow for the development of distributed diagnostics, akin to pregnancy tests, that can be used in remote settings without access to electricity or medical supplies. By testing the storage and flow of various proteins and carbohydrates on nitrocellulose, we are developing lateral flow enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the diagnosis of various diseases. My research involves the control of proteins once they are already on the nitrocellulose membrane. By printing proteins and carbohydrates in various conformations onto the nitrocellulose, we were able to test the effectiveness of our methods for delaying and mixing protein flow. We showed that you can delay protein flow by printing a wall of sugar around the protein that needs to dissolve before the protein can flow with the liquid. We tested the flow patterns of two consecutive patterns of proteins and found that we can predict the time and efficiency with which they arrive at the downstream mixing site. We also developed ways to effectively load up to 1µl of solution onto the nitrocellulose strips. This research will be useful in the eventual development of a working ELISA, when combined with other results from researchers in the lab.

Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques, such as laparoscopic surgery (performed through small incisions using specialized tools), are an integral part of modern medicine and the future of surgery. Technologically advanced tools such as MIS robots are promising to replace or augment existing MIS manual tools. MIS robots improve on manual surgery, as they can incorporate increasingly sophisticated features such as force feedback for surgeons, automatic identification of diseased tissues, and partial automation of surgical tasks. These features can reduce patient pain, recovery time and thus healthcare costs by eliminating unintended damage to tissue and providing surgeons with tools to perform surgery more effectively. Each of these new features either requires or would greatly benefit from an accurate mathematical description of the dynamic mechanical properties for the tissues with which surgeons interact. Dynamic tissue property quantification requires that we apply a range of forces to the tissue and measure the resulting displacements. We have designed, built, and calibrated a device capable of collecting the necessary data to obtain an equation relating applied force to tissue displacement for any tissue of interest. We will process the data obtained from this device using an advanced signal processing and system identification algorithm (unscented Kalman filtering), which will evaluate the fit to the data recursively over time. This will allow us to maintain accurate results as the tissue properties change over time. This setup allows us to collect and analyze data from tissues including (but not limited to) in vivo abdominal organs in pigs. In addition to being an important study that has not been performed in the literature, the real-time collection and analysis of this data could have profound implications in partially automating surgery.

Paper-based diagnostic assays have become popular for their use in the detection of both pregnancy and infectious disease. The majority of lateral flow tests are run using a paper-like membrane called nitrocellulose on which liquid can flow using capillary action until it reaches the spot or line containing capture reagents. They provide an inexpensive, user-friendly alternative to expensive lab-based analysis. However, commercial paper-based assays typically only run single step processes that can lead to inaccurate results. Our goal is to create more sophisticated assays that can perform multi-step processes for higher performance using paper networks. In order to achieve this goal, we need to create paper fluidic valves to regulate fluid flow in these devices. For a simple shut-off valve, we came up with the idea of placing a sugar cube in a gap between two strips of paper so it would act as a temporary bridge and allow a certain amount of fluid to flow through until the sugar dissolved. This would enable specific volumes of fluid to flow through different channels -- something normally regulated by trained personnel operating pipettes in the lab -- with an untrained user merely having to add excess fluid to a single well. Dissolvable sugar bridges can serve as a method for manipulating fluid/reagent volumes within paper-based devices. We've been able to demonstrate and characterize their operation, including tunability using parameters such as geometry and composition. We've also demonstrated the utility of dissolvable bridges in the important context of automated delivery of different volumes of the same reagent (e.g. water) from a common source to multiple locations in an assay for simple device loading and activation. Sugar bridges have the potential to help bring advanced testing using paper networks to limited-resource settings.

The 2007 financial crisis and subsequent recession in the United States has brought the political economy of unsustainable debt to the forefront of the minds of people everywhere in a way not seen in decades.  This paper will delve into the puzzle of why neither dominant political party has been able to institute the recommendations of the four highly regarded debt and deficit reduction commissions in light of their general consensus regarding goals that need to be met in order to avoid a currency crisis.  We ask the question: Why has the Congress of the United States failed to enact measures to reverse the trajectory of the triple deficits of the United States (fiscal, trade, unfunded liabilities) and thereby avoid this crisis?  Our hypothesis is that decades of continued entrenchment of budgetary, trade, and social policies led to gridlock.  We will investigate the coalitions that have formed around the aging baby boomer population, national health care, and national defense.  First, we will discuss the recommendations of the various commissions.  Second, we will review the literature regarding the interests and coalitions within representative bodies contending with looming fiscal imbalances. Third, we will analyze the interest groups, coalitions, and beneficiaries of inaction at this particular time and relate this to the previous literature review.  Finally we speculate as to what would be necessary for congress to act, and what are the likely scenarios if congress fails to act. Having done so, it is our hope that we can provide policy makers and constituents with a deeper understanding of the political-economic problem that the country faces.

Since 1986, Bolivia has experienced a wave of International Monetary Fund imposed privatization. The breaking point occurred during the Cochabamba Water War. Over a period of months, citizens of Cochabamba took to the streets to protest the sale of their state water utility, SEMAPA, to international consortium Aguas del Tunari, and the resulting 150-300% rate hikes. This research asks this question: to what degree has indigenous culture helped to shape such anti-privatization movements in Bolivia? This research argues that the anti-water privatization movement fostered a reclamation of indigenous identities by Bolivian indigenous peoples who felt detached from their traditional roots. Indigenous groups such as the Aymara and Quechua historically have been socially, politically, and economically excluded from the Bolivian nation, which has been dominated by a white/Mestizo elite. While Bolivian social movements in the past have been formed along union lines, contemporary movements have seen indigenous groups rally around their unique indigenous identities. This research shows how cultural elements such as collective memory and dance have been used as rallying points for protestors who feel denied full citizenship, giving scholars a better understanding of how social movements achieve success. In Cochabamba, the tradition of the Fiesta, practiced annually by the city's indigenous inhabitants, served as a focal point for collective action which united participants under their own definition of "Bolivian" culture. Bolivian indigenous social movements additionally serve as a model for further reversals of IMF imposed economic policies. Such movements indicate a desire for increased representation of the indigenous majority, as well as alternatives to the capitalist system of economic development. This study is based on analysis of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources include: published interviews with activists, media coverage of their actions, and economic reports regarding privatization plans. Secondary sources include multidisciplinary analyses of the movement in question.

This paper examines cooperation between the United Steelworkers and the Mexican ‘Mineros’ Union, a relationship that began in the early 2000s and evolved into a close alliance after 2006. The alliance moved beyond the limitations of prior attempts at international labor solidarity that were constrained by a focus on symbolic gestures, a lack of connection with workers and domination by the Global North. I argue that confronting the corporate private sector through labor organizing is central to contesting the economic and social landscape of NAFTA-era North America. The two unions understand this potential and have proposed integration into a single body, though this brings a new set of challenges. I give a critical overview of the pitfalls of union mergers, particularly issues of member alienation, organizational identity and local autonomy. Flexibilized supply chains, the informalization of work and other corporate schemes have compounded these impediments to building strong unions. This essay contends that joint action, particularly organizing drives and corporate campaigns, effectively fights this erosion of working standards and engenders transnational solidarity as a culture within union membership, thereby facilitating integration. This strategy combines communication between leaders with the tangible mobilization of workers, forming the authentic and multi-layered relations of mutuality needed to rebuild worker power in a neoliberal age. High-profile debates over free trade and globalization sparked an explosion in academic literature in the 1990s that theoretically mapped out a ‘new labor internationalism,’ but the literature’s case studies failed to live up to its expansive proposals. Drawing on union agreements, newsletters and interviews with officials, this paper gives a deeper example of new labor internationalism in which the Steelworkers and Mineros are creatively continuing the long tradition of industrial unionism as a transformative social force that bridges multiple physical and social borders.

The year of 1863 proved to be a turning point in the American Civil War, one reason being the faith of Abraham Lincoln and his spiritually based conviction that the young nation of America could no longer ignore the question of slavery. Lincoln's personal beliefs had a definite effect on his presidency as he struggled over why God did not seem to take a hand in either side of the war. Battles were won and lost on both sides, frustrating everyone who thought the war would be short and decisive. Lincoln, feeling that God had instructed him to do so, enacted the Emancipation Proclamation. This ended up changing the tide of the war and showed how powerful the element of faith can be in the life of a president. As his motivation changed from simply wanting to keep the southern states in the union to actually insisting that slavery had to end, the Emancipation Proclamation and the subsequent victory at Gettysburg finally made Lincoln feel as if Providence was taking a hand.

The European Union committed to developing a Common European Asylum System by the year 2012. Having evolved from the desire to allocate responsibility among member states, the burden of asylum policy has now shifted away from focusing on national interests and into the realm of international standards of human rights. While this system is far from a successful example of harmonization at the community level, there has been progress nonetheless. Asylum seekers, those seeking refugee status in another country, are vulnerable to the inadequacies of the country that receives them, which is why efforts to harmonize are so significant. This evolution has been rooted in International law and the opinions of international institutions. European institutions, particularly the High Courts in Strasbourg and Luxembourg, have taken initiative to uphold the values of asylum protection under International law. This paper will explore how best practice policy prescriptions from the international level and European case law are working towards a Common European Asylum System that coincides with the minimum standards of international protection.

This project explores whether steady increases in inequality; the neoliberal retreat of the State from social protection; and the Great Recession of 2008 produce new forms of cross class interaction, identity formation, and action around the themes of poverty and inequality. Specifically, we are interested in studying the production, maintenance, and renegotiation of middle class-ness in the context of rising inequality. Using a variety of qualitative methods including, but not limited to, ethnography, archival research, PAR, and critical GIS, we hope to investigate a series of questions on middle class responses to and involvements with poverty. What are the sites at which these interactions can be studied? What sorts of ideas about poverty and inequality are produced in different 'sites of governance' and 'zones of encounter'? Through this research, we'll investigate potentials for social alliance around poverty in the Seattle region, as well as spaces of increased difference and class-based tensions.