The pupil is an important component of the visual system, changing in size to regulate the amount of light entering the eye and affecting vision quality. Light is the primary determinant of pupil size (the pupil constricts with light increments, a response known as the Pupillary light reflex or PLR), but there are also well known effects of internal states such as cognitive effort and arousal. Recently, our lab discovered an interaction between light and cognitive factors at the level of the pupil: selectively paying attention to brighter areas in the visual field, without looking at them, enhances the PLR. This finding prompts a revision to the neural substrates of the PLR, suggesting that cortical attentional influences modulate the subcortical PLR circuit. To better characterize this Attention-PLR interaction, we tested whether the effect is limited to spatially-directed attention to bright regions, or if it generalizes to cases where attention is directed to bright features from a single localized stimulus. Preliminary data using a psychophysics setup of overlapping dark and bright surfaces shows an effect of feature based attention. Specifically, two overlapping surfaces defined by white and black moving dots were presented at fixation and subjects were cued to attend to either surface. Attending to the bright surface induced a relative pupillary constriction compared to attending to the dark surface. Moreover, ongoing work attempts to quantify the magnitude of the attention effect at different levels of brightness and contrast of the stimuli, and for different spatial extents of the attended regions. In this way we investigate the characteristics, dynamics, and anatomical substrates of the Attentional-PLR effect, while establishing the pupil as a convenient marker of the direction of attention.

The fabrication of nanoparticles in an array structure with specific geometries is critical for a variety of nano- and micro-technologies ranging from electronics to photonics. Metallic nanoparticles arrays organized on surfaces as a thin film are particularly promising for construction of sensing devices and systems. Although there are current methods in which control of nanoparticle pattern can be achieved, many come with harsh draw backs that range from high cost to the use of toxic chemicals that limit medical applications. This project focuses on a combined biological and material engineering approach to develop a bio-enabled fabrication method to control the nanoparticle arrays with desired geometry. Our research uses bi-functional quartz- and gold-binding peptide sequences (AuBP-QBP) to create gold patterns using soft lithography and self-assembly techniques. The multi-functionality of the peptide as well as its organic nature enable the peptide to self-assemble on the quartz surface within a short time while the assembled biomolecule provides the control of the gold nanoparticle array geometry within the desired structures. Overall, the gold thin film arrays are achieved under aqueous environment via single step bio-assembly process. Our evidence of the desired pattern control is verified by various microscopy techniques that include Dark Field Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results of our research will contribute to develop metallic thin films arrays using a simple biologically relevant method in a controlled pattern. Future applications of this project will include developing variety of patterns having different nanoparticles size and shapes to follow various cellular and biomolecular responses on solid substrates.

Identifying effective antimicrobial interventions to reduce foodborne pathogen risk are important for the fresh apple packing industry. Apple packing antimicrobial interventions are commonly applied for short application times using spray bars and longer application times in flumes. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential for using lactic acid for spray bar applications and peroxyacetic acid (PAA) for flume applications based on reduction of generic and pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) on fresh apples. For each replication, fresh apples (n=220) were randomly assigned to treatments. Uninoculated controls (5 apples) were examined for background microbial levels (total coliforms, generic E. coli and aerobic plate counts) and the remainder were inoculated with pathogenic (E. coli O157:H7) or generic E. coli. Lactic acid (1% and 2%) and water treatments were examined at application times of 5, 15 and 30 seconds to mimic spray bar applications. PAA (60 and 80 ppm) and water treatments were examined at application times of 2, 3.5 and 5 minutes to mimic flume applications. Lactic acid (1 and 2%) treatments with short application times do not appear to reduce microbial levels sufficiently for consideration as a spray-bar application for fresh apple packing. PAA treatments of 80 ppm for 2-5 minutes and 60 ppm for 3.5-5 minutes reduced microbial levels sufficiently for consideration as a flume application for fresh apple packing.

 Transition-metal ions promote a wide range of vital enzymatic biological and chemical processes involving dioxygen (O₂), including photosynthetic H₂O splitting, biosynthesis of neurotransmitters, and DNA replication and repair. These are some of the most fundamental processes of life, and yet they are also some of the most poorly understood. A complete grasp of how these processes function at the chemical level is therefore of critical importance to our development of technology that improves our lives and the world around us. For example, understanding how to efficiently oxidize H₂O to O₂ is essential to the development of renewable solar fuels and fuel cells. The challenge for research lies in that these transition-metal containing enzymes are inherently difficult to probe by traditional spectroscopy methods because of their structural complexity. The difficulty in characterizing these species and their reactions, coupled with their importance in the natural world, has made them a subject of intense research across all scientific disciplines. The Kovacs research group studies the structure and reactivity of these transition-metal containing enzymes, or metalloenzymes. Our research method involves modeling a metal ion’s local environment with a ligand scaffold and implementing changes to these so-called biomimetic models that may elucidate how reactivity corresponds with various structural and electronic modifications. Spectroscopy is more diagnostic in these simpler models because the complex proteins that obscure the active site in the actual enzyme are not incorporated into the model. By comparing similarities in reactivity between the biomimetic model and the actual enzyme, we may help elucidate properties and chemistry of the enzyme itself. Preliminary work has been undertaken with a novel series of thiolate ligated, coordinatively unsaturated Co(II) complexes; the reactivity of these complexes with O₂ and O₂^- is currently being probed.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is used in many biological processes such as metabolism and cellular signaling. Recently NAD is found to have an important role in many signaling pathways. As NADs role in cellular pathways is being discovered, it is important to be able to detect and quantify the amount of NAD in vivo and in vitro by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. NAD is found in cells at low concentrations and its peak intensity in a phosphorus spectrum is much smaller than that of other phosphorus containing molecules like ATP. By decoupling and Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (INEPT) experiments we hope to isolate and increase the signal of the characteristic phosphorus nuclei found in NAD molecules. Isolating and increasing the signal to noise of the NAD peak will prove that we have the right peak and allow us to quantify the amount of NAD in vivo. This will provide information about health risks of a subject.

My poster will be about the beginnings and politics behind the Somali Piracy phenomena. The stories being told by the media and the stories being lived out in Somalia are very different. Over the past 25 years, specifically during the early 90's during times of war, many wealthy western nations took to Somalia to dump their toxic waste. With no permission or ok from the country's government. This took away from fishing as a livelyhood and a business to the country. Fishing was a top moneymaker in Somalias economy and within years it was almost wiped out. No one heard of Somalia's cries for help of there shoreline. For the defects of their babies born with defects. Some turned to piracy which we see playing out today. This presentation will document data and facts surrounding the phenomena of Somali Pirates.

Circadian rhythms like the sleep-wake cycle are governed by a circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus (SCN). This clock is synchronized by the light-dark (LD) cycle and the cyclic-guanosine monophoshate (cGMP) pathway is known to mediate its phase advances. Phase-advancing light pulses increase the levels of cGMP in the SCN and inhibition of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5), the enzyme that degrades cGMP, by artificial drugs such as sildenafil, enhance light-induced phase advances. These inhibitors act by inducing PDE5 phosphorylation and converting it to phosphorylated-PDE5 (phPDE5). This evidence suggests that the inactivation of PDE5 through its phosphorylation could be a mechanism through which light induces phase advances, and that sildenafil utilizes the same mechanism to enhance phase advances upon light stimulation. We are testing this hypothesis by measuring PDE5 and phPDE5 in the SCN of mice treated with a phase-advancing light pulse. Mice are administered either a light or a dark pulse at the time that light causes phase advances. Animals are sacrificed at different times after the presentation of the pulses, their brains are dissected and alternate sections are processed for immunohistochemistry against either PDE5 or phPDE5. Our hypothesis predicts an increase in phPDE5-expressing cells in light-treated animals. Future experiments will determine if sildenafil- induced enhancement of phase advances are mediated by further increasing phPDE5. Our findings may lead to the development of pharmacological treatments to treat circadian rhythm disorders such as insomnia, fatigue, and jet lag, as well as to manipulate circadian rhythms to achieve periods of extended wakefulness and alertness.

Twitter is an exciting social network to discover trending topics, opinions, and behaviors. While Twitter has already been mined for this sort of information, these analyses have failed to collect data that is integral to the social sciences. The research group I am working with is exploring collecting demographic information from Twitter in order to apply information from Twitter to research in the social sciences. The demographic data was collected using the Amazon Mechanical Turk service, where participants were paid a small fee to determine characteristics including race, age, and sex from pictures posted on Twitter. As a member of the group, I examined the reliability of these results and developed different methods to determine the demographic information associated with a set of tweets. These methods were tested and compared to national survey data to determine precision. I hope that my results will show that the Amazon Mechanical Turk service is an accurate and efficient method for collecting demographic data on Twitter, thus leading to a systematic way to use Twitter in the social sciences.

MicroRNAs are a class of post-transcriptional regulators that silence messenger RNAs. MicroRNAs are interesting molecules to study because they are stable at room temperature and are long lived unlike messenger RNA. These characteristics make them useful molecular biomarkers to monitor disease and exposure status. For example, urine microRNAs have been used clinically as potential diagnostic markers of bladder cancer. However, their utility in non-clinical settings has yet to be elucidated. The goal of this study is to compare total RNA isolated from fresh and archived urine field samples to investigate their quality and quantity over time. RNA will be isolated from both whole urine and urine sediments and will be analyzed using multiple techniques. To date we have optimized the methodology required to isolate total RNA from the whole urine sample and the sediment. In a preliminary study, we isolated total RNA from samples under various conditions (fresh vs. field; whole urine vs. sediment) and compared them using the Nanodrop and Bioanalyzer. Our results demonstrate that RNA can be isolated from both fractions under both conditions. The molecular profiling of the RNA suggests that the urine samples contain only small RNAs because they lack ribosomal RNA peaks. Interestingly, the profiles look similar for all urine samples examined. In light of this, we performed an additional microarray experiment to characterize and identify the small RNAs present in the whole urine and sediment samples. These results are currently in progress. Using the information obtained from the preliminary microarray study, we will select the 3 most abundant microRNAs present in the urine for further analysis using RT PCR techniques to determine whether archival duration has an effect on their stability. The results of this experiment will provide valuable insight on the utility of archived field samples for the future development of urine biomarkers.

Free available chlorine (FAC – generally comprising of hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite in aqueous solution at circumneutral pH) is currently the most common disinfectant in drinking water facilities around the world. Although the use of FAC is inexpensive and generally effective, some microorganisms that may be present in drinking water are recalcitrant to inactivation by the use of FAC alone. We are investigating the use of FAC photolysis by sunlight as a novel approach to enhancing the inactivation of such microorganisms. This process is known to generate atomic oxygen, which may react with dissolved oxygen to generate ozone -a much more effective disinfectant than FAC toward many microorganisms. Our studies have already indicated that the photolysis of FAC can enhance inactivation of highly chlorine-resistant B. subtilis spores (common surrogates for chlorine-resistant waterborne pathogens) through the generation of ozone. The main focus of the research to be presented addresses development of a method for in situ quantification of ozone formation during chlorine photolysis and its effects on the inactivation of B. subtilis spores. We are currently investigating the use of various probe molecules for this purpose, including cinnamic acid and vinyl phosphoric acid – each of which reacts selectively with ozone via Criegee ozonolysis; yielding stoichiometric quantities of benzaldehyde and phosphate, respectively, which may be quantified as measures of ozone exposure. Once validated, the use of such an approach would enable direct quantification of the ozone levels to which microorganisms are actually exposed during FAC photolysis, in turn facilitating the prediction of pathogen inactivation rates in treated waters.

The infamous May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens, Washington (USA) produced several episodes of pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) including the initial lateral blast, which traveled nearly 30 km, and later PDCs in the afternoon, which filled in the area up to 8 km north of the volcano. The afternoon PDCs differed from the lateral blast in that they had a higher particle concentration and filled in the topography up to 30 m. While the concentrated portions of the afternoon PDCs followed deep topographic drainages down the volcano, the dilute overriding cloud partially decoupled to develop fully dilute, turbulent PDCs on the flanks. This research focuses on the dilute PDCs, which deposited thin, cross-stratified, and stratified pyroclastic deposits known as proximal bedded deposits. In order to understand the influence of topography on the formation of these dilute currents and the influence of slope on the currents’ transport and depositional mechanisms, we collected samples from recently exposed deposits, analyzed them via grain size measurements, and combined them with data from an unpublished thesis written in 1988 by David Beeson (University of Texas at Arlington). This allows us to assess modes of origin and transport of dilute PDCs. Results show that bedform amplitude and wavelength increase with increasing slope, as does the occurrence of regressive dunes. The relationship between bedform morphology and flow velocity is an important finding since the controls on bedform wavelength and amplitude remains poorly constrained. This finding is further supported by the occurrence of chute and pool features on steeper slopes relative to progressive dunes on shallower slopes. The collected data will be used to validate numerical models that map and quantify the hazards of PDCs, improving both our understanding of PDC dynamics and the hazards associated with them.

Promiscuity and casual sex are points of contention within many societies, especially when discussing the concept that men are allowed to engage in casual sex while women are not (the sexual double standard). Although the media may be showing that perhaps this stigma against women is diminishing, there is evidence that people hold biases against women who engage in promiscuity. Our objective was to study the relationship between promiscuity and likability in a social, platonic context. We used the Reyson Likability Scale to measure perception of one of 6 profiles, one male and one female, each with 3 levels of promiscuity (high, low, or none). In the online survey, a link randomizer directed the participant to one of the profiles. We also asked for the gender and age of the participant. We collected 103 responses and found that although there is not a statistically significant difference between the promiscuous profiles and the non-promiscuous profiles (p=0.688), there is a significant difference in reported likability between the two genders (p=0.039) in favor of men. Men received a mean likability score of 51.28 (SD=8.45), while women averaged a score of 45.39 (SD=13.56). Because both profiles were identical in information and presentation, and all mentioned "hooking up" as the promiscuity indicator, women may have received lower scores because the mere mentioning of hooking up is negative in the social perception of women. Upon investigation of respondents' open-ended feedback on the good and bad characteristics of the profiles, many people mentioned hooking up as unfavorable. Theories of biological anthropology can provide a possible explanation of this behavior through the evolution of the different reproductive goals of men and women. Further research could use a similar method but conducted with the addition of another profile without any mention of hooking up at all.

SRC-Family Kinases (SFKs) are a family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases that play key roles in intracellular signaling transduction.  They are multi-domain proteins containing two regulatory domains, SH2 and SH3, and a catalytic domain.  The two regulatory domains are vital in controlling kinase activity and interactions with other proteins in cell signaling events. Current therapeutic development strategies target the ATP binding site of the kinase domain to inhibit enzymatic activity. Recently, it has been shown that the binding of ligands to the active sites of these kinases can stabilize conformational changes in the SH2/SH3 domains modulating the accessibility of these domains necessary for protein-protein interactions, potentially providing novel kinase regulation through both enzymatic activity and protein-protein interaction. Disregulation of SFK kinases plays an important role in tumor metastasis. A recent unbiased screening of kinase mutations in cancer cells indicated a considerable amount of inactivating mutations, which indicates that there are important non-catalytic functions of kinases which play significant roles in cancer biology.  The long term goal of our study is to better understand these non-catalytic functions in SFK signaling pathways so as to help develop better approaches to treating cancers. Using an array of ATP competitive inhibitors, we have biochemically profiled some of these conformational changes in SFKs which modulate the accessibility of these regulatory domains in particular conformations to help elucidate the role these non-catalytic activities have in intracellular signaling.  So far, it has been shown that alpha C-helix-out inhibitors favor the SH2/SH3 intra-molecularly engaged, inactive conformation, while smaller Type1 inhibitors favor the extended, active conformations of these SFKs.  Currently, the plan is to further profile these conformations, as well as to determine how specific ATP binding site conformations affect SFK function in intracellular signaling. Towards this end, a panel of alpha C-helix-out and Type 1 inhibitors are being synthesized and tested.

Current estimates place pancreatic adenocarcinoma within the top ten deadliest diagnosed cancers in the US and #1 for mortality (~98%, five years after diagnosis). Consequently, early detection and the study of its pathology are paramount. Typically, this is accomplished through microscopy of flat specimens that are taken from tissue core (TC) biopsies (d=400-1200 µm) of a patient's pancreas. In the Human Photonics Laboratory, we are attempting to enhance diagnostic sensitivity by using a 3D microscopy system, originally designed for single cells, to image entire 400 μm diameter TCs. Imaging thick, opaque TCs requires specimens to be optically cleared and stained. Therefore a microfluidic device (MD) was developed to prepare pancreas (pTCs) and agarose hydrogel (aTCs) cores in an "all-in-one" approach that simplifies, automates and preserves the 3D structure of TCs. Flow and diffusion properties for bulk tissue in MDs deviate from the well-characterized properties of single cells. Subsequently, designing the initial MD required investigating histological dye diffusion and fluid flow with TCs. We found transparent 1% agarose were a suitable pancreas substitute for observation/measurement of volumetric diffusion in an open chamber. In comparison, pTCs needed to be cut open for subsequent analysis. Initial results demonstrate that by 30 min, most dyes completely diffused through larger (L=10 mm, d=2 mm) aTCs, but concentration profiles between dyes varied. Although the density and stiffness of aTCs matched pTCs, diffusion differed, as dye in pancreas samples diffused only 12% as far as in agarose. Properties of dye diffusion into aTCs with flow were then studied on a smaller scale in a test microfluidic channel (L=5.2 cm, d=720 µm). A slow flow rate of 80 µL/s was created by a variable-height gravity line system. Initial results demonstrate that slow flow rates significantly attenuated dye diffusion into aTCs, but allowed the aTCs to remain stationary.

During the first week following birth in mice, waves of synchronous spontaneous activity (SSA) initiate in the ventral piriform cortex, and some propagate past the rhinal fissure into the dorsal cortex. These large-scale waves of electrical activity, involving a vast number of neurons firing action potentials simultaneously, are critical for the early postnatal stages of cortical development. By examining what combination of cellular and emergent network properties cause these regional activity differences (the initiation of waves in the ventral cortex and the participation of waves in the dorsal cortex), we have gained insight into the generation of SSA. Cellular activity can be observed by imaging calcium transients, which serve as an indicator of electrical activity. In the present experiments we demonstrate that ventral neurons are more asynchronously active between waves of SSA than are dorsal neurons. In order to determine what portion of the activity is an autonomous property of the neurons (i.e. independent of synaptic communication), we applied synaptic receptor antagonists during calcium imaging to eliminate synaptic transmission between cells. In the presence of synaptic blockers, we observed a greater reduction in activity in the dorsal cortex, whereas many ventral cells remained highly active. Our findings suggest that ventral neurons have a higher probability of being active in the absence of synaptic input, which supports the hypothesis that they may be more likely to initiate SSA if a sufficient number become synchronously active by chance. Since cortical interneurons are believed to play a key role in generating cortical waves of SSA, we are currently performing a similar analysis using a transgenic mouse, in which the interneurons express a red fluorescent protein, TdTomato. By determining if interneurons are more intrinsically active than other neurons in the ventral cortex and if they tend to initiate waves based on their temporal firing patterns, we can gain a greater understanding of the interneurons role in SSA.

Online health communities provide networks that enable people to talk about and share their health related experiences. These communities, such as CancerConnect.com, DiabeticConnect.com, Patientslikeme.com, offer a broad base of personal health expertise, but discovering more experienced members, or “peer mentors,” with shared circumstances is difficult. To address this issue, we are designing mentoring profiles that illustrate a user’s health interests based on terms that are extracted from their posts from within the online community. Mentoring profiles can be used to connect users with peer mentors who share similar health interests and could provide personalized advice. In this study we are applying principles of user-centered design to develop mentoring profiles for cancer patients and caregivers who interact within CancerConnect.com. Through an iterative design process, we have developed a set of designs that we are implementing as profile prototypes. This set includes a text-based, tag cloud, and timeline variation of the mentoring profile. In particular, we are examining designs that can scale to variations in users’ posting frequency. Through a user study with cancer patients and caregivers, we are assessing those prototypes for interpretability, usability, and design preferences. Conducting a user study to receive feedback on the designs will enable us to understand how well users comprehend and use the different designs. Findings from this study will inform the future implementation of scalable mentoring profiles in online communities. This research contributes novel insights for optimizing the design of innovative matchmaking technology that connects individuals with helpful, experienced peers in online communities.

The study of defects (nitrogen-vacancy centers) in diamond may be instrumental in developing better biological sensors that optically detect tagged biological molecules without interfering with natural processes. Using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, our goal is to develop highly sensitive microscopes that detect magnetic fields produced by magnetic nanotags. Since the NV center photoluminescence intensity depends on its spin state, a decrease in photoluminescence will occur when a magnetic field is applied to the NV center. We employ this property in the detection of nanotags. The applications of this research include the study of biological systems, and faster, cheaper and earlier detection of diseases. While performing optically-detected magnetic resonance in NV centers results in high-sensitivity detection of magnetic fields, a reduction in signal occurs when the NV center symmetry axis is misaligned from the instrument’s externally applied magnetic field. Helmholtz coils, which produce near uniform magnetic fields, may be used to align the magnetic field to the proper orientation. Two Helmholtz coils, placed on the horizontal plane of our sample, will allow for clearer detection of photoluminescence dips as the magnetic field will be aligned to one of the NV center axis. In this work, we integrate and test Helmholtz coils in our NV based magneto-optical microscopes. This includes the development of electrostatic simulations and a search algorithm for the alignment of the magnetic field, as well as the fabrication of the coils.

Double stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses such as herpesviruses, adenoviruses, and many bacteriophages, have common development pathways. In these cases, a packaging motor (the terminase enzyme) inserts the viral genome into a capsid shell. We study the DNA packaging motor from phage lambda as a model system. Lambda terminase plays four critical roles in virus assembly: (1) It has a site specific DNA binding activity where it binds to the cos sequence in the lambda genome, (2) it has an endonuclease activity where it symmetrically nicks the duplex at the cosN site, (3) it has a strand-separation activity that separates the cleaved DNA strands, and (4) it has “packaging” activity where it translocates the “matured” viral genome into a capsid shell through a portal ring structure. The lambda gpFI protein is required for virus assembly in vivo but the function remains unknown. In this study, we use a defined in vitro system to study the effects of gpFI on the endonuclease, strand-separation, and DNA packaging activities of lambda terminase as our first steps towards an understanding the function of gpFI in virus assembly. Our data demonstrate that gpFI affects the cos-cleavage and strand-separation activities of terminase. In contrast, the protein significantly increases the efficiency of DNA packaging in vitro. In addition, we demonstrate a direct interaction between gpFI and the procapsid shell. The significance of these results with respect to the biological role of gpFI in virus assembly is discussed. The information obtained from these experiments will be useful in understanding similar processes in the eukaryotic herpesviruses and adenoviruses.

Mosquitoes are the principle disease vector of malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever, which are responsible for more than a million deaths worldwide annually. This makes controlling transmission a global health priority, and underscores the importance of understanding their behavior. Although it is known that olfaction is the main sensory modality mosquitoes use to select prey, many behavioral patterns, such as changing prey preferences, suggest that associative learning has a role in mosquito behavior. Previous research has established mosquito’s affinity for human scent and characterized their olfactory receptors, but little is known about the neural substrates and molecular underpinnings that modulate olfactory learning. To gain insight into the importance of olfactory learning, I have been introducing controlled perturbations into the larval mosquito nervous system and assaying their behavior using a classical conditioning model. This is achieved through genetic manipulation and injection of drugs with known targets. Initially, I have focused on the role of dopaminergic neurons, because they are known regulators of associative learning in other species. To this end, I have developed microinjection techniques that allow for delivery of silencing RNAs (siRNAs) to knockdown dopamine receptor expression. Using this approach, I have found that Dopamine receptor deficient animals, as well as those injected with Dopamine antagonists, are unable to learn like their untreated counterparts. Knockdown animals suffer a much higher mortality rate in survival experiments that test their ability to avoid predation, underscoring the importance of these receptors in vivo. Currently, we are using cell biological approaches to visualize the relevant neurons. Together these data show that larval mosquitoes are able to learn within days of hatching, and that dopamine plays a crucial role in facilitating aversive learning. In addition to clarifying the mechanistic basis for olfactory learning, these findings may ultimately enhance the development of vector control strategies.

Exploring Native language place names reveals Indigenous science about the natural environment that may contribute to sustainable resource management and development in the coming generations. Based on centuries of observation, this knowledge has survived in the context of Elders’ oral histories and Native language place names. In order to preserve and re-contextualize these valuable scientific resources, this study looks at GIS (Geographic Information Science) technology as a viable instrument for integrating Indigenous and Western science. Original Native names for the Gallatin Valley Headwaters Rivers will be overlaid with ecological and topographic data layers to demonstrate the relationships between Native language place names and Indigenous science knowledge. As community-based participatory research, this study will allow Elders and Indigenous science experts from communities familiar with this study area to define the context surrounding Native place names. In the future, GIS models like the one developed in this study may be utilized as tools for more culturally relevant science education, natural resource management, and sustainable development. Ultimately, this research will serve as a bridge between the knowledge of Indigenous Elders and the environmental challenges that will need to be addressed by future generations.

Binary star systems offer a deeper insight in regards to the properties of the stars in those systems, as opposed to the observation of a single star. Information from binary stars can help to better understand the lifecycle of stars, the interation among stars, and more accurate predictions as to the mass and radius of certain stars. This study analyzed the radial velocity and lightcurve data from eight binary star systems. Data were collected from the Kepler Space Telescope MAST database. A variety of IDL routines were used in analyzing the lightcurve data. When looking at the lightcurve data we were able to make a breakdown of the curves, determining what portions of light were contributed by Doppler beaming, ellipsoidal deformation and reflection off of the stars. These IDL routines are essentially bits of code used to analyze the data in a systematic manner. We were also able to make rough estimates of the masses and radii of some of the stars using simplified versions of Doppler beaming equations. From the results we were able to identify heartbeat star systems, eclipsing and non-eclipsing binary star systems as well as the periods of the orbits of these systems. Starspots proved to make the interpretation of lightcurves more difficult as they introduced inconsistent changes into the lightcurve data by showing a decrease in magnitude as if from an ecclipsing object but instead from the starspot itself. Future work includes resolving more accurate radii and masses by taking into account the inclination of the orbits by looking more in depth at the radial velocities.

Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults in the United States, with the institutionalized elderly at elevated risk for injury and death. Physical weakness and mental frailty, prevalent in institutionalized elderly, are major risk factors for falls. The purpose of our study was to evaluate a program that addresses both the physical and mental aspects of exercise to reduce falls in institutionalized elderly. Twenty-seven volunteer subjects residing in an assisted living facility participated in the 24 week randomized crossover study. After we collected demographic information and fall history, and conducted mental status examinations, subjects were randomly first assigned to ten weeks of either exercise class or a control group, followed by a four week “washout period” of no activity, then cross assigned to ten weeks as either a control group or exercise class, respectively. We monitored falls as well as mental status changes during the study. A statistically significant (P=0.025) reduction in falls was found during treatment compared to the control periods. No change in mental status was seen. This small, pilot study shows that exercise programs, which emphasize mental strengthening as well as physical fitness, have the potential to reduce falls among mentally impaired, institutionalized seniors.

Waves of synchronous spontaneous activity (SSA) propagate throughout the nervous system during early stages of development. These waves consist of simultaneous action potential firing across large cell populations, with correlated increases in cellular calcium levels. Specific types of calcium signals mediate different developmental processes in the brain. While calcium signaling is known to regulate activity-dependent developmental programs that help to finalize the maturation and connectivity of neurons, the particular function of calcium waves in neuronal migration is unknown. The aim of this project is to determine the contribution of calcium waves to the development of cortical inhibitory interneurons. To label inhibitory interneurons in the developing cortex we are using red fluorescent protein (RFP) under control of the dlx5/6 promoter region to drive RFP expression in these cells. We used a fluo4 calcium indicator to measure single cell activity of these interneurons. We have found both cortical interneurons that participate in asynchronous activity mediated by L-type calcium channels, and also cells that participate in synchronous activity mediated by synaptic mechanisms. We seek to determine whether the asynchronous interneuron population becomes synchronous at the time of migration termination and whether this shift in the synchronicity of calcium activity is a mechanism for migration termination.

Jaw joint dysfunction resulting in TMJ has been associated with the development of movement disorders. Displacement of the condylar head (long bony process of the mandible) from the 4/7 Gelb position has been frequently documented in these patients. The use of an oral orthotic creates a vertical distraction that realigns the jaw into proper Gelb position resulting in therapeutic effects. With increasing vertical distraction of the orthotics the distance between the articular eminence and the condylar head was shortened and the angular change of the condyle from its origin was increased. This jaw alignment repositioned the condyle to come forward and down away from the posterior glenoid process. This realignment of the jaw has the potential to restore normal muscular control by the releasing of entrapped branches of the trigeminal nerves. The orthotic may also produce a “sensory trick” that restores normal neural firing, producing both transient and long-term therapeutic effects. This research along with continued investigation of neural mechanism may reveal how oral orthotics are able to suppress debilitating movement disorders.

Next generation DNA sequencing, with high throughput and low costs, has already greatly benefitted life sciences and personalized medicine. Nanopore sequencing is a new single molecule technique with potential to further revolutionize DNA sequencing. In this technique DNA is electrophoretically drawn through the nanopore, an integrated membrane channel protein, while an ionic current is recorded. We use the nanopore Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A, MspA, a porin engineered to provide a robust nanopore with the necessary features for nanopore sequencing. To control DNA translocation, we use a phi29 DNA polymerase to pull single stranded DNA through MspA in single nucleotide steps. For each step, the recorded current can be mapped the four standard bases, A, C, G, and T, present in the pore’s narrow constriction. Additionally, the modified nucleobases associated with suppressed gene expression and a number of diseases, 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, may be directly detected with MspA. We compare two mutants of MspA and examine how different amino groups within MspA’s constriction affect the nucleotide-specific current. We find that additional modifications to MspA may be used to tailor the pore for specific sequencing applications, such as increased accuracy in detecting and, other modified DNA detection.

This research examines the cultural climate that existed in Seattle’s Central District and on Jackson St. in the 1940’s-1960’s and the music produced at the time, jazz music. I examine Seattle’s changing laws (like racial restrictive housing covenants and prohibition), newer freedoms in the Black community (like desegregation), the influence of the Great Migration, and changing national attitudes toward racism and equality. I parallel those changes with evolutions in the styles of jazz produced throughout this period, and the social, political and economic landscape becomes evident in the music, to the extent that the way jazz sounded at a certain time reflected the social, political and economic atmosphere. I look at these issues through the lens of Floyd Standifer, a well-known Seattle trumpet player, who began his career in the 1940’s and was active in the Seattle jazz community until his death in 2007. Standifer witnessed some of the most radical changes in the socio-political landscape of Seattle throughout the ‘40’s through ‘60’s that I examine. The malleability he demonstrated in his music is testament to the changing social climate, population increases in the Black community, new freedoms, and the changing desires of community members and music venue patrons. In the shift from “rags” to jazz to rock ‘n’ roll, I demonstrate how jazz can be seen as political and reflects how music lies at the heart of the African American resistance to oppression during this period.

Scaphoid fractures are a common wrist injury. Percutaneous fixation with cannulated compression screws is the most frequently used method for the repair of non-displaced transverse scaphoid fractures. In this operation, surgeons manually drill K-wires into the central axis of the bone with visual guidance from fluoroscopic imaging; compression screws are then placed over the wire and drilled into the bone for stabilization. Major complications in this procedure resulting from inaccurate K-wire placements are common. The surgical platform that our group is developing will couple pre-operative CT imaging with an intra-operative vision system and robotic arm to improve accuracy in scaphoid fixations by directing K-wires to optimized surface entry points and trajectories. Briefly, pre-operative CT imaging data will be used to calculate an optimized entry point and trajectory for K-wire drilling into a scaphoid. This information will then be converted to the surgical field reference frame through a series of matrix operations, and the robot will move to a correct alignment based on this data. Vision system integration allows the robot to move dynamically with the hand during the operation (if necessary) and maintain the correct entry point and trajectory at all times. Thus far in the project, we have developed a LabVIEW VI that allows a robotic arm and drill guide to move dynamically in space with a splint-mounted vision system probe. We have also created MATLAB algorithms for scaphoid data processing. These algorithms first use a nonlinear constrained optimization scheme to calculate an ideal entry point and trajectory for K-wire drilling into the scaphoid; next, this data is registered in the surgical field reference frame. Taken together, this control software drives a fully integrated system from CT processing to compression screw placement in order to achieve scaphoid fixation. Current work focuses on testing the system in cadaver scaphoid fixation trials.

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare sleep quality and emotional behavioral functioning in children with and without Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). JIA is an inflammatory disease with unknown cause and one of the most common rheumatologic chronic conditions in children. Common disease symptoms include joint pain, inflammation, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. In a previous study, we found poor sleep quality (difficulty falling asleep, daytime sleepiness, sleep disordered breathing (SDB)) associated with JIA. Forty-six children (6-to-11 years) participated in the study, 23 were diagnosed with JIA and 23 were age-matched controls. Parents completed the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), a 45-item measure of their child’s sleep habits and quality over the previous week. The CSHQ yields a total sleep disturbance score (higher scores indicative of more disturbed sleep) and eight subscales: bedtime resistance, sleep-onset delay, sleep duration, sleep anxiety, night awakenings, parasomnias, SDB, and daytime sleepiness. Parents completed the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL), a 113-item retrospective report of their child’s behavior. CBCL yields scores for internalizing problem (i.e. somatic complaints) and externalizing problem (i.e. hyperactivity). Scores were summed and converted to age and gender adjusted T-scores (M = 50, SD = 10), higher scores suggesting greater behavior problems. Descriptive analyses were calculated on demographics, clinical characteristics, sleep disturbances, and behavior. T-test and X² procedures were used to examine study group differences (JIA and controls). We compared the proportion of children above the CSHQ clinical cutoff score (>41) to those below (<41) for overall sleep disturbance. Bivariate correlations and linear regressions were used to examine relations among age, medication, sleep variables, and CBCL behavior problems. Behavioral problems may stem from poor sleep quality in children with JIA. Findings from this study may heighten clinician awareness to assess sleep in children with JIA.

The news media play an important role in Americans’ views and assessments of politics. Within the United States there is the perception of a political divide between Democrats and Republicans. One result of this partisan division is a partisan media. Depending on a network’s political inclination, the network is more likely to maintain a particular political standing. This difference in news media networks influences the content, and therefore the language, that news networks will broadcast to the public. With such a great political divide in both the American political system and the media, it is important to analyze the bipartisan discourse that is occurring within the media news networks. The term “bipartisanship” refers to a political condition wherein opposite political parties find a common ground through compromise. Bipartisanship in politics can refer to many different situations regarding the electoral process, passing legislation, etc. The actual process of establishing bipartisanship involves compromise or agreement from both political parties on part or all of a political issue. Therefore, bipartisan discourse can influence the government’s ability to work together despite political differences. This study aims at finding what speech codes emerge in different media outlets. Speech codes theory looks at the words that are meaningful to people who share a cultural code. Speech codes theory identifies words that extend beyond the dictionary definition and instead point to what people latch onto as a culture. This research applies a political science lens to a communication study to look at the communicative aspects in this specific political arena. There is a strong national conversation about the influences of partisanship and polarization within our society. However, the conversation surrounding bipartisanship may not be as prominent, and therefore deserves research to examine what influential discussions and arguments are being made regarding this important term in American politics.

Currently there are three major classes of known viruses: exclusively RNA viruses, which do not require a DNA intermediate in their replication and propagation; DNA viruses, which use DNA dependent processes to perform their genome replication; so-called retroviruses, which go through both an RNA and a DNA phase with the help of a reverse transcriptase enzyme. Until very recently there was no evidence that there was genetic exchange between these distinct virus classes. However, a single stranded DNA (ssDNA) virus genome, recently found using metagenomics in Boiling Springs Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park, USA (BSL) contains elements homologous to both ssRNA and ssDNA viruses. The genome of this RNA-DNA hybrid virus (BSL-RDHV) contains a gene similar to that of ssDNA circoviruses that infect animals and a capsid protein (CP) gene similar to that of the ssRNA tombusviruses that infect plants. It is currently unclear how the RNA virus capsid gene integrated into the DNA virus genome and what, if any, evolutionary impacts are associated with this recombination. My current work focuses on the characterization of the BSL-RDHV CP using recombinantly expressed protein. The CP gene will be amplified from the BSL viral metagenome using Polymerase Chain Reaction and expressed in bacterial cells. The long term goal is to determine the structure of this protein using X-ray crystallography and use the protein for in vitro assembly reactions. Successful completion of this work will be an important step towards understanding virus evolution and possibly the emergence of novel virus disease.

Learning on a cellular level actively guides the stabilization or elimination of neuron connections, selecting the optimal pathways that are intrinsically and extrinsically stimulated. The strength and resilience of these neuron networks is what defines neuroplasticity, which can be inhibited by many factors, such as stress, ageing, or developmental disorders. Evidence shows rapid seasonal morphological changes in the High Vocal Center (HVC) and acropallium (RA) regions of the brain, defining regions for song-voice production in vertebrates. Testosterone (T) plays a cyclic role facilitating these changes and can act locally on the brain to prevent neuron loss and regression yet the T mechanistic pathway acting on neuron death and neurogenesis remains grossly uncertain. We address this issue by injecting eight cohorts of Gambler White-Crowned Sparrows (GWCS), that have been exposed to breeding and non-breeding conditions, with T and or/ a potent inhibitor of P13K (an intercellular molecule that indirectly regulates cell growth and apoptosis), Ly294002 (Ly). Information obtained will allow for the determination, if regulation of P13K is required in T mediated signal transduction. We evaluate the data by extracting the bird brain and staining the tissue with Nissl stain to examine HVC and RA regions. With the aid of camera imaging and a volumetric algorithm we then determine HVC and RA volumes with the expectation that Ly inhibits T-stimulated HVC and RA growth. Our results will provide insight to the complex molecular pathway that underlines adult neural plasticity contributing to specifying clinical treatments for neurodegenerative injuries.

The development of best practices in instruction, defined by student learning outcomes, requires evaluation of student engagement. How can engagement be measured? Student engagement or disengagement is manifested in body language and behavior. Educational studies that employ behavior to evaluate engagement often subjectively rely on a classical perception of how an engaged student behaves; however, recent work suggests that traditional engaged-behavior patterns can fail to account for student-reported engagement, as attentiveness may have many manifestations. Our research pioneers an objective approach to identifying and evaluating student behaviors that function as accurate indicators of engagement level. Using video recordings of Biology 200 students in lecture, student behaviors were catalogued. These same students were surveyed to determine their perceived engagement. The completed catalogue indicated both the presence and frequency of behaviors unique to individual target students, allowing us to compare students’ self-reported engagement level with their corresponding behaviors. The combination of in-class engagement self-assessment and objective cataloguing of behaviors presents the opportunity for quantitative analysis of each behavior’s ability to serve as a hallmark of engagement. Analyses are in progress to determine the predictive power of classical engaged-behavior patterns, and to identify the behaviors most strongly correlated with student-reported engagement. Our purpose is to provide the educational field with a method for analyzing student behaviors as a means for quantifying engagement, and to lay the groundwork on which a widely applicable engagement evaluation tool can be developed in the future.

Impulsivity is often found to be related to alcohol use (Pearson and Henson, 2012; Simons, 2003). Additionally, a correlate of alcohol expectancies is increased alcohol use (Hull and Bond, 1986). However, no research to date has looked directly into the association of impulsivity, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol use. Therefore, the present study looks into impulsivity, alcohol use, and alcohol expectancies in high school seniors (N = 3,352, 56.6% Female) from Washington and Sweden. Participants completed a baseline online survey as part of a larger trial that assessed peak blood alcohol content (BAC) in the past 12 months, impulsivity as measured by the sensation seeking scale (Zuckerman, 1964), and alcohol expectancies as measured by the brief Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol questionnaire which consists of positive (sociability, tension-reduction, liquid courage, and sexuality) and negative (cognitive/behavioral impairment, risk/aggression, and self-perception) classifications (CEOA; Fromme, 1993). Regression analyses revealed a significant main effect of impulsivity, cognitive/behavioral impairment, sociability, risk/aggression, and self-perception onto peak BAC (p < .05). However, significant interactions were only found for impulsivity onto risk/aggression and self-perception. A significant moderating effect of risk/aggression onto the relationship between impulsivity and peak BAC (β = .002, F (3, 2913) = 114.71, p < .05) was found such that those with lower impulsivity and lower risk aggression scores (alcohol seen positively) have higher peak BAC. A significant moderating effect of self-perception onto the relationship between impulsivity and peak BAC was also found (β = .001, F (3, 2908) = 132.04, p < .05) suggesting that individuals with lower self-perception scores (alcohol seen positively) and higher impulsivity have higher peak BAC. These results suggest that individuals who are both highly impulsive and have higher positive expectancies for alcohol drink more. Future research should continue to investigate the relationship between alcohol expectancies and impulsivity in vivo.

A recent discovery in reproductive endocrinology, the kisspeptin system has been found to play a pivotal role in the regulation of the brain-pituitary-gonadal axis. Kisspeptin signaling in the brain is vital to the onset of puberty, control and regulation of sex steroid production, and regulation of fertility and reproductive function in mammals. However, the importance of the kisspeptin system in other vertebrates, such as fish, is not as clear. The goal of the current study was to clone the kisspeptin genes (kiss1, kiss2, and the receptor kiss1ra) for the first time in the marine teleost Anoplopoma fimbria (sablefish), and explore their potential roles in gonadal development. Previously, expression of the kiss2 gene was demonstrated in the gonads of sablefish. Partial kiss mRNA sequences were obtained by PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) cloning techniques. Semi-quantitative PCR assays developed for each gene allowed us to measure kiss1, kiss2 and kiss1ra mRNA levels in a variety of adult tissues. We found the highest abundance of these mRNAs in the gonads, brain, and pituitary. In particular, kiss2 mRNA was abundant in the ovary and appeared to be the most highly expressed of the kiss genes. We are currently analyzing the expression of the kiss genes in gonads of fish undergoing sexual differentiation. Preliminary data suggest that there is sexually dimorphic expression of all three genes early in life. The ultimate goal of this project is to determine if gonadal kiss gene expression plays an important role in sexual differentiation and/or gametogenesis in fish.

What is the structure and effectiveness of our local bilingual education programs? Availability of effective bilingual education is still one of the most important issues Chicanos/as face today, especially here in the Yakima Valley. While we have become a majority minority district, bilingual services provided at many Valley public high schools have not advanced with the changing times. Additional support to our parents and limited-English students is needed to create strong parent engagement. By taking a closer look at flawed services provided by our public school agents, we can create awareness to aid in strengthening our education systems. Throughout this study, I will be looking for new ways of combating the lack of support to our parents and struggling English learners. A generalized view of this project includes analyzing my previous work experience at a local high school. The next step is to study the works of new and local agencies that support Bilingual Education including the work of Heritage University’s own, Patricia Valdez-Zontek. I also attempt to gather opinions from personnel of two leading supporters of Bilingual Education state wide: Migrant Student Data and Recruitment center (MSDR) and Secondary Education for Migrant Youth (SEMY). As a result of this study, I anticipate to deliver strong and detailed facts about what works and what doesn’t, and more importantly about what is lacking and what can be done to better involve parents in support of non-English speaking students in our schools.

Signals from rod photoreceptors shift the hues determined by cone photoreceptors for extrafoveal mesopic stimuli, creating green, blue, and red rod hue biases at long, middle, and short wavelengths, respectively. The fovea contains far fewer rods and S-cones but may not be immune to rod hue biases. Here, we determine which biases are found for foveal stimuli presented on a CRT display. A 1-s duration test disk of 0.5°, 1.0°, or 2.0° diameter alternated with a 3-s duration array of 0.25° fixation dots placed 4° from fixation, all on a black background. Seven observers adjusted the hue of the test disk around the RGB phosphor triangle, to yield each of the 4 unique hues, Ured, Ugreen, Ublue, and Uyellow. Light levels ranged from 0.05 - 0.17 (CIE2°) or 0.08 - 0.03 (CIE10°) cd/m2. 1°-2°-diameter foveal test disks (a) produced rod green bias at Uyellow for most observers, (b) favored rod green bias at Ublue over the rod red biases shown in prior extrafoveal studies, and (c) produced less consistent rod hue biases at Ured and Ugreen. 0.5°-diameter foveal test disks produced no consistent rod hue biases across observers. 1°-2°-diameter foveal disks on a CRT display produced relatively strong rod green bias, mediated by rod interaction with L&M cones, presumably in midget/parvo pathways. In contrast, these foveal stimuli disadvantaged rod influence mediated by S-cones, presumably in small-bistratified/konio pathways, producing only weak/inconsistent rod red bias at Ublue and rod blue bias at Ured and Ugreen. 0.5° diameter disks disadvantaged all rod hue biases, but with individually idiosyncratic exceptions for some observers. Color is increasingly used to convey information in visual displays and this research helps understand how those colors are altered in low-light-level situations. This research may also contribute to models of neural physiology and ultimately to diagnosis/cures for visual disorders.

Cooperation occurs in the natural world between molecules, cells, individuals, and communities. In cooperative systems, both cooperating partners benefit from each other. To discover how cooperative systems evolved from its incipient state, we utilized an engineered system called CoSMO (Cooperation that is Synthetic and Mutually Obligatory) as a model for incipient cooperation. CoSMO consists of two non-mating yeast strains that are reliant on the other’s metabolite. CoSMO requires a minimum total cell density in order to be viable, i.e. able to grow from low to high cell density in the absence of supplemented metabolites. Evolved CoSMO cocultures are viable at significantly lower starting cell densities compared to their ancestors. What changes facilitated this increase in the system’s viability? We hypothesize that there will be changes in the yeast’s genome that accounts for this change in viability. To address this, we will perform genome-wide re-sequencing on evolved isolates to identify relevant mutations that contribute to increased system viability in evolved CoSMO. Specifically, we will extract genomic DNA of evolved cooperators at early and late time points during their evolution. We anticipate that there will be mutations in the genomic sequences of these strains. We will then compare these genomic sequences to their ancestral sequence and couple the identified mutations with phenotypic changes such as increased affinity for metabolite and starvation tolerance. We will perform similar analysis on replicate lines to elucidate the diversity in evolutionary trajectories of incipient cooperative systems. Through this, we hope to learn how an incipient cooperative system could evolve to an improved state.

Digital planetariums and their software are revolutionizing what can be visualized and hence raising the educational impact to K-12 students and the general public. The ability planetariums offer to present and visualize cutting-edge research of star, planet, and galaxy formation and evolution, in 3-dimensions, has unlocked new discovery space in educators’ ability to communicate and teach science. In order to improve the UW Astronomy department's public outreach programs as well as lay out a model for other Universities and astronomy outreach groups to follow, we assembled a mobile planetarium using new cost-saving methods and have begun designing an innovative curriculum to best implement digital planetariums in high school classrooms. To accomplish this, we used an HST education and public outreach grant (EO-12512) to build the planetarium as well as offset transportation costs to the UW planetarium. The UW mobile Planetarium was developed for less than $18,000, and allows us to increase the number of underserved elementary and high school students the UW Astronomy department reaches. We are beginning to test and evaluate the efficacy of teaching using the mobile planetarium in a high school setting. The mobile nature of the planetarium allows us to develop interesting inquiry-based lessons that incorporate WWT tours.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States; and is also the third for highest mortality rate. About 90% of all Colorectal Cancer (CRC) cases are in people 50 years of age or older. For that reason, colorectal cancer screening tests such as the FOBT and colonoscopy are recommended for everyone over 50. Colorectal Cancer death rates in Washington State go up by age but differ by ethnicity. They are highest in African Americans (27.5 per 100,000), Native Americans (14.8 per 100,000), Whites (14.8 per 100,000), and Hispanics (13.4 per 100,000). CRC has a high chance of being treated successfully if caught at an early stage, with up to 90% of early cancers being successfully treated and/or prevented. In this study, we will ascertain if Hispanics and Native Americans are more likely to complete a colorectal cancer screening test after getting a tour of the large inflatable colon (CASPER). The colossal colon is a walk-through inflatable replica of the human colon. It illustrates examples of healthy colon tissue, as well as polyps and colon cancer. The study uses a pre/post-test design. Each participant will be asked to complete a brief test. Pre-test questions ask basic questions to assess knowledge about colorectal cancer and attitudes about colorectal cancer screening. A pre-test is completed before walking through CASPER. Post-test questions will ask the same basic colorectal cancer knowledge and attitude questions to see if there is a change after walking through the inflatable colon. Data analysis was done using paired t-tests to assess changes, if any, using Excel. The results show significant changes in participant likelihood to have a CRC screening, CRC knowledge, perceived knowledge, and likelihood to talk to acquaintances about CRC screening. They also show that CASPER is an effective way to educate participant about CRC.

For my research project, I am interested in how the media portrays injuries of male athletes compared with female athletes. I will be looking at the ways in which sports-related injuries are presented to the public and the accuracy of those presentations in representing the seriousness of the injury. This research uses ideas from Hundley and Billings’ Framing Identity in Sports Media, which brings to light gender differences in the athletic world, as well as several other articles discussing injuries and gender norms (2010). I will use methods of discourse analysis and interviewing to answer the question of what gender differences are prevalent in sport injury. Discovering whether there is a disparity in men’s and women’s injury portrayals will help to uncover why certain injuries are considered legitimate while others are not, and how that works to reproduce ideas of hegemonic masculinity in sports. Once this is recognized, inequalities affecting female athletes can begin to break down and reveal women as valid counterparts in the sports arena.

The Homer Multitext Project at the University of Washington is participating in a collaborative effort to create a digital edition of the Venetus A, the earliest extant and complete medieval manuscript of Homer’s Iliad. Our purpose is to form a definitive digital version of this text, which scholars and students alike can then refer to in future research. Our method is to carefully analyze an online facsimile of the Venetus A, and then manually record any discrepancies between the facsimile and other versions of the text. Using this data, we will then construct a final digital version. This final version of the text will be supremely useful in scholarship, because its quality and accuracy will be guaranteed by our careful work.

The low educational attainment of students of Mexican origin in the United States is a growing concern. Research identifies parental involvement (PI) as an important asset to student success and defines it as parents’ active participation in their children’s education at home and at school. Little research addresses the ways Mexican parents help their children during their K-12 education and college-going process, however. To address this gap, this research attempts to understand Mexican parents’ involvement and other factors first year Mexican-American college students perceived as important in shaping their educational success. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17-college freshman that identified themselves as Mexican, first-generation, low-income, and migrant/seasonal farmworker background. Based on students’ responses, Mexican parents provide deliberate exposure to agriculture work in order to direct their children towards an educational path. They also provided emotional support and encouragement to their children. Findings indicate that Mexican parents are involved in their children’s education, but in a different form than described by the initial models and definitions of parental involvement. Based on these findings, a new model of parental involvement can be created – one that recognizes Mexican parents’ contributions and guides schools to better work with parents in their efforts to increase the proportion of Mexican origin students going to college.

The project I worked on was part of a larger project in which we examined the activity of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity, CpG promoter methylation, and progression-free survival following alkylating agent therapy in glioblastoma and anaplastic glioma brain tumors. For my part in the research I performed standard biochemical assays to quantify O6-methyalguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) in extracts of glioblastoma (GBM) and anaplastic glioma (AG) tumor samples from adult patients operated on with consent at the University of Washington Medical Center between 1991 and 2008. MGMT is a DNA repair protein that excises methyl adducts from the O6 position of guanine residues. Chemotherapy and other alkylating agents such as methylating triazene derivative temozolomide (TMZ) are responsible for methylating DNA, or damaging the DNA and thus destory the tumor cell. There has been poor prognosis for GBM due to the intrinsic resistance mechanisms in the MGMT that limit the efficacy of TMZ and other alkylators. GBM and other gliomas display a wide range of MGMT activity and thus the question for research was whether the amount of MGMT in tumors correlated with progression-free survival following alkylator-based chemotherapy. Overall the data strongly supported that MGMT activity in GBM and AG tissue mediates resistance to alkylator therapy.

Gaze-following allows infants to identify social and cultural information. Ongoing research examines what experiences help infants learn about the gaze of others. This research finds that particular experiences help infants learn about visual perception and affects their gaze-following. 18-month-olds watched an adult’s goal-directed actions while wearing a trick blindfold that looked opaque but was see-through. When infants observed the blindfolded adult successfully perform visually guided behaviors (grabbing a toy), they later gaze-followed as though the adult could see through the blindfold. However, when they watched the blindfolded adult’s unsuccessful behaviors (missing a toy), they treated her as though the blindfold blocked her view. These results show that infants are able to use their observation of others’ motor behaviors to learn about their perceptions. The present research examines whether infants’ gaze patterns during the observational experience affect infant learning about perception. Infants’ looking will be coded during the observational experience to identify the number of gaze shifts from the adult’s action pattern (grabbing or missing) to the adult’s face, called action-to-face looking (A-F looking). We hypothesize that infants who frequently perform A-F looking will be more likely to learn whether or not the blindfolded adult can see through the occluder. We will analyze gaze-following scores as a function of high versus low frequency A-F lookers (median split) and observational experience group. We expect that a 2 (high vs. low A-F looks) x 2 (grab vs. miss) ANOVA will reveal a significant interaction. We expect infants who more frequently shift their gaze during observation will be more likely to learn about perceptual status and thus gaze-follow more frequently. Infants’ gaze-shift patterns have implications for how infants’ attention and looking patterns support their nonverbal learning and development.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer characterized by the accumulation of abnormal immature white blood cells in the bone marrow. This proliferation impairs normal blood production and leads to suppression of normal blood counts, increasing susceptibility to infection and bleeding. Adhesion of leukemia cells within the bone marrow confers resistance to chemotherapy drugs. E-selectin is a molecule on the surface of endothelial cells lining blood vessels; it mediates the adhesion of white blood cells to vessels within bone, and may play a role in the residence of leukemia in the bone marrow “vascular niche.” Interaction of cancer cells with E selectin has been shown to activate survival pathways such as PI3K-NFκB, making cells less susceptible to apoptosis (programmed cell death). Using an assay for E-selectin and analysis via RT-PCR, we have preliminary data suggesting that binding of cells from a specific patient sample to E-selectin up-regulated genes in the TGF-beta, Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathways, the latter of which may play a role in drug resistance in CD34+ leukemia cells. Further work aims to demonstrate that the activation of these survival pathways is consistent across a range of cell samples, and to investigate whether up-regulation extends to other pathways known to inhibit apoptosis in cancer cells. Knowledge of the mechanisms by which leukemia cells increase their survival upon binding ligands in their environment such as E-selectin could aid the design of therapies aimed at treating AML, and potentially help overcome the persistent problem of resistance to chemotherapeutic agents.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are some of the most efficient fuel cells available, but their widespread use is limited by the high operating temperatures they require. New materials and characterization techniques are being investigated to reveal the properties of SOFC electrode materials to make them more feasible commercially. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is a commonly-used analysis tool for the characterization of SOFCs. The technique measures the transient response of a SOFC electrode material by passing a sine wave current of specified frequency through the cell, and measuring the amplitude and phase of the cell voltage. When doing simple EIS, only the first harmonic of the response is analyzed, with higher order harmonics ignored. This is done using a linear approximation to describe the mass transfer and kinetics of the material, where these properties are non-linear when rigorously described. Recently workers have begun to explore the use of Nonlinear EIS (NLEIS). By including higher order harmonics, NLEIS seeks to glean significantly more information about the properties of fuel cell electrodes, allowing SOFCs to be more accurately modeled and their efficiency optimized. The goal of my project is to extend existing electrode response models to La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O₃ (LSCF), a mixed-conducting cathode material of commercial interest. A successful model would have important implications in the alternative energy industry, and allow SOFCs to be a much more viable energy option in the future. My role in this research is to create SOFCs with LSCF as a cathode using simple ceramic firing and "screen printing" techniques to apply a thin electrode layer, and then run NLEIS in order to collect electrochemical data on the electrode. Once this is accomplished, it is expected that LSCF will behave as a combination of the previously studied materials LSC (La_0.6Sr_0.4CoO_3–δ) and LSF (La_0.6Sr_0.4FeO_3–δ), however more testing must still be completed.

The lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) of a wing or propeller is the most important measure of its performance, as a higher ratio defines more efficient designs. The goal of my group’s project is to show that sufficiently strong and persistent vortices along the top of a wing will positively benefit its aerodynamic efficiency. Previous results in the UW Fluid Dynamics Lab show that a wavy wall modeled after the Kelvin-Stuart Separatrix shape -  which intends to more accurately outline the vortice's flow - further minimize boundary layer turbulence compared to previous wavy wall shapes. We believe that modeling the upper half of our wing along the Kevlin-Stuart Separatrix will keep the boundary layer attached even at very high angles of attack, with relatively low drag coefficients. Two model wings are being tested in the wind tunnel, a control wing with a familiar smooth top half and our experimental model outfitted with vortex generators and the top half shaped to match the Kelvin-Stuart separatrix. Further research may include attaching surface tufts to both models, which qualitatively aid in visualizing flow. The models are mounted to a force balance system, which returns the lift and drag. Our experiments test various angles of attack and vortex generator configurations to compare the wings in different situations, such as take-off and cruise. Achieving the desired L/D will have broad implications for both wing and wind turbine propeller design. More efficient wings could drastically lower fuel costs for airliners, and more effective wind turbines would return more energy at lower cost.

The emphasis of my research is the treatment of the Holy Family created by the artists Francisco de Zurbarán and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. The subject of the Holy Family in a genre setting is a response to the efforts of the Church during the Counter-Reformation to appeal to common people, thereby encouraging their loyalty to the Papacy. However, different areas portrayed the Virgin Mary, Christ, and Joseph in regional styles. I observed how Spanish Baroque artists created a “fusion” of both genre and religious artworks by comparing Zurbarán’s “Christ and Mary in the House of Nazareth” and Murillo’s “Holy Family with the Little Bird” with other artworks from Netherlandish and Italian artists. To help prove the fusion style, I answered three questions. First, how would a viewer recognize the figures as the Iconic Family? We know this through symbolic objects found in both paintings. In Zurbarán’s work, the white cloth lying on Mary is referring to Michelangelo’s “Pieta.” The boy is pricking his figure on the crown of thorns is symbolic for Christ. Murillo uses a carpenter’s bench right behind Joseph and the basket of garments as symbol for the Virgin Mary. Secondly, how does each work portray everyday moments like genre paintings? We see this in Zurbarán’s work by Mary glancing over towards her son with a single tear running down her face. Murillo has caught a moment were Mary is glancing over her shoulders with a “semi-smile.” My last question is how these paintings showed religious and family values? The morals are seen in both paintings by the body language of the figures and their interaction with one another. These Spanish Baroque artists created a hybrid style that is visually proven through the mixed elements of both religious and genre artwork.

Organic photochromic compounds (OPC) undergo reversible chemical and physical changes when irradiated with the appropriate wavelength of light. These changes are manifested both at the molecular and bulk material level and include photo-induced shifts in color, refractive index, molecular length, and polarity. Such photo-controllable properties are of interest for bio-orthogonal control of biological processes, as well as in the fields of optical computing and data storage. A thorough understanding of molecular and material level structure-property relationships is imperative to enable effective design and optimization of organic photochrome structures for each specific application. Our lab is trying to create a azobenzene dye that isomerizes at about 120 hrz, within milliseconds, in the visual range of wavelength, and can be tethered to proteins. The focus was placed on physical and photophysical properties, such as isomerization wavelength, quantum yield, and decay rate to create such an azobenzene. If a usable azobenzene were created, it could be tethered to the sodium or potassium channels in the eye to initiate an action potential similar to the innate response in the eye’s photoreceptors that causes a release of neurotransmitters that, in turn, affect sodium and potassium channels causing an action potential. Used in this fashion, it can help treat the most common eye disease causing blindness, retinitis pigmentosa. In lab, I used time-resolved laser spectroscopy, fluorescence, and fluorescence lifetime analysis to analyze the three photochromic Azobenzene dyes: PheNAQ, TVI, TVI acid, and MeNAQ created by my mentor, Phillip Sullivan. 

French films about World War II tend to fall into either the category of heritage film, which promotes a narrative of reconciliation in relation to the collaboration, or another group of films that serves to implicitly or explicitly question that narrative of reconciliation. Films of the latter category have probed the memory of the Vichy collaboration since the end of the war despite Charles de Gaulle’s efforts to repress narratives that challenged the idea of a country united against Germany. In the 1980’s, however, heritage film became the prevalent genre and offered a Gaullist view of World War II in France. This thesis asks, why, given the plethora of films dealing with the realities of the French role in World War II dating from the late 1940’s, a rubric of heritage film emerged as one way of classifying filmic discourse on the Vichy collaboration. I hypothesize that the heritage cinema rubric, specifically the Vichy cinema rubric, asserts a legibility of French identity, which was compromised by France’s collaboration with Nazi Germany, and attempts to thwart filmic narratives of identity loss. Through tropes of the uncanny and characters that experience repressed trauma and blocked mourning, films such as Le Silence de la Mer (1949), Lacombe, Lucien (1974), Mr. Klein (1976), and Le Dernier Metro (1980) reflect the French collective experience of loss during and in the aftermath of the collaboration. WWII films produced in the decades leading up to the emergence of this genre in essence dramatize a troubling disappearance of French cultural identity, which the heritage rubric sought to control.

Chemical modifications to histones, such as acetylation, phosphorylation, methylation and SUMOlyation, play a major role in dictating gene expression by changing the structure of chromatin. In particular, the modification of histone H4 by SUMO (called SUMOylation) was reported to be associated with gene repression. However, preliminary results from our lab show that the structure of SUMOylated chromatin resembles transcriptionally active, rather than silent chromatin. In order to comprehend how SUMO achieves gene silencing, biochemical studies with nucleosomes containing uniformly and site-specifically SUMOylated histones are necessary. Here we present a synthetic strategy to produce histone H4 modified by SUMO at Lysine 12. This strategy requires two native chemical ligation reactions. The first is between two fragments of H4- one synthetic and one recombinant. The second is a ligation between the SUMO-3 isoform and H4. In order to achieve the ligation of SUMO-3 to the side-chain of Lys in H4, we have developed a new ligation auxiliary. The synthesis of this auxiliary will be presented along with its application toward the total synthesis of SUMOylated histone H4. By understanding how SUMO-H4 controls gene function we hope to identify novel means to change cellular processes that result in diseases such as cancer.

A replicative lifespan (RLS) screen in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was recently performed in the Kaeberlein lab to determine how different mutants respond to caloric restriction (CR). The results of this screen indicated that many mutants lacking genes encoding proteins related to mitochondrial function were rescued to wild-type lifespan by CR. The beneficial effects of CR in both yeast and mammals are mediated by reduced signaling through the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and can be mimicked by the drug rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mTOR. Based on the findings from the yeast screen, we decided to investigate the effects of rapamycin on mitochondrial disease in a mammal. Leigh syndrome is clinically defined as a collection of genetically heterogeneous human mitochondrial diseases. These diseases result from mutations in genes encoding mitochondrial proteins and are characterized by progressive neurological degeneration resulting in early childhood mortality. To test rapamycin as a therapeutic intervention for Leigh syndrome, we are using a mouse line carrying a heterozygous loss of the electron transport chain complex I subunit Ndufs4, a direct homolog of the human NDUFS4 gene whose mutation causes Leigh syndrome. Mice homozygous for loss of NDUFS4 provide a robust phenocopy of the human disease, including neurological degeneration and early life mortality. Our results so far show that rapamycin dramatically increases lifespan and rescues the Ndufs4-/- mice for several health-related parameters, such as general mobility, visual ability, and grip strength. We are working towards determining the mechanistic basis for these effects, and we hypothesize that they may result from a metabolic shift toward increase fat metabolism in the liver. Understanding how rapamycin rescues Leigh Syndrome mice has clear translational implications, as rapamycin derivatives are FDA approved and patients with Leigh syndrome and other human mitochondrial diseases currently have limited treatment options.

The presence, absence, and abundance of pollution sensitive and pollution tolerant benthic invertebrate (benthos) species are a key indicator of the health of the Puget Sound. We worked with the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Marine Sediment Monitoring Team, part of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program (PSEMP), to compare how the abundance of pollution sensitive and pollution tolerant benthos has changed both spatially and temporally in the Puget Sound region. Data from 1997-2009 was provided by PSEMP and, in addition, we assisted in data collection during the 2012 field season. Marine stations throughout the Puget Sound region were selected by random spatial design and sampled with a Van Veen sediment grab. All collected benthos were sorted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. To track spatial and temporal changes in benthos populations at each station, we constructed maps using ESRI ArcMap 10.0 GIS mapping software. Of the 60 species analyzed, the two strongest pollution sensitive (genera Ampelisca and Amphiodia) and pollution tolerant (family Cirratulidae and genera Axinopsida) were selected to show changes in distribution patterns over time to reflect contamination patterns. Overall, total abundance of benthos has decreased over time throughout the Puget Sound region. Within urban bays in particular, pollution sensitive genera appear to be decreasing in abundance while that of pollution tolerant genera is increasing. Areas where significant cleanup efforts have occurred, such as Commencement Bay, have seen an increase of some pollution sensitive genera (Amphiodia). Our results suggest that there has been a decline in benthic health and diversity over time in the Puget Sound area.

Characterizing the migratory behavior of tumor cells is essential in understanding cancer progression and the invasive capacity of the cells that could lead to tumor metastasis. Previous research has established a correlation between the signalling protein known as stromal cell-derived factor-1 (CXCL12) and its corresponding CXCR4 receptor, which are expressed by a subset of cancerous glioma stem cells. Glioma cells expressing the CXCR4 receptor will move toward areas of higher CXCL12 concentration. This signalling pathway plays a significant role in glioma development by enhancing cell proliferation and motility. Thus, there is strong therapeutic potential by neutralizing this pathway through the use of CXCR4-inhibiting drugs. Microfluidics offers a suitable platform to optically characterize the migration of glioma stem cells under the influence of these inhibitory drugs while in the presence of controlled CXCL12 gradients. We present a microfluidic device integrated into a porous membrane to create an air-fluid interface that allows for organotypic slice culture and a fluidic chamber below the culture membrane that enables the formation of stable gradients. The integration of a 96-well plate allows for the simple addition of reagents using a standard pipette and circumvents the need for excess tubing and gels necessary for conventional microfluidic gradient assays. This device offers a spatial control of the biochemical gradient in an organotypic slice culture model to study chemotactic migration of glioma cells in a physiological-relevant manner. This model gives insight into the signaling processes related to the invasiveness and proliferation of glioma stem cells, and could potentially lead to new therapeutic strategies that target the CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway.

Cysteine and homocysteine are two important amino acid biomarkers related to human health. The presence of homocysteine at high concentrations in the bloodstream is correlated with various disorders such as cardiovascular and Alzheimer's diseases. Healthy cysteine levels are important in preventing lethargy, edema, and liver damage. Because of their critical roles in human health, we report the development of fluorescent and chromogenic indicators to monitor homocysteine and cysteine concentrations rapidly and inexpensively using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Several aldehyde-modified probes have been developed for thiol detection, with their function based on spectral changes associated with their respective heterocyclic products formed upon reaction with cysteine and homocysteine. These reaction products exhibit specific excitation, emission, and absorbance wavelengths related to the concentration of target analytes. In the case of fluorescein dialdehyde, our previously reported results indicated a UV-vis absorbance change and fluorescence quenching in response to both analytes. We hypothesize that judicious selection of experimental conditions will allow improved sensitivity and selectivity for specific analytes. The current study focuses on optimizing experimental conditions by evaluating several pH values and excitation wavelengths. The data shows that the response of fluorescein dialdehyde to thiols is pH-, wavelength-, and time-dependent, with difference in the responses toward cysteine and homocysteine. Further investigation of these and related compounds will elucidate the mechanism responsible for the selectivity and allow for increased utility of this class of aldehyde-modified probes

Despite strong public support for school counseling intervention programs, there remains a lack of state and federal funding for such programs. Typical of national trends, Seattle area schools in low-income communities suffer from a severe lack of funding for intervention programs. As a counseling intern in one of Seattle’s urban elementary and middle schools (PK-8), I have seen the impact that school counselors and interventions programs can have on a student’s personal and academic achievement. But, not much is known about whether the group interventions work as well as other forms of interventions. The hypothesis of this study is that the effectiveness of individual counseling combined with group intervention has a more significant impact than a singular approach. The methodological approach of this research is to conduct a literature review of current areas of effectiveness of school counseling programs in elementary schools; I will also conduct an interview with my practicum instructor, a school counselor. I anticipate that a combined approach is more useful because it gives students an opportunity to talk about academic and personal topics, allowing them to see that they are not alone. This study has implications for the planning and funding of elementary school interventions.

American students regularly get advised to “follow your passion” in choosing a career. However, people's passions are often shaped by what is considered appropriate for their gender. Could encouraging students to follow their passion inadvertently perpetuate gendered career choices? The present work examines how the cultural ideal to follow your passion may maintain gender imbalance in stereotypically masculine or feminine careers. In the current study, some participants were randomly assigned to write about what it means to “follow one’s passion” before writing about their career plans. We hypothesized that women who wrote about following their passions would report more feminine career plans compared to women who did not. Similarly, we predicted that men who wrote about following their passions would report more masculine career plans compared to men who did not. The American cultural ideal to “follow one’s passion” may help reinforce the gender makeup of career fields, contributing to the underrepresentation of women in certain fields like science.

Since the French and Spanish occupation of Hispaniola and specifically the US occupation from 1915-1934, Dominicans and Haitians have lived in a borderlands of blackness. However, these imaginary boundaries have been entwined with the African American response to the US occupation in Haiti. There have been many studies on the relationship between Dominicans and Haitians, but few have complicated how the relationship of African Americans living in Hispaniola played a fundamental role in shaping the multiple dimensions of blackness. By drawing upon Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony, Stuart Hall's concept of cultural identity and diasporas in the Caribbean, in conjunction with Michael Omi and Howard Winant's work on racial formation in the United States, my research aims to draw the connections between these three groups and determine how these understandings have transformed preexisting definitions of blackness on the island. This paper is significant for comprehending the complexity of Dominican and Haitian identity, as well as locating the mechanisms of Western power, privilege and discourse. My research contributes to scholarship on the cultural production of blackness and race in the Caribbean and the United States.

The late Oligocene (~23-28 million years ago) Blakeley Formation of Puget Sound has received multiple interpretations over the past century, ranging from a coastal embayment to a submarine fan. The formation is exposed along an uplifted terrace just south of the Seattle fault zone, in a discontinuous east-west band across Puget Sound. At Alki Point, the formation appears as an asymmetrical northeast plunging anticline and is characterized by fossiliferous siliciclastic siltstone and mudstone, typically in units several meters thick. These fine-grained units are interbedded with limestone in the lower part of our measured section and with sandstone in the upper part. Deposits of reworked volcanic ash and pumice are scattered throughout the section as well. The overall lithology and paleontology of the section suggests that the Blakeley Formation at Alki Point was deposited in a continental shelf environment. Sandstone beds in the upper section are broadly consistent with distal storm deposits, indicating a relatively shallow depth (< 100m). Finer sediment size and the absence of storm deposits in the lower section suggests deposition in somewhat deeper waters, perhaps in a middle to outer shelf environment. Some siltstone beds contain fossil bivalve shells, calcareous concretions, and infilled burrows, which are characteristic of cold methane seep ecosystems. The presence of reworked tephra, possible volcanic flood deposits, plant debris, and the general immaturity of sediment at Alki Point indicate that sediment was probably supplied by a river draining an active, ancestral Cascade volcano. Based upon the abundance of volcanic material in the sediments, it is also likely that the volcano was nearer the open coast than current Cascade volcanoes are. A possible modern analog for the Blakeley Formation of Alki Point might be the eastern Japan-island arc, where rivers deposit sediments from nearby volcanoes onto the continental shelf.

Behavioral struggles during the preschool years are meaningful predictors of continued behavioral problems. Educational research suggest that student motivation shares a positive relationship with pro-social behavior. Students who exhibit behavioral challenges during the preschool years may be less motivated and angrier than other students. In contrast, highly motivated students tend to be enthusiastic, and involved in classroom based actives. Student motivation can be elicited by teachers' promotion of student autonomy, and ensuring systematic teaching is accompanied with opportunities for students to apply what they are learning to real-world experiences. This powerful learning occurs when: students learn about what is personally meaningful to them, there is a community of inquiry present in the classroom, and presence of a positive emotional climate. The Project Approach provides students with the opportunity to design and complete in-depth studies of real-world problems. Project work can be completed in small groups or in class settings. The social nature of this method of learning can result in students who are engaged in classroom content, and subsequently are more motivated to learn and participate. This research employs an observational study design, in which two different preschools' experiences with implementing the project approach were documented. These observational notes focus on students' engagement with project based work versus traditional classroom work, and their motivation to engage in such work. This study predicts that there will be increase in student engagement and motivation following the implementation of project-based learning. This research hopes to identify the relationship student engagement and motivation shares with student's participation in  classroom activies. It is the study's hope that this research wil evoke discussion on the development prescool classroom practices, that engage students while setting the foundation for future positive academic outcomes.

The goal of our research is to understand mechanisms of the earthworm immune system responsible for distinguishing symbionts from potential pathogens. The Hygiene hypothesis, proposed by David Strachan and published in British Medical Journal in 1989, fundamentally expanded our view on microorganisms and natural development of immune system. The hypothesis states that early childhood exposure to microorganisms is essential for acquiring healthy immunity. Studies in mice showing that host-specific bacteria in the gut are required for full maturation and function of the immune system support this hypothesis. Although numerous symbioses of beneficial bacteria with animals have been studied, the role of symbionts in the development of host immunity remains uncertain. Additional models are needed to study the roles and regulation of the immune responses to host-specific beneficial bacteria. The earthworm offers a tractable system in which to study immune system development and responses to both beneficial symbionts and potential pathogens. Eisenia fetida, a common composting worm, has an effective immune system that eliminates bacteria from the coelom. E. fetida also harbors specific bacterial symbionts in the excretory organs (nephridia) that process coelomic fluid, thus potentially exposing the bacteria to immune elements in the fluid. We hypothesize that the immune system adapts to the symbiotic bacteria in order to avoid eliminating them, or cause unnecessary inflammation in the nephridial tissue. Therefore, we investigated the contribution of the bacterial symbiont Verminephrobacter eiseniae to the development of immune system responses in E. fetida. Coelomocytes were extracted from symbiont-containing earthworms and symbiont-free earthworms, and were examined for differences in their binding and engulfment responses to V. eiseniae and non-symbionts. We believe further studies of the role of immunity in symbiont recruitment mechanisms in the earthworm would help us understand more about the co-evolution of beneficial microbiota and the host organisms in other species. 

GPSM2 is required for orienting the mitotic spindle during asymmetric cell division during development. The hearing loss and brain malformations in Chudley-McCullough Syndrome (CMS) suggest that this autosomal recessive condition is due to mutations in GPSM2. The clinical phenotype of CMS includes partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, arachnoid cyst, cerebellar dysplasia, gray matter heterotopia, and frontal polymicrogyria. This combination of brain malformations is highly distinctive and not seen in any other genetic syndrome. Homozygosity mapping and sequencing of affected individuals revealed eight molecular variations in the G protein-signaling modulator 2 gene, GPSM2, that underlie CMS. To identify additional GPSM2 mutations, I utilized a molecular inversion probe (MIP) method enabling minimal DNA input, high output performance, and low-cost sequencing for less than $1 per gene per sample. Each MIP is a common 30 bp linker flanked by an extension arm and a ligation arm giving a total MIP length always equal to 70 bp. The unique arms of each MIP target a specific 112 bp genomic region for a gap-fill and circularization. Post-capture PCR amplification with primers corresponding to the common linker was used to adjoin sample-specific barcodes. Samples were then PCR amplified, pooled together, and ran on Illumina MiSeq. Currently, I am sequencing six confirmed CMS patients in addition to eight samples we obtained from patients presenting only with agenesis of the corpus collosum and hearing loss. These results are pending. By sequencing patients who present with classic CMS features, as well as those who present with limited CMS features, I hope to identify a genotype-phenotype correlation in Chudley-McCullough patients.

Mussels attach themselves to hard substrates by extruding thin, strong, and flexible hair-like attachments known as byssal threads, which are anchored in place with small adhesive plaques. While many studies have examined how multiple abiotic variables affect mussel attachment strength, few have performed extensive single variable tests within a controlled lab setting. In this study, we investigated the effects of temperature on byssus production in the native Northern Pacific intertidal blue mussel, Mytilus trossulus, and expected to see a decline in production with increasing temperatures (specifically, between 18°C-25°C). We also hypothesized that threads produced in warmer temperatures would show a visual decline in quality, either through thinning, degradation, or tearing. Mussels were placed in a temperature controlled flume for 24 hours. Six different trials were run at 10°C, 14°C, 18°C, 20°C, 22°C, and 25°C. Byssal threads were counted for the duration of each trial to determine production and rate of attachment. Threads produced under these different temperature regimes were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy to visually compare differences in quality. Overall, there was a significantly negative correlation between thread production and increases in temperature, with the highest amount occurring at 18°C (11.25 threads +2.0 s.e.m.) and the lowest at 25°C (0 threads). Acclimatization and rate of thread production was also negatively affected by temperature increases. In addition, we saw a significant difference in percentage of mussel attachment between temperatures, with up to 93% attached in the 10°C and 18°C treatments and 50-0% in the 20°C-25°C treatments. However, visual analyses of thread quality differences were inconclusive. Our findings indicate that climatic temperature increases may negatively affect both the range of M. trossulus within Northern Pacific rocky intertidal zones as well as potentially setback the aquaculture of the species.

Obesity is a growing epidemic. Consequently, the percentage of Americans living with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has increased; 25.8 million Americans suffer from diabetes, and 90-95% of adult diabetes is T2DM. Bariatric surgeries--gastrointestinal operations designed to encourage weight loss by rerouting and reconnecting various parts of the stomach and small intestine--have been developed in response to increased obesity. A ramification of these surgeries is the elimination of T2DM; 84% of patients with T2DM experienced complete remission of diabetes after bariatric surgery. At RYGB Mechanisms (RYGBM) Animal Lab, we seek to understand the mechanisms of weight loss and T2DM remission in bariatric surgery through the development of an animal model. The animal models selected for this research are Ossabaw pigs. These pigs, raised on high fat diets, are obese and naturally develop insulin intolerance similar to T2DM in humans. There are two leading hypotheses for the causal relationship of bariatric surgery and the elimination of T2DM: the Lower Intestinal Hypothesis and the Upper Intestinal Hypothesis. To test these hypotheses, we perform five variations of bariatric surgery on the animal models: Gastrojejunostomy (GJ), GJ with Duodenal Exclusion, Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), RYGB with Vagotomy, and Sham operation. We perform these variations of surgeries in attempts to identify which procedures will decrease T2DM while being the least invasive and most recoverable. Pre-operative and post-operative weights indicate if the surgery worked as a weight loss mechanism, while the pre-operative and post-operative changes in insulin sensitivity and gut peptide hormones--ghrelin, PYY, GLP1--indicate if the procedure succeeded as a T2DM loss mechanism. Since the start of the study, survival rates have improved, and RYGBM compilation of data has increased, thus enhancing conclusive findings, though data to support either hypothesis is still in progress.

 In 2010 an estimated 1.3 million people in the U.S. were living with type 1 diabetes mellitus, a disease that leads to elevated blood glucose levels and has been shown to accelerate atherosclerosis, which causes cardiovascular disease. As inflammatory macrophages are key to the etiology of atherosclerosis, we are interested in how diabetes leads to inflammatory status in macrophages. We have shown that the enzyme acyl-CoA thioesterase 7 (ACOT7) in macrophages increases production of inflammatory mediators that cause the accumulation of these cells in artery walls. ACOT7 is up-regulated in macrophages in a murine model of type 1 diabetes. Since glucose levels and inflammatory mediators are altered in diabetes, the goal of this project was to investigate the effects of these alterations on ACOT7 expression. Through the use of real time quantitative PCR and Western blotting, ACOT7 mRNA and protein levels, respectively, were measured in response to the above conditions. ACOT7 was up-regulated in response to Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α, a pro-inflammatory chemical secreted by macrophages) and high glucose levels, as well as the inflammatory stimulus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This increased understanding of ACOT7’s role in the production of inflammatory mediators offers a helpful framework for designing treatments to prevent or retard the formation of atherosclerosis in type 1 diabetics.

 Spinal cord injury accounts for 29% of paralysis patients in the US, and the recovery of hand and arm function is the highest treatment priority in individuals with tetraplegia.  Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be directed toward specific cell fates, such as functioning neurons or astrocytes, making them an exciting new tool in regenerative medicine for those that suffer from spinal cord injury paralysis.  We investigated the effect of neurally-fated iPS cells on recovery of forelimb function after a cervical spinal cord contusion injury in a rat model.  Neurally-fated iPS cells were injected above and below the lesion in an attempt to replace cells lost to injury.  We transplanted cells four weeks after injury to mimic a chronic spinal cord injury model.  Forelimb function was quantified before and after the injury for 15 weeks using three forelimb behavior tasks.  Tasks included a forelimb reaching task (FRT), a cylinder-rearing task, and a cereal-eating task (IBB).  Results from these tasks will be analyzed to quantify any improvement in the experimental animals that received iPS cells versus the controls.  If treatment provides a significant difference in recovery rate, then the introduction of iPS cells in damaged spinal cords could provide a possible regenerative treatment for paralysis patients.

Research over the years has shown that effective oral hygiene with brushing and flossing can help reduce bleeding, gingivitis and plaque buildup. When bacterial plaque is left alone or removed improperly, it can lead to further dental disease such as caries. During orthodontic treatment, fixed appliances such as brackets are bonded to the teeth and archwires connect the brackets. These appliances make it especially hard for orthodontic patients to brush and floss effectively on their own, and failure to do so leads to an increase in plaque and gingivitis seen in the orthodontic population. A pilot study at the University of Washington’s Center for Pediatric Dentistry (CPD) will assess development of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatments. White spot lesions are the first sign of a caries lesion on enamel that can be detected with the naked eye. Pediatric orthodontic patients from CPD will be enrolled in this pilot study. Study participants will be randomly assigned to one of two oral hygiene regimens. Group A will use the WaterPik Water Flosser with orthodontic tip (dental water jet irrigation system) in conjunction with daily oral hygiene and Group B will use floss with a threader in conjunction with daily oral hygiene. Both groups will manually brush their teeth with fluoridated toothpaste twice daily as part of daily oral hygiene maintenance. The White Spot Lesion Index will be used to evaluate white spots. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate prevalence of white spots in fixed orthodontic cases following these assigned oral hygiene regimens. Secondary objectives include assessment of safety and of plaque and gingival status for both groups. Intraoral examinations will be performed; and visible plaque index and bleeding on Marginal Probing scored at each follow-up evaluation. Study participants will be evaluated at every orthodontic appointment for a minimum of 18 months.

This research examines the relationship between an individual’s beliefs about authority and purity when making moral decisions and an individual’s alcohol consumption, specifically whether those who strongly identify with purity or authority consume more or less alcohol than those who do not. This is important to consider because few studies have looked at the relationship between moral considerations and alcohol consumption. We hypothesized that those who place comparatively less emphasis on authority and purity when making decisions about what is morally right would report higher levels of alcohol consumption. Participants (N=860; 41% male, 59% female) completed an online screening as a part of a larger study. Primarily, we focused on the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (Graham et al., 2011), in particular the authority and purity subscales. In addition, we considered the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (Collins, Parks, & Marlatt, 1985), Quantity/Frequency Measure (Marlatt, Baer, & Larimer, 1995), and whether participants met criteria for heavy episodic drinking (NIAAA, 2004). Preliminary analyses indicated that there is statistically significant negative correlation between alcohol consumption and authority as well as purity. These findings may extend our understanding of how treatment and prevention programs can target individuals that place relatively less importance on purity or authority. Future research is necessary to determine how authority and purity considerations with moral decisions can be used to better understand college students’ risky alcohol consumption.

 Proteins usually contain many post-translational modifications in response to biological or environmental stimuli, which affect their activity, cellular localization, or protein partners. Mass spectral analysis is able to identify proteins and characterize post-translational modifications, but target proteins must first be isolated and extracted. Separation by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) is a powerful protein and protein isoform separation technique. An average of 40 protein isoforms from each eukaryotic gene may be visualized with fluorescent labeling, some of which are potential disease markers. They are often present in low abundance, making it challenging to recover them for mass spectral analysis. Current methods suffer from sample losses, contamination, and long, manual proccesses.  Our protein extraction system will avoid these problems using automated electrokinetic extraction with in-line protein digestion and mass spectral analysis.  Nanogram levels of fluorescently-labeled Bio-Rad proteins are separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Target proteins are isolated and rapidly eluted directly from 2-D gel into our micro-capillary system using a high-voltage electric field. Proteins are digested in a microfluidic bioreactor, and peptides are deposited onto a trap column of a Chip LC and resolved for mass spectral analysis. The bioreactor and trap column will eventually be coupled with the extraction system using automated switching.  Our micro-capillary system is high-throughput (~90% recovery of proteins), and 1-2 orders of magnitude faster than traditional electroelution processes.  The principles of electophoretic migration may be applied not only to separation of proteins onto gradient gels, but also to routine extraction and resolution of low-nanogram protein quantities directly from 2-D gel. Automation will decrease contamination by limiting the manual portion of the process to loading the gel onto the device, and may greatly improve recovery of low-abundance proteins.

In the next 50 years, global population in urban areas will double; mass transit systems are one area where both policymakers and planners have the ability to ameliorate potential negative environmental and social impacts of urbanization. Research in the United States has found that socioeconomic status (SES) is related inversely with physical access to employment and public services, partially due to underlying inequalities in spatial distribution of housing and transportation. Thus, mass transportation projects that provide mobility across neighborhood SES boundaries have the potential to positively impact the quality of life and future opportunities for billions of urban dwellers by improving inequalities of access to important urban areas. Examining the case of Seattle, Washington, I investigate how inequalities are addressed by the public transportation planning process and how SES is linked with differing levels of transit service. Interviews with individuals involved in transit planning explore transit characteristics unique to Seattle, steps taken to address inequity in the planning and design stages of transit provision, and broader factors that impact building and maintaining equitable transit services. A complementary GIS-based examination of the relationship between SES and the level of access granted by public transit to other areas of the city is performed. SES is measured using census and property value data, while transit access is measured using a novel network-based, parcel-level approach. Preliminary findings indicate that a significant tension exists between maximizing ridership and providing similar mobility to neighborhoods of differing SES; this problem is poorly addressed by methods currently used for incorporating equity in transit design and further aggravated by overlapping jurisdictions of power and systemic funding uncertainty. Informed by these results, I present both new techniques for evaluating mobility granted by transit in relation to spatial equity and a discussion of challenges to providing equitable public transit beyond measurement.

After the Great Japan Earthquake in 2011, people’s interest in earthquake risks and hazards in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) has increased due to the tectonic similarity between the PNW and Japan. However, a recent study focused on the perception of hazards and risk amongst University of Washington (UW) students indicated deficiencies in knowledge, perception of risk, and preparedness. In contrast, the overall degree of earthquake readiness in Japan is higher than in the PNW due to a strong culture of safety, accurate knowledge, and a high level of risk perception. The higher level of earthquake readiness in Japan indicates effective communication between the scientific community and general public. The objective of this research is to assess the success of earthquake-education programs in Japan, identify missing elements in the PNW’s education programs, and investigate the preferred communication method of people in the PNW. My work compares the earthquake-education programs, resources, style of communication, and cultural differences between Japan and the PNW. My comparisons suggest a combination of school, self, family, and community educations appears to enhance and increase Japanese individuals’ awareness and preparedness. For example, Japanese schools employ standardized guidelines from the Board of Education to maintain highly consistent education programs. Additionally, the active involvement of family and community in Japanese earthquake hazard education motivate individuals to take necessary actions for mitigation activities. In contrast, earthquake-education programs in the PNW are infrequent and lack a standardized source from the government and scientific authority and the education efforts are infrequent. These results indicate the need for more effective earthquake-education and preparedness in the PNW. Future work will be specifically looking into the preferred communication methods between the scientific community and UW students.

According to the U.S. Census Buereau, by the year 2050 minorities will become the majority in the United States. At the current rate of changing demographics and a disparity in access to Science Technology Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.) fields for people of color, there is a high probability of the demographics of S.T.E.M. fields in the United States not reflecting the demographics of the United States. A S.T.E.M. workforce that does not represent the population of our diverse nation, but rather that of a predominantly Anglo Saxon country, will result in a lack of proper representation of culture, morals, values, religion and other characteristics in the workforce that exist nationally. Based on these projections and current research, my research question is "what is the perception and attitude towards mathematics in the university by minority undergrade students?" Through qualitative methods, I plan to conduct interviews and surveys on UW, S.T.E.M. and non-S.T.E.M., underrepresented minority (ethnicity, socio-economic status, first generation) students to get a look into the current ideas surrounding mathematics, in order to enhance and explore ways to encourage and increase higher numbers of current and future minority students to be trained in S.T.E.M. fields.

According to the CDC, diabetes mellitus affected 11.3% of US residents over 20 years of age and 26.9% of those over 65 in 2011. Because this disease can lead to severe health complications, patients with diabetes are over-represented in healthcare settings. A person with diabetes must incorporate disease management into every aspect of his or her life, remaining constantly vigilant and accommodating continual lifestyle modifications. Despite the daily challenges that confront these individuals, healthcare providers often practice without fully understanding the impact this diagnosis has on a patient’s life. As a result, patients may experience negative attitudes from healthcare workers that make them feel objectified and stigmatized, ultimately leading to poor health outcomes. Studies have shown that health simulation experiences, in which a person experiences the reality of a disease or condition, can be powerful tools for influencing the perceptions of healthcare workers. However, little is known about how these programs impact the perceptions of nurses who work closely with patients to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes. The purpose of this research study is to explore and describe the perceptions of nurses after completion of the Diabetes Reality Experience, an educational program in which they live for several days as though they have diabetes by incorporating monitoring, treatment, and prevention measures into their daily life. Evaluations and reflections written by participants will be qualitatively analyzed and interpreted to identify themes related to how the simulation experience influenced their insight and attitudes. This research has the potential to contribute to our understanding of how nurses and other healthcare workers can be better prepared to work sensitively with patients who have complex chronic conditions.

The enemy release hypothesis proposes that introduced species can become invasive by leaving behind natural enemies (predators, competitors and parasites) when they are introduced to a non-native habitat. Indo-Pacific red lionfish, Pterois volitans, are one of the most devastating species invasions to occur in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. I hypothesize that one reason the lionfish may be such a successful invader in the Caribbean is that it has escaped some of its parasites from its native range and is not susceptible to parasites in the introduced range. The goal of my project was to test the susceptibility of red lionfish to a common Caribbean parasite, Neobenedenia melleni, (Monogenea: Capsalidea). I placed Lionfish in the overflow of an oceanarium containing large numbers of N. melleni larvae. Despite exposure to high concentrations of the parasite, I only recovered a single parasite from one lionfish. My findings thus far suggest that P. volitans is highly resistant to infection by N.melleni.

The host seeking behavior of disease-vector mosquitoes may be impacted by olfactory and visual learning. By enabling mosquitoes to better find bloodhosts, this behavior may allow mosquitoes to remain longer in the environment, transmitting diseases to more organisms. Recent work has shown that mosquitoes respond to Pavlovian conditioning that pairs visual and olfactory cues with an unconditioned stimulus. However, the function and relative importance of each sensory system has not yet been explored. We investigated both subjects using adult and larval Aedes aegypti. Firstly, we conducted appetitive conditioning experiments on Aedes adults. We found that adults were able to learn associations between novel odors and blood-feeding: they recruited to the conditioned odor consistently and significantly more than the odorless location choice. In contrast, naïve animals showed no innate preference to these odors. Secondly, we conducted aversive conditioning experiments on Aedes larvae. We compared the learning capabilities of wild-type specimens and specimens molecularly (RNAi) or chemically altered (receptor antagonists) to decrease response to dopamine, a critical neuromodulator involved in the aversive learning pathway. Our assays included a conditioned stimulus of indole and multiple unconditioned aversive stimuli (e.g., salt, bitter tastants). We found that wild-type Aedes exhibited a consistent behavioral change after conditioning, whereas transgenic or pharmacologically altered Aedes larvae did not. Finally, we analyzed threat-sensitive larval learning. We tested larval mortality in treatments containing a natural predator (a dragonfly nymph). We found improved survivorship in trained control-injected larvae versus dopamine antagonist injected larva. This is consistent with our data that lowering dopamine sensitivity alters an important pathway in the Aedes larvae olfactory systems to learn and recognize threats. These experiments suggest that both appetitive and aversive learning may be important to mosquito behavior. Our data also supports the conclusion that learning in mosquitoes is at least in part mediated by dopamine.

Two 5-membered rings with a nitrogen at one of the fusion sites is the core structure for a variety of natural products known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Many of these compounds are produced by plants as a defense mechanism due to their hepatotoxicity. Other varieties of these compounds, however, have been shown to possess antiviral, anticancer, antidiabetic, and antiobesity drugs. Because of their inherent biological activity and the relative costliness of extracting these compounds from natural sources, they have become an important synthetic target. Previously in the Michael group, a palladium catalyst was developed to facilitate the addition of an N-H bond across a C=C bond. This transformation is known as hydroamination. When the protected amine and alkene are present in the same molecule, cyclization occurs, forming 5- and 6-membered nitrogen containing heterocycles. This most recent work sought to extend the capabilities of this reaction by replacing the amine protecting group with a highly electron deficient aldehyde. Thus after the initial addition of the N-H bond across the C=C bond occurs, the C=C bond will then perform a nucleophilic attack on the aldehyde forming a second ring fused to the first. This reaction sets 3 new stereocenters, forms 2 new rings, and generates a C-N and C-C bond in a single, diastereoselective step. The substrate synthesized in order to test this reaction was a 7 carbon terminal diene amine coupled with dimethyltartrate and subsequently oxidized to generate the desired diene-amide-aldehyde functionality. This substrate when submitted to the hydroamination conditions resulted in the diastereoselective formation of the tri-substituted pyrollizidine in 35% yield. Further work in this project will include application of these methods to the synthesis of several natural pyrrolizidine alkaloids. It is hoped that further manipulation of the substrate will allow expansion of the range of attainable targets to that of indolizidines and quinolizidines.

 Washington State is home to many diverse prairie ecosystems, which have severely been degraded or converted to agriculture/farmland. Due to the impact over the last several decades, it is crucial to research Washington’s native prairie ecosystems and work towards preservation, conservation, and restoration of these areas. There are many ongoing projects on these prairies, in efforts to gain more knowledge about the growth, development, and interactions of rare prairie species. It is very important to determine underground processes because these processes could affect the long-term success of restoration. I compared microbial metabolism and nitrogen mineralization among three restoration treatments: burning, herbicide, or solarization, at Glacial Heritage Preserve in Olympia, WA. Plots were seeded with a diverse mix of native prairie species 2, 3, or 4 years before this study. The goal of the project is to determine if soil processes differ among plots, and if it is a result of treatment or year seeded. Soil samples were collected from replicates of each treatment plot from each year, and extracted and inoculated into Biolog Ecoplates^TM. The amount of Nitrogen available for mineralization was also measured. Preliminary results display that there is some difference between treatments and years, and available Nitrogen varies greatly among treatment plots. The results of each experiment are being further investigated.

Recent studies demonstrate that certain reproductive factors such as parity (defined as the number of completed pregnancies) are disparately associated with various pathologic subtypes of breast cancer. One factor, fetal microchimerism - the term for persistent child-origin cells in a woman’s circulation and tissues long after delivery - is generally deficient in women with unselected breast cancer and suggests a protective role. Here, we are testing the hypothesis that high-grade triple negative breast cancer (positive association with parity) will be distinctly associated with fetal microchimerism compared to low-grade luminal breast cancer (inversely associated with parity). Buffy coat specimens (n=450) were obtained from breast cancer patients and control participants aged 18-44 from the REACH project (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, PI Christopher Li). Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, DNA extracts from these specimens were tested for the presence and concentration of Y chromosome sequence DYS14, a marker of male fetal microchimersim. In an interim analysis from the first 87 specimens, 33% (9/27) of women who developed luminal breast cancer tested positively for the presence of DYS14, as did 33% (10/30) of healthy controls. 47% (14/30) of women who developed triple negative breast cancer tested positively for the presence of DYS14. Preliminary results demonstrate a higher prevalence of fetal microchimerism in patients with triple negative breast cancer compared to control or luminal participants consistent with the original hypothesis. Additional samples will be tested. Fetal microchimerism testing may represent a novel non-invasive method to identify women with poor prognosis breast cancers.

Select proteins from the HSP70 gene family were studied in Anthopleura artemisia and Anthopleura elegantissima, two intertidal sea anemones found in Puget Sound. A. elegantissima are clonal aggregates that are found on rocks while A. artemisia live buried, solo within sand. HSP70 are a family of heat shock proteins that are present in prokaryotes and eukaryotes that regulate various protein functions such as heat stress or protein folding. PCR techniques were utilized to determine the presence of HSP70 genes. It is predicted that both species have similar or identical genes that produce HSP70 heat shock proteins, but differ in how the HSP70 genes are expressed. In prior studies, A. elegantissima are found to express HSP70 proteins depending on position in a colony (edge versus central positions). A. artemisia, allows for an interesting comparison as to how living conditions would affect the expressions of HSP70 proteins. RT-PCR techniques were utilized to determine HSP70 gene expression in both species. Variations of HSP70 expression can be used to generate models to predict the effect of climate change in the Puget Sound area.

Greenhouse gases absorb Infrared (IR) light at specific frequencies; some of these gases are CO2, CH4, O3, and H2O. Research has shown that trapping of light by these gases leads to warming climate conditions. For my research, I will be improving upon a lab that is designed to teach students about the greenhouse effect. This lab is a part of the general chemistry curriculum at UW Bothell. The purpose of the Lab in Bothell CHEM 142 is to show students the greenhouse effect using the FTIR. To improve this lab, I had to determine a way to provide students with a step by step process that would help them understand what greenhouse gases do, and how they work at a chemical level. My work consisted of repeating the experiment many times to determine what was working and what was not, and then I had to provide a solution to fix what was not working. This entire lab was done with a Fournier Transform Infrared (FTIR). This experiment is done as a laboratory to help students understand the chemistry behind greenhouse gasses. The hope behind improving this lab for undergraduates is not only furthering their knowledge of chemistry, but also deepening their understanding of the greenhouse effect and how humans impact it.

Quantum dots (QDs) are the precursor for numerous burgeoning technologies, including more efficient solar panels and high definition LED displays. QDs are small, soluble crystallites of a semiconductor material that have unique qualities since their electrons are confined in all three dimensions in a region of space smaller than the de Broglie wavelength of their electrons. This allows the electrons to occupy spectrally sharp energy levels like an element or a molecule. Their electronic properties can be tuned as a function of their size. In our lab, indium phosphide QDs are prepared under an inert atmosphere of dinitrogen by hot injection of a phosphine precursor into an indium salt and fatty acid solution. Taking aliquots of the reaction mixture at different time intervals during QD growth allows us to chart the rate of particle evolution and provides information about particle size and uniformity. Indium phosphide is a member of the III-V semiconductor class, meaning they are made from elements from column three and column five of the periodic table, and have desirable properties like direct band gaps which allow these materials to efficiently absorb and emit light as well as faster carrier mobility than II-VI quantum dots. The synthesis of III-V QDs has not allowed for size- uniformity or tunability to be achieved because of the uncontrolled reactivity of the precursors, in particular the group V precursors. Our group has recently uncovered an important acid-catalyzed pathway leading to phosphine speciation during indium phosphide QD growth. My project focuses on addressing this issue by incorporating new, more stable precursors and chelating capping agents to better stabilize the reaction products and intermediates, which would be crucial in controlling the formation and therefore the properties of the resulting quantum dots.

There are many challenges to creating high performance diagnostic tests for use in low resource settings. One approach is to use a paper network format. These paper networks operate by capillary flow and do not require dedicated instrumentation for transporting fluids in them. However, in order to carry out more advanced, multi-step, processes in these networks there is a need for well-characterized paper fluidics tools to precisely control fluid transport within the networks. To address this need, we have designed and characterized a cellulose valving mechanism to produce precise fluid delays, over a wide range of delay times, in both a bench-top system and a disposable card format with less than 10% variability in reproducibility. We achieved this by systematically investigating the effects of valve parameters such as valve dimensions and materials, on the delay time and reproducibility. Finally, the cellulose valves are demonstrated in a paper network card that can automatically sequentially deliver a series of fluids.

As consumers - especially as consumers in the industrialized United States - we go through a considerable amount of material goods and create copious quantities of solid waste on a regular basis. Generally, after we dispose of waste (items no longer of value to us), the discarded materials are out of sight and out of mind. However, the effects of our solid waste are not negligible by any means. The materials that we put in the trash, recycling, or elsewhere, can have undesirable effects on human health, human society, the natural environment, and even the climate. The materials chosen to produce various goods can have substantial impacts that far outlive the lifespan of the consumer products. Waste materials break down - or in some cases, do not break down – and the components have the potential to go through phase changes leading to a risk of harming groundwater and air quality. On Earth, we have an ever-growing human population; a constant stream of mass-produced consumer goods; and a finite amount of land and raw material resources. Actively examining and modifying how we manage our waste – at various stages within the materials’ life cycles – is critical when regarding the future of human and environmental well-being. This research, by means of searching through various media resources and conducting interviews, investigates waste and management techniques with a materials-conscious lens. This presentation will delve into some of the main issues in landfills, such as the most problematic materials that don’t decompose well; the pros and cons of current waste management methods; and potential alternatives and solutions – often involving a materials focus - that fit into various parts of the product-to-waste life cycle.

Since the development of the Drug Recognition Expert program in the 1970s, police officers are trained to recognize impairments and have the expertise to identify these influential drugs opposed to, or along with alcohol. This research is a part of an ongoing partnership between the Washington State University Division of Governmental Studies and Services and Washington State’s DRE program. The goal of the work entails determining whether the current evaluation standards set forth by the Washington State Patrol are sufficiently strict and assessing the accuracy of the DRE officers’ assessments of impaired drivers. The analysis will be based on the coding and digitization of all 5000+ DRE assessments done over the period 2006 to 2010 (5 years) and will include the identification of Type I errors (failure to detect) and Type II errors (false attention) as determined by toxicology reports on blood samples. An examination will be made to determine whether the Type I and Type II errors detected are related to driver racial and ethnic background, gender, and age. With this research an understanding of how law enforcement training on “drugged driving” can be improved in Washington State. Resolving DRE training issues will ensure that individuals’ constitutional rights are fully protected while law enforcement safeguards their ability to enforce the states driver safety laws in Washington.

Treating tumors with radiation requires a trade-off between the necessary dose to eliminate the tumor and the quantity which the healthy tissue can withstand. Radiation therapy with protons allows for a large amount of dose to be delivered to the target area while only delivering a relatively small amount of dose to the surrounding healthy tissue. Utilizing this new method guarantees improved patient safety and treatment success. At the UW Department of Radiation Oncology, a proton cyclotron is being refined to provide a unique system for laboratory experiments in radiation. The purpose of these measurements was to gain further insight into dose distribution of the beam, its lateral spread through air, and its dose delivery efficiency into biological medium. Gafchromic EBT3 film, utilized in conjunction with a rectangular water phantom to simulate biological tissue, measured various characteristics of the beam. When exposed to the beam, the film darkend due to energy-catalyzed cross linking of the polymer. The opacity change in the film was calibrated against a known dose from a clinical beam. Using the film, the dose of the beam was measured at incremental depths leading up to, and behind, the Bragg peak. From the data acquired, it was discovered that the EBT3 film has an under-response of up to 30% dose within the Bragg peak, likely due to effects of linear energy transfer. Under-response of the EBT3 film is prohibitive for measuring absolute Bragg peak dose values, but the relative dose distributions obtained from these experiments provides important insight into the accuracy of Monte Carlo simulations for proton pencil beams.

 With an international focus on limiting greenhouse gas production, advancements in biomass conversion are needed. Conversion of biomass into more convenient fuels can lead to carbon neutrality. Biomass has the potential to be converted to transportation fuels after undergoing oxygen-free thermochemical decomposition, known as fast pyrolysis, and upgrading in a Fluid Catalytic Cracking reactor. Wood, one form of biomass, is largely made up of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Lignin is comprised of polymers constructed of p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol and sinapyl alcohol monomers. In the present project, pyrolysis of these monomers will be modeled using phenol, guaiacol and syringol, respectively. Individual monomers and mixtures of monomers will be pyrolyzed using a Pyroprobe and the bio-oil contents will be quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. It is expected that when combinations are pyrolyzed, the bio-oil production will be suppressed due to secondary reactions of each monomers’ product. As combinations of these monomers are characterized, pyrolyzed lignin can be characterized. Eventually, all aspects of pyrolyzed wood will be characterized and optimum conditions for pyrolysis of woody biomass can be assessed, thus yielding the highest quality bio-oil.

Food Deserts are most commonly described as just that – deserts, empty, void and lacking. The newer term, Food Swamp, implies there is too much of a bad thing. Food Deserts are a community defined by barriers restricting the opportunity for healthy food including a lack of access to food retailers, availability of nutritious foods, or affordability of foods. The dominant academic and public policy discourse has primarily aligned with the environmental rather than social justice movement, the consequences of which can be seen in a local, sustainable, fresh food movement that treats the symptoms of a broken food system by simply introducing more healthy food, failing to acknowledge its responsibility in addressing the root causes of hunger, poverty and racial oppression. The dominant, deficit-based view of food deserts misrepresents and silences the experiences of these communities, misshaping how they are made visible and understood. Approaches that use language focusing on the deficits of a community while ignoring the role that race has played in their current environment lead to blaming, “othering” and only serve to reinforce borders of power and race. Communities that have focused on their strengths, existing assets and are working with their racialized environment (as opposed to ignoring it) towards food justice have experienced higher rates of sustained community involvement. Through a comparative discourse analysis, I examine and report upon the consequences of deficit-based language focusing on problems and deficits and look into the importance of strength-based approaches towards more environmentally just policies.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause chronic and latent infections within many human diseases especially those related to immunocompromised individuals such as cystic fibrosis. This species also engages in a density dependent communication known as quorum sensing, which can often increase the species' virulence through the production of extracellular products such as proteases and components for the production of biofilms. Quorum sensing is a highly conserved process in nature yet quite interestingly we find that cystic fibrosis lungs provide a unique environment for the profileration of quorum sensing mutants (LasR mutants) as opposed to free living forms of the species elsewhere in the general environment. I am working to characterize 100 environmental isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to test the hypothesis that quorum sensing mutants are infrequent within free living populations of the bacteria and to this point, I have not conclusively found an environmental mutant. Any information will in turn help us understand more about the selective pressures leading to the emergence of LasR mutants in the cystic fibrosis lung and consequently the therapeutic significance or insignificance of targeting quorum sensing in cystic fibrosis chronic infections.

The U.S. goal of producing 16 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol by 2022 will be possible only by carefully making use of all available feedstock sources. Forest residues, including material remaining after logging or thinning, are an inexpensive and widely available feedstock, with estimated potentials between 30 to 120 million dry tons a year on the source. However, their heterogeneous nature and relatively low cellulose content renders them a challenge to current pretreatment and bioconversion methods. Forest residues typically consist of branches, needles/leaves, bark and wood in varying proportions and particle sizes, so some degree of homogenization prior to pretreatment is essential for consistent results. Our objective in this research was to develop methods to utilize this material for production of ethanol via SO₂ catalyzed steam explosion pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. To achieve this, we first homogenized biomass consisting of Douglas-fir and Hemlock residues. We pretreated this material at temperatures ranging from 195°C to 205°C, with residence times from 5 to 20 minutes to fractionate the cellulose and hemicellulose from lignin. We subsequently quantified the sugars remaining after pretreatment, in both the liquid and solid phases using gravimetric and HPLC analysis to determine which pretreatment resulted in the best sugar recovery from the original raw biomass. This data was then used to determine which pretreated solids were the best candidates for enzymatic hydrolysis, which we then conducted to convert all of the insoluble cellulose to soluble, fermentable glucose. From our data we compared sugar recovery, enzymatic hydrolysability and other factors to determine the best pretreatment conditions to use to increase the overall production of ethanol from heterogeneous forest residues.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a ubiquitous species of pathogenic bacteria and a major cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Immune responses to P. aeruginosa infection in mice are mediated by a cytosolic multiprotein complex called the NLRC4 inflammasome. The NLRC4 inflammasome assembles upon ligand recognition leading to the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β and culminating in cell death. P. aeruginosa elicits a flagellin-dependent release of IL-1β and cell death in mouse macrophages, but research has not found human macrophages to recognize flagellin. This immune response is evoked in human macrophages by needle protein, an element of the type three secretion system (T3SS) infection apparatus used by P. aeruginosa. The mechanisms human macrophages use to regulate immune response to P. aeruginosa have not been fully established. We hypothesize that NLRC4 regulates immune response to P. aeruginosa in humans and therefore, NLRC4 deficient macrophages infected with P. aeruginosa will have impaired cell death and IL-1β production compared to normal NLRC4 expressing cells. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) will be used to knock down mRNA and protein expression of NLRC4. Macrophages treated with non-specific siRNA and NLRC4 targeted siRNA will be infected with live P. aeruginosa. We will then assay for IL-1β with ELISA and cell death using a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay. We expect NLRC4 knockdown cells to release less IL-1β and LDH compared to cells treated with non-specific siRNA thus indicating that in humans, the NLRC4 inflammasome is associated with defense against P. aeruginosa infection. Upon establishing the function of human NLRC4 during P. aeruginosa infection, we will proceed to investigate the roles of NLRC4 inflammasome subunits in ligand recognition and initiation of an immune response. Defining these roles could further our understanding of mechanisms behind immunity or susceptibility to P. aeruginosa and potentially lead to novel treatments for infection.

Currently, under Washington State’s Automatic-Declination Laws, juveniles can be prosecuted as adults in court and held in adult detention facilities. Auto-decline laws are one of three types of discretionary hearings that juveniles can experience while in the criminal justice system. My research explores the history of the juvenile justice system on the state and local level through Supreme Court rulings and laws and synthesizes the ways in which previous laws have shaped and influenced current procedures. Differences between the juvenile court and adult court are examined to characterize the experiences of a juvenile who is facing auto-decline in comparison with their juvenile court counter-parts. Methods include reviewing the current literature on juvenile justice and interviewing courtroom actors and juvenile facility coordinators. This research has revealed that related laws have changed from a focus on the rehabilitative to the punitive and have become more restrictive. The results also point to a possible weakness in the system resulting from a majority of the power in charging a juvenile resting with prosecutors. My research suggests that one possible way to equalize the balance of power between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the judge is to make transfer and discretionary hearings mandatory prior to processing a juvenile as an adult. Future research should focus on assessment of the ability of current juvenile detention centers to handle youths who are prosecuted as adults.

Approximately 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, making this neurological disease the leading cause of adult disability in the US. An ischemic stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted, resulting in inadequate oxygen delivery to brain cells. Currently, only one intervention has proven to improve outcome after stroke and must be given shortly after stroke onset. Effective interventions given at delayed time points after stroke are needed. During stroke, breakdown of the blood-brain barrier allows for interactions between once-segregated central nervous system antigens and the systemic immune system. My project investigates the effects of a cellular immune response directed towards myelin basic protein (MBP) and the interactions between CD8⁺ on myelin and stroke outcome in experimental cerebral ischemia. In this model, Lewis rats are subjected to middle cerebral arterial occlusion (2 hours) and injected with either lipopolysaccharhide, shown to elicit an immune response to MBP, or saline (control). I performed a battery of behavioral tests, including a standard neurological score for rodents and evaluation of rotarod performance at set time points before and after stroke. Using double-label immunocytochemistry, the brain sections were labeled for CD8⁺ and MBP. Quantitative analysis of myelin between the infarcted and non-infarcted hemispheres was performed using Metamorph; the numbers of CD8⁺ lymphocytes were counted in a standard fashion. Preliminary data show prominent demyelination in the infarcted regions. Additionally, we observed a correlation between myelin loss and performance on the rotarod immediately post-stroke, though further results are pending. The goals for this project are to (1) determine if animals receiving MBP specific lymphocytes adoptively at stroke onset suffer more myelin loss than those receiving lymphocytes unreacted to MBP and (2) determine if the number of CD8⁺ lymphocytes within the infarct correlate with the extent of myelin loss, and degree of the MBP response among the adoptively transferred lymphocytes.

Auxin is the plant hormone, guiding phototropism, gravitropism, cell elongation, cell division, cell determination, and a host of other processes. Plant cells respond to auxin by turning on certain genes. When auxin enters the cell, it binds to a receptor protein; this receptor then binds to a repressor protein which typically prevents expression of auxin genes. This interaction triggers repressor breakdown and gene expression. We are investigating auxin-induced interactions between the receptor and repressor proteins (IAA’s). In our model plant, Arabidopsis, there are 29 IAA repressor proteins and 6 receptor proteins. Some combinations of repressors and receptors are known to result in differential degradation of the repressor; other interactions do not seem to lead to degradation. Our data suggests that receptors AFB4 and AFB5 cannot degrade repressors. This could be because AFB4/5 do not interact with the repressors (hypothesis 1) or because their interaction with the repressors does not trigger degradation (hypothesis 2). We are testing these hypotheses by examining repressor/receptor interactions in Arabidopsis proteins expressed in budding yeast cells. To address hypothesis 1, we are using a yeast two- hybrid assay to investigate the strength of interaction between several IAA repressors and the AFB4/5 receptors in the presence of auxin. To address hypothesis 2, we will determine whether IAA: AFB interactions identified at the yeast two-hybrid assay lead to repressor degradation. We have tagged the IAAs with yellow florescent protein and will co-express them with AFB4/5 in yeast. Flow cytometry will be used to measure changes in florescence levels upon addition of auxin. The next step will be to confirm these findings in plants. Understanding the variation in auxin repressor/receptor interactions brings us a step closer to understanding how auxin drives so many different plant behaviors and responses.

Every year an estimated 6.4 million tons of plastic waste manifests itself in the world’s oceans through a number of avenues. Due to the fact that this plastic waste accumulates and covers large, mobile swatches known as “garbage patches,” tracking and studying them is a time and labor intensive process. This project focuses on examining the size and extent of the garbage patches in the oceans and considers the pros and cons of various solutions for “end of life” plastic processing for the plastic debris present in the patches. Sampling efforts have been concentrated in the North Pacific using a trawl system for collection. Analysis of these plastics reveals several types present, including polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride. Plastics are not able to fully degrade into the marine environment; they break up into smaller pieces until they become microplastics. There the plastic can mistakenly become a food source and potentially enter the marine life food chain, leading to digestive issues that commonly result in starvation. Plastic could potentially be reused upon collection by converting it into forms that could be used for fuel. There are companies that can take a variety of “end of life” plastic and have it undergo the process of pyrolysis, where the plastic experiences an extremely high temperature in a closed system. This process essentially mimics the Earth’s natural process of creating fossil fuels. The resulting product can be used as fuel or processed further for other uses. Another way to recycle plastic aims to create new, usable plastic for manufacture by heating the old plastic and adding “virgin polymers” that will strengthen new plastic and form resin beads which can be used to manufacture new products. Another process that is common to dispose of waste like plastic is by incineration. However, like all of these possible solutions, more research needs to be done about the potentially harmful by-products that could be released through these processes.

Despite considerable effort, immune correlates of protection against HIV have not been identified, therefore making a successful vaccine challenging. In other words, since we have no examples of a successful immune response against HIV, we are unable to mimic that in a vaccine. One aim of the Overbaugh Lab is to identify immune correlates of protection by studying individuals who have mounted an immune response against HIV and who are at risk of superinfection, which is a second infection of HIV after the initial infection. My project is to clone a library of autologous HIV envelope genes from superinfected individuals whose immune responses we’re interested in studying, isolating both initial and superinfecting variants. These clones I generate will be tested for functionality (infectivity), used to produce target viruses in neutralization assays that measure the neutralizing antibody response in patient plasma, and used in assays measuring non-neutralizing antibody functions. Cloning patient envelope sequences involves isolating viral RNA from patient plasma and reverse transcribing it into DNA. After a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the target envelope DNA sequence, I then ligate it into a mammalian expression vector. Sequencing analysis of the clones we obtain from each sample enables us to ensure that viral variants from the initial and second infection events are represented so that we can measure immune responses against both. After working with three patients, I have successfully obtained 11 initial and superinfecting variants from one patient, which produced 10 replicating viruses. From the next two patients, I cloned nine variants from each. Performing the functionality assay is in progress for these patients, as well as the neutralization assay. Currently, the assay to measure non-neutralizing antibody response is under optimization.

The 1960s was an era of political and social transformation in America. Seattle, as most people do not know was a segregated city for most of its history. Racial discrimination applied not to just African Americans but also Asians, Chicanos, etc. People of color could not attend certain schools, restaurants, and could not live outside certain city boundaries. The Northwest African American Museum preserves local artifacts from the Civil rights movement in Seattle. Maid Adams, a Seattle C.O.R.E member during the 1960s donated two protest signs used during the movement. These posters were extremely crucial in the movement. They represent how protesting instigated social change and paved the way for future activism. 

Quantum dots are nanoparticles with several applications including cellular imaging and drug delivery. Because of quantum confinement, their ability to fluoresce under ultraviolet light is size dependent. However, quantum confinement not only plays a role in emissive properties, but is also a factor in the absorbance spectrum of quantum dots. As a result, there is not a simple relationship between the concentration of quantum dots and optical density. It is the goal of this project to craft a new approach in accurately measuring the concentration of quantum dots in solution. We have determined a correction factor relating response units as measured by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to values of refractive index. With this, we further use SPR in conjunction with analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) to determine the concentration dependence of the refractive index, dn/dc, for TOPO-PMAT quantum dots. The measurement of dn/dc for the quantum dots allows us to use an interferometric determination of their total fringe increment observed by AUC synthetic boundary to measure the concentration of quantum dots in solution. We have estimated a dn/dc for 565 TOPO-PMAT CdSe quantum dots. In addition, we have used AUC to show that total fringe increments scale with concentration. Furthermore, we have estimated mass extinction coefficients for all wavelengths at which absorbance is observed for these quantum dost. This allows for UV-vis determination of concentration. Our results indicate that our strategy holds promise for providing a new method for measuring the concentration of quantum dots in solution.

Proper patient-provider communication (PPC) regarding choices available to patients and management of diabetes-specific care can lead to better patient outcomes. Our pilot study describes the specific demographic and clinical characteristics associated with PPC in families with children who have type 1 diabetes (T1D). Thirty-four caregivers of youth with T1D ages 2-18 were recruited for a study describing quality of care (QOC) measures, specifically PPC and quality of diabetes-specific education. Parent-report of patient quality of life (QOL), via a standardized assessment, was also collected. Clinical measures including insulin regimen and current glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) was recorded from the medical record. Descriptive statistics, including Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, chi-squared tests and one-way analyses of variance tests were used to explore differences between demographic and clinical variables with QOC. Thus far, 34 caregivers have completed enrollment. On a scale of 4-16, with higher scores reflecting better PPC, the mean was 13.8 +/- 2.6 (range 8-16), indicating relatively high PPC overall. When asked to indicate whether 7 diabetes-specific topics (i.e., what to do for a low or high blood sugar) have been addressed, 23/34 (67.6%) reported all 7 as being discussed (mean = 6.6 +/- 0.7; range 5-7). Among clinical variables (QOL, A1c, and insulin regimen), QOL associated with PPC (r=.42, p=.01). For quality of diabetes education, income was the only demographic variable associated (families with higher income were more likely to report maximum education scores; chi-squared = 9.48, p=.05). No clinical variables were associated with diabetes education scores. Initial results from this pilot study indicate high levels of quality of care in this population. Certain demographic indicators, such as income, did affect quality of care indicators. Quality of life was also an important correlate with PPC, which suggests adequate communication plays a role in patient outcomes.

We present the results of a linear regression of exam scores for students in general chemistry versus performance in two online learning systems: WebAssign, which presents problems in a traditional manner, and ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces), which is an adaptive, tutorial-based system. Comparisons are made for students taking the same general chemistry course, taught by the same instructor, in the same quarter in subsequent years, where WebAssign was used one year, and ALEKS the next. We find that in WebAssign, a 1 point difference in homework score corresponded, on average, to a 0.46 point difference in final exam score (95% C I: 0.36, 0.56). In ALEKS, a 1 point difference in homework score corresponded, on average, to a 1.06 point difference in final exam score (95% C I: 0.98, 1.15). Controlling for gender and SAT scores did not change the overall conclusion. For a student, ALEKS homework scores provide a better predictor of exam performance, allowing them to focus their efforts where they are needed. For an educator, earlier signs of knowledge gaps arise in the lower homework scores, which can be addressed well before an assessment. 

The Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) is the subject of many restoration projects in the Pacific Northwest. In situ larval counts during breeding seasons can be used to assess the efficacy of such projects and the health of O. lurida populations, but sorting and identifying larvae is time and resource intensive, limiting the practicality of this method. In this experiment, we combined time-integrating larval tube traps and quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCR) to determine the applicability of using these methods in tandem for larval surveys. Fidalgo Bay, a site with a restored population of O. lurida, was chosen for the pilot, where we deployed six traps for one week and an additional set the following week in the same locations. I filtered, prepared, and analyzed our trap samples using the qPCR method. Inhibition of qPCR was detected in some standards and field-collected samples. Preliminary results derived from samples without inhibition indicate larvae in approximate quantities realistic to the scope of this study. With minor modifications, these methods have the potential to simplify and make feasible larval surveys that could otherwise be too impractical to undertake.

Over the past two decades, inclusion has become a major topic in the field of education. Inclusion means that children with special needs attend school with thypically developing peers. Public schools have undergone significant reconstruction in order to fulfill the vision of inclusive classrooms. Much is known and various research studies exist about the benefit of inclusion for children with disabilities, as well as for typically developing children. Yet, what is the current status of inclusion? My research examines inclusion on a bigger scale and seeks to answer questions such as “what does a successful inclusion program look like?”, “what teaching strategies are important for inclusive classrooms?’, and “how do schools promote inclusive practices?”. As a mixed-methods study, I am conducting a review of research and other artifacts as well as performing semi-structured interviews of teachers who practice inclusive education. The artifacts I review, such as a research study examining principals' perspectives on inclusive education, provide different definitions and applications of inclusion. Other research studies look to see if inclusive classrooms are reaching the goals set by the concept of inclusion, such as membership, relationships, and development. Finally, I interview preschool and grade-level teachers at an elementary school in the Seattle Public School Distict. The teachers' experience varies from teaching inclusive classrooms, resource rooms, and general education classrooms; but all have taught in inclusive settings. My aim is to generate a perspective of the current state of inclusion and use teacher voice to capture experiences.

Throughout their lives, children in the United States public education system are bombarded with messages of equality and the promise of the American dream (i.e., no matter who you are, you can succeed through merit and hard work). Yet, the field of science is still dominated by White men in both number and power. Young girls of color are thus faced with two conflicting narratives: "You can achieve anything you set your mind to," and, "There are few people like you in the field of science." My research asks how middle school girls of color process this dichotomy. Based on my past experience as a female minority pursuing a career in science, it is my hypothesis that these girls will consciously believe and express the first narrative, while internalizing and acting according to the latter. One of my research methods is the Draw-a-Scientist Test, a tool used to gauge a student's perceptions of scientists by asking her to make a drawing of one. I expect the girls to express their belief that anyone can become a scientist, while drawing stereotypical images of scientists (i.e., people unlike themselves). I will also analyze and look for themes in observations, recorded interviews, and interactions of girls participating in an after-school program called Chemical Oceanography After School Time (COAST). I believe that as the girls gain firsthand experience with science in the COAST program, they will begin to interact in ways that show growing confidence in their own potential to become scientists. These findings indicate a need for more science intervention programs, like COAST, for girls of color. My research aims to open up dialogue about how the prevailing ideologies and realities of race and gender in the United States impact the potential in science for girls of color.

The goals of this project are to produce transgenic maize and wheat tissue expressing a gfp marker in chloroplasts and to regenerate homoplasmic plants from the transformed tissue. There are several advantages of transgenic chloroplasts, including multiple copies and high expression of the transgene without gene silencing. In addition, plastid DNA (ptDNA) is maternally inherited so that the transgene will not be present in pollen, thus providing containment for the transgene. We used circular and linear vectors that contain ptDNA sequences corresponding to the ends of the plastid chromosome and the gfp transgene. We used particle bombardment to deliver the vector to plastids of maize and wheat. Transgene expression was assessed by fluorescence microscopy and imaging of GFP in plastids. In addition, both standard PCR and quantitative PCR were performed using DNA extracted from the tissue and primers for the gfp transgene. Although we achieved successful plastid transformation for both maize and wheat, the tissues were heteroplasmic, containing both wild type and transgenic ptDNA. We found that a linear vector gave higher transformation efficiency than a circular vector. The next step is to develop procedures for generation of homoplasmic maize and wheat plants.

Video games represent a powerful educational paradigm; nevertheless, strong devotion to convention as well as the highly stigmatized reputation of games as a purely recreational medium, have led to an overarching reluctance to implement them within high-level course curricula. Emerging research on the use of real-time interactive simulations as educational tools consistently shows marked improvement in learning outcomes, however, a rigorous means of quantitative analysis is lacking. To date, all studies correlating learning outcomes with the intrinsic components of video games rely on one of three different methods of data acquisition: surveys, pre-gameplay versus post-gameplay evaluations, or recorded observation of play activity. Each of these methods has its own inherent limitations on the amount and quality of data obtainable. In addition, these methods prohibit researchers from being able to dynamically alter any of the key control variables such as: challenge, contextual motivation, or narrative. This study proposes an alternative model, capable of quantitatively evaluating the educational efficacy of implementing each variable. This is accomplished by embedding the data collection methods and algorithms directly into the framework of the game itself. This would further allow for dynamic alterations of each variable according to the parameter requirements of the inherent statistical methods. We expect the result to be a direct and measurable correlation between student learning outcomes and the modified variables. Also central to this study is the imbedding of real-time data collection functions and processing algorithms, which can automatically save and upload data to a server. This would drastically increase the possible number of participants—thereby increasing the sample size—while simultaneously allowing for greater modularity of data analysis. The primary long-term goal of this research is to develop a model and educational game that implements this framework and affords future studies the tools to overcome the aforementioned limitations in data acquisition.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is part of a family of heme-containing metalloenzymes that reduce the O-O bond of peroxides while oxidizing a wide variety of substrates; in the case of HRP, hydrogen peroxide is reduced to water. In the presence of an oxidant and the absence of a substrate to oxidize, hydrogen peroxide coordinates to the iron cofactor of HRP, forming a ferric-hydroperoxide intermediate known as Compound 0, and subsequent O-O bond cleavage releases water and a very oxidizing ferryl-oxo porphyrin radical cation intermediate, known as Compound I. The goal of this project is to probe the potential reversibility of Compound I formation, a step traditionally thought to be irreversible. A key experiment will react HRP with unlabeled H₂O₂ in ¹⁸O-labeled water, and determine whether mixed-labeled H₂O₂ is formed. The presence of mixed-labeled H₂O₂ indicates that there is reversibility of the O-O bond cleavage that forms Compound I and its existence will be determined by addition of a water soluble phosphine that is too bulky to fit into the active site of HRP. In this case, the phosphine cannot be oxidized by Compound I, but can readily react with free hydrogen peroxide in solution to give the corresponding phosphine oxide. ³¹P-NMR will be used to determine whether the phosphine oxide is labeled because the NMR shifts of ¹⁶OPR3 and ¹⁸OPR3 are distinct. If this reaction proves to be reversible, this knowledge could then be used to describe other enzymes that catalyze oxidations with similar intermediates. This would not only be important to enzymatic systems, but possibly catalytic chemical processes.

There are a variety of air pollutants that can adversely impact health, including diesel exhaust from vehicles and other sources. In the Duwamish River valley of Seattle, WA, there are many sources of air pollution that emit diesel exhaust. Based on concerns of local residents, the overall objective of the Diesel Exhaust Exposure in the Duwamish Study, or DEEDS, was to measure exhaust levels throughout two Duwamish River valley neighborhoods: South Park and Georgetown. I assisted in nearly all spects of this pilot study which included the deployment of nitrogen oxides (NOx) air samplers to nine sites throughout the two neighborhoods to perform passive sampling over a ten day period in the summer. During NOx sampling, fine and ultrafine particle measurements were also collected for ten minutes at each of the nine sites using direct reading instruments and a mobile setup. These pilot study results collected from this preliminary assessment were used to optimize location selection for measurement of NOx, NO2, 1-nitropyrene, light absorbing carbon, and fine particulate matter during the DEEDS sampling campaigns taking place over the past year.

Health care in third-world countries is often bleak when compared to most industrialized countries. In an effort to close this gap, students and health professionals have taken an interest in ameliorating global health issues by contributing donations, by volunteering, and by conducting research. Among these global health initiatives are short-term medical missions (STMM), which generally take place over 1-2 weeks and provide health-related services to individuals in developing countries. These services include eye examinations, wellness checks, over-the-counter medicine, and surgical operations. While on the surface these programs seem beneficial to both volunteers and to program recipients, we know little about the short- and long-term effects on the recipient community. What, then, are the impacts of overseas educational medical programs on the receiving community? And, more specifically, what program model best ensures positive results on-the-ground? My project evaluates four prominent STMM organizations based on each program's pre-departure training practices, the empowerment of local healthcare workers, the presence of organization-community partnerships, the comprehensiveness of care, and the program’s duration and impact. I conclude that most short-term medical missions are set to do more harm than good in the communities they serve. The primary issue is that these missions aim to temporarily fix the problem instead of preventing problems or establishing long-term, sustainable practices. Funding and volunteers should be utilized by the existing local health care sector to aid in the training and support of local health care workers.

Today, plants are facing increasing environmentally stressful conditions due to several factors attributed to climate change such as heat, drought and water salinity. These factors hinder most plant growth and, in response, there is often an increase in the use of chemical fertilizers. These fertilizers can become expensive and also have adverse effects on the environment. A possible alternative to fertilizers is the use of nitrogen fixing endophytes and abiotic stress reducing fungal endophytes. Endophytes are bacteria or fungi that live within a plant, establishing a mutualistic relationship in which they provide essential nutrients or abiotic stress relief for the plant in return for nutrients and protection. Conifers are an important part of the forest industry and are extensively planted for timber production. Thus, it would prove beneficial for plantations and the environment alike to decrease the use of fertilizers. In my research I have inoculated Cedar, Pine and Douglas Fir seeds with different strains of nitrogen fixing endophytes and stress reducing fungal endophytes. Because confirmation of inoculation is essential, these endophytes have been tagged with a florescent marker to confirm inoculation using fluorescent microscopy. Once inoculation was confirmed, I introduced the conifers to various stressful growing conditions such as; low nitrogen levels, high heat, water scarcity and increased water salinity. Nitrogen levels, growth, and response to stress between inoculated and uninoculated conifers were then measured. These fungal and bacterial endophytes have been shown to increase plant metabolic efficiency, reduce water and nutrient use, and produce greater biomass and yields in crop plants. Thus, similar results are predicted in conifers inoculated with these endophytes. If these results are confirmed, the use of these endophytes could become a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers and, in turn, aid in the mitigation of climate change on forestry ecosystems and the environment.

Mobility is a sensitive indicator of overall health in older adults. Objective mobility data can provide insight into patterns of function including sleep, behavior, and activity, which is valuable information for both individuals and their healthcare providers. By visualizing objective mobility data, providers can assess for trends that could indicate a shift in overall health in order to intervene earlier, whereas older individuals with mobility goals may benefit from feedback in order to better meet goals or sustain behavior change. The purpose of this project is to perform a secondary data analysis and determine methods for visualizing objective mobility data for both individual users and healthcare providers. Participants of the original study were older adults with a recent history of mild traumatic brain injury. Data was collected with an active sensor system requiring participants to wear a sensor device during waking hours. Working through an interface designed by the University of Washington Ubicomp Lab I aim to create a composite profile of a single participants mobility and movement within their life-space. I am using Excel to sort and create visual representations of data. Key factors to include in visualizing these data are total amounts of active versus passive time spent per participant and the participant’s mobility within his or her life-space. Data analysis is in process and prototypes for visualization are under development. With any visualization effort, it is important to address the different stakeholders’ needs and expectations. Visualizing mobility data for individuals to better understand their own activity levels requires an approach that may be different from visualization targeting clinicians to support clinical decision making. Differences include preferences for granularity of data, level of abstraction, and annotation of context specific details that complement the visualization data. This study demonstrates that visualization can maximize the utility of health monitoring data.

Burma is now undergoing an incredible transition toward peace, stability and democratic governance – a transition that we found requires a fundamental re-thinking of U.S. policy relations. While we discovered Burma’s commitment to reform to be genuine, its challenges are numerous. Instability and underdevelopment continue to dominate the Burmese landscape, defined by a weak constitutional government, repressed civil society, unreformed military, ethnic violence and an underdeveloped economy. This past year marked President Obama as the first American president to visit Burma, extending a hand of friendship, committed to strengthening political and economic ties between the United States and Burma. As well as a real commitment by the United States to reduce economic sanctions, aid in the democratization process, and lift the Burmese economy out of poverty -  elements we proved to be essential in ensuring a successful transition in Burma. Our task force recommends greater engagement, aid, and targeted policy consultation to help the country emerge from decades of military-junta rule and rejoin the international community. Ultimately, Burma offers a new roadmap in the United States in re-thinking the reform process of developing countries, one that now requires trading the tools of isolation and international pressure for those of integration and international cooperation. The world is now watching Burma as it prepares to chair the ASEAN council in 2014 and hold democratic elections in 2015. No one knows how long this moment for reform will last, but the time for action is now.

Neutral donor-bound electrons and excitons in bulk semiconductors provide a system that may have interesting prospects for quantum information processing (QIP). In GaAs, the donor-bound exciton system exhibits extremely high optical homegeneity with spin relaxation times similar to that of negatively charged quantum dots. The complex excited state structure, however, makes full coherent optical control of the spin state challenging. Exhibiting a simpler excited-state structure and a higher exciton binding energy than GaAs, coherent optical control of donor-bound electron spin states in InP may be more accessible. In this work we investigate the spin relaxation properties of donor-bound electrons in InP using continous wave polarized laser spectroscopy at liquid helium temperature. Current progress towards measuring the spin relaxation time via polarization-induced optical pumping will be presented. 

 The overall project that I work in is to see how quantum states can be used to process information. To realize this, we utilize crystal defects in diamond that exhibit quantum properties. We then network the defects using GaP as a photonic waveguide. GaP is used because at the wavelength of the defect, it is transparent and its index of refraction is higher than diamond. My contribution to this project is to investigate the feasibility of using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a material similar to rubber, as a way to transfer gallium phosphide (GaP) on to the diamond. Using PDMS allows the amount of GaP transferred to be easily scaled due to the surface area of PDMS. I will first use more widely available silicon on insulator substrates to develop a general process flow. The silicon will be patterned as 50 by 50 micrometer squares using photo-lithography and plasma etching. The squares are then transferred to a secondary substrate using a PDMS stamp. We expect then to be able to apply the processing scheme developed for silicon to the transfer of GaP onto diamond.

 Personalized medicine aims to improve patient outcome by tailoring cancer treatment to individuals based on the specific molecular makeup of tumors. This approach is showing particular promise in the treatment of gliomas, the most common type of primary brain cancer. The DNA repair protein O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) removes O⁶-alkylguanine adducts from DNA produced by the therapeutic methylating agent temozolomide (TMZ). In glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors, low levels or lack of MGMT activity is correlated with longer progression free survival (PFS) following TMZ treatment and other alkylating chemotherapy. However, in oligodendorgiomas and oligoastrocytomas the effect of MGMT activity on tumor resistance has not been established. Better clinical outcome is associated with 1p and 19q loss of heterozygosity (LOH), which occurs in an appreciable fraction of oligodendrogliomas. Other studies associate these deletions with CpG methylation of the MGMT promoter, an epigenetic indicator of low MGMT activity. However, there have been no studies linking MGMT activity to chromosomal deletion, and 1p/19q LOH is associated with better clinical outcome regardless of therapy, suggesting that other mechanisms may also be responsible for prolonged survival. To clarify the unknown role of MGMT in these tumors, we tested the hypothesis that 1p/19q LOH accompanies low MGMT activity by: [1] assaying MGMT activity by measuring the extent of transfer of tritium-labeled methyl groups at the O6 position of guanine to MGMT in substrate DNA extracts of deleted and non-deleted tumors; [2] assessing promoter CpG methylation status using methylation specific PCR; and [3] examining the correlation of MGMT activity to TMZ treatment response using a Cox regression analysis. This approach should help to clarify the relationship of MGMT activity and 1p/19q LOH.

The University of Washington's National Education for Women's (NEW) Leadership is a national bi-partisan program to educate college women about the political process and teach them to become effective leaders. Despite having over ten years of programming and widespread support for the institute, no formal research has been conducted. The researcher is investigating numerous qualitative points for this review. One point poses the question as to whether NEW Leadership at the University of Washington has contributed to career paths for alumnae. Another asks if NEW Leadership helped participants better understand the political process and/or increase their desire to participate. The quantitative aspect of this research is to find out what percentage of alumnae has gone on to assume roles of leadership, while the qualitative portion revolves around exploring the satisfaction/dissatisfaction of past participants.This data will be collected in the form of an online survey with likerd scales, multiple choice menus, and open response sections. It is anticipated that this study will reveal the ways in which NEW Leadership at the University of Washington can be modified to meet the needs of the community it serves. The results of this research will lend reason to the planning and implementation of the program in years to come, allowing the curriculum to more accurately reflect the needs of participants: college women. The ultimate goal is for this project to contribute to the eventual development of the NEW Leadership program as an evidence-based practice (EBP) that is current and relevant to its audience to better ensure that more women go on to run for political office and serve in the public sector. The objective of EBP is the integration of participant perspectives, scientific evidence, and expert opinion to provide high-quality services that mirror the interests, needs, values, and choices of the women being served.

In most eukaryotic organisms, sexual reproduction is a critical component of the life cycle. Through meiosis, diploid cells containing two copies of each chromosome divide to produce genetically diverse haploid gametes (e.g. sperm) that contain one copy of each chromosome. This process is fundamental in sexual reproduction. Generally, meiosis results in a 50:50 transmission of heterozygous alleles into gametes. For example, human males make approximately 50% sperm with an X chromosome and 50% with a Y chromosome. Because only one copy of each chromosome can contribute to a given offspring, there is an evolutionary pressure on alleles to compete for preferential inclusion in gametes. Sometimes alleles can “cheat” to gain a greater than 50% transmission through meiosis. This is known as meiotic drive. Meiotic drive could have significant implications: altering fertility, speciation, and the evolution of chromosomes in eukaryotic organisms. For example, competition between alleles may be driving the rapid evolution of chromosome segregation factors acting during meiosis and mitosis, potentially driving chromosome segregation away from a theoretical ideal. Though meiotic drive has not been well understood due to limited model systems, we have developed a novel system utilizing genetically tractable fission yeast S. pombe and S. kambucha, to investigate meiotic conflicts between competing alleles. In S. pombe, heterozygous alleles are widely thought to segregate fairly in meiosis, suggesting that active meiotic drive loci are not present in this organism. We have found that silenced meiotic drivers can be de-repressed in aged germ cells, leading to greater than 90% transmission of certain alleles through meiosis. This provides experimental evidence in support of the evolution of cheating in meiotic processes that could ultimately result in decreased fertility amongst eukaryotic organisms, including humans. 

Proteins typically adopt a three dimensional (3D) structure that allows for their specific activity and function. While proteins’ 3D structures are usually stable, they can be damaged by physical and/or chemical stresses. Such damage results in loss of structure, more commonly known as misfolding, which is often accompanied by exposure of hydrophobic residues normally buried in the interior of the protein. Exposed hydrophobicity can lead to the aggregation of misfolded proteins, and protein aggregation is associated with many prominent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. To avoid these deleterious consequences, cells have evolved protein quality control (PQC) systems that degrade misfolded proteins. In eukaryotes, PQC utilizes ubiquitin ligases to flag proteins for proteosome degradation. How these PQC ligases recognize their misfolded substrates remains an open question. We have been addressing this question by studying the yeast PQC ubiquitin San1, which destroys misfolded proteins in the nucleus. We discovered that San1 recognizes exposed hydrophobicity minimally equal to 5 contiguous hydrophobic residues. Interestingly, we found that there is another PQC degradation system that recognizes exposed hydrophobicity at a lower threshold than San1. In this study we are trying to understand the mechanism by which this new pathway functions. By using degradation assays and western blots, we will take multiple constructs of varying degrees of hydrophocity to define how broad the pathway is. This allows us to determine whether the constructs are San1 dependent or independent, and if the San1-independent pathway is in fact a ubiquitin ligase. We know that a couple of the constructs are San1 independent, although they possess the hydrophibicity threshold required for San1 degradation. By exploring the mechanisms that ensure misfolded protein degradation, we hope to gain a better understanding of the PQC degradation systems within the cell and how they prevent severe pathologies caused by protein aggregation.

Rotavirus is particularly important to viral research because it is known to cause diarrhea in small children, usually leading to death. Viruses that are able to infect mammals have created mechanisms to evade host response by antagonizing cellular antiviral responses such as interferon response. Interferon Regulatory Factors initiate the immune response cascade by detecting the viral presence. Rotavirus NSP1 protein causes the dismantling of certain antiviral Interferon Regulatory factors depending on the particular strain. Antiviral Interferon Regulatory Factors 3 and 7 are important to initiate interferon creation, and post infection NSP1 induces degradation. We compared three strains from bovine, Human and porcine sources and used in vitro Site Directed Mutagenesis to try and investigate what about the protein causes such specificity in its selection of which antiviral Interferon Regulatory factor to break down. The overall test was to determine if mutagenizing NSP1 from one strain to another would change the substrate the NSP1 selects to degrade. This leaves the question, what does the transition from OSU to W161 mean? Site directed Mutagenesis changes nucleotides to create a mutation. These amino acids they code for are thought to be important to protein function. With such a detrimental virus, more research is necessary to discover more about the virus’ actions.

Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are ground-hugging currents of hot gas and particles that travel at velocities up to 300 m/s. Because of the inherent danger of observing PDCs in real time, we rely on the deposits for insight into the dynamics of these dangerous currents. Our research uses the well-exposed PDC deposits from the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens (WA) to explore how PDCs are influenced by surface roughness. The PDCs produced during the eruption flowed through areas of low and high surface roughness. We mapped and sampled deposits from a single PDC proximal, medial, and distal distances from the source, focusing on changes with distance from source and a comparison between deposits in areas of low and high surface roughness. In general the PDC deposits display poor-sorting and are massive in nature, suggesting deposition from a concentrated current with rapid sedimentation. Grain size and componentry data of deposits downstream from preexisting debris avalanche hummock, which provided high surface roughness, contain a threefold-increase in hummock components relative to PDC deposits in areas of low surface roughness. This suggests that high surface roughness promotes the erosive capacity of PDCs. The main driving force for PDCs is their great density relative to the air, thus increasing the density at the base of the current through substrate erosion could potentially increase the run-out distance, thereby increasing the destructive radius. The results from this research substantiate previous research that erosion by PDCs is a common occurrence, but also demonstrate that surface roughness is a primary contributor to the potential for erosion. Future work should explore the consequences of erosion on downstream dynamics. This will impact the ability of hazard mapping models to more accurately determine areas that are at risk for PDC interaction in the vicinity of volcanoes throughout the world.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) is a powerful tool for transferring intact protein complexes from solution to the gas phase. ESI creates multiply charged ions with a net positive (cation) or negative (anion) charge. Although the structures of gas-phase protein cations have been investigated extensively, relatively little research addressing the structures of negatively charged protein ions exists in the literature. In my research, I use ion mobility (IM) to measure drift times, or the time an ion takes to traverse a gas-filled drift tube in the presence of a weak electric field. The drift times for ions depend on their charge and collision cross section (CCS), which to a first approximation, is the orientationally averaged projected cross section of its structure. Therefore, the drift times of ions depend on their structure. Preliminary CCS values that I have measured for protein complex anions are slightly smaller than values in the literature for the analogous protein complex cations, which suggests that the anions are more compact than the cations. One challenge in interpreting those results is the anions had a lower absolute number of charges than the analogous cations, so the results may not be directly comparable. The focus of my research is to make more direct comparisons between the structures of protein complex cations and anions. To this end, I am developing methods to reduce the number of charges on protein complex cations to values equal to those observed previously for the anions. CCS values determined for these charge-reduced cations will be directly comparable to those measured for the anions, and should reveal any structural differences between protein complex cations and anions. These results will also be useful for calibrating other IM experiments and determining how best to use IM to characterize the native structures of protein complexes.

Wildlife suffer from many ecological and biological consequences after an oil spill. The use of chemical surfactants to convert oil spills to small droplets has been the source of ongoing debate since little is known about the impacts they have on plants and animals in the ocean. Surfactants are a natural byproduct of many bacteria that are uniquely adapted to the marine environment. Our research assessed surfactant activity of cell free supernatants (CFS) from several cold-adapted bacteria using crude oil. We cultured various bacterial isolates under optimal growth conditions to ensure surfactant production was not missed. Exudates, the chemically benign “leftovers” containing the extracellular surfactants from the bacteria, were extracted from the cultures by gentle centrifugation before filtration of the supernatant through a membrane filter. The oil-spread assay was then used to determine surfactant activity from the exudates of several organisms. CFS was pipetted to the center of a small oil slick and surfactant strength was indicated by the amount of oil displaced. Some organisms with high surfactant ability were identified for further examination as candidates for environmentally viable alternatives to chemical dispersants.

Studies using electroencephalography (EEG) have supported the theory that mu rhythms, oscillating bands in the 8-13 Hz range, are related to sensorimotor processing. At rest, EEG mu rhythms are continuous but become suppressed during the observation and execution of biological motion. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a disorder characterized by social and communication impairments, display atypical mu activity. Individuals with ASD exhibit typical mu suppression when executing self-made movements but significantly less suppression when observing the same movements. Individuals with ASD also show consistent impairments in imitative ability. One theory is that dysfunction in the observation/execution system contributes to this impaired imitation ability. To this point, studies have primarily focused on mu attenuation during the observation of hand or body movements, but few have focused on mu in response to facial movement. Since facial processing is integral to social learning, understanding perception deficits for facial movements may be important for understanding social impairment in individuals with ASD. This study will investigate whether sensorimotor processing of faces correlates to imitative ability by analyzing the relationship between mu attenuation of facial movement and facial imitation in children with ASD. For our study EEG was recorded while children and adolescents with and without ASD observed computer generated faces performing biologically possible and impossible movements. Participants then completed a battery of imitation tasks which included imitation of facial gestures using the mouth, eyes, or tongue. We hypothesize that the level of mu attenuation during observation of biologically possible facial movements will correlate with facial imitation ability in children with autism. Furthermore, decreased mu attenuation to biologically possible faces will be related to an increased number of imitation errors. Results of this study may help to improve understanding of social impairments of ASD children as related to deficits in sensorimotor perception of biological motion.

Because African immigrants are often lumped into the same category as African Americans, there has been very little research conducted on the health outcomes of African immigrants. This has resulted in an ideology of promoting preventative medicine versus treatment.  This study, based on self-reported information, will ask the question: what are the differences in susceptibility to hypertension and other cardiovascular disease-related risk factors among different African immigrant groups in the Pacific Northwest, specifically those from Somalia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. The hypothesis of this study is that Ethiopian and Nigerian immigrants are at a lower risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases as compared with Somali immigrants because of differences among their country of origin's health care systems. To be able to answer this question, I examined and evaluated the recent historical backgrounds of these three countries by conducting literature review. I also used surveys to collect data and critically analyzed and grouped the responses according to key words and comment phrases to test the correlation of the responses to the main research topic. I expect that the results will paint a mixed picture about African immigrants’ health outcomes, specifically rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, as region of origin confers major health effects on immigrants. This research will shed light on the differences among African immigrant groups separate from the African American population.

A high level of diversity in news content exposes consumers to a range of perspectives, which ideally leads to heightened awareness as well as informed decision-making. This study examines the level of content diversity of three different news platforms—print, online and mobile phone application (“app”)—to determine which method of news dissemination offers the most diverse spectrum of content. A relatively new type of news outlet, the mobile phone app in particular has seen a recent increase in popularity with its portable format. This mobility, however, raises the question of whether the news app offers the same wide range of news as more traditional formats. Through quantitative content analyses of the three platforms of two major national newspapers—The New York Times and USA Today—this research project seeks to discover whether the news app specifically is more or less diverse in content than more conventional formats. An assessment of the findings will also reveal any implications of the possible adaptation of the mobile phone news app as an additional primary news source.

The Hanford Site in south-central Washington State has played a pivotal role in the history of the United States, and the world. The weapons grade Plutonium produced at the site from 1943 to 1987 became a critical component of the tens of thousands of nuclear warheads in the US arsenal. While this is a noteworthy legacy for any place to leave behind, there is another story to Hanford that will have implications for decades, centuries and millennia to come. Hanford is the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States, and is currently in the midst of the largest and most expensive clean-up effort in the world. This project explored the issues pertaining to the Hanford Site from the standpoint of radioactive waste management, complete with an overview of the nuclear fuel cycle and the complications that arose with managing the two million cubic meters of liquid radioactive waste. A plethora of miscalculations over the course of decades resulted in the ecological catastrophe that is Hanford, whether it’s the lack of foresight on the limitations of the waste tanks, extended delay of the $12 billion waste processing facility or an overall disregard of the waste itself. While this project explores key critical mistakes from a technical standpoint, it also focuses on the lessons learned, and the implications they will have on future cleanup efforts, and nuclear energy as a whole. The key question this project sought to resolve is how the inherent hazardous nature of nuclear fuel itself can be distinguished from unprecedented level of mismanagement, and how both of those factors will make or break the future of nuclear energy. 

Asian Americans are not only seen as less American than White Americans, but are also subject to the pervasive ‘perpetual foreigner’ stereotype. Is weight a factor that affects how American Asian Americans are perceived to be? In study 1, participants were randomly assigned to evaluate one of three pictures of Asian American women on perceptions of American identity. Between conditions, the photos were edited to create a heavier and a lower weight version of each woman, thereby controlling for other cues to American identity, such as hair and clothing. Results showed that heavier Asian American women were perceived as more American than their lower weight counterparts. In study 2, using the same methods, we tested whether weight would affect perceptions of the legal status of Asian American men. Results revealed that the heavier versions of the Asian American men were perceived as more American and as less likely to be in the US illegally than the lower weight versions of the same men. Taken together, these studies provide evidence that being overweight can increase recognition of Asian Americans’ American identity and may help protect against discrimination based on racial stereotypes.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in North America.  Hepatic lipase (HL) a liver enzyme that hydrolyzes lipoprotein triglyceride, plays a critical role in lipid metabolism and may influence the development of atherosclerosis.  Hepatic lipase may serve dual roles in the development of atherosclerosis: 1) HL may be pro-atherogenic by converting low-density lipoprotein (LDL) to small-dense LDL, causing build up of cholesterol in arteries. 2) HL may be anti-atherogenic by increasing the cholesterol-poor form of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) that removes cholesterol from the arteries, decreasing build up of cholesterol in arteries.  Previous studies have reported that elevated levels of human hepatic lipase (hHL) reduce the development of atherosclerosis.  However, those studies were done in transgenic mouse models with supra-physiologic levels of hHL and may not accurately reflect the role of physiologic levels of HL on atherosclerosis.  Therefore, we created a physiologic model of hHL expression to analyze the role of hHL in the development of atherosclerosis.  This “humanized” mouse model expresses hHL at physiologic levels in the liver.  We hypothesize that physiologic levels of HL will reduce the development of atherosclerosis compared to mice lacking HL.  To test this hypothesis we bred the transgenic hHL mice onto a low-density lipoprotein receptor knock out background (which is an established model for atherosclerosis).  Littermates with and without the hHL transgene were fed a high-fat, cholesterol enriched (“Western”) diet to accelerate atherosclerosis development, after which the aortas were harvested, dissected longitudinally, and pinned to expose the inner aortic walls for visualization.  Cholesterol buildup was stained and the ratios of atherosclerotic accumulation to total aortic surface area were quantitatively measured via Adobe Photoshop.  Results from this study will clarify the contribution of hHL to atherosclerosis development.  Ultimately, our results will guide the development of new treatments to prevent and treat atherosclerosis.

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are grade four astrocytomas, composed of heterogeneous cells with unique molecular features. Using brain tumor and tumor stem cell lines, we are developing ex vivo methods to use on-chip, single cell characterization and mass spectrometry to better understand brain tumor heterogeneity in order to personalize drug therapy and optimize treatment of GBMs. We first performed an on-chip, single cell culture, using a biocompatible poly dimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) microchip that contains 50-100 nm subnanoliter wells. A diluted solution of cultured cells was loaded onto the microchip while the chip was submerged in DMEM, and the cells settled into the wells by gravity. The PDMS microchip was then subjected to hybridization conditions, to simulate the technique of assaying cytokines. Cell viability was monitored using a live/dead fluorescence assay. To pursue the goal of analyzing protein arrays using single cell mass spectrometry, we loaded a PDMS microchip; first with bovine serum albumin digest, then with hemoglobin, as controls to obtain a MALDI (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization) spectrum. We found that a solution of approximately 7.14x103 cells/mL ensured that one cell was delivered per well. The neuroblastoma cells did not exhibit typical dendritic morphology within the microchip. They remained round due to the non-adherent properties of PDMS. When the loaded microchip remained submerged in DMEM and incubated, the cells grew to confluence and remained viable up to seven days. Under hybridization conditions, the cells remained viable up to five days. The MALDI controls were assessed, but did not produce a spectrum. The soft and thick PDMS surface may inhibit the MALDI laser’s accuracy to pinpoint proteins. Also, PDMS is not electrically conductive and impedes analyte ionization. Therefore, the project has been continuing to optimize the surface for analysis. This work is still ongoing with promising results.

In recent years, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have made strides towards reducing gender disparities. However, in the field of computer science, women continue to receive less than 20% of bachelor’s degrees awarded. In the current research we explore if this continuing disparity is partly due to a perceived lack of group work in computer science. Previous research has shown that women tend to endorse communal goals (e.g., working with and helping others) more than men do, and that the perception that an academic field fulfills communal goals predicts women’s interest in those fields. In the current research, 293 undergraduate students (184 female, 109 male) answered questions measuring preference for group work, perceptions of goal fulfillment in classes where students work individually and classes where students work in groups, perceptions of group work in different science classes, and personal goal endorsement. Consistent with our prediction, results indicated that classes with group work were perceived as having more communal goal fulfillment than classes with individual work, and male-dominated STEM fields (i.e., computer science and engineering) were perceived as having less group work than female-dominated STEM fields (i.e., biology and psychology). These results show that group work is related to communal goal fulfillment. Because communal goal fulfillment predicts women’s interest in academic fields, we expect that women would be less interested in academic fields that are perceived to have less group work, such as male-dominated STEM fields. Based on our results, we predict that increasing perceptions of group work in computer science may increase women’s interest by boosting perceptions that computer science is able to fulfill communal goals.

With efforts being made to remove human impact on the ecosystems surrounding us, underwater ambient noise is a topic of interest. Understanding and even mitigating this ambient noise has come to be of foremost importance in various fields. To understand underwater noise, it is best to first have a well-developed understanding of noise in general and what it is about noise that we should concern ourselves with. Starting first with sources of sound, such as that of a person singing, can provide an introduction into how to process sound measurements underwater. By working with recordings in “.wav” form I was able to convert to a spectrum, or spread of frequencies, that can be read in terms of the frequency and underwater pressure, two important aspects when studying underwater ambient noise. Using a numerical computation language (GNU Octave) to analyze sound data, I was then able to see plots of these spectra as well as to generate Pressure Spectral Density plots. I was then provided guidance regarding how to interpret these plots and apply this knowledge to various locations, a necessary introductory step in the overall process. Understanding ambient noise in general, as I was able to start doing this summer, and then taking it further to understand ambient noise in our area, is the first step towards curbing disturbances to our marine ecosystems.

Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) determine the places in the genome where there are differences, Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms or SNPs, in genetic sequences of individuals who have a disease as compared to a control group. I used the Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) Navigator to analyze the literature on GWAS related to autoimmune disorders.  I then performed a meta-analysis on published literature that had combined multiple GWAS with previously published findings on candidate genes for multiple autoimmune diseases and that had also established shared risk genes. The meta-analysis assisted in extracting not only the statistical methods most often employed, but also biostatistical software used in their analyses.  Using these studies as models, I took sets of autoimmune disorder GWAS and combined that information with previously proposed candidate genes for which studies were lacking.  I statistically and systematically explored possible shared genetic locations to discover any novel and significant associations.  I expect that such a systematic review of existing studies will highlight as yet unseen patterns of shared risk genes when data from two or more autoimmune GWAS studies are compared to previously proposed candidate genes.  The ability to identify shared risk genes is increased by combining data obtained from GWAS of autoimmune diseases.  Although clinically distinct, autoimmune diseases may share common disease pathogenesis mechanisms that may be implicated only by using analysis of genetic factors between diseases.  By further elucidating shared genetic risk factors, this knowledge will contribute to our understanding of genetic epidemiology and will help to define and characterize environmental interventions with the potential to prevent the development of autoimmune diseases.

Software systems are often difficult to comprehend. When a system behaves in an unexpected manner, or when developers must modify the code written by someone else, they have the challenge of understanding the system behavior. A typical way developers use to gain insight into a system is logging. Logging is a method that captures program activities and states during an execution into a log file (a text file), which developers then inspect. Unfortunately, the size and complexity of logs are often too large for manual inspection. Synoptic is a tool that supports the task of inspecting execution logs. Synoptic takes a log as input and infers a finite state machine model of the process that generated the log. The model that Synoptic produces is compact and captures essential behavior traits of the subject system. However, there is a missing piece of information. Synoptic is only interested in system activities, thus the models it infers are activity-based models. System states, which are also often captured in a log, are ignored. This project presents an approach to utilize state in model inference. We extend Synoptic to model data values in a subject system by annotating states in the inferred model with conditions on data values. We use Daikon, an implementation of dynamic detection of likely invariants, to determine those conditions from an input log that captures data values at each state of the system. We argue that this new model helps developers reason about their systems better.

How did the Indian English novel function within the Indian independence movement? Literature illuminates unique narratives not necessarily communicated by other forms of print media like newspapers and history books, and these stories exert a very different kind of influence. In the particular instance of Indian English novels around the time that India gained independence from Britain, literature established power through its inherent cultural capital, its role in imagining nations, and its critical abilities. These novels embodied traits of both the colonized and the colonizer, allowing them to occupy a position of notable political and cultural influence. Drawing on theories on literature and nationalism, this study employs close readings of novels by Rabindranath Tagore and Mulk Raj Anand within the context of historically evident politics and cultural phenomena of the time period to explain the role Indian English novels played in revolutionizing India. An understanding of the factors enabling the novel’s influence will illuminate how India’s independence was imagined and realized. Situating Indian English novels of the Indian independence movement in their historical and social context may yield further understanding to the way historical events played out and reveal more of literature’s effect on the societies in which it is produced.

The pro-apoptotic (cell death inducing) peptide (KLAKLAK)2 (“KLA”) has been recently investigated for tumor killing applications. To increase the efficacy of the peptide, our group has added additional charged amino acids to increase cellular uptake (Gly-Lys-Arg-Lys-(KLAKLAK)2) (“GKRK-KLA”) and synthesized a polymeric construct of this peptide and HPMA (N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide) (“p(HPMA-co-GKRK/KLA”). Preliminary studies have shown an increase in cell death per KLA unit in the modified constructs over the unmodified KLA construct. However, the mechanisms of cellular internalization and subcellular distribution of the peptide is unknown. Recently, we showed using fluorescence microscopy that the KLA constructs do not colocalize with mitochondria, the organelle that was believed to be affected. In this work, we applied radiolabeling and organelle separation techniques to investigate the mechanisms behind cellular uptake and subcellular trafficking over time of both the KLA peptide and our modified designs. These insights will allow us to design better materials to increase the efficacy of KLA peptide delivery.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are defined by communication and language development difficulties, so for children with ASD, developing vocabulary is difficult yet all the more important for developing communication. This project asks whether repeated exposure to vocabulary words through the dialogic reading method is effective in expanding vocabulary in preschool children (3-5 years old) with autism. The Preschool Autism Literacy Project collected the data for this project. The study consists of trained tutors who read with preschool children (N=23) with ASD 4 times a week using Dialogic Reading. In the dialogic reading method, the reader of the book asks the student pre-planned questions about the story and text, creating dialogue. The tutors read a book from a prepared set with the children every week for 20 weeks. For data on vocabulary development, tutors gave their students vocabulary tests before the 1st session and after the 4th session of each 4-session week. The tests consisted of 10 vocabulary words present in the book they were reading that week. For the testing material, each vocabulary word was represented on a sheet of paper with an image that matched the vocabulary word. The tutor asked the subjects to identify each image, each correct response earning the subject a score of 1 point, and each incorrect response earning the subject a score of 0. The scores from the 1st and 4th session tests were compared to calculate a gain score for each subject on all 20 books and graphed to illustrate progress. I hypothesize that the data will indicate that the children’s vocabulary will improve using the dialogic reading methods. If Dialogic Reading is found to increase the students’ vocabulary, it may lead to research on its effectiveness for older children with autism, and an expanse of its use among parents of children with autism.

A stepper system is a device that uses multiple small-scale steps to achieve large ranges of motion. There are several fields where stepper systems can be used as positioners such as micro/nano-fabrication, scanning probe microscopy, and alignment of optical components. This stepper design enables a motion stage, whose motion is generated by friction induced with piezoelectric actuators underneath, to move horizontally without vertical displacement. The objective of this research is to investigate a way to support the load of a motion stage while limiting any restriction of motion in the horizontal direction. This restriction of vertical load bearing and horizontal freedom has led to investigating bearings as a component of the support structure. There are many types of bearing designs (i.e. ball, magnetic, and air) that may satisfy the design constraints, so I have performed analysis on various types of bearings and investigated their impact on the design of a new stepper system. For instance, ball bearings support radial loads or thrust loads with forces normal to the ring pathways, but continuous compression, along with expansion, leads to fatigue of the rings, which shortens their lifetime; while magnetic bearings provide support with a distance force that is controlled by the current flow in the circuit, maintaining a more stable and friction-free motion. However, applications may be sensitive to magnetic interference and therefore magnetic bearings may not be suitable for use in some cases. Taking into consideration the benefits and limitations of the different bearing systems, my research has proposed and introduced the design of a stepper support system.

Author: Amanda Tanadinata, Karol Bomsztyk, Daniel Mar. Background: Apart from DNA mutations, alterations in chromatin structure, also referred to as epigenetic changes, have been shown to be among principal causes of tumor genesis that leads to cancer. However, unlike mutations, the usage of these chromatin alterations in gene expression is reversible. This feature, in fact, is what has nurtured the idea of creating an epigenetic-based treatment for cancer. One such treatment uses the compound 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC), a DNA methyltrasferase inhibitor. DNA methylation can be crucial for transcriptional repression and activation, by altering recruitment of enzymes and transcription factors to chromatin . The goal of this study was to profile a set of pathways through the analysis of 5-aza-dC -mediated changes in DNA methylation, mRNA expression , RNA Polymerase II, histone marks, and enzymes. Method: Colorectal cancer cell line (HCT116) cells treated with or without 5-aza-dC were probed with different antibodies to see chromatin density differences at specific sites of the genome by Matrix Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (Matrix ChIP). Methylated DNA Immunoprecipitation (MeDIP), was used to assay DNA methylation sites at selective gene sites. The results were then quantified with real time PCR. In this study, SPARC promoter, H19, and UBE2b were examined specifically. Results: Treatment with 5-aza-dC increased SPARC mRNA levels, and reduced DNA methylation This was associated with changes in RNA polymerase II levels ,histone acetylation and methylation, and chromatin modifying enzymes at the SPARC but not the control H19 and UBE2b genes. Conclusion: These results imply that 5-aza-dC induced de-methylation of selective genomic sites alters enzyme binding and chromatin structure which then causes changes in rates of transcription.

According to recent estimates from the PEW Research Hispanic Center in 2006, more than half (6-7 million) of all the unauthorized migrants living in the United States entered the country clandestinely by evading customs and immigration inspectors at ports of entry by hiding in vehicles, trekking through Arizona desert, wading across the Rio Grande or otherwise eluding the Border Patrol. However, the Mexican border experience encompasses more than crossing a physical barrier in dangerous conditions. This experience begins from the time individuals decide to make the treacherous crossing to the time they settle in their US communities. While previous research has examined the border-crossing experience (Durand, J., Massey, D. S, 2004), few have offered a comprehensive understanding that considers the context of preparation, crossing and consequently the context of arrival. This research attempts to make such a contribution. In addition, this work considers the critical role that gender plays in households and social networks that shape distinct border-crossing and settlement experiences for Mexican men and women. By interviewing Mexican immigrants and engaging in literature review, interviews with members of one community in the lower Yakima Valley in Eastern Washington will provide an in-depth exploration of migration to the Pacific Northwest; helping us understand the cultural, social, and economic context for the harrowing journey and include their accounts in the broader research of area studies in Eastern Washington.

South Korea is my home country, and I benefited greatly by getting my K-12 education there and from receiving my higher education in the United States. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, “a key component of quality program is the quality of teacher (NAEYC, 2012. p. 2).” As a student who is dreaming of being a professional in the U.S. education field, I am interested in how policy makers, teachers,  and professionals can improve k-12 education. This study analyzes teachers in elementary education systems in the U.S., South Korea, and Finland. I chose Finland as a third case study since it has one of the top k-12 education systems in the world. In particular, this study looks at teachers’ salaries, education requirement, workload, and professional status. I will compare teachers’ salaries through government website and journal articles. For example, in South Korea, people who want to be elementary school teachers must go to specialized four-year colleges that are just as competitive as law or medical school and take teaching certificate exams after they graduate. Furthermore, teachers in South Korea are highly respected professionals. Finland also has a unique education system and has been successful in students’ outcome and teachers’ satisfaction as professionals. U.S. has a variety of teacher preparation and one of the most diverse populations in the world. This study can contribute towards current self-evaluating systems in the United States and keep moving forward to be a frontier in education.

Most of the questionnaires used to assess college students’ thoughts about their drinking are developed by researchers and are passively responded to by participants. Such researcher-generated measures, however, may not accurately reflect college students’ thoughts about their drinking. In contrast, the current study used participants’ own words in response to an open-ended measure to evaluate advantages and disadvantages college students perceive in maintaining their current drinking behaviors. Participants were college students (N=760) at the University of Washington who reported at least one heavy drinking episode in the past thirty days. The Decisional Balance Worksheet (DBW), an open-ended measure of motivation to change, was used to record the pros and cons of current drinking behaviors. Conventional content analysis methods were used to extract common themes. Findings indicated that social, “fun,” and psychological effects of drinking were the most commonly mentioned advantages of drinking, whereas physical side effects, money, and calories/weight gain were the most commonly mentioned disadvantages of drinking. These findings show that college students use alcohol to achieve certain kinds of psychological states, enhance social interactions, and ease day-to-day stress. Further, many college students report experiencing physical side effects of drinking as well as more minor inconveniences, such as concerns about calories. In contrast, previous researcher-generated decisional balance measures have emphasized very different categories for advantages (e.g., coping, social, and excitement) and disadvantages (e.g., health effects, lack of control, and legal problems) (Migneault et al., 1997). Our findings therefore suggest that using open-ended questionnaires may result in a more accurate representation of what college students perceive as advantages and disadvantages to drinking.

Orbital spectroscopy provides evidence for the presence of liquid water throughout the history of Mars through analysis of the surface composition. In order to determine surface mineralogy, we use remotely sensed visible/near-infrared spectroscopic data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. We identify minerals by their unique absorptions at specific wavelengths through the examination of CRISM surface reflectance data across 438 wavelengths from 1.0 to 3.9 microns. Spectral datasets like CRISM contain large volumes of data and each spectrum usually covers an area that contains several unique compositions, or spectral endmembers. Factor analysis uses a set of mixed spectra to derive a set of orthogonal eigenvectors and associated eigenvalues. Although physically meaningless, the eigenvectors and eigenvalues can then be used to estimate the number of components present in a mixed system. Target transformation is used to reconstruct endmember spectra using a linear combination of the set of eigenvectors, even if those pure endmembers do not exist in the original data. In practice, the target transformation test is simply a least squares fit of the significant eigenvectors to laboratory spectra. If a laboratory spectrum can be closely matched, then it is a possible endmember present in the system. This methodology can also be used to remove noise and significantly improve the quality of CRISM data. We tested our methodology using CRISM data containing evidence for the presence of carbonates. Target transformation clearly confirmed the presence of Mg-rich carbonates and phyllosilicates in Nili Fossae, a series of extensional faults. We are automating this technique and applying this methodology to test for a variety of minerals across the entire planet. Ultimately, by applying our data analysis technique to the global CRISM dataset, we will have a more detailed understanding of surface composition and aqueous processes on Mars.

 Human aortic diseases such as aneurysms (abnormal dilation of the aorta) dissections (tears in the wall of the aorta) are often life-threatening. These diseases present significant challenges because: 1) their pathogenesis is not well understood; 2) they are difficult to diagnose, often presenting at an advanced, life-threatening stage; 3) they have limited treatment options; and 4) the treatments are all associated with major complications. Our work focuses on achieving a better understanding of the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms and dissections, with a long-term goal of preventing or stabilizing these diseases. Signaling pathways initiated by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in smooth muscle cells (SMC) of the aorta are essential for normal vascular development. Mouse embryos lacking SMC TGF-β signaling exhibit abnormal aortic structure, including dilation of the distal aorta. However, the role of SMC TGF-β signaling in maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the adult aorta is unclear. We use a transgenic mouse model to test the hypothesis that TGF-β signaling in adult aortic SMC preserves aortic health and prevents aortic aneurysms and dissections. With this model we can delete a gene that is critical for TGF-β signaling specifically in SMC of adult mice, and thereby discover the role of SMC TGF-β signaling in the regulation of SMC gene expression and aortic structure. We expect to find abnormal gene expression and aortic structure in adult mice with loss of SMC TGF-β signaling. Our study may uncover signaling pathways and gene expression patterns that maintain aortic health. These pathways may eventually be exploited to develop therapies that prevent aortic aneurysms and dissections.

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) currently affects more than 250,000 people in the US alone, and approximately 11,000 new injuries are reported annually. SCI is most commonly caused by trauma, such as vehicular accidents, and often results in devastating paraplegia or tetraplegia. Among many points of interest in treating SCI is what happens to myelin post injury. In terms of electrical conduction, myelin sheaths are the insulation to the wire that is the neuron’s axon, and proper myelination is crucial for effective signaling in the nervous system. Previous findings in SCI research show abnormally thin and short myelin near injury site, supporting the current research dogma that oligodendrocytes (OLs), the glial cells that myelinate the central nervous system, undergo complete cell death following initial injury. Due to lack of methodology, little research has been done to support the idea of partial myelin degeneration. My current study seeks to shed light on the question of where the abnormally thin myelin is derived, if it is indeed newly developed, and explores the possibility that thin myelin found by previous researchers is intact degenerating myelin. Pre-labeled myelin in transgenic mice was injected with a Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)-labeled virus vector, allowing clear visualization of which myelin sheaths are mature and which are newly generated. By histology and confocal microscopy, I will analyze morphology of neural processes and characteristics of myelinating OLs, such as distances between axon internodes and the axon g-ratio (the relationship of axonal diameter to total fiber diameter, a common measure of myelin thickness). If the prevailing research dogma is supported, I expect to find shortened internode lengths and smaller g-ratios in the green myelin. The findings help determine the significance of myelin change post-SCI and is hoped to contribute more effective therapies to improve axon conduction via pharmacological or cell-based approaches.

Healthy aging is influenced by social and physical activities in which older adults participate. Musical activities such as singing, listening to music, and/or playing instruments may serve as an accessible and low cost activity to provide benefits to older adult health. The purpose of the parent study was to learn older adults’ insights about music and singing. Informants were recruited from an independent-living retirement community in the Puget Sound. Four resident focus groups were conducted with 20 open-ended questions with topics related to their first images of singing, how do they feel when they sing, and their insights of group-singing. The purpose of this study is to describe the lessons learned in assisting with recruitment, data collection and analysis of data from the parent study. Recruitment efforts varied and included flyers distributed to residential units, telephone calls, announcements before residential meetings, and word of mouth. Running focus groups required training of all research staff, adequate personnel to lead and take notes at the focus group, and adherence to IRB regulations. Analysis of qualitative data required training for the identification of themes. A model was developed and included positive and negative memories from structured and unstructured childhood experiences such as their mothers singing to them, participation in music class, and religious services. Psychosocial, cognitive, and physiological outcomes were identified from their past and current musical experiences, and are supported by the literature. Maintaining good communication and collaboration with the staff in the community was a crucial factor of the successful recruitment and arrangement for the focus groups. The findings of working in collaborative teams through discussion, negotiation, and brainstorming for processing the information, and establishing a community partnership have important implications for future health science research that is conducted in the community setting.

Alcohol use consistently correlates with negative physical and psychological consequences like dependence, memory loss, impaired judgment, etc. Studies also link the use of sleep medications with similar negative consequences. Yet, no study examines the interaction of sleep medication and alcohol use onto these negative consequences. Therefore the present study investigated the relationship between peak blood alcohol content (BAC) in the past 6 months, negative consequences of alcohol use in the last 12 months as measured by the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and lifetime, 3- and 12-month non-prescribed sleep medication use in Washington state and Swedish high school seniors participating in a larger study (N = 3,352, 56.6% Female). Regression analyses revealed a significant main effect of BAC and lifetime use of sleep medication onto negative consequences (β = 18.69, F (3, 2875) = 115.86, p < .05) such that individuals with a higher BAC and who had a lifetime incidence of sleep medication usage experienced significantly greater negative consequences than those who only drank or used sleep medications. There was no significant moderating effect of frequency of sleep medication use in the last 3 or 12 months onto BAC and negative consequences (p >.05). While these results suggest that use of sleep medication and alcohol interact to contribute to increased risk for negative consequences, there are limitations. Lifetime use of sleep medication may reflect a tendency to act impulsively or self-medicate (e.g. for sleep/depression/anxiety), not a direct effect of the medication per se. Additionally, analyses did not control for other drug usage or mood disturbances, and all sleep medication drugs were grouped under one survey item. Given our observations, additional research testing combined effect of sleep mediation and alcohol use as related to negative consequences is warranted.

Ceftaroline fosamil, otherwise known by the name ceftaroline (trade name Teflaro) is a cephalosporin antibiotic indicated for the use against MRSA skin and soft tissue infection and bacterial pneumonia. Though approved by the FDA, the drug is thought to be safe and thought to be well tolerated, however, our team has found it to cause neutropenia in patients. Neutropenia is defined as the abnormally low number of neutrophils, which seems to be present in some patients during and after taking ceftaroline. It is our objective in this study to determine the incidence of neutropenia among patients using ceftaroline. The drug has been approved for more than a year but the post marketing experience has been limited. We have seen two cases of agranulocytosis, which has led us to conduct this study. The study will be conducted in the Tri Cities, which is comprised of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. The Tri Cities has a diverse population of 193,000 individuals and there are three major medical facilities: the Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Lourdes Medical Center and the Kennewick General Hospital. The study will determine the incidence of neutropenia among patients receiving ceftaroline. We also hope to describe the side effects of the drug, and track patients’ health over the course of a 7 month period by reviewing patients' charts and through phone interviews. All patients that are included in the study received ceftaroline from August 2011 to March 2012. The patients’ data will be secured from hospital records from the three local hospitals. Our hope is to find a link between usage of ceftaroline and incidence in neutropenia in patients.

Biosolids applications can increase heavy metals in soils, which may impact seedling survival in managed forests. Western white pine (Pinus monticola) seedlings, planted in a biosolids-treated site at Pack Forest in the lower foothills of the Washington Cascades, have experienced heavy mortality which has prevented reforestation of the site even after 30 years of replanting. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these seedlings are exhibiting metals stress. Soil and foliar metal content was measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Phytochelatins and glutathione, compounds that are induced by metals stress and serve as bioindicators of metals stress, were measured in freshly emerged needles using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Soil metals, at 16 ppm for cadmium, 293.5 ppm for copper, 585 ppm for zinc, and 509.5 ppm for lead, were substantially elevated at this site compared to comparable untreated sites, and furthermore, these were significantly higher than at other biosolids-treated sites. Foliar cadmium was 2.6 ppm, copper was 10 ppm, zinc was 177 ppm, and lead was undetectable; of these, all but lead was significantly elevated in seedlings growing in the biosolids-treated site compared to control seedlings. While phytochelatins and glutathione measurements are not yet complete, based on preliminary results it appears that seedlings are producing elevated levels of these compounds. The elevated foliar metals, in particular the highly toxic cadmium, suggest that these seedlings are experiencing metals stress. Further analysis of phytochelatins levels in seedlings in this biosolids-treated site may help to explain why these seedlings are experiencing such high mortality rates.

Gamma activity refers to high-frequency neural activity (30-100 Hz) typically measured by electroencephalography (EEG). Evoked gamma activity is time-locked to stimulus onset which often reflects processing of stimulus properties such as the presence of edges and local luminance contrast. However, induced gamma activity is not time-locked to stimulus onset and evidence suggests it may reflect activation of the perceptual representation of the object presented. Here, we investigated whether induced gamma was altered by in-depth rotations of objects to elucidate the role of such activity in object perception. If induced gamma reflects a high-level object representation then it should not differ with rotation. However, if induced gamma reflects a representation of object features then induced should be modulated by in-depth rotation. We presented pairs of stimuli: an initial adapting stimulus followed by a test stimulus. Stimulus pairs were images of the same or different cars with the test stimulus rotated 0°, 90°, or 180° from the initial adapting stimulus. EEG gamma activity was measured using a 32-channel active electrode Biosemi, Active Two system. We analyzed gamma activity using Morlet wavelet decomposition that allows the measurement of induced gamma activity. The results revealed that induced gamma activity was related to the amount of rotation, with the lowest induced gamma activity during trials with no rotation and highest for trials with 180° rotation. This pattern suggests that induced gamma activity is related to processing of object features below the representation of the whole object. Moreover, the results suggest the cortical generator for the gamma oscillations may be lateral occipital object-selective regions that have similar sensitivity to in-depth rotation across similar paradigms and stimuli using fMRI. The results suggest a link between EEG induced gamma activity and object-selective visual cortex, and provide important information on the temporal dynamics of object-processing brain regions.

Youth with mental health problems face many challenges not faced by youth that do not have mental health difficulties. Many of these young people drop out of school, do not have stable housing, have lower rates of access to employment and there are few services that address their needs. As part of the Pathways Transition Training Collaborative of the Pathways to Positive Futures Research and Training Center, we wanted to know what services are available for young people aged 14-30 with mental health needs within the Portland metropolitan area. We conducted face to face interviews with seven targeted key informants who provided information about mental health programs for young people in the transition years, and we also did internet research on the programs and emailed/called the programs with questions. Of the 38 programs researched, only fourteen reported that they accepted Oregon Health Plan (OLP). There were few programs that provided employment services (n = 4), healthcare (n = 2), and food (n = 1). There were not many programs that were culturally specific (n = 5). The data showed that there are few programs in the Portland area that meet the needs of young people in the transition years that have mental health difficulties. Through the process of research it became very apparent that there needs to be a network of communication between the programs, so they may better serve this population.

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) in color center is regarded as a leading qubit candidate in quantum information processing (QIP) since its spin state can be controlled and measured by optical methods. Efficient collection of photons emitted from NV centers is desirable for scalable QIP schemes. In order to achieve this, we design an integrated waveguide-cavity system in the GaP-diamond hybrid material system. GaP ring waveguides and cavities guide light on the surface of diamond and the guided evanescent mode interacts with NV center located 10 nm from the diamond surface. When a transition from the excited state to the ground state occurs in the NV center, light with a particular wavelength corresponding to the difference in the energy levels (637nm for NV centers) will be emitted. This emission is efficiently emitted into the cavity mode when the cavity is on resonance with the NV transition. We present the optical design of a grating-waveguide-cavity system optimized for efficient collection of photons, which is based on computationally intensive numerical simulation of the optical components. For this, we use a finite-difference time-domain simulation of Maxwell’s equations (open-source software MEEP). In order to make the simulation process faster, we utilize parallel computing on the Amazon cloud. We expect to show that theoretical coupling efficiency greater than 50% is possible in the hybrid GaP/diamond material system.

Known as the most fertile farming land in China, the Chengdu Plain has provided perfect conditions for developing a distinct and sustainable rural living system for several thousand years. One of the most distinctive features of this system is the dense-but-evenly-distributed pattern of dwellings, farming plots and irrigation canals across the Plain. (Most Chinese rural settlements take the form of concentrated villages.) However, with the rapid expansion of the urban area of Chengdu and the national policy-driven countryside reconstruction program in the past decade, the traditional settlement pattern faces a big challenge of surviving the process of modernization, which includes large-scale concentration of both dwellings and fields. Recognizing the challenges, the local planning authorities are experimenting with different degrees of concentration in their new village plans. Based on preliminary interviews and site visits in Summer 2012; my participation in research being carried out by faculty and graduate students in Anthropology and Urban Planning; and preparations for a joint UW-Sichuan University community planning activity in Summer 2013; I am investigating the quantitative spatial implications of different degrees of village concentration in Chengdu Plain for infrastructure networks, accessibility of housing to social services as well as fields, and for the pattern of the fields themselves; and meanwhile using the same principle of site selecting to establish a comparative study between Chengdu plain and rural area in north Seattle. Methods used in such investigation include remote (off-site) analysis which applies GIS, aerial photographs and survey data available from different resources and on-site analysis base on field trips conducting interviews, observation and experience. I expect this research will be useful for the joint planning activity, and, I hope, for the government's policy.

Falling remains a major cause of depression and mortality among the elderly due to both physical (e.g. hip fractures) and emotional (i.e. lack of exercise due to fear of falling) injuries. For seniors with a greater propensity to accidental fall, a common solution is to move to a nursing home, which many regard as a loss of privacy, individuality, and dignity. Remote patient monitoring using stand-alone sensors that alert medical workers when a patient has sustained a life-threatening fall presents an alternative solution that allows patients to reside in their own homes. Unfortunately, the cost of responding to false positives or failing to respond to false negatives makes it difficult to commercialize such a system. Our research focuses on creating a real-time, high accuracy, and low cost fall detection system that employs a detection algorithm based on tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. We begin by adopting motion detection and inference techniques used by other research groups to better understand their advantages and limitations. Examples include tilt sensing for posture recognition, filtering and periodic signal detection for step recognition, and context sensing. We examine the accuracy of these techniques, weigh in computational cost, and explore how the techniques could complement or interfere with each other. From these results, a fall detection algorithm is created based on an amalgam of both established and novel techniques such as device self-calibration for determining threshold acceleration and angular velocity values. We then evaluate the final product against other commercially available fall detection systems.

This project studies about the historic public space in Beijing, Chinese with a focus on the adaptation of it under the rapid densification of urban environment. The purpose of this project is to figure out how can historic public space be well preserved in modern urban setting while meeting the basic functional needs of the community. This project has two major components. The first part is a literature-based research on the precedents of historic public space preservation. By reading about other countries' or cities' successful experience, this research is looking to summarize some basic methodologies that can be used in adapting historic public space in densifying urban schemes. Cases included in this part of research are from cities like Nara, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and Paris, France. In the second part of this project, a model of a sample historic public space will be created in 3-D modeling software. With this 3-D model as a basis, variations of the model will be created as visualizations of the same sample historic public space under different preservation methodologies. With Dr. Daniel Abramson's thesis work as Tsinghua University, China as a foundation, the Houmao Hutong area in West City District in Beijing, China is chosen as the sample historic public space for this project. The purpose of this part of the project is to show people, intuitively, how those methodologies may work under different urban development scenarios. Hopefully, this can offer some insights for future development of the city. Currently, this project is progressed halfway through the first part, the literature-based research.

Income inequality and level of education affects countries across the world. Within the last few years, Thailand’s income inequality seems to have worsened, as is seen from many political conflicts created from the significant gap between the rich and poor.  From the World Bank Poverty Analysis, there has been a dramatic decline of poverty in Thailand since early 1960’s.   However, the decline in poverty was not uniform across regions of the country; poverty is more concentrated in the rural areas.   Therefore, the increase in inequality was also not uniform across the country; the wider income differentials between households in different locations accounted for the increase in overall income inequality.  This means educational attainment plays an important role for labor to make a transition from the old sector to the new sector, and thus is one of the determined factors for income inequality.  In this paper, I will examine the impact of education and skills owned by individual on wage and income distribution of Thailand.  First, I will explain about the previous research on the relationship between education, skills, and wage. Then, I will explain about the data set and the methodology that will be used. Lastly, I will present and explain the result using Mincer's wage regression analysis and give the conclusion.

Protein kinases are enzymes that take phosphate groups from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, the energy in your body, and add them to other specific molecules inside the cell. This transfer of the phosphate group can activate or deactivate the target molecule, thus regulating cellular activities such as growth, replication, and respiration. The kinases studied here are hemopoietic cell kinases (Hck kinases) under the class of Scr kinases. Hck kinases are present in bone marrow and are often associated with myeloid leukemias and myeloproliferative disorders. Studies have shown that in the active conformation, the Hck kinase detaches two of its domains, SH2 and SH3, resulting in a more extended conformation. Using a Waters Synapt G2 HDMS, ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) techniques were used to probe the size of inactive and active Hck kinases by measuring drift times of their gas-phase ions traveling through a neutral background gas under the presence of a weak electric field. Drift times were then converted into collision cross section (CCS) values, which depend on the size and shape of the ion of interest. Eight different small molecules (< 500 Da) were used to inhibit Hck kinases, and changes in conformation were investigated using IM-MS. Preliminary data shows no significant changes in global conformation or size, conflicting with the previous studies. To investigate more subtle changes in conformation, collision induced unfolding (CIU) methods are used. By selecting an ion of interest using a quadrupole mass filter, protein unfolding is monitored using ion mobility as a function of ion activation prior to ion mobility analysis. This process allows an investigation of the subtle conformational changes in the Hck kinase upon the binding of small inhibitor molecules.

In my research, I examined the relationship between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. I worked to create a dialogue between prints and sculptures. I wondered how the formal elements of the art would change when I translated work on a two-dimensional plane into a sculpture, and vice versa. The work made me aware that experimentation is inherent in the process of making art. Additionally, I realized that content and process are intrinsically related. Artists work through a process of trial and error. While working in the print lab, I pulled numerous proofs to find the desired effect. I varied the manner in which I pulled the squeegee across the screen and the way I scooped up and dropped the color back onto the screen after every pull. I experimented with different hues and shades of color, placing bright pure process colors next to subdued colors. Still I was baffled by all the different ways the ink could move through the screen and the different effects that were produced. The relationship I developed with color in printmaking came to the forefront of my sculptural work. I wanted to push the interaction of color and light onto the viewer. I experimented lighting sheets of thin plastic that I had printed on. Additionally, I began to think more about the process I went through when creating a three dimensional form. Like printmaking that involves many steps, I enjoy going through the different steps in the wood shop. Working with wood for me involves the process of cutting, glueing and shaping. Finding a solution to translate a three dimensional form onto a two dimensional plane came from the physical experience of cutting thin strips of wood and coating it with glue that is my experience in the wood shop.

Exposure to environmental stress can impact health and affect well-being. Specific populations, such as low-income and minority women, may experience increased exposure to environmental stress and be at a higher risk of related health impacts. In order to better characterize susceptibility to stress and the related health effects, it is necessary to quantify the exposure. Exposure to stress triggers the release of the hormone cortisol, allowing it to be used as a biomarker. The objective of this study was to evaluate acute and chronic salivary cortisol levels within- and between-individuals and communities specifically characterizing the stress responses within a Hispanic agricultural community and a low-income non-Hispanic urban community. Saliva samples were taken from 27 Hispanic women living in an agricultural setting and 28 non-Hispanic women living in an urban environment. To measure short-term variability within- and between-individuals, four saliva samples were collected five times per day for two consecutive days. To measure long-term variability, a second set of samples was collected ten weeks later. Samples were collected by placing an oral swab in the mouth for one minute. Cortisol concentrations were quantified using a cortisol enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We evaluated daily average salivary cortisol concentrations and diurnal indexes from samples taken consecutively and ten weeks apart to characterize acute and chronic within-individual variability. Similar evaluations were made within the agricultural and urban communities to better understand between-individual variability. On average, we found evidence of diurnal variation in both the agricultural and urban communities. Within individual variability was substantial in both communities as well, both on the short and long-term. These analyses support evidence that in order to evaluate differences in environmental stress exposure between as well as within individuals, robust biomonitoring methods are needed to fully characterize different levels of cortisol.

Spruce-fir forests in the Appalachian Mountains are experiencing decline; in particular, red spruce (Picea rubens) has largely been eliminated from the higher part of its elevational range. Appalachian forests are downwind from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources of pollutants in the Midwest, forming a gradient of heavy metals in forest soils reflecting many decades of deposition. Soils tend to reflect historical deposition, while accumulation of metals on lichens reflect more recent deposition. Phytochelatins (metal-binding peptides) provide a more sensitive and direct indication of metals stress at the cellular level. We studied tree stress responses in six sites along this depositional gradient by measuring metals concentrations in soil and on the growing edges of two lichen species (Hypogymnia physodes and Imshaugia aleurites), and identified correlations with metals uptake into red spruce foliage and phytochelatin production in roots and foliage. Metals in soils and foliage were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), while phytochelatins were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). There was a strong correlation between soil metals and foliar uptake for cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), while the correlation between lichen metals and foliar metals was only significant for Pb, suggesting that historical metal deposition is a stronger factor than more recent deposition in determining foliar uptake. Recent metals deposition (measured on lichens) for Cd, Cu, and Zn were above what a US Forest Service survey determined as typical background levels in North American forests, implying that despite tighter industrial regulations, forests are continuing to be exposed to toxic metals. In preliminary analyses, phytochelatins were detectable in foliar samples, suggesting that these trees are experiencing metals stress at the cellular level; however, HPLC analysis is still in progress. Our results suggest that red spruce decline in high elevation forests may be related to metals stress.

A century of fire suppression has led to higher tree densities, higher basal area, and increased abundance of shade-tolerant Abies concolor and Calocedrus decurrens in the lower montane forests of Yosemite National Park. Although fire was reintroduced to these systems over forty years ago, the effects of fire on forest structure and radial tree growth are still not well understood. This study compares live tree and snag basal area and density, seedling establishment, and radial growth patterns at four 0.1 ha plots in A. concolor-dominated stands of similar climatic water balance. Two sites had burned at different levels of low-severity fire in 2005, and two sites had not burned since the onset of fire suppression. On average, unburned plots had three times the tree density and 2.6 times more trees with DBH between 2.5 cm and 30.0 cm than burned plots. Burned plots had a mean seedling density 3.8 times greater than unburned plots. Low-severity fire also appeared to affect radial growth patterns as both burned plots showed decreased growth relative to the control plots for two years immediately post-fire. However, only burned plot 1, which burned at a higher severity than burned plot 2, showed increased growth relative to control plots 3 to 5 years post-fire. This study has implications pertaining to frequent fire forests of the West. 

Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are sit-and-wait predators that rely on perch-sites to forage efficiently. Overwintering Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels use available perches (i.e., utility poles and wires, trees, fences, gates, etc.) to hunt for prey items in the agricultural fields in Northeast Arkansas. Observations were made from December 2011 to the present on three representative cover types: short rice stubble, soybean stubble, and fallow areas including roadsides in order to determine which perch-sites were used by Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels the most. Prey density and vegetation cover were also estimated in each cover type. Utility pole crossbeams at a height of 6.3 meters are the main perch-site used by Red-tailed Hawks, demonstrating the use of man-made structures as perch-sites. These perches were generally in or near short rice stubble fields, which were found to have the lowest amount of vegetation cover, and low prey density. Conversely, American Kestrels most used utility wires at a height of 4.9 meters from the ground, over fallow roadsides as perch-sites, representing an area with high prey density and vegetation cover. Although there have been documented cases of inter-specific competition between these two species, Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels may limit direct interaction via differential uses of perch-sites. The study gained insight into the behavioral ecology of two competing raptors in northeast Arkansas.

Expression of glycans or carbohydrate antigens on mucosal surfaces is known to influence interactions between the host and bacteria. Variation in the expression of a single glycosyltransferase B4galnt2 is associated with significant shifts in the composition of the intestinal microbiota of mice (Staubach F, ISME, 2012). Glycosyltransferases are a class of enzymes that transport and assemble glycans. Preliminary studies of a mouse Salmonella model has found a significant association between Salmonellosis and expression of B4galnt2. In this project we will test the hypothesis that Salmonella spp. show preferential binding to the B4galnt2 β 1-4 GalNac sugar, which is commonly expressed by human intestinal epithelial cells (Mohlke et al., Cell 1999). We have adapted an in vitro method from Ruiz-Palacios et al. (JBC, 2003) to study this question, which utilizes Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell genetically engineered to express specific glycans to assay bacterial binding. Cells will be grown toconfluency in chamber slides then they are they are fixed and blocked. Clinical Salmonella enterica isolates will be grown in culture tubes overnight. Diluted bacteria will then be directly applied to the CHO Cells in the chamber slides and incubated together. After incubation the slides will be fixed and stained with a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugated anti Salmonella antibody. Stained slides are examined under a fluorescent microscope to quantify the number of bacteria bound to CHO-B4galnt2 cells vs. control CHO cells. Increased numbers of bacteria binding to the CHO-B4galnt2 cells compared to the control CHO cells would support a role for the B4galnt2 β 1-4 GalNac in host-Salmonella interactions. If no significant difference in binding is seen by this method, we will also test the hypothesis by doing introducing shear in a modified dot blot binding assay using mucus from B4galnt2 (+/+) and (-/-) mice to investigate Salmonella spp. differential adherence.

After the issues raised by the Clear Alley Project (CAP) by the City of Seattle in 2009 as an effort to remove dumpsters from alleys, the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) has been working on the reactivation project of two alleys, Maynard Alley and Canton Alley, in the Chinatown-International District. Named as the Chinatown Historic Alley Partnership (CHAP), the reactivation project is striving to enhance the physical environment for a safer walking experience while highlighting the historical and cultural significances of the alleys. Based on the existing Schematic Design Report which focuses on improving the physical qualities of the alleys, this research paper studies the possible marketing and promoting approaches to publicize the changes happening in the alleys to the public and to promote a better awareness and engagement of the local community. After reviewing the history of buildings along the alleys, studying marketing approaches of other alleys’ reactivation projects, and on-site measurement and analysis, a marketing plan specifically for Maynard Alley and Canton Alley will be created that best preserve their distinctive characteristics while introducing the practical functions to them. This research paper is being prepared for the IDEA Space, which is the resource and design center of SCIDpda, and will be used as guideline for 2013 summer events planning. Currently the literature review has been done and site analysis has started. Further implementation and feedback of events will be recorded in detailed for future revision and as potential references for alley reactivation of other cities.