Our study aims to determine how physiological measures of affect such as heart rate variability and galvanic skin response may be linked to other representations of emotion that arise naturally in text-based communication during online collaboration. Research in this area is important because people increasingly collaborate in a distributed manner across greater distances, and text-based communication is one of the primary means of facilitating these collaborations. The inspiration for this work comes from Aragon and Williams' (2011) paper, which introduces a complex systems model of collaborative creativity and describes ways that affect contributes to this model. In this study, we test and validate the model by using physiological measures to detect and explore the relationship between affect and creativity. Possible outcomes include correlations of creative events with physiological measures of affect and/or the occurrence of affect in chat messages.

Hawkmoths, Manduca sexta, feed mainly during early morning and late evening in low light conditions by hovering and tracking moving flowers. The variable lighting conditions in which the hawkmoths feed in nature allow for the perfect setting to examine how visual signal acquisition can affect the performance of motor controlled tasks. By varying the luminance levels, it could result in a change in the amount of time it takes for hawkmoths to react to visual stimuli. In other words, motion-sensing tasks, like tracking a moving flower while feeding, may vary with the background sensory environment. We tested our hypothesis with freely flying moths feeding from a robotically actuated artificial flower at a low luminance level of .3 lux and a high luminance level of 300 lux. Because the flower motion was composed of the superposition of multiple sine waves (0.2-20 Hz), we were able to examine how moths responded at different frequency levels, making it possible to reconstruct a performance pattern. The flower's movement was done in both the vertical and horizontal axes. By calculating the coherence at each frequency, gain, and phase delay, we discovered that moths reliably track at frequencies exceeding 5 Hz. As predicted, we perceived much larger processing delays from the moth's response to the flower's movement at lower luminance levels than higher. This processing delay corresponds to moths being able to perceive and react to visual stimuli 16ms faster at high luminance levels than low luminance levels. At low luminance levels, moths actually overcorrected by overshooting the flower's position at peak tracking frequencies (1-2Hz), possibly due to longer integration delays. Future experiments involve integrating two degrees of freedom by combining multiple axes. Background sensory environment significantly alters the performance of an ecologically-relevant tracking behavior as predicted from sensory neurophysiological mechanisms.

 Flying organisms achieve flight stability by employing a multitude of control surfaces, most notably the wings. However, airframe deformations, such as abdominal motions in the hawk moth Manduca sexta, have recently been shown to play a significant role in stabilizing flight. In my research I have studied the control potential of abdominal deflections using a closed-loop flight arena. Tethered moths controlled the velocity of a projected black bar with their abdominal angle. Image velocity varied according to the difference between the abdominal angle and the set point (relative to the average abdominal angle), scaled by a gain factor. Experimental trials were performed for a ten-fold range of gains at three different set points and consisted of 60s periods during which the moths attempted to stabilize the drifting bar. The moths were capable of stabilizing the image for all experimental conditions, with the highest average performance (50%) occurring at the medium gain and the set point corresponding to the average abdominal angle. Poor performance (<50%) during low gain trials was characterized by steady state error, likely the result of the relatively low image velocities. For high gain trials, the decreased performance (<35%) was characterized by large abdominal oscillations. These results support an active and plastic role for the abdomen in flight control, but also tested the limits of the abdominal control circuit. To continue exploring the role of the abdominal motion I have been working on performing EMG recordings from the abdominal muscles during free flight. For this research the virtual arena serves as a controlled environment to collect preliminary data and to refine the experimental procedure and animal preparation. Finally, I will present my work developing a biometric controller for the Parrot AR.Drone quadrotor. This project utilized a Kinect and custom software to control the quadrotor with body postures.

Between 2001- 2003 there has been a surge in an ancient yet taboo tradition of bacchabazi in Afghanistan; baccha meaning “child “and bazi meaning “gaming” with a connotative meaning of “boys for play”. This is a significant concern because the act of bacchabazi is one that focuses on the sexual exploitation of young poverty-stricken Afghan boys for the sole purpose of elevating the statuses of their owners, mainly high ranking ex-military officers. By engaging in research of bacchabazi I intend to find answers surrounding why the act of bacchabazi has increased and what the triggers are, that permit it to flourish? The objective of my research is to look at the factors involved in this practice, including aspects of class, socioeconomic status, and conflict areas. The method I am going to use is a feminist discourse analysis of media artifacts current and historical ones. This will include newspapers foreign and domestic, blogs, academic texts, and documentaries reported by researchers within the field of child exploitation in Afghanistan, specifically focused around bacchabazi. This analysis will be done through a lens of transnational feminism while supplementing theories of colonization and post-colonization. Since the theoretical context is colonization and post-colonization, my research will fit into existing related scholarship and contribute to the field because there is not a substantial amount of research currently being published. Since my data is still accumulating I do not have solidified results but rather, informed opinions that would infer recommendations for the young men affected. Some proposed findings/recommendations include: education for the young men with the purpose of identifying the ramifications of being selected/recruited as a bacchabazi, support in way of agency for the young men, and an increased awareness among local jurisdiction in regards to not criminalizing the actions forced upon the young men.

The reversible phosphorylation of proteins mediates a wide range of biological processes that range from signal transduction cascades to regulation of protein abundance. However, little is known about the mechanisms and evolution of phosphorylation networks. Despite the extraordinary advances in genome sequencing of many yeast species, evolutionary studies on the phosphoproteome of yeast species have been limited to the experimental analysis of phosphorylation in one species and theoretical analysis of the conservation of phospho-acceptor residues with other species. To properly study the evolutionary conservation phosphorylation in yeast, we are utilizing mass spectrometry to study and compare the phosphoproteome of 21 species of yeast, including representative species from each clade of the yeast phylogenetic tree. Most of these species have not been studied before by proteomics. This high-throughput phosphoproteomic study on the yeast species will contribute to the construction of phosphoproteome datasets, which can be exploited for comparative analysis of phosphorylation between the species. One of main aims is to identify phosphorylation sites that show a high degree of conservation across the 21 species of yeast. These highly conserved phosphorylation sites likely regulate the same functions across the different species, and these functions can be further studied and correlated to our understanding of the mechanistics of phosphorylation in key biological processes, as well as the diseases that occur when the signaling pathways that involve these sites are defective. The second aim of this project is to study the correlation between the conservation of the phosphoproteome with the conservation of the genome and transcriptome, which will expand our understanding of the evolution of phenotypic diversity. Finally, the large-scale dataset of the proteomes and phosphoproteomes holds a great potential for other types of computational analysis, and also serves as a foundational reference for future experiments.

Genes crucial for cell differentiation have been shown to change position within the nucleus at the appropriate stages of development. For example, it's been shown that the beta-globin locus moves from the periphery to the interior as transcription increases. The nuclear periphery is considered a repressive compartment, where silenced genes are located. Expression of Pax5, which encodes for the B-cell lineage-specific activator protein (BSAP), is vital for the commitment to the B-cell lineage and development. However, Pax5 is repressed during the differentiation of B-cells into plasma cells. In this study, we used fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), to look at the position of the Pax5 locus at various stages of B-cell differentiation in order to determine if Pax5 position is correlated with its expression. We then performed RNA/DNA FISH to visualize the actively transcribing allele position. 

Every aspect of nature is governed by the laws of physics. These laws include the basic principle of the center of gravity which is defined as a point in an object’s body at which the total net torque due to gravity equals zero. Understanding and applying this basic principle is crucial for dancers if they are to be successful movers. Yet the popular form of dance known as breaking seems to defy the laws of physics, particularly static equilibrium – a state where an object will not rotate unless an external force is applied because the center of gravity is located above an object’s base of support. Many breakers are able to perform gravity defying movements as they invert their bodies and hold various poses known as “freezes.” Using a series of cameras and a three-dimensional (3D) modeling program, I am able to locate the center of gravity in individual breakers and reveal that their movements do not violate the laws of physics. Using the information collected from this research, I can then propose and create new possibilities for freezes based on the concepts of static equilibrium. This research will be a stepping stone for further biomechanical researches in breaking and other forms of dance. Similar experimental techniques can be used to analyze more complex principles such as dynamic equilibrium – balance while in motion.

Protein phosphorylation is a common regulatory mechanism carried out by the cell, as adding a phosphate group to a particular protein can switch its activity on or off.  Signaling pathways employ this control method to instigate series of phosphorylation events that elicit a particular cell response.  Our research involves extracting and characterizing the phosphoproteome, or the cell’s entire set of expressed phosphorylated proteins, in both yeast and mammalian cell models.  To generate lists of phosphoproteins present in these cell models, we use mass spectrometry, an analytic technique that produces characteristic spectra for individual phosphopeptides that are then matched to a library of known protein spectra through the use of computer algorithms.  In our preliminary results, we have generated large-scale data sets identifying thousands of phosphorylated proteins present in each species and cell type.  The goal of the first project, the yeast study, is to determine the degree of evolutionary conservation in phosphorylation events across 19 yeast species to learn about the basic principles of phosphoregulation.  The conservation of phosphorylation can also give insight into phosphorylation events in other species evolutionarily related to yeast, such as humans.  The second project, the mammalian cell study, examines the phosphoproteome of different breast cancer cell types in order to identify common phosphorylated proteins, from which we can deduce a molecular signature for breast cancer.  This signature can be used in future studies to design a universal protein inhibitor drug as an alternative anti-cancer therapy.  Additionally, by identifying the phosphoproteins exclusive to each cell type, we can uniquely characterize specific types of breast cancer.  Knowledge of the proteins active in one type of breast cancer may facilitate development of inhibitor drugs as a form of personalized medicine.

Medical diagnostic device development has been, in recent history, focused largely on paper-based diagnostics. Such devices offer incredibly low per patient cost with the downside of poor sensitivity and minimal ability to multiplex, or detect many different compounds simultaneously. New technologies which leverage exceedingly efficient silicon manufacturing have the potential to approach the cost of paper diagnostics with increased sensitivity and extensive multiplexing. This project aims to develop one such technology, silicon photonics. Using existing manufacturing technologies, silicon photonic sensing measures analyte mass accumulation through dielectric shift by taking advantage of the evanescent field of electromagnetic radiation passed through a silicon wafer. Aided by unique binding chemistries, silicon photonic devices are capable of highly specific analyte detection. The current stage in this project is focused on developing tools, the most notable being a rapid prototyping setup for testing chip design. The setup automates the interaction of a variety of necessary hardware components including fluidic pumps, movable stages, a microscope, and an infrared laser. By using such a rapid prototyping setup, it is hoped that a chip design that is extremely condusive to medical diagnostics will be developed and brought to cost effective levels.

This project seeks to better understand climate change corollary to the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the tropical Pacific from the Little Ice Age (~AD 1400-1850) to the present using hydrogen isotopes as a proxy for climate change. During this time, the ITCZ is hypothesized to have reached its most southern location, the consequences of which were evident on a global scale. However, more research is needed to further investigate this hypothesis. Specifically, this study examines hydrogen isotope ratios of the source specific lipids Taraxerol and Dinosterol from Lake Escondido, Isabela Island, Galapagos. Lipids were solvent-extracted from sections of the cores, separated through silica gel columns, and the ratio of Deuterium and Hydrogen (δD) of specific lipids was quantified using a Gas Chromatograph-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer. The combined fluxes of both terrestrially and aquatically sourced δD ratios over time provide a proxy for climate change through the present. Due to the widespread effects of the ITCZ on global hydrology, understanding its movement, and what triggers migration, can provide insight into future climate scenarios.

Active drug targeting involves a specific “lock and key” binding interaction, which enables drugs to be delivered exclusively to specific sites in the body thereby reducing the toxic side effects and improving the efficacy of the drug. However, the field of active-targeting lacks an efficient drug carrier. We are proposing to use a RAFT-based glycopolymer as a novel drug carrier. It is composed of three different types of monomers: 1) pyridal-disulfide methacrylate (PDSMA) for drug conjugation to the polymer through a disulfide bond, 2) hydroxyl propyl methacrylate (HPMA) to make the polymer biocompatible and soluble in the body, and 3) carbohydrate monomers that enable active-targeting through the specific carbohydrate-receptor interactions on outer cell membranes. Then the three monomers are polymerized together by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The resulting copolymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The polymer size is around 8.5 kDa with low polydisperisty (<1.1). The polymer composition is 5% PDSMA, 75% HPMA, and 20% carbohydrate. The bioactivity of these polymers has been tested by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In order to test the binding specificity of the mannose copolymer to ConA, I tested two different copolymers that contained different carbohydrate monomers. One polymer contains mannose, which specifically interacts with ConA. On the other hand, galactose, a stereoisomer of mannose, does not bind to ConA as expected. These results are promising because the mannose copolymer demonstrates good bioactivity, even though it contains a lower composition of mannose. These RAFT-based glycopolymers provide insight into the design of future active-targeting drug delivery systems.

Silicon microring resonator biosensors utilize nanoscale light confinement to detect biomolecules in a real-time and label-free manner with high sensitivity. Detecting the presence of antibodies that bind human tissue and blood antigens is crucial in transplant and transfusion medicine, as mismatched products can impact the clinical outcome of the recipient. The focus of the current research is to improve data analysis methods to perform serologic analysis of human plasma using a silicon photonic chip. Microring resonator chips were prepared by physisorption of streptavidin followed by functionalization with biotin-conjugated histo-blood group antigens. Testing was performed using undiluted human plasma to detect histo-blood group antibodies on the functionalized chip surface. A secondary enhancement step using an anti-immunoglobulin antibody enabled the quantification of the surface bound antibodies. Data analysis was performed using on-chip positive and negative controls, and kinetic analysis was accomplished using association models. The quantitative determination of antibody binding profiles with a model antibody system is discussed to show how these devices can ascertain kinetic behavior. Positive determination of plasma antibody content is shown, proving these devices can be used in this application at current clinical standards. These devices are suited for clinical translation and with proper quantitative models and testing they could surpass current clinical methods.

We estimate a Gaussian graphical model corresponding to a covariance matrix using machine learning techniques. A motivating application is to identify genes associated with cancer in the human genome. Suppose we have genetic data from two people, one of whom is healthy, while the other has cancer. Our goal is to identify gene expressions that differ between datasets and contribute to cancer. We model each dataset as a Gaussian graphical model, which is a network of edges and nodes. Each node represents a random variable, or gene. Each edge represents the dependence between the two variables it connects. An edge with zero value indicates the two variables are independent when conditioned on the rest of the variables. Such networks are analogously represented as inverse covariance matrices. Our goal is to use empirical genetic information from cancer patients to recover the true inverse covariance matrices. We suppose that the inverse covariance matrices have a certain structure and we set up a problem to encourage that structure. Structure refers to the relative magnitudes of matrix elements. A structure of interest is a hub node, which is highly connected to other nodes. These nodes play a regulatory role in gene expression and may be related to cancer. Our goal is to identify hub nodes in the difference between two inverse covariance matrices. We formulate this question as a convex optimization problem. We encourage the solution to have a certain structure by adding regularizer terms to the objective function. We recover the overall structure of the inverse matrices, while simultaneously encouraging the solution to have specific structures of interest. An alternating directions method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm is used to solve the optimization problem. We run the algorithm on synthetic genetic data, and on real gene expression data to identify cancer related genes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Aging is a process characterized by the degeneration of bodily components and functions. Scientists are limited in their ability to study this process in humans, in part because a human lifespan is too long to conveniently study. Instead, model organisms are studied extensively in the hope that discoveries made will be applicable to another organism of interest. Model organisms are usually short-lived, easy to manipulate, and easy to handle. One of the best examples of a model organism is the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae lifespans are easy to measure and reproduce, and since they have a short lifespan we can study a large amount at one time. Aging in Saccharomyces can be measured in two different ways. A yeast cell can be kept in a non-dividing, nutrient limited environment and tested to see if it can successfully re-enter the cell cycle, when it cannot, its lifespan has ended. This method is used to measure the chronological lifespan, and the model can be applied to human cells that are no longer replicating (post-mitotic cells). There is another model we can use to understand a different aging process, called the replicative lifespan. The replicative lifespan refers to the number of times a mother cell can divide to produce daughter cells, and is a much better representation of cells that are still dividing (mitotically active cells) in other organisms. As undergraduates, we help study this process by physcially separating daughter cells from the mothers using fiberoptic needles (dissecting) and counting them at regular intervals. When the mother cell no longer produces daughter cells, the replicative lifespan has ended. The data collected can be compared to past and expected results in order to help us gauge how well the cells are dividing. By manipulating the environment that each cell line is grown in, we can gain insight towards specific drugs and conditions that mother cells divide best in, and apply this to other mitotically active cells in other organisms. Both measurements of lifespan can be manipulated in similar ways, and many labs have started to establish a bank of genes and environmental factors that can be manipulated in order to change the outcomes.

Thirty-four million people worldwide currently live with HIV-1. Despite the availability of highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) which may prolong the lifespan of HIV patients, HAART does not target the latent viral reservoir in infected cells, enabling viral rebound in the absence of treatment. Introducing genetically-engineered DNA cutting enzymes (endonucleases) into HIV-infected cells may disrupt the integrated provirus. The site-specific DNA cutting activity of these endonucleases operating in conjunction with cellular error-prone DNA repair mechanisms may result in sustained damage to the integrated viral genome and prevent the virus from replicating. We are investigating 3 classes of engineered endonucleases: homing endonucleases (HEs), zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcriptional activator-like effector nucleases (TALENS). While the large DNA-binding domains of these endonucleases allow for customization to a desired target sequence, delivering these enzymes to a cell (vectorization) poses a challenge. TALENS in particular require a DNA coding sequence beyond the capacity of many viral vectors. As such, a method of co-transduction must be pursued, whereby two halves of the endonuclease coding sequence are delivered by separate viral vectors and coordinately expressed in the HIV-infected cell. My project aims to determine the optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI) for co-transducing HIV-infected cells using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. I have determined AAV-1 to be the optimal serotype of AAV for infecting SupT1 cells, a cell line used as a model for HIV-infected T-cells. I have constructed two sets of AAV-1 viral vectors to express either Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) or a red fluorescent protein (mCherry) as surrogates for endonuclease genes and infected SupT1 cells with both sets of vectors at variable MOIs, using flow cytometry to determine the rate of co-transduction. Through this method, I have successfully co-transduced cells with two AAV-1 viral vectors. These results may have applications in future HIV research and clinical therapy.

Breast cancer continues to be a major threat to women’s health. For survivors, breast cancer often recurs 2 to 15 years after the initial treatment, either locally in the same or contralateral breast or at a distant recurrent site (metastasis). Currently, the performance of traditional methods, such as mammography and genetic markers, for screening breast cancer recurrence is limited, and alternative methods is strongly desired. Because of their sensitivity to biological status, metabolite markers may provide better diagnostic accuracy and earlier detection. Therefore, metabolomics, which focuses on the parallel measurement of hundreds of small molecule metabolites, has emerged as a powerful methodology for understanding biochemical systems and metabolic changes due to cancer. The Raftery group identified 11 metabolites (lactate, glutamic acid, etc.) that are useful for breast cancer recurrence detection. This model provides an earlier and more accurate approach to detect recurrence compared to the current standard, cancer antigen 27.29 (a FDA-approved blood immunoassay for breast cancer treatment monitoring). Recently, they have developed a targeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method (LC-MS), which enables us to simultaneously monitor changes of more than 150 metabolites in 25 different metabolic pathways (such as Glycolysis and the TCA cycle) that are of potential significance to breast cancer. In our present work we are validating their previous results and expanding this research to investigate a more comprehensive metabolic profile. Our specific task in this project is to prepare the samples and analyze them using the LC-MS platform. Using commercial serum samples from recurrent and non-recurrent breast cancer patients, we anticipate additional metabolite biomarkers that will be very valuable for developing a better diagnostic test for detecting breast cancer recurrence. In the long run, these markers should be useful for improving survival rates of breast cancer patients and thus for reducing social and financial burden.