Crowdsourcing platforms provide a common market place for job seekers and requesters to work collaboratively. The existing platforms fail to address the needs of the workers and the requesters due to unjust distribution of power and insufficient information about the parties involved in a task. In platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk new workers struggle to find tasks, workers face rejection without adequate feedback, whereas requesters do not get high quality results in time. In this research we contribute to Daemo a collaborative project from Stanford crowd research collective. Daemo is a self-governed crowdsourcing platform that aims to improve work quality and provide equitable representation. We studied the surrounding literature about existing solutions to learn about the flaws in the current platforms. Then, we interviewed professional workers and requesters to find their needs. We envisioned ways to improve the requester experience by suggesting tagging for tasks to make the tags easier to be searched and tailored for their skills. We also proposed adding ratings to requesters profile and adding rejection rate to requester profiles. Then, we illustrated our design choices by creating prototypes to communicate and evaluate our work.

With concern about climate change increasing, assessing how plant reproductive success is impacted by increases in temperature is crucial in order to fully understand how climate change influences ecosystem structure and dynamics. This study measures how population variation and the climate of different elevations affect the capsule size and seed mass of the high-elevation plant mountain monkeyflower, Mimulus tilingii, at Mt. Rainier National Park. If climate is the primary limiting factor determining the range of M. tilingii, plants within the species’ climate range will produce the most abundant capsules and seeds whereas plants grown outside the species’ distributional range will produce smaller amounts. Sample seedlings were planted at two elevation sites: 1)  M. tilingii’s range center and 2) below M. tilingii’s range to mimic the increase in temperature due to climate change. Populations were categorized as either within-population (for crosses within the same elevation site) or between-population (for crosses between the two elevation sites) with equal amounts at both sites. This study quantifies M. tilingii’s reproductive success both in the context of the site as well as the population type, allowing for comparisons on these two levels. Results show that parent plants from the lower site produced more flowers and grew faster, indicating that plants in the lower elevation site might be more successful. These unexpected results suggest that M. tilingii may be better adapted to a warmer environment and that climate change might even be beneficial for this reason. Determining the exact impact of temperature on reproductive success is crucial not only for measuring the species’ fitness but also for understanding how these new adaptations will play an even bigger role in competition for resources among different plant species and how those new interactions will alter the ecosystem as a whole as the climate warms.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diarrheal diseases are the second leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 globally. Cryptosporidium and Giardia are two microscopic parasites that cause diarrhea, infecting both humans and animals. The current gold standard field method for collecting water samples for parasite testing (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 1623), is not practical for remote sample locations as it requires 10-L of water to be kept on ice during transport to testing facilities. A pilot study by the UW Center for One Health Research will implement a new water sampling system, known as Bag-Mediated Filtration System (BMFS), to look at how these parasites impact low resource communities. My goal was to determine if BMFS could be used in conjunction with EPA 1623 to give recovery rates consistent with the current EPA 1623 method. I went to 4 different locations in Washington to retrieve surface water samples using the BMFS kit. Sites were chosen based on the likelihood that there would be parasites present: sources with the possibility of animal waste and areas with turbid water. The environmental samples, along with 10 parasite-spiked laboratory samples were analyzed using the EPA method - after filtration using the bag. Parasite numbers were measured as oocysts per liter using immunofluorescence, and recovery rates of spiked samples were compared to acceptance criteria from the EPA. This study will be useful to water quality researchers working in rural or remote field sites, or areas where climate conditions make sample storage challenging.

Tree lines play a vital role in plant community composition in montane ecosystems. Over the past several decades, increasing annual temperatures have led to shifts in tree lines in montane environments. However, little is known about how local topography may have an effect on tree line advance. My research incorporates historical and repeat, ground based and aerial photography to assess the change of alpine tree line in a range of topographical conditions in Mount Rainier National Park over the past century. My study quantifies changes in tree cover and tree-line elevation in ridge and cove environments of the park. To track treeline change, historical and recent photographs were aligned, and areas of the photograph were broken up into polygons based on their small-scale topography. Random points were overlaid in these polygons to assess the rate of change of tree line shift. By looking at the change in tree cover in each random point relative to the polygon type, we are able to determine the amount of tree thickening that has occurred. We predicted that tree lines on sun exposed ridges will shift more quickly than those in cove environments. Snow is prevalent for longer periods of time in concave valleys limiting the amount by which the trees can shift up. Our results thus far indicate that small-scale ridge regions have the highest rate of change for tree line shift followed by cove. Subalpine meadows often occur in cove topography. Tree thickening in these regions over time may impact the wildflower populations and decrease species richness in subalpine meadows. In all, our research adds to the growing body of evidence that tree lines are moving up in elevation as well as provides the National Park Service with information about tree line influences on the plant communities of the park.

We know that climate sensitivity can vary within species, but the factors that influence which climatic variables influence population dynamics remain unclear. In this study, I am assessing whether macroclimate influences the climate sensitivity of three prominent conifer species: Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis), mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), and Alaska yellow cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis) on Mt. Rainier. I am analyzing tree core data from three high elevation sites. Each site is located in a distinctly different climatic area on the mountain. I am comparing standardized tree growth to climate variables (mean growing-season temperature, total growing-season precipitation, snow duration, etc.) using linear mixed effect models. This will determine how influential climate variables differ by location and by species. Gaining more insight into which climate variables have the greatest influence on growth in different areas will allow us to better predict how specific plant populations will react to ongoing climate change. Moreover, studying tree communities at high elevations is particularly important, since behavior at treeline will determine whether a species’ range expands, contracts or shifts. Range expansion of one species could lead to the crowding or elimination of another. For example, conifer range expansion on Mt. Rainier could negatively affect the alpine wildflower meadows, a major attraction for tourists. Widespread range contractions could also decrease forest density and potentially reduce the ability of those forests to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Thus, with better predictions of tree shifts, we can make more informed management decisions for ecotourism and conservation.

Masting refers to annually variable seed production; whereby plant species release large quantities of seeds one year, followed by one or more years of significantly lower seed production. Seed masting behavior is thought to be evolutionarily favorable, a technique for survival. Two main theories exist to explain mast seeding, predator satiation and increased pollination. The purpose of this research study was to determine A) if a group of six conifer species within Mt. Rainier National Park exhibit mast seeding behavior (i.e. synchronized seed production over large areas, annual variation in seed production exceeds annual climate variation); B) Whether seed viability is greater in 'boom' years than 'bust' years (which would support wind pollination efficiency as an evolutionary driver of masting); and C) whether these patterns vary by species and/or elevation. We examined six species of conifers: Abies amabilis, Callitropsis nootkatensis, pseudotsuga menziesii, Thuja plicata, Tsuga heterophylla, and Tsuga mertensiana. Data was collected from 108 seed traps located in 18 stands at multiple elevation ranges within Mt. Rainier National Park. Seeds were sorted based on tree species, and classified as filled (viable) vs. unfilled (not viable). We then calculated mean total seed production for each stand and used correlations to assess how correlated annual seed production is across 18 stands. Next, we compared annual variation in climate within each stand, to assess whether species showed higher variation in seed production in comparison to climatic variation. Finally, we compared results for our six focal species to assess species specific similarities and differences. Understanding the mechanisms behind masting is important, as masting can control tree population demography, and influences ecosystem dynamics. Moreover, our study may provide greater understanding of the implications of climate change on masting dynamics for forests at Mt. Rainier National Park.

This research focuses on the ongoing student activism at the University of Washington Bothell advocating for a Diversity Center. Since 2011, students have expressed their need for for a Diversity Center on campus. On February 25th, 2015, the students of the University of Washington Bothell organized a campus walkout declaring a state of emergency for marginalized students on campus and stated their need for a Diversity Center at UW Bothell. This projects highlights the voices and experiences of the students through analyzing social structures, institutions, and their connection to collective identity, collective activism. We argue that this form of activism is used as a tactic of decolonization and resistance, as it challenges the historic capitalistic colonization of the university. The focus of this research is to recognize that social institutions are shaped, transformed, and influenced by a social structure. This work is important in understanding the institutions epistemic framework is rooted an continues to operate through white supremacy and capitalism. Therefore, we ask ourselves the questions: what has been the role of the students’ activism on campus for a Diversity Center? And how does such transform, decolonize, the university? In order for us to answer the questions and document the activism, we have and will continue to conduct interviews and focus groups with student activists, in addition to engaging in social media analysis about the campus walkout. Some evidence that we have found was that students felt caged and a sense of not belonging by not having a Diversity Center, which has has motivated their activism, while critically analyzing their own intersecting identities. Therefore, through this resistance and activism, students have redefined collective efficacy, developed intentional communities, and work to both heal and dismantle systems of oppression.

 Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and deadliest cancer of the central nervous system. The existence of stem-like cells within GBM tumors - Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) - may explain some of the malignant features of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) owing to their rapid self renewal and diffuse migratory behavior. Increasingly apparent is the role ion channels play in many cancer cell properties, including regulation of cell cycle progression and proliferation, tumor cell motility and invasion, and regulation of metabolic rate. We hypothesize that ion channel dysregulation contributes to GSC malignancy, including increased viability, proliferation, and migration. To test this, multiple GSC isolates derived from human GBM tumors were maintained in culture over many passages while retaining stem cell properties. RNA-seq expression profiles revealed ion channel families that were highly enriched in GSC samples. Real-time qPCR was next used to confirm increased expression of voltage gated calcium, sodium, and potassium channels, ionotropic glutamate channels and inwardly-rectifying potassium channels. Identifying ion channels uniquely enriched in GSCs led to functional analyses to determine how ion channel blockers affected their proliferative and migratory properties. We performed MTT cell viability assays to assess how ion channel blockers altered the viability of GSCs compared to a control neural stem cell line. We were able to show a significant decrease in cell viability across GSC lines compared to control at a variety of drug concentrations. Utilizing live-image cell tracking, we determined decreased migratory behavior and rates of these GSC lines with the same blockers. Finally, to elucidate the role of the extrinsic tumour microenvironment on the proliferation and migration of GSCs, unique coculture models involving GSCs cultured on mouse organotypic brain slices were utilized, and showed the affects of stimulating and inhibitory DREADD receptors to modulate local neuronal activity.

To support the increased production of hemoglobin, the oxygen-binding protein in red blood cells, erythroid progenitor cells need large amounts of its functional constituent biochemical, heme. Despite this increased demand for heme, excessive amounts of free (unutilized) heme form reactive oxygen species which causes damage to cellular components and even apoptosis. To understand the decisions individual cells make to compensate for induced excessive heme, we are analyzing expression data from a pilot single cell RNA-sequencing study. Alongside various exploratory revelations, we identified Tspo (Translocator Protein), a poorly characterized mitochondrial transmembrane protein as one with significant expression changes in cells with heme excess. I have been conducting bioinformatics analyses on the transcriptomic data to classify it's expression pattern and find possible correlations with the expression of other genes. As per my initial findings, it's expression resembles that of a ROS-response gene, which will guide my further molecular/ biochemical experiments into determining causation vs. correlation between Tspo expression and heme excess. I intend to measure TSPO expression alongwith several other genes implicated in pathways related to it under conditions of upregulated heme synthesis. I will also quantify expression patterns through erythroid development in vivo with induced heme overload. I hope to better characterize the role of Tspo, if any, in heme-response pathways with these experimental investigations, together with bioinformatics analysis on large-scale transcriptomic data.

Developmental phenotypic plasticity can be a vital means to buffer the sudden and persistent effects of anthropogenic climate change, through facilitation of species persistence and possible facilitation of species range shifts. Integrating our understanding of plastic physiological growth mechanisms with functional traits may prove useful for interpretation of the ecological impacts of climate change. We investigated the influence of water-stress and light limitation on leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf anatomy, and leaf gas exchange of juvenile Populus tremuloides trees. Leaves that developed while water-stressed had significantly elevated LMA, due to increased leaf density from significantly higher spongy mesophyll surface area per leaf area (A_smes/A) and reduced stomatal conductance (g_s) but only marginally reduced photosynthesis (Pmax). In shade, leaves had significantly reduced LMA, due to reduced thickness, density, and combined A_mes/A, but maintained the same A_smes/A, and reduced palisade mesophyll surface area per leaf area (A_pmes/A), which was coupled with a reduction of g_s and P_max. Furthermore, water-stressed leaves had elevated intrinsic water use efficiency (WUE_i: P_max/g_s) while the shaded leaves, despite reduced g_s, maintained similar WUE_i. Our results suggest that, under water-stress and full sunlight, greater A_smes/A conferred maintenance of photosynthetic rate possibly through reduction of mesophyll resistance (r_m), at the cost of reducing expansive leaf area (and increasing density) as leaves were more dense but were 20 % the area of control leaves. In shade, suppressing A_pmes/A while maintaining A_smes/A may be a plastic strategy to increase laminar light capture, as leaves had reduced density and thickness but were still 50 % the area of control leaves . Together, in P. tremuloides saplings, these stresses induced developmental plasticity in LMA with differing plastic underlying anatomy and function; we discuss future implications specifically in the context of developmental plasticity, growth trade-offs, and the ecological impacts of climate change.

People in agriculture commonly use pesticides to prevent insect damage on crops. One common pesticide is called acetamiprid (ACP). While this pesticide has low toxicity to mammals, there have been cases of acute toxicity from overexposure to this pesticide. In this study, we focused on pesticide handlers, people who apply pesticide to crops in the fields, from the Yakima valley and analyzed their urine samples to measure their exposure to the pesticide ACP. The primary goal of the study was to quantify urine biomarkers to ACP exposure, including the parent compound ACP, and two metabolites: acetamiprid-N-desmethyl (ACPDM) and 6-chloronicotinic acid (6-CNA). We collected urine samples from 10 pesticide handlers in the 24 hours after applying ACP in an orchard. Each person was given a liter sized sampling vial to collect each void. We collected 34 human samples in total. I identified and quantified the biomarkers in the human urine samples collected. I did this by processing the samples using Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and then quantifying them by using high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). We expected to see small amounts of each biomarker in each sample, but found relatively high concentrations of the metabolite ACPDM. The results of this study will help to improve our ability to measure urinary markers of exposure, better estimate exposure and risk to pesticide handlers, understand the kinetics of ACP in the human body, and think of means to minimize exposure to prevent acute toxicity.

Iohexol and Iothalamate are nonradioactive contrast reagents, and are used as a marker to determine glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR is commonly used to evaluate the overall function of the kidneys as it reflects the rate at which toxins are filtered. It is considered the best index of kidney function. In order to switch from iothalamate to iohexol, a method validation is required to switch protocols. The method being evaluated uses iohexol that is given by bolus IV (single injection), and quantitates the concentration by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC uses high pressure and the affinity of molecules to elute of a column at specific times, called retention times, allowing the the quantitation of iohexol in a sample. Iohexol methodology provides many advantages including using less invasive clinical techniques, needing fewer sampling, and being less expensive than most markers used to determine GFR. The methodology is validated on two Waters® HPLC setups with analysis using EZ Chrom® and EP Evaluator®. EZ Chrom® is the program that stores and analyzes the the information, such as retention times, in order to determine the amount of iohexol. EP Evaluator®, is a program which analyzes data by calculating statistics to determine the precision and accuracy of the results. Assays performed included, inter-assays, intra-assays, analytical sensitivities, linearity, carryover, interferences, analytical comparison and cost analysis. The data showed that within limits, iohexol testing is precise, accurate, and overall valid to implement at Seattle Children’s Hospital in order to determine GFR. This makes it possible for Seattle Children's Hospital to continue to improve patient care by providing a less invasive method to determine GFR.
 

I examine the aesthetic representation of autism in two contemporary Spanish graphic novels that successfully counteract the typical medical presentation of disability: María y Yo (2007) and María Cumple 20 Años (2015), both written and drawn by Miguel Gallardo with his daughter Maria. Each text incorporates purposeful visual techniques in order to present the peculiar characteristics of Maria’s autism as well as her father’s preoccupations with her future. I share how their presentation facilitates educational discourse, empowers the disabled and their families, and reflects the capability of the graphic novel to give authority to groups who are often overlooked.

Bottom water hypoxia is a feature of many coastal embayments and fjords in the Salish Sea. Ongoing research in Bellingham Bay (Bellingham, WA USA) has identified a seasonally recurring area of low dissolved oxygen near the center of the Bay. Similar to other regions of the Salish Sea, hypoxia in Bellingham Bay may be a naturally occurring phenomenon, yet the extent of eutrophication and influence of anthropogenic nutrient loading on patterns of regional hypoxia is poorly understood. The present study has continued an established monitoring program documenting the range, duration, and severity of low dissolved oxygen in Bellingham Bay in the summers of 2013-2015, while adding an experimental component investigating factors that regulate respiration in the water column. Results suggest the displacement of an oxygen-depleted layer of bottom water in the bay is strongly correlated with spring-neap tidal cycling. In 2015, anomalously low river discharge and high temperatures may have also contributed to the lowest observed oxygen concentrations in our record (1.2 mg/L O2). In addition, manipulative experiments were conducted to investigate factors regulating oxygen consumption in bottom waters. Organic matter availability appears to be a prominent limiting factor to Bellingham Bay oxygen consumption, and ongoing research is investigating whether shifts in the resident phytoplankton community may affect the quality of carbon available for respiration. The study’s findings broaden our knowledge of factors regulating the consumption of oxygen in bottom waters of the Pacific Northwest and provide insight into the effects of organic carbon delivery and climate change.

Dynamically modeling insect wings helps engineers understand the principles of flapping-wing MAVs (Micro-Aerial Vehicle). Due to its insect size and low visibility, flapping-wing MAVs are broadly used in surveillance missions, remote observation of hazardous environment and even artificial pollination. Although several MAVs have been successfully developed so far, there still exists a large space for engineers to optimize the design, such as reducing the weight, energy consumption and cost. Based on the biological evidence that the wing deformation is mainly caused by inertial-elastic forces rather than aerodynamic loads, we developed an inertial elastic deformable hawk moth’s fore-wing model. Using this model, we determined the instantaneous power consumption of the flapping wing by adding the time derivatives of kinetic and potential energies together. The model revealed that significant power is required to compensate for the wing elasticity. We are trying to apply this model to various insects’ wings with various length scales to compare their structural properties and look for universal trend of the change of instantaneous power output. We hypothesize the model can predict the power requirement more accurately at smaller length scale wings, because inertial force tends to dominate aerodynamic force in smaller flying insects.

The purpose of this project was to record zooplankton abundance, distribution and diversity at two different study sites in the SJC (San Juan Channel) during the autumn of 2015, one with strong oceanic influence and one more estuarine, while continuing an annual, long-running dataset. Previous projects have focused on factors associated with distribution patterns, such as tides and tidal current speed. In this project, possible relationships between dissolved oxygen and the density of certain taxa were investigated using linear regression analysis both within the autumn 2015 dataset and over preceding years of data collection (2007-2015). Intra-seasonal temporal changes in abundance and distribution were observed during autumn 2015, some of which were consistent with that found during other years. While diversity was consistent across the years, the specific community assemblages found at the two sites varied. Dissolved oxygen was seen as a factor co-varying with abundance of certain taxa. If conditions are suboptimal for plankton survival (oxygen levels, nutrients, temperature) it may result in negative ecological consequences for animals farther up the food chain (Frederiksen, 2006). Information on plankton abundance as it relates to the changing oceans will be valuable in the years to come. In the SJC Caridean shrimp and gastropod larvae had positive relationships (p=0.008 and p=0.014) and polychaete trochophores had a negative relationship (p=0.018). However, these relationships did not all hold across the years.