Over the past century, the United States has seen many large changes in immigration patterns. One important change has been the emergence of new immigrant destinations within the past thirty years. While many traditional destinations (e.g., New York, NY) continue to draw immigrant populations, new metropolitan areas (e.g., Atlanta, GA) are also drawing large numbers of immigrants. What is largely unknown about these new destinations is how they differ from traditional destinations in terms of the health outcomes of their immigrant populations compared to their local native-born counterparts. I hypothesize that immigrants in new destinations will have worse health outcomes compared to the surrounding native-born population than that of immigrants in traditional destinations. I conduct a logistic regression analysis using data from the 1997-2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in order to compare health outcomes between immigrants and native-born populations in six new destination cities (Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Worth, Orlando, Washington D.C., and West Palm Beach) and eight traditional gateway cities (Bergen-Passaic, Boston, Chicago, Jersey City, Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, Nassau-Suffolk, New York, and San Francisco). Health is measured using two different models: (1) access to a primary care physician (based on the question “Is there a place that you usually go to when you are sick or need advice about your health?”) and (2) self-reported health (based on the question “Would you say your health in general is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?” with responses coded on a five point Likert scale, where 1 is “excellent” and 5 is “poor”). This research can be used to inform those interested in immigrant health on contexts that might increase immigrant health risks, such as patient-doctor communication issues and discrimination. Policymakers and public health officials can use this research to identify areas where intervention is needed.

Orthotic devices are prescribed for individuals who have partially lost motor control, such as stroke survivors or those with cerebral palsy, to assist with stability and function. Unlike prostheses, devices available for those missing part of a limb, there is a limited market for upper-limb orthoses. As a result, options for users can be clunky, expensive, and hard to customize. The goal of this research was to develop a 3D-printed elbow-driven orthosis that is inexpensive, adjustable, and helps users to perform two-handed daily tasks. Inspired by our participant who has limited hand function on her left side due to a seizure reducing brain surgery, we took a user centered design approach. By tuning the cable length running from the elbow to the hand, we took advantage of her existing range of motion to activate a clamp near the palm. We chose a modular approach for the clamp to suit a variety of daily activities, such as picking up small objects and holding a drumstick. In comparison to traditional devices that can reach hundreds of dollars, our cost has been reduced to roughly $20 largely because of the use of 3D printed parts. Through a continuous cycle of prototyping, receiving feedback, and modifying the design accordingly, we have created a device adapted to suit both adult and child sizes. While feedback from unimpaired participants was primarily received, we also plan to further test the device on individuals with limited hand function for more diverse perspectives from potential users. Ultimately, we aim to publish our designs open-source to promote further modifications and availability. 

The Possession Sound is located in the north Whidbey Basin of the Puget Sound between Whidbey Island and Snohomish County. Due to its proximity to multiple cities and the Snohomish River, both natural and anthropogenic influences can affect the distribution of heavy metals in this area. While normal heavy metal concentrations provide benefits to the ecosystem, anthropogenic sources can result in elevated concentrations, harming the environment. Students at the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA), a dual enrollment program through Everett Community College, have studied this issue since 2004. A ponar-type sediment grab was deployed from ORCA’s research vessel to collect sediment samples, which were analyzed by the Everett Environmental Laboratory using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). This study focused on zinc and lead concentrations during 2014-2016 at three sites in the Possession Sound: Dolphin 1, Mt. Baker Terminal (MBT), and Howarth. MBT and Howarth are in close proximity to the coast, while Dolphin 1 is in the middle of Possession Sound. These sites were chosen to investigate whether coastal sites would exhibit increased zinc and lead concentrations due to anthropogenic influences. Results show that mean lead concentrations were elevated in areas closer to the coast, MBT (3.13 mg/kg) and Howarth (3.15 mg/kg), in comparison to Dolphin 1 (2.277 mg/kg). Zinc concentrations didn’t follow the same trend; Dolphin 1 had a higher average zinc concentration (27.4 mg/kg) than MBT (22.2 mg/kg) and a similar concentration to Howarth (28.5 mg/kg). While anthropogenic influences appear to dominate the distribution of lead in the Possession Sound, zinc distribution may be controlled by multiple sources. High zinc concentrations at Howarth suggest that Snohomish River outflow may be one of these sources. Future sampling at monthly intervals is necessary to determine if there is a temporal influence and explain outliers in the data.

This study compares water chemistry data during different seasons in Possession Sound at a location near Mukilteo. Possession Sound is part of the larger Puget Sound. Entering the Possession Sound is the Snohomish River which creates an estuary, providing critical habitat for numerous species that undergo a wide variety of changing water quality parameters. Studying this area can assist in determining the ecological health of the local marine environment. Water chemistry data were collected by the students of the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) program. Long-term data are collected at this location as part of an archival set, however, the authors contributed data in the fall of 2016 through spring 2017. Using multi-parameter water chemistry probes (YSI 650 and EXO2 Sonde), at the top three meters of the water column, pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature were recorded monthly. It was predicted that pH levels at the surface would decrease and dissolved oxygen would increase during the winter months. This can be expected because temperature and dissolved oxygen have an inverse relationship, so as the surface water temperature decreased, dissolved oxygen amounts increased. By studying these seasonal changes, the correlating alterations to the ecological health of the Possession Sound can be determined.

This study was conducted by students at the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA), a dual-enrollment program for high school juniors and seniors at Everett Community College. The study utilized data from the longitudinal State of Possession Sound survey conducted by ORCA students since 2004. Possession Sound is located in the northern reaches of the regional Puget Sound basin, between Everett and Mukilteo, and has a significant freshwater influence from the Snohomish River on its eastern boundary. This study examines the effect of the El Nino weather pattern on the relationship between surface salinity and pH in the Sound at the Buoy site, which, due to its proximity to the river, is directly affected by temporal variation in river discharge. Within an estuarine system pH levels influence the biological processes of many organisms and are critical to the health of the estuary, by regulating the solubility of toxic chemicals. The pH of the Sound is affected by both the salinity of the water and biological productivity. For this study, measurements of surface salinity, pH, temperature, and chlorophyll were taken during the most recent La Nada and El Nino periods, June 2012 to Sept 2014 and December 2014 to June 2016 respectively. Data were collected with various Yellow Springs Instruments (YSI) probes (specifically the YSI 85, YSI 650, and YSI EXO-2 sonde). It was hypothesized that during La Nada, salinity would directly affect pH, with surface pH increasing during summer due to lower river discharge, and decreasing during spring and fall when precipitation and mountain runoff create higher river discharge. During El Nino, it was hypothesized that warmer temperatures and the related decrease in river discharge would cause pH to be more significantly influenced by biological factors, causing a correlation with temperature and chlorophyll instead of salinity.

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) has gone from being relatively unknown 20 years ago to being nearly ubiquitous today. Although 3D printers have become more and more common and the list of different types of 3D printers continues to grow, little work has been done to quantify the material properties of 3D printed materials. Finding relationships between shell thickness, infill percentage, infill shape and other print settings would give the 3D printing community a more quantitative way to increase print strength for a given filament type and print geometry. A relatively new aspect of 3D printing is the use of annealing to increase the strength of the printed part. By doing so the filament softens enough to spread out and form additional bonds between the layers and theoretically increases the strength of the print in the print plane. To facilitate this research and to find relationships between print settings and annealing, tensile testing was performed on dog-bone shaped samples (constructed using a fused deposition printer) using different print settings, and on annealed specimens.  At the same time mechanical testing was performed, a computer generated model of 3D printed materials was generated using a method called finite element analysis.  Tensile testing data was used to check the model for accuracy and insure the predicted 3D printed material behavior in the model is representative of what is seen in test specimens.

Located in the Whidbey Basin, Possession Sound is a body of water within the Puget Sound that is directly influenced by the Snohomish River. Water runoff from rain events takes phosphorus from the soil and eroded rocks, and introduces it into the Snohomish River, which eventually travels into Possession Sound. Additionally, irrigation, agriculture, construction and other human influences on the environment affect the chemistry of the water. Students of the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA), a Running Start program through Everett Community College, have been collecting water chemistry and nutrient data in Possession Sound for the past ten years. Our research group compiled data from previous years to study the relationship between phosphorus concentration and salinity. Salinity levels were determined by EXO Sonde or YSI 650 and water samples were captured with a Niskin bottle, which were sent to the University of Washington Marine Chemistry Laboratory for nutrient analysis. The data were collected at three different research stations. Two sites are located near the mouth of the Snohomish River and the Port of Everett, while the third is further south and not as directly impacted by the freshwater from the Snohomish River, however there is some freshwater impact due to storm drains near the data collection site. It was hypothesized that, higher phosphate levels would be found in lower salinity water nearest the Snohomish River. Over several years, we expected to see different patterns in phosphorus levels based on Snohomish River discharge. Data and findings from this research project will aid in our understanding on our Spring Quarter research project, which will focus on plankton concentrations in the Possession Sound.

This paper seeks to demonstrate the role played by faulty (often intentionally faulty) historical memory on the development of the British constitutional narrative in the late Middle Ages. This narrative, which has been characterized as the de facto constitution, was defined in the English Bill of Rights in 1689 in terms of a struggle between royal, particularly Norman, tyranny and a revival of a limited, representative monarchy imagined to have existed in the Anglo-Saxon period. The overwhelming majority of scholarship on the development of the unwritten constitution has focused on pin-pointing the moment in history when the constitution began to exist in political reality. This scholarly agenda began in the wake of the Glorious Revolution as an attempt to justify and understand the events of 1688, and has been steeped in political bias. This paper reexamines the two historical periods most often identified with the foundations of constitutionality: the reigns of Edward IV (r.1461-1470, 1471-1483) and Henry VII (1485-1509). A reassessment of these reigns finds little evidence of the long-alleged constitutional revolution; rather, it is clear that contemporary propaganda and historical practices played an important role in formulating a precedential pattern erected on creating a shaky foundation on which the constitutional precent rests.

Underbites are when the lower jaw protrudes further than the upper jaw and can lead to respiratory and feeding complications. One method currently used to correct underbites is the reverse pull facemask which puts tensile strain on the nasofrontal suture to promote growth of the upper jaw. The reverse pull facemask has major shortcomings such as a long duration of the treatment (12-18 months 16-18 hours a day), and is aesthetically unappealing. An alternative treatment that may produce faster results is to use an oscillatory cyclic load on the nasofrontal suture to increase the growth rate of the upper jaw to correct the underbite in less time than the reverse pull facemask. However to know how effective this method is for underbite correction it is vital to understand how the cyclic treatment changes the nasofrontal suture. My question is how the cyclic load changes the suture gap and growth rate (Mineral Apposition Rate MAR) of the nasofrontal suture in farm pigs. To measure the effectiveness of this treatment, the nasofrontal suture was extracted from farm pigs after they had been treated with the cyclic load for 30 minutes for 5 days. The sutures were then embedded, sectioned and examined under a fluorescent microscope to measure the MAR and suture gap for the control, and cyclic treated pigs. The control pigs had a suture gap range of 157-179 µm (n=5) and a MAR range of 7.75-15.25 µm/day (n=4). The cyclic loaded pigs had a suture gap range of 326-383 µm (n=2) and a MAR range of 29.9-33.2 µm/day (n=2). These data suggest that our cyclic treatment increases the suture gap and MAR of the nasofrontal suture. However, more data will need to be collected to validate our preliminary findings.

The Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA), a running start program in partnership with Everett Community College has been conducting research in the Possession Sound since 2004. Those carrying out this investigation added to ORCA’s longitudinal data set in 2016 and 2017. Possession Sound is part of the north Whidbey Basin of the Puget Sound and is bordered by Snohomish County to the east and Whidbey Island to the west. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important factor in the survival of many aquatic species, and the loss of these species due to a lack of dissolved oxygen can disrupt the lives of other predatory animals and negatively affect marine industries. As DO levels fall below 4 mg/L, waters become hypoxic which can be fatal to marine life. This study investigates the effect of temperature on DO levels in the Possession Sound from a single site location (referred to as Deep) during 2015 and 2016. Water samples were collected from a depth of about 20 meters by deploying a Niskin sampling bottle. Then DO and temperature were measured with a YSI-85 handheld instrument. Results show that DO levels are lower in waters with warmer temperature. For instance, a DO level of 7.7 mg/L was observed at 11oC, while a DO level of 4.78 mg/L was surveyed at 12.16oC. These results are attributed to water molecules being less dense in colder water, allowing for more volume to be occupied by dissolved oxygen. This suggests that warmer temperatures in Possession Sound may not be suitable for sustaining diverse and healthy marine life. Since this research only investigated dissolved oxygen at 20 meters deep, it would be of interest to investigate DO levels of surface waters in order to probe the effect of photosynthesis on DO in the future.

The city of Seattle currently finds itself in a state of emergency in reference to a growing number of people experiencing homelessness. In 2016, 4,505 people in King County were identified as living outside, and 6,183 living within the shelter system. While some in Seattle struggle to meet their most basic needs, others thrive in the economic growth of the cloud computing industry. Many tech workers are moving to Seattle to take these high-skill, high-paying jobs, and are subsequently reshaping neighborhoods and local economies. Historically, people experiencing homelessness have been forced out of Seattle’s gentrifying neighborhoods through processes of banishment. Banishment is defined as the legal removal of individuals from specified urban spaces for extended periods of time, and operates through police policies that criminalize activities associated with the poor. In recent years, many of these policies have been abandoned or deemed unconstitutional in the city of Seattle. Regardless, there appear still to be sanctioned spaces for homelessness and spaces where it is mysteriously absent. I have conducted series of interviews with people experiencing homeless in a rapidly gentrifying Seattle neighborhood. My sample includes individuals of a wide range of backgrounds and forms of homelessness to reveal the complex ways in which identity and homelessness intersect. Through analysis of response content, I have identified common themes that illuminate the social interactions that take place between housed and homeless community members throughout the process of neighborhood gentrification. These findings may help us to understand social forces that influence the migration of people experiencing homelessness between Seattle neighborhoods, and to understand broader concepts of the exclusion, seclusion, and accumulation of urban poverty. Results from this research may also help inform the provision of social services for people experiencing homelessness.

The Possession Sound is formed where freshwater from the Snohomish River and the salt water from Puget Sound creates an estuarine habitat that supports biodiversity within this ecosystem. Decreases in pH make it difficult for calcifiers to produce their calcium-carbonate shells, thus decreasing their survival rate in a higher acidity environment. Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) has been sampling water chemistry at multiple sites in Possession Sound for 11 years. This study utilized ORCA data to compare two sites, one near shore and a second in a deep, central location. The purpose of this investigation was to study the pH and salinity trends from 2008 to 2016, considering influence of surface runoff, temperature, river discharge, and climate variations. It was hypothesized that the pH would decrease, becoming more acidic over the eight year period, and the salinity would remain within normal limits. Salinity and pH data were collected in 1-meter increments using a YSI 650 instrument. Initial data demonstrates an inverse relationship between salinity and pH. In 2013, salinity ranged with depth from 22.2-29.5 ppt near shore and 19.2-30.2 ppt at the deep site, correlating with higher surface pH that decreased with depth of 6.8-7.3 near shore and 6.5-7.1 at the deep site. This relationship was consistently demonstrated over the eight-year period, with the exceptions of 2011 and 2015. Further investigations include exploring the impact of climate patterns on the Snohomish River discharge and its influence on pH and salinity trends, as well as looking for seasonal trends in primary productivity of phytoplankton and their impact on temporal and spatial trends.

The primary producers of the ocean are responsible for nearly 50% of the carbon fixation on Earth. Many eukaryotic primary producers such as globally important diatoms require Vitamin B₁₂, also known as cobalamin, as they lack the biosynthetic pathway for the metabolically expensive molecule. A symbiosis between eukaryotic autotrophs and some marine bacteria has been proposed as the source of cobalamin to these B₁₂-requiring phytoplankton, but the quantitative nature of this relationship is not fully understood. With advancements in analytical techniques in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we can learn more about microbial symbiosis, including vitamin interchange in pelagic microbial communities. This research will investigate the null hypothesis that the mean production of cobalamin of two species of pelagic proteobacteria (Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 and Sulfitobacter sp. SA11) is equal under three different treatments: growth in a limited-carbon environment, growth in an environment enriched with stress molecules from a well-studied model diatom (Thalassiosira pseudonana), and growth in media with stressed T. pseudonana filtrate added. The alternate hypotheses state that cobalamin output will be affected by these different treatments. Data resulting from the experiments will undergo one-way ANOVA tests to determine statistical differences between means. With a more complete understanding of how bacteria and eukaryotic autotrophs interact, the possibilities for this field are significantly expanded. Quantifying cobalamin production in marine bacteria on a per-cell basis under varying conditions is a possible benefit of this research, as well as understanding more about the level of control bacteria exert on their symbiosis with eukaryotic autotrophs.