My project explores the intersection of art, politics, and social justice in Brazil. I am particularly interested in street art, and the ways it is used by everyday people to comment on contemporary social issues. In Brazil racial identity and experience are a significant topic of concern. Accordingly, drawing on ethnographic research conducted between January and March 2017 in Sao Paulo, I analyze street art as a text to better understand racial politics in the region. I also examine how street art acts as a facilitator to social justice and politics and how Brazilians use street art as a means of resistance and/or healing in response to issues of racial inequality. The findings of this research apply beyond the borders of Brazil to all urban spaces around the world in which public artistic expression is entangled with major political and social issues.

The structure of plastid DNA (ptDNA) provides insight concerning its replication, repair, maintenance, and stability. We are studying DNA molecules and their association with proteins in plastid nucleoids as maize seedlings develop from the newest cells in the basal meristem to the oldest in the leaf tip. When observing unbound ptDNA from light-grown seedlings, we have found that ptDNA copy number and molecular integrity decline from complex-branched forms (Type I) in the meristem, to a mixture of smaller complex and simple forms (Type II) in the stalk, and small simple forms (Type III) in the leaf blade. In contrast, preliminary examination of unbound stalk ptDNA showed that for the dark-grown seedlings ptDNA is maintained at high copy numbers, with large complex forms. Furthermore, DNA fibers connected to these complexes were longer in dark-grown than light-grown stalk. We will now continue to examine unbound ptDNA in the meristem and leaf blade from dark-grown seedlings. Once finished examining all samples of unbound dark-grown ptDNA, we will analyze nucleoid-associated ptDNA and deproteinized ptDNA of dark- and light-grown seedlings by gel electrophoresis and fluorescence microscopy. For the basal meristem of light- and dark-grown seedlings, in nucleoid-associated ptDNA, we expect similar high-integrity Type I ptDNA, since this is where replication is highest. In contrast, we expect major structural differences in the nucleoid-associated leaf blade ptDNA, with small Type III in light-grown and high-integrity complex Type I forms in dark-grown plants. We propose that replication and repair occurs exclusively on nucleoid-associated ptDNA and that unbound ptDNA is susceptible to nuclease degradation. Therefore, we expect complex forms for nucleoid-associated ptDNA and small, degraded molecules for the non-nucleoid fraction. On a larger scale, this research will be important for genetically modifying maize tissue, because we will know more about the structural integrity of the DNA we are targeting.

Pneumonia is a leading cause of infant mortality worldwide, with a disproportionate burden of disease in resource-limited settings. Bocavirus is a newly described respiratory virus that may be associated with pneumonia in infants. We aim to define the risk factors and burden of disease associated with bocavirus infection in infants in rural Nepal. Identifying risk-factors could direct us in future research and help improve our current prevention methods in resource-limited settings. Currently, with unknown risk factors, prevention techniques may not be effective leading to unnecessary cases of bocavirus infection. In a home-based active weekly surveillance study of acute respiratory infections in infants up to six months of age, we find that 292/3646 had a symptomatic illness due to bocavirus. We aim to identify the risk factors, including low birthweight, preterm birth, and household crowding that may be associated with increased risk of bocavirus, as well as to describe the clinical and virologic characteristics of primary infection in infants in a resource-limited setting.

Gender differences exist in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, as women are underrepresented in some STEM fields than others and continue to face discrimination even in fields in which women are better represented (Cheryan, 2016). Will using different American ideologies help to explain gender disparities in interest in STEM fields in the U.S.? This study examined this question by exploring differences in expressing interest in engineering careers between men and women. Specifically, we designed a study to investigate whether women are deterred from engineering when advised to “follow their passions.” Eighty undergraduate students completed a questionnaire, in which they are asked how interested they would be in pursuing a career in engineering based on listening to the advice to follow their passions or based on following the advice to do what is practical. We hypothesized that women will report less interest in engineering career when asked to base their decision on the advice of following their passions versus when asked to base their decision on the advice of doing what is practical; the difference for men will be weaker. This study explores how popular American ideologies may contribute to gender gaps in STEM.

This study will be presenting participants with either an interpersonal or structural initiative for racial progress and examining whether Whites and people of color differ in their support. We will also look at the experiences of oppression and discrimination as a possible predictor. We expect to see people of color have a preference for structural initiatives due to the fact that the oppression they experience structurally has more consequences than interpersonal relationships. However, Whites will prefer interpersonal initiatives, as structural oppression does not affect them to the same degree. The implications of this study would provide insight into what matters most to people of color, making the move towards progress more intersectional in the sense that it will center around the oppressed for a solution instead of equating the oppressed (people of color) and the oppressor (whites), in their need of interpersonal resolve.

In resource-limited settings, premature and small for gestational age (SGA) births are common and increase risk of infant mortality. During pregnancy, exposure to high pathogen levels and other health risks increases inflammation and may result in premature or SGA infants. Cytokines are small secreted proteins involved in the inflammatory immune response. This experiment examines variations in 25 cytokine levels in sera collected from pregnant women during the second trimester of gestation and again at the time of delivery. Samples selected from women who delivered full term SGA (n=50), preterm SGA (n=50), preterm appropriate for gestational age (AGA) (n=50), and full-term, AGA (n=50) infants were tested using a Luminex 25-Plex Magnetic Assay to compare cytokine level changes in these populations. I plan to conduct and analyze this assay which has not yet been completed, but preliminary data shows we should expect elevated levels of cytokines in those mothers with preterm and SGA infants. Overall this experiment provides a better understanding of cytokine profiles unique to preterm and SGA infants in resource poor conditions, and could provide novel therapeutic targets for the prevention of infant mortality associated with these conditions.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV) is the most common cause of hospitalization in infants in the United States. It has now been increasingly recognized to cause disease in elderly adults and those with chronic lung disease. We aim to identify risk factors associated with hospitalization due to RSV, severity of infection, and the neutralizing antibody response to infection in adults acutely infected with RSV. Patients admitted to Harborview Medical Center (HMC) with RSV are enrolled and given a brief questionnaire about their family and home, health history, and their drug use. In addition, serum samples are collected and tested for neutralizing antibody response to RSV. Analyzing the titers from the neutralizing antibody test identifies patients with a higher antibody response to infection. This can lead to a better understanding of the characteristics associated with more virulent RSV symptoms. With these data we will be able to better understand the immune response to infection as well as other factors that may play a role in disease severity due to RSV.

Modern humans carry loads on a daily basis, and this increases energy expenditure, changes gait kinematics, and increases vertical ground reaction forces (GRF) proportional to the burden. Few studies have attempted to understand the effect of load position on mediolateral and anteroposterior GRFs, where changes in body center-of-mass imposed by the loading conditions may affect GRFs disproportionately. This study aims to assess peak GRFs when carrying a load in a sling in five positions. Our null hypothesis is that mediolateral and anteroposterior GRFs will increase proportionally to the extra load. We expect that position will affect GRFs due to accommodation to the changes in body center-of-mass imposed by the loading conditions. GRFs were recorded by a 3D forceplate for seven participants (5 females, 2 males) walking at their normal velocity carrying a 10 kg load in five carrying conditions: (i) No load; (ii) Front; (iii) Left Side; (iv) Back; (v) Right Side. Each participant completed 8 trials for each condition. Maximum GRFs were determined using a custom-written Matlab. After adjusting the unloaded condition for the increase in mass of the burden, two-sample t-tests, conducted in Stata, were used to determine whether the loaded conditions increased proportionately. The preliminary results indicate that increases in GRFs in the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions are not different from our null hypothesis (all p’s> 0.05). Further study is required in order to understand how load position influences, body position, gait biomechanics, and GRFs in humans.

The modern human foot, with its pronounced longitudinal arch (the ratio of difference between mid-foot and total foot area) and suite of derived morphologies, evolved in an unshod context on natural substrates. Today, unshod (barefoot) populations are uncommon, and the majority of modern humans walk shod (wearing shoes) on artificial substrates. The unshod populations that do exist today typically have wider feet than do western populations, but western populations have a more variable longitudinal arch index and therefore exhibit more variation, from “flat” to “arched” feet. The reason for this difference remains obscure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of childhood footwear choices on arch index variation in adults. Participants (56 women, 19 men, mean age: 24±7.2 years) were asked about their footwear, both in childhood (<18 years) and adulthood (>18 years), to classify those who wore rigid/supportive shoes throughout development and those who were frequently unshod or wore unsupportive shoes. Participant footprints were captured using a RSscan pressure plate in three stances: (i) static double stance; (ii) static single stance; and (iii) dynamic. Arch indices were then calculated for each participant and multiple regression with Bonferroni correction used to determine if childhood footwear predicted adult arch index. The results indicate that childhood footwear does not predict adult arch index (all p-values > 0.05). The implications of these results are that longitudinal arch index variability in western populations is not determined by childhood footwear choice. Further research is required to shed light on this phenomenon.

Nearly 1 in 3 children in the U.S are already overweight or obese. Pediatric obesity represents a major health crisis with many psychological and physiological consequences. The American Medical Association states that obese and overweight children should receive moderate-to-high intensity behavioral interventions. Currently, it is estimated that about 17% of children age 2-19 in the U.S. are considered obese. The SHIFT study focuses on examining the short and long term efficacy of peer-versus professionally delivered FBT (family based training) on child weight outcomes and is a model that has been developed with studies done in the past. Previous studies like COMPASS and FOCUS tested the treatment model that SHIFT utilizes and EPICH/PPP were designed to pilot test the treatment model with peers. After conducting those studies, modifications were made to create a model for the SHIFT study. The treatment consists of a 5 month period in which 20 family sessions are conducted that are oriented toward helping them learn and implement behavioral skills for eating and physical activity change. The weight criterion for children is a BMI that is 20 to 100% above the median BMI and they should have at least one overweight parent (BMI>25) because these children are at a greater risk of maintain obesity into adulthood. The sessions include diet, physical activity, and behavior change that are discussed through parent only/child only groups as well as individual family meetings. Families come in every week and then are separated into child/parent groups in which we discuss prevention strategies for obesity and promote a healthy lifestyle and the children learn about ways to include physical activity in their daily lives. SHIFT works as a new model for FBT delivery that decreases costs and increases intervention availability while maintaining the treatment efficacy by using non-professional interventionists to deliver FBT.