Increased racial tensions in America should be considered in evaluating current psychotherapeutic and social structures. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) argues that divulging vulnerable information about oneself is essential for emotional intimacy. When vulnerability is responded to with attempts to build safety, vulnerable behavior is reinforced (strengthened). This reciprocal process of vulnerability and building safety aids in the development of intimate relationships across social and psychotherapeutic settings. The interaction model of FAP has never been examined through an interracial lens. In interracial interactions, people may be less comfortable being vulnerable, which may contribute to increased social anxiety. These communication differences may partially explain lower rates of efficacy in cross-cultural psychotherapy. Our study analyzed the effect of race on vulnerability and anxiety as important elements in the well-established model of intimate relationship development. During same-race and interracial mock therapeutic interactions, undergraduate participants (representing clients) were asked questions intended to elicit vulnerability by research assistants. Heart rate (HR) data were recorded from participants as a physiological measure of anxiety throughout the interaction. Participant vulnerability was assessed through self-report and behavioral coding by blind, independent research assistants. We hypothesize that participants in the interracial interactions will show higher levels of anxiety, as measured by HR data, and lower levels of vulnerability, as measured by self report and behavioral coding, compared to participants in same-race interactions. This project may reveal that developing organic interracial connections is more difficult than developing same-race connections. This would indicate a need to modify current social and psychotherapeutic structures to facilitate the creation of effective and meaningful interracial relationships.

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the CNS and are hypothesized to influence aging in the brain. Like somatic cells, microglia can be replaced by self-renewal. Recently, some studies have suggested that new microglia derive from asymmetric cell division of a progenitor population. Microglia progenitor cells have been difficult to study due to a lack of specific molecular markers of this population. However, the Garden lab has recently identified novel candidate markers. We hypothesize that in neurodegenerative disorders associated with advanced age, microglia progenitor senescence may contribute to disease pathology. To efficiently study the senescence of microglia progenitors, we turned to neonatal mixed glia cultures, in which the presence of microglia progenitors has long been inferred. In these cultures, microglia are harvested from cells floating above a monolayer culture of mixed neonatal glial cells. The size of each microglia harvest generally decreases with successive harvests. This suggests that microglia progenitors in the attached monolayer may become senescent after multiple rounds of the cell cycle, leading to stagnation in the generation of new floating microglia. We evaluated microglia progenitor senescence in neonatal mixed-glia cultures by labeling with BrdU, a thymidine analog taken up by proliferating cells and remaining in their daughters. Microglia harvested from these cultures weekly were assessed for BrdU incorporation using flow cytometry and immunofluorescent microscopy. We co-labeled floating microglia and dissociated monolayer mixed glia cultures with antibodies directed against a progenitor marker (CD133), a microglia marker (Iba1), and BrdU. The attached mixed-glia cell layer was also labeled for SA-ß-Gal, an indicator of cellular senescence. Progenitor senescence will be detected by a decrease in CD133/BrdU-positive cells and an increase in CD133/ SA-ß-Gal positive cells.

Policies and practices rooted in the politics of “War and Drugs” and “Tough on Crime” have elevated the ever increasing power of federal prosecutors to an unprecedented height. Through punitive sentencing guidelines and mandatory minimums, federal prosecutors have the ability to strong-arm plea deals and exert control over sentencing outcomes. Despite being a key element of the American criminal justice system, prosecutorial discretion remains an understudied topic in social science and law. Seeking to be hard on crime, the current Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rescinded the previous memos that discouraged federal prosecutors from seeking long mandatory minimums and enhancements, and encourage them to apply mandatory minimums whenever possible. The literature, however, has shown that prosecutors not only apply mandatory minimums selectively, but also at different rates across different legal contexts. Through interviews with federal defense attorneys in Seattle, this study attempts to investigate 1) the factors that federal prosecutors consider in making charging and sentencing relevant decisions, and 2) how these factors have been impacted by the 2017 Sessions Charging and Sentencing Memo in the legal context of the Western District of Washington. Findings will shed light on how national initiatives interact with local legal culture to influence punishment.

River ecosystems depend on services salmon populations provide. Coho salmon, Oncorhyncus kisutch, supply valuable nutrients for mammals and birds and offer economic benefits for the Pacific Northwest. Salmon rely on water quality in freshwater streams during successful seasonal spawning. However, for over the past 15 years, research determined that urban stormwater results in the mortality of Coho salmon. Exposure to urban stormwater is toxic to Coho salmon, killing them in hours. This phenomenon is known as pre-spawn mortality (PSM), and it kills salmon before they reproduce. If this phenomenon continues, Coho salmon could go extinct. Previous studies have linked highway runoff and pre-spawn mortality. However, they indicate that basic water quality parameters such as temperature and pH and “typical” stormwater toxicants such as metals and pesticides are not the cause of PSM. Current hypotheses point to an unknown organic contaminant that is linked to urbanization and is probably present from roadways or cars. Previous studies have also shown that bioinfiltration of stormwater through a mixture of sand and compost can protect Coho salmon. The goal of this study was to investigate removal of organic contaminants in a pilot-scale compost-amended bioswale (CABS). The pilot-scale CABS was based on a field-scale bioswale that is operated by WA DOT and located on SR-518. In this study, we developed methods to extract water with suspended sediment (whole water), as well as extract filtered water and total suspended sediment (TSS) separately. Whole water and filtered water were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE), using Infinity® SPE cartridges. TSS was measured using EPA Method 160.2, and captured solids were extracted with methanol. Extracts were then analyzed by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. These methods were then applied to evaluate removal of organic contaminants in the bioswale, including performance at multiple hydraulic retention times.

Upper- and lower-limb orthotic devices are prescribed for individuals who have partially lost motor control, such as stroke survivors or those with cerebral palsy, to assist with the stability and function of a limb. Unlike prostheses, devices available for those missing part of a limb, there are few current solutions available 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 further develop a 3D-printed elbow-driven orthosis that is inexpensive, adjustable, and helps users with impaired dexterity perform two-handed daily tasks. In comparison to traditional devices, which can cost hundreds of dollars, this orthosis can be assembled for approximately $30 predominantly because of the use of 3D printed parts. Originally designed for an individual whose seizure reducing brain surgery limited use of her left hand, this orthosis takes advantage of existing elbow range of motion to operate a clamp near the user’s palm by using a cable extending from the elbow to the hand. Cable tension activates the clamp near the palm in two distinct ways, depending on chosen part placements; the cable can either voluntarily open the clamp, or voluntarily close the clamp with elbow flexion. To compare clamp activation methods, we conducted a study that evaluated muscle activity and time to complete activities of daily living using the adjustable orthosis. These results will help inform which device setting, voluntary opening or voluntary closing, is easiest to control for common tasks and inform future device improvements. Participants involved in this study included individuals with impaired and unimpaired hand function. Through a continuous cycle of prototyping, feedback, and device modifications, we have created a customizable, affordable, 3D printed upper-limb orthosis that will be open-sourced to promote further innovation to support individuals with limited hand function.

Patients with cerebral palsy tend to have altered muscle activations during walking compared their unimpaired peers. Quantifying these changes is important for clinicians to be able to proscribe treatment protocols. Every brain injury with cerebral palsy is unique, requiring patient specific measures of motor control. Muscle synergies are used to quantify a patient's motor control by using the electrical activity of individual muscles during walking. The resulting electrical activity of the muscles, electromyography, are processed using matrix factorization algorithms. These algorithms identify weighted groupings of muscles which are commonly activated during activities such as walking. However, across clinical institutions differences in data gathering protocols and resources, as well as muscle selection can make the interpretation of synergies challenging. Moreover, calculation of synergies requires programing and data processing expertise not uniformly available to clinicians. The aim of this research was to design a web application that could intuitively represent synergy results for clinicians and patients based upon the data they collect at their institution. This web application uses processing and factorization scripts in Python and integrates the results into JavaScript and HTML for an accessible and flexible display. The application allows the user to select the muscles they want to include in the analysis, as well as how many synergies they want calculated. Each synergy solution is displayed by presenting the weighting of every muscle in each synergy. Additionally, the application shows how accurately the synergies reconstruct the electromyography signals. Generated results from the application can be exported as a report for the patient and clinician to refer to. Because of the differences in data gathering practices across institutions, this research also looked to identify if there are specific ways to quantify how individual muscles impact synergy results so that synergy results can be more translatable across institutions.