Only recently has mainstream American theatre celebrated minority representation on the stage. Small percentages of ethnically diverse actors perform in American theatre due to character-casting limitations and white male playwrights which dominate theatrical history and limit the representation of our diverse and multicultural world. By adapting the Hebrew Book of Ruth to stage, I hope to contribute a female voice and provide opportunities for women of ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic diversity on the stage. Like Shakespeare’s plays, this adaptation will be written in verse; however, "Pilgrims Far from Home" mimics the style of Hebrew and Ottoman poetry to pay homage to the story’s origins and contribute to the diversity of voices outside of the western poetic style. This story emphasizes female relationships and how our sisterhood can unify people of different walks of life. "Pilgrims Far from Home" brings this ancient religious text into the 21st century by addressing contemporary issues such as otherness, particularly in light of refugee crises. My project aims to contribute to the diversity of contemporary American theatre by using a well-known and multi-cultural story to address and ease the suffering relationships between peoples in our present-day society.

The Toba Batak sub-ethnic group in Indonesia is known for their weaving of the traditional textile ulos. At the same time that they uphold ancient Batak traditions of textile weaving, the Toba Batak people are at the nexus of a growing textile industry on national and international scales. As Western interests further influence Indonesia's economy, Indonesian concerns about the production of ulos become more and more urgent to address. The concern that ulos will be replaced by modern, Western styles of clothing and production gives rise to a more pressing fear that weaving traditions will fade from cultural awareness entirely.

In my presentation, I share the uniquely Indonesian strategies utilized by the Toba Batak people to conserve their cultural knowledge and traditional weaving practices. These strategies keep in mind the shifting trends in the textile industry in order to keep ulos relevant, yet are still respectful of Batak tradition. Primary methods of my research include interviews with traditional weavers, with weavers who supervised modern machine looms, the local non-weaving Toba Batak population, Batak culture experts, and Batak culture conservationists. Secondary research includes the work of Sandra Niessen, who has conducted large scale studies on Batak ulos and culture, and news sources such as The Jakarta Post.

3% of children live with Amblyopia (‘lazy-eye’), a visual disorder where acuity in one eye is poor even with glasses on. Amblyopia includes (1) reduced sensitivity in the amblyopic eye, and (2) interocular suppression, whereby the good eye suppresses the amblyopic eye. Our goal was to develop a method to efficiently characterize both mechanisms. Participants viewed a Gabor stimulus modulating between 0-100% contrast over time through a stereoscope, that presented a different image to each eye. Participants reported perceived contrast over time using a joystick. On each trial, the initial 14 s consisted of binocularly identical gratings modulating at 1/7 Hz, followed by 48 s where the gratings modulated at 1/8 Hz in one eye, and 1/6 Hz in the other. Separately, we measured visual acuity, stereoacuity, contrast sensitivity, the interocular suppression ratio. This method was highly efficient: only 30 min of data were needed to estimate monocular sensitivity and interocular suppression. Another advantage of this approach is that the stimulus is relatively naturalistic – the images in the two eyes are the same, except for the difference in contrast. This is important due to the nature of its binocularity and naturalistic conditions, as this will be the first of its kind - allowing clinicians a better way to assess those with amblyopia. 

The phenomenon of cognitive dissonance is described as the psychological process an individual undergoes when making a decision that involves conflicting beliefs or information. Understandings come mainly from both a biological perspective and a cognitive-behavioral perspective. Studying decision-making at an individual’s cognitive level has applications for the study of complex social processes such as political group action, modern digital communication, and religion. Understanding the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance is important to furthering our understanding of how people both obtain, retain, and replace ideologies. This literature review discusses the long-standing theories of cognitive-dissonance and then goes further to list and contrast criticisms of these paradigms as well as new data gathered on this topic. While the model of cognitive consistency, which is defined as an inherent human motivation to reduce inconsistent beliefs and ideas, is still widely accepted and used in psychology, there are now several challenges to this construct, mainly over the conception of consonance and dissonance and the subsequent processes that follow. These criticisms include the perspective that current methods over-measure processes of cognition that manifest in action, the perspective that people look outward to socially verified opinions and paradigms more than previously accounted for in current and past research, and that the choice process for decision preference is active during or already concluded by the time that subjects are self-aware of any conscious decision-making process. Methods are widely varied in this field and include fMRI, PET, behavior studies involving decision-related attitudes, and specific group case studies that include ethnography. Further research remains to be done regarding cognitive dissonance in both psycho-cultural and neurological contexts, as well as a reexamination of past literature on the topic within cognitive psychology.

X chromosome aneuploidy refers to an atypical number of X chromosomes, differing from two X chromosomes in females, or one X and one Y chromosome in males. Unusual numbers of chromosomes arise from errors in cell division that result in too many or too few chromosomes in a cell, with X aneuploidy reported to occur in around 1 in 1000 births depending on the disorder. X chromosome aneuploidy disorders, such as Klinefelter (47, XXY), Triple X (47, XXX) and Turner (45, XO) syndromes are associated with developmental abnormalities, including cognitive and cardiovascular defects. Our goal is to generate isogenic induced Pluripotency Stem Cells (iPSCs) with different numbers of X chromosomes from patients with X aneuploidy, and subsequently differentiate them into relevant cell types to identify genes affected by aneuploidy. Our lab has previously generated isogenic XXY and XY iPSCs from patients with Klinefelter’s Syndrome by removing the extra inactive X chromosome (Xi). My project is to establish and characterize isogenic lines from mosaic XXY/XY patients, who have a mixture of cell karyotypes. Specifically, I am screening iPSC clones derived from mosaic patients for expression of XIST, a gene expressed only from the Xi, by RT-PCR to determine presence or absence of the Xi. Isogenic control XY iPSC lines derived from the same patient serve as a control to XXY cells, lessening potential for confounding variables due to differences between individuals. Next, I will screen clones with different genotypes for integration of reprogramming vectors by genomic DNA-PCR. Integration-free isogenic XXY and XY clones will be differentiated into cardiomyocytes, neural progenitor cells, and cortical organoids, cell types that are associated with the adverse effects of X aneuploidy. By doing so, we hope to gain insight into gene expression and epigenetic changes associated with X aneuploidy phenotypes in a controlled genetic environment.
 

La Llorona's ghostly figure has haunted the pages of Chicanx literature for years as the monstrous woman. While her story shifts forms depending on the cultural context, the essentials remain: she was a woman, wronged by the father of her children, who now wanders the rivers at night wailing for the two children she drowned in anger, grief, or desperation. She has often been considered a monstrous figure whose function has been to regulate female identity. However, authors like Gloria Anzaldúa and Sandra Cisneros have sought to reclaim this ghostly visage from the grasp of patriarchal structures that condemn la Llorona's actions. Anzaldúa's poem "My Black Angelos" and Sandra Cisneros' short story "Woman Hollering Creek" revise la Llorona to acknowledge the female agency she represents. While critics have focused on feminine agency in these works, the function of the monstrous has been overlooked. The monstrous usually refers to something feared or uncanny with women and people of color's bodies representing cultural fears, but in these cases the monstrous is reimagined as a tool for agency. Through the lens of monster theory, and drawing on the theories of Jeffrey Cohen, Cristina Santos, and Luce Irigaray, this paper argues that Anzaldua's and Cisneros' representations of la Llorona develop feminine agency and community just as other critics have mentioned, but they also complicate monster theory by resituating the subjectivity to account for the postive monster of la Llorona. Through this, monster theory's dependence on a self/other dichotomy falls away and, with it, la Llorona's position as only a monster to be feared. Instead, these representations of la Llorona invite Chicanx women into the community of the monstrous, where Cisneros and Anzaldúa transform it from an androcentric space of "othering" and oppression to one of belonging and power. 

British women participated in public political work at a higher rate than ever before during the 1906 United Kingdom general election campaign. Working as fundraisers, door-to-door canvassers, and even orators, women were particularly active in debating the campaign's central economic question: should Britain uphold the free trade policies it had maintained since the 1840s, or should it follow its economic rivals, Germany and the United States, in strengthening tariff protections? Dorothy M. Hunter (1881-1977) rose to prominence during this period as a compelling public speaker who worked on behalf of the Liberal Party and its free trade agenda. Her career serves as a fascinating case study for understanding how some British women established their credibility in traditionally male spheres at the beginning of the twentieth century; nevertheless, historians of the Edwardian era have largely overlooked her work. Based on an analysis of the collection of Hunter's documents held at the Surrey History Centre in Woking, England, this paper argues that Hunter built her authority as an activist in the public sphere upon the conventional understanding of women's power over the private sphere. Following the rhetorical tradition established by Victorian philanthropists, Hunter increased the scope of her influence by extending the definition of "the household" and "domestic duty" to encompass public life and civic virtue. This strategy is present throughout her work from 1900 to 1914, from emotionally persuasive didactic literature written early in her career to economic arguments presented in public meeting halls at the height of her fame.

Microplastics (plastic < 5mm) has become a prominent research topic over the last 15 years. Microplastic research papers are published around the world, using a variety of organisms, environments, and interactions as study systems. Findings from these papers suggest that microplastics have negative effects, like behavior disruption and cell death, on marine organisms. This research project uses scientometrics to analyze if trends in regional plastic policies are correlated with marine microplastic research papers. Utilizing spatial analysis, we compared the rate and spread of microplastic research and plastic policies across the globe to identify a statistical relationship between them. We then further explored this relationship by determining if the distribution of study systems in a region’s research affected the quantities of policies in that region. We used the Web of Sciences database to obtain data on microplastics papers from 2006 to 2018. Our data has revealed that specific species are being used in research more than others and that there are large concentrations of microplastics papers in areas like Europe and China. Countries with large amounts of plastic research also have the most plastic policies. The results of this project help decipher how marine microplastics research can have an impact on plastic policy.

Microplastic (plastic < 5mm) pollution is increasing at an exponential rate in marine environments, leading to increased contamination of marine organisms. Previously, it was thought that the majority of microplastics were found in surface waters due to their positive buoyancy; however, recent studies show pollution exists throughout the water column. Mussels, suspension feeding bivalves, can be catalysts to the spread of microplastic pollution to different trophic levels through filtration, ingestion, and egestion of microplastics. Mussels are prominent benthic-pelagic coupling organisms in marine ecosystems, moving particles and nutrients between habitats through different types of biodeposits. Mussels produce feces and pseudofeces, where feces is the digested biodeposit and the pseudofeces are the rejected materials. Accumulation of microplastics in their biodeposits may interfere with this coupling by altering sinking rates, giving other organisms more opportunity to feed on deposits and promote the spread of microplastics through the food chain.The purpose of our project is to test how different types of microplastics affect sinking rates of mussel biodeposits. Our hypothesis is that mussels filter microplastic particles differently.The more readily ingested microplastic will lower the sinking rate of the feces more drastically. In our experiment we fed mussels either polystyrene or polyethylene microspheres along with algae, collected their biodeposits, and measured sinking rate. Further, we quantified microplastic and algae found in each type of biodeposit. The selectivity of mussels toward a particular microplastic was determined by the amount of a microplastic present in the feces vs the pseudofeces. The results from this study can help us understand the impact of microplastic pollution and how mussels play a major role in the spread of microplastics. They may also provide insight into which types of microplastic are more readily spread, potentially providing information on how to distribute microplastic waste.

Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) results in a wide range of outcomes from partial paralysis to complete tetraplegia depending on the location of injury along the length of the cervical spinal cord. Importantly, there is a high density of motor neurons in the cervical region which are involved in important motor outputs such as breathing and hand function. The present study aims to minimize the secondary damage to the spinal cord after the primary insult, by addressing two substantial contributors to neuron death: first, surgical decompression is conducted to reduce local tissue swelling after injury, and second, administration of the metabolite oxaloacetate (OAA) to minimize excitotoxicity by stimulating glutamate transport away from injured neurons. We hypothesized that animals treated with decompression, OAA, or both, would have increased neuronal survival, general tissue sparing, and improved behavioral outcomes than those without treatment, and that combined treatment would be more effective than each individual treatment. We tested the treatments using a clinically relevant rat model for bilateral, moderately severe cervical spinal cord injury. Following treatments, we determined effectiveness by assessing animals’ forelimb function and quantifying motor neuron and white matter sparing in the injured tissue. Results consistent with the hypothesis would have meaningful impacts for future cervical SCI patients, as even a limited increase in tissue sparing in the cervical region have profound functional outcomes for patients’ independence and opportunities. Future studies will work to visualize parameters for segmental tissue at risk after acute injury in order to specify each patient’s treatment and maximize their opportunities for recovery.

Mitosis results in two genetically identical daughter cells, each containing their own nucleus and set of replicated chromosomes from the original parent cell. Inaccurate chromosome segregation can result in severe consequences like cancer and developmental defects. During mitosis, the replicated chromosomes line up at the center of the cell in preparation to be pulled apart by microtubules. Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal components that provide the forces necessary to pull the chromosomes towards their respective daughter cells. The ends of the microtubules attach to the kinetochore, which is an assembly of protein complexes located on the chromosome. Accurate segregation of these chromosomes relies on the ability of the kinetochore to strongly bind chromosomes to microtubule ends. Ndc80 complex is an outer-kinetochore component that binds microtubule ends and is required for proper segregation. Emerging cellular data suggests that multiple Ndc80 complexes interact with one microtubule end. We seek to assemble a particle of multiple Ndc80 complexes in vitro, which may model the native kinetochore-microtubule interface more closely. We utilized a designed protein, HBRP, that forms a hexamer in solution and was modified to couple with and artificially oligomerize any protein of interest. We optimized the coupling rate and completion degree of three different variants of the HBRP protein with Ndc80 complex to ensure a complete hexamer particle assembly. Successful formation of this particle assembly will allow us to better understand the binding mechanism of the kinetochore to microtubule ends.

This presentation discusses, through a series of historical case studies, how the issue of nuclear waste on indigenous lands is a reproductive justice issue. Drawing on bioethical theory, secondary historical and sociological analysis, and primary source accounts, the presentation demonstrates that the impacts of nuclear waste on indigenous lands and communities are the result of systemic racism against indigenous communities, and that those impacts, including high rates of miscarriage and reproductive cancers, remove bodily autonomy and reproductive choice. Negative health outcomes make communities unsafe places to raise children, and the potential for increased exposure to toxins through traditional cultural practices impacts a community’s ability to raise children with those cultural practices. This history and attention to nuclear waste as an issue of reproductive justice must be part of the conversation as energy and waste storage policies are developed to address climate change.

Previous studies on plant phenology have found that shifts in the timing of life cycle events are connected to changes in the surrounding climate. Alpine and subalpine wildflowers are of particular interest, considering that the initiation of flowering often depends on the timing of snowmelt, which has been occurring earlier as temperatures warm. However, we often lack the information needed to predict exactly how much wildflower phenology will shift in response to warming. Herbaria, collections of plant specimens collected over the last 100-200 years, have recently been paired with climate data (from the geographic locations and dates of specimens) to examine the relationship between climate and plant phenology. I aim to answer 1) How does climate influence the timing of phenological stages in wildflowers? and 2) Do species vary in their responses according to their average bloom time after snowmelt (e.g. early season vs. late season bloomers)? This study involves five alpine/subalpine species that very in the timing of blooming relative to snowmelt date: Western pasqueflower (Anemone occidentalis), Sitka valerian (Valeriana sitchensis), Sickletop lousewort (Pedicularis racemosa), Rainier pleated gentian (Gentiana calycosa), and Glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum). I will access specimen data from the University of Washington Herbarium and the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria. Phenological stage will be recorded with the date of collection, geographic locations will be determined using GEOLocate coordinate and elevation data, and climate conditions will be spatially modeled using ClimateWNA historical records. I predict that there will be an overall trend of earlier flowering for all four species over time, but that species with later bloom times will experience less deviation from their historical average than those with earlier bloom times. This study is significant in providing information that will help the preservation of wildflower meadows in the high mountains of the Northwest.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) often leads to a debilitating loss of sensory, motor, and autonomic function. Currently there are no treatment options available for patients with tSCI. Immediately following the initial trauma, microvessels in the spinal cord rupture, leading to hemorrhage within the spinal cord. Bleeding is a major contributor to a cascade of subsequent injuries, defined as secondary injury, such as swelling, inflammation, and oxidative stress, which results in the expansion of the initial injury. We hypothesize that enhancing blood clotting would limit secondary injury, and subsequently lead to better functional outcomes. To test this, we employed newly developed hemostatic nanoparticles (hNPs), which are designed to localize to the injury site and reduce bleeding in a contusion tSCI model in rodents. The hNPs or control nanoparticles were introduced intravenously within 3 minutes after the injury, and tomato lectin was injected at the end of the experiment to label all patent blood vessels. Clusters of hNPs were found within areas of hemorrhage and blood clot within the injury epicenter, and never seen co-labeled with tomato lectin, suggesting that hNPs were only within parenchyma in areas of active bleeding. Our unique ultrafast contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging was used to visualize hematoma size, local spinal blood perfusion and swelling in real-time. CEUS imaging data showed there was 50% reduction in hematoma size in hNPs treated animals compared to control. We also found significant reductions in hypoperfused volume (50%, p<0.05) as well as spinal cord swelling (30%, p<0.01) in hNPs treated animals compared to controls. Current studies are underway to 1) analyze real-time hemodynamic data obtained from ultrafast CEUS imaging, 2) evaluate chronic 3D blood flow imaging, and 3) quantify functional and histological outcomes from hNP treatment after tSCI.

Experimental evolution can determine genetic interactions during natural selection in complex systems. Using whole-genome sequencing of 95 parallel populations of haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae experimentally evolved for 250 generations, we discovered a possible epistatic interaction between two sets of beneficial mutations. The first mutation is a transposable element (TE) insertion into the promoter of FLO1, giving rise to a cellular aggregation phenotype known as flocculation. The second set are putative loss of function mutations in genes encoding members of the SAGA-complex, which is thought to increase expression of genes proximal to TEs. We hypothesize that without the members of the SAGA-complex, the FLO1 gene will be unexpressed, abrogating the flocculation phenotype. We isolated three flocculant clones with TE insertions from different experimental populations and crossed them with three clones with the deletion in the SAGA-complex. Through meiosis, the yeast sporulated into four cells. The ratios of flocculant to wildtype haploid cells are used to determine an epistatic interaction. A 2:2 ratio suggests a non-epistatic interaction while a 1:3 flocculant to wildtype ratio suggests an epistatic interaction. The project is in the early stages but segregation ratios suggest the members of the SAGA-complex with deletion mutations do not hinder the expression of the FLO1 gene. Our alternate hypothesis is members of the SAGA-complex have no effect on the activation of TE insertions that promote the expression of the FLO1 gene. While the initial hypothesis might not hold, this experiment will give us a further understanding of genetic interactions during evolution.

Although incarceration is ostensibly designed to punish people for breaking the law, it also punishes their families. The current work focuses on consequences resulting from parental incarceration. We examine the role this factor plays in peers’ moral cognition and pro-social behavior. Younger (5- to 6-year-old) and older (7- to 8-year-old) children rated the extent to which they viewed peers with or without an incarcerated parent as holding certain moral beliefs. Both groups of children were more certain that peers with, versus without, an incarcerated parent were less knowledgeable about morality. However, this effect was strongest among older children. This suggests that negativity toward children of incarcerated parents is socially reinforced and that children whose parents are imprisoned may face different peer responses depending on their age. Further, regardless of age, participants shared more resources with the peer whose parent was not incarcerated compared to the peer with an incarcerated parent. Taken together, these data clarify children’s moral cognition and pro-social behavior. They also shed light on the social realities that children of incarcerated parents may face.

Sports-related concussion data in high school, collegiate, and professional athletes is well documented. However, limited data exists in the middle-school-aged population. The purpose of this study was to better understand the mean number of diagnosed concussions among 9 to 14-year-old football and soccer players. Prior to the Fall 2019 season, 262 athletes from two youth sports leagues in the Greater Seattle Area self-reported all prior diagnosed concussions. Overall, a small percentage (20.61%) of athletes reported at least one previously diagnosed concussion (1 concussion, n = 45; 2 concussions, n = 7; 3+ concussions, n = 2). There was no significant difference in concussion history among athletes of the three sports. Football (n = 120), boys’ soccer (n = 71), and girls’ soccer (n = 71) reported a mean (SD) of 0.28 (0.57), 0.32 (0.77), and 0.14 (0.35) concussions, respectively. The mean number of diagnosed concussions was highest in boys’ soccer, then football, and lowest in girls’ soccer. Our results were different when compared to another study which shows that the concussion rates per 1,000 athlete exposures were highest in football, followed by girls’ soccer, and lowest in boys’ soccer. These results show that the number of youth concussions may be different among football, boys’ soccer, and girls’ soccer. Further research could provide a better understanding of concussion diagnoses in youth sports.

Photovoltaic devices are a crux of renewable energy generation. Organic photovoltaic devices build on this by being flexible and easily processable. This research project aims to produce photovoltaic wires and a general process for solution-based wire coating. A thin stainless-steel wire is coated with three layers: an electron transport layer, a photoactive polymer layer, and a hole transport layer. Then this wire is wrapped with a silver counter electrode. These wrapped wires will be coated in a UV curable polymer to protect the polymer coating from degradation. This final product, a solar power generating wire, will have its photoconversion efficiency tested. Currently, our project team is characterizing the initial coated wire using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy to determine the effectiveness of our coating method. To supplement this, we are researching how others have tackled characterizing thin coatings for objects with small surface areas. We are also working on designing processing improvements to the wire coating device both by investigating industry wire coating techniques. We hope that our designs are an example of a scalable solution processing method for organic photovoltaic wires. Our prototype device can be used for general wire coating applications and the current photovoltaic product is an example of a potential product. In the future, this device could be used to solution process more efficient organic photovoltaic wires by leveraging different polymers and polymerization techniques.

We are working on designing, developing, and understanding of an interesting class of magnetic meta-materials comprising of nanomagnets. These nanomagnets when arranged on square tile lattice forms a two-dimensional artificial spin ice which are important for modeling pyrochlore spin ice systems. We are currently engaged developing recipes for preparing thermally active ASI system comprised of permalloy (NiFe alloys). This will allow the system to explore the magnetic phase space configuration more efficiently and to achieve the true ground state of these many body magnetic system compared to conventional field demagnetization. We fabricate permalloy nanomagnets arrays out of thin film permalloy films (of thicknesses 10- 20 nm) following nanolithography processes involving electron beam lithography, metal mask transfer and ion milling process. The devices are fabricated on specially chosen SiN substrates which acts as diffusion barrier while performing post thermal annealing process at high temperatures. The permalloy films are initially tested for different annealing temperatures to analyze for any changes in surface morphology and magnetic properties. From this, a suitable safe range of annealing temperatures are determined and the ASI arrays of different permalloy thickness are subjected to controlled annealing. Once an optimum annealing temperature is found for safe thermal annealing, we subjected devices with different permalloy thicknesses between 10-15 nm to thermal demagnetization. The magnetic configurations in devices subjected to thermal demagnetization are imaged using magnetic force microscopy to determine their equilibrium configuration attained during annealing. Was found that for this thickness range a perfect demagnetization of ASI arrays are obtained in a temperature range of 320-350°C.

Baylisascaris procyonis is a predominant parasitic infection of raccoons (Procyon lotor) in the Pacific Northwest, commonly referred to as “raccoon roundworm”. Raccoons serve as definitive hosts of the parasite, harboring adult worms in their intestine and shedding eggs in their feces. Infection can be spread to humans, dogs, birds and rodents through incidental consumption of eggs or other infected animals. Maturation of eggs occurs in the gut before larvae travel to other tissues including the liver, heart, lungs, brain and eyes. Infection causes encephalitis, liver damage, blindness, seizures, coma and death. Understanding the regional prevalence of B. procyonis infection is important for targeting resources for effective treatment. This research seeks to determine the prevalence of B. procyonis infection between geographically distinct raccoon populations of the Pacific Northwest. We expect a greater prevalence of B. procyonis infection in urban groups due to higher population densities. Fecal samples were collected between 2013 and 2020 from three categories of geographical regions: urban, rural and island. Samples were taken from the greater Seattle area (urban), surrounding regions of the Puget Sound (rural) and Blakely Island (island). Wet mounts were prepared from flotations using 1 g of fecal sample in aqueous ZnSO₄ or sugar solution. Samples were examined using light microscopy to identify the presence of B. procyonis eggs and nematode larvae. Current data shows a greater prevalence (p = 0.018) of B. procyonis eggs in urban populations compared to rural and island populations. There appears to be no difference in nematode larvae prevalence between geographical locations (p = 0.586) suggesting nematode infections in rural and island populations are likely not B. procyonis. This data provides valuable information to educate the public about the risk of B. procyonis infection and take preventative measures to protect humans and domestic animals. 

One fundamental difference between sexes is that females have two X chromosomes, and males have one. This leads to an X chromosome gene dosage imbalance between sexes. X chromosome inactivation (XCI) in females is the process where one X chromosome is inactivated to balance gene dosage. However, some genes remain expressed from the inactive X (Xi) resulting in higher gene expression in females, suggesting these genes may play a female-specific role. My project focuses on Kdm6a, an X-linked escape gene that encodes a histone demethylase that removes trimethylation on lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27me3), a histone modification associated with gene repression and highly enriched on the Xi. Using hybrid embryonic stem cells (ES) with a Kdm6a knock out (KO), I contributed to a study demonstrating that KDM6A enhances gene expression in a maternally biased manner, suggesting it is capable of distinguishing parental alleles of genes. I then explored whether KDM6A also regulates allelic expression from the Xi. We hypothesized that Kdm6a KO will lead to decreased escape gene expression from the Xi via increased H3K27me3 at the promoters of escape genes. We have established an F1 hybrid ES cell model to ablate KDM6A protein levels by CRISPR/Cas9. Importantly, these cells have skewed XCI, which facilitates measurements of gene regulation by KDM6A on the Xi. So far, I have shown that Kdm6a KO leads to reduced expression and complete loss of the protein. I confirmed that KO cells retain both X chromosomes in culture and that KO results in reduced capability for differentiation. Next, we initiated studies to measure allele-specific expression of X-linked genes and to determine whether gain of H3K27me3 due to loss of KDM6A may explain expression changes on the Xi. Results from this study will help identify potential therapeutic targets for individuals with super numery X chromosomes.

Ongoing research has been conducted to design optimal routes for vaccine distribution to health centers in Mozambique. Distance between health centers is needed in order to construct routes, but is not easily available. My objective is to easily generate distances between health centers, given their geographic coordinates, and to visualize the optimal routes on a map. Using a conglomeration of tools including Python, API, OpenRouteService and Excel, I was able to read an Excel file of latitudes and longitudes for health centers, separated into provinces and districts, and produce an Excel matrix of distances from health center to health center as well as an API map visualizing the routes to and from the given health centers. My Python code utilizes OpenRouteService with an API that provides data including distance, travel time, direction, maps, etc. OpenRouteService also allows the user to specify their route preferences. We can choose the road type, the speed limit, the time of travel, the mode of transportation, etc. The created distance matrix and map will be used in an interactive route optimization tool. The route optimization tool allows end users to efficiently distribute vaccines using available vehicles. The distance matrix gives the tool correct distances between health centers and the map gives visualizations of the distances. The optimization tool provides routes for efficient distribution and my Python code maps the routes for easy interpretation of the delivery system. Moving forward, we want to make the code more user-friendly, so anyone can create a new and improved version.