Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1) is a prevalent lifelong virus transmitted through oral-to-oral contact resulting in painful oral sores. HSV1 may also give rise to encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, and has even been linked to sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Typically, HSV1 enters through the oral cavity, replicates, invades nearby clusters of sensory neurons that innervate mucosal membranes called the trigeminal ganglia, and can ultimately lead to infection of the brain. HSV1 can establish latency in these trigeminal ganglia and other neuronal nuclei, and can reactivate in the brain in response to external stresses at any point in time. Previous studies have even shown presence of HSV1 in the brain. However, this process of reactivation is still not understood. Our goal is to comprehend the mechanisms of HSV1 reactivation in the brain by generating two recombinant HSV1 through the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system. One strain will contain an insertion into the HSV1 genome of luciferase and mEmerald, a green fluorescent protein, for detection of cells with reactivating HSV1 through in vivo imaging of bioluminescence. The second strain will have an insertion of Cre recombinase and mEmerald. When this strain is injected into a mutant mice line with a Cre-dependent reporter gene, the Cre recombinase can lift genetic repression of a red fluorescence protein. This prompts all cells with an HSV1 infection, including those with past reactivation, to be detected. Through these novel recombinant HSV1 strains, we can monitor viral reactivation in brain cells in response to different external stresses in vivo, examine the time course of the infection, and distinguish areas of the brain with high viral load, especially cell types vulnerable to HSV1 infection. These experiments will be the stepping stone for improved investigation of viral latency and reactivation and understanding the connection between HSV1 and AD.

People who spend early life at high altitude have an increased capacity for aerobic work due to developmental adaptations to hypoxic environments. Since the effects of altitude on aerobic performance became evident after the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, altitude training has been implemented to increase red blood cell carrying capacity and improve performance. However, it is unclear how early development at altitude and current training at altitude may differently advantage endurance athletes. In order to test for possible mechanisms by which altitude enhances endurance performance, this research compares personal records and biomarkers of oxygen carrying capacity among endurance athletes who experienced early development at altitude or sea-level and are currently training at altitude or sea-level. The study aims to determine if the altitude in which athletes developed and are currently training at will be associated with faster gender-adjusted personal records and greater lung capacity. I conducted a cross-sectional observational study with 23 endurance athletes in Seattle, WA and Boulder, Colorado. Participants self-collected chest circumference (CC) at maximum inhalation and completed online questionnaires about running performance, family history, and personal motivations for competing. I devised a gender-adjusted personal record percentile score for each subject’s 5k times based on the top 500 US men’s and women’s 5k times recorded during the 2019 season. This presentation discusses the results on differences in personal records and CC in relation to early development and current training altitude. I examined athlete’s motivation for competing through the qualitative analysis of open-ended interview responses to explore how motivation works synergistically with physiological biomarkers. These findings will be discussed in terms of existing research and consideration for endurance training at altitude and sea-level.

Benthic foraminifera are shelled single-celled marine microorganisms which are particularly sensitive to changes in their environment. A census of species found in an area can function as an indicator of the health of a marine ecosystem. My project focused on the distribution in 2018 of foraminiferal assemblages in Budd Inlet, near the city of Olympia, to assess the recent health of the area and the presence of pollutants. I examined nine sediment samples for foraminifera and identified the species. I then compared the abundance and diversity of species found to previous pollution data to pinpoint problems in Budd Inlet. My analysis found a low species diversity overall, as well as a correlation between the distribution of heavy metals and the presence of key species of foraminifera. The strong presence of the species Buccella frigida and Cribroelphidium excavatum and the low species diversity are consistent with a concentration of heavy metal pollutants, and mark Budd Inlet as an area of heavy anthropogenic impact.

Approximately 90% of women in the United States report physical or emotional changes prior to and during their period. These changes can include symptoms such as fatigue, cramps, reduced concentration and memory, sensitivity to noise and light, sadness, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, and sleeping too much or not enough. In the Fall Quarter of 2020, we collected sleep, mood, and menstruation data from 19 female university students over the course of 2 months. Participants wore Actiwatches to track sleep, light exposure, and activity. In addition, participants answered daily and one-time surveys about sleep, mood, and menstruation. We hypothesized that mood scores on menstruating days would be lower than scores on non-menstruating days. We analyzed differences in mean mood scores on menstruating days versus non-menstruating days. This mood score was on a scale from one to seven, with one indicating poor mood and seven indicating excellent mood. Since subjects reported significantly lower mood scores on menstruating days than on non-menstruating days, we aim to expand on research to uncover which variables impacted mood specifically. The t-test compared average scores for menstruating and non-menstruating per participant to allow us to compare results within and across all subjects. To test for other variables that may have contributed to lower mood, we will also examine how mood scores varied with participant birth control usage, activity, and natural light exposure. We hypothesize that additional variables such as natural light exposure and activity may have contributed to the statistically significant difference between mood reported on menstruating vs. non-menstruating days. Our work is important because while menstruation is extremely common, research on variables that impact mood during menstruation is often inconclusive or minimized by stigma.

In this study, we investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and sleep efficiency among a sample of University of Washington students. Alcohol consumption has been found to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to an increase in cortisol levels. Elevated levels of cortisol are known to have adverse effects on sleep patterns. If the consumption of alcohol leads to elevated levels of cortisol which thus negatively affects sleep, we can predict that individuals who consume alcohol regularly will exhibit poorer sleep quality than individuals who do not consume alcohol at all. We hypothesize that individuals who consume alcohol regularly will exhibit poorer sleep quality than individuals who do not consume alcohol at all. To test this hypothesis we analyzed daily sleep data from 20 students collected from Actiwatches worn over two months. As a measure of sleep quality, we analyzed variation in sleep efficiency, defined as the percentage of time spent asleep while in bed. Participants reported alcohol usage in anonymous one-time surveys. We compared participants who drank on a weekly basis (between one to four or more times a week) versus participants who did not drink at all. Average sleep efficiency was calculated by the percentage of time spent asleep which gives an overall sense of how well an individual slept. The higher the percentage the higher the quality of sleep. Average sleep efficiency was significantly greater in participants who indicated they did not drink alcohol in comparison to those who did (85.16% vs. 73.02%, p = 0.01). It must be noted that the correlation between participants who do not drink and have higher average sleep efficiency cannot be stated as a causative relationship. Further research is suggested to determine whether weekly alcohol consumption directly affects sleep efficiency and if so, by what mechanisms.