Food insecurity is a global problem with one out of every six people in the United States relying on charitable food assistance organizations to meet their needs in 2022. However, organizations like food banks are underfunded and overwhelmed, relying on donors to continue aid. One food bank in the Seattle area received 70% of their donations from individual donors as financial aid, and a significant contribution comes from grocery stores in the form of food surplus. Previous research has shown that tax deductions motivate grocery stores to donate and limit food waste, however little is known about the care involved in the decision of selecting food to be donated. The quality and quantity of donations varies depending on the store and department. I explore how managerial discretion explains why different grocery store departments choose to donate food or throw it away. I conduct one-on-one structured interviews with three managers in four grocery stores in a Seattle neighborhood to find what factors influence the amount and quality of donations. Additionally, I uncover the internal and external constraints of managers in different departments. Managerial discretion has been studied in various firms yet it has not has not been explored explicitly within the context of donations. Similarly to charitable donations, which are scarce in the context of individuals making philanthropic decisions within organizations. I predict managers’ values and opinions on charity, the grocery store’s philanthropic organizational structure, and the perceived strength of the food bank-to-manager relationship will influence the quantity and quality of donations. I also predict that managers in stores with a higher philanthropic public image will contribute donations of higher quantity and quality. The findings from this study will help identify factors to increase the quantity and quality of donations so that stores can donate higher quality food.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) impacts over 6 million people in the U.S, but there are currently no fully effective treatments. Ageing is the biggest risk factor for AD and is associated with cellular changes called senescence. Cellular senescence describes a natural process in cells, leading to cell cycle arrest and metabolic changes due to insults from aging/disease processes. Factors contributing to senescence include DNA damage, and others. A risk factor in neurodegeneration is the ageing of microglia- our brain's immune cells that maintain a healthy brain. Senescent microglia express a senescence associated secretory phenotype- a combination of inflammatory proteins released into their environment- that enhances neurodegenerative processes. My project investigates the relationship between microglial senescence and AD by comparing the levels of senescence markers in AD brains, healthy young brains, and aged brains. I hypothesized that AD brains will contain the greatest amount of senescence markers, followed by aged brains, then healthy young brains. I performed immunohistochemistry for p16Ink4a and gammaH2AX (two robust senescence markers) on 10 human individuals (5 male/5 female per cohort) who donated their brain post-mortem. p16Ink4a is involved in cell cycle regulation and gammaH2AX signals DNA damage. The brain samples were also stained with Iba-1 to identify microglia. A confocal microscope imaged the samples and data was analyzed using the IMARIS software and ImageJ. Senescence markers were quantified in each cohort and localized in microglia or non-microglia cells. I expect to see the greatest amount of p16Ink4a and gammaH2AX in AD brains (specifically AD microglia), with the least amount in healthy young brains. I also expect co-localization of gammaH2AX and p16Ink4a in my samples. Understanding the relationship between microglial senescence and AD pathology could aid in finding methods to target cellular senescence. Slowing down this process could be a usefull tool in decreasing the progression of AD.

Latino people constitute the largest minority in the U.S., and diabetes is an urgent health issue that impacts the Latino community at twice the rate as white Americans. Existing literature on Latino populations suggests that culturally competent care is critical for important health outcomes like satisfaction, and interventions to improve cultural competency in diabetes care for Latino patients significantly impact clinical outcomes. However, there is limited research on how Latino patients define culturally competent diabetes care. Previous research in South Asian communities demonstrates that the pathologization of culturally relevant foods may cause diabetic patients to face poor metabolic control and increased risk of complications, leading to higher healthcare costs and lower quality of life. Despite research indicating that food pathologization is a barrier to high-quality diabetes care for some minoritized groups, previous research on diabetes care in the Latino community does not focus on food pathologization in diabetes care.Through an ethnographic study in clinics in the Greater Seattle area, we seek to understand the experiences of Latino people managing type 2 diabetes related to discussing culturally relevant foods with providers. We will recruit Latino patients to participate in structured interviews exploring how providers discuss culturally relevant dietary choices in diabetes care appointments. We will conduct content analysis to uncover themes related to food pathologization and the downstream impacts of how providers discuss food choices with Latino patients. By studying the relationship between possible food pathologization and diabetes care, we hope to contribute to a holistic understanding of the benefits of culturally competent care. Ideally, our findings may help to reduce food-related stigma and prejudice experienced by Latino diabetes patients.

In this research project, I investigate experiences of men and women who have participated in the King County Drug Diversion Court. Drug court is a rehabilitative alternative to individuals facing incarceration for drug related offenses. Eligible drug court participants undergo a five-phase program with the potential for charge dismissal. However, drug court critics raise concerns about coercion and control. Participants in drug court juggle various commitments, including maintaining constant communication with case managers, undergoing regular urinary analyses, finding employment, and fulfilling familial obligations. In this study, I explore how these challenges, often stemming from a one-size-fits-all approach that does not account for gendered life experiences, impact the overall effectiveness of drug court programs.The existing literature predominantly focuses on male participants, neglecting the unique gendered issues faced by women in drug court programs. Research indicates that female participants encounter specific challenges, including homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness, unemployment, and a higher likelihood of being the sole caregiver to a child. This study will address the gap in understanding how gender shapes the experience of navigating drug court. To do so, I am conducting semi-structured interviews with impacted people of varying gender identities, to glean insight into participants' family history, experiences within drug court, and perspectives on its impact. Additionally, I am interviewing drug court actors for further contextualization. After interviewing, anonymizing, and transcribing, I expect to find that gender identity impacts peoples' experiences in drug court. My findings illuminate the nuanced gendered experiences within the King County Drug Diversion Court, contributing valuable insights for justice system reform and policymaking. By combining ethnographic methods, qualitative interviews, and insights from existing research, this study illuminates the gendered dynamics within the King County Drug Diversion Court, ultimately informing policy and practice and contributing to a more equitable criminal justice system.

Gun violence is a prevalent and rising issue in the United States. However, limited research assesses the connection between gun prevalence and public health outcomes. Previous research indicates healthcare professionals are hesitant to have a role in addressing the rising gun violence statistics. Another previously drawn implication is that gun violence is associated with worse behavioral and physical health. These findings led us to pursue our research. This project aims to acquire quantitative insights into the relationship between neighborhood-level gun prevalence and violence and neighborhood-level utilization of primary healthcare. Within the context of this study, neighborhood gun prevalence and violence are defined as instances of violence encompassing firearm-related fatalities or the mean quantity of firearms within households. We define utilization of primary healthcare as a composite of a variety of healthcare variables, including, but not limited to, the percentage of dental check-ups, the percentage of the population with established primary care providers, health indicator screenings, and vaccination rates. We are using data from the Seattle & King County Public Health Database to examine the association between our variables of interest at the neighborhood level. We will conduct a linear regression model to statistically examine the correlation between the utilization of primary health care and neighborhood gun violence statistics. We anticipate that the findings of this study will elucidate a discernible correlation between indicators of primary care access and firearm-related violence at the neighborhood level in the Puget Sound region. We intend to employ this data to aid local public health officials in understanding and addressing the correlation between healthcare disparities and gun violence. Subsequently, this information can serve as a foundation for their efforts in formulating population-level legislation aimed at mitigating healthcare disparities to alleviate firearm violence at the neighborhood level.

Tissues like the meniscus, a wedge-shaped pad of connective tissue found in the knee, are fibrous and have complex architecture that regenerates poorly and undergoes active mechanical stimulation which modifies cell signaling and tissue health. In vitro models are beneficial for characterizing these interactions as they create a controlled environment where single variables can be altered. We previously used the J1 Mechanoculture bioreactor to apply strain on a fibrous polymer scaffold laden with primary meniscal cells and observed nonsignificant variances between testing groups with mock injury vs. no injury. Applied strain was modeled after physiological strain levels, ~10%. Based on the minimal changes in cell behavior observed in mock injury samples, it is likely that the mock injuries in conjunction with the applied strain did not induce comparable plastic deformation to that experienced post injury within the native meniscus. We hypothesize that increasing strain and applied force to achieve plastic deformation within the electrospun samples will create a fibrotic and apoptotic response like that in vivo. Ongoing work is analyzing how the bioreactor will interact with unaligned electrospun polymer samples with no cells present. This will demonstrate the optimal parameters to instigate a significant material response. By inducing significant changes to scaffold material properties and underlying structure, it is more likely cells with demonstrate fibrotic and apoptotic responses in vitro mimicking immediate cell reactions to meniscal injuries in vivo. This response will be assessed by assaying for fibrosis through αSMA activation and apoptosis by caspase-3 activation. On the conclusion of this study, we expect that greater applied stress and associated strain will cause more plastic deformation within the polymer scaffold. This can be applied to an in vitro meniscus injury model to better understand the response of primary meniscal cells to stress in an environment with disrupted mechanics.

Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is the second most common bone cancer in children and young adults, which also arises in soft tissue, characterized by the fusion of FET and ETS genes, with EWS::FLI1 being the most common fusion protein. Menin, a protein encoded by the MEN1 gene, is a scaffolding protein that can activate or repress transcription depending on its binding partners. Menin plays an oncogenic role in EwS, but the precise mechanism remains to be elucidated. To investigate the role of menin in tumorigenesis, we first examined whether menin directly modulates the protein and transcript levels of the driver of EwS, EWS::FLI1. We generated whole cell extracts from MEN1-knockout (KO) and control cell lines and used western blotting to determine the EWS::FLI1 protein levels. These results showed that the loss of menin led to an increase in EWS::FLI1 for some of the MEN1-KO cell lines. RNA was purified from the MEN1-KO and control cell lines to assess the levels of EWS::FLI1 mRNA by RT-qPCR to determine if menin modulates EWS::FLI1 transcript levels. We are currently examining menin’s role in modulating essential histone modifications, specifically H3K4me3 at promoters and H3K27Ac at enhancers since menin modulates the activity of histone-modifying enzymes. We generated nuclear extracts under high salt conditions to extract histones from chromatin in MEN1-KO and control cell lines. To assess the success of the fractionation of the nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, we conducted a western blot analysis to confirm the histones were extracted exclusively in the nuclear fraction. The levels of H3K4me3 were lower in some MEN1-KO cell lines, suggesting menin may have a role in epigenetic regulation in EwS. By understanding menin’s role in modulating EWS::FLI1 levels and global histone modifications, we may identify potential drug targets for future cancer treatments.

Current research on substance use suggests a positive correlation between emotion dysregulation and cannabis misuse or cannabis use disorders (CUD). This study aims to identify which specific facets of emotion dysregulation increase CUD symptom severity. While previous studies using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) have linked overall composite scores of emotion dysregulation to CUD, there is a gap in the understanding of how individual DERS subscales relate to CUD, which limits our ability to develop targeted interventions. Young adults (N=68, Mage=23.7 years, SD=3.05, 54.4% female, 63.2% White) who reported using cannabis 2-3x/week or more in the past month completed measures of emotion dysregulation (DERS) and CUD (Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test; CUDIT). To test associations between the 6 DERS subscales and CUDIT total score, we will first conduct bivariate correlations. If significant associations are found, we will conduct a multiple linear regression model to test which subscales best predict CUDIT total score. We hypothesize a moderate-to-strong correlation between the DERS and CUDIT scores, with Nonacceptance and Impulse control demonstrating stronger correlations. We also hypothesize that Nonacceptance and Impulse control subscales will most strongly predict CUDIT total scores. Results from the present study could help identify which of the emotion dysregulation subtypes should be targeted in future prevention and intervention efforts for young adults. If these findings are supported, additional efforts may want to teach skills to increase acceptance of emotional responses and improve impulse control. The proposed study is an important step in the treatment of cannabis misuse and CUDs as we will be able to narrow our aim toward isolated treatments to improve the livelihood of those involved.