Orientation Patch Count (OPC) is a method of research used by biologists and paleontologists to analyze the complexity of an animal’s feeding surface while inferring their diets; diet and tooth complexity have evolved in concert with one another, which is why this method has been used on reptilian and mammalian (denticular) species. However, it has not been extensively tested on edentulous (toothless) clades. Therefore, my research examines the OPC of an edentulous species - specifically the endangered Madagascar big-headed turtle (Erymnochelys madagascariensis) using  three CT-scanned specimens. Three primary programs were used in order to analyze the quantitative morphometricsof the species: Slicer for processing and editing CT scans from the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Lab, MeshLab for editing 3D models, and RStudio for data analysis. This research contributes to a broader study on turtle species led by paleontologist Brenlee Shipps, who will apply these findings to extinct beaked clades, specifically dicynodonts.

Human Rhinovirus (HRV) is one of the primary causes of mild upper respiratory infections and is the most common infectious agent which affects billions of humans globally. To most healthy individuals, this illness causes mild symptoms. However, in populations who have immunosuppression, comorbidities, or predisposition health issues, this virus can cause severe symptoms which can lead to possible hospitalizations and even an increased mortality rate. Given the lack of approved therapeutics for this disease, our project aims to prepare a target Phenylpropenoid, which is an organic molecule that has been previously isolated from the plant Bupleurum fruticosum and has reported antiviral qualities against HRV. Our synthetic approach toward the target compound involves a three-stage process: synthesizing a phenylpropenol fragment, preparing a bis-enoate fragment, and combining the two through esterification to access the target phenylpropenoid. We have successfully prepared the phenylpropenol fragment and are working toward accessing the bis-enoate fragment for examination in the final esterification.  Our findings will enable preparation of derivatives to assess in bioactivity studies that may provide valuable insights for future target design.

Queer animality is an alternative framework of being disrupting how Spanish colonialism marginalized the third-gender spiritual figure of the quariwarmi. I argue that animality in Andean spirituality and culture illustrates queerness as a decolonial force despite the repression of indigeneity through the Spanish colonial regime. Seen through this lens, queer animality becomes a radical, fluid embrace of difference, emphasizing how the intersection of queerness and animality threatens dominant power. Indigenous spirituality and embodiment of animality are an active resistance to colonialism because they refute the Western gender binary and fear of the nonhuman. I analyze historical documentation of sodomy in Cuzco and depictions of Andean constellations in conjunction with artwork to demonstrate the intersection of queerness and animality. Contemporary Peruvian artistry pays homage to a queer past, uplifting oppressed bodies through a reclamation of animality. Peruvian artist Javi Vargas uses queer animality to highlight an alternative future, critiquing the colonial influences of masculinity on Peruvian historical figures. Spanish missionaries deliberately suppressed androgynous identities by demonizing sodomy, driving the quariwarmi underground. The jaguar constellation chuquichinchay appears when the quariwarmi is present, and this presence of Andean spirituality intimidates the colonial agenda when manifesting itself through a gendered and animalized power. The radical renditions of notable Peruvian and Andean figures as queer and animalized contribute to the vision of an alternative future where marginalized bodies are honored and celebrated. This exploration of speculative imaginings is crucial when queerness is being erased from the archive, displaying a sustained resistance to colonial oppression. In the context of contemporary Peruvian art, queer animality therefore represents a transformative outlook on identity, establishing that beyond the human, there is a liberatory future. 

The mechanisms guiding the sensory detection of pain and the subsequent sensitization of damaged tissue to mechanical and thermal stimuli are relatively well understood. However, mechanisms guiding the transformation of nociception into the negative feelings associated with pain remain largely unknown. This affective component, notably in chronic pain, translates into an intense emotional impact on patients and can contribute to the development of comorbid psychiatric disorders. The elderly population have a propensity to be socially isolated and face exacerbated effects of chronic pain. In 2021, an estimated 20.9% of U.S adults suffer from chronic pain with persons over 65 years of age having the greatest propensity of acquiring the disease. Due to this, clinical intervention models call for a more holistic approach to pain intervention that incorporates lifestyle and nutritional factors, extending beyond pharmacological treatments. One of these promising non-pharmacological interventions is positive social interaction, which has been shown to alleviate pain and suffering.  Several studies show that humans who maintain strong social bonds recover from injuries faster than people without them. However, it has not yet been evaluated the extent to which this phenomenon occurs in geriatric animals and its relative efficacy as a social intervention to alleviate chronic pain in injured mice. My project seeks to gauge whether social intervention can alleviate chronic pain symptoms in aged mice and to unveil the underlying mechanisms guiding these successful non-pharmacological treatments. I will achieve this through two aims: evaluation of social self-administration as an intervention for chronic pain, and transcriptomic analysis to identify gene expression changes as a result of social interaction. Future research will include miniscope endomicroscopy recordings to visualize cell activity within major brain regions, and comparison of cell ensemble activity between groups of mice will lead to the identification of structures encoding behavioral shifts caused by pain.

Previous studies suggest that tooth morphology (shape, size, and other features of teeth) strongly correlates with an organism’s dietary patterns, and analyzing dentition is common practice in the field of Biology. Orientation patch count rotated (OPCr), a technique used in establishing dentition-diet correlations, has recently been demonstrated as applicable to turtle triturating surfaces to understand their dietary adaptations. The aim of this study is to add to an ongoing project characterizing the relationship between diet and the cutting/grinding surface in the jaw (triturating surface) in edentulous (toothless) organisms using techniques used in traditional dental topographic analysis. Turtles are a diverse group of edentulous organisms with beaks of keratin to process their food — making them ideal for this study. Specimens of the omnivorous Forest-Hinge Back Tortoise (Kinixys erosa) were micro-computed tomographically (CT) scanned. We reconstructed the CT scans into photogrammetric 3D models using Slicer software. Then, we isolated the triturating surface using MeshLab software. Finally, we read the triturating surface into the R package molaR — resulting in OPCr values that estimate the complexity of their specimen’s triturating surface. Ideally, the OPCr values showcase extreme high triturating surface complexity, as previous research suggests tortoises (Testudinidae) have highly complex triturating surfaces compared with other clades of turtles. Our research hopes to contribute to a new technique for analyzing extinct beaked or edentulous taxa.

Chronic kidney disease is projected to be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide by 2040. Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) makes up 70% of CKD cases in places such as India, Mexico, and Sri Lanka, largely through environmental factors. Ochratoxin A (OTA) accumulates in the kidney and is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin that contaminates grain products such as wheat, rice, beer, and most plant-based foods. Chronic OTA exposure has been linked to CKDu in rural agricultural areas, such as Sri Lanka. A prominent family of cell membrane transporters, Organic Anion Transporters (OATs), are one of the main drug transporter families in the kidney. Previous work in our lab elucidated that OAT1/3 and 4 are major OTA transporters. Certain antioxidants, found in common plant-based food products like green tea, coffee, and certain vegetables have been studied to reduce OTA-mediated nephrotoxicity. However, since our preliminary data indicate OAT transporter-dependent uptake into the kidney, we aim to test the competitive inhibition effect of OAT-substrate antioxidants in preventing kidney accumulation of OTA. Potential inhibitors include epicatechin gallate, miquelianan, caffeic acid, luteolin, and myricetin. Competitive inhibition in individuals consuming these products along with OTA exposure could lead to decreased uptake of OTA into the kidney, mitigating toxicity. Our preliminary uptake experiment with those inhibitors indicates that miquelianan reduces OAT3 mediated uptake of OTA by 48%. We will next assess the inhibition potential of miquelianan on OTA with an IC50 curve via mass spectrometry analysis. This study will provide evidence for a potential new mechanism of antioxidant amelioration of kidney toxicity to OTA exposure.

In vitro models (cells in a dish) are a powerful tool in toxicology, allowing for advanced research in biological mechanisms while decreasing our reliance on in vivo animal models. Reproductive development is a critical endpoint in toxicology and requires a large number of animals, making reproductive studies a priority for in vitro alternatives. The current in vitro testis models are insufficient to recapitulate human reproductive development as they still rely on cells from laboratory rodents due to low human testis tissue availability and the need to capture dynamic developmental stages. To address this, I am developing an in vitro model that recapitulates human spermatogonia development to generate human primordial germ cell-like cells (hPGCLCs) using two induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines. This approach relies on spontaneous differentiation of the iPSCs using an extracellular matrix overlay. My pilot experiments did not robustly differentiate; therefore, I adapted the protocol to first induce incipient mesoderm-like cells (iMeLCs), which are primed for differentiation to hPGCLCs. I observed distinct cell morphological differences in the iMeLCs relative to control iPSCs using phase-contrast microscopy and found increased expression of Vimentin in the iMeLCs using immunocytochemistry. I am completing additional experiments to visualize expression of the mesoderm marker Brachyury, proliferative marker ki67, and primordial germ cell markers ki67 and SOX17. Using these iMeLCs I will follow the overlay protocol to derive hPGCLCs. I will assess the hPGCLC phenotype using flow cytometry for TFAP2C, a marker of PGCs. The hPGCLCs will then be cocultured with primary testis tissue to drive development towards spermatogonia-like cells (SpLCs), determined by expression of DDX4. The primary tissue will include our labs standard rodent model, as well as human tissue from collaborators at the UW Male Fertility Lab. Developing a fully human in vitro model system will be a powerful tool to study infertility.

Influenza viruses are a causative agent of seasonal flu outbreaks, which are mitigated through routine vaccination. Due to antigenic drift, many illness-causing strains evolve slower and are therefore, well-characterized. However, new strains occasionally emerge from animal reservoirs through antigenic shift, which can evade pre-existing immunity and cause lethal pandemics. Currently, H5N1 strains are of global health concern. Influenza viruses have two major antigenic surface glycoproteins: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), which have opposing functions and depend on a host cellular receptor, sialic acid. HA binds sialic acid for virus entry while NA cleaves sialic acid for viral release. NA is a dimer of dimers with several distinct domains, and two of particular interest: a head domain with sialidase activity and a flexible, hypervariable stalk domain. It is suggested that stalk length alters the range of accepted substrate-enzyme geometries of the NA head. As such, it is hypothesized that stalk length influences NA expression levels, sialic acid cleavage, and head tilting. Recent literature also demonstrates that shorter NA stalks result in reduced viral fitness in human hosts. Characterizing the structural effects of different NA stalk truncation constructs will provide valuable insight into influenza host-virus interactions. HDX-MS is an excellent tool for determining the structural dynamics of NA head regions by measuring local backbone amide solvent accessibility. MS data provides a detailed profile of deuterium uptake kinetics, effectively identifying differences in NA head flexibility across constructs. Additionally, we will use negative stain electron microscopy to observe differences in NA quarternary configuration and head tilting. We plan to correlate structural changes across constructs to changes in NA native function using a variety of NA activity assays in further experiments. This ongoing study aims to inform about how NA stalk length affects the influenza replication cycle, pathogenicity, and broader implications on host immunity.

Ochratoxin-A (OTA) is a ubiquitous food contaminant linked to nephrotoxicity and carcinogenicity. Yet, its exposure risk and metabolic pathway in humans remain poorly understood. This research aims to investigate the intrinsic clearance of OTA in the human liver and to identify cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isozyme(s) responsible for its biotransformation. I employed a substrate depletion assay on OTA-treated human liver microsomes and used ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy to determine the kinetic parameters of clearance rates. To identify specific CYP450 isozyme(s) involved in metabolism, a parallel substrate depletion assay was conducted with recombinant CYP450 supersomes at defined intervals. Findings from this study reveal human susceptibility to OTA-induced toxicity and offers insight to our understanding to the hepatic metabolism of this widespread dietary toxin. Future research will explore human proximal-tubule specific OTA bioactivation, ultimately guiding regulatory decisions and public health interventions to reduce OTA-associated health risks.

Diet is one of the most significant contributors to an organism’s morphology, as without morphological features to acquire food the organism will cease to live. Previous studies have quantified these morphological features in toothed taxa using Rotated Orientation Patch Count (OPCr) but not in edentulous taxa. Previously, we obtained OPCr from several turtle species using photogrammetry, created 3D models with Slicer, edited them down to just the triturating surface in MeshLab, and ran statistical analysis in R. Specifically, I worked on the unique, endangered turtle species Carettochelys insculpta (n=6) using CT scans obtained from MorphoSource to add to our photogrammetry data. However, the OPCr values obtained from these meshes discarded more surface area and were significantly lower than the meshes made from photogrammetry. To increase the surface area counted in the OPCr and potentially get results more comparable to the photogrammetry meshes we experimented with decreasing the percentage of patches discarded during analysis in R from 1% to 0.1% and tried smoothing the meshes in Slicer using a factors of 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7. A simple T-test was used to determine significant differences. To increase the number of available specimens and compare turtle species with different diets – durophagous and omnivorous respectively – Malaclemys terrapin specimens (n=5) were used in addition to the Carettochelys insculpta specimens. We expect to find increased surface area and higher OPCr values when increasing the percentage of patches discarded from 1% to 0.1%. We also expect that smoothing will increase the amount of surface area counted at both 1% and 0.1%. As a result of this study, we hope to create a better method for processing CT scans for morphological analysis of the triturating surfaces of turtles, and to develop a methodology for determining diet in any edentulous organism.

Previous studies have shown that the diet of an organism can provide valuable insight into a variety of characteristics including habitat, behavior, and ecological role. Analyzing dentition is one method used to determine an organism’s diet, but this becomes complicated for edentulous taxa. In this study, we investigated the dietary ecology of Caretta caretta, or the loggerhead sea turtle, through the 3D morphometrics of several CT-scanned skull specimens. We are particularly interested in studying a notable feature on the occlusal surface: the accessory triturating ridge. This structure functions as a way to process food and thus provides important insight into what kinds of nutritional sources Caretta caretta may be drawing from. To analyze and interpret the morphology of the ridge, we took a series of computed tomography (CT) scans and processed them into 3D models using Slicer. We then isolated the occlusal surface in MeshLab and used R to assess variations in morphology. This results in a rotated orientation patch count (OPCr), which we can use to analyze the complexity of the occlusal surface. This acts as a topographic map, with a higher OPCr value likely indicating an omnivorous or herbivorous diet, and a lower OPCr value predicting a carnivorous diet. Because Caretta caretta are known to be omnivorous, we expect to see a higher OPCr value, suggesting that their occlusal surface is more complex than that of other turtles. Analysis of this species contributes to our project's overarching goal of applying morphological analyses to edentulous species and can offer insights into conservation efforts for this ecologically vulnerable turtle.

Cerebellar development relies on the coordinated proliferation and differentiation of progenitors from the ventricular zone (VZ) and rhombic lip (RL). To systematically map their spatiotemporal dynamics, we performed EdU pulse labeling by injecting pregnant mice with EdU and collecting embryonic cerebella at daily intervals over five consecutive days as well as an acute half-an-hour post EdU injection. EdU labeling identifies actively dividing progenitor cells at the time of injection. As development progresses, EdU+ cells can be tracked to study their differentiation and migration, revealing the temporal dynamics of VZ and RL progenitor-derived neurons in the cerebellum. Using multiplex immunohistochemistry with VZ- and RL-derived cell-type specific markers, we tracked the spatial distribution and differentiation of EdU-labeled cells, distinguishing VZ- and RL-derived progenitor lineages. Additionally, we outline a strategy to isolate EdU+ cells for single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and ATAC sequencing (ATAC-seq), enabling a comprehensive molecular characterization of progenitor fate transitions. This approach provides a high-resolution developmental trajectory of cerebellar progenitors, offering new insights into the regulatory mechanisms driving cerebellar neurogenesis and their disruptions in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Acomys Cahirinus (spiny mice) are remarkable creatures that exhibit key differences in inflammatory response, regeneration, and aging compared to mice. Adult neurogenesis - the production of new neurons- in the hippocampal niche declines with age in most mammals, yet Acomys exhibits sustained neurogenic potential, presenting a unique model for regenerative neuroscience. This study leverages advanced image analysis software (Imaris) to develop robust pipelines for quantifying neural stem cell (NSC) and intermediate progenitor (IP) proliferation and fate determination in Acomys versus standard laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Using EdU incorporation to track S-phase entry and a 4D pulse-labeling approach, we assess neurogenic niche activity across species. Additionally, we extend this analysis to aging Acomys, utilizing consistent sectioning, staining, and imaging parameters to confirm continuous progenitor proliferation in young and old cohorts. Our findings provide critical insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying sustained neurogenesis in Acomys, offering prospective therapeutic targets for age-related neurodegenerative conditions.

Understanding the dynamic behaviors of cells in the developing human brain is essential for elucidating the mechanisms that drive both normal and abnormal neurodevelopment. Using lentiviruses encoding fluorescent proteins, we infected cells in slices from different regions of the developing human cerebellum to track their movements over several hours. We then captured timelapse images of these fluorescent slices under a microscope, allowing us to visualize their dynamic behavior. Using live imaging analysis software, hundreds of individual cells were then tracked and characterized. Our analysis found several key processes, including novel modes of cell division and differentiation, neuronal migration, and intercellular communication. This approach allowed us to map a timeline of critical events that shape cerebellar architecture. This research aims to help us gain insight into neurodevelopmental disorders, where disturbances in fundamental biological processes underlie disease progression.

Spoken, written, and body language are the media through which we interact with our social world. Formalized in the 20th century and owing to the work of anthropologists like Franz Boas, Edward Sapir, and Benjamin Whorf, the theory of linguistic relativity posits that the language we use influences our thoughts and our perception of the world. Linguistic practices like code-switching point toward an intricate relationship between language use and social setting. As new technologies proliferate alongside evolving patterns of migration around the globe, it is likely that multilingual ability will increase. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding the role of bi- or multilingualism (hereafter encompassing bilingualism) within linguistic anthropology. Given the cultural origin of identity and the interlinked nature of culture and language, my research question asks if multilingualism can grant individuals greater latitude in the expression of their discrete identities. This literature review examined multilingualism in diverse contexts, including psychotherapy, postcolonialism, and stand-up comedy, to better understand how linguistic flexibility affects our interpersonal lives and intrapersonal conceptions. Despite the aforementioned knowledge gap, a broad scope of answers from the literature suggests that multilingual ability uniquely shapes how people interact with the world around them. Multilingualism provides benefits to both multilingual individuals and the communities and social networks in which they live. The ability to communicate in one more than one language or dialect can afford a more complete sense of identity, maintain connections to cultural roots, and open new avenues for self-perception. As political rhetoric veers towards xenophobic and jingoist tendencies, the question of how people who live and communicate at the intersection of two or more cultures becomes more relevant, both for the self-conception of those at the margins and for the perception of this population by the dominant culture.

In this work, I propose an improved remeshing approach for particle method approximations. Particle approximation methods are a flexible tool for approximating solutions to nonlinear continuity equations, and are especially useful for aggregation-diffusion equations, which have important applications in fields ranging from modeling physical processes to neural networks. They work by decomposing functions into constituent parts, called particles. By tracking the motion and mass associated with each of these particles over time, we then use these to construct a high-resolution approximation to a desired solution. However, particle methods suffer from accuracy decay over time, necessitating remeshing (resetting particle positions) to maintain a useful approximation. It's important that the techniques used for this remeshing preserve existing structures, so that our approximation exhibits the same qualities as the true solution of the underlying equation. For instance, existing remeshing techniques often preserve conservation of mass, but not entropy decay. By combining remeshing techniques to periodically merge clustered particles and introduce new particles, I'm developing a method that maintains approximation accuracy and preserves structural properties. I present the results of the numerical analysis done using Python, as well as an implementation of the method using a finite-difference approach, which examines the approximation at various steps through time. This approach is expected to preserve the structure of the true solution within the particle method approximation, contributing to the development of robust particle methods for a broad class of partial differential equations.

Liposomes are synthetic vesicles composed of phospholipids that are used as both a model biological membrane and drug-delivery system. Doxil® is a widely used liposome-based chemotherapy drug used to treat ovarian cancer, multiple myeloma, and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Liposome stability affects drug-delivery efficacy. Cholesterol is a key component of membranes that has been shown to regulate membrane fluidity, permeability, and overall structure. Electrostatic interactions between phospholipid headgroups also can impact liposome stability and are impacted by buffer conditions. While it is known that inclusion of cholesterol and electrostatic interactions can impact liposome stability, how these changes influence membrane structure and stability is poorly understood. Cryo-electron tomography (CryoET) is an electron microscopy technique that produces high resolution 3-dimensional images of macromolecular structures, allowing detailed visualization of lipid bilayers and membranes. Cryo-ET can be used to preserve native hydration of membranes in order to maintain lipid organization. Using Cryo-ET, we plan to study how inclusion of different cholesterol concentrations and phospholipid compositions can influence membrane architecture and stability. We hypothesize that we will be able to directly visualize and analyze structural changes in membrane leaflets and membrane fine structure, which will enhance our understanding of lipid membrane architecture. An in-depth understanding of how cholesterol concentrations in liposomes under various buffer conditions influences membrane architecture will provide insight into how these factors directly impact membrane architecture and thus liposome stability. This knowledge is crucial for optimizing liposomes as drug delivery systems, improving their stability and efficiency, and enhancing their use as model membranes for studying biological processes.

Organs-on-a-chip (OOAC) are biomimetic systems that replicate the physiological environments of human organs at a micro-scale. They are gaining industry acceptance due to their ability to control critical parameters including shear stress, concentration gradients, and cell-biofluid interactions. By mimicking the behavior of human organs, OOACs are transforming how pharmacokinetics, physiological, and toxicological studies are performed, offering a more relevant model than animal-based studies. Our studies focus on how drugs and toxins affect the human kidney, a crucial organ for processing medications and filtering out harmful compounds. A key component of kidney OOACs is a hydrogel, which provides a structural scaffold and a biological substrate for cells. The hydrogel consists of rat tail Collagen I (Col-I) and specialized cell culture media (PTEC and 199 (10x)). The media mimics the extracellular fluids that surround kidney cells in the body, providing a more realistic environment for cell growth/interaction. Collagen IV (Col-IV) is the most abundant protein in kidney tissue but lacks structural rigidity. A combination of these materials is crucial for achieving a more accurate representation of kidney structure and function. While adding more matrix to the hydrogel improves the model’s ability to replicate the native environment, it is challenging to maintain structural stability, hence the need for a stabilizing agent. The aim of this project is to determine the proximal tubule epithelial cell (PTEC) viability of a mixed collagen I and IV matrix. At this stage, we have shifted from determining optimal collagen ratios to evaluating cell viability. By refining these models with optimized kidney extracellular matrices, the Kelly-Yeung lab aims to develop OOAC systems that better predict how drugs, toxins, and diseases impact human kidneys. This progress will lead to more effective and personalized treatments, as well as a reduction in reliance on animal testing. 

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are highly aggressive brain tumors with poor patient prognosis, necessitating improved preclinical models to evaluate therapeutic strategies. My lab develops cerebral organoids from human pluripotent stem cells, seeded with primary patient tumors to model GBM progression and therapeutic screening. Developing biologically relevant neural organoids provides a platform for integrating patient-derived GBM samples, enabling disease modeling and treatment testing. This study aims to optimize the embedding, cryosectioning and immunofluorescence (IF) staining protocols used to screen key molecular markers and cell populations within the organoids to validate their suitability for GBM tumor engraftment. Fixed organoids, along with embryonic and adult mouse brain tissues, are embedded in OCT to preserve structure and cryosectioned (12–20 μm). IF staining is optimized by adjusting fixation time, permeabilization, blocking reagents, and antibody concentrations to improve specificity and reduce background fluorescence. Markers analyzed so far include SOX2 (neural precursors), PAX6 (radial glia), FOXG1 (forebrain), and TUJ1 (neuronal differentiation). Mouse brain cryosections from newborn (P0) and adult (P56) stages serve as positive controls to validate antibody specificity and distinguish true signals from autofluorescence or non-specific staining. Images are acquired via Olympus scanner and analyzed using OlyViA and NIH Fiji (Enhanced ImageJ). Current efforts focus on optimizing section thickness for clearer images and refining blocking conditions to minimize non-specific binding. We expect the detected fluorescent markers will mirror known cellular and tissue expression patterns, confirming that the organoids exhibit normal human fetal neurodevelopmental characteristics and are biologically relevant for GBM modeling. Future work will expand marker validation to include GFAP (astrocytes), DCX (neurogenesis marker), TBR2 (intermediate progenitors), OLIG2 (oligodendrocyte progenitors), PTPRZ1 (radial glia), IBA1 (microglia) and other cell lineage-specific markers. Establishing reliable staining and imaging conditions is a crucial step toward developing our organoid model to be suitable for exploring GBM tumor biology and potential therapeutic responses.

The sensation of acute pain is fundamental to survival, indicating tissue damage that motivates an animal to engage in adaptive protective behaviors. Chronic pain, however, is persistent pain beyond typical recovery window and serves little adaptive function. The negative emotional component inherent in chronic pain contributes to the development of comorbid psychiatric disorders such as depression, social aggression, and social withdrawal. Our research aims to understand the bidirectional relationship between pain and social behavior, by evaluating mechanical sensitivity and changes in social motivation, reward, and interaction following a neuropathic injury. Using social self-administration (SSA), pair-housed mice were placed in operant chambers and underwent voluntary lever press trials for the reward of social interaction with their cage mate. Mice also underwent mechanical hypersensitivity response assays called von Frey where increasing weights of plastic filament were applied to the hind paw. Following baseline von Frey testing and the acquisition of the SSA task, mice then received a spared nerve injury (SNI) to induce neuropathic pain. After surgery recovery, mice were returned to the lever press and von Frey trials at different post-operative windows. Pain sensitivity was determined by the filament weight in which the animal withdrew their paw during von Frey. Changes in social behavior were measured via changes in lever press frequency and interactions during trials. Behavior changes were quantified using Simple Behavior Analysis (SimBA) machine learning to classify interactions during social trials. Once the trials were completed, brain tissue from regions associated with reward and social neural circuitry was collected and investigated using transcriptomic methods. Our data found sexually divergent social adaptations and gene expression following chronic pain. Future experiments will further delineate these sex-specific adaptations following a traumatic injury. This research can inform social intervention as an adjunct or alternative treatment to pharmacological pain intervention and its comorbidities.

The triturating surface of a beaked animal is the part of the beak that contacts food. Previous work has been conducted on determining a value for the complexity of beaked turtles’ triturating surface by creating a 3D mesh of it. We analyzed these meshes using  the R package molaR which then determined an OPCr (orientation patch count rotated) number that could be compared to the known diet of the turtle. My role in this study is  to examine the effect that manipulation of thresholding the skull has on the OPCr output using five different skulls from the species Malaclemys terrapin, which are known to be durophagous. Thresholding is conducted in the first half of mesh construction, when the CT scan is run through Slicer. At this step, we input both a higher and lower threshold value, as well as a standard value. A higher threshold value will lead to higher density material being excluded from the data set. The skull that is constructed in Slicer is then put into MeshLab to be further trimmed into only the triturating surface, and then it is run through molaR. We suspect that a higher threshold value will lead to a higher OPCr value than a lower thresholding value would. The implication of these results will determine what effect thresholding has on the scan, and estimate what value will be most optimal for preserving the integrity of the scan. 

The cerebellar ventricular zone (VZ) is the primary source of progenitor cells that give rise to all cerebellar GABAergic neurons, including Purkinje cells (PCs) and interneurons (INs). While the VZ has been well studied in mice, much less is known about its role in human brain development. In this study, we investigated how progenitors and neurons form in the human cerebellar VZ, using in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and single-cell RNAseq analysis. Our findings reveal several key differences from the mouse model. We found that Purkinje cells are generated during a brief two-week period, even before the cerebral cortex begins to develop. Interneurons, on the other hand, start differentiating a few weeks later and mature on a timescale of months to years. A unique feature of human cerebellar development is the presence of specialized inner and outer subventricular zones (SVZ), which are absent in mice. Most differentiation occurs in these regions, with the first wave taking place in the outer SVZ. Additionally, we observed variations in Purkinje cell arrangement and number, including a subset of Purkinje cells that continue expressing cell cycle genes, suggesting a more complex and prolonged developmental profile compared to mice. By characterizing these developmental processes, our study provides new insights into human cerebellar development, highlighting important structural and temporal differences from animal models. These findings may have implications for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders.