Social expectations are constantly changing, and even subjects typically considered “taboo” are changing as well. Though sex is often seen as a private, maybe even secretive, discussion, this lack of public eye to the true nature of sex can lead to many difficulties in an individual's personal and intimate life through misunderstandings and social expectations. This literature review focuses on possible correlations between behavioral sex therapy treatment (such as guided open communication, and sensate focus) and aspects of unsustainable romantic relationships (such as stonewalling and criticism). Some sexual dysfunctions can arise from emotional difficulties, such as anxiety during or before sexual encounters, lack of enjoyment from one or both partners, or different perceived ideas of what is supposed to happen during sex. These difficulties can translate into daily life in the relationship outside of sex. By treating these dysfunctions there may be a domino effect which impacts the relationship outside of sexual relations, which can improve the relationship overall and lead to a relationship that is more sustainable for all parties involved. Through comparisons of articles on treatments typical in behavioral sex therapy and articles defining aspects of unsustainable relationships, like those published by John Gottman, initial findings support connections between the topics. These positive correlations indicate an innate connection between sexuality and relationships, which could lessen the social stigma that surrounds discussing sex or sexual topics

Biodiesel fuel is a renewable and biodegradable fuel that is produced from a variety of sources, such as animal fats or vegetable oils. With its potential to replace petroleum diesel in engines, biodiesel can act as a cleaner and more environmentally friendly fuel. To create biodiesel fuel, a substance, like oil or fat, must react with a catalyst, which allows for a transesterification reaction, converting these substances into biodiesel fuel. Washington alone is home to over 4,000 coffee shops, and as a result, there is significant waste from discarding coffee grounds daily. Spent coffee grounds, the substance being used in this experiment, is a potential upcoming form of effective biodiesel fuel. In order to turn spent coffee grounds into biofuel, the oil within it must be extracted first. Oil is extracted using a method involving a solvent, Hexane, and following that, the oil is presented to two separate catalysts for comparison: KOH (potassium hydroxide) and NaOH (sodium hydroxide). Comparisons can then be made of what catalyst yielded the best fuel burn efficient level, depending on what catalyst the oil was presented to. This ultimately brings up the question of what catalyst is more efficient, in addition to how efficient spent coffee ground oil is as biofuel. Our goal is to answer these questions and contribute to the advancing research of using spent coffee grounds to produce biodiesel fuel. 

Originating from Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), the Awareness, Courage, and Love (ACL) model is a widely disseminated approach to building profound social connections and reducing loneliness through the practice of vulnerable self-disclosure and compassionate reflection. This model, however, has not been systematically examined through a cultural lens. This proposal investigates the potential cultural effects of the ACL intervention, focusing on individualism and collectivism. A single-blind design will be conducted with participants from both cultural contexts who will be randomly assigned to either the ACL intervention or an advice-giving intervention. Data will be collected through standardized questionnaires. We hypothesize that the ACL model will be more effective in individualistic cultures, where vulnerable self-disclosure is more culturally normative, compared to collectivistic cultures, which may prioritize group harmony over personal disclosures. The findings from this study will have implications for the cultural adaptation of the ACL model, highlighting the importance of tailoring interventions to different cultural contexts.

The formation of the neural tube is a critical event in embryonic development. Morphogenic signals guide a layer of embryonic cells to fold and create the neural tube, which serves as the precursor to the brain and spinal cord. When the neural tube fails to close properly, neural tube defects arise. Spina bifida is the most common neural tube defect, affecting 1 in 1,000 births. Although surgical procedures can be used to treat it, they often result in complications involving serious disabilities and infections. While neural tube defects are believed to have a multifactorial etiology, which includes a genetic component, proposed causative mutations that lead to the development of spina bifida in humans have yet to be thoroughly examined. Recently, mutations in the gene for a G-protein coupled receptor known as GPR161 were identified in infants with spina bifida. However, the role of GPR161 variants in the development of spina bifida is not fully understood. Utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 technology in human induced pluripotent stem cells, I have generated GPR161 knockout and point mutation lines and differentiated them into neural progenitors in a 2D model while also developing a 3D organoid system. Using these models, I will investigate the downstream pathways involved in the formation and patterning of the neural tube that could be influenced by the mutations. This includes the sonic hedgehog pathway, Wnt pathway, and assessing neural differentiation markers. I will evaluate these markers through various assays, including immunofluorescence and real-time quantitative PCR. Through these efforts, we will enhance our understanding of a genetic component in the etiology of spina bifida while demonstrating the value that induced pluripotent stem cells can have in studying human development and treating human diseases by recapitulating them in human models in vitro.

Phytophthora ramorum is regarded as a devastating pathogen to many plant species, so its detection and extermination are necessary for a healthy ecosystem. At Clark’s Creek Park in Puyallup, WA, within a stream adjacent to the dog park, P. ramorum was searched for. Rhododendron leaves were used as bait to attract Phytophthora species in various soil samples and the running water of Clarks Creek. Phytophthora from infected leaves was cultured and used for DNA extraction, PCR (with ITS4 and ITS6 barcoding primers), electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the preponderant species present was Phytophthora gonapodyides. P. ramorum was not detected at the location we surveyed. However, due to our small sample size, the presence of P. ramorum should not be ruled out, and future experiments should continue exploring its potential habitation. If P. ramorum were identified, we would report this data to the USDA for subsequent intervention.

Students often face academic pressure, interpersonal issues, and employment challenges during the transition into college. While 48.9% of undergraduate students face depressive symptoms (Luo et. al, 2024) and 52% of students report anxiety significantly inhibiting their academic performance (Crosswell et al), only 15% of students with mental illness utilize college mental health resources (Jaisoorya, 2021). To overcome conflicting schedules, stigma, and limited accessibility, we investigate whether self-regulated mindfulness practices would reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in college students. Participants were instructed to practice guided meditation videos daily. Depression and anxiety were measured through Qualtrics using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck et al., 1996) and Generalized Anxiety Questionnaire (APA) (Spitzer, et al., 2006) before and after a 2-week meditation practice. We hypothesize that regular mindfulness meditation practices moderately reduce anxiety and depression in college students. 

As incidences of opioid use disorder (OUD) have surged to an astonishing 2.5 million individuals, trends of concurrent opioid and psychostimulant use have also risen to a dire degree. Despite this growing number of polysubstance related overdose deaths, current research has primarily focused on the effects of single-substance drug exposure–creating a knowledge gap in our understanding of polysubstance use and corresponding treatment modalities. Thus, we aimed to investigate the differential effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine (METH) polysubstance exposure compared to single substance exposure on drug-induced hyperlocomotion and social interaction in male and female Sprague Dawley rats (n=40). We initially hypothesized that polysubstance exposure to fentanyl and METH would generate distinct behavioral effects on locomotor behavior compared to single-substance exposed animals. We found that in polysubstance and METH-only rats, METH-induced locomotion increased over time in males, but not in females. Additionally, we observed that polysubstance exposure exacerbated fentanyl-induced locomotion in males compared to their fentanyl-only counterparts. We further hypothesized that polysubstance exposure would amplify drug-induced social deficits compared to METH-only and fentanyl-only groups. Seeing how recent literature suggests that psychedelic drugs may have substantial therapeutic and prosocial effects, we also hypothesized that the psychedelic compound R-(-)2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) would reverse social deficits observed in both single and polysubstance exposure. We found that social deficits emerged in our polysubstance males and females. We additionally observed a social deficit in our METH-only treated females, but not males. We are currently investigating if the effects of DOI may reverse these deficits. Considering these sex-specific findings, it is crucial that we continue investigating the diverging impacts between males and females to develop targeted therapeutic interventions for polysubstance use.