Pakistani-Americans have voted for the Democratic Party in recent elections, yet many of these individuals hail from conservative religious and cultural backgrounds (Ramakrishnan et al., 2017; Tinaz, 2006). What explains this seeming paradox in their partisan allegiance? This study seeks to explore this question by theorizing about the political psychology of Pakistani-American voters. Drawing on research from social identity theory (SIT) and the system justification theory (SJT), I reason that due to the emphasis placed on the marginalized identity of Pakistani-Americans in the context of larger group membership in the U.S., there will be a positive correlation between Pakistani-American individuals who identify with conservative cultural and religious values, and Pakistani-American individuals who vote for the Democratic Party. To test this theory, this study will utilize survey data to assess psychological measures such as the social psychology of groups, values from an individual perspective, and racial, religious, and ethnic identity in the context of U.S. politics. By analyzing the results and investigating what may propel this disparity in Pakistani-American voting behavior, we ultimately hope to find effective solutions to bridge this disparity because system justification can interfere heavily with efforts to promote social justice (Jost & Kay, 2010).

All organisms face stress on a constant basis and therefore they have developed mechanisms to maintain homeostasis. One of these mechanisms is the unfolded protein response of the endoplasmic reticulum (UPRer). Activation of the UPRer specifically in astrocyte-like glia or neurons of C. elegans through the overexpression of spliced xbp-1s, a key transcription factor of the UPRer, is sufficient to induce the UPRer in peripheral cells through cell-nonautonomous signaling. This signaling is suppressed by gene knockdown of xbp-1s via RNA interference (RNAi) in the periphery, but not by mutation of the xbp-1 gene across the whole animal. These data and evidence that xbp-1s is incorporated into exosomes in mammalian cells lead us to hypothesize that xbp-1s functional mRNA is being trafficked in exosomes from activating glia or neurons to the periphery inducing cell-nonautonomous UPRer. We interrogated the role of exosomes through RNAi knockdown of genes important in exosome release and found that these knockdowns suppressed both cell-nonautonomous and cell-autonomous signaling. We also used qPCR to profile the mRNA species contained in vesicles by measuring RNase protection and through exosome purification. Further directions include profiling exosomes from animals in multiple stress conditions, tracking exosome and xbp-1s mRNA colocalization with imaging, and determining exosomes’ ability to conduct UPRer in cell culture. The cell-nonautonomous UPRer plays an important role in aging and has been implicated in diseases such as obesity and diabetes, so having a deeper understanding of the signaling mechanism may allow us to develop therapeutics for these important diseases.

Stroke is a highly prevalent neurologic disease that frequently causes permanent disability. Our understanding of the mechanisms by which the brain can repair itself following a stroke remain incomplete. Utilizing the rodent barrel cortex to study circuitry and repair following stroke, our lab has demonstrated that circuit plasticity and functional remapping is impaired in the peri-infarct region. This work suggests that circuit-level deficits may underly persistent disability following stroke, but behavioral outcomes in this model have yet to be investigated in detail. To do so, we are developing head-fixed whisker discrimination tasks that will allow us to longitudinally assess somatosensory function before and after stroke. This summer I have been developing and refining behavioral training protocols for these whisker discrimination tasks. This includes Go/No-Go and two-alternative forced choices paradigms and task performance with a single whisker. I have also been implementing high-speed video capture and analysis tools such as the Janelia Whisk algorithm to monitor whisker kinematics during task performance. I have written custom MATLAB scripts to automate video recording and to plot whisker movement variables including whisker angle with respect to the whisker pad center, curvature, and spatial coordinates of whisker segments. I have also been learning techniques such as cranial window placement and photothrombotic stroke. Together, these tools and techniques will facilitate our overall goal of understanding how whisker somatosensory function is affected following stroke, allowing us to correlate circuit level changes with behavioral outcomes.

Focal laser Ablation (FLA) is a favorable method for the minimally invasive treatment of prostate cancer. Ablation zones are created by the physician to confirm the appropriate tissue is removed. We have designed a novel interstitial optical probe that determines the ablation perimeter. FLA, in conjunction with the optical probe, was performed on fresh bovine liver. Subsequently, the sample was frozen in liquid nitrogen and sectioned along the laser fiber track. Samples to be sliced and stained are selected based on the depth at which ablation occurred and the recorded fluence data. Subsequently, we implement the NADH Staining Protocol to reveal the optical probe and ablation zone, as without staining the tissue is translucent and cannot be confirmed to have been successfully ablated. Concurrently, we are in the development of a novel force-sensing optical fiber sensor that differentiates tissues based on their mechanical properties. The novel sensor utilizes fiber Bragg grating (FBG) arrays to determine tissues based on their mechanical properties. We are in the process of testing substrate materials in search of low hysteresis, latency, and hydrophobicity. Tested substrate materials include hard and soft Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), hard/soft PDMS composite, and a 3D printing material. Substrate materials are tested utilizing a python software to determine the hysteresis at various force inputs.