Zika virus (ZIKV) is a virus that was originally discovered in 1948 but has had little attention until the recent outbreaks in central and south American. In 2016, ZIKV infections found in Brazil were linked with congenital abnormalities such as microcephaly, calcium deposits and death. Therefore, scientists retroactively looked at the outbreaks in the past decade including the outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013. For 80% of adults the infection is asymptomatic, however there is an increased risk of the Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune inflammatory neurological disorder. There is also an increased risk of birth defects if the mother is infected during pregnancy. The is some evidence for dysregulation of the interferon pathway of the innate immune system in these infections. The gene products of this pathway contribute to RNA editing dysregulation mostly by ADAR. Due to these increased risks and the complexity of the molecular mechanisms underlying the infection, public education about Zika virus is both critical and complicated. Here we focus on the use of visual representation of data about Zika Virus in an attempt to increase overall awareness and understanding of ZIKV. The use of flow chart and scientific diagrams to convey complicated pathway analysis may aide in the public education of the risks associated with Zika infection.

The Zika Virus (ZIKV) originally discovered in 1947 received little recognition as a serious infection until the WHO designated it as an international public health emergency in 2016. ZIKV is a flavivirus that has been linked to congenital ZIKV syndrome with symptoms including microcephaly. The Dengue Virus (DENV), another pathogenic flavivirus, has been associated with major infections including Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Shock Syndrome, but has not been linked to congenital symptoms. We hypothesize that this is due to ZIKV generating a stronger innate rather than adaptive immune response, whereas DENV is still initiating an innate immune response, but triggers a stronger adaptive immune response. By provoking the innate immune system, ZIKV is activating interferon (IFN) type 1 pathways, causing a cascade that ultimately activates Adenosine Deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs). If ADARs are dysregulated by ZIKV infection the changes in (mis)edited proteins may be responsible for observed neurodevelopmental defects. Using AIDD (a novel pipeline) and publically available RNA-seq datasets from three distinct human embryonic neural progenitor cell lines treated with either ZIKV or mock infection, we delineated gene expression patterns with a particular interest in ADAR1. Gene enrichment and pathway analysis was performed using DAVID and PANTHER. Our results indicate that ADAR1 is upregulated in two of the cell lines but not in the third, suggesting that the IFN type 1 pathway plays a significant role in ZIKV infection, and that changes in ADAR1 expression – and editing of neural targets - may be contributing to CZS symptoms.

Waste in the garment industry has always been a problem, however recently has come to light. More and more people are beginning to acknowledge the waste affair that occurs during the creation of the garment as well as throughout the lifecycle of a garment. In majority of garment’s lifecycle, they end up going to waste and in the creation excess fabric is wasted. Due to this unfortunate truth, I accepted the challenge to attempt to produce a garment with zero-waste. I believe this is important for me as a designer to make an impact on my side of a garments lifecycle: the creation. I was originally overwhelmed with the challenge, but took the best approach I know. I turned to algebra and geometry to calculate how I would not waste any fabric. Originally the math started simple, but got more complex in my pursuit to achieve a spherical shape and including seam allowance necessary to construct the garment. This resulted in the creation of four zero-waste garments that I was unsatisfied with, however the trial and error was necessary to reach my goal. The fifth garment I had finally achieved success. I was most definitely frustrated in the midst of the challenge sewing several garments that I was not satisfied with and always having to return to my math, however all of the calculations and trial and errors proved to be worth it in the end. I can honestly say, I am more then satisfied with the outcome of the garment.

The athleisure market’s newest innovation is producing a 100% cotton fabric that is comfortable, soft yet durable and light enough to be used for athletic activity. Athleisure wear is a large market that cotton has started to capitalize on. This study will question on how performance cotton compares to the favored characteristics of man-made performance fibers when being used during intensified workouts. To answer this research question, this study will design an experiment that will be demonstrated on girls, ages 18-23. During this study, each person will perform a workout in 100% cotton performance wear and then perform a work out in man-made fabric activewear with the same intensity of workout. Then all subjects will be asked a series of questions, common words/phrases from answers will be counted to fully understand their thoughts and comparisons about the feeling and comfortability of each of the activewear fabrics. This research method will provide the appropriate data to answer our research question, but will also conduct a survey for additional insight. The survey will have the same research group guidelines as the experiment to collect more thoughts about performance cotton from a larger amount of girls. After executing the two studies, the expected result is that cotton activewear will be preferred due to the comfort, movability and sustainability. This proposal supports the idea of a softer activewear that people can not only wear to work out in, but also run errands and wear throughout the day while still being comfortable.

The Fashion Industry has been a long time consumer of natural resources; specifically water. It strongly depends on other industries to survive, including agriculture and manufacturing. With the rise of fast fashion, it is no surprise that with more demand for clothing creates a need for more and more natural resources to be used. Proper disposal of waste is crucial in order to not affect the surrounding ecosystems. Companies are now starting to acknowledge the unsustainable practices of their manufacturing process, and are beginning to develop new technologies in order to battle the current pollution output and natural resource consumption. Our research will focus on the how natural resources are used, the negative environmental effects, and how companies are developing new strategies and technologies to combat environmental pollution and consumption. The main form of research that will be conducted is a content analysis due to its efficiency. Using the most up to date database resources we will evaluate the information and form our consensus on what is being done to change the current problem. From the sources we have gathered thus far, we can see that companies are taking the environment into consideration when producing clothing, but may not be doing all that they should. Some possible outcomes of our research may show the rapid decline of natural resources that are crucial to keep ecosystems balanced, or that companies are not doing enough. After all research has been conducted, based on our findings, we will offer recommendations on how to better the processes in order lower the water use and waste.