Life Sciences Commons^™

A Functional Context For Heterogeneity Of The Circadian Clock In Cells, Martha Merrow, Mary E. Harrington

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Characterization of circadian systems at the organism level—a top-down approach—has led to definition of unifying properties, a hallmark of the science of chronobiology. The next challenge is to use a bottom-up approach to show how the molecular workings of the cellular circadian clock work as building blocks of those properties. We review new studies, including a recently published PLOS Biology paper by Nikhil and colleagues, that show how programmed but also stochastic generation of variation in cellular circadian period explain important adaptive features of entrained circadian phase.

Biological Aging In Childhood And Adolescence Following Experiences Of Threat And Deprivation: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Natalie L. Colich, Maya L. Rosen, Eileen S. Williams, Katie A. Mclaughlin

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

Life history theory argues that exposure to early life adversity (ELA) accelerates development, although existing evidence for this varies. We present a meta-analysis and systematic review testing the hypothesis that ELA involving threat (e.g., violence exposure) will be associated with accelerated biological aging across multiple metrics, whereas exposure to deprivation (e.g., neglect, institutional rearing) and low-socioeconomic status (SES) will not. We meta-analyze 54 studies (n = 116,010) examining associations of ELA with pubertal timing and cellular aging (telomere length and DNA methylation age), systematically review 25 studies (n = 3,253) examining ELA and neural markers of accelerated development (cortical thickness …

Parasitic Infection Surveillance In Mississippi Delta Children, Richard S. Bradbury, Irene Arguello, Meredith Lane, Gretchen Cooley, Sukwan Handali, Silvia D. Dimitrova, Fernanda S. Nascimento, Sam Jameson, Kathryn Hellmann, Michelle Tharp, Paul Byers, Susan P. Montgomery, Lisa Haynie, Brian Kirmse, Nils Pilotte, Steven A. Williams, Charlotte V. Hobbs

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Some recent studies suggest ongoing transmission of parasitic diseases in the American South; however, surveys in Mississippi children are lacking. We enrolled 166 children (median age 8 years, range 4–13 years) from the Mississippi Delta region and carried out multi-parallel real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Necator americanus, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Strongyloides stercoralis on their stool samples. Dried blood spots were obtained for multiplex serology antibody detection. Of 166 children, all reported having flushable toilets, 11% had soil exposure, and 34% had a pet dog or cat. None had prior diagnosis or treatment of parasitic disease. Multi-parallel real-time PCRs were …

Rectal Swabs As An Alternative Sample Collection Method To Bulk Stool For The Real-Time Pcr Detection Of Giardia Duodenalis, Jacqueline R.M.A. Maasch, Ahmed M. Arzika, Catherine Cook, Elodie Lebas, Nils Pilotte, Jessica R. Grant, Steven A. Williams, Jeremy D. Keenan, Thomas M. Lietman, Kristen Aiemjoy

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Though bulk stool remains the gold standard specimen type for enteropathogen diagnosis, rectal swabs may offer comparable sensitivity with greater ease of collection for select pathogens. This study sought to evaluate the validity and reproducibility of rectal swabs as a sample collection method for the molecular diagnosis of Giardia duodenalis. Paired rectal swab and bulk stool samples were collected from 86 children ages 0–4 years living in southwest Niger, with duplicate samples collected among a subset of 50 children. Infection was detected using a previously validated real-time PCR diagnostic targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. Giardia duodenalis was …

Leaf Carbon Export And Nonstructural Carbohydrates In Relation To Diurnal Water Dynamics In Mature Oak Trees, Jess T. Gersony, Uri Hochberg, Fulton E. Rockwell, Maria Park, Paul P.G. Gauthier, N. Michele Holbrook

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Trees typically experience large diurnal depressions in water potential, which may impede carbon export from leaves during the day because the xylem is the source of water for the phloem. As water potential becomes more negative, higher phloem osmotic concentrations are needed to draw water in from the xylem. Generating this high concentration of sugar in the phloem is particularly an issue for the ∼50% of trees that exhibit passive loading. These ideas motivate the hypothesis that carbon export in woody plants occurs predominantly at night, with sugars that accumulate during the day assisting in mesophyll turgor maintenance or being …

A Novel Quantitative Real-Time Pcr Diagnostic Assay For Fecal And Nasal Swab Detection Of An Otariid Lungworm, Parafilaroides Decorus, Kalani M. Williams, M. K. Fessler, R. A. Bloomfield, William D. Sandke, Clara R. Malekshahi, Caroline D. Keroack, Pádraig J. Duignan, Samantha D. Torquato, Steven A. Williams

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Parafilaroides decorus, also known as sea lion lungworm, is a metastrongyloid nematode that infects otariid hosts, such as the charismatic California sea lion, Zalophus californianus. P. decorus causes bronchointerstitial pneumonia, respiratory distress, reduced ability to swim, dive and hunt and as a result, increased mortality particularly in young animals. Respiratory disease is a leading cause of stranding and admission to rehabilitation centers on the Pacific coast. Low-coverage genomic sequencing of four P. decorus individuals analyzed through Galaxy's RepeatExplorer identified a novel repeat DNA family we employed to design a sensitive quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for diagnosing infections from fecal or …

Consequences Of The Misidentification Of Museum Specimens: The Taxonomic Status Of Canis Lupaster Soudanicus, Andrew C. Kitchener, Fabio A. Machado, Virginia Hayssen, Patricia D. Moehlman, Suvi Viranta

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Researchers are increasingly using museum collections for taxonomy, systematics, phylogenetics, and faunal analyses, and they assume that taxonomic identifications on museum labels are correct. However, identifications may be incorrect or out of date, which could result in false conclusions from subsequent research. A recent geometric morphometrics analysis of skulls of African canids by Machado and Teta (2020) suggested that Canis lupaster soudanicus is a junior synonym of Lupulella adusta. However, the holotype of soudanicus was not measured and further investigation of the putative soudanicus specimens used in this study showed that these originally were identified as L. adusta. …

Nobiletin Affects Circadian Rhythms And Oncogenic Characteristics In A Cell-Dependent Manner, Sujeewa S. Lellupitiyage Don, Kelly L. Robertson, Hui-Hsien Lin, Caroline Labriola, Mary E. Harrington, Stephanie R. Taylor, Michelle E. Farkas

Psychology: Faculty Publications

The natural product nobiletin is a small molecule, widely studied with regard to its therapeutic effects, including in cancer cell lines and tumors. Recently, nobiletin has also been shown to affect circadian rhythms via their enhancement, resulting in protection against metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that nobiletin’s anti-oncogenic effects, such as prevention of cell migration and formation of anchorage independent colonies, are correspondingly accompanied by modulation of circadian rhythms. Concurrently, we wished to determine whether the circadian and anti-oncogenic effects of nobiletin differed across cancer cell lines. In this study, we assessed nobiletin’s circadian and therapeutic characteristics to ascertain whether these …

High Diversity Of Testate Amoebae (Amoebozoa, Arcellinida) Detected By Hts Analyses In A New England Fen Using Newly Designed Taxon-Specific Primers, Alistaire Ruggiero, Jean David Grattepanche, Agnes K.M. Weiner, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Testate (shell-building) amoebae, such as the Arcellinida (Amoebozoa), are useful bioindicators for climate change. Though past work has relied on morphological analyses to characterize Arcellinida diversity, genetic analyses revealed the presence of multiple cryptic species underlying morphospecies. Here, we design and deploy Arcellinida-specific primers for the SSU-rDNA gene to assess the community composition on the molecular level in a pilot study of two samplings from a New England fen: (1) 36-cm horizontal transects and vertical cores; and (2) 26-m horizontal transects fractioned into four size classes (2–10, 10–35, 35–100, and 100–300 μm). Analyses of these data show the following: (1) …

Interactions Of Deet And Novel Repellents With Mosquito Odorant Receptors, Gariel G. Grant, Rachel R. Estrera, Narendra Pathak, C. Dennis Hall, Maia Tsikolia, Kenneth J. Linthicum, Ulrich R. Bernier, Adam C. Hall

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

The carboxamide N,N-di-ethyl-meta-Toluamide (DEET) is the most effective and widely used insect repellent today. However, drawbacks concerning the efficacy and the safety of the repellent have led to efforts to design new classes of insect repellents. Through quantitative structure-Activity relationships, chemists have discovered two chemical groups of novel repellents: The acylpiperidines and the carboxamides, with the acylpiperidines generally more potent in biological assays. Although the exact mechanism of action of DEET and other repellents has not yet been thoroughly elucidated, previous research shows that the activity of insect odorant receptors are inhibited in the presence of repellents. The present electrophysiological …

Cognitive Stimulation As A Mechanism Linking Socioeconomic Status With Executive Function: A Longitudinal Investigation, Maya L. Rosen, Mckenzie P. Hagen, Lucy A. Lurie, Zoe E. Miles, Margaret A. Sheridan, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Katie A. Mclaughlin

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

Executive functions (EF), including working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, vary as a function of socioeconomic status (SES), with children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds having poorer performance than their higher SES peers. Using observational methods, we investigated cognitive stimulation in the home as a mechanism linking SES with EF. In a sample of 101 children aged 60–75 months, cognitive stimulation fully mediated SES-related differences in EF. Critically, cognitive stimulation was positively associated with the development of inhibition and cognitive flexibility across an 18-month follow-up period. Furthermore, EF at T1 explained SES-related differences in academic achievement at T2. Early cognitive stimulation—a …

First International External Quality Assessment Scheme Of Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests For The Detection Of Schistosoma And Soil-Transmitted Helminths, Including Strongyloides: A Pilot Study, Piet Cools, Lisette Van Lieshout, Rob Koelewijn, David Addiss, Sitara S.R. Ajjampur, Mio Ayana, Richard S. Bradbury, Jason L. Cantera, Daniel Dana, Kerstin Fischer, Rubina Imtiaz, Joyce Kabagenyi, James Lok, James Mccarthy, Rojelio Mejia, Zeleke Mekonnen, Sammy M. Njenga, Nurulhasanah Othman, Hongguang Shao, Rebecca Traub, Marjan Van Esbroeck, Jozef Vercruysse, Johnny Vlaminck, Steven A. Williams, Jaco J. Verweij, Jaap J. Van Hellemond, Bruno Levecke

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are increasingly being used as diagnostic tools for soil-transmitted helminths (STHs; Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Necator ameri-canus, Ancylostoma duodenale and A. ceylanicum), Strongyloides stercoralis and Schisto-soma in human stool. Currently, there is a large diversity of NAATs being applied, but an external quality assessment scheme (EQAS) for these diagnostics is lacking. An EQAS involves a blinded process where test results reported by a laboratory are compared to those reported by reference or expert laboratories, allowing for an objective assessment of the diagnostic performance of a laboratory. In the current study, we piloted an international …

Recurring Circadian Disruption Alters Circadian Clock Sensitivity To Resetting, Tanya L. Leise, Ariella Goldberg, John Michael, Grace Montoya, Sabrina Solow, Penny Molyneux, Ramalingam Vetrivelan, Mary E. Harrington

Psychology: Faculty Publications

A single phase advance of the light:dark (LD) cycle can temporarily disrupt synchrony of neural circadian rhythms within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and between the SCN and peripheral tissues. Compounding this, modern life can involve repeated disruptive light conditions. To model chronic disruption to the circadian system, we exposed male mice to more than a month of a 20-hr light cycle (LD10:10), which mice typically cannot entrain to. Control animals were housed under LD12:12. We measured locomotor activity and body temperature rhythms in vivo, and rhythms of PER2::LUC bioluminescence in SCN and peripheral tissues ex vivo. Unexpectedly, we discovered strong …

Selection And Exploitation Of Prevalent, Tandemly Repeated Genomic Targets For Improved Real-Time Pcr-Based Detection Of Wuchereria Bancrofti And Plasmodium Falciparum In Mosquitoes, Michael F. Zulch, Nils Pilotte, Jessica R. Grant, Corrado Minetti, Lisa J. Reimer, Steven A. Williams

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background Optimization of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostics requires the careful selection of molecular targets that are both highly repetitive and pathogen-specific. Advances in both next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and bioinformatics-based analysis tools are facilitating this selection process, informing target choices and reducing labor. Once developed, such assays provide disease control and elimination programs with an additional set of tools capable of evaluating and monitoring intervention successes. The importance of such tools is heightened as intervention efforts approach their endpoints, as accurate and complete information is an essential component of the informed decision-making process. As global efforts for the control …

Comparison Of Multi-Parallel Qpcr And Double-Slide Kato-Katz For Detection Of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection Among Children In Rural Bangladesh, Jade Benjamin-Chung, Nils Pilotte, Ayse Ercumen, Jessica R. Grant, Jacqueline R.M.A. Maasch, Andrew M. Gonzalez, Ashanta C. Ester, Benjamin F. Arnold, Mahbubur Rahman, Rashidul Haque, Alan E. Hubbard, Stephen P. Luby, Steven A. Williams, John M. Colford

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

There is growing interest in local elimination of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection in endemic settings. In such settings, highly sensitive diagnostics are needed to detect STH infection. We compared double-slide Kato-Katz, the most commonly used copromicroscopic detection method, to multi-parallel quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in 2,799 stool samples from children aged 2–12 years in a setting in rural Bangladesh with predominantly low STH infection intensity. We estimated the sensitivity and specificity of each diagnostic using Bayesian latent class analysis. Compared to double-slide Kato-Katz, STH prevalence using qPCR was almost 3-fold higher for hookworm species and nearly 2-fold higher for …

Dietary Choline Supplementation Attenuates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Mice, Amanda L. Brown, Kelsey Conrad, Daniela S. Allende, Anthony D. Gromovsky, Renliang Zhang, Chase K. Neumann, A. Phillip Owens, Michael Tranter, Robert N. Helsley

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. Choline deficiency has been well studied in the context of liver disease; however, less is known about the effects of choline supplementation in HCC. Objective: The objective of this study was to test whether choline supplementation could influence the progression of HCC in a high-fat-diet (HFD)-driven mouse model. Methods: Four-day-old male C57BL/6J mice were treated with the chemical carcinogen, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, and were randomly assigned at weaning to a cohort fed an HFD (60% kcal fat) or an HFD with supplemental choline (60% kcal fat, …

Field Evaluation Of Dna Detection Of Human Filarial And Malaria Parasites Using Mosquito Excreta/Feces, Corrado Minetti, Nils Pilotte, Michael Zulch, Tiago Canelas, Edward J. Tettevi, Francis B.D. Veriegh, Mike Yaw Osei-Atweneboana, Steven A. Williams, Lisa J. Reimer

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

We recently developed a superhydrophobic cone-based method for the collection of mosquito excreta/feces (E/F) for the molecular xenomonitoring of vector-borne parasites show-ing higher throughput compared to the traditional approach. To test its field applicability, we used this platform to detect the presence of filarial and malaria parasites in two villages of Ghana and compared results to those for detection in mosquito carcasses and human blood. We compared the molecular detection of three parasites (Wuchereria bancrofti, Plas-modium falciparum and Mansonella perstans) in mosquito E/F, mosquito carcasses and human blood collected from the same households in two villages in the Savannah Region …

Symbiont Community Diversity Is More Variable In Corals That Respond Poorly To Stress, Lauren I. Howe-Kerr, Benedicte Bachelot, Rachel M. Wright, Carly D. Kenkel, Line K. Bay, Adrienne M.S. Correa

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Coral reefs are declining globally as climate change and local water quality press environmental conditions beyond the physiological tolerances of holobionts—the collective of the host and its microbial symbionts. To assess the relationship between symbiont composition and holobiont stress tolerance, community diversity metrics were quantified for dinoflagellate endosymbionts (Family: Symbiodiniaceae) from eight Acropora millepora genets that thrived under or responded poorly to various stressors. These eight selected genets represent the upper and lower tails of the response distribution of 40 coral genets that were exposed to four stress treatments (and control conditions) in a 10-day experiment. Specifically, four ‘best performer’ …

Deconstructing Circadian Disruption: Assessing The Contribution Of Reduced Peripheral Oscillator Amplitude On Obesity And Glucose Intolerance In Mice, Vincent Van Der Vinne, Blanca Martin Burgos, Mary E. Harrington, David R. Weaver

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Disturbing the circadian regulation of physiology by disruption of the rhythmic environment is associated with adverse health outcomes but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, the response of central and peripheral circadian clocks to an advance or delay of the light-dark cycle was determined in mice. This identified transient damping of peripheral clocks as a consequence of an advanced light-dark cycle. Similar depression of peripheral rhythm amplitude was observed in mice exposed to repeated phase shifts. To assess the metabolic consequences of such peripheral amplitude depression in isolation, temporally chimeric mice lacking a functional central clock (Vgat-Cre+ Bmal1fl/fl) were housed …

Semester-Long Course-Based Research Project In Second-Semester Organic Chemistry: Synthesizing Potential Lead Compounds For The Treatment Of A Neglected Tropical Disease, Kerry L. Barnett, Kevin M. Shea, Catherine Mcgeough, Kristine Trotta, Steven A. Williams, Minh Ly, Kathryn Aloisio

Chemistry: Faculty Publications

A semester-long research project for second-semester organic chemistry lab sections was developed. Student projects were based on preliminary data from faculty research that suggested the natural product neurolenin B to be a treatment for lymphatic filariasis. Students isolated neurolenins from the Central American plant Neurolaena lobata and proposed syntheses of previously unknown analogues using reactions learned in first- and second-semester organic chemistry. Using literature-based procedures, students ran reactions on neurolenins and analyzed their results by TLC and NMR spectroscopy. The semester culminated with a public poster session and final report using the Organic Letters template. Students in a total of …

Quantitative Proteomics Reveal An Altered Pattern Of Protein Expression In Brain Tissue From Mice Lacking Gpr37 And Gpr37l1, Trang Kimberly Thu Nguyen, Eric B. Dammer, Sharon A. Owino, Michelle M. Giddens, Nora S. Madaras, Duc M. Duong, Nicholas T. Seyfried, Randy A. Hall

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

GPR37 and GPR37L1 are glia-enriched G protein-coupled receptors that have been implicated in several neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. To gain insight into the potential molecular mechanisms by which GPR37 and GPR37L1 regulate cellular physiology, proteomic analyses of whole mouse brain tissue from wild-type (WT) versus GPR37/GPR37L1 double knockout (DKO) mice were performed in order to identify proteins regulated by the absence versus presence of these receptors (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD015202). These analyses revealed a number of proteins that were significantly increased or decreased by the absence of GPR37 and GPR37L1. One of the most decreased proteins …

De Novo Sequencing, Assembly, And Annotation Of The Transcriptome For The Free-Living Testate Amoeba Arcella Intermedia, Giulia M. Ribeiro, Alfredo L. Porfírio-Sousa, Xyrus X. Maurer-Alcalá, Laura A. Katz, Daniel J.G. Lahr

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Arcella, a diverse understudied genus of testate amoebae is a member of Tubulinea in Amoebozoa group. Transcriptomes are a powerful tool for charac- terization of these organisms as they are an efficient way of characterizing the protein-coding potential of the genome. In this work, we employed both sin- gle-cell and clonal populations transcriptomics to create a reference transcrip- tome for Arcella. We compared our results with annotations of Dictyostelium discoideum, a model Amoebozoan. We assembled a pool of 38 Arcella inter- media transcriptomes, which after filtering are composed of a total of 14,712 translated proteins. There are GO categories enriched …

Top-Down And Bottom-Up Controls On Microeukaryotic Diversity (I.E., Amplicon Analyses Of Sar Lineages) And Function (I.E., Metatranscriptome Analyses) Assessed In Microcosm Experiments, Jean David Grattepanche, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The availability of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) has transformed our understanding of the diversity of microbial eukaryotes (i.e., protists) across diverse habitats. Yet relating this biodiversity to function remains a challenge, particularly in the context of microbial food webs. Here we perform a set of microcosm experiments to evaluate the impact of changing predator and prey concentrations on a marine protist community, focusing on SAR (Stramenopila, Alveolata, and Rhizaria) lineages. We combine an estimate of taxonomic diversity through analysis of SSU-rDNA amplicons with metatranscriptomics, a proxy for function. We assess changes in a community sampled from New England waters with varying …

What Does Soil-Transmitted Helminth Elimination Look Like? Results From A Targeted Molecular Detection Survey In Japan, Mitsuko Hasegawa, Nils Pilotte, Mihoko Kikuchi, Arianna R. Means, Marina Papaiakovou, Andrew M. Gonzalez, Jacqueline R.M.A. Maasch, Hiroshi Ikuno, Toshihiko Sunahara, Kristjana H. Ásbjörnsdóttir, Judd L. Walson, Steven A. Williams, Shinjiro Hamano

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Japan is one of the few countries believed to have eliminated soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). In 1949, the national prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides was 62.9%, which decreased to 0.6% in 1973 due to improvements in infrastructure, socioeconomic status, and the implementation of national STH control measures. The Parasitosis Prevention Law ended in 1994 and population-level screening ceased in Japan; therefore, current transmission status of STH in Japan is not well characterized. Sporadic cases of STH infections continue to be reported, raising the possibility of a larger-scale recrudescence of STH infections. Given that traditional microscopic detection methods are not sensitive to …

What Does Soil-Transmitted Helminth Elimination Look Like? Results From A Targeted Molecular Detection Survey In Japan, Mitsuko Hasegawa, Nils Pilotte, Mihoko Kikuchi, Arianna R. Means, Marina Papaiakovou, Andrew M. Gonzalez, Jacqueline R.M.A. Maasch, Hiroshi Ikuno, Toshihiko Sunahara, Kristjana H. Ásbjörnsdóttir, Judd L. Walson, Steven A. Williams, Shinjiro Hamano

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Japan is one of the few countries believed to have eliminated soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). In 1949, the national prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides was 62.9%, which decreased to 0.6% in 1973 due to improvements in infrastructure, socioeconomic status, and the implementation of national STH control measures. The Parasitosis Prevention Law ended in 1994 and population-level screening ceased in Japan; therefore, current transmission status of STH in Japan is not well characterized. Sporadic cases of STH infections continue to be reported, raising the possibility of a larger-scale recrudescence of STH infections. Given that traditional microscopic detection methods are not sensitive to …

Characterizing The Diverse Cells That Associate With The Developing Commissures Of The Zebrafish Forebrain, Jake Schnabl, M.P.H Litz, Caitlin Schneider, N. Penkofflidbeck, Sarah Bashiruddin, M. S. Schwartz, Kristin Alligood, Michael Barresi

Zebrafish Forebrain Cellular Characterization

During embryonic development of bilateral organisms, neurons send axons across the midline at specific points to connect the two halves of the nervous system with a commissure. Little is known about the cells at the midline that facilitate this tightly regulated process. We exploit the con served process of vertebrate embryonic development in the zebrafish model system to elucidate the identity of cells at the midline that may facilitate postoptic (POC) and anterior commissure (AC) development. We have discovered that three differentgfap+ astroglial cell morphologies persist in contact with pathfinding axons throughout commissure formation. Similarly, olig2+ progenitor cells occupy delineated …

Summer Research Fellowship Project Descriptions 2020, Clark Science Center's Summer Research Fellows Program

SURF Abstracts (Women in Science)

A summary of research done by Smith College’s 2020 Summer Research Fellowship (SURF) Program participants. Ever since its 1967 start, SURF has been a cornerstone of Smith’s science education. Supervised by faculty mentor-advisors drawn from the Clark Science Center and connected to its eighteen science, mathematics, and engineering departments and programs and associated centers and units. At summer’s end, SURF participants were asked to summarize their research experiences for this publication.

Sensorimotor Function In Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Jules D. Miehm, John Buonaccorsi, Jongil Lim, Sumire Sato, Caitlin Rajala, Julianna Averill, Farnaz Khalighinejad, Carolina Ionete, Stephanie L. Jones, Jane A. Kent, Richard E.A. Van Emmerik

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

Background: A sensitive test reflecting subtle sensorimotor changes throughout disease progression independent of mobility impairment is currently lacking in progressive multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: We examined non-ambulatory measures of upper and lower extremity sensorimotor function that may reveal differences between relapsing–remitting and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis.

Methods: Cutaneous sensitivity, proprioception, central motor function and mobility were assessed in 32 relapsing–remitting and 31 progressive multiple sclerosis patients and 30 non-multiple sclerosis controls.

Results: Cutaneous sensation differed between relapsing–remitting and progressive multiple sclerosis at the foot and to a lesser extent the hand. Proprioception function in the upper but not the lower …

Eukaryotic Plankton Communities Across Reef Environments In Bocas Del Toro Archipelago, Panamá, Andrea M. Rodas, Rachel M. Wright, Logan K. Buie, Hannah E. Aichelman, Karl D. Castillo, Sarah W. Davies

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Variation in light and temperature can influence the genetic diversity and structure of marine plankton communities. While open-ocean plankton communities receive much scientific attention, little is known about how environmental variation affects plankton communities on tropical coral reefs. Here, we characterize eukaryotic plankton communities on coral reefs across the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama´. Temperature loggers were deployed, and midday light levels were measured to quantify environmental differences across reefs at four inshore and four offshore sites (Inshore = Punta Donato, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) Point, Cristobal, Punta Laurel and Offshore = Drago Mar, Bastimentos North, Bastimentos South, and …

Misconceptions About Conception And Other Fallacies: Historical Bias In Reproductive Biology, Virginia Hayssen

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Natural selection (differential reproduction) is a major tenet of evolutionary theory. In mammals the success of reproduction is primarily controlled by females who provide the majority of offspring care via gestation and lactation. In some species, maternal care also extends post-weaning. This primacy of female reproduction in evolution has not quite crept into our understanding of organismal adaptations in anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This cultural legacy has left its mark and led to misconceptions in our understanding of reproductive biology that are especially prominent in the understanding of reproduction in the general public. Here, I give examples of such misconceptions. …