Digital Commons Network^™

Tympanostomy Tubes In Children: A Fem Study Of Adverse Effects, Manuel Nicolas Jaramillo Bucheli

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The current study investigates if tympanic (myringotomy) tubes affect hearing by comparing the harmonic displacement response to sound excitation within the hearing frequency range for healthy vs. surgically-treated pediatric tympanic membranes. The use of ear myringotomy tubes has proven an effective method for combating recurrent ear infections in infants and children. These tubes are placed in the tympanic membrane through an incision and connect the middle ear to the external ear, thereby allowing fluid drainage and middle-ear ventilation. While this treatment has been proven beneficial in alleviating urgent pus accumulation in the middle ear, recent research shows that it …

A Nationwide Study Of Maternal Exposure To Ambient Ozone And Term Birth Weight In The United States, Shengzhi Sun, Jiajia Wang, Wangnan Cao, Lizhi Wu, Yu Tian, Feng Sun, Zhenyu Zhang, Yang Ge, Jianqiang Du, Xiaobo Li, Rui Chen

Faculty Publications

Background: Maternal exposure to ozone (O₃) may cause systemic inflammation and oxidative stress and contribute to fetal growth restriction. We sought to estimate the association between maternal exposure to O₃ and term birth weight and term small for gestational age (SGA) in the United States (US).

Methods: We conducted a nationwide study including 2,179,040 live term singleton births that occurred across 453 populous counties in the contiguous US in 2002. Daily county-level concentrations of O₃ data were estimated using a Bayesian fusion model. We used linear regression to estimate the association between O_{3 …}

Improved Computational Prediction Of Function And Structural Representation Of Self-Cleaving Ribozymes With Enhanced Parameter Selection And Library Design, James D. Beck

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Biomolecules could be engineered to solve many societal challenges, including disease diagnosis and treatment, environmental sustainability, and food security. However, our limited understanding of how mutational variants alter molecular structures and functional performance has constrained the potential of important technological advances, such as high-throughput sequencing and gene editing. Ribonuleic Acid (RNA) sequences are thought to play a central role within many of these challenges. Their continual discovery throughout all domains of life is evidence of their significant biological importance (Weinreb et al., 2016). The self-cleaving ribozyme is a class of noncoding Ribonuleic Acid (ncRNA) that has been useful for …

An Assessment Of Drinking Water From Zip Codes In The Greater Houston Area For Potential Heavy Metal Contamination Using Icpms, Reem Abulateef Alani

Theses (2016-Present)

The objective of this experiment is to identify and determine the concentration of heavy metals in drinking water for different resident zip codes in the greater Houston area. Heavy metals such as arsenic, antimony, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, selenium, and others can be leaked into drinking water through household plumbing and service lines, mining operations, petroleum refineries, electronics manufacturers, chemical spills, municipal waste disposals, cement plants, and natural mineral deposits. Modern society is characterized by an increasing number of activities that can contaminate drinking water. When chemicals, animal waste, and human waste are disposed of improperly, it is more likely …

Dawn-To-Dusk Dry Fasting Induces Anti-Atherosclerotic, Anti-Inflammatory, And Anti-Tumorigenic Proteome In Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells In Subjects With Metabolic Syndrome, Ayse L Mindikoglu, Jihwan Park, Antone R Opekun, Mustafa M Abdulsada, Zoe R Wilhelm, Prasun K Jalal, Sridevi Devaraj, Sung Yun Jung

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome characterized by abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, elevated fasting glucose and triglyceride levels and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level is associated with pro-inflammatory state, increased risk for atherosclerosis, and multiple cancers. Our previous results on subjects with metabolic syndrome showed that 4-week dawn-to-dusk (sunset) dry fasting resulted in significant changes in the serum proteome and improvement in several metabolic risk factors. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) proteomics is a powerful tool that can provide mechanistic insights into how dawn-to-dusk dry fasting affects protein expression in metabolic pathways at cellular level. In this study, we determined whether dawn-to-dusk …

Diptoindonesin G Is A Middle Domain Hsp90 Modulator For Cancer Treatment, Kristine Donahue, Haibo Xie, Miyang Li, Ang Gao, Min Ma, Yidan Wang, Rose Tipton, Nicole Semanik, Tina Primeau, Shunqiang Li, Lingjun Li, Weiping Tang, Wei Xu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

HSP90 inhibitors can target many oncoproteins simultaneously, but none have made it through clinical trials due to dose-limiting toxicity and induction of heat shock response, leading to clinical resistance. We identified diptoindonesin G (dip G) as an HSP90 modulator that can promote degradation of HSP90 clients by binding to the middle domain of HSP90 (K

The Exoskeleton Of Environmental Law: Why The Breadth, Depth, And Longevity Of Environmental Law Matters For Judicial Review, Sanne H. Knudsen

Utah Law Review

Environmental law is pragmatic, inevitable, and intentional. In the aggregate, the numerous federal environmental statutes are not simply a patchwork of ad hoc responses or momentary political breakthroughs to isolated public health problems and resource concerns. Together, they are a group of repeated, legislatively-backed commitments to embrace selfrestraint for self-preservation.

Self-restraint and discipline are the essence of environmental law. Indeed, if one studies the patterns and repeated choices in environmental law’s many statutory texts, one can start to appreciate environmental law’s indispensable role in society: it serves as an enduring “exoskeleton,” a sort of protective armor created over time to …

Plastic Pollution Requires An Integrative Systems Approach To Understand And Mitigate Risk, Winnie Courtene-Jones, Nathaniel J. Clark, Richard C. Thompson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

To date, much effort has been placed on quantifying plastic pollution and understanding its negative environmental effects, arguably to the detriment of research and evaluation of potential interventions. This has led to piecemeal progress in interventions to reduce plastic pollution, which do not correspond to the pace of emissions. For substances that are used on a global scale and identified as hazardous, there is a need to act before irreversible damage is done. For example, the history of dichlorodiphenyltrichloethane's (DDT) use has demonstrated that legacy chemicals with properties of persistence can still be found in the environment despite being first …

Comprehensive Genetic Analysis Of The Human Lipidome Identifies Loci Associated With Lipid Homeostasis With Links To Coronary Artery Disease, Gemma Cadby, Corey Giles, Phillip E. Melton, Kevin Huynh, Natalie A. Mellett, Thy Duong, Anh Nguyen, Michelle Cinel, Alex Smith, Gavriel Olshansky, Tingting Wang, Marta Brozynska, Mike Inouye, Nina S. Mccarthy, Amir Ariff, Joseph Hung, Jennie Hui, John Beilby, Marie Pierre Dubé, Gerald F. Watts, Sonia Shah, Naomi R. Wray, Wei Ling Florence Lim, Pratishtha Chatterjee, Ian Martins, Simon M. Laws, Tenielle Porter, Michael Vacher, Ashley I. Bush, Christopher C. Rowe, Victor L. Villemagne, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Kevin Taddei, Matthias Arnold, Gabi Kastenmüller, Kwangsik Nho, Andrew J. Saykin, Xianlin Han, Rima Kaddurah-Daouk, Ralph N. Martins, John Blangero, Peter J. Meikle, Eric K. Moses

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

We integrated lipidomics and genomics to unravel the genetic architecture of lipid metabolism and identify genetic variants associated with lipid species putatively in the mechanistic pathway for coronary artery disease (CAD). We quantified 596 lipid species in serum from 4,492 individuals from the Busselton Health Study. The discovery GWAS identified 3,361 independent lipid-loci associations, involving 667 genomic regions (479 previously unreported), with validation in two independent cohorts. A meta-analysis revealed an additional 70 independent genomic regions associated with lipid species. We identified 134 lipid endophenotypes for CAD associated with 186 genomic loci. Associations between independent lipid-loci with coronary atherosclerosis were …

Distribution And Export Of Particulate Organic Carbon In East Antarctic Coastal Polynyas, Lavenia Ratnarajah, Viena Puigcorbé, Sébastien Moreau, Montserrat Roca-Martí, Julie Janssens, Matthew Corkill, Luis Duprat, Cristina Genovese, Jan Lieser, Pere Masqué, Delphine Lannuzel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Polynyas represent regions of enhanced primary production because of the low, or absent, sea-ice cover coupled with the proximity of nutrient sources. However, studies throughout the Southern Ocean suggest elevated primary production does not necessarily result in increased carbon export. Three coastal polynyas in East Antarctica and an off-shelf region were visited during the austral summer from December 2016 to January 2017 to examine the vertical distribution and concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC). Carbon export was also examined using thorium-234 (²³⁴Th) as a proxy at two of the polynyas. Our results show that concentrations and integrated POC …

Chemical-Free Biologically Enhanced Primary Treatment Of Raw Wastewater For Improved Capture Carbon, Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Paul Nolan, Keith Cadee, Mehdi Khiadani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Conventional wastewater treatment processes require extensive energy inputs for their operations. Biologically enhanced primary treatment (BEPT) is a promising technology to capture incoming organics that may be utilized to produce biogas and potentially hydrogen with further downstream processing. This study involved a biologically enhanced primary treatment (BEPT) of raw wastewater at bench and pilot-scale using activated sludge (AS) addition and dissolved air flotation (DAF) using raw wastewater at a municipal wastewater facility in Western Australia with average chemical oxygen demand of ~ 800 mg/L. The results of pilot-scale testing showed an improved removal performance for total chemical oxygen demand (COD-T), …

Editorial: Tropicalization In Seagrasses: Shifts In Ecosystem Function, Glenn A. Hyndes, Jessie C. Jarvis, Kenneth L. Heck

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows form highly productive and diverse ecosystems that provide a range of ecosystem services along coasts of most continents (Barbier et al., 2011; Nordlund et al., 2016), yet they continue to experience large losses through direct and indirect human disturbances (Waycott et al., 2009; Duarte et al., 2018). Like other coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs and kelp forests, seagrasses are showing strong negative responses to elevated ocean temperatures and heatwaves, in which rising temperatures exceed their thresholds for survival [...].

Pathogenic Potential Of Respirable Spodumene Cleavage Fragments Following Application Of Regulatory Counting Criteria For Asbestiform Fibres, Melinda Gardner, Martyn Cross, Sue Reed, Maggie Davidson, Rick Hughes, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Health risks from exposure to lithium-bearing spodumene cleavage fragments are unknown. While asbestiform fibres can lead to fibrosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer, controversy remains whether non-asbestiform cleavage fragments, having equivalent dimensions, elicit similar pathologic responses. The mineralogy of respirable particles from two alpha (α) - spodumene concentrate grades (chemical and technical) were characterised using semi-quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD). Particles were measured using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the dimensions (length [L], diameter [D], aspect ratio [AR]) applied to regulatory counting criteria for asbestiform fibres. Application of the current World Health Organization (WHO) and National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) …

Assessment For Deeper Understanding Using Concept Maps: Lessons Learned From Flipped Teaching Of Pharmacology, Munder Zagaar, Weichao Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

To foster a deeper understanding of pharmacology concepts among physician assistant students, we integrated concept mapping into our flipped teaching to provide assessment for learning. Different mapping-based assessment strategies were adopted based on learner feedback, including in-person collaborative mapping, an individual computerized mapping-based quiz with automated feedback, and a collaborative computerized mapping-based quiz enhanced by the jigsaw strategy. Each mapping activity also leveraged the strength of a specific technology platform. Based on the findings from comparing learner ratings of these mapping activities and thematic analysis of learner feedback, we engaged in critical reflection and share our lessons learned.

Examining Shortened Versions Of The Social Responsiveness Scale For Use In Autism Spectrum Disorder Prediction And As A Quantitative Trait Measure: Results From A Validation Study Of 3-5 Year Old Children, Kristen Lyall, Juliette Rando, Bridget Toroni, Tobechukwu Ezeh, John N Constantino, Lisa A Croen, Brigid Garvin, Kate Piselli, James Connell, Aaron J Kaat, Craig J Newschaffer, Program Collaborators For Environmental Influences On Child Health Outcomes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is a 65-item measure yielding a continuous score capturing autism-related traits. Scores based on SRS item subsets have been analytically examined but administration of shortened versions has not been evaluated prospectively.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to compare psychometric properties of two shortened versions of the SRS to the full 65-item SRS, in young children from both a clinical and general population setting.

METHODS: Study participants (aged 3-5 years) were drawn from the AJ Drexel Autism Institute clinic (

RESULTS: Overall, distributional properties of the three administration methods were highly comparable, with …

Pediatric Lung Transplantation For Covid-19: Unique Clinical And Psychosocial Barriers, Anupam Kumar, Gloria W Li, Justin M Segraves, Aladdein Mattar, Maheshwari Ramineni, Gabriel Loor, Puneet S Garcha

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 infection in the age group of 0-17 years contributes to approximately 22% of all laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections. Fortunately, this age group has a lower death rate (0.5 per 100 000) that accounts for only 4% of the total deaths due to COVID-19. Despite the low mortality rate in the pediatric population, children of minority groups represented 78% of the deaths highlighting the existing disparities in access to health care.

METHODS: With the emergence of the more contagious COVID-19 variants and the relatively slow pace of vaccination among the pediatric population, it is possible to see more cases of …

Analysis Of Plasma Proteins Using 2d Gels And Novel Fluorescent Probes: In Search Of Blood Based Biomarkers For Alzheimer’S Disease, Scott B. Laffoon, James D. Doecke, Anne M. Roberts, Jennifer A. Vance, Benjamin D. Reeves, Kelly K. Pertile, Rebecca L. Rumble, Chris J. Fowler, Brett Trounson, David Ames, Ralph Martins, Ashley I. Bush, Colin L. Masters, Paul A. Grieco, Edward A. Dratz, Blaine R. Roberts

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The Australian Imaging and Biomarker Lifestyle (AIBL) study of aging is designed to aid the discovery of biomarkers. The current study aimed to discover differentially expressed plasma proteins that could yield a blood-based screening tool for Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: The concentration of proteins in plasma covers a vast range of 12 orders of magnitude. Therefore, to search for medium to low abundant biomarkers and elucidate mechanisms of AD, we immuno-depleted the most abundant plasma proteins and pre-fractionated the remaining proteins by HPLC, prior to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The relative levels of approximately 3400 protein species resolved on the 2D …

Materials Discovery Of Ion-Selective Membranes Using Artificial Intelligence, Reza Maleki, Seyed Mohammadreza Shams, Yasin Mehdizadeh Chellehbari, Sima Rezvantalab, Ahmad Miri Jahromi, Mohsen Asadnia, Rouzbeh Abbassi, Tejraj Aminabhavi, Amir Razmjou

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Significant attempts have been made to improve the production of ion-selective membranes (ISMs) with higher efficiency and lower prices, while the traditional methods have drawbacks of limitations, high cost of experiments, and time-consuming computations. One of the best approaches to remove the experimental limitations is artificial intelligence (AI). This review discusses the role of AI in materials discovery and ISMs engineering. The AI can minimize the need for experimental tests by data analysis to accelerate computational methods based on models using the results of ISMs simulations. The coupling with computational chemistry makes it possible for the AI to consider atomic …

Epigenomic And Other Evidence For Cannabis-Induced Aging Contextualized In A Synthetic Epidemiologic Overview Of Cannabinoid-Related Teratogenesis And Cannabinoid-Related Carcinogenesis, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Twelve separate streams of empirical data make a strong case for cannabis-induced accelerated aging including hormonal, mitochondriopathic, cardiovascular, hepatotoxic, immunological, genotoxic, epigenotoxic, disruption of chromosomal physiology, congenital anomalies, cancers including inheritable tumorigenesis, telomerase inhibition and elevated mortality. Methods: Results from a recently published longitudinal epigenomic screen were analyzed with regard to the results of recent large epidemiological studies of the causal impacts of cannabis. We also integrate theoretical syntheses with prior studies into these combined epigenomic and epidemiological results. Results: Cannabis dependence not only recapitulates many of the key features of aging, but is characterized by both age-defining and …

Muscle Architectural And Force-Velocity Curve Adaptations Following 10 Weeks Of Training With Weightlifting Catching And Pulling Derivatives, Timothy J. Suchomel, Shana M. Mckeever, Justin D. Nolen, Paul Comfort

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The aims of this study were to examine the muscle architectural, rapid force production, and force-velocity curve adaptations following 10 weeks of resistance training with either submaximal weightlifting catching (CATCH) or pulling (PULL) derivatives or pulling derivatives with phase-specific loading (OL). 27 re-sistance-trained men were randomly assigned to the CATCH, PULL, or OL groups and completed pre-and post-intervention ultrasound, countermovement jump (CMJ), and isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP). Vastus lateralis and biceps femoris muscle thickness, pennation angle, and fascicle length, CMJ force at peak power, velocity at peak power, and peak power, and IMTP peak force and force at 100-, 150-, …

Current Insights On The Use Of Insulin And The Potential Use Of Insulin Mimetics In Targeting Insulin Signalling In Alzheimer’S Disease, Amy Woodfield, Tatiana Gonzales, Erik Helmerhorst, Simon Laws, Philip Newsholme, Tenielle Porter, Giuseppe Verdile

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are chronic diseases that share several pathological mechanisms, including insulin resistance and impaired insulin signalling. Their shared features have prompted the evaluation of the drugs used to manage diabetes for the treatment of AD. Insulin delivery itself has been utilized, with promising effects, in improving cognition and reducing AD related neuropathology. The most recent clinical trial involving intranasal insulin reported no slowing of cognitive decline; however, several factors may have impacted the trial outcomes. Long-acting and rapid-acting insulin analogues have also been evaluated within the context of AD with a lack of …

The Role Of Inputs Of Marine Wrack And Carrion In Sandy-Beach Ecosystems: A Global Review, Glenn A. Hyndes, Emma L. Berdan, Cristian Duarte, Jenifer E. Dugan, Kyle A. Emery, Peter A. Hamback, Christopher J. Henderson, David M. Hubbard, Mariano Lastra, Miguel A. Mateo, Andrew Olds, Thomas A. Schlacher

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Sandy beaches are iconic interfaces that functionally link the ocean with the land via the flow of organic matter from the sea. These cross-ecosystem fluxes often comprise uprooted seagrass and dislodged macroalgae that can form substantial accumulations of detritus, termed ‘wrack’, on sandy beaches. In addition, the tissue of the carcasses of marine animals that regularly wash up on beaches form a rich food source (‘carrion’) for a diversity of scavenging animals. Here, we provide a global review of how wrack and carrion provide spatial subsidies that shape the structure and functioning of sandy-beach ecosystems (sandy beaches and adjacent surf …

Research Methodology In Acupuncture And Moxibustion For Managing Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Scoping Review, Weiting Liu, Carol Chunfeng Wang, Khui Hung Lee, Xiaopeng Ma, Timothy Leen Kang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Acupuncture and moxibustion have promising effects in managing primary dysmenorrhea. However, some evidence from clinical trials remains controversial due to methodological flaws in study designs that involve acupuncture and its related modalities and require urgent attention and dialogue. Methods: Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), Cochrane Library, Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), PubMed, Web of Sciences, Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP), and Wanfang database were searched from their inception to July 2021. Data were extracted based on the types of study design, primary outcome measures, adverse events (AEs), and …

Anticipating The Impacts Of The Social, Political, And Biophysical Landscape On Long-Term Connectivity For Reintroduced Plains Bison, Jamie Ann Faselt

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Intense anthropogenic pressures on the natural environment have created the need for implementing strategies that promote or restore habitat connectivity. The ability for animals to move between habitat patches allows animals to find mates, access resources, and shift their range in response to the changing climate and ensures that ecological and evolutionary processes persist. Connectivity conservation typically focuses on biophysical barriers to animal movement, but for many species reintroductions, establishing and maintaining connectivity often requires overcoming both ecological and socio-political barriers. Despite the need to navigate complex socio-political landscapes to implement connectivity conservation plans, datasets depicting those conditions are rarely …

Tinkering Towards Theories: The Role Of Tinkering In Building Scientific Models, Shakayla Moran

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Tinkering and modeling have increasingly gained traction within science education. For this study, I adopt the construct of tinkering, which is usually applied to the development of tangible artifacts and consider how this activity might apply to the development of novel models and theoretical objects in science. Data was collected from student artifacts and coding of transcripts was performed to identify how students design models in science, with a focus on how students engage in tinkering when doing so. Using a multiple case study approach, I examined two cases of undergraduate pre-service science teachers’ development of models of light and …

Wildfires Enhance Phytoplankton Production In Tropical Oceans, Dongyan Liu, Chongran Zhou, John K. Keesing, Oscar Serrano, Axel Werner, Yin Fang, Yingjun Chen, Pere Masque, Janine Kinloch, Aleksey Sadekov, Yan Du

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Wildfire magnitude and frequency have greatly escalated on a global scale. Wildfire products rich in biogenic elements can enter the ocean through atmospheric and river inputs, but their contribution to marine phytoplankton production is poorly understood. Here, using geochemical paleo-reconstructions, a century-long relationship between wildfire magnitude and marine phytoplankton production is established in a fire-prone region of Kimberley coast, Australia. A positive correlation is identified between wildfire and phytoplankton production on a decadal scale. The importance of wildfire on marine phytoplankton production is statistically higher than that of tropical cyclones and rainfall, when strong El Niño Southern Oscillation coincides with …

Transferability Of Alzheimer Disease Polygenic Risk Score Across Populations And Its Association With Alzheimer Disease-Related Phenotypes, Sang-Hyuk Jung, Carlos Cruchaga, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Polygenic risk scores (PRSs), which aggregate the genetic effects of single-nucleotide variants identified in genome-wide association studies (GWASs), can help distinguish individuals at a high genetic risk for Alzheimer disease (AD). However, genetic studies have predominantly focused on populations of European ancestry.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the transferability of a PRS for AD in the Korean population using summary statistics from a prior GWAS of European populations.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study developed a PRS based on the summary statistics of a large-scale GWAS of a European population (the International Genomics of Alzheimer Project; 21 982 AD cases …

Basal Bodies Bend In Response To Ciliary Forces, Anthony D Junker, Louis G Woodhams, Adam W J Soh, Eileen T O'Toole, Philip V Bayly, Chad G Pearson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Motile cilia beat with an asymmetric waveform consisting of a power stroke that generates a propulsive force and a recovery stroke that returns the cilium back to the start. Cilia are anchored to the cell cortex by basal bodies (BBs) that are directly coupled to the ciliary doublet microtubules (MTs). We find that, consistent with ciliary forces imposing on BBs, bending patterns in BB triplet MTs are responsive to ciliary beating. BB bending varies as environmental conditions change the ciliary waveform. Bending occurs where striated fibers (SFs) attach to BBs and mutants with short SFs that fail to connect to …

The Clinical Spectrum Of Sma-Pme And In Vitro Normalization Of Its Cellular Ceramide Profile, Michelle M Lee, Toni S Pearson, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to define the clinical and biochemical spectrum of spinal muscular atrophy with progressive myoclonic epilepsy (SMA-PME) and to determine if aberrant cellular ceramide accumulation could be normalized by enzyme replacement.

METHODS: Clinical features of 6 patients with SMA-PME were assessed by retrospective chart review, and a literature review of 24 previously published cases was performed. Leukocyte enzyme activity of acid ceramidase was assessed with a fluorescence-based assay. Skin fibroblast ceramide content and was assessed by high performance liquid chromatography, electrospray ionization tandem mass spectroscopy. Enzyme replacement was assessed using recombinant human acid ceramidase …

Primate Olfaction: A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Cribriform Plate Morphology, Amber Cooper

Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Decreased olfaction, or smell, is a diagnostic characteristic of primates. Despite this, olfaction remains important for diet and social behaviors in primates. To assess how morphological changes impact olfactory-based behaviors between the two major clades of primates, Strepsirrhini and Haplorrhini, this study examined the surface area of the cribriform plate, the bony interface between the brain and nasal cavity. Previous work has found several functional associations between cribriform plate morphology and species diet/ ecology, making this structure possibly more reflective of a species reliance on olfaction in its environment. Primate social structure, such as average group size, mating system, and …