Master of Science

thesisSpinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease that causes a degeneration of the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord. SMA Type I is the most severe form, characterized by progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. SMA Type I patients are susceptible to nutritional deficiencies, especially those that correlate to bone health, due to decreased caloric intake and limited weight bearing. The aim of this study was to evaluate and assess: 1) the adequacy of vitamin D intake as compared to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation of 400 IU/day; 2) the correlation between vitamin D intake and associated serum level; and 3) the association between vitamin D and calcium intakes and bone mineral density. All subjects are participants in an ongoing natural history study at the University of Utah. Participants have a genetic diagnosis of SMA and a clinical diagnosis of Type I. Vitamin D and calcium intakes were assessed with a 3-day food record. Vitamin D serum levels were evaluated from 25-hydroxy vitamin D lab testing. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Scan (DEXA) of the subjects' whole body. Subjects (n=40) consisted of 22 males and 18 females. The mean age of the subjects was 18.6 months (range 0 to 165 months). Seventy-five percent of patients had an inadequate intake of vitamin D at the initial visit. Vitamin D intake and calcium intake were positively correlated with BMD (1=0.31 and 1=0.53, respectively). Increased vitamin D and calcium consumption were associated with an increase in BMD (p=0.04 and p=0.01, respectively). Vitamin D intake correlated positively with serum levels of vitamin D (1=0.65). Within a subset of 14 patients, 71% had a serum vitamin D level in the optimal range. The majority of patients (75%) reported an inadequate vitamin D intake at their first visit (<400 IU). Inadequate nutrient intake is likely due to the decreased caloric needs of SMA Type I patients. Decreased intake of vitamin D and calcium were associated with a decreased BMD which increases the risk of fractures, scoliosis, and osteoporosis. There continues to be a need for evidence-based research concerning the nutritional needs of SMA Type I patients. Future research involving an experimental study is necessary to determine optimal intakes of vitamin D and calcium in the SMA Type I population

Confrontation in Counseling: Five Studies

Not available

TVA wood stove inspector training seminar

Issued as Manual, Project no. A-241

Energy conservation in the textile industry

Issued as Activities reports [1-4], and Final report, Project no. A-2969 (includes subproject E-27-607, School of Textile Engineering)Final report has title: Energy conservation in the textile industr

Impacts of sleep loss versus waking experience on brain plasticity:Parallel or orthogonal?

Recent studies on the effects of sleep deprivation on synaptic plasticity have yielded discrepant results. Sleep deprivation studies using novelty exposure as a means to keep animals awake suggests that sleep (compared with wake) leads to widespread reductions in net synaptic strength. By contrast, sleep deprivation studies using approaches avoiding novelty-induced arousal (i.e., gentle handling) suggest that sleep can promote synaptic growth and strengthening. How can these discrepant findings be reconciled? Here, we discuss how varying methodologies for the experimental disruption of sleep (with differential introduction of novel experiences) could fundamentally alter the experimental outcome with regard to synaptic plasticity. Thus, data from experiments aimed at assessing the relative impact of sleep versus wake on the brain may instead reflect the quality of the waking experience itself. The highlighted work suggests that brain plasticity resulting from novel experiences versus wake per se has unique and distinct features

River Flowing from the Sunrise: An Environmental History of the Lower San Juan

The authors recount twelve millennia of history along the lower San Juan River, much of it the story of mostly unsuccessful human attempts to make a living from the river\u27s arid and fickle environment. From the Anasazi to government dam builders, from Navajo to Mormon herders and farmers, from scientific explorers to busted miners, the San Juan has attracted more attention and fueled more hopes than such a remote, unpromising, and muddy stream would seem to merit.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usupress_pubs/1127/thumbnail.jp