Human beings of all cultures build some form of shelter, and the global distribution of Homo sapiens depends on this basic trait. All great apes (chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and orangutan) build analogous structures (called nests or beds) at least once a day throughout their adult lives, which suggests that this elementary technology was present before the hominid lines separated. This thesis investigates the variability and function of specifically wild chimpanzee shelters. I compared characteristics of chimpanzee nests, nesting trees, nest shape, and architecture in two savanna-dwelling populations on opposite sides of Africa: Fongoli, Senegal, and Issa, Tanzania. Savanna habitats are the most extreme habitats in which chimpanzees survive today, and may represent a similar environment to that in which early hominins evolved in the Plio-Pleistocene (Chapter 2). Investigating variation in nest-building within and between these two extreme habitats made it possible to tackle hypotheses of the shelter function of nests (Chapter 3).The influence of environment, specifically the role of protection from disease vectors and fluctuating temperatures, was assessed through a novel experiment in which I slept overnight in arboreal chimpanzee nests and on the bare earth (Chapter 4). To assess whether or not nests serve as an anti-predation function, I compared nesting in Issa, where predators are abundant, to Fongoli, where they are absent (Chapter 5). I provided further support for the thermoregulatory function of nests by showing that chimpanzees build more insulating nests in adverse weather conditions (Chapter 6).Nest-building is a learned behaviour, but its ontogeny is little known. I investigated social sources of variation in nest building in Fongoli to examine whether sex and age differences exist in nest building duration, nest position, shape and architecture (Chapter 7). Finally, ecosystem engineering is a consequence of animal construction, from ants to humans. I investigated use-wear traces around nests to assess niche construction of nest- building. I showed that chimpanzees repeatedly re-used these specific nest-spots within trees, which are pre-fabricated for future building through repeated pruning and shaping of these structures (Chapter 8).Nest building in great apes may be the foundation of constructivity in hominids. This thesis describes proximate functions and influences on nest-building variation in wild chimpanzees that help to model the evolution of shelter in hominids.

BACKGROUND: Sleep deprivation is one of the first symptoms to manifest in schizophrenia patients. An important proponent for both sleep and cognition, sleep spindles have been investigated to understand the connection between sleep and schizophrenia. This thesis aims to conduct a meta-analysis on this topic to conglomerate previous research and come to a definitive conclusion on how sleep and schizophrenia interact. Multiple studies have reported associations between sleep, schizophrenia, and the thalamus. Novel methods have allowed researchers to segment the thalamus into 25 different nuclei. Therefore, this thesis will also attempt to validate these findings and use new segmentation software to investigate which specific nuclei affect schizophrenia. This thesis also extends this thalamic investigation to explore white matter tracts related to the thalamus. Using both arms of this study, we aim to further understand the complex relationship between brain structure, sleep, and schizophrenia. METHODS: The meta-analysis portion of this thesis pooled fifteen studies for a total of 321 patients and 323 healthy controls. The patient population was made up of first-episode psychosis (FEP), family high-risk (FHR), and schizophrenia (SZ) populations. R Studio was utilized to run a meta-analysis on sleep spindle density (SSD) values pulled from each study. This dataset was also used for meta-regressions and funnel plots. The imaging aspect of this thesis pulled subjects from two separate Boston studies for a total of 54 early course patients (EC) and 27 healthy controls (HC). A brain editing software, FreeSurfer, was used to quality control and segment the thalamus. This segmentation provided volumes for each nuclei. A free-water imaging pipeline was used to process diffusion weighted images so that free-water (FW) and corrected fractional anisotropy (FAt) could be collected. These values were run through Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) to standardize scans and identify white matter regions of interest. RESULTS: This thesis reports an effect size of -1.24 between HC and the collective subject groups with a confidence interval of -1.63 to -.84. Via meta-regression, we report that illness duration, publication year, and spindle frequency gap (SFG) all are associated with sleep spindles. The thalamic volumetric analysis showed that four nuclei differed between EC and HC and two nuclei differed between EC and FH. The imaging aspect of this thesis discovered no significant FAt findings comparing volume to population, though heat maps revealed a trend where FHR and EC had lower FAt than HC. For FW analysis, we found a similar trend where FHR and EC had higher FW than HC. CONCLUSION: Using both analyses, this thesis connected sleep spindles, schizophrenia, and brain structure. We illuminated consistent reports of schizophrenia populations having lower sleep spindle density compared to healthy controls. This thesis reports a difference in thalamic nuclei volumes between both HC and FHR versus EC as well as FAt and FW differences between both FHR and EC and HC. / 2021-06-07T00:00:00Z

The current study aimed to evaluate multiple longitudinal determinants of externalizing behavior problems in twins/triplets aged 7 to 12 years. Specifically, a prospective longitudinal design was utilized to assess relationships between age 5 sleep problems, age 5 temperament traits, and later externalizing problems. Additionally, heritability of sleep problems was assessed by utilizing the twin method, and genetic contributions of two specific genes – DRD4 and 5-HTTLPR – were evaluated. A total of 93 twins/triplets (40 boys and 53 girls) and their parents participated in the current study, and data were collected through self-report, parent-report, and molecular and behavioral genetic methods. Results suggest that sleep disturbances are significantly heritable, and that neither early sleep problems, temperament traits, nor specific genes significantly predicted follow-up externalizing problems. Post-hoc analyses assessing gene X environment interactions showed that externalizing problems were significantly predicted by the interaction between stressful life events and DRD4 risk, which is consistent with differential susceptibility models. This study has implications for future research as well as clinical practice, including for early screening, prevention, and intervention efforts aimed at decreasing childhood externalizing and sleep problems.

The impact of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder is material in the dentistry field which not only centers its efforts on managing the oral health of the afflicted patients, prescribing proper medications, but also on raising awareness mainly through dental hygiene and smoking cessation. This literature review will explore the status and accomplishments of the field of dentistry with regards to battling COPD. The first section of the paper discusses the nature and dynamics of the disease which ranks between the third and fourth most common cause of death in the United States alone. Certain data trends from 1970 until 2002 showed double the death rates caused by the disease, and that exposure to environmental or occupational risk factors (e.g. dust, fumes, etc.) must be seriously considered for the effective management of COPD. The pressure of COPD management is great among dental practitioners who must ensure the safety of patients by providing the most suitable drug regimen and having a well-coordinated dental practice (i.e. with other health practitioners) to avoid exacerbation of the disease which often leads to hospitalization. The latter is often the result of oral devices or materials that are often comprised of small objects which might be swallowed or aspirated into the oropharynx of the patient when proper positioning during dental check-ups is not properly performed. Dentists must also make sure that they are able to gain the patient’s confidence and to avoid patient reluctance during dental care. Numbers and statistics also reveal that an estimated 24 million of the population in the United States is afflicted by COPD, and that is from 2015 alone. It is also prevalent among the male population which has a death rate of 83 per 100,000, while the death rate among women is 57 per 100,000. Immediate treatment of COPD is also emphasized to prevent hospitalization rates from rising, and as far as dental practice is concerned, they are often aware of CODP patients which number approximately 130 out of 2000. Smoking cessation is considered the best preventive measure in COPD management. Educating patients on the real dangers involved with smoking will help encourage them to quit while promoting better oral health. The field of dentistry is constantly responding to the challenges of COPD, and significant breakthroughs have already been achieved due to research efforts on COPD management. Through professional coordination with other fields in the healthcare system, it is with great hope that dental practitioners will contribute more to the alleviation of patient conditions and providing improved quality of life.

AIMS: The aims of this study were to examine the cephalometric and airway measurements on children with Sleep Related Breathing Disorders (SRBD) and without SRBD, and to investigate the impact of maxillary expansion on these measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational study utilized data from Boston University Orthodontics Department between 2016 and 2020. Lateral cephalograms, acoustic rhinometry and pharyngometry were obtained at two time points. SRBD was determined by a score of 0.33 or higher according to the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire. Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. Statistical significance was set at <0.05. RESULTS: A total of 163 children (61 male, 102 female) were included in this study. Certain airway measurements (Ph Volume p=0.02, Rh air resistance p=0.05, Rh minimum resistance p=0.001) were significantly higher in SRBD group compared to non-SRBD group. In the SRBD group there was a significant negative correlation between Ph Min Distance and SNA (p=0.001), SND (p=0.05), mandibular arc (p=0.03), U1-SN (p=0.02), U1-Apo (p=0.03). Positive. correlations were observed between Ph Volume with L1-NB (p=0.05) and Rh Min Distance Left with Pog- NB (p=-0.5), mandibular arc p=0.05, L1-NB (p=0.01), L1-Apo (p=0.01). Rh Min Cross-sectional left was positive correlated with overbite (p=0.03) and Rh Min cross-sectional right with posterior face height (p=0.05). Certain airway measurements and cephalometric measurements were statistically different across expansion and non-expansion groups (RhVolumeRt p=0.003. RhMinCrossSectionalLft p=0.03, RhMindistanceRt p=0.03, RhAirResistanceRt p=0.05, ANB p=0.0058, S-N (mm) p=0.05, U1 - NA (mm) p=0.04, U-Incisor Protrusion p=0.01, nterincisal Angle p=0.01, Upper Lip - S Line p= 0.005, Upper Lip to E-Plane p=0.01 CONCLUSION: Airway measurements and cephalometric measurements differ significantly between SRBD and non-SRBD subjects. Significant correlations were observed between cephalometric measurements and airway measurements in the SRBD children. Maxillary expansion can be a treatment option for improving certain airway and cephalometric values among those with sleep-disordered breathing.

No description available.

archives@tulane.edu / Background: Human Biological Aging (BA) estimates are developed by human to better capture the gradual increase in the vulnerability of the aging body than chronological age. Human sleep dimensions have been suggested to be associated with human health indicators including cardiometabolic function, cognitive function and mortality. The objective of this study was to examine indicators of BA and their predictive validity using Klemera and Doubal’s Method (KDM), and Physiological Dysregulation Method (PDM) for quantifying BA, as well as to explore if phenotypical and genetic associations between sleep variables and BA estimates exist, using the Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS) – a community-based, cohort study. Method: In order to estimate BA, nineteen biomarkers were selected. Training datasets were from NHANES. The target dataset included 1,034 BHS subjects assessed between 2013-2016. Training was done separately for male and female, black and white participants. KDM and Mahalanobis Distance (DM) based PDM methods were used. Cognitive and physical performance testing were used to examine predictive validity. The association between three sleep dimension variables and BA estimates were explored using 953 black and white BHS 2013-2016 subjects. Sleep duration in hours, chronotype scores and social jetlag in hours were the independent variables. BA estimates were the dependent variables. Genotyping information from the BHS 2013-2016 were included (n=646) for genetic association. Related SNPs on morning chronotype were used to compute a genetic risk score (GRS) for BHS participants. Association between chronotype GRS and chronotype phenotype were explored. Multivariate linear regression was used for all association analyses. Results: BA estimates were calculated using both the KDM and PDM methods. Linear regression showed that PDM BA estimates were associated with lower cognitive function physical performance tests. The effect sizes of all associations between PDM BA estimates and performance tests were of greater magnitude than between KDM estimates and performance tests. Short sleep duration and evening chronotype was associated with larger PDM BA estimates. Morning chronotype GRS was not associated with morning chronotype phenotype among BHS participants. Conclusion: PDM BA estimates are robust measures of biological aging in black and white men and women enrolled in the BHS. Insufficient sleep duration and evening chronotype may advance biological aging, regardless of gender, race and CA. We did not find association between morning chronotype GRS and morning chronotype phenotype. PDM BA estimates should be recommended for future aging studies using data from BHS participants. / 1 / Xunming Sun

bgelaye@hsph.harvard.edu / Article / Objective: To examine the independent and joint relationships of poor subjective sleep quality and antepartum depression with suicidal ideation among pregnant women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 641 pregnant women attending prenatal care clinics in Lima, Peru. Antepartumdepression and suicidal ideationwere assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale. Antepartumsubjective sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Logistic regression procedures were performed to estimate odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) adjusted for confounders. Results: Overall, the prevalence of suicidal ideation in this cohort was 16.8% and poor subjective sleep qualitywas more common among women endorsing suicidal ideation as compared to their counterpartswho did not (47.2% vs. 24.8%, Pb.001). After adjustment for confounders including maternal depression, poor subjective sleep quality (defined using the recommended criteria of PSQI global score of N5 vs. ≤5) was associated with a 1.7-fold increased odds of suicidal ideation (aOR=1.67; 95% CI 1.02–2.71). When assessed as a continuous variable, each 1-unit increase in the global PSQI score resulted in an 18% increase in odds for suicidal ideation, even after adjusting for depression (aOR=1.18; 95% CI 1.08–1.28). Women with both poor subjective sleep quality and depression had a 3.5-fold increased odds of suicidal ideation (aOR=3.48; 95% CI 1.96–6.18) as compared with those who had neither risk factor. Conclusion: Poor subjective sleep quality was associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation. Replication of these findings may promote investments in studies designed to examine the efficacy of sleep-focused interventions to treat pregnant women with sleep disorders and suicidal ideation. / This research was supported by an award fromtheNational Institutes of Health (NIH; R01-HD-059835, T37-MD000149 and K01MH100428). The NIH had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors wish to thank the dedicated staff members of Asociacion Civil Proyectos en Salud (PROESA), Peru and Instituto Especializado Materno Perinatal, Peru, for their expert technical assistance with this research. / Revisión por pares

Sleep paralysis is a condition in which the REM sleep in an individual fails to disengage after they awaken. This leads to full body paralysis, during which vivid and often terrifying hallucinations occur. I myself suffer from sleep paralysis. That being said, I have always been intrigued by the concept of exploring serious topics through the use of comedy. In essence, that is what my project is about. I wanted to make light of sleep paralysis. By doing so, I hoped to deescalate the terror in the mind of the sufferer. Comedy is possibly the most effective method I have in my arsenal, as I have found that it has helped me to overcome my own issues with the condition. I have attempted to create a source of information for my fellow sufferers that is both informative and non-threateningly simple in its delivery of the information. To summarize, this project was to give people like me something that I never had access to when I first developed the condition and was severely unprepared for dealing with it. I aim to be an artist that is both humorous and helpful in everything that I do, and it is my hope that I was able to succeed in this task.

Sleep health is a good indicator to a person’s overall health status and general well-being. Proper sleep is one of the most important factors to healthy immunity. Protecting and restoring sleep quality are vital to well-being. Problems such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, fatigue, and hypersomnia can all affect the quality of a person’s sleep. There are over 35 million people living with HIV/AIDS infection in the world. These people suffer from many of the same sleep problems and often have more frequent or more severe symptoms. It is not clear if this is from the disease, the medications, or some other factors. HIV-positive persons need good sleep quality to maintain their immune system and help keep the disease from progressing. Treatments for sleep disorders in HIV need to be considered carefully. Interventions should start with the least invasive progress to more invasive therapies and be monitored carefully.