TSPO was discovered in 1977 and it’s function is still currently unknown. Significant research has suggested that TSPO functions in steroidogenesis to import cholesterol from the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) to the mitochondrial inner membrane (MIM) where it is converted into steroids. There were two indications that this is TSPOs main function: its elevated levels in steroidogenic tissue and its primary location in the MOM. There is evidence of TSPO binding cholesterol with high affinity, however there is not currently evidence of TSPO transporting cholesterol. STAR, ACBD1, and ACBD3 are proteins thought to be associated with TSPO and steroidogenesis. However, the distribution of these proteins in various eukaryotes show little similarity suggesting that TSPO functions independently. The function of TSPO in steroid synthesis has been called into question because a well-cited research paper claimed that TSPO knockdown resulted in embryonic lethal mice, however there was no evidence presented from their study and this experiment did not produce the same results when repeated in later studies. There are also studies that show TSPO may not be involved in regulation of sterols, but instead may regulate cell stress. The elevated levels of TSPO during inflammation suggest a role for TSPO in cellular stress. Binding interactions with porphyrins and heme also support that TSPO may modulate stress levels. We used the phylogeny of TSPO in order to gain greater insight into the evolutionary function of TSPO. NCBI BLAST searches revealed that TSPO was present in bacteria and had a widespread but patchy distribution in a small set of eukaryotes. From these initial results, we were prompted to search a larger set of eukaryotes for TSPO. All of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic TSPO sequences were used to create a phylogenetic tree that would provide greater insight into the evolution and function of TSPO. If TSPO was from a common ancestor, it is probable that its function is related to sterol regulation whereas if gained in eukaryotes by horizontal gene transfer from bacteria its function is related to stress regulation. The phylogenetic tree was most consistent with an ancestral origin of TSPO with an evolutionary function related to steroid synthesis regulation. However, there is not sufficient research to confirm the function of TSPO.

Recent studies indicate that words containing /ӕ/ and /u/ vowel phonemes can be mapped onto the emotional dimension of arousal. Specifically, the wham-womb effect describes the inclination to associate words with /ӕ/ vowel-sounds (as in “wham”) with high-arousal emotions and words with /u/ vowel-sounds (as in “womb”) with low-arousal emotions. The objective of this study was to replicate the wham-womb effect using nonsense pseudowords and to test if findings extend with use of a novel methodology that includes verbal auditory and visual pictorial stimuli, which can eventually be used to test young children. We collected data from 99 undergraduate participants through an online survey. Participants heard pre-recorded pairs of monosyllabic pseudowords containing /ӕ/ or /u/ vowel phonemes and then matched individual pseudowords to illustrations portraying high or low arousal emotions. Two t-tests were conducted to analyze the size of the wham-womb effect across pseudowords and across participants, specifically the likelihood that /ӕ/ sounds are paired with high arousal images and /u/ sounds with low arousal images. Our findings robustly confirmed the wham-womb effect. Participants paired /ӕ/ words with high arousal emotion pictures and /u/ words with low arousal ones at a 73.2% rate with a large effect size. The wham-womb effect supports the idea that verbal acoustic signals tend to be tied to embodied facial musculature that is related to human emotions, which supports the adaptive value of sound symbolism in language evolution and development.

On March 11th, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The ensuing months saw an extensive allocation of resources toward combating the virus and the development of a vaccine. Despite extensive research on SARS-CoV-2, there remains little information regarding the implications of SARS-CoV-2 gastrointestinal shedding on COVID-19 disease. It is hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 RNA is shed in the stool for up to several weeks and that viral protein persists in the GI tract. This study also explored calprotectin and zonulin levels, markers of inflammation, and intestinal permeability, respectively, to assess if increased viral shedding is associated with elevated levels of either. This study utilized RT-qPCR assays to confirm the presence of viral RNA. Subsequently, RT-qPCR positive samples were heat-inactivated and SARS-CoV-2 spike detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to ascertain viral protein shedding. Additional ELISA was performed to assess zonulin and calprotectin levels. Results indicated that 30 of the 758 unique samples were confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive by RT-qPCR. Spike protein was ultimately not detected by ELISA. Additionally, no significant increase in zonulin was observed in patient samples when comparing RT-qPCR positive and negative Samples. A notable upwards trend approaching significance in calprotectin levels existed for patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR, though, it was found that no correlation existed between SARS-CoV-2 copy number and calprotectin levels. Understanding the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and the GI tract may therefore have significant clinical implications and this study demonstrates the need for additional studies to garner a more comprehensive understanding.

This paper outlines cumulative research on food deserts in relation to college students; namely, that there are communities classified as food deserts because significant numbers of the population lack access to grocery stores selling fresh produce or other goods normally called “healthy.” These areas are often also food swamps, or areas with intense access to sugar-dense, high-fat foods. Research as a whole suggests that three, among many, things might primarily drive food insecurity for individuals caught in these food deserts: lack of access to a personal vehicle, low income or prohibitively expensive healthy foods, and personal education or culture (Wright, 2016). College students both fit into the geographical food deserts and are individuals who tend to have a worrying level of food insecurity (Kim, 2018). It is costly to make adjustments to entire environments to rid communities of food desert qualities, and it is not always effective as ending food insecurity or malnutrition; instead, it can be much more effective to focus on individuals within communities and help push cultures into a better direction. This project demonstrates that ASU students are experiencing food dissatisfaction and are in a food desert worthy of attention and action, and that students are motivated to see a solution. The solution that the paper focuses on is a food delivery system of fresh produce and foods for students.