Search

In spite of significant gains in recent elections, women's under-representation in U.S. politics remains an empirical fact. Scholars have identified the persistent gender gap in political ambition as a key component. Research to date has focused on explaining the gender gap in political ambition by identifying gender differences in factors such as self-assessed qualifications, recruitment experiences, risk aversion, and competitiveness. The conventional wisdom emerged that because of these gender differences, potential women candidates need more encouragement than men to overcome reservations about running for office. These propositions remain largely untested. Using an innovative experimental design that allows us to directly examine how individuals respond to information about candidate qualifications in real time, we make several substantive contributions to understanding the role of gender in the decision to run for office. First, we find that women are highly responsive to information about their qualifications to run for office, in some cases more so than their male counterparts. In doing so, we shine a spotlight on how men often ignore information about their own unsuitability to run for office. We also find that being presented with multiple chances to run for election has a positive, but limited effect on women's political ambition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species' distributions are moving polewards in response to climate change, and although range expansions of relatively warm‐adapted species are widely reported, reports of range retractions in cool‐adapted species are less common. Here, we analysed species' distribution shifts for 76 cool‐adapted moths in Great Britain using citizen science occurrence records from the National Moth Recording Scheme over a 40‐year period. Although we find evidence for trailing edge shifts to higher latitudes, shifts in species' range centroids are oriented towards the north‐west, and are more closely correlated with directional changes in total precipitation than average temperature. We also found that species' local extinction risk is higher in areas where temperature is high and precipitation is low, but this risk diminishes as precipitation increases. Adaptation efforts should therefore focus on maintaining or increasing water availability as the climate continues to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an illustrated overview on rhinoplasty, a surgical process of altering the form and function of the nose. Topics covered include the indications and contraindications for rhinoplasty, the management of acute nasal bone fracture and nasal obstruction, and a discussion of the technical principles of rhinoplasty along with the patient journey and rhinoplasty after-care.

Regular reassessment of extinction risk is critical to prioritise conservation action during the current period of rapid, anthropogenic biodiversity change.Butterflies are a flagship group for insect monitoring and conservation, as they are highly visible, well studied and exhibit rapid responses to environmental change. Here, we use systematic population monitoring data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and citizen‐science derived occurrence records to provide an updated assessment of extinction risk in Great Britain (GB) by applying current International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria to 62 butterfly species.The resulting regional Red List categorises four species as Regionally Extinct, 24 (41% of the remaining, extant species) as threatened (8 Endangered and 16 Vulnerable), 5 (9%) as Near Threatened and 29 (50%) as Least Concern. Recent reduction in population size (Criterion A) based on smoothed, long‐term time series of abundance and occurrence data, was responsible for most of the threatened or Near Threatened categorisations.While the status of some species improved, likely due to conservation efforts, the revised Red List demonstrates an ongoing deterioration in the status of GB butterflies, with a 26% increase in threatened species since the previous assessment.A greater proportion of butterflies was classed as threatened than for most other GB taxa. While this may stem from greater data availability for butterflies than most other groups (thus allowing tests of extinction risk against more criteria), it highlights the need to reinvigorate conservation efforts for these charismatic insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a new UK record of Bactra venosana, a species of moth.

Let me begin with an expression of gratitude to Verena Meyer, Thomas Hunter, Penny Edwards, Laurie Sears, Tom Patton and Kaja McGowan. It is a rare privilege to be read with such nuance and generosity by one's colleagues. I have learned much from their comments here, as I have from their work more generally. Given the brevity of my response it will have to be selective, focusing on a couple of the more prominent themes—namely, cultural complexity and translation. But I hope to return in future and think further along several of the other, very productive lines of questioning they have opened up in relation to the book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large collection of dentigerous jaws quarried from the Gao Mine locality, late Paleocene, Paskapoo Formation, central Alberta, Canada, documents a new species of the early Paleogene phenacodontid "condylarth" Ectocion Cope, 1882. The new species, Ectocion stockeyae, the smallest of the genus, occurs well before the abrupt global warming at the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, an event purportedly causing the rapid evolution of "dwarfed" mammals, including a species of Ectocion; however, there is no evidence of increased temperatures at Gao Mine to account for the small size of Ectocion stockeyae, raising questions of the relationship between temperature and body size in Ectocion. Ectocion stockeyae also exhibits sexual dimorphism of the canines, a pattern in mammals often associated with a population structure in which the males are relatively few and polygynous, resulting in intense male rivalry for mating success. The sample of Ectocion stockeyae from Gao Mine includes a substantial majority of "juvenile" individuals retaining deciduous posterior premolars, many even after eruption of the molars had been completed, suggesting short life spans, accelerated growth, and rapid dental development in this species as expressed in Schultz's Rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Insects have emerged as causes célèbres for widespread concern about human effects on global biodiversity. Here, we consider how insects provide opportunities both to understand the ecological effects of global change and to enhance environmental conservation. 2. Despite a limited time frame and geographic extent of quantitative evidence, recent studies of changes to the abundance, distribution, and diversity of insects indicate temporally heterogeneous trends which vary among taxa, regions, and biotopes. These results suggest a) that insect numbers are responding to multiple stressors in the wider context of the changes to fitness, abundance, distributions, and biotic interactions that result from habitat and climate change; and b) that habitat specialists with narrow geographic ranges may be particularly at risk. 3. Predictions of the effects of global change on insects based on macroecology and ecophysiology can be tested by combining approaches, including experiments and observations over gradients of latitude, elevation, and urbanization; as well as innovative quantitative analyses of data from standardised monitoring schemes and opportunistic data from historical collections and citizen science. Linking these complementary approaches helps to detect the mechanisms influencing insect responses to the interacting drivers of global change and to inform conservation. 4. The impetus and debate provoked by recent high profile reports of insect declines provide opportunities to promote insect conservation, but also to obtain comprehensive evidence for the effects of global change on biodiversity and thus develop and communicate measures to mitigate the threats to ecosystems from global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world volunteers and non-professionals collect data as part of environmental citizen science projects, collecting wildlife observations, measures of water quality and much more. However, where projects allow flexibility in how, where, and when data are collected there will be variation in the behaviour of participants which results in biases in the datasets collected. We develop a method to quantify this behavioural variation, describing the key drivers and providing a tool to account for biases in models that use these data. We used a suite of metrics to describe the temporal and spatial behaviour of participants, as well as variation in the data they collected. These were applied to 5,268 users of the iRecord Butterflies mobile phone app, a multi-species environmental citizen science project. In contrast to previous studies, after removing transient participants (those active on few days and who contribute few records), we do not find evidence of clustering of participants; instead, participants fall along four continuous axes that describe variation in participants' behaviour: recording intensity, spatial extent, recording potential and rarity recording. Our results support a move away from labelling participants as belonging to one behavioural group or another in favour of placing them along axes of participant behaviour that better represent the continuous variation between individuals. Understanding participant behaviour could support better use of the data, by accounting for biases in the data collection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Organ radiation dose from a CT scan, calculated by CT dosimetry software, can be combined with cancer risk data to estimate cancer incidence resulting from CT exposure. We aim to determine to what extent the use of improved anatomical representation of the adult human body “phantom” in CT dosimetry software impacts estimates of radiation dose and cancer incidence, to inform comparison of past and future research. Methods: We collected 20 adult cases for each of three CT protocols (abdomen/pelvis, chest and head) from each of five public hospitals (random sample) (January-April inclusive 2010) and three private clinics (self-report). Organ equivalent and effective dose were calculated using both ImPACT (mathematical phantom) and NCICT (voxelised phantom) software. Bland-Altman plots demonstrate agreement and Passing-Bablok regression reports systematic, proportional or random differences between results. We modelled the estimated lifetime attributable risk of cancer from a single exposure for each protocol, using age-sex specific risk-coefficients from the Biologic Effects of Ionizing Radiation VII report. Results: For the majority of organs used in epidemiological studies of cancer incidence, the NCICT software (voxelised) provided higher dose estimates. Across the lifespan NCICT resulted in cancer estimates 2.9%-6.6% and 14.8%-16.3% higher in males and females (abdomen/pelvis) and 7.6%-19.7% and 12.9%-26.5% higher in males and females respectively (chest protocol). For the head protocol overall cancer estimates were lower for NCICT, but with greatest disparity, >30% at times. Conclusion: When the results of previous studies estimating CT dose and cancer incidence are compared to more recent, or future, studies the dosimetry software must be considered. Any change in radiation dose or cancer risk may be attributable to the software and phantom used, rather than—or in addition to—changes in scanning practice. Studies using dosimetry software to estimate radiation dose should describe software comprehensively to facilitate comparison with past and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sorafenib is the current standard of care for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) and has been shown to improve survival by about 3 months compared to placebo. However, survival varies widely from under three months to over two years. The aim of this study was to build a statistical model that allows personalised survival prediction following sorafenib treatment.Methods: We had access to 1130 patients undergoing sorafenib treatment for aHCC as part of the control arm for two phase III randomised clinical trials (RCTs). A multivariable model was built that predicts survival based on baseline clinical features. The statistical approach permits both group-level risk stratification and individual-level survival prediction at any given time point. The model was calibrated, and its discrimination assessed through Harrell's c-index and Royston-Sauerbrei's R2D.Results: The variables influencing overall survival were vascular invasion, age, ECOG score, AFP, albumin, creatinine, AST, extra-hepatic spread and aetiology. The model-predicted survival very similar to that observed. The Harrell's c-indices for training and validation sets were 0.72 and 0.70, respectively indicating good prediction.Conclusions: Our model ('PROSASH') predicts patient survival using baseline clinical features. However, it will require further validation in a routine clinical practice setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite improvements in multidisciplinary management, patients with biliary tract cancer have a poor outcome. Only 20% of patients are eligible for surgical resection with curative intent, with 5-year overall survival of less than 10% for all patients. To our knowledge, no studies have described a benefit of adjuvant therapy. We aimed to determine whether adjuvant capecitabine improved overall survival compared with observation following surgery for biliary tract cancer.Methods: This randomised, controlled, multicentre, phase 3 study was done across 44 specialist hepatopancreatobiliary centres in the UK. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older and had histologically confirmed cholangiocarcinoma or muscle-invasive gallbladder cancer who had undergone a macroscopically complete resection (which includes liver resection, pancreatic resection, or, less commonly, both) with curative intent, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of less than 2. Patients who had not completely recovered from previous surgery or who had previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy for biliary tract cancer were also excluded. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive oral capecitabine (1250 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1-14 of a 21-day cycle, for eight cycles) or observation commencing within 16 weeks of surgery. Treatment was not masked, and allocation concealment was achieved with a computerised minimisation algorithm that stratified patients by surgical centre, site of disease, resection status, and performance status. The primary outcome was overall survival. As prespecified, analyses were done by intention to treat and per protocol. This study is registered with EudraCT, number 2005-003318-13.Findings: Between March 15, 2006, and Dec 4, 2014, 447 patients were enrolled; 223 patients with biliary tract cancer resected with curative intent were randomly assigned to the capecitabine group and 224 to the observation group. The data cutoff for this analysis was March 6, 2017. The median follow-up for all patients was 60 months (IQR 37-60). In the intention-to-treat analysis, median overall survival was 51·1 months (95% CI 34·6-59·1) in the capecitabine group compared with 36·4 months (29·7-44·5) in the observation group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·63-1·04; p=0·097). In a protocol-specified sensitivity analysis, adjusting for minimisation factors and nodal status, grade, and gender, the overall survival HR was 0·71 (95% CI 0·55-0·92; p=0·010). In the prespecified per-protocol analysis (210 patients in the capecitabine group and 220 in the observation group), median overall survival was 53 months (95% CI 40 to not reached) in the capecitabine group and 36 months (30-44) in the observation group (adjusted HR 0·75, 95% CI 0·58-0·97; p=0·028). In the intention-to-treat analysis, median recurrence-free survival was 24·4 months (95% CI 18·6-35·9) in the capecitabine group and 17·5 months (12·0-23·8) in the observation group. In the per-protocol analysis, median recurrence-free survival was 25·9 months (95% CI 19·8-46·3) in the capecitabine group and 17·4 months (12·0-23·7) in the observation group. Adverse events were measured in the capecitabine group only, and of the 213 patients who received at least one cycle, 94 (44%) had at least one grade 3 toxicity, the most frequent of which were hand-foot syndrome in 43 (20%) patients, diarrhoea in 16 (8%) patients, and fatigue in 16 (8%) patients. One (<1%) patient had grade 4 cardiac ischaemia or infarction. Serious adverse events were observed in 47 (21%) of 223 patients in the capecitabine group and 22 (10%) of 224 patients in the observation group. No deaths were deemed to be treatment related.Interpretation: Although this study did not meet its primary endpoint of improving overall survival in the intention-to-treat population, the prespecified sensitivity and per-protocol analyses suggest that capecitabine can improve overall survival in patients with resected biliary tract cancer when used as adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery and could be considered as standard of care. Furthermore, the safety profile is manageable, supporting the use of capecitabine in this setting.Funding: Cancer Research UK and Roche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the moment Donald Trump took the oath of office, women's political engagement skyrocketed. This groundswell of activism almost immediately led to widespread reporting that Trump's victory was inspiring a large new crop of female candidates across the country. We rely on a May 2017 national survey of "potential candidates" and the 2018 midterm election results to assess whether this "Trump Effect" materialized. Our analysis uncovers some evidence for it. Democrats – especially women – held very negative feelings toward Trump, and those feelings generated heightened political interest and activity during the 2018 election cycle. That activism, however, was not accompanied by a broad scale surge in women's interest in running for office. In fact, the overall gender gap in political ambition today is quite similar to the gap we've uncovered throughout the last 20 years. Notably, though, about one quarter of the Democratic women who expressed interest in running for office first started thinking about it only after Trump was elected. That relatively small group of newly interested candidates was sufficient to result in a record number of Democratic women seeking and winning election to Congress. With no commensurate increase in Republican women's political engagement or candidate emergence, however, prospects for gender parity in US political institutions remain bleak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Women's under-representation in politics is often attributed to a gender gap in political ambition. • We examine the gap in ambition by utilizing an elicitation measure that allows individuals to express unwillingness to run for election. • We test three recruitment appeals - a leadership message, community service message, and qualifications message - to determine which appeals could reduce the gender gap in political ambition. • We find that women are less willing to enter an election than men, but women are not unwilling to run for election. • All three appeals significantly boost women's willingness to run, but the message describing running as a community endeavor reduces men's willingness and thereby eliminates the gender gap in ambition. Abstract Women's under-representation in politics is an empirical fact. The U.S. ranks 102nd in the world in the percentage of women serving in the national legislature. A leading explanation is the persistence of a substantial gender gap in political ambition. Research explaining the gender gap in political ambition has focused primarily on factors such as self-assessed qualifications, risk aversion, and competitiveness. We make two advances on the existing literature: first, we examine the extent of the gender gap in political ambition using a discrete elicitation measure that provides a more precise measurement of the degree to which women and men exhibit electoral aversion. Second, we test three recruitment appeals - a leadership message, community service message, and qualifications message - to determine which type of appeal could reduce or eliminate the gender gap in political ambition. Our results, based on a laboratory experiment, confirm that women are less interested than men in standing for elective office. However, we also find that while women are less willing to enter an election, women are not unwilling to run for election. We conclude that women's lack of interest is not as definitive as prior research may have suggested. In terms of recruitment, all three messages significantly boost women's willingness to run in the election. Notably, though, the message describing running for office as a collective endeavor to help serve the community actually reduces men's willingness to enter the election, closing the gap in ambition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Dysregulation of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway has been described in a variety of cancers, including cervical cancer, a disease which shares a common aetiology with vulval squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC). Here, we investigate a large number of primary VSCC cases for evidence of Hedgehog pathway activation and examine the implications of pathway activity on clinical outcomes in a cohort of patients with primary VSCC. Methods: Archival histology blocks containing VSCC and histologically normal adjacent epithelium were retrieved from a cohort of 91 patients who underwent treatment for primary VSCC. Immunohistochemistry staining was undertaken to assess for the expression of key Hh pathway components (SHH, PTCH1, GLI1). A competing risks statistical model was used to evaluate the implications of the levels of key Hh pathway components on clinical outcomes. Results: We show that 92% of primary VSCC cases over-expressed one or more components of the Hh signalling pathway when compared to the adjacent normal epithelium. While expression of SHH and GLI1 did not correlate with any clinicopathological criteria, over- or under-expression of PTCH1 was associated with a reduced or increased risk of developing a local disease recurrence, respectively. In VSCC arising on a background of Lichen Sclerosus, the risk of local recurrence was potentiated in cases where PTCH1 was under-expressed. Conclusions: Our findings reveal, for the first time, that the Hh pathway is activated in VSCC and that PTCH1 expression can be used as a biomarker to stratify patients and inform clinicians of the risk of their local recurrence, particularly in cases of VSCC associated with LS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general strategy to prepare substituted 3-bromo- and 3-chloropyrazoles is described. The three-step method involves condensation of crotonates or β-chloro carboxylic acids with hydrazines, followed by halogenation and oxidation. Several condensation and oxidation protocols were developed to enable preparation of a wide variety of 3-halopyrazoles with good to excellent yields and regiocontrol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The British Thyroid Association recommended in new guidelines on thyroid cancer treatment [Kwak et al. (Korean J Radiol 14:110-117, 2013)] that ultrasound grading of thyroid nodules should be incorporated into MDT management. A retrospective study was carried out to determine that the impact of US grading has had on MDT decision making in practice. The design used in the study is a retrospective review of case notes. The study was carried out in the hub hospital for thyroid cancer in the North west London Cancer network. We included consecutive patients referred to the regional thyroid multidisciplinary meeting between August 2014 and May 2015 for investigation of thyroid nodules. Data were collected on patient demographics, co-morbidity, thy grading, ultrasound grading, surgery, post-operative histology, and radioactive iodine treatment details. Accuracy of cytology and ultrasound in diagnosing malignancy was correlated to definitive histology. 99 patients with thyroid nodules were included in the study. 97% of patients had at least one fine needle aspiration and 75% had ultrasound grading. Thy3f (Bethesda IV) nodules were more likely to be carcinoma if associated with a U4 grade rather than U3 (67 vs 18%, p = 0.028). Ultrasound grading has recently been introduced to the standard practice in investigation of thyroid nodules. Further assessment of the accuracy of ultrasound grading in clinical practice may allow us to risk-stratify thy3a/thy3f (Bethesda III/IV) lesions and personalise treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Union Internationale pour la Protection des Obtentions Végétales (UPOV) currently relies on morphological characteristics to evaluate distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) as eligibility requirements for the granting of Plant Variety Protection (PVP). We used 10 maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines, including both unrelated and closely similar pairs, representing three heterotic groups to compare abilities of morphological, ribonucleic acid (RNA) transcription, metabolomic, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data to distinguish inbred lines. We used the range of variability and robustness as important factors to determine distinguishing power of each methodological approach. Using an index that ranged from 0 to 100 (useless to the perfect ideal), index scores for each methodology were: metabolomics (0), RNA transcription (18.2), morphology (19.6), and SNPs (35.7). The ability to distinguish among genotypes using RNA transcription expression data was concordant with SNP data for genotypes that were up to 97.2% similar according to SNPs. The SNP data alone could provide the basis for a determination of distinctness among inbred lines of maize with use of morphological, physiological, or agronomic performance data as supplementary information, if needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil record of the earliest primates, purgatoriid plesiadapiforms, has become increasingly well documented during the past two decades, but their dietary preferences remain poorly understood. While the available evidence, which consists mostly of isolated teeth and incomplete jaws with teeth, suggests that purgatoriids were insectivorous to omnivorous, we describe here a new species of Purgatorius, Purgatorius pinecreeensis sp. nov., that extends the range of purgatoriid dental disparity toward greater omnivory than had been known before. Purgatorius pinecreeensis sp. nov., from the early Paleocene (Puercan) Ravenscrag Formation of southwestern Saskatchewan, differs from other species of Purgatorius in having slightly lower crowned teeth with a lower trigonid relative to talonid, blunter and more swollen major cusps, more transverse lower molar paracristids, and m3 with a more robustly developed posterior lobe. Taken together, these specializations enhanced the capacity for crushing and grinding at the expense of orthal shear, and represent the first instance of a modest degree of bunodonty in the family. The discovery of P. pinecreeensis sp. nov., along with other recently reported basal plesiadapiforms from the Puercan and Torrejonian of the northern Western Interior, lends additional support to the notion of a significant primate radiation soon after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cimolestes Marsh is a North American eutherian mammal primarily known from latest Cretaceous deposits in Alberta, Wyoming, Saskatchewan, and Montana. At present, five species of Cimolestes are considered valid, all Lancian in age; they include one of the largest North American Late Cretaceous therian mammals as well as one of the smallest, a size range far exceeding that within other genera of tribosphenic therians contemporary with Cimolestes, such as the leptictoid eutherian Gypsonictops Simpson or genera of alphadontid or pediomyid marsupials. Moreover, the species of Cimolestes display a disparity of dental morphology in addition to size well in excess of interspecific differences within these genera. Given these considerations, Cimolestes is clearly a grade-taxon, uniting species sharing an adaptively subzalambdodont dentition, but showing divergent specializations within this pattern that are inconsistent with monophyly of its presently included species. To correct these imbalances, this paper limits Cimolestes to Cimolestes incisus Marsh and Cimolestes stirtoni Clemens; Cimolestes magnus Clemens and Russell, Cimolestes cerberoides Lillegraven, and Cimolestes propalaeoryctes Lillegraven are reclassified in the new genera Altacreodus, Ambilestes, and Scollardius, respectively. Altacreodus magnus, having a massive shearing dentition, is reconfirmed as showing a relationship to some Tertiary 'creodonts' not shared by other species of Lancian cimolestids; Ambilestes cerberoides exhibits a distinctive molar wear pattern that emphasized horizontal grinding, not orthal shear; Scollardius propalaeoryctes, the smallest species in this revision and having hyper-faunivorous molars, was not ancestral to Paleogene Palaeoryctidae, as indicated in part by contradictions in premolar number and morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although stagodontid marsupials are among the most distinctive mammals of Late Cretaceous age in North America, there remain significant gaps in knowledge of their dental anatomy, particularly that of the stratigraphically oldest genus, Eodelphis Matthew, 1916. We report here on stagodontid specimens from the Judithian Belly River Group of southeastern Alberta, Canada, that document what was until now previously unknown parts of the upper and lower premolar dentition of Eodelphis browni Matthew, 1916 and Eodelphis cutleri (Smith Woodward, 1916). The new information further confirms the distinctiveness of both nominal species of Eodelphis, and bolsters previous hypotheses suggesting a close phylogenetic relationship between E. cutleri and the advanced stagodontid Didelphodon Marsh, 1889. Although the new specimens from Alberta suggest that the problematic holotype of "Boreodon matutinus" Lambe, 1902 is an upper third premolar, a referral to Eodelphis cannot be made with confidence and the name should continue to be treated as a nomen dubium. Lastly, we report the first occurrence of Didelphodon in strata of the Belly River Group, extending the geological age of the genus into the Judithian, co-eval with species of Eodelphis, and suggesting a significant prior and as yet undiscovered evolutionary history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ursolestes perpetior gen. et sp. nov. is a large purgatoriid plesiadapiform primate from the middle/late Puercan (earliest Paleocene) Simpson Quarry, Montana, USA. It differs from Purgatorius Van Valen and Sloan, 1965, the only other known purgatoriid and the oldest discovered primate, in its substantially larger body size as inferred from the dimensions of the known parts of its dentition, while resembling Purgatorius in possessing a large lower canine, unreduced p1, and in the upper molars, a protocone twist and weakly developed postprotocone fold; moreover, the m3 of U. perpetior possesses an expanded, plesiadapiform-like posterior lobe of the talonid that supports the hypoconulid. The large lower canine and the greater development of trenchant molar crests suggest that U. perpetior was more insectivorous, differing appreciably from the omnivorous niche long hypothesized for Purgatorius and purportedly marking the insectivore-primate transition. Hence, U. perpetior adds significant new knowledge regarding the breadth of the adaptive zone occupied by purgatoriids in their position at the very beginnings of primate evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new tribotherian mammal, Tirotherium aptum gen. et sp. nov., is described from the late Santonian to early Campanian upper Milk River Formation of Verdigris Coulee, southern Alberta, Canada. The new mammal is known only from isolated teeth, five upper and three lower molars. The upper molars represent two or possibly three pre-ultimate loci and are marked by reduction and loss of the stylar shelf anteriorly, loss of the stylocone, a paracone that is larger than the metacone, weakly developed conules, a low, small protocone, and specialized postvallum single-rank shear. The lower molars probably represent two pre-ultimate loci and are characterized by an anteriorly positioned paraconid, trenchant paracristid, small, posterolingual metaconid, a distal metacristid, broadly open trigonid angle, and a short, basined talonid in which the hypoconulid is closer to the entoconid than to the hypoconid. The molars of Tirotherium most closely resemble those of Picopsis Fox, 1980, a tribotherian that also occurs in the upper Milk River Formation, but the molars of Tirotherium are significantly larger than those of Picopsis. Nonetheless, Tirotherium aptum is best classified in the Picopsidae, a boreosphenidan family of tiny mammalian faunivores of uncertain relationships to other tribotherians, and displaying a unique mosaic of primitive and derived characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pandemonium hibernalis sp. nov., from a middle? Puercan (earliest Paleocene) locality in the upper Scollard Formation, Wintering Hills, southern Alberta, represents the second discovered occurrence of the enigmatic plesiadapiform primate Pandemonium Van Valen and the first from Canada. The holotype of Pandemonium hibernalis is the only known specimen of Pandemonium documented by multiple teeth from a single individual. Pandemonium hibernalis closely resembles the type species Pandemonium dis from Purgatory Hill, middle-late Puercan, Tullock Formation, Montana, but differs in having wider, more bunodont lower molar crowns and a more expanded posterior talonid lobe of m3, specializations suggesting enhanced capacity for crushing and grinding of soft food materials during mastication. Pandemonium hibernalis joins other recent discoveries in Alberta and elsewhere in the North American Western Interior in documenting a moderate radiation of basal plesiadapiforms that evolved unexpectedly early during primate evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomedical catheters are commonly used to move fluids from one part of the body to another, or remove them from the body completely. In some instances, these catheters become occluded due to blood or other debris. Such occlusions may prove fatal or require re-operation with enormous costs and effects on the health-care system and the individual. We developed a model of occlusion in both a ventriculo-peritoneal shut system and en external ventricular drain. Having demonstrated that occlusions can be reliably generated in a manner that resembles the clinical situation we show that vibration can clear the blockages. Vibration in the 50–60 Hz range was able to maintain patency in the catheters or to clear the blockage when the catheter was completely occluded. In high concentrations of blood, 150 s of vibration applied every 30 min was able to maintain the patency of the catheter. Clinically, as the level of blood in the fluid decreases, the time intervals between vibration applications could be increased. We believe that vibration offers a safe, non-invasive method to maintain the patency of biomedical catheters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species' distributions are likely to be affected by a combination of environmental drivers. We used a data set of 11 million species occurrence records over the period 1970-2010 to assess changes in the frequency of occurrence of 673 macro-moth species in Great Britain. Groups of species with different predicted sensitivities showed divergent trends, which we interpret in the context of land-use and climatic changes., A diversity of responses was revealed: 260 moth species declined significantly, whereas 160 increased significantly. Overall, frequencies of occurrence declined, mirroring trends in less species-rich, yet more intensively studied taxa., Geographically widespread species, which were predicted to be more sensitive to land use than to climate change, declined significantly in southern Britain, where the cover of urban and arable land has increased., Moths associated with low nitrogen and open environments (based on their larval host plant characteristics) declined most strongly, which is also consistent with a land-use change explanation., Some moths that reach their northern (leading edge) range limit in southern Britain increased, whereas species restricted to northern Britain (trailing edge) declined significantly, consistent with a climate change explanation., Not all species of a given type behaved similarly, suggesting that complex interactions between species' attributes and different combinations of environmental drivers determine frequency of occurrence changes., Synthesis and applications. Our findings are consistent with large-scale responses to climatic and land-use changes, with some species increasing and others decreasing. We suggest that land-use change (e.g. habitat loss, nitrogen deposition) and climate change are both major drivers of moth biodiversity change, acting independently and in combination. Importantly, the diverse responses revealed in this species-rich taxon show that multifaceted conservation strategies are needed to minimize negative biodiversity impacts of multiple environmental changes. We suggest that habitat protection, management and ecological restoration can mitigate combined impacts of land-use change and climate change by providing environments that are suitable for existing populations and also enable species to shift their ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on survey responses from a national random sample of nearly 4,000 high school and college students, we uncover a dramatic gender gap in political ambition. This finding serves as striking evidence that the gap is present well before women and men enter the professions from which most candidates emerge. We then use political socialization—which we gauge through a myriad of socializing agents and early life experiences—as a lens through which to explain the individual-level differences we uncover. Our analysis reveals that parental encouragement, politicized educational and peer experiences, participation in competitive activities, and a sense of self-confidence propel young people's interest in running for office. But on each of these dimensions, women, particularly once they are in college, are at a disadvantage. By identifying when and why gender differences in interest in running for office materialize, we begin to uncover the origins of the gender gap in political ambition. Taken together, our results suggest that concerns about substantive and symbolic representation will likely persist. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on data from the 2011 Citizen Political Ambition Study—a national survey of nearly 4,000 “potential candidates” for all levels of office—we provide the first thorough analysis of the manner in which traditional family arrangements affect the initial decision to run for office. Our findings reveal that traditional family dynamics do not account for the gender gap in political ambition. Neither marital and parental status, nor the division of labor pertaining to household tasks and child care, predicts potential candidates’ political ambition. This is not to downplay the fact that the gender gap in political ambition remains substantial and static or that traditional family roles affect whether women make it into the candidate eligibility pool in the first place. But it is to suggest that family arrangements are not a primary factor explaining why female potential candidates exhibit lower levels of political ambition than do men. Because women remain less likely than men to exhibit political ambition even in the face of stringent controls, the lack of explanatory power conferred by family arrangements highlights that other barriers to women’s emergence as candidates clearly merit continued investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Thermally insulating extruded polystyrene foams are currently produced with hydrofluorocarbon blowing agents. Hydrofluorocarbons have zero ozone depletion potential but rather high greenhouse warming potential. Various unsaturated fluoropropenes, with greenhouse warming potential values <15, have been assessed as HFC-134a replacements for styrenic extrusion foaming. The screening is first based on the modeling of solubility and diffusivity properties, followed by foaming experiments with a conventional extrusion process. Some fluoropropenes appear to be excellent blowing agents for extruded polystyrene foams and can be used alone for making very low-density foams with regular and large cell sizes, while some others require the use of a co-blowing agent for processing good quality foam. A few others are not suitable as a blowing agent for extruded polystyrene foams due to their toxicity or their very poor transport properties. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]