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The existence of a thin, weak asthenospheric layer beneath Earths lithospheric plates is consistent with existing geological and geophysical constraints, including Pleistocene glacio-isostatic adjustment, modeling of gravity anomalies, studies of seismic anisotropy, and post-seismic rebound. Mantle convection models suggest that a pronounced weak zone beneath the upper thermal boundary layer (lithosphere) may be essential to the plate tectonic style of convection found on Earth. The asthenosphere is likely related to partial melting and the presence of water in the sub-lithospheric mantle, further implying that the long-term evolution of the Earth may be controlled by thermal regulation and volatile recycling that maintain a geotherm that approaches the wet mantle solidus at asthenospheric depths.

Endothelial phospholipase C[gamma] (PLC[gamma]) is essential for vascular development; however, its role in healthy, mature, or pathological vessels is unexplored. Here, we show that PLC[gamma] was prominently expressed in vessels of several human cancer forms, notably in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). High PLC[gamma] expression in clear cell RCC correlated with angiogenic activity and poor prognosis, while low expression correlated with immune cell activation. PLC[gamma] was induced downstream of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) phosphosite Y1173 (pY1173). Heterozygous [Vegfr2.sup.Y1173F/+] mice or mice lacking endothelial PLC[gamma] ([Plcg1.sup.iECKO]) exhibited a stabilized endothelial barrier and diminished vascular leakage. Barrier stabilization was accompanied by decreased expression of immunosuppressive cytokines, reduced infiltration of B cells, helper T cells and regulatory T cells, and improved response to chemo- and immunotherapy. Mechanistically, pY1173/PLC[gamma] signaling induced [Ca.sup.2+]/protein kinase C-dependent activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), required for tyrosine nitration and activation of Src. Src-induced phosphorylation of VE-cadherin at Y685 was accompanied by disintegration of endothelial junctions. This pY1173/PLC[gamma]/eNOS/Src pathway was detected in both healthy and tumor vessels in [Vegfr2.sup.Y1173F/+] mice, which displayed decreased activation of PLC[gamma] and eNOS and suppressed vascular leakage. Thus, we believe that we have identified a clinically relevant endothelial PLC[gamma] pathway downstream of VEGFR2 pY1173, which destabilizes the endothelial barrier and results in loss of antitumor immunity., Introduction Growth of solid cancers is accompanied by hypoxia-driven formation of abnormal blood vessels with a defective endothelial barrier, often due to chronic exposure to endothelial cell ligands such as [...]

The advancement of underrepresented minority and women PhD students to elite postdoctoral and faculty positions in the STEM fields continues to lag that of majority males, despite decades of efforts to mitigate bias and increase opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds. In 2015, the National Science Foundation Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NSF AGEP) California Alliance (Berkeley, Caltech, Stanford, UCLA) conducted a wide-ranging survey of graduate students across the mathematical, physical, engineering, and computer sciences in order to identify levers to improve the success of PhD students, and, in time, improve diversity in STEM leadership positions, especially the professoriate. The survey data were interpreted via path analysis, a method that identifies significant relationships, both direct and indirect, among various factors and outcomes of interest. We investigated two important outcomes: publication rates, which largely determine a new PhD students competitiveness in the academic marketplace, and subjective well-being. Women and minority students who perceived that they were well-prepared for their graduate courses and accepted by their colleagues (faculty and fellow students), and who experienced well-articulated and structured PhD programs, were most likely to publish at rates comparable to their male majority peers. Women PhD students experienced significantly higher levels of distress than their male peers, both majority and minority, while both women and minority student distress levels were mitigated by clearly-articulated expectations, perceiving that they were well-prepared for graduate level courses, and feeling accepted by their colleagues. It is unclear whether higher levels of distress in women students is related directly to their experiences in their STEM PhD programs. The findings suggest that mitigating factors that negatively affect diversity should not, in principle, require the investment of large resources, but rather requires attention to the local culture and structure of individual STEM PhD programs.

AbstractAn increasing focus of recent research is on the role of technology in support of teaching, learning and renewal or revitalization of endangered languages. The potential roles of a given piece of technology logically depend, at least to some extent, on the features built into the technology at design stage. Since most language revitalization and renewal efforts are local, community-based initiatives, the preferences and insights of community members are critical to build into the design, to maximize the relevance and appeal of the technology to those who might use it to maintain and increase knowledge and skills in their language. Recognizing this, the project reported on here incorporated co-design into the development of a mobile app, Warrma Mangarrayi (“Listen to Mangarrayi”). The app design also drew on a model of language revitalization, which offers a conceptualization of how technology can be a resource for a language revitalization team whose goals include everyday phrase-based communication in the endangered language. In this article we discuss the iterative user-centered co-design process adopted for the research and the improvements resulting from community user feedback on different versions and how the resulting resource, Warrma Mangarrayi, responded to community needs and aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two independent surveys of PhD students in STEM fields at the University of California, Berkeley, indicate that underrepresented minorities (URMs) publish at significantly lower rates than non-URM males, placing the former at a significant disadvantage as they compete for postdoctoral and faculty positions. Differences as a function of gender reveal a similar, though less consistent, pattern. A conspicuous exception is Berkeley's College of Chemistry, where publication rates are tightly clustered as a function of ethnicity and gender, and where PhD students experience a highly structured program that includes early and systematic involvement in research, as well as clear expectations for publishing. Social science research supports the hypothesis that this more structured environment hastens the successful induction of diverse groups into the high-performance STEM academic track.