bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract IA-07: RAS mutation tropism: insight into tumor initation
Authors: Counter Christopher M
Published: September 2024

How we get cancer, a process termed tumor initiation, remains an enigma, which has crucial clinical implications for early detection, prevention, and interception. Backtracking to catch the moment a specific mutagenic event in a single gene from an individual cell occurred decades before manifesting as cancer is challenging. However, the RAS family of small GTPases thate are commonly mutated in cancer provide some insight. Despite over 50 possible oncogenic RAS mutations, each cancer type exhibits a predilection or ‘tropism’ towards a distinct and often unique subset of these mutations. For example, most pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas are driven by a G12D/V mutation in KRAS. As RAS mutations are often initiating, this tropism ostensibly reflects the fundamental biology underlying tumor initiation, which becomes embedded in the genome of the resulting tumors. Fortunately, the process of RAS mutation tropism can be studied in mice exposed to the environmental carcinogen urethane. Such carcinogenesis both captures the moment of tumor initiation (the point of carcinogen exposure) and displays RAS mutation tropism (lung lesions are induced by a specific RAS mutation). By using ultra-sensitive sequencing to detect mutations immediately after urethane exposure in different mouse genetic backgrounds, we find that the mutagenic bias of this carcinogen influences the type of RAS mutations generated. However, biological selection for an optimal or ‘sweet spot’ of oncogenic signaling ultimately appears to dictate which mutations go on to initiate tumorigenesis. Analysis of sequence datasets from human lung cancer suggests a similar dominant role for biological selection in the RAS mutation tropism of this cancer. In summary, RAS mutation tropism appears to be a combination of mutational bias, and even more so, biological selection, providing critical insights into the origins of cancers like pancreatic.

Citation Format: Christopher M Counter. RAS mutation tropism: insight into tumor initation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr IA-07.
Abstract IA-09: Spatiotemporal metabolic networks in pancreatic cancer and associated cachexia
Authors: Majem Blanca , Lee Min-Sik , Shin Kyung Cheul , Naqvi Insia , Dennis Courtney , Dailey Lucas , Jeanfavre Sarah , Mino-Kenudson Mari , Xavier Joao B , Clish Clary B , Mathur Deepti , Kalaany Nada Y
Published: September 2024

Cachexia or body wasting is a significant contributing factor to the morbidity and mortality of pancreatic cancer. Despite an unmet need, its metabolic underpinnings remain poorly understood. Here, we characterize an inducible mouse model of pancreatic cancer cachexia that recaptures human disease progression. We present longitudinal systemic metabolic profiling analyses through pre-, early and late cachexia stages in male and female pancreas, its interstitial fluid (IF), plasma, liver, adipose and skeletal muscle. We find that each tissue has a unique metabolome and trajectory across stages, and reveal metabolic signatures with marked lipid enrichment in the pancreatic IF. Using mathematical modeling, we identify metabolites participating in cross-tissue networks and in vivo validate a lactate-hexose connection. We find systemic metabolic changes prior to weight loss, and use feature selection algorithms to identify potential predictive markers of cachexia progression. Our study provides a resource for system-wide metabolic network evolution of pancreatic cancer cachexia, highlighting the potential for prevention and therapy.

Citation Format: Blanca Majem, Min-Sik Lee, Kyung Cheul Shin, Insia Naqvi, Courtney Dennis, Lucas Dailey, Sarah Jeanfavre, Mari Mino-Kenudson, Joao B Xavier, Clary B Clish, Deepti Mathur, Nada Y Kalaany. Spatiotemporal metabolic networks in pancreatic cancer and associated cachexia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr IA-09.
Abstract PR-03: Canonical Notch signaling in cancer-associated fibroblasts supports an immunosuppressive pancreatic tumor microenvironment
Authors: Bischoff Allison , Yan Wei , Bednar Filip , Pasca di Magliano Marina
Published: September 2024

Notch is a contact-dependent signaling pathway that plays critical roles in spatiotemporal patterning during embryogenesis. Beyond its role in development, Notch signaling can regulate tissue patterning in adult organs in response to tissue injury or cancer. In pancreatic cancer, Notch signaling drives pancreatic tumor epithelial growth and regulates myeloid function in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Its role in pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) is less clear. CAFs are a central component of the pancreatic TME and demonstrate significant phenotypic and functional differences depending on their spatial arrangement in pre-neoplastic and tumor tissue. Using Notch signaling reporter mice CBF: H2B-Venus bred into KC (Ptf1a cre/+;Kras LSL-G12D/+) and KPC (Ptf1a cre/+;Kras LSL-G12D/+;p53 flox/+) backgrounds, we demonstrate that canonical Notch signaling is activated in CAFs at different stages of neoplastic progression. Notably, Notch signaling appears to be most active in aSMA+ CAFs spatially located adjacent to pre-neoplastic/cancer cells, suggesting that Notch ligands expressed by pre-neoplastic/cancer cells are critical for this activation. To test the functional role of canonical Notch signaling in CAFs, we generated a fibroblast-specific, tamoxifen-inducible model of Notch inhibition that utilizes a dominant-negative form of the Notch transcriptional co-activator MAML1 (PDGFRa CreERT2/+ ,Rosa26 LSL-DNMAML). Using an orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer (50,000 cells; KPC) we demonstrate that inhibition of Notch signaling in CAFs results in smaller tumors. These CAFs expressed lower levels of the myofibroblastic marker aSMA+. Additionally, tumors from PDGFRa CreERT2/+, Rosa26 LSL-DNMAML mice had fewer Arg1+ macrophages and a dramatic influx of CD8+ T cells. Collectively, these results suggest that Notch signaling in CAFs regulates their phenotype and supports tumor progression by inducing an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Citation Format: Allison Bischoff, Wei Yan, Filip Bednar, Marina Pasca di Magliano. Canonical Notch signaling in cancer-associated fibroblasts supports an immunosuppressive pancreatic tumor microenvironment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr PR-03.
Abstract PR-05: Endocrine beta-cell stress promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through endocrine-exocrine cell crosstalk
Authors: Garcia Cathy , Venkat Aarthi , McQuaid Daniel , Agabiti Sherry , Tong Alex , Cardone Rebecca , Kibbey Richard , Krishnaswamy Smita , Muzumdar Mandar
Published: September 2024

For a long time, the pancreas was thought to have separate cellular compartments that functioned distinctly from one another. The endocrine pancreas (islets of Langerhans) regulates glucose homeostasis, while the exocrine pancreas (acini and ducts) produces and secretes digestive enzymes. However, it has recently become clear that the endocrine and exocrine compartments communicate with one another, and dysfunction in one leads to dysfunction in the other, resulting in diabetes or pancreatitis. However, whether and how the endocrine pancreas drives the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), an exocrine tumor, remains unresolved. Strikingly, we found that genetic ablation of insulin-producing islet beta (β) cells (Akita) in a faithful Kras/Trp53-driven PDAC model (KPC: Kras LSL-G12D /+; Trp 53172 /+; Pdx1-Cre) suppressed PDAC progression. Conversely, obesity-induced β cell hormone dysregulation promoted Kras-driven PDAC development. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis of wild-type and obese mice (high-fat diet-fed and leptin-deficient (Lep ob/ob )) revealed increased expression of the peptide hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) in a subset of β cells concordant with increasing obesity, and transgenic β cell overexpression of CCK was sufficient to promote exocrine tumorigenesis in KC mice. Combined in silico (pseudotime (TrajectoryNET) and archetypal (AANet) analysis) and experimental (CreER) lineage tracing demonstrated that CCK-expressing β cells originated from a pre-existing immature β cell population (virgin β cells). Grainger causality analysis of transcriptional networks uncovered a stress-induced JNK-cJun pathway that promotes CCK expression β cells, which we confirmed using JNK inhibitors in β cell models. Together, our findings identify cellular and molecular mechanisms of β cell adaptation to obesity that contribute to obesity-driven pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, we define a critical role for endocrine-exocrine signaling in PDAC progression and stress-induced β cell pathways which could be leveraged to target the endocrine pancreas to subvert exocrine tumorigenesis.

Citation Format: Cathy Garcia, Aarthi Venkat, Daniel McQuaid, Sherry Agabiti, Alex Tong, Rebecca Cardone, Richard Kibbey, Smita Krishnaswamy, Mandar Muzumdar. Endocrine beta-cell stress promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through endocrine-exocrine cell crosstalk [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr PR-05.
Abstract PR-06: Dietary fats dictate pancreatic cancer fate via phospholipid saturation
Authors: Ruiz Christian F , Ge Xiangyu , McDonnell Rylee , McQuaid Daniel , Kaplan Jennifer , Li Guangtao , Rudolph Michael C , Gorelick Fred F , Wysolmerski John , Canals Daniel , Haley John D , Rodeheffer Matthew , Muzumdar Mandar D
Published: September 2024

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer death in the US and is anticipated to become the second within the next decade. Epidemiologic studies support a strong link between high fat diet (HFD) consumption and increased PDAC risk, however, the translational relevance of diet research has been limited by inconsistencies in fat source and consumption across human populations and mouse studies. Therefore, whether and how specific dietary fatty acids drive cancer development is poorly understood. To address this gap in knowledge, we performed a diet screen, comprised of 12 isocaloric HFDs differing solely in fat source and representing the diversity of modern human fat consumption, in an oncogenic Kras-driven mouse model (KC: Kras LSL-G12D /+;Pdx1-Cre) that closely mimics the genetic and histologic features of human PDAC progression. Unexpectedly, we discovered that diets rich in oleic acid – a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) typically associated with good health – enhanced pancreatic tumorigenesis. Furthermore, we observed a strong positive correlation between increased tumor burden and diets exhibiting a high ratio of MUFAs to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), concordant with high MUFA to PUFA levels in the plasma and in pancreatic phospholipids. Membrane phospholipid incorporation of MUFAs (relative to PUFAs) suppresses lipid peroxidation and cell death via ferroptosis. Consistent with this, pancreata from mice fed a MUFA-rich diet showed decreased expression of genes involved in lipid peroxidation and reduced histologic evidence of lipid peroxidation end products compared to a PUFA-rich diets. Furthermore, primary acinar cells from mice fed high MUFA diets were resistant to cell death upon treatment with ferroptosis inhibitors. Conversely, diets rich in PUFAs increased PUFA incorporation into pancreatic phospholipids, activated transcriptional programs of lipid peroxidation, and intercepted Kras-driven tumor progression in vivo. Collectively, these data support a role for dietary fatty acids in molding the pancreatic phospholipid landscape, altering lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis sensitivity to dictate tumor fate.

Citation Format: Christian F Ruiz, Xiangyu Ge, Rylee McDonnell, Daniel McQuaid, Jennifer Kaplan, Guangtao Li, Michael C Rudolph, Fred F Gorelick, John Wysolmerski, Daniel Canals, John D Haley, Matthew Rodeheffer, Mandar D Muzumdar. Dietary fats dictate pancreatic cancer fate via phospholipid saturation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr PR-06.
Abstract PR-09: Temporally resolved proteomics identifies nidogen-2 as a co-target in pancreatic cancer that modulates fibrosis and therapy response
Authors: Timpson Paul , Pereira Brooke , Ritchie Shona , katie Gordon  , Cox Thomas
Published: September 2024

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is highly lethal, with a five-year survival rate of ∼13%. PC is characterised by progressive cancer-associated fibrosis. We and others have shown that targeting cancer fibrosis can improve chemotherapy efficacy and impair metastasis in pre-clinical models. As such, we aimed to use integrated temporal proteomics to dissect the matrix signatures of pancreatic tumours from the highly-metastatic KPC (Pdx1-Cre; LSL-K-rasG12D/+; LSL-p53R172H/+) and poorly-metastatic KPflC (Pdx1-Cre; LSL-K-rasG12D/+; LSL-p53fl/+) mouse models, with an aim to identify new metastatic drivers in this deadly disease. We collected pancreatic tissue from KPflC, KPC and wildtype (WT) controls at early (∼50 days), mid (∼90 days) and late-stage disease (∼200 days), enriched them for matrix proteins using ISDoT de-cellularisation and analysed them using data independent acquisition liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (DIA LC-MS/MS). DIA LC-MS/MS revealed an increased abundance of Nidogen-2 (NID2) in KPC tumours compared to KPflC. Organotypic matrices generated with NID2 CRISPR-interference (CRISPRi) CAFs had reduced fibrosis, shown via second harmonic generation (SHG) multiphoton imaging and Picrosirius Red/birefringence analysis. Organotypic invasion assays revealed that depletion of CAF NID2 significantly impeded the 3D invasion of cancer cells. Subcutaneous and orthotopic co-seeding experiments using NID2 CRISPRi CAFs with cancer cells showed that NID2 inhibition significantly impeded tumour growth and fibrosis. Intravital (in vivo) imaging with quantum dots revealed improved vascular patency in live NID2 targeted tumours, with improved response to chemotherapy. Strikingly, in orthotopic models, mice bearing NID2 targeting had significantly reduced liver metastasis and increased survival, revealing NID2 as a new stromal co-target in this aggressive disease.

Citation Format: Paul Timpson, Brooke Pereira, Shona Ritchie, katie Gordon, Thomas Cox. Temporally resolved proteomics identifies nidogen-2 as a co-target in pancreatic cancer that modulates fibrosis and therapy response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr PR-09.
Abstract PR-12: The circadian rhythm gene Dec2 regulates multiple components of the antigen presentation pathway to promote pancreatic cancer dormancy by immune evasion
Authors: Harris Chris , Dudgeon Crissy , Wang Lan , Prela Orjola , Cazarin de Menezes Juliana , Altman Brian , Haab Brian , Gao Chongfeng , Klamer Zachary , Repesh Anna , De Subhajyoti , Carpizo Darren R
Published: September 2024

Metastatic recurrence following curative-intent pancreatic surgery is a major clinical problem as nearly all die of this at both early and latent periods following surgery. While latent recurrences are due to the reactivation of disseminated dormant tumor cells, the mechanisms that regulate dormancy remain unclear. Using a novel model of early-stage resectable pancreatic cancer that mimics early and latent outcomes in patients, we identified Dec2 (bhlh41) a transcriptional repressor and circadian regulator, as upregulated in dormant tumor cells harvested from the liver. Disseminated tumor cells harvest from the livers of latent recurrent mice were Dec2 hi/Ki67lo indicating that these cells are dormant. We confirmed the relationship of Dec2 and Ki67 in human pancreatic cancer using liver tissue specimens from patients with metastatic disease whereby small clusters of metastatic cells were Dec2hi/Ki67lo and larger metastatic tumors were Dec2lo/Ki67hi. To understand the mechanism of Dec2 in dormancy we deleted Dec2 from the tumor cells evaluated them in the resection model and observed a substantial increase in survival after resection due to an immune mediated mechanism as the survival benefit was abrogated in immunodeficient conditions indicating that Dec2 promotes tumor progression through immune mediated mechanism. Dec2 promotes immune evasion by downregulating multiple components of the antigen presentation pathway including proteosome and immunoproteosome genes, MHCI and MHCI chaperones. As Dec2 is a circadian regulator, we evaluated several components of the antigen presentation pathway including proteosome and surface MHCI and found these to display oscillation that was not only anti-phase with Dec2 but resulted in differential T-cell mediated tumor cell killing depending on the time of day. These studies elucidate a new mechanism by which Dec2 regulates cancer dormancy through immune evasion and identifies several novel therapeutic strategies to restore anti-tumor immunity. They also provide the first evidence that antigen presentation is under circadian regulation in pancreatic cancer.

Citation Format: Chris Harris, Crissy Dudgeon, Lan Wang, Orjola Prela, Juliana Cazarin de Menezes, Brian Altman, Brian Haab, Chongfeng Gao, Zachary Klamer, Anna Repesh, Subhajyoti De, Darren R Carpizo. The circadian rhythm gene Dec2 regulates multiple components of the antigen presentation pathway to promote pancreatic cancer dormancy by immune evasion [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr PR-12.
Abstract PR-16: Evaluating direct KRASQ61H inhibition in pancreatic cancer models
Authors: Long Szu-Aun , Amparo Amber M , Todd Haley , Goodhart Grace , Ahmad Syed A , Waters Andrew M
Published: September 2024

KRASQ61 mutations are associated with the worst prognosis among the various KRAS mutational subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). RMC-7977 is a RAS(ON) multi-selective noncovalent inhibitor with broad spectrum activity against oncogenic RAS mutants and wild-type RAS. The related investigational agent RMC-6236 is currently undergoing clinical trials. Binary complexes of CypA: RMC-7977 bind equipotently to multiple KRAS mutational subtypes however RMC-7977 is less potent at inhibiting growth in KRASQ61H-mutant cell lines. In contrast, RM-047 is a preclinical RAS(ON) Q61H-selective inhibitor tool compound. We evaluated direct KRASQ61H inhibition using both RMC-7977 and RM-047 in cell culture models. We found that in KRASQ61H-rescued RASless mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), RM-047 inhibited ERK activity and suppressed growth more potently than RMC-7977. Conversely, in a panel of KRASQ61H-mutant PDAC cell lines, RM-047 was less potent than RMC-7977 in two out of three KRASQ61H-mutant PDAC cell lines. Furthermore, we discovered that ERK activity rapidly rebounded with treatment in KRASQ61H-mutant PDAC cell lines, whereas ERK activity remained suppressed in KRASQ61H-rescued RASless MEFS lacking WT RAS alleles. Our analysis of DepMap data indicated that among the KRAS mutational subtypes frequently found in pancreatic cancer, KRASQ61H is the least dependent on KRAS for survival. This suggests that in a KRASQ61H-mutant PDAC setting, additional factors such as WT RAS expression may mediate growth. From our KRAS drug-anchored CRISPR loss-of-function screens, we found that the loss of EGFR sensitized cells to KRAS inhibition, particularly in a KRASQ61H-dependent context. Therefore, we combined erlotinib, an FDA-approved EGFR inhibitor, with either RM-047 or RMC-7977, and found that the addition of erlotinib prevented ERK rebound activity and synergized with RM-047 or RMC-7977 to reduce growth in KRASQ61H-mutant PDAC cell lines. These data provide insights into mechanisms by which KRASQ61H-mutant PDAC may be less dependent on KRAS for survival and further support the clinical evaluation of combined EGFR and RAS(ON) inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy in the treatment of PDAC patients harboring KRASQ61H mutations.

Citation Format: Szu-Aun Long, Amber M Amparo, Haley Todd, Grace Goodhart, Syed A Ahmad, Andrew M Waters. Evaluating direct KRAS inhibition in pancreatic cancer models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr PR-16.
Abstract PR-19: Cell polarity proteins as novel regulators of macropinocytosis
Authors: Barjau Guillem Lambies , Lee Szu-Wei , Duong-Polk Duong-Polk Karen , Dawson David , Galapate Cheska Marie , Maganti Swetha , Commisso Cosimo
Published: September 2024

Macropinocytosis has emerged as a nutrient-scavenging pathway that cancer cells exploit to survive the nutrient-deprived conditions of the tumor microenvironment. Cancer cells are especially reliant on glutamine for their survival, and in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells, glutamine deficiency can enhance the stimulation of macropinocytosis, allowing the cells to escape metabolic stress through the production of extracellular-protein-derived amino acids. Here, we identify the atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) enzymes, PKCz and PKCi, as novel regulators of macropinocytosis. In normal epithelial cells, aPKCs are known to regulate cell polarity in association with the scaffold proteins Par3 and Par6, controlling the function of several targets, including the microtubule-associated Par1 kinases. In PDAC cells, we identify that each of these cell polarity proteins are required for glutamine stress-induced macropinocytosis. Mechanistically, we find that the aPKCs are regulated by EGFR signaling or by the transcription factor CREM to promote the relocation of Par3 to microtubules, facilitating macropinocytosis in a dynein-dependent manner. Importantly, we determine that cell fitness impairment caused by aPKC depletion in glutamine stress is rescued by the restoration of macropinocytosis and that aPKCs support PDAC growth in vivo. These results identify a previously unappreciated role for the cell polarity protein network in the regulation of macropinocytosis and provide a better understanding of the mechanistic underpinnings that control macropinocytic uptake in the context of metabolic stress.

Citation Format: Guillem Lambies Barjau, Szu-Wei Lee, Karen Duong-Polk Duong-Polk, David Dawson, Cheska Marie Galapate, Swetha Maganti, Cosimo Commisso. Cell polarity proteins as novel regulators of macropinocytosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr PR-19.
A Tale of Three Oceans—Taxonomy of the Holothuria (Thymiosycia) arenicola Semper, 1868 complex (Echinodermata: Holoturoidea: Holothuriidae)
Authors: SAMYN YVES , MASSIN CLAUDE
Published: September 2024

The ubiquitous sea cucumber Holothuria (Thymiosycia) arenicola Semper, 1868, externally characterized by a double row of dark blotches of various sizes on its dorsal body wall and a cryptic behaviour, is generally assumed to have a wide tropical distribution, although it has not been reported from the Eastern Atlantic. Careful morphological examination, with emphasis on the ossicle assemblage, of type and non-type H. arenicola specimens sampled in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, its subjective synonyms and species with a similar colouration and habit, revealed that H. arenicola is often confused with other species. This paper formally separates the different species in the H. arenicola complex, one of them being a species new to science: Holothuria (Thymiosycia) kerriensis sp. nov. Additionally, we describe two other species that are often confused with H. arenicola: Holothuria (Lessonothuria) gracilis Semper, 1868 and H. (Thymiosycia) strigosa Selenka, 1867. The H. arenicola complex per se is keyed-out, with the ossicle assemblage of the musculature being recognised as an important, previously largely neglected, guide. This contribution highlights the importance of building and curating well-maintaned natural history collections to understand biodiversity through time and space.
Resurrection of Typhlops cubae Bibron, 1843 (Serpentes: Typhlopidae), with taxonomic comments on the Typhlops lumbricalis species group
Authors: ITURRIAGA MANUEL , DOMÍNGUEZ MICHEL , REYNOSO VÍCTOR HUGO
Published: September 2024

We resurrected Typhlops cubae Bibron, 1843, a species considered as a nomen dubium for the past 55 years. Based on a designated lectotype and nearly 80 additional specimens, we redescribed the species and compare it with other congeners from the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola Islands. We found that Typhlops cubae is related to the Typhlops lumbricalis species group, restricting its distribution to western Cuba and Isla de la Juventud, and overlapping with Typhlops pachyrhinus along the Pinar del Río and Artemisa provinces. We also provided additional comments about the taxonomy of other Cuban Typhlops updating their geographical distribution.
Unexpected complexity of the Embioptera (Insecta) fauna of the Tuscan Archipelago (Italy), with the disambiguation of two species of Haploembia Verhoeff, 1904 and description of a new species of Embia Latreille, 1825
Authors: FONTANA PAOLO , FORBICIONI LEONARDO
Published: September 2024

Very little is known about the Embioptera of the Tuscan Archipelago, and no specific study has been published from there on this insect order. The study of literature and new material has allowed us to identify the presence of four species of Embioptera in the Tuscan Archipelago: Haploembia solieri (Rambur, 1842), Haploembia tarsalis Ross, 1940 (which was reported for the first time in Italy), Embia ramburi Rimsky-Korsakov, 1905 and E. ilvana n. sp., which is described here. As regards the species of the genus Haploembia Verhoeff, 1904, some bio-ethological aspects and the global distribution of the two species present in the archipelago are discussed.
A new apterous species of the genus Ploiaria (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from Maharashtra, India
Authors: GHATE HEMANT V. , BOYANE SWAPNIL S. , SARODE BALASAHEB V. , PANSARE PRATIK P. , RÉDEI DÁVID
Published: September 2024

A new species of thread-legged assassin bugs, Ploiaria enigmatica sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Leistarchini), is described from Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. The new species has an interesting set of characters not found in any Indomalayan members of the genus Ploiaria Scopoli, 1786, and it appears to be morphologically similar to some Afrotropical congeners.
Alpheus midas sp. nov., a new western Atlantic snapping shrimp from the A. armillatus H. Milne Edwards, 1837 species complex (Decapoda: Alpheidae)
Authors: PACHELLE PAULO P. G. , ANKER ARTHUR
Published: September 2024

A new snapping shrimp, Alpheus midas sp. nov., is described based on two male specimens caught at a depth of 15–20 m off the coast of Ceará, north-eastern Brazil. The new species belongs to the A. armillatus H. Milne Edwards, 1837 species complex and is most closely related to the western Atlantic A. amarillo Anker, 2012 and A. punctatus Anker, 2012, and the eastern Pacific A. scopulus Kim & Abele, 1988, but can be distinguished from each of them by a suite of subtle morphological and/or colour pattern characters.
Discovery of the fossil true bug species Urochela (Urochela) cf. melaina Zhang, 1989 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Urostylididae) from Japan, suggesting a wide distribution of the U. (U.) quadrinotata (Reuter, 1881) species group in East Asia in the past
Authors: SOUMA JUN , TAKAHASHI YUI , AIBA HIROAKI , AIDA MITSUHISA
Published: September 2024

The Early Miocene lacustrine deposit (24.1 ± 2.4 Ma) of Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, has preserved the fossil fauna of the time when the Palaearctic realm of Japan was a part of the Eurasian Continent. In this study, we report a fossil specimen of the family Urostylididae Dallas, 1851 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha: Pentatomoidea) from this deposit as Urochela (Urochela) cf. melaina Zhang, 1989 (Urostylidini), which belongs to the U. (U.) quadrinotata species group. This discovery suggests that the U. (U.) quadrinotata species group, which is monophyletic in the molecular phylogenetic analyses of the previous study, originated before the Early Miocene and that this species group was widely distributed in East Asia in the past.
First Record of Creobroter apicalis Saussure, 1869 (Mantodea: Hymenopodidae) in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka: Unveiling a New Geographic Record of Flower Mantis
Authors: GAMAGE L.M.P. , RANASINGHE R.A.N.M. , CHATHURANGA W.G.D.
Published: September 2024

In Sri Lanka, the genus Creobroter has received inadequate attention, resulting in a scarcity of information with only C. pictipennis being recorded. We report the presence of Creobroter apicalis in Sri Lanka for the first time, extending its geographic distribution to Matara District, Southern Sri Lanka. Species identification was made with an examination of adult male and female specimens for morphological characters through detailed examination and reference to available literature and keys. Identification was confirmed with molecular analysis and comparison with other sequenced Creobroter spp.
Ceracis luci sp. nov., the first Ciidae species (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) from the Caatinga biome
Authors: SOUZA-GONÇALVES IGOR , LOPES-ANDRADE CRISTIANO
Published: September 2024

Ceracis luci sp. nov., the first Ciidae species from the Caatinga biome, is described based on individuals collected in Licínio de Almeida, in the state of Bahia, Northeast Brazil. The species is recognizable mainly by the following characteristics: antennae with 8 antennomeres and subseriate elytral punctation; male anterocephalic edge produced forward and slightly elevated upward forming a wide lamina with a straight edge (when seen from above); male anterior edge of pronotum produced forward as a plate deeply emarginate at middle forming two horns, almost parallel to each other and with rounded apices; and female ovipositor lacking gonostyli. Ceracis luci sp. nov. is morphologically similar to Ceracis pullulus (Casey), for which we provide information on the morphology of the abdominal terminalia of males and females and new geographic distribution records.
Quantitative analysis of the morphological variation within the tiger beetle Calomera littoralis (Fabricius, 1787) (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in Mongolia
Authors: SHETTERLY JOHN A. , DURAN DANIEL P.
Published: September 2024

For the past couple of centuries, much of tiger beetle taxonomic work has been focused on explaining intraspecific variation. In the Northern Hemisphere, over a thousand subspecies have been described and many have since been relegated to synonymy. Generally, the phenotypic-based subspecies circumscription has been purely descriptive. More quantitative and integrative analyses of the color and pattern variation in tiger beetles would be valuable. The geographically wide-ranging species, Calomera littoralis (Fabricius, 1987) contains 11 currently recognized subspecies, including two described from Mongolia that have been of questionable status due to the paucity of material available when they were described. Here, we assess the distribution of phenotypic variation within C. l. peipingensis (Mandl, 1934) and C. l. mongolensis (Mandl, 1981) to determine whether it best fits a pattern of two subspecies with a contact zone or a gradual cline, based on 494 specimens from 34 populations. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analyses and modeling of the fit between longitude and black dorsal phenotypes both indicate that the variation is best explained by a gradual cline of phenotype along an east-west gradient, not the presence of separate subspecies. As a result, we synonymize C. littoralis mongolensis, syn, nov. with C. littoralis peipingensis.
The Evolution of Global Cleavages: A Historical Analysis of Territorial and Functional World Alignments Based on Automated Text Analysis, 1843–2020
Authors: Caramani Daniele , Gurova Siyana , Widmann Tobias
Published: September 2024

This paper examines the global cleavages that structure world politics from the mid-19th century to the present. It develops the concept of cleavage applied at the global level and measures empirically how territorial divisions give way to the politicization of various types of inequality along functional lines cutting across world regions. Covering over 300,000 articles from The Economist between 1843 and 2020, the analysis applies semi-supervised computational text analysis based on word embeddings to capture the territoriality−functionality continuum in global discourse. This method allows testing the theoretical expectation that the territoriality in the politicization of global divisions has diminished historically. Results reveal a trend toward the de-territorialization since World War II, primarily for cleavages about social and economic inequality. Although spikes of territoriality re-appear during interstate wars throughout the entire period, surges of territoriality are temporary and do not reverse the historical trend towards prevailing cross-territorial divisions.
Predicting Mental Health Care Enrollment and Treatment Uptake among Newly Arrived Refugees in U.S. Resettlement Programs
Authors: Hilado Aimee , Bond Melissa , Sanchez Elizabeth
Published: September 2024

This article examines variables that predict mental health care enrollment and engagement among refugees. The authors explore a mental health care model designed to identify mental health needs early among refugee arrivals that may interfere with adjustment and overall health outcomes using data from a Midwest refugee resettlement program. Using ecological models of mental distress and theories on help-seeking behaviors, the authors used logistic and count regressions to predict enrollment in mental health care services and utilization rates. Gender, nationality, and presenting problems were significant predictors of enrollment and length of engagement in services. The findings provide guidance to practitioners and resettlement agencies on refugee mental health and opportunities to increasing access and engagement in mental health care.
A review of deep learning within the framework of artificial intelligence for enhanced fiber and yarn quality
Authors: Ingle Nilesh , Jasper Warren J
Published: September 2024

In the textile production chain, fibers serve as the foundational units for yarn, and yarn, in turn, acts as a fundamental component for woven or knitted fabrics. The quality control of fabrics is intricately tied to the management of fibers and yarns. Traditional laboratory methods have been utilized to assess their quality, but the advent of machine learning and deep learning introduces a transformative approach. This review explores the application of machine learning methods such as principal component analysis, support vector machine, and deep learning methods such as artificial neural networks, convolutional neural networks, you look only once, and genetic algorithms to predict various properties of fibers and yarns. In the context of fibers, the review delves into topics such as cotton fiber grading based on color, characterization of jute fiber, and the identification of medullation in alpaca fibers. For yarns, the focus shifts to predicting parameters such as yarn tenacity, evenness, abrasion index of spun yarns, inspection of false twist textured yarn packages, breaking elongation of ring-spun cotton yarns, tensile properties of cotton/spandex yarns, yarn thickness, and yarn hairiness. The review also provides insights into the advantages and limitations of the discussed studies. Despite the comprehensiveness of this review, it is acknowledged that there might be additional relevant work not covered. The review encourages the sharing of data to expedite the integration of these technologies in future applications within the field.
Leveraging Evolutionary Psychology for Tourism Research: Identifying and Addressing Key Challenges
Authors: Nørfelt Astrid , Kock Florian
Published: September 2024

Evolutionary psychology has led to an increasing number of important and novel findings on tourist and resident attitudes and behaviors. However, in parallel with such advances, several challenges hinder the further application of evolutionary psychology in tourism studies. In this letter to the editor, we therefore identify and address six key challenges to the use of evolutionary psychology in tourism. These challenges are: (1) a difficulty in distinguishing proximate from ultimate explanations, (2) a belief that evolutionary psychology focuses on nature, and ignores nurture, (3) a belief in human exceptionalism, (4) an impression that evolutionary psychology overemphasizes gender differences, (5) a view of evolutionary psychology as a single, unified theory, and (6) a belief that evolutionary psychology can be used to justify genetic determinism, sexism, and racism. In identifying and responding to these challenges, we hope to inspire scholars to consider adopting an evolutionary psychology lens in their future research.
Exploring the interplay of migrant entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence and social integration of marriage migrant women in South Korea
Authors: Wijerathna Mandari Pabasara , Chae Yong-Byoung
Published: September 2024

This research explores the role of entrepreneurship and emotional intelligence in the social integration of female marriage migrants who are entrepreneurs in South Korea. A qualitative research design was employed to gather data from 32 female marriage migrant entrepreneurs in South Korea through snowball sampling. The main findings revealed that they encountered enormous challenges at various stages of their entrepreneurship, but emotional intelligence played an essential role in their business success. This study demonstrates that entrepreneurship, with the help of emotional intelligence, enables marriage migrants to integrate socially into the host country. This research examines a unique aspect of migrants as it captures hidden realities, and presents implications and future directions for many stakeholders. The findings of this research can serve as a reference to help resolve the problems of migrant entrepreneurs and integration issues of migrant women in similar contexts.
Perceived Learning and Feedback of Students Following the Competency-based Clinical Rotation in Psychiatry: A Retrospective Review From Tertiary-care Teaching Institute in Central India
Authors: Kumar Akash , Gupta Snehil , Jain Jyotsna , Ghosh Sanjukta , Basera Devendra , Pakhre Ashish , Modak Tamonud
Published: September 2024

Background:

Competency-based medical education (CBME) offers avenues for effective psychiatry teaching to medical students. However, data concerning the feasibility, effectiveness, and students’ perspectives on CBME-based clinical rotation, including psychiatry, needs to be explored in India. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the student’s learning effectiveness and feedback on the CBME-informed psychiatry posting.

Methods:

This cross-sectional retrospective research evaluated the 7th-semester MBBS students (n = 101, 39 [38.6%] females and 62 [71.4%] males), from a tertiary-care teaching hospital in central India, perceived change in Knowledge, Attitude, and Skill and feedback on the CBME-based clinical rotation (July-December 2023) using a mixed-method approach through an online feedback form.

Results:

A “considerable or marked perceived change,” ranging from 70% to 97%, in the knowledge, attitude, ethical aspects, psychomotor skills, and soft skills were noted. 84%–91% of students were “satisfied/quite satisfied (or rated it good to very good)” with the pattern and content of the program, including the assessment. 37% expressed their desire to take psychiatry as an elective. Descriptive responses showed that participants felt improvement in their communication skills, knowledge about non-pharmacological interventions, opportunity to observe and present cases in the Outpatient Department, and satisfaction with the teaching and assessment methods. The need for minor changes regarding case-based formative assessment and the opportunity for more case workups were also cited.

Conclusion:

The CBME-informed psychiatry clinical rotation can be instrumental in improving psychiatry training and promoting mental health among students. Research involving a comparison arm, longitudinal design, and validated assessment tools can bring greater insights into the subject.
Shear capacity of slender FRP-RC beams utilizing a hybrid ANN with the firefly optimizer
Authors: Sharifi Yasser , Zafarani Nematullah
Published: September 2024

The popularity of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars as a structural element has soared due to their advantageous mechanical and physical properties. Despite an abundance of code requirements and heuristic equations, engineers specializing in structural retrofitting and analysis often struggle to utilize a suitable yet precise equation. This study introduces a novel approach by presenting a firefly optimization algorithm (FOA) combined with an artificial neural network (ANN)—termed as FOA-ANN—as an advanced hybrid machine learning model. The primary objective is to predict the shear capacity of slender FRP reinforced concrete (FRP-RC) beams without stirrup. An extensive experimental database of slender FRP-RC beams without stirrup was compiled. Leveraging this database and the proposed hybrid method, a simple yet accurate closed-form equation for determining the shear capacity of slender FRP-RC beams without stirrup was formulated. Additionally, a selection of pre-existing equations was provided for comparison of accuracy. Results indicate that the suggested FOA-ANN equation offers a more accurate alternative, outperforming equations derived from CSA S806-12 and AASHTO LRFD. The FOA-ANN hybrid technique proves to be highly effective in predicting the shear capacity of slender FRP-RC beams without stirrup.
Affective Sensemaking of Relational Precarities: Resilience as Becoming in Pandemic Shifting to Remote Work
Authors: Vomacka Tanya , Buzzanell Patrice M.
Published: September 2024

Our study explored 13 university members’ sensemaking and resilience around remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that “affective sensemaking” ran throughout our data and exposed the vulnerabilities and uncertainties that we called relational precarities. Affective sensemaking of relational precarities encapsulated sensate experiences or intensities entangled with the fragmented, fluid, and non-linear nature of processes in the Communication Theory of Resilience (CTR) and their adaptive-transformative dynamics. Evidence of how participants adapted, transformed, and embodied resilience during moments fraught with relational precarity emerged through three themes or practices: (dis)connecting relationally precarious networks, intertwining contradictory affect-place-self-presentation, and performing and feeling (in)visible. We contribute to CTR and organizing by centering fragility, affect, and relational precarity as key to understanding the being-becoming of resilience.
Climate Change Education in Ireland: A Crisis in Need of a Meaningful Cross-Curricular Response?
Authors: Gleeson Emma Morrissey , Morrissey John
Published: September 2024

This study examines primary school teachers’ approaches to climate change education (CCE) and the factors that influence this through analysis of data collected in the Irish context. A mixed-methods approach using quantitative and qualitative data gathered through a questionnaire survey and a series of interviews is used. From this, the key barriers and key enablers to teachers’ implementation of CCE are identified. Curriculum, teacher knowledge, pedagogical approaches and content, continuing professional development and influences outside the education system are all identified as enablers/barriers to teachers’ implementation of CCE. These are examined in the context of the international literature in order to ascertain what effects they have on Irish teachers’ approaches to CCE. Findings suggest pathways for curriculum reform and redevelopment in the Irish context, with implications for education regimes internationally.
Using a Smart Phone Based Application for Learning Physiology for 1st Professional Medical Students: Merits, Demerits and Challenges
Authors: Anjusha I.B.  , Nayak Vineetha K. Ramdas , Y.C. Nalini , Basavarajegowda Abhishekh
Published: September 2024

Background and Aims:

The aim of this study was to conduct a survey on usefulness of medical education-based software applications in learning physiology as an aid to regular academics among first-year medical and dental students in India.

Methodology:

This is a survey-based cross-sectional study which included 282 students from medical and dental health sciences.

Results:

Out of 282 medical students, 267 (95%) students found the app simple to follow, 257 (91%) students said that app was easy to understand and 243 (86%) found it as a learning aid to didactic learning.

Conclusion:

Our study reports that students widely use medical education-based apps for academic benefits and as an aid to didactic learning.
Healthcare Expenditure, Health Outcomes and Economic Growth: A Study of BRICS Countries
Authors: Kaur Sumandeep , Kiran Ravi , Sharma Rakesh
Published: September 2024

This study examines the relation of health spending, health indicators and macroeconomic variables of the BRICS economies with economic growth by using panel data that span the years 2000–2019. According to the panel data analysis, the amount of government spending on healthcare has a positive effect on the gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national income per capita of the BRICS countries. Indicators of healthcare are positively related to GDP and GDP/capita. The exceptions are neonatal mortality and life expectancy at birth, both of which do not exhibit a statistically significant positive relation. The two dependent variables, GDP and GDP/capita, have a positive relation with the rate of population growth; however, GDP has a negative relation with inflation. When GDP and GDP/capita are used as dependent variables, the Hausman test indicates that the cross-section random-effect model is more significant than other models. Due to the positive relationship between GHE, GDP and GDP/capita, the government should play a major role in ensuring high-quality healthcare. Out-of-pocket expense increases in BRICS indicate a reduction in healthcare funds, limiting medical services for all citizens. There is a need to focus on healthcare infrastructure.