cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Connect Cancer Patients to Tobacco Cessation Care by Automated Interactive Outreach
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Cigarette smoking accounts for 30% of cancer deaths. Smoking is known to decrease effectiveness of cancer treatment, increase risks of cancer recurrence, decrease quality of life and cause poorer survival rates. As many as 60% of cancer patients experience relapse or continued to smoke after their cancer diagnosis. Less than one in three cancer patients receive assistance from their oncology providers to quit smoking. The goal of the study is to develop and test an automated interactive message-based intervention to conduct proactive outreach via telephone or text messaging to cancer patients who have had a recent clinical encounter for their cancer care and are identified as a current smoker in the electronic health record (EHR). Our team has created an automated outreach call program “AutoReach” that asked some questions on tobacco use and if the patient was interested in speaking with a tobacco treatment specialist. We propose to enhance the program by providing cancer-targeted educational messages and direct referrals to various smoking cessation resources in a new version called “CareConnect.” We will conduct a randomized controlled trial with 400 cancer patients who report using tobacco. Participants will receive a calls or text message from either CareConnect or AutoReach. We will compare patients’ engagement and satisfactions of these two programs. We will examine whether CareCare will outperform the AutoReach and result in higher smoking cessation rates. The findings from this study will provide a critical foundation in driving the design of subsequent larger-scale trials to evaluate patient engagement and tobacco cessation outcomes of cancer patients who receive the enhanced intervention. The long-term goal of this line of research is to reduce tobacco-related health disparities among cancer survivors by more effectively integrating tobacco cessation treatment into cancer care.
The impact of tobacco product usage on induction and exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Pulmonary fibrosis, or scarring of the lungs, significantly reduces the quality of life and shorten the lifespan. In particular, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a common form of fibrosis that is progressively fatal and is incurable. Smoker’s lungs have a higher rate of IPF, and interestingly, the increase of IPF cases from the second half of the 20th century coincides with the advent of cigarette smoking. This strongly suggests that IPF, like lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, may directly result from the epidemic of smoking. Vaping, or inhaling e -cigarettes, was originally thought to be a safer form of tobacco use than combusted cigarette smoke, but current studies indicate that this is not the case, as the lungs are indeed adversely affected by vaping. This is particularly worrying as more young people including teenagers are turning to vaping. The pathogenic roles and the related mechanism through which components of smoke or e-cigarette vapor permanently impair lung structure and lead to abnormal fibrotic repair is currently unknown.
 In this proposal we will use sophisticated experimental models in an attempt to uncover the relationship between inhalation of combusted cigarette smoke or e-cigarette vapor and lung fibrosis. Novel mechanisms underlying such pathological changes will further be explored using new state-of-the art technologies. This study will not only provide additional scientific evidence that tobacco product usage has a deleterious impact on lung structure and function, but also will unveil new pathogenic mechanisms underlying tobacco-related induction and exacerbation of lung fibrosis. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for the design of new therapeutic and preventative strategies. Therefore, this project fully aligns with the near-term TRDRP strategic plan and supports the long-term Endgame Policy Platform.
The antecedents of supply chain manufacturing joint ventures
Creators: name: Carnovale, Steven
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2014

description: This thesis explores the role that various network constructs play in explaining partner selection in the formation of new supply chain manufacturing joint ventures. The overarching perspective of the thesis takes root in the idea that the structural properties of the network in which a firm is embedded are a significant explanatory mechanism in understanding supply chain manufacturing joint venture formations. This thesis draws from and extends the current understanding of social network and collaborative partnership theories by positing specific, theoretically driven hypotheses regarding various structural network characteristics such as ego network composition, measures of network centrality and network remoteness. This thesis further extends the current body of knowledge on supply chain joint ventures by comparing the joint venture formations of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Component Suppliers. Additional hypotheses regarding joint venture formations of domestic and international partners are also explored. In order to empirically test these hypotheses four econometric models are  estimated: two discrete time event history analyses, with time-varying independent variables are used to estimate the effects of the ego network and structural network constructs on the probability of a new manufacturing Joint Venture being formed. Additionally, to test the varying effects of OEMs as compared with Component Suppliers, and International vs. Domestic joint venture formations, two separate multinomial logistic event history models with time-varying independent variables are estimated. Results provide empirical support for the role of network structure, at multiple levels, in mitigating the uncertainties of new equity based partnership decisions in global supply chain networks.
Zygia latifolia var. glabrata Barneby & J. W. Grimes, Civ. Nat. Hist.
Creators: name: Silva, Lucas
name: Thomaz, Luciana Dias
name: Dutra, Valquíria Ferreira
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fabales
Fabaceae
Zygia
Zygia latifolia
Zygia latifolia var. glabrata (mart.) barneby & j.w. grimes, civ. nat. hist.

description: 2.10 Zygia latifolia var. glabrata (Mart.) Barneby & J.W. Grimes, Civ. Nat. Hist. Jamaica 279. 1756.
(Fig. 4N)
Arbustos, ca. de 3 m de alt; ramos pubescentes, inermes. Estípulas 0,8-1,2 × 0,2 mm, triangulares, persistentes. Folhas paripinadas, 4-6-folioladas; pecíolos 2,4-3,3 mm compr., esparso-puberulentos; raque foliar 23-30 mm compr., puberulenta a esparso-puberulenta; folíolos 38-50 × 20 mm, elípticos, base oblíqua, ápice de mucronulado a arredondado, margem inteira, faces adaxial e abaxial glabras; nectários entre os pares de folíolos e no pecíolo, pateliformes, sésseis. Inflorescências racemosas, capituliformes, 6-8-floras, axilares. Flores actinomorfas, pentâmeras, não ressupinadas; cálice gamossépalo, 4-5 × 1,8-2 mm, campanulado, castanho, glabro; corola não observada; estames 20-25, livres, 38-60 mm, homodínamos, tubo estaminal 7-8 mm compr.; filetes brancos; anteras uniformes, 0,1 mm compr., rimosas; estaminódios ausentes; ovário 1,45 mm compr., séssil, pubescente; estilete 7 compr., glabro. Legumes nucoides 8,5 × 1,65 cm, glabros, indeiscentes.
Táxon endêmico do Brasil, distribuído pelas regiões Nordeste (BA, PE), Sudeste (ES, MG, RJ, SP) e Sul (PR) nos Domínios Fitogeográficos da Amazônia, Cerrado e Mata Atlântica. (BFG 2015, material suplementar). No PNMJ ocorre na formação Arbustiva Aberta Inundável. Coletada com flores em fevereiro.
Zygia latifolia var. glabrata possui o pecíolo alado, no formato oblonceolado.
Material examinado: BRASIL, ESPÍRITO SANTO, Vila Velha, Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema, 07.II.2012, D. T. Iglesias 07 (VIES).
description: Published as part of Silva, Lucas, Thomaz, Luciana Dias & Dutra, Valquíria Ferreira, 2018, Leguminosae no Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema, Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brasil, pp. 261-289 in Iheringia, Série Botânica 73 (3) on page 277, DOI: 10.21826/2446-8231201873305, http://zenodo.org/record/10950818
Effects of Cigarette Smoke on Inflammation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Cigarette smoking is associated with an increased incidence of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias), specifically, irregular heartbeat of the upper chamber of the heart, known as atrial fibrillation (AF). AF represents one of the most common arrhythmias seen clinically and is associated with a significant increase in morbidity and death. Inflammation is one of the main contributors to the initiation, progression and persistence of AF. We recently demonstrated that reduction of inflammation using novel drugs decreases AF. Cigarette smoking directly contributes to AF by increasing inflammation. Therefore, it is of great clinical importance to understand the underlying mechanisms of smoking-induced inflammation in AF patients. AF progression is associated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1b (IL-1b), and interleukin (IL-18). The role and amplification of these pro-inflammatory cytokines in several cardiovascular diseases has been demonstrated in patients with atherosclerosis and AF. The goal of this grant proposal is to investigate the role of inflammation and the associated molecular mechanisms in AF patients exposed to cigarette smoke. To achieve this, we will first study the activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1b and IL-18 and the upstream signaling proteins in smoking and non-smoking patients with AF compared to patients in normal rhythm. We will assess the progression of the pathological effects of nicotine using six age-matched male and female stem cells derived cardiac cells from tobacco-priority populations. An integrated approach using molecular biology, flow cytometry, and electrophysiology will be used to address this hypothesis using blood and cardiac tissue from AF and normal rhythm patients as well as stem cells from Caucasian, Latino, and African American origins. The proposed study not only provides important insights into the mechanisms underlying inflammation in AF patients exposed to smoking, but also the critical roles of nicotine on the vulnerable tobacco-priority populations in California.
Andrena (Melandrena) albopunctata
Creators: name: Wood, Thomas J.
name: Ismael, Halgurd R.
name: Baiocchi, Daniele
name: Hamad, Mudhafar I.
name: Bapir, Tahseen T.
name: Selis, Marco
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Andrenidae
Andrena
Andrena albopunctata

description: 6.Andrena(Melandrena)albopunctata(Rossi, 1792)
Literature records.
Gusenleitner and Schwarz (2002: dot map 19); Ascher and Pickering (2023).
Remarks.
We have not examined any specimens of this species, but the presence of this species in Iraq is highly plausible based on its known global distribution, the map records indicated by Gusenleitner and Schwarz (2002), and the presence of this species in neighbouring Turkey and Iran.
Distribution.
West and Central Palearctic (Gusenleitner and Schwarz 2002; Osytshnjuk et al. 2008).
description: Published as part of Wood, Thomas J., Ismael, Halgurd R., Baiocchi, Daniele, Hamad, Mudhafar I., Bapir, Tahseen T. & Selis, Marco, 2024, A first revision of the Andrena of Iraq (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae), with the description of two new species from Iraqi Kurdistan and additional records from surrounding countries, pp. 267-298 in ZooKeys 1205 on pages 267-298, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1205.120033
Ecological Momentary Assessment of Stress, Socialization, and Smoking among LGBT Adolescents
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Relative to heterosexual and cisgender individuals (i.e., those whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth), lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) individuals are more likely to use combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes, have earlier age of onset of both behaviors, and are at elevated risk for smoking-related cancers. LGBTQ+ individuals may smoke as a form of coping with the stress they face due to having marginalized and stigmatized identities. In addition, consistent with social cognitive theories of health behavior, LGBTQ+ individuals may smoke to elevated degrees due to aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry (e.g., cigarette brand-sponsored LGBTQ+ events), and due to perceived community norms that promote tobacco use (e.g., smoking in LGBTQ+ community settings). Significant gaps remain in understanding specifically how minority stress and socialization factors contribute to smoking in adolescence-- when sexual orientation and gender disparities in smoking emerge-- and how these factors can be targeted, in the moment, to reduce smoking behavior and enhance smoking cessation efforts. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a mobile device-based, moment-to-moment data collection method that can detect real-time relationships between experiences with stress, socio-contextual cues, psychological states, and changes in behavior. EMA also provides a low-cost and convenient vehicle for delivering health interventions when antecedents and correlates of risk behavior occur (e.g., via just-in-time adaptive interventions [JITAIs]). With the goals of clarifying whether the mechanisms and influence of risk and protective factors for smoking are similar for LGBTQ+ adolescents compared to adults, and to identify essential elements for JITAIs in this adolescent population, we propose a pilot study to adapt and test the acceptability and feasibility of an EMA protocol to measure the impact of daily general and LGBTQ+-specific stress and socialization experiences on combustible tobacco and e-cigarette use among LGBTQ+ adolescents. The study will produce a protocol for studying momentary impacts of stress and socialization on smoking among LGBTQ+ youth, and provide evidence needed to develop a JITAI to reduce smoking behaviors and promote cessation among LGBTQ+ adolescents who smoke.
High‐ and low‐dose oral immunotherapy similarly suppress pro‐allergic cytokines and basophil activation in young children
Creators: name: Guo, Rishu
name: Liu, Yutong
name: Orgel, Kelly
name: Li, Quefeng
name: Kulis, Michael
name: Burks, Arvil Wesley
name: Kim, Edwin
name: Zhang, Huamei
name: Yue, Xiaohong
name: Ye, Ping
name: Vickery, Brian P.
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 2018

description:
BACKGROUND: Mechanisms underlying oral immunotherapy (OIT) are unclear and the effects on immune cells at varying maintenance doses are unknown. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the immunologic changes caused by peanut OIT in preschool aged children and determine the effect on these immune responses in groups ingesting low or high-dose peanut OIT (300 mg or 3000 mg, respectively) as maintenance therapy. METHODS: Blood was drawn at several time-points throughout the OIT protocol and PBMCs isolated and cultured with peanut antigens. Secreted cytokines were quantified via multiplex assay, whereas Treg and peanut-responsive CD4 T cells were studied with flow cytometry. Basophil activation assays were also conducted. RESULTS: Th2-, Th1-, Th9- and Tr1-type cytokines decreased over the course of OIT in groups on high- and low-dose OIT. There were no significant differences detected in cytokine changes between the high- and low-dose groups. The initial increase in both the number of peanut-responsive CD4 T cells and the number of Tregs was transient and no significant differences were found between groups. Basophil activation following peanut stimulation was decreased over the course of OIT and associated with increased peanut-IgG4/IgE ratios. No differences were found between high- and low-dose groups in basophil activation at the time of desensitization or sustained unresponsiveness oral food challenges. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Peanut OIT leads to decreases in pro-allergic cytokines, including IL-5, IL-13, and IL-9 and decreased basophil activation. No differences in T cell or basophil responses were found between subjects on low or high-dose maintenance OIT, which has implications for clinical dosing strategies.
Computational Methods for Early Detection of Lung Cancer
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Annual LDCT screens are being implemented in the U.S. for patients with high-risk for lung cancer. When lesions are detected by imaging, invasive procedures are often required for more accurate diagnosis. There is a need to non-invasively and accurately distinguish malignant from benign lesions. Recently, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in blood has emerged as an ideal source for cancer detection. This fellowship proposal will develop a computational system for the non-invasive detection of cancer in patients with CT-detected lung nodules. Specifically, we will use cfDNA methylome sequencing data to exploit two important features of methylation that can boost the performance of detecting a tiny amount of tumor DNA in blood: (1) Pervasiveness: abnormal DNA methylation is usually not isolated to a single site, but propagates over a region of the genome; (2) Global methylation changes: thousands of markers can be aggregated to significantly amplify the tumor DNA signal. We will identify high-quality methylation markers to improve the quality of lung cancer signals. We will also explore and integrate other cfDNA features to boost the prediction accuracy. We will train and validate the computational system using a clinical cohort that have CT-detected lung nodules at UCLA hospital. Integrating current LDCT screening with our system may considerably improve the accessibility and accuracy of lung cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, therefore reducing tobacco-related mortality and promoting health equity.
Aeschynomene americana L. Sp. Pl.
Creators: name: Silva, Lucas
name: Thomaz, Luciana Dias
name: Dutra, Valquíria Ferreira
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fabales
Fabaceae
Aeschynomene
Aeschynomene americana

description: 3.1 Aeschynomene americana L. Sp. Pl. 2: 713. 1753.
Ervas, ca. 60 cm alt.; ramos híspidos, inermes. Estípulas 8-12 × 1-2 mm compr., peltadas, livres, persistentes. Folhas paripinadas, 46-52 folioladas, pecíolos 2-3 mm compr., tomentosos; raque foliar 34-35 mm compr., híspida a glabra; folíolos 5-9 × 1-2 mm, elípticos, base oblíqua arredondada, ápice mucronado a arrendondado, margem inteira, faces adaxial e abaxial glabras; nectários foliares ausentes. Inflorescências e flores não observadas. Lomentos 6-8-articulados, ca. 3,0-3,5 × 0,4 cm, glabros, indeiscentes. Sementes 1 por artículo, reniformes,1,0-1,5 × 1,0 mm, marrons.
Espécie ocorrente dos Estados Unidos até a Argentina (Souza et al. 2012). No Brasil é encontrada nas regiões Norte (AC, AM, PA, RO, RR, TO) Nordeste (BA, CE, MA, PB, PE, PI, RN) Centro-Oeste (DF, GO, MS, MT), Sudeste (ES, MG, RJ, SP) e Sul (PR, SC) na Amazônia, Caatinga, Cerrado, Mata Atlântica e Pantanal (BFG 2015, material suplementar). No PNMJ ocorre na formação Florestal Não Inundável. Coletada com flores e frutos em maio.
Difere das demais espécies de Aeschynomene do PNMJ por ser a única que possui estípulas peltadas. Além disso, é a espécie que possui as maiores estítulas (8-12 mm de compr. vs. 3,5 mm em A. brasiliana vs. 4 mm em A. falcata), o maior número de folíolos (46-52 vs. 11-13 em A. brasiliana vs. 10 em A. falcata), o menor comprimento da raque foliar (3,4-3,5 mm vs. 15 mm em A. brasiliana vs. 16 mm em A. falcata) e os menores folíolos (5-9 × 1-2 mm vs. 10 × 5 mm em A. brasiliana vs. 11 × 5-6 mm em A. falcata). Este é o primeiro registro de ocorrência desta espécie para o PNMJ.
Material examinado: BRASIL. ESPÍRITO SANTO, Vila Velha, Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema, 30.V.2012, L. A. Silva 174 (VIES).
description: Published as part of Silva, Lucas, Thomaz, Luciana Dias & Dutra, Valquíria Ferreira, 2018, Leguminosae no Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema, Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brasil, pp. 261-289 in Iheringia, Série Botânica 73 (3) on page 277, DOI: 10.21826/2446-8231201873305, http://zenodo.org/record/10950818
The evolution of Victoria Foundation from 1924 to 2003, with a special focus on the Newark years from 1964 to 2003
Creators: name: Cooper-Basch, Irene
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2014

description: This dissertation examines the history of Victoria Foundation from its inception in 1924 through 2003, with a special emphasis on its place-based urban grantmaking in Newark, New Jersey from 1964 through 2003. Insights into Victoria’s role and impact in Newark, particularly those connected to its extensive preK-12 education grantmaking, were gleaned through an analyses of the evolution of Newark, the history of education in Newark, and the history of foundations in America. Several themes emerged from the research, an examination of the archives, and 28 oral history interviews including: charity vs. philanthropy, risk-taking, scattershot grantmaking, self-reflection, issues of race, and evaluation.    Victoria awarded more than 4,000 grants totaling $136.5 million to nonprofit organizations working to improve the quality of life for children and families in Newark. The vast majority of Victoria’s grantmaking supported direct programs targeting youth, as well as capacity-building grants to strengthen the nonprofit sector. The dissertation delves into six long-term Victoria-funded initiatives to better understand the Foundation’s impact in its target city, including: the Newark-Victoria Plan at the Cleveland School, the Chad Schools, the Newark Collaboration Group, New Community Corporation, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Bank Street Project New Beginnings. Only two of these efforts engaged independent evaluators to assess outcomes. In the absence of reliable empirical evidence to determine impact, the researcher relied heavily on the perceptions of key stakeholders and anecdotal information to conclude whether the projects accomplished their respective goals.   Among its findings, the dissertation concludes that Victoria evolved from a small foundation governed by family and friends in 1924 to a mid-sized philanthropy valued at $200 million in 2003, overseen by a hybrid board composed of both family and community members with a professional staff of seven. The overwhelming perception from trustees, staff, grantee executives, and community leaders is that Victoria made a profound difference in the lives of thousands of children and families residing in Newark. Former Mayor Sharpe James said, “Many of the programs that Victoria Foundation aided, gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, they’re still alive today because of Victoria. If you were to take all those out of Newark, I’d move tomorrow.”
Tobacco Use Maintenance and Cessation Among African American Light Smokers
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Half of the Black Americans who smoke are considered light smokers, defined as smoking 10 or less cigarettes a day. When rates of tobacco-related disease occurrence, suffering and death are compared between non-Hispanic White Americans and Black Americans, Black Americans are significantly higher. While there have been efforts to address these disparities, there are still large gaps in understanding Black Americans who are light smokers. To address this gap in knowledge, I propose a qualitative study that facilitates responses about tobacco use and associations to different aspects of their lives, including the systems, environments and interactive experiences. The ongoing corona virus pandemic has altered the landscape of research through both research methods and health behaviors. Thus, the impact of the pandemic on smoking behavior of Black American light smokers is also included in the aims of this study. Eight groups of 5 verified light smokers, for a total of 40 participants, will be recruited for focus group sessions. The group sessions will be 60-90 minutes duration, using Grounded Theory methodology and a semi-structured interview guide. I hypothesize that Black American light smokers: a) do not believe that using mentholated cigarettes or other forms of tobacco keeps them from quitting; b) do not recognize barriers for cessation such as socioeconomic determinants of health and; c) they smoke more often and are less motivated to quit smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic which may be connected to more food and housing insecurities and economic hardship. To support the qualitative data collection, demographic, psychosocial and tobacco use patterns will also be examined along with biomarkers to confirm smoking status. Knowing more about Black American light smokers can help to create solutions for tobacco use cessation and fight tobacco-related health disparities among the Black American population overall. When this study is completed, I will use the findings to create intervention studies that focus on issues not traditionally addressed in currently available interventions.
Creating Explainable, Robust AI Models to Improve Prognostication in Smokers with COPD and COVID-19
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a chronic lung disease that affects over 200 million people worldwide. COPD is typically caused by long-term exposure to harmful gasses or particulate matter, most often from cigarette smoke. There is no cure for COPD, so much of the ongoing research is related to improving patient management. It has been challenging to identify the social and clinical factors driving lung function decline and the risk for hospitalization and death. It is important to identify these factors because it will help physicians administer appropriate therapies for their patients early on in the course of the disease. To accomplish this, we propose to develop data-driven strategies harnessing the predictive power of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify patients with COPD who are most at risk for experiencing adverse health outcomes.
Emergency operations scheduling of a supply chain network in disaster reliefs
Creators: name: Dong, Hui
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2014

description: The present study works on the operations scheduling problem of an emergency supply chain that provides relief goods to affected areas after a disaster. Specifically, we focus on the production and distribution of the disaster relief kit, an emergency package used in disaster relief which includes critical resources for coping with the situation after a disaster.   The whole dissertation includes three essays and a simulation chapter. In the first essay, a thorough literature review is conducted which includes two parts. The first part investigates general integrated distribution and production problems (IPDP), and models/solution approaches used to solve these problems. The second part of the literature review is on the emergency supply chain in disaster relief specifically. In this part, both survey papers and papers dealing with specific problems in this field are reviewed. Based on the review, we compare the commercial supply chain and the emergency supply chain in disaster relief, and identify gaps in the research and practice of disaster relief supply chain management.  The second and third essays study the specific supply chain network that produces and distributes the disaster relief kits. First of all, a structure is proposed for the supply chain network, assumptions are made, and the general problem of optimally scheduling and operating the supply chain is defined which is NP hard. Following that, the second essay investigates a special variation of the general problem and proves it to be strongly polynomial solvable. In the third essay, the structural properties of the general problem are analyzed, and an LP relaxation based heuristic is proposed to solve the general problem efficiently. The performance of the heuristic is tested through extensive numerical experiments. Finally, we evaluate two policies on the strategic level of the supply chain through simulation. Observations obtained through the simulation studies are used to support the development of managerial policies for the future disaster relief.    In this dissertation, the three essays are structured to form a coherent body as described above on the topic of the emergency scheduling operations of a supply chain in disaster relief considering lead time and tardiness penalties.
Aeschynomene brasiliana DC., Prodr.
Creators: name: Silva, Lucas
name: Thomaz, Luciana Dias
name: Dutra, Valquíria Ferreira
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fabales
Fabaceae
Aeschynomene
Aeschynomene brasiliana

description: 3.2 Aeschynomene brasiliana (Poir.) DC., Prodr. 2: 322. 1825.
(Fig. 4A)
Ervas a subarbustos, ca. 1 m alt.; ramos tomentosos, glandulosos, inermes. Estípulas ca. 3,5 × 2 mm compr., triangulares, livres, persistentes. Folhas imparipinadas, 7-13 folioladas, pecíolos ca. 8 mm compr., tomentosos, glandulosos; raque foliar ca. 15 mm compr., pubescente a tomentosa; folíolos ca. 10 × 5 mm, elípticos, base oblíqua arredondada, ápice mucronado a arrendondado, margem inteira, faces adaxial e abaxial glabras; nectários foliares ausentes. Inflorescências e flores não observadas. Lomentos 1-2-articulados, ca. 0,7 × 0,2 cm, pubescentes, tardiamente deiscentes. Sementes 1 por artículo, reniformes, ca. 1,6 × 1,0 mm, marrom-escuras.
Espécie ocorrente na Bolívia, Colômbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guiana Francesa, Nicarágua, Panamá, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad e Tobago Venezuela (Fernandes 1996). No Brasil é encontrada nas regiões Norte (AM, AP, PA, RO, RR), Nordeste (BA, MA, PB, PE, PI), Centro-Oeste (DF, GO, MS, MT) e Sudeste (MG, SP), onde ocorre nos Domínios Fitogeográficos da Amazônia, Caatinga, Cerrado, Mata Atlântica e Pantanal (BFG 2015, material suplementar). No PNMJ ocorre na formação Arbustiva Fechada Inundável. Coletada com frutos em março.
A relação entre as espécies do gênero foi discutida anteriormente. Este é o primeiro registro de ocorrência desta espécie para o PNMJ.
Material examinado: BRASIL. ESPÍRITO SANTO, Vila Velha, Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema, 18.III.2012, L. A. Silva 115 (VIES); 18.III.2012, L. A. Silva 122 (VIES);
description: Published as part of Silva, Lucas, Thomaz, Luciana Dias & Dutra, Valquíria Ferreira, 2018, Leguminosae no Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema, Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brasil, pp. 261-289 in Iheringia, Série Botânica 73 (3) on page 277, DOI: 10.21826/2446-8231201873305, http://zenodo.org/record/10950818
Policy surveillance and implementation of local flavored tobacco product sales bans in California
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Implementation of policy to prevent and reduce use of flavored tobacco products is critical to end commercial tobacco in California. In August 2020, the state enacted Senate Bill (SB) 793 to prohibit the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarette products. Implementation is stalled pending a referendum vote in November 2022. Over a hundred local jurisdictions have adopted flavored tobacco product sales bans in the state. Limited research has been conducted examining flavored tobacco policy implementation, compliance, and enforcement.

 Policy implementation research can reveal gaps and opportunities to enhance policy effectiveness and impact. This three-year mixed methods study has two aims. In year 1, we will describe the types of local flavored tobacco product sales bans enacted in California with information on product exemptions, enforcement mechanisms, and support for compliance (Aim 1). In years 2 and 3, we will investigate factors influencing local implementation of SB 793 and related outcomes in two local jurisdictions in Orange County and the San Joaquin Valley (Aim 2). We will conduct tobacco control stakeholder interviews and tobacco retailer surveys, in addition to collecting secondary data (e.g., compliance).

 Results will be disseminated using a variety of methods (community action bulletins, research briefs, community meetings, conferences, scientific publications) to reach a range of tobacco control policy stakeholders to improve implementation. Targeted stakeholders include policymakers, practitioners, advocates, and community members in Orange County, the San Joaquin Valley, and throughout the state.

 Principal Investigator, Dr. Denise Payán, is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at UC Irvine who has expertise in nutrition and obesity policy research and is a new investigator in the area of state and local tobacco policy. The team includes experienced and early career researchers at UC Irvine and UC Merced who will collaborate with state- and local-level partners that have policy and local knowledge, technical expertise, and/or relationships in the regions where data collection and dissemination will take place. The TRDRP New Investigator award will provide the team with a strong foundation to seek external funding to develop and pilot test communication and educational interventions to support tobacco policy implementation.
Andrena antilibanotica Wood 2020
Creators: name: Wood, Thomas J.
name: Ismael, Halgurd R.
name: Baiocchi, Daniele
name: Hamad, Mudhafar I.
name: Bapir, Tahseen T.
name: Selis, Marco
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Andrenidae
Andrena
Andrena antilibanotica

description: 7.Andrena (incertae sedis) antilibanoticaWood, 2020 *
Material examined.
Iraq: Duhok, Mt. Gara [S of Sarsing], 37.0158 ° N, 43.3506 ° E, 1912 m, 11. v. 2023, 3 ♂, leg. D. Baiocchi, MSVI.
Distribution.
Syria, Turkey, Iraq *, Iran (Wood and Monfared 2022; Wood 2023).
description: Published as part of Wood, Thomas J., Ismael, Halgurd R., Baiocchi, Daniele, Hamad, Mudhafar I., Bapir, Tahseen T. & Selis, Marco, 2024, A first revision of the Andrena of Iraq (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae), with the description of two new species from Iraqi Kurdistan and additional records from surrounding countries, pp. 267-298 in ZooKeys 1205 on pages 267-298, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1205.120033
Aeschynomene falcata DC., Prodr.
Creators: name: Silva, Lucas
name: Thomaz, Luciana Dias
name: Dutra, Valquíria Ferreira
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fabales
Fabaceae
Aeschynomene
Aeschynomene falcata

description: 3.3 Aeschynomene falcata (Poir.) DC., Prodr. 2: 322. 1825.
Ervas, 60 cm alt.; ramos glabros a pubescentes no ápice, inermes. Estípulas 4 × 1 mm compr., triangulares, livres, persistentes. Folhas paripinadas, 10 folioladas, pecíolos ca. 2-3 mm compr., pubescentes; raque foliar ca. 16 mm compr., pubescente; folíolos 11 × 5-6 mm, oblongos, base oblíqua, ápice mucronado, margem inteira, faces adaxial e abaxial esparsamente pubescentes a pubescentes; nectários foliares ausentes. Inflorescências e flores não observadas. Lomentos 6-articulados, 3,8 × 0,2 cm, pubescentes. Sementes 1 por artículo, ovadas, 1,5 × 1,0 mm, marrom-claras.
Espécie ocorrente na Argentina, Bolívia, Paraguai, Brasil e Colômbia (Rudd 1955). No Brasil ocorre nas regiões Nordeste (AL, BA), Centro-Oeste (DF, GO, MS, MT), Sudeste (ES, MG, RJ, SP) e Sul (PR, RS, SC), nos Domínios Fitogeográficos da Caatinga, Cerrado, Mata Atlântica e Pampa (BFG 2015, material suplementar). No PNMJ ocorre em Mata Degradada. Coletada com frutos em março e agosto.
A comparação entre as espécies do gênero já foi realizada anteriormente. Este é o primeiro registro de ocorrência desta espécie para o PNMJ.
Material examinado: BRASIL. ESPÍRITO SANTO, Vila Velha, Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema, 18.III.2012, L. A. Silva 127 (VIES).
description: Published as part of Silva, Lucas, Thomaz, Luciana Dias & Dutra, Valquíria Ferreira, 2018, Leguminosae no Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema, Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brasil, pp. 261-289 in Iheringia, Série Botânica 73 (3) on page 278, DOI: 10.21826/2446-8231201873305, http://zenodo.org/record/10950818
THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) REPORTING ON CORPORATE REPUTATION IN NIGERIA
Creators: name: Ngwa, Christian, Ugonna Ph.D
name: Ojeh, Augustine, Ph.D., FCA
name: Ezema, Kenneth, Okwudili Ph.D
name: Justina, Chioma Agu Ph.D
name: Edeh,, Ijeoma Thelma
Publisher: name: hollex journal
Year: 2025
Subjects: Environmental, Social, Governance, ESG Reporting, Corporate Reputation

description: This study examined the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting on corporate reputation, stakeholder trust, and investment inflows in Nigerian companies. Using a survey methodology, data were collected from 222 respondents across various sectors in Nigeria. The findings reveal that ESG reporting is perceived to significantly enhance corporate reputation, with 38.3% of respondents indicating a strong improvement in their company’s reputation and 27.0% reporting a moderate improvement. Despite these benefits, the study identifies key barriers to the adoption of ESG reporting, including lack of expertise (31.5%), high implementation costs (27.0%), and insufficient regulatory support (22.5%). Furthermore, ESG reporting is seen as crucial in fostering stakeholder trust, with 36.0% of respondents believing it strongly increases trust and 31.5% viewing it as somewhat beneficial. The research also highlights the positive effect of ESG reporting on investment inflows, with 33.8% of respondents noting a moderate positive impact. The study recommends that Nigerian companies invest in capacity building and training, integrate ESG reporting into their long-term strategic goals, and that the government introduce clear regulatory frameworks and incentives to encourage broader adoption of ESG practices. Therefore, the research underscores the growing importance of ESG reporting in enhancing corporate sustainability and attracting long-term investment in Nigeria
Investigating neural mechanisms of asthma induced by perinatal E-cigarette smoke exposure
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Exposure of the developing fetus to cigarette smoke is known to be a contributor to asthma and other allergic diseases in childhood and beyond but, the harmful effects of vaping during pregnancy, which is on the rise among women of reproductive age, is just beginning to emerge. The mechanisms underlying allergic predisposition to asthma following perinatal (during child bearing and extending to first days of life after birth) nicotine exposure remains undetermined. In particular, the contribution of neural regulation of immunity (how the brain can control immune responses) in the developing lung and its modulation by perinatal nicotine vaping have not been investigated.

 Nerves communicate directly with immune cells as well as cells within the lungs, called neuroendocrine cells, to sense immune processes. The lung is surveyed by the vagus nerve and resident pulmonary neuroendocrine cells. However, we have demonstrated that a systemic cluster of neuroendocrine cells, the carotid bodies, communicate with the carotid sinus nerve to sense immune processes. We hypothesize that these two sets of neural surveilling complexes inform the brain of the body’s immune status and the sensitivity of these two nerve complexes increased harmful regulation of immunity, a phenomenon worsened by perinatal nicotine exposure via vaping .

 This project will identify how vaping during pregnancy alters the function of neural-immune sensing clusters in the fetus and, establish the mechanism between neuroendocrine cell to nerve communication and resulting function in offspring exposed to perinatal vaping. This project will provide a rich dataset to inform the scientific and lay communities of the harms of vaping during pregnancy and provide the potential for novel therapeutic targets to treat nicotine-induced allergies.
Investigating neural origins of hypertension by perinatal nicotine exposure
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Maternal tobacco use remains a significant health crisis due to the combination of cigarette availability and increased popularity of electronic cigarettes and vaping products. Maternal electronic cigarette use significantly affects the health of the exposed offspring including a predisposition to increased cardiovascular disease later in life. In particular, offspring from mothers who use tobacco products during pregnancy exhibit higher blood pressure (hypertension). But, the underlying mechanism of perinatal (during gestation and early days of life) electronic cigarette exposure-mediated hypertension remains unclear.
 The carotid bodies, the main peripheral oxygen sensors involved in cardiovascular regulation, have been shown to regulate blood pressure and hypertension by a specific signaling pathway involving the angiotensin II type 1 receptor pathway. Our preliminary data demonstrate the blood from perinatal nicotine exposed pups is high in angiotensin compared to controls and when blood from nicotine exposed pups is fed through a healthy carotid body in a specific experimental preparation, nerve excitation ensues. We also demonstrate that the increased angiotensin correlates with increased blood pressure in these pups and expression of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor is present in the carotid bodies. We suggest that perinatal nicotine exposure sensitizes this pathway in the carotid bodies to induce lifelong hypertension. Using targeted genetic suppression and excitation of this pathway in the carotid bodies of perinatally nicotine exposed offspring alongside cellular assays and measurement of neuronal excitability, we will be able to test the necessity and sufficiency of this pathway and how this pathway induces high blood pressure. We will investigate the cellular signaling pathways using whole tissue nerve recordings, single cell recordings and genomic analyses of these the carotid bodies.
 These studies will identify a distinct pathway of inducing hypertension following perinatal electronic cigarette smoke exposure. By investigating this novel neuronal pathway of perinatal nicotine exposures, we will stimulate new ideas for the development of therapeutics for the treatment of perinatal electronic cigarette smoke exposure-induced hypertension.
Role of maternal preconception exposure to tobacco-related chemicals in multigenerational disease
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: This proposal aims to determine the mechanisms through which maternal preconception exposure (MPE) to chemicals found in tobacco products leads to metabolic disruption, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes in the offspring and future generations, via mechanisms of multigenerational epigenetic inheritance.

 Exposure to chemicals found in tobacco products during critical windows of susceptibility, such as during embryonic development, has been shown to contribute to adverse health outcomes in individuals directly exposed to them and in future generations. However, there is little information about the effect MPE to tobacco products has on future unexposed generations. Although many smoking women decide to quit smoking during pregnancy to protect their children, MPE to environmental factors has become a recognized window of susceptibility for multigenerational disease. One of the many challenges found regarding effects of MPE to environmental factors relate to the difficulty in identifying to what extent alterations of the maternal physiology (e.g., endocrine system) that will influence how the embryo develops after fertilization.

 Our preliminary data show that MPE to arsenic, a chemical present in tobacco, leads to increased body weight in female offspring. Transcriptomic analyses of the liver showed alterations consistent with perturbations of nuclear genome organization, which refers to the three-dimensional spatial distribution of the genome in the cell nucleus, and whose alteration has been associated with pathogenesis. Additionally, nicotine exposure has also been associated with metabolic disruption in the next generation. We hypothesize that preconception exposure to arsenic and nicotine leads to multigenerational metabolic disruption via alterations of the maturation of egg cells that are critical at early stages of development of the offspring and that are independent to alterations of the maternal physiology. To separate the preconception exposure effect from the maternal effect, we will perform both regular mating and in vitro fertilization with unexposed males and analyze their effect in the next generation. We will subsequently conduct a multigenerational study to determine the epigenetic mechanism of propagation of the alterations induced by MPE to tobacco-related products.
Deligne pairings and discriminants of algebraic varieties
Creators: name: Kapadia, Hetal Manilal
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2014

description: Let V be a finite dimensional complex vector space, V;∗ its dual, and let X ⊂ P(V ) be a smooth projective variety of dimension n and degree d ≥ 2. For a generic n−tuple of hyperplanes (H71, ..., H7n) ∈ P(V;∗);n, the intersection X ∩ H71 ∩ · · · ∩ H7n consists of d distinct points. We define the “discriminant of X” to be the set D7X of n-tuples for which the set-theoretic intersection is not equal to d points. Then D7X ⊂ P(V;∗);n is a hypersurface and the set of defining polynomials, which is a one-dimensional vector space, is called the “discriminant line”. We show that this line is canonically isomorphic to the Deligne pairing ⟨KL;n,...,L⟩ where K is the canonical line bundle of X and L → X is the restriction of the hyperplane bundle. As a corollary, we obtain a generalization of Paul’s formula [14] which relates the Mabuchi K-energy on the space of Bergman metrics to ∆X, the “hyperdiscriminant of X”.