AJ Alveshere (she/her)

Women advocates and men critics: How referees' gender influences candidates' likelihood of receiving a promotion External review letters (ERLs) play a critical role in the promotion and tenure (P&T) process. However, recently, scholars have questioned their valid…

Promotion and tenure (P&T) systems rely on external evaluations by arms-length reviewers.

Here we find that gender influences the content of these letters...

So much so that P&T candidates with more women letter writers were more likely to receive tenure!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Far too many people are genuinely unaware that their own access to health care could be affected by the upcoming Medicaid cuts, especially in rural areas.

Please share this thread so everyone can be better prepared when the cuts take effect.

#Medicaid

Because federal funding for NF research has been canceled this year, CTF's research funding has become more important than ever. For the next six days, all donations will be matched to double each donor's impact.

go.ctf.org/donate

The Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF) created the NF awareness graphics that I've been sharing. CTF also raises money for research to find better treatments, and maybe someday a cure, for the NF disorders.

May 17th is World NF Awareness Day. This date was chosen because the gene that causes NF1 (the most common form of NF) is located on Chromosome 17.

#NFawareness #EndNF

Once formally diagnosed with NF1, regular screenings for tumor growth and other symptoms can help to catch problems early and make interventions more effective.

#NFAwareness #EndNF 3/3

Called "Café-au-Lait" spots, or CALS, these are often the first symptom of the NF1 disorder.

If a child has six or more CALS the size of a quarter or larger, testing for the NF1 disorder is recommended. 2/3

Our kiddo was officially diagnosed with NF1 after a blood DNA test at eight months of age. NF1 was suspected at his two-month well-check when his pediatrician counted more than 25 tan birthmark-like spots on his skin. 1/3

Before we even began trying to conceive, I started taking pre-natal vitamins and avoiding foods, drinks, and chemicals that could harm a developing baby. My efforts likely helped prevent other problems, but NF1 was encoded in my son's DNA from the very beginning.

#NFawareness #EndNF

These new mutations arise at random in sperm, eggs, and embryos and are not caused by any choices that the parent made.

This was especially frustrating for me because I had been militant about doing everything in my power to have a healthy baby.

My son is the first in our family to have NF but, if he has children someday, each child would have an approximately 50% chance of inheriting the disorder.

NF affects 1 in every 2000 people worldwide. About half of these people inherited NF from a parent. The other half are each the first person with NF in their family. In these cases, a new mutation occured in the sperm or egg that they developed from, or in the very earliest stages of embryo growth.

Trump policies promote "the idea that if you take away life-saving services, then only the strong will survive."

This is deeply flawed logic. The wealthiest people will survive; however, there are strong arguments to be made that the most privileged humans are the worst for our species' future.

A friend of ours passed away suddenly last year when an NF tumor in her chest created too much pressure on her heart. Other friends are losing their vision, hearing, and mobility due to NF tumors.

Federal funding for NF research has been eliminated for at least the next year.

#NFawareness #EndNF

An MRI image showing a brain stem tumor

My son's scariest tumor is on his brain stem. It could affect brain activities, disrupt the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, or damage his spinal cord. Risks include behavior changes, chronic pain, paralysis, or death. He needs frequent MRI scans. Eventually, he may need chemotherapy or a risky surgery.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) disorders cause tumors to form on nerves. The effects vary greatly, depending on which organs or systems they impact. The number of tumors typically increases over time. Because they grow on nerves, surgery can be very risky, and they grow back more aggressively after surgery.

Schwannomatosis is a term that describes the rarer varieties of NF which affect one in every 20,000 births. The name comes from "schwannoma" which is a certain type of nerve tumor.

NF Type 2 (NF2) is the most common of the Schwannomatosis disorders. One in every 25,000 babies is born with NF2.

NF Type 1 (NF1) is the most common variety of NF. Approximately one child out of every 2,500 born in every community around the world is born with the NF1 disorder, including one of my own children.

The study of NF1 from an anthropological perspective is a primary area of my professional research.

May is Neurofibromatosis (NF) Awareness Month

Neurofibromatosis, called "NF" for short, is a long word that describes a collection of genetic conditions with overlapping symptoms. The name refers to tumors called "neurofibromas" that can grow on nerves throughout the body.

#NFAwareness #ENDNF

West Central Illinois showed up to say #HandsOff!

Hands Off! Disabled Community Fights Back · Hands Off 🚨 Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. We are fighting back! 🚨 They're grabbing everything they can—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to...

Here's a way to participate, even if you can't leave home to attend a Hands Off! protest.

Remember, every registration adds to the official total. Apparently 3.5% participation is the magic number (see next post).

Sign up, invite a friend. We can make a difference!

mobilize.us/s/WqAJnP

"Might as well have handed control of the world's wealthiest nation to a troop of baboons led by a 'Magic 8-ball' toy."

Please read the whole thread. Our nation is overflowing with stories like this. The senators are reading many of them on the senate floor right now.

It's time for our elected officials to listen and to begin to do their jobs and serve us, their constituents.

Speaking Out for Democracy and US Higher Education Speaking Out for Democracy and US Higher Education To add your name to this statement, go to https://bit.ly/DemocracyAndHigherEdSign We publicly affirm our commitment to the enterprise of higher educ...

This statement requests signatures to affirm the important role of higher education in democracy. Anyone who values the contributions of colleges and universities to democratic nations is encouraged to consider signing, if it's not too great a personal risk:

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Very sad news. But, let's take a moment to celebrate the life of this amazing bonobo who provided myriad insights into the fascinating mind and abilities of his species.❤️

The Ides of March denarius, issued by Marcus Junius Brutus, is one of the most famous and historic coins ever minted. It commemorates the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BCE, an event that later inspired many works of art, literature, opera, and film. Caesar had declared himself "perpetual dictator" at the beginning of that year, thereby directly prompting the assassination plot by Brutus and a group of other senators who feared for the survival of the Republic under his tyrannical rule. The reverse of the coin shown here not only bears the inscription naming the day of the murder but also depicts two daggers representing the weapons used to stab Caesar to death, as well as a cap usually worn by slaves who had earned their freedom, symbolizing here the liberation of Rome. Inscription: BRVT IMP L PLAET CEST (Brutus, Imperator, Lucius Plaetorius Cestianus), head of Brutus, EID MAR (Ides of March), pilleus (felt cap), and two daggers. Rome, 43-42 BCE. Met Museum (L.2012.74, (ANS 1001.1.24742 Private collection, on loan to the American Numismatic Society)

For the #IdesofMarch, here's one of the most famous coins to ever be minted: the silver denarius of M. Junius Brutus commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar. It depicts two daggers, a slave's cap of freedom (pileus), and the inscription EID MAR. 🏺 #ancientbluesky

43-42 CE. #MetMuseum
📸 me

Here's the WH letter to Columbia University, a.k.a. “the ransom note.”

The demands attack the core principles of academic freedom, shared governance, and basic due process.

In exchange, they’ll consider discussing return of the 400 million in research grants for cancer, HIV, heart disease, etc.

DOGE defunds dogs: No food, shelter, or vet visits for the TSA's bomb sniffing dogs, until further notice.

I guess he feels untouchable now.

Nothing to see here...🙄