The evolution of hermaphroditism by an infectious male-derived cell lineage : an inclusive-fitness analysis

This work was supported by funding from Balliol College, the Royal Society (A.G.), and the University of Groningen (L.R.).There has been much recent interest in the role for genetic conflicts to drive the evolution of genetic systems. Here we consider the evolution of hermaphroditism in the scale insect tribe Iceryini and the suggestion that this has been driven by conflict between a female and an infectious male tissue derived from her father. We perform an inclusive-fitness analysis to show that, owing to genetic relatedness between father and daughter, there is scope for collaboration as well as conflict over the establishment of the infectious tissue. We also consider the evolutionary interests of a maternally inherited bacterial symbiont that has been implicated in mediating the tissue's establishment. More generally, our analysis reveals that genetic conflicts can drive the evolution of hermaphroditism.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Contemporary Black Women Artists’ Narratives

The purpose of this study is to explore contemporary Black women visual artists’ experiences in the arts. Specific experiences studied include: finding support, balancing family responsibilities, and overcoming gender and race barriers. Though there are numerous articles on Black women’s artwork (e.g., Edwards, 2015; Murray, 2014; Wickham, 2015), there are few about their lived experiences, in their own words. To address this gap, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black women visual artists from the southeast United States. Despite its focus on a particular group, the study speaks to diverse audiences about surmounting challenges in life and work. Two interviews have been conducted so far, and preliminary results show common themes. These themes include family support for art-making and family participation in art-making, mentorship and helpful connections with other Black professionals, strategic navigation around gender and race barriers, culture as an important theme in their work, and an integrated relationship between their academic professions and their artistic work. These results are clearly not conclusive nor generalizable, but may provide leads for future investigation. The results might also provide helpful information and guidance to emerging Black women artists. Both artists interviewed affirmed the importance of learning from more experienced artists, and this study can serve that end

Creating Narratives through Art as Self-Definition for Black Women

The purpose of this study was to examine ways in which Black female artists have created narratives through art as self-definition. These artists have responded to stereotypical stories and images of Black women by creating self-defined stories and images. This study specifically focused on Faith Ringgold because she has combined narrative and visual art in story quilts that present Black women as empowered, multidimensional people. Her story quilt Who’s Afraid of Aunt Jemima reclaims the narrative of the stereotypical Black mammy character, Jemima. Ringgold depicts Jemima as a liberated, dynamic entrepreneur and family woman. In creating positive characterizations of Black women, Ringgold does not flatten her characters. They are rounded with all the complexities that come with being human. Themes of self-definition were further investigated through narrative inquiry of biographies of twenty-five notable Black women artists of the twentieth century. The artists are from a variety of time periods within the twentieth century and include painters, sculptors, collage artists, fabric artists, and photographers. Their biographies were thematically analyzed. Findings showed that about half of the artists clearly intended to express self-definition through their art in response to stereotypes of Black women. The overwhelming majority of this half were not only concerned with creating an image of self, but also with depicting Black women in general in a positive light, illustrating them as diverse, complex people

The transformational qualities of dramatic arts

ABSTARCT: During the International Drama and Education Association (IDEA) Congress in Kenya in 1998, the life of two educators crossed roads. Although both are from different geographical contexts (Colombia and the United States), they have shared the same passion: to encourage in their societies the implementation of dramatic arts in different educational settings (schools, universities, communities) so children and adults could develop to their fullest, thus enabling them to participate actively in building a more democratic society. Fifteen years after this encounter, they met again in the 2013 IDEA Congress in Paris to reflect on their efforts during their life spans. Through examining their drama practices, they discuss how this human expression functions as a critical thinking art form, changing players, audiences, and communities. Lessons derived from their experiences might be useful for a new generation of transformational drama leaders

Sexual antagonism in haplodiploids

Funding: Royal Society (Grant Number(s): DHF\R1\180120; Grant recipient(s): Laura Ross). Natural Environment Research Council (Grant Number(s): NE/K009524/1; Grant recipient(s): Andy Gardner). University of St Andrews (Grant Number(s): PhD studentship; Grant recipient(s): Thomas Hitchcock). H2020 European Research Council (Grant Number(s): 771387; Grant recipient(s): Andy Gardner).Females and males may face different selection pressures, such that alleles conferring a benefit in one sex may be deleterious in the other. Such sexual antagonism has received a great deal of theoretical and empirical attention, almost all of which has focused on diploids. However, a sizeable minority of animals display an alternative haplodiploid mode of inheritance, encompassing both arrhenotoky, whereby males develop from unfertilized eggs, and paternal genome elimination (PGE), whereby males receive but do not transmit a paternal genome. Alongside unusual genetics, haplodiploids often exhibit social ecologies that modulate the relative value of females and males. Here, we develop a series of evolutionary-genetic models of sexual antagonism for haplodiploids, incorporating details of their molecular biology and social ecology. We find that: (1) PGE promotes female-beneficial alleles more than arrhenotoky, and to an extent determined by the timing of elimination—and degree of silencing of—the paternal genome; (2) sib-mating relatively promotes female-beneficial alleles, as do other forms of inbreeding including limited male-dispersal, oedipal-mating, and the pseudo-hermaphroditism of Icerya purchasi; (3) resource competition between related females inhibits the invasion of female-beneficial alleles; and (4) sexual antagonism foments conflicts between parents and offspring, endosymbionts and hosts, and maternal- and paternal-origin genes.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Labour Migrants and Access to Justice in Contemporary Qatar

In 2012, the Open Society Institute’s International Migration Initiative launched a study to examine migrants‘ access to justice in Qatar. This study was led by researchers Andrew Gardner (University of Puget Sound), Silvia Pessoa (Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar), and Laura Harkness. The study was built on the foundation of a the research team’s large, three-year research project funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). That project administered Qatar’s first large-scale survey devoted solely to exploring the migration experience. Of the 1189 migrants surveyed for that project, the research team was able to identify those individuals who had reported some interaction with Qatar’s justice system during their time on the peninsula. For the Open Society Institute project, entitled Labor Migrants and Access to Justice in Contemporary Qatar, the research team began by arranging follow-up interviews with those labor migrants who had reported interaction with the justice system in the survey. The pool of interviewees was further expanded to include domestic workers (or “housemaids”), as well as a variety of experts, legal consultants, and community leaders with an understanding of the processes and challenges labor migrants face in Qatar justice system. The research team’s goal was threefold: to provide an overview of the aspects of Qatar’s migration system that produce injustices and a summary of the problems that typically arise in migrants’ labor relations; to collate the experiences of migrants in the state-sponsored system designed to evaluate and adjudicate migrant grievances; and building upon the experiences and challenges faced by transnational laborers immersed in that justice system, to propose a set of policy recommendations that might incrementally improve labor migrants’ access to justice in Qatar. This report describes the research team\u27s findings

A new troglomorphic whip spider of the genus Charinus from the Sultanate of Oman (Amblypygi: Charinidae)

Charinus omanensis n. sp. is described from the Al Fallah - Al Hota cave system in the Jebel Akhdar in northern Oman. It is a troglomorphic species with reduced eyes and in most characters is very similar to Charinus stygochthobius from Socotra. However, the different tibia IV articulation, the possession of lateral eye vestiges, and the different genitalia, particularly in the male, suggest that both species evolved their nearly identical troglomorphic appearance by convergent evolution

Characteristics of a Food Insecure Population in North Philadelphia

Introduction: A 2018 report by Hunger Free America showed that food insecurity increased in Philadelphia by 22%, even though it decreased nationally. The objectives of this study were to perform food insecurity screens, and to describe the demographic characteristics in terms of age, gender, primary language, body mass index (BMI), and zip code. We hypothesized that older, overweight, Hispanic females would be more likely to be food insecure. Methods: After obtaining consent, the validated Hunger Vital Sign screening tool was used in the Summer of 2019 in North Philadelphia by teams of trained students in the Summer Medical Institute program. The tool consisted of two questions, with a possible response of never, sometimes, or often. The data, which excluded children, was de-identified, and summary statistics, two-tailed t-tests and chi-squares were performed. Results: Out of the 379 people screened for food insecurity, 140 were positive (37%). Of those, 69 were male and 71 were female. 82 primarily spoke English, 55 Spanish. The following zip codes, in order from greatest to least, were most food insecure: 19134, 19140, and 19133. It was found that a lower age, English as primary language, and a lower BMI was statistically significant, but gender was not. Conclusion: The data demonstrated that food insecurity in North Philadelphia was 37%, much higher than reported in greater Philadelphia and nationwide. We speculate that our hypothesis was not upheld because our population was young, predominantly Spanish-speaking, and received additional resources for women. Therefore, programs to combat food insecurity should target young, English-speaking individuals