Morphological and population genomic evidence that human faces have evolved to signal individual identity.

Facial recognition plays a key role in human interactions, and there has been great interest in understanding the evolution of human abilities for individual recognition and tracking social relationships. Individual recognition requires sufficient cognitive abilities and phenotypic diversity within a population for discrimination to be possible. Despite the importance of facial recognition in humans, the evolution of facial identity has received little attention. Here we demonstrate that faces evolved to signal individual identity under negative frequency-dependent selection. Faces show elevated phenotypic variation and lower between-trait correlations compared with other traits. Regions surrounding face-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms show elevated diversity consistent with frequency-dependent selection. Genetic variation maintained by identity signalling tends to be shared across populations and, for some loci, predates the origin of Homo sapiens. Studies of human social evolution tend to emphasize cognitive adaptations, but we show that social evolution has shaped patterns of human phenotypic and genetic diversity as well

Even Orientations and Pfaffian graphs

We give a characterization of Pfaffian graphs in terms of even orientations, extending the characterization of near bipartite non--pfaffian graphs by Fischer and Little \cite{FL}. Our graph theoretical characterization is equivalent to the one proved by Little in \cite{L73} (cf. \cite{LR}) using linear algebra arguments

Even Orientations of Graphs: Part I

A graph G is 1-extendable if every edge belongs to at least one 1-factor. Let G be a graph with a 1-factor F. Then an even F-orientation of G is an orientation in which each F-alternating cycle has exactly an even number of edges directed in the same fixed direction around the cycle. In this paper, we examine the structure of 1-extendible graphs G which have no even F-orientation where F is a fixed 1-factor of G. In the case of cubic graphs we give a characterization. In a companion paper [M. Abreu, D. Labbate and J. Sheehan. Even orientations of graphs: Part II], we complete this characterization in the case of regular graphs, graphs of connectivity at least four and k--regular graphs for $k\ge3$. Moreover, we will point out a relationship between our results on even orientations and Pfaffian graphs developed in [M. Abreu, D. Labbate and J. Sheehan. Even orientations and Pfaffian graphs].Comment: 40 pages, 2 figure

The compensation catapult

© 2019 Pacific Rim Real Estate Society. Australian property law has steadily evolved to facilitate the recognition of new or previously unrecognised property rights. Concurrently, modern property rights have become increasingly complex. This evolution of property rights has had fundamental implications when addressing compensation for the impairment or acquisition of land (Indigenous or non-Indigenous) by government. Indeed as understanding of property rights advances, the ambit of compensation is catapulted into uncharted waters. This paper highlights the difficulty of containing property rights to a particular set of descriptors and the effect this has on compensation claims. Further, the current methodology for processing compensation claims exposes a disconnect between the public and the New South Wales (NSW) government. Finally, through an exploration of specific examples of compensation for private property rights, this paper concludes that there is need for a workable consensus on good, bad and fair compensation

Getting Drunk Drivers Off Illinois Roadways: Addressing the Split of Authority Regarding 911 Tips & Investigatory Traffic Stops

Getting drunk drivers off the road continues to be a major policy goal for police departments and the citizens they aim to protect. This is especially true in Illinois, where the number of motorists killed by drunk drivers every year remains a prevalent concern. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has failed to provide much guidance, many state courts and at least one federal circuit court have determined that police officers can pull over a suspected drunk driver based solely on a 911 caller\u27s tip. That said, Illinois has yet to fully adopt this open-minded approach, which has left the courts, attorneys, and police officers with a patchwork of authorities regarding the issue. This Comment will argue that the Illinois Supreme Court should adopt a clear drunk driving standard; one that allows police officers—based solely on a 911 caller’s tip—to pull over a suspected driver without having to independently observe the driver commit a traffic offense or otherwise engage in some other criminal activity. In short, this blanket rule would allow all Illinois police officers responding to a 911 call alleging drunk driving to pull over a suspect without having to independently observe erratic driving, avoiding a potentially-fatal outcome for the suspected drunk driver and other law-abiding motorists

Looking Out for the Illinois Home Buyer: Analyzing the Court’s Narrow Approach in Kalkman v. Nedved, 2013 IL App (3d) 120800, 991 N.E.2d 889

For many, purchasing a home is the ultimate American dream. But for some, this experience can turn into a nightmare full of unexpected repairs and unforeseen headaches. Although lawmakers have made strides to protect home buyers (e.g.,enacting Illinois\u27 Residential Real Property Disclosure Act), this dream-gone-bad dilemma continues to be a real concern in Illinois. Still today, many unsuspecting home buyers are saddled with costly defects and deteriorating conditions that were never disclosed by sellers at the time of purchase. For example, in a case of first impression, the Illinois Third District Court, in Kalkman v. Nedved, recently held that a seller is not obligated to disclose defective windows or doors in a home, even if those defects are known to the seller. This Note examines the majority\u27s decision and argues that the court was incorrect in holding that a seller’s duty to disclose defects in a property’s walls did not also require a seller to disclose defects in windows or doors. Specifically, the court should have focused on the functional definition of the terms in the statute to carry out its purpose, which is to ensure home buyers are protected from unknown conditions that materially affect various functions of the residence. As a result, Kalkman court essentially creates a loophole that permits home sellers to knowingly withhold information about defects in a home—such as leaky windows or doors that do not seal properly—that could significantly affect its value

Courts Caught in the Web: Fixing a Failed System with Factors Designed for Sentencing Child Pornography Offenders

This Article introduces a Study, compiling data of 238 internet crimes against children occurring between 2008-2012, and concludes there is no correlation between presentence risk assessment scores and the subsequent sentences imposed by Northeast Ohio judges. The current risk assessment tools are insufficient and should be replaced by a comprehensive multi-factor approach that assesses relevant factors and identifies an offender’s placement on the “Spiral of Abuse” to aid Northeast Ohio judges in crafting fair, just, and consistent sentences for CPOs

Courts Caught in the Web: Fixing a Failed System with Factors Designed for Sentencing Child Pornography Offenders

This Article introduces a Study, compiling data of 238 internet crimes against children occurring between 2008-2012, and concludes there is no correlation between presentence risk assessment scores and the subsequent sentences imposed by Northeast Ohio judges. The current risk assessment tools are insufficient and should be replaced by a comprehensive multi-factor approach that assesses relevant factors and identifies an offender’s placement on the “Spiral of Abuse” to aid Northeast Ohio judges in crafting fair, just, and consistent sentences for CPOs