Television device ecologies, prominence and datafication: the neglected importance of the set-top box

A key element of the infrastructure of television now consists of various Internet-connected devices, which play an increasingly important role in the distribution, selection and recommendation of content to users. The aim of this article is to locate the emergence of streaming devices within a longer timeframe of television hardware devices and infrastructures, by focusing on the evolution of one crucial category of such devices, television set-top boxes (STBs). STBs are a taken-for-granted part of many people’s homes across the world, and their global presence and importance are still growing. However, they (and television hardware devices more generally) have been very rarely analysed in television and media studies. To address this lacuna, we trace the development of STBs, delineate changing patterns of ownership and control in STB markets and outline the diverse forms and functions of STBs. We then show how analysis of STBs enriches understanding of two key recent developments in television: increasing battles over prominence and discoverability in a newly abundant video landscape and the collection, analysis and exchange of viewer data by businesses. In doing so, the article shows the importance of television hardware in shaping television as a social and cultural institution

A molecular analysis of desiccation tolerance mechanisms in the anhydrobiotic nematode Panagrolaimus superbus using expressed sequenced tags

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Some organisms can survive extreme desiccation by entering into a state of suspended animation known as anhydrobiosis. <it>Panagrolaimus superbus </it>is a free-living anhydrobiotic nematode that can survive rapid environmental desiccation. The mechanisms that <it>P. superbus </it>uses to combat the potentially lethal effects of cellular dehydration may include the constitutive and inducible expression of protective molecules, along with behavioural and/or morphological adaptations that slow the rate of cellular water loss. In addition, inducible repair and revival programmes may also be required for successful rehydration and recovery from anhydrobiosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To identify constitutively expressed candidate anhydrobiotic genes we obtained 9,216 ESTs from an unstressed mixed stage population of <it>P. superbus</it>. We derived 4,009 unigenes from these ESTs. These unigene annotations and sequences can be accessed at <url>http://www.nematodes.org/nembase4/species_info.php?species=PSC</url>. We manually annotated a set of 187 constitutively expressed candidate anhydrobiotic genes from <it>P. superbus</it>. Notable among those is a putative lineage expansion of the <it>lea </it>(late embryogenesis abundant) gene family. The most abundantly expressed sequence was a member of the nematode specific <it>sxp/ral-2 </it>family that is highly expressed in parasitic nematodes and secreted onto the surface of the nematodes' cuticles. There were 2,059 novel unigenes (51.7% of the total), 149 of which are predicted to encode intrinsically disordered proteins lacking a fixed tertiary structure. One unigene may encode an exo-β-1,3-glucanase (GHF5 family), most similar to a sequence from <it>Phytophthora infestans</it>. GHF5 enzymes have been reported from several species of plant parasitic nematodes, with horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from bacteria proposed to explain their evolutionary origin. This <it>P. superbus </it>sequence represents another possible HGT event within the Nematoda. The expression of five of the 19 putative stress response genes tested was upregulated in response to desiccation. These were the antioxidants <it>glutathione peroxidase, dj-1 </it>and <it>1-Cys peroxiredoxin</it>, an <it>shsp </it>sequence and an <it>lea </it>gene.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>P. superbus </it>appears to utilise a strategy of combined constitutive and inducible gene expression in preparation for entry into anhydrobiosis. The apparent lineage expansion of <it>lea </it>genes, together with their constitutive and inducible expression, suggests that LEA3 proteins are important components of the anhydrobiotic protection repertoire of <it>P. superbus</it>.</p

Conflict resolutions in insect societies

Although best known for cooperation, insect societies also manifest many potential con¿icts among individuals. These con¿icts involve both direct reproduction by individuals and manipulation of the reproduction of colony members. Here we review ¿ve major areas of reproductive con¿ict in insect societies: (a) sex allocation, (b) queen rearing, (c) male rearing, (d) queen-worker caste fate, and (e) breeding con¿icts among totipotent adults. For each area we discuss the basis for con¿ict (potential con¿ict), whether con¿ict is expressed (actual con¿ict), whose interests prevail (con¿ict outcome), and the factors that reduce colony-level costs of con¿ict (con¿ict resolution), such as factors that cause workers to work rather than to lay eggs. Reproductive con¿icts are widespread, sometimes having dramatic effects on the colony. However, three key factors (kinship, coercion, and constraint) typically combine to limit the effects of reproductive con¿ict and often lead to complete resolutio