Recurrent co-option and recombination of cytokine and three finger proteins in multiple reproductive tissues throughout salamander evolution

The proteomic composition of amphibian gametes is largely a molecular mystery, particularly for Urodeles (salamanders and newts) which have few genomic-scale resources. Lungless salamanders (family Plethodontidae) include approximately two thirds of all extant salamander species and are classic models of vertebrate mating behavior. As part of an extended, multi-stage courtship ritual, male plethodontid salamanders deliver rapidly evolving protein pheromones that modify female behavior and improve male reproductive success. Despite great interest in this set of pre-mating reproductive barriers, limited characterization of plethodontid gametes has prohibited investigation of post-mating pre-zygotic barriers such as sperm-egg recognition. In this study, we performed transcriptomic analyses of testis and ovary using long-read PacBio sequencing and proteomic analyses of sperm using mass spectrometry for two evolutionary divergent plethodontid species, Plethodon shermani and Desmognathus ocoee. In both species, many of the most abundant sperm proteins were paralogs of the courtship pheromones Plethodontid Receptivity Factor (PRF), Plethodontid Modulating Factor (PMF), and Sodefrin Precursor-like Factor (SPF). Sperm-specific paralogs of PMF and SPF are likely the most abundant secreted proteins in P. shermani and D. ocoee, respectively. In contrast, sperm PRF lacks a signal peptide and may be expressed in cytoplasm. PRF pheromone genes evolved independently multiple times through repeated gene duplication of sperm PRF genes and signal peptides recovered by recombination with PMF genes. Phylogenetic analysis of courtship pheromones and their sperm paralogs support that each protein family evolved for these two reproductive contexts at distinct evolutionary time points between 17 and 360 million years ago. As the first molecular characterization of salamander gametes, this study expands our knowledge of amphibian fertilization beyond frogs and provides novel insight into the evolutionary processes by which new, rapidly evolving reproductive proteins may evolve.

Adverse Effects of Plasticizers and Pesticides on Female Reproductive Health

Central neuroendocrine system regulated by hypothalamus, controls most of the body homeostasis involving processes, like metabolism, reproduction, stress responsiveness, growth, and energy balance mainly through hormonal signals. Plasticizers and pesticides interact as endocrine disruptors with endocrine hormones causing adverse effects which tend to destroy the body homeostasis. Exposures to these compounds during critical developmental stages such as puberty and pregnancy (prenatal or perinatal) influence neurodevelopment, social behavior of the growing fetus and causes sexual dimorphism. Plasticizers and pesticides systemize its effects on adulthood either by mimicking, antagonizing, or having an impact on steroidal activity also along with hormonal disruptions. The aim of this review is to address some of the effects of plasticizers and pesticides exposure on female behavior. In this review, we are discussing the remedial nutritional choice to control the plasticizers and pesticides mediated endocrine disruption.

Thematic Representation and Linguo-Cognitive Structure of the Businesswoman Image from the Perspective of Gender-Professional Axiology

The article is devoted to the field modeling of the verbal representation of the stereotypical image of a businesswoman - a new phenomenon in the Russian mentality. A comprehensive description is carried out in the sociolinguistic, linguo-cognitive, discursive and gender aspects based on the integrative cognitive-functional analysis of the linguo-culturally marked components of the stereotype image by the methods of a semantic-cognitive, discursive, contextual, conceptual analysis, the method of field modeling and interpretation of the data obtained. The described fragment of the worldview is a pioneering field of comprehension of new phenomena of reality in the framework of the analysis of business discourse and national conceptual spheres. The empirical material of the study was the results of a survey of professional feminine and masculine groups. The nucleus of the heterostereotype of a businesswoman was revealed, based on the ideas enshrined in the minds of the male entrepreneurs - feminine strategies of business communication and an integral set of roles and status positions of the performer and assistant, in which the leading place is given to men, and the secondary - to women. In addition, the analyzed linguistic material demonstrated the transformation of traditional female roles of a wife and a mother towards male roles of a breadwinner and a leader. So, the autoimage of a businesswoman is a complex cognitive structure that includes a set of social roles and functions, numerous gender prescriptions and stereotypes. The nucleus of auto-representations of a businesswoman has also made up a cognitive attribute of female business communication strategies. The feminine role-playing set, according to the women entrepreneurs, includes the traditional roles of a housewife, a mother, a wife, a weak woman, a parity spouse and a hybrid feminine-masculine image. According to the study, the actualization of new feminine roles does not eliminate the socio-cultural background of a womans development in society, but tends to preserve traditional female behavior patterns in combination with components determined by civilizational processes.

Gender Stereotype of Femininity in The Thesaurus of Modern Russian and English Press

This study was carried out at the intersection of two branches of linguistics (linguistics of the English-language and Russianlanguage media and linguistic genderology), which is relevant and demanded in modern science. The purpose of the article is to conduct a gender linguistic analysis of printed English-language journals, which will help clarify the distribution of gender roles in English-speaking society and the femininity stereotypes that mass media form in public consciousness. The material of the study was excerpts from printed Russian and English publications in which the image of a woman is realized. A list of the most common images that are verbalized in the Russian and English-language media and based on stereotypes of female behavior, thinking and the role of women in modern society is compiled. A gender analysis of modern and Russianlanguage and English-language press revealed a tendency to change in the hierarchy of gender stereotypes of femininity, in which a shift in emphasis towards the actualization of female business activity and dominance in the professional sphere is clearly observed. The following methods were used in the study: continuous sampling method, content analysis, classification method, comparison, statistical data processing.

The Republic’s Righteous Woman at the Opéra-Comique

The 1901 premiere of Massenet’s Grisélidis was sandwiched between two of the most high-profile premieres that had hitherto been staged at the Opéra-Comique. In the early days of his career, Massenet built his reputation on his penchant for creating intriguing and “dangerous” female characters that personified and even validated the fear shared equally by the Republic and the Church: that women who behaved badly could cause the downfall of even the most righteous man and, in the process, endanger the strength and health of the nation itself. Grisélidis (and its eponymous heroine), however, marked a striking departure from these otherwise “troublesome” women. As a model bourgeoisie whose Catholic faith shaped her every action, Grisélidis appeared as an exemplar of female behavior to Republicans and Catholics alike. While the dangerous and demoralizing threats of the “new” woman loomed large over Paris, the patient, righteous, and ever-faithful Grisélidis represented the paragon of womanhood that could appease both the Church and the State. On the one hand, she symbolizes Eve herself, or perhaps Eve’s redemption. On the other, Grisélidis functions as the ideal French Catholic. The system of traditional moral values epitomized in Grisélidis ultimately and successfully crossed party lines: Grisélidis was everything that both the Church and the Republic thought a French woman should be.

Uma Análise da Sociedade Burguesa nas Sutilezas Machadianas do Conto “Uns Braços” / An Analysis of Bourgeois Society in Machadian Subtleties of the Tale “Uns Braços”

Resumo: Ao analisar o comportamento feminino das personagens de Machado de Assis, o ensino da Literatura no nível médio pode ganhar elementos para provocar a criticidade do aluno-leitor. Este texto focaliza o perfil da mulher submissa, recatada e reprimida pelos costumes e hábitos da sociedade brasileira do século XIX, baseados no machismo e na preservação da moralidade. A escolha do tema se deu pela necessidade de se trabalhar uma literatura reflexiva, que promova a criticidade e busque desenvolver o hábito da leitura no Ensino Médio. Apresentamos excertos do conto Uns Braços para ilustrar o desejo reprimido de uma senhora da sociedade, infeliz no casamento, em relação a um jovem rapaz, que a admira em silêncio. Assim, suscita uma reflexão acerca da mulher burguesa da época, que reverbera nas mulheres da atualidade. Os objetivos pretendidos foram alcançados, uma vez que se torna notória a possibilidade de análise reflexiva dos contos machadianos, com seus personagens e acontecimentos que trazem reflexões para a vida humana, seja na contextualização da época, seja na reflexão crítica da atualidade. Palavras-chave: Literatura Brasileira. Sociedade Burguesa. Formação de Leitores.Abstract: By analyzing the female behavior of Machado de Assis' characters, the teaching of Literature at secondary level can gain elements to provoke the criticality of the student-reader. This text focuses on the profile of the submissive woman, demure and repressed by the customs and habits of nineteenth century Brazilian society, based on machismo and the preservation of morality. The theme was chosen because of the need to work on a reflective literature that promotes criticality and seeks to develop the habit of reading in high school. We present excerpts from the short story: "Uns Braços" to illustrate the repressed desire of a society lady, unhappy in her marriage, for a young man, who admires her in silence. Thus, it raises a reflection on the bourgeois woman of the time, which reverberates in women today. The intended objectives were achieved, since the possibility of reflective analysis of Machado's tales becomes notorious, with their characters and events that bring reflections to human life, whether in the context of the time, or in the critical reflection of today. Keywords: Brazilian Literature. Bourgeois Society. Reader’s training.

Assessment of the Mate Retention Inventory-Short Form Using Item Response Theory

The mate retention inventory (MRI) has been a valuable tool in the field of evolutionary psychology for the past 30 years. The goal of the current research is to subject the MRI to rigorous psychometric analysis using item response theory to answer three broad questions. Do the individual items of the MRI fit the scale well? Does the overall function of the MRI match what is predicted? Finally, do men and women respond similarly to the MRI? Using a graded response model, it was found that all but two of the items fit acceptable model patterns. Test information function analysis found that the scale acceptably captures individual differences for participants with a high degree of mate retention but the scale is lacking in capturing information from participants with a low degree of mate retention. Finally, discriminate item function analysis reveals that the MRI is better at assessing male than female participants, indicating that the scale may not be the best indicator of female behavior in a relationship. Overall, we conclude that the MRI is a good scale, especially for assessing male behavior, but it could be improved for assessing female behavior and individuals lower on overall mate retention behavior. It is suggested that this paper be used as a framework for how the newest psychometrics techniques can be applied in order to create more robust and valid measures in the field of evolutionary psychology.

The impact of mating and sugar feeding on blood-feeding physiology and behavior in the arbovirus vector mosquito Aedes aegypti

Background Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are globally distributed vectors of viruses that impact the health of hundreds of millions of people annually. Mating and blood feeding represent fundamental aspects of mosquito life history that carry important implications for vectorial capacity and for control strategies. Females transmit pathogens to vertebrate hosts and obtain essential nutrients for eggs during blood feeding. Further, because host-seeking Ae. aegypti females mate with males swarming near hosts, biological crosstalk between these behaviors could be important. Although mating influences nutritional intake in other insects, prior studies examining mating effects on mosquito blood feeding have yielded conflicting results. Methodology/Principal findings To resolve these discrepancies, we examined blood-feeding physiology and behavior in virgin and mated females and in virgins injected with male accessory gland extracts (MAG), which induce post-mating changes in female behavior. We controlled adult nutritional status prior to blood feeding by using water- and sugar-fed controls. Our data show that neither mating nor injection with MAG affect Ae. aegypti blood intake, digestion, or feeding avidity for an initial blood meal. However, sugar feeding, a common supplement in laboratory settings but relatively rare in nature, significantly affected all aspects of feeding and may have contributed to conflicting results among previous studies. Further, mating, MAG injection, and sugar intake induced declines in subsequent feedings after an initial blood meal, correlating with egg production and laying. Taking our evaluation to the field, virgin and mated mosquitoes collected in Colombia were equally likely to contain blood at the time of collection. Conclusions/Significance Mating, MAG, and sugar feeding impact a mosquito’s estimated ability to transmit pathogens through both direct and indirect effects on multiple aspects of mosquito biology. Our results highlight the need to consider natural mosquito ecology, including diet, when assessing their physiology and behavior in the laboratory.

WOMEN LEADERSHIP IN THE ACADEMIA: A VOICE OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS

Considering the stereotypical views that affect women who aspire to high-ranking leadership roles in higher education, this study determines the perceptions of teachers about their role in the academic. This study was qualitative that invited women and men in higher education institutes to participate in the interviews to determine their understanding about the representation of women leadership roles in higher education. Followed by the open-ended interview questions about the evident factors that influence the workplace behavior, and barriers that represent the prejudice toward women as leaders. Analysis performed by NVIVO indicated that women leadership role in the academia is challenging as they avail less opportunities to demonstrate their role as administrator. Due to the stereotypical views of society regarding women empowerment and leadership role, women attitude towards their leading positions in career is relatively marginalized. The study revealed that stereotypical views of female behavior had little impact on the successful careers of the participants. The participants revealed little significance to experiences with social role expectations and characteristics of women leadership. The participants’ perception of their success was due to merit; the recognition by others as having the qualities and skills to lead in a variety of positions.