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Lessons learned from organizing and teaching virtual phylogenetics workshops
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A new lizard species (Scincidae: Ctenotus) highlights persistent knowledge gaps on the biodiversity of Australia’s central deserts
Get PDFAustralia harbors the most diverse lizard assemblages on Earth, yet the biodiversity of its vast arid zone remains incompletely characterized. Recent sampling of remote regions has revealed new species with unique phenotypes and unclear evolutionary affinities. Here, we describe a new species of scincid lizard that appears to be widely distributed across the Great Victoria Desert and adjacent regions. The new species was previously overlooked among specimens of the wide-ranging desert taxon Ctenotus schomburgkii but is distinguished from it by coloration and scalation characters. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial and genome-wide nuclear loci confirmed that the new species is highly divergent from C. schomburgkii, with which it appears to be sympatric across much of its range. In addition to the new species, our survey of genetic variation within C. schomburgkii as currently recognized revealed three additional lineages that approach one another in southern and northwestern Australia, and which may also represent distinct species. These results suggest that our knowledge of the extraordinary biodiversity of arid Australia remains incomplete, with implications for the conservation and management of this unique fauna. The targeted collection of voucher specimens in undersampled regions, coupled with population genetic screening of lineage diversity, will be crucial for characterizing species boundaries and understanding the composition of Australia’s vertebrate communities
A Comparison of Nonprofit Hospital Charity Care Policies and Community Benefit in Central Ohio to Peer Cities
Get PDFBackground: Nonprofit hospitals in the United States are required to provide community benefits, including charity care, to receive tax exemption from the federal government. Central Ohio's nonprofit hospitals have agreed to the same charity care policies, which may be unique compared to other communities across the county. The aim of this research is to compare the charity care policies of hospitals in Columbus, Ohio, to their peer cities, investigating if hospitals in similar cities have common shared charity care thresholds and to determine if hospitals in peer cities provided similar levels of community benefit. Methods: Tax data from nonprofit hospitals in 21 cities were collected and analyzed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation). City community benefit data was summed and averaged using Excel to create a graphical representation of the data. Results: Only Columbus, Ohio, and Providence, Rhode Island, reported the same charity care thresholds across hospitals. Data demonstrate that Columbus provides less community benefit in dollars to total expenses compared to peer cities; however, this appears to be only true regarding other community benefit excluding charity care. Columbus was near the median among cities examined in regard to percentage of charity care to total community benefit. Conclusion: Results suggest variability in the amount and type of community benefit nonprofit hospitals provide. Central Ohio hospitals have the same charity care thresholds and spent approximately the same in total community benefit however it is not transparent how these funds are utilized. Current federal regulations do not assess whether the community benefits reported are affecting community health outcomes
Depressive Symptoms and Perception of COVID-19 Risk in Ohio Adults
Get PDFBackground: We assessed the relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived COVID-19 risk in the next month.
Methods: This analysis used survey data collected during a July 2020 cross-sectional study using a household-based probability sampling design. A total of 615 noninstitutionalized, English- and/or Spanish-speaking adults in Ohio were included. Depressive symptoms screening occurred using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). We applied survey weights so that presented analyses represent the adult population in Ohio. We performed log-risk regression modeling (generalized linear model with binomial distribution and log link) to estimate unadjusted and covariate-adjusted prevalence ratios examining the association between screening positive for depressive symptoms and perceived risk of COVID-19 in the next month.
Results: The study population was majority female (59.1%) and White (90.3%). The mean age was 55.9 years (standard deviation (SD)=17.3). About 1 in 20 (4.6%) screened positive for depressive symptoms. A positive depressive symptoms screen was not significantly associated with perceived risk of COVID-19 in the next month (prevalence ratio [PR]=0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.25–2.24). After confounder adjustment, the adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) was nearly unchanged (aPR=0.78; 95% CI=0.24–2.55).
Conclusion: As depression is often associated with anxiety and pessimism toward the future, the lack of association between depressive symptoms screening and perception of COVID-19 risk in the next month is surprising. Social withdrawal, which is also associated with depression, may have concealed any increased perceived COVID-19 risk, as depressed individuals who remained socially isolated may have had lower perceived COVID-19 risk
Disney and Disability: Media Representations of Disability in Disney and Pixar Animated Films
No full textSince the merger of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, Disney has been lauded for creating more progressive content that includes representations of main characters from diverse backgrounds. However, progressive representations of disability (both physical and mental disability) have been slow to emerge in most mediums. The objective of this research is to examine whether portrayals of illness and disability in recent animated feature films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar Animation Studios depict progressive (or multicultural) narratives of disability versus traditional narratives of disability. We analyzed 20 of the most recent (i.e., 2008-2018) animated films from both studios with 9 films from Walt Disney Animation and 11 films from Pixar Animation Studios. Using thematic content analysis, a combination of pre-identified and emergent disability- and illness-related themes are described. Overwhelmingly, disability portrayals were traditional, with disability used to elicit pity or humor from the viewer and to indicate that characters were evil or old. Out of the 20 films, few progressive portrayals of disability were observed. Although Disney has been lauded for being more inclusive in their representations of characters, disability representations continue to perpetuate and reaffirm the stigmatization of disability
(Re)Imagining the museum: Communicative and social features of verbal description in art museums
No full textVerbal description plays a crucial role in improving access to modern-day art museums. This article presents the results of a study of verbal description in art museums in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. These results are of two types: one, the communicative features of the verbal descriptions offered by museums and two, the social features of the context in which these verbal descriptions are created and implemented. Previous studies have partially described these aspects, but they mainly followed a quantitative approach or focused on the most frequent practices regarding specific linguistic devices. The goal of this article is to offer a qualitative analysis of these elements in a large sample and to provide a comparative analysis and critical discussion of both the majority and the minority practices in verbal description in art museums. The results show that art museums follow various approaches to foster the access for blind people to their collections. Some of these approaches open new ways of comprehending accessibility in art museums and especially, audio description. A critical and creative discussion of these findings and further collaboration within and across borders could revolutionize verbal description and visitors' experience in art museums in the years to come
Misfits and ecological saints: strategies for non-normative living in autistic life writing
No full textThe historical construction of autism since the early 20th century has retained a focus on deficient 'interest in people, severe impairments in communication and bizarre responses to the environment' (DSM III). This means that he or she is represented as narcissistic and a-social rather than 'ecocentric', with an interest in the 'mechanical aspects of the environment'. Life writing by autistics including Chris Packham (2018) and Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay (2008) demonstrates an awareness that human experiences of the non-human world are intra-active and constantly changing (Alaimo 2010).
Ironically, autistic writers who describe affinity with non-human nature are seen as having an innate (hence unreflective and naïve, in Schiller's sense) ecocentrism. This downplays the importance of experimental life writing by autistic authors which displays self-awareness and sensitivity to preconceptions about autism. Whether environmental discourse frames autistics as symbols of toxic practices such as vaccination (see Gibbons 2017) or as 'exemplary neurotypes' (Duan et al 2018) enabled by their autism to deliver us from collective environmental threat, this contributes to the silencing of autistic experience. This is particularly the case when we recognize that autistic lives are manifold and involve difficulties that are highly individual. These difficulties are often key to understanding their author's self-stories.
This article reads the autobiographical writings of Packham, Greta Thunberg and Mukhopadhyay in terms of intra-action between humans and their environments. It attends to the ways that autistic self-narratives are framed, and how they suggest the 'emergence of alternative strategies of nonnormative living" that include writing itself (Grossman 2019)
Sex Work as resistance to marginalization– Lessons from Black Feminist Theory, Disability Justice, and Black-led sex worker organizing.
No full textThis autoethnography seeks to add to the growing body of sex worker focused literature by shedding light on the intersections between race, gender, and disability status in sex workers’ experience. I examine my experiences with educational, social, and medical institutions in Germany and the US through a Black Feminist and Disability Justice frame in order to illustrate the insidious nature of racism, sexism, and ableism in the daily experiences of Black bodies with disabilities. Drawing on existing disability justice frameworks, such as Puar’s concept of debility, I connect my experience with entering and surviving in the sex trade to my ability to understand and survive society’s hostility. I examine instances from my life where the intersections I occupy have worked to both propel and restrain my ability to attain in societies that are decidedly anti-sex-work, ableist, and misguided on issues of race and sex. I highlight the lessons learned from sex work to connect these institutions to the unique set of challenges racialized sex workers with disability face both on and off the job. This paper provides observations on the ways that community mitigates these harms and forms a safe space for those living in society’s margins to reassert their agency. Finally, I propose means of incorporating the philosophies and methods of radical Black sex worker community organizing into a mainstreamed agenda for equity
Disabled Trans Sex Working College Students: Results from the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey
No full textUsing data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, this paper explores disabled transgender sex working college students’ experiences within sex work economies and within other paid labor force economies, experiences while in/at college, and self-reported health outcomes. Findings indicate that disabled transgender college students experience far-reaching discrimination, harassment, violence, and economic precarity while in school. At least 11% have engaged in sex work economies, and this may partly be explained by their labor force and educational experiences. The discussion highlights specific implications for and suggestions about how to improve Identity-Based services (e.g., LGBTQ Centers, Race/Ethnicity-Based Centers, Religious Centers, Student Disability Services, Financial Aid, etc.), Health-Based services (e.g., Student Health, Counseling Services, Wellness Center, etc.), and Administrative and Policy-Based services (e.g., Dean of Students, Student Conduct, Career Service, etc.) on college campuses. We conclude that our work sheds light on how all students, but particularly disabled trans sex working students, would benefit from being better economically resourced, with stronger administrative support via cross-collaborative partnerships and programming, and informed and competent service providers, who work together—and not in isolation—to provide education to the broader campus community and outreach directly for sex positive student sexual health