334,896 research outputs found
Does the kin orientation of a British woman’s social network influence her entry into motherhood?
No full textBACKGROUND The influence of family and friends on an individual's fertility has long been an important topic within demography. Researchers who focus on social network effects and evolutionary demography have shown a renewed interest in this issue in recent years. However, only a few studies have been conducted in contemporary low-fertility, resource-rich settings. OBJECTIVE This study investigates whether a British woman's entry into motherhood (i.e., her first birth) is influenced by the kin orientation of her close social network. Specifically, we test the prediction derived from evolutionary theory that individuals with a kin-oriented network will have higher fertility than those with fewer relatives in their close social networks. We consider two potential proximate mechanisms by which kin may influence fertility. First, relatives could provide practical resources, such as childcare, which reduce the costs of reproduction, thereby increasing fertility. Second, family members might communicate relatively pro-natal messages that could help to "persuade" childless women to become mothers. METHODS We use data from the British Household Panel Study (1992 to 2003), and base the degree of kin orientation on the number of relatives a woman includes when identifying her three closest non-household associates. We conduct a discrete-time event history analysis to measure the risk of firstbirth, controlling for household composition and socio-economic background.RESULTS We find that when a woman has more kin in her close social network, her risk of havinga first birth increases at all ages. This suggests that relatives may influence fertility behaviour in this contemporary resource-rich population. Both of our proposed proximate mechanismsmay be important in driving this effect. © 2013 Paul Mathews & Rebecca Sear
Sex-biased dispersal, kin selection and the evolution of sexual conflict.
No full textThis work was supported by Portuguese funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through cE3c Unit FCT funding UID/BIA/00329/2013 and through SAMV Post-Doctoral Research Grant (SFRH/BPD/66042/2009), and by a Natural Environment Research Council Independent Research Fellowship (AG, Grant Number NE/K009524/1).There is growing interest in resolving the curious disconnect between the fields of kin selection and sexual selection. Rankin’s (2011, J Evol Biol 24, 71-81) theoretical study of the impact of kin selection on the evolution of sexual conflict in viscous populations has been particularly valuable in stimulating empirical research in this area. An important goal of that study was to understand the impact of sex-specific rates of dispersal upon the coevolution of male-harm and female-resistance behaviours. But the fitness functions derived in Rankin’s study do not flow from his model’s assumptions and, in particular, are not consistent with sex-biased dispersal. Here, we develop new fitness functions that do logically flow from the model’s assumptions, to determine the impact of sex-specific patterns of dispersal on the evolution of sexual conflict. Whilst Rankin’s study suggested that increasing male dispersal always promotes the evolution of male harm and that increasing female dispersal always inhibits the evolution of male harm, we find that the opposite can also be true, depending upon parameter values.Peer reviewe
MAKING §~KIN
No full textMAKING §~KIN - ABSTRACT
What must be cut and what must be tied if multi-species flourishing on earth, including human and other-than-human beings in kinship, are to have a chance?
Donna Haraway(2016).
Seeking to co-evolve the human relationship with the often-neglected plant world by reconsidering 'nature', its representation and our feelings towards it through exploration of other ways of being; Stephanie Rushton's research and practice, questions myths of human supremacy, interweaving ecological, surrealist, and dystopian narratives with a diffractive approach, recognising the entanglement of matter and meaning (Barad, 2007). Recent discoveries in botany and plant physiology are urging expanded philosophical and ethical engagement with other than human worlds. Connecting what we know about plant biology and experiencing what it might be like to be a plant seems an almost impossible leap. Inspired by the legacy of Surrealist visual art and the study of methodologies of automatism, Stephanie is currently working with plants, offering them an opportunity to communicate, express their 'aliveness' and command a measure of autonomy through the co-creation of an artwork. Deprivileging the human creator acknowledges the plants as living performers in their own right. A recent lens-based project focuses on time-lapse footage featuring growing plants (and fungi) filmed over extended periods in the controlled environment of a photographic studio. Technology allows us, in some small way, to enter the private lives of plants by making the invisible, visible, by condensing the time scale of their growth, to recording the imperceptible sounds of their communication; all the while remaining mindful of the fact that this is still an anthropomorphic perspective. We are a galaxy away from truly understanding what it is to be a plant, our last common ancestor dating back six hundred million years, but ironically, it is only through anthropomorphism that we are able to identify with them.
Haraway, D.J. (2016). Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Duke University Press.
Barad, K. (2007). Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning. Duke University Press
KIN-29 acts in sensory nuclei to regulate sleep.
No full text(A and B) KIN-29 expression in the nucleus of odr-4-expressed sensory neurons leads to anachronistic movement (A) and feeding (B) quiescence in adult animals. (A) Minutes of body movement quiescence of Podr-4::kin-29(NLS) transgenic adult animals and WT control animals during a 4-hr period. Data are represented as the mean ± SEM with n = 15 animals for each. ***p t test. (B) Feeding rate of Podr-4::kin-29(NLS) transgenic animals and WT control during a quiescent bout. Feeding rate was measured as pumps per 10 s. Data are represented as the mean ± SEM with n = 18 animals for each. ***p t test (S1 Data, Sheet 9A and 9B). (C) Nuclear KIN-29 expression under the control of an inducible heat-activated promoter hsp-16.2 leads to an increased movement quiescence after hsh compared with WT and Phsp-16.2::kin-29 controls. Minutes of body movement quiescence Phsp-16.2::kin-29(NLS) transgenic adult animals and WT during the first hour post hsh as determined from time-course data in S14D Fig. Adult animals were heat-shocked at 35°C for 20 min. Data are represented as the mean ± SEM with n = 10–22 animals for each genotype. ** and * indicate values that are different from WT and Phsp-16.2::kin-29 transgenic animals at p p S1 Data, Sheet 9C). (D) Mutations in aptf-1 suppress the increased quiescence of Phsp-16.2::kin-29(NLS) transgenic animals after hsh. Minutes of body movement quiescence in aptf-1 mutant adults expressing the Phsp-16.2::kin-29(NLS) transgene and WT during the first hour post hsh as determined from time-course data in S14E Fig. Adult animals were heat-shocked at 35°C for 20 min. Data are represented as the mean ± SEM with n = 16 animals for each genotype. ***p t test (S1 Data, Sheet 9D). (E and F) Proposed mechanism of metabolic sleep regulation. (E) KIN-29 SIK acts in response to a drop in the cellular energy charge by signaling to nonneural cells to liberate fat, which in turn promote sleep behavior. (F) Nuclear localization of KIN-29/SIK promotes sleep. Left image: When energy levels drop, KIN-29 is phosphorylated at the conserved serine position 517 and moves to the nuclei of sensory neurons that respond to cellular energy charge and phosphorylates the class II histone deacetylase HDA-4 on residue S198, thereby alleviating HDA-4-mediated repression of genes that promote sleep via RIS and ALA neurons. Right image: When KIN-29 is no longer phosphorylated at S517, it remains in the cytosol, and HDA-4 is no longer under negative regulation by KIN-29 and thus represses gene expression, thereby leading to reduced sleep. PKA may directly phosphorylate KIN-29 at the S517 residue. HDA-4, histone deacetylase 4; hsh, heat shock; NLS, nuclear localization signal; ns, not significant; PKA, Protein Kinase A; SIK, salt-inducible kinase; WT, wild type.</p
KIN-E interacts with FLAM3 and is required for FLAM3 localization to the flagellum.
No full text(A). Immunoprecipitation of FLAM3-PTP pulled down KIN-E-3HA from trypanosome cell lysate. Wild-type 427 cells, cells expressing endogenously 3HA-tagged KIN-E, and cells co-expressing endogenously PTP-tagged FLAM3 and 3HA-tagged KIN-E were lysed, and cleared cell lysate was incubated with IgG beads to pull down FLAM3-PTP and its associated proteins. Immunoprecipitates were immunoblotted by anti-HA antibody and anti-Protein A (α-ProtA) antibody to detect TbKIN-E-3HA and FLAM3-PTP, respectively. (B). KIN-E co-localizes with FLAM3 at the flagella connector region. Cells co-expressing endogenously 3HA-tagged KIN-E and PTP-tagged FLAM3 were co-immunostained with FITC-conjugated anti-HA mAb and anti- Protein A pAb, and counterstained with DAPI for nuclear and kinetoplast DNA. Scale bar: 5 μm. (C). Effect of FLAM3 depletion on KIN-E localization. KIN-E was endogenously tagged with a tripe HA epitope in FLAM3 RNAi cell line. Control and RNAi-induced cells were immunostained with FITC-conjugated anti-HA antibody to detect KIN-E-3HA and with anti-CC2D antibody to label the FAZ. Arrows indicated the enrichment of KIN-E at the flagellar tip. Scale bar: 5 μm. (D). Effect of KIN-E RNAi on FLAM3 localization. FLAM3 was endogenously tagged with a PTP epitope in KIN-E RNAi cell line. Control and RNAi-induced cells were immunostained with anti-Protein A (α-ProtA) antibody to detect FLAM3-PTP and with anti-FAZ1 (L3B2) antibody to label the FAZ. Arrows indicated the FLAM3-PTP signal in the flagellum. Scale bar: 5 μm. (E). Effect of KIN-E RNAi on the distribution of FLAM3 in cytosolic and cytoskeletal fractions. Control and KIN-E RNAi cells expressing endogenously PTP-tagged FLAM3 were lysed in PEME buffer containing 1% NP-40. Cell lysate was spun down to separate cytosolic soluble (S) fraction and cytoskeletal pellet (P) fraction for western blotting with anti-Protein A (α-ProtA) antibody to detect FLAM3-PTP in the two fractions. The same membrane was probed with anti-α-tubulin antibody and anti-PSA6 antibody to serve as cytoskeleton and cytosol markers, respectively.</p
Joint evolution of multiple social traits: a kin selection analysis
No full textGeneral models of the evolution of cooperation, altruism and other social behaviours have focused almost entirely on single traits, whereas it is clear that social traits commonly interact. We develop a general kin-selection framework for the evolution of social behaviours in multiple dimensions. We show that whenever there are interactions among social traits new behaviours can emerge that are not predicted by one-dimensional analyses. For example, a prohibitively costly cooperative trait can ultimately be favoured owing to initial evolution in other (cheaper) social traits that in turn change the cost-benefit ratio of the original trait. To understand these behaviours, we use a two-dimensional stability criterion that can be viewed as an extension of Hamilton's rule. Our principal example is the social dilemma posed by, first, the construction and, second, the exploitation of a shared public good. We find that, contrary to the separate one-dimensional analyses, evolutionary feedback between the two traits can cause an increase in the equilibrium level of selfish exploitation with increasing relatedness, while both social (production plus exploitation) and asocial (neither) strategies can be locally stable. Our results demonstrate the importance of emergent stability properties of multidimensional social dilemmas, as one-dimensional stability in all component dimensions can conceal multidimensional instability.</p
Kin influences on fertility in Thailand: Effects and mechanisms
No full textIt has been suggested that human mothers are cooperative breeders, as they need help from others to successfully raise offspring. Studies working under this framework have found correlations between the presence of kin and both child survival and female fertility rates. This study seeks to understand the proximate mechanisms by which kin influence fertility using data from the 1987 Thailand Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), a nationally representative sample of 6775 women. Kin influence is measured by the length of time couples live with the husband's or wife's parents after marriage. Event history analysis, multilevel modeling and structural equation modeling are used to investigate both fertility outcomes and potential pathways through which postnuptial residence may influence fertility outcomes, including employment status, maternal and child outcomes, contraceptive use, breastfeeding duration, and age at marriage. We show that living virilocally (with husband's kin after marriage) increases total fertility by shortening time from marriage to first birth, and increasing the likelihood of progression to each subsequent birth. These effects are mediated through correlations between virilocal residence and earlier age at marriage as well as delayed initiation of contraceptive use. We find no influence of husband's kin on maternal or child outcomes. Living uxorilocally (with wife's kin after marriage) also reduces age at marriage, shortens time from marriage to first birth and (marginally) improves child survivorship, but has no effect on other child and maternal outcomes or progression to subsequent births and results in a similar number of living children as women living neolocally. © 2013 Elsevier Inc
Kin-ball in Physical Education of Younger Schoolage Children
No full textCílem této diplomové práce je na základě studia odborné literatury vytvořit metodiku nácviku hry kin-ball vhodnou pro školní tělesnou výchovu na 1. stupni ZŠ. Na základě studia dostupné odborné literatury a využitím dosavadních zkušeností jsme vytvořili metodický soubor 20 průpravných her, které jsme realizovali ve školním prostředí na základní škole v Horní Polici, kde se jí zúčastnili žáci prvního stupně od 1. do 5. ročníku. Všechny podklady a zjištěné informace z realizace kin-ballových her jsou zpracovány z hlediska jejich vhodnosti a přínosu pro výuku kin-ballu na 1. stupni ZŠ. Práci mohou využívat všichni, kteří mají zájem o inovaci a zpestření hodin tělesné výchovy s využitím netradičních sportů a pomůcek.The aim of this dissertation is to create the methodology of practice of the game kin-ball suitable for school Physical Education on the first school on the base of studing of professional literature. On the base of using of professional literature and application of own previous experience we created the methodical complex of 20 preparatory games which we realized in school setting at basic school in Horní Police.The pupils of the first school, from the year 1 to the year 5 took place in them. All data and discoverd information from the realization of kin-ball games are made from the point of view of their suitability and benefit for teaching of kin-ball on the first school. Everyone who is interested in the innovation and making PE classes more varied with the use of nontraditional sports and teaching aids can apply this dissertation
Claimed Co-ethnics and Kin-State Citizenship in Southeastern Europe
No full textThe paper introduces the often neglected concept of ‘claimed co-ethnics’ in the analysis of citizenship policies. It argues that this is an interstitial category that further complicates the triadic nexus between national minorities, nationalising states and kin-states. The ‘claimed co-ethnics’ are defined as people who are recognised by the citizenship (or ethnizenship) conferring state as belonging to its main ethnic group, although they themselves do not embrace that definition. In addition to bringing the issue of claimed co-ethnics into focus, the paper elucidates how citizenship policies can affect groups that challenge the exact fit between ethnicity and nation, showing how national governments through particular citizenship policies and categorisation practices engage in the construction of these groups. The paper shows that the triadic nexus framework, which has had a strong influence on citizenship and minorities scholarship, needs to be revised to include unidirectional relations between the elements of the triadic nexus. The paper is based on the comparison between the cases of ethnic Vlachs (in the context of Albania and Greece) and Bunjevci (in the context of Serbia and Croatia)
The effects of relatedness, social contact, and sex on observational learning in rats (Rattus norvegicus)
No full textKin recognition is the ability to identify a conspecific as a relative and can occur even when animals are complete strangers. By being able to recognise relatives, animals are able to give preferential treatment to those with which they share genes. Recognition may occur by either direct familiarisation (learning a phenotypic cue that reliably correlates to kinship), or by indirect familiarisation (learning kinship relationships through previous encounters). Rats (Rattus norvegicus) can recognise kin, however to what degree kin recognition is mediated by genetics (direct familiarisation) or social relationships (indirect familiarisation) are unknown; the influences of kinship and familiarity on the ability to learn from a conspecific is also unknown. Furthermore, the sex of an animal can also influence its ability to learn but this effect has received little attention in the literature, particularly when considering observational learning tasks. I assessed if relatedness and/or familiarity influenced a rat's ability to learn through observation, and if gender relationships influence the learning process. Eighty rats ( observers ) were given the opportunity to observe a demonstrator rat press a joystick in a given direction to obtain a food reward. Observers watched a demonstrator that had one of the following relationships with them: related and familiar, related and unfamiliar, unrelated and familiar, or unrelated and unfamiliar. When observers were given the opportunity to manipulate the joystick, the number of sniffs of the joystick, the latency to first move the joystick and the total number of presses were recorded. Rats that were both familiar and related to the demonstrator consistently performed better than any other treatment group; furthermore, rats that were familiar with the demonstrator performed the task more efficiently than rats that were not familiar with the demonstrator. When the demonstrators and observers were related, the observers produced more presses and sniffs of the joystick while having a lower latency to the first push In addition, male observers learnt better than females regardless of the demonstrator sex, with males that were familiar to their demonstrator making nearly twice as many pushes than any other treatment group. The results from this study are discussed in relation to both the mechanisms of direct and indirect recognition and the potential adaptive value on kin discrimination in the learning process. The home range hypothesis may explain why gender differences in learning were found: male rats have larger home ranges than females. Male rat will regularly encounter more rats than females and would need to ascertain if unfamiliar individuals are relatives. Females remain closer to natal sites and as such are more likely to encounter kin and therefore may not need as well as developed kin recognition ability
- …
