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1. Building consensus around the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae diversity

   https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15023  

   Davies, Sarah W.; Gamache, Matthew H.; Howe-Kerr, Lauren I.; Kriefall, Nicola G.; Baker, Andrew C.; Banaszak, Anastazia T.; Bay, Line Kolind; Bellantuono, Anthony J.; Bhattacharya, Debashish; Chan, Cheong Xin; et al (January 2023, PeerJ)

   Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic data has slowed progress in the field and acted as a barrier to reconciling observations. Here, we identify key challenges regarding the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae genetic diversity across three levels: species, populations, and communities. We summarize areas of agreement and highlight techniques and approaches that are broadly accepted. In areas where debate remains, we identify unresolved issues and discuss technologies and approaches that can help to fill knowledge gaps related to genetic and phenotypic diversity. We also discuss ways to stimulate progress, in particular by fostering a more inclusive and collaborative research community. We hope that this perspective will inspire and accelerate coral reef science by serving as a resource to those designing experiments, publishing research, and applying for funding related to Symbiodiniaceae and their symbiotic partnerships. 

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2. A Comprehensive Review of Data‐Driven Co‐Speech Gesture Generation

   https://doi.org/10.1111/cgf.14776  

   Nyatsanga, S.; Kucherenko, T.; Ahuja, C.; Henter, G_E; Neff, M. (May 2023, Computer Graphics Forum)

   Abstract Gestures that accompany speech are an essential part of natural and efficient embodied human communication. The automatic generation of such co‐speech gestures is a long‐standing problem in computer animation and is considered an enabling technology for creating believable characters in film, games, and virtual social spaces, as well as for interaction with social robots. The problem is made challenging by the idiosyncratic and non‐periodic nature of human co‐speech gesture motion, and by the great diversity of communicative functions that gestures encompass. The field of gesture generation has seen surging interest in the last few years, owing to the emergence of more and larger datasets of human gesture motion, combined with strides in deep‐learning‐based generative models that benefit from the growing availability of data. This review article summarizes co‐speech gesture generation research, with a particular focus on deep generative models. First, we articulate the theory describing human gesticulation and how it complements speech. Next, we briefly discuss rule‐based and classical statistical gesture synthesis, before delving into deep learning approaches. We employ the choice of input modalities as an organizing principle, examining systems that generate gestures from audio, text and non‐linguistic input. Concurrent with the exposition of deep learning approaches, we chronicle the evolution of the related training data sets in terms of size, diversity, motion quality, and collection method (e.g., optical motion capture or pose estimation from video). Finally, we identify key research challenges in gesture generation, including data availability and quality; producing human‐like motion; grounding the gesture in the co‐occurring speech in interaction with other speakers, and in the environment; performing gesture evaluation; and integration of gesture synthesis into applications. We highlight recent approaches to tackling the various key challenges, as well as the limitations of these approaches, and point toward areas of future development. 

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3. Applicant qualifications and characteristics in STEM faculty hiring: an analysis of faculty and administrator perspectives

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-023-00431-w  

   Wu, Jue; Cropps, Torrie; Phillips, Canek Moises Luna; Boyle, Samara; Pearson, Yvette E. (June 2023, International Journal of STEM Education)

   Abstract BackgroundThe lack of racial diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines is perhaps one of the most challenging issues in the United States higher education system. The issue is not only concerning diverse students, but also diverse faculty members. One important contributing factor is the faculty hiring process. To make progress toward equity in hiring decisions, it is necessary to better understand how applicants are considered and evaluated. In this paper, we describe and present our study based on a survey of current STEM faculty members and administrators who examined applicant qualifications and characteristics in STEM faculty hiring decisions. ResultsThere are three key findings of the present research. First, we found that faculty members placed different levels of importance on characteristics and qualifications for tenure track hiring and non-tenure track hiring. For example, items related to research were more important when evaluating tenure track applicants, whereas items related to teaching and diversity were more important when evaluating non-tenure track applicants. Second, faculty members’ institutional classification, position, and personal identities (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity) had an impact on their evaluation criteria. For instance, we found men considered some diversity-related items more important than women. Third, faculty members rated the importance of qualifications with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-related constructs significantly lower than qualifications that did not specify DEI-related constructs, and this trend held for both tenure track and non-tenure track faculty hiring. ConclusionsThis study was an attempt to address the issue of diversity in STEM faculty hiring at institutions of higher education by examining how applicant characteristics are considered and evaluated in faculty hiring practices. Emphasizing research reputation and postdoctoral reputation while neglecting institutional diversity and equitable and inclusive teaching, research, and service stunt progress toward racial diversity because biases—both implicit and explicit, both positive and negative—still exist. Our results were consistent with research on bias in recruitment, revealing that affinity bias, confirmation bias, and halo bias exist in the faculty hiring process. These biases contribute to inequities in hiring, and need to be addressed before we can reach, sustain, and grow desired levels of diversity. 

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4. Hidden in the Dark: A Review of Galagid Systematics and Phylogenetics

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-024-00430-w  

   Penna, Anna; Pozzi, Luca (May 2024, International Journal of Primatology)

   An accurate representation of species diversity is critical in primatology; most of the questions in evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation hinge on species as a fundamental unit of analysis. Galagos are among the least-known primates. Because of their cryptic morphology, broad distribution, and sampling challenges arising from elusive habits and political instability, substantial knowledge gaps about their taxonomy, evolutionary history, and biogeography remain. Despite these limitations, recent research that integrated field surveys, acoustic, morphological, and genetic analyses helped us to better understand the taxonomic diversity of this primate group. In this paper, we (1) review the current status of galagid taxonomy; (2) synthesize our current understanding of their phylogenetics, origins, and biogeography; and (3) explore current and future approaches to elucidate galagid cryptic species diversity. The onset of galago systematics dates back to the early 19th century, with taxonomic descriptions following natural history expeditions and comparative anatomy studies. Although morphology has historically dominated systematic research on galagos, the coupling of acoustic analyses with genetic data has revolutionized the field. Taxonomic rearrangements include the discovery of new species in the wild (e.g., Galagoides kumbirensis) and the description of a new genus (Paragalago). Technological advances have allowed the collection of acoustic data in remote areas, and molecular techniques have the potential to help researchers fill important geographic gaps. Improving the resolution of galago species diversity also has implications for the conservation of wild populations, as a better understanding of species boundaries and ranges can aid in the implementation of conservation strategies. 

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5. Genome Evolution of Coral Reef Symbionts as Intracellular Residents

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.04.010  

   González-Pech, R. A.; Bhattacharya, D.; Ragan, M. A.; Chan, C. X. (January 2019, Trends in ecology evolution)

   Coral reefs are sustained by symbioses between corals and symbiodiniacean dinoflagellates. These symbioses vary in the extent of their permanence in and specificity to the host. Although dinoflagellates are primarily free-living, Symbiodiniaceae diversified mainly as symbiotic lineages. Their genomes reveal conserved symbiosis-related gene functions and high sequence divergence. However, the evolutionary mechanisms that underpin the transition from the free-living lifestyle to symbiosis remain poorly understood. Here, we discuss the genome evolution of Symbiodiniaceae in diverse ecological niches across the broad spectrum of symbiotic associations, from free-living to putative obligate symbionts. We pose key questions regarding genome evolution vis-à-vis the transition of dinoflagellates from free-living to symbiotic and propose strategies for future research to better understand coral-dinoflagellate and other eukaryote-eukaryote symbioses. 

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