The epaulets of male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are frequently cited as a sexually selected plumage ornament, but a number of laboratory and field studies provide little evidence that they are currently experiencing sexual selection. We used hair dye to dull epaulets of free-living territorial males prior to pair formation to determine if manipulated males experienced disadvantages in comparison with control males. We found no differences between control males and males with dulled epaulets in territorial behavior (territory size, song rate, trespass rate, and loss of territory), paternal care (time spent on territory and in antipredator sentinel behavior, and response to a model crow to simulate the threat of predation), pairing success (number of social mates), apparent reproductive success (numbers of nesting attempts, eggs/nest, nestlings/egg, and fledglings/nestling), or realized reproductive success (numbers of within-pair, extra-pair, and total fledglings as determined by DNA fingerprinting). We then used a meta-analysis of 11 published studies of Red-winged Blackbirds to determine if there is an overall effect of epaulet color or size on male-male competition, female choice, or reproductive success. Our results show that epaulet size has a small positive effect on male reproductive success, but epaulet color has no effect on male-male competition, female choice, and male reproductive success. One explanation for the seeming contradiction between studies that show that epaulets are necessary for territory defense and those that conclude that epaulets are not currently under selection is that epaulets serve as one of several cues of species recognition, especially among males at close range. An alternative explanation proposes counter-balancing intersexual advantages and intrasexual disadvantages of epaulet expression. Additional studies are needed to test these alternatives.

The topic of this thesis is the denial of paternity - the interests of a child and its social and biological reality. The origin of this concept can be found in Roman law and its approach to the family. Although the institution of fatherhood is known since the ancient Rome, it is still a current topic. The aim of this thesis is to explain the topic of paternity denial from the child's point of view and its social and biological reality. Another topic mentioned is the paternity determination. "The mother is always certain" is a Roman-law principle, which founded the institution of parenthood. This principle and ascertained facts help to determine the paternity, which can be denied in the case of discrepancy of the ascertained facts. In the first chapter I am exploring the historical view of the parenthood - since the ages of Roman-law until the family law. The chapter begins with Roman-law conception of the family, which laid the foundations of today's understanding of family. Then I will outline the evolution of the examined topic using the Civil code and family law. In the second chapter I am evaluating the denial of paternity in cases when reasonable doubt of the correct law usage occurs. The third chapter is about proceedings dealing with the denial of paternity. The fourth chapter is the most...

Parental leave schemes across the developed world are becoming increasingly more relevant in women’s decision to participate or remain in the labor market. France, Belgium and Luxembourg have very different but relatively effective parental leave schemes. A distinguishing factor in their policies is their emphasis on paternal participation. Through increased paternity leave rights, all three countries have come to better support women in the workplace and in the household. The US is the only country in the OECD that does not offer any form of paid maternity leave, let alone paternity leave. By outlining the historical and cultural context of women in all four nations including work and family habits, I will assess the nature of each policy. I find that culture and tradition play a big role is women’s decision to participate in the labor market. I uncover some of the benefits of the addition of paternity leave is in its respective country based on the female labor force participation rate and the wage gap among other indicators. Using France, Belgium and Luxembourg as case studies, I outline the benefits the US forgoes by excluding paternity leave.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the legal pre-conditions for parenthood. These are objectively understood as a set of provisions, which give us the answer, who are the legal parents of a child. These provisions are motivated by an effort to harmonize legal parenthood with biological. They are a source of important statutory rights of an individual, which to some extent determine his/her legal status from the very birth. With statutory rights are subsequently firmly bound public legal consequences. These are mainly a relationship between the individual and the state, in particular the obligation to register a child in the state-led civil registration, and also the acquisition of the citizenship. The relationship of parent and child can be considered as basic and most important personal relationship ever. As a result, various rights and duties arise of this relationship, and therefore the need to regulate such relations by the law has appeared with the evolution of human society, so they were build on a solid basis without being disputed. Every state should thus have the obligation to implement such provisions into its legal order. This thesis is drafted in accordance with the division of the legal pre-conditions for parenthood to motherhood and fatherhood. A short introductory part deals...

Nos últimos anos a eletroforese capilar tem substituído a eletroforese em gel e está sendo usada para uma ampla variedade de aplicações forenses, incluindo tipagem de DNA. A fim de superar as desvantagens com relação à análise simultânea de amostras que a eletroforese em gel oferece, equipamentos com arranjos de capilares foram idealizados, assim como a possibilidade de análises multiplexadas em um único capilar por meio da utilização de corantes intercaladores. Neste trabalho foi otimizada a metodologia para amplificação de DNA pela reação em cadeia da polimerase para sete primers correspondentes a sete regiões padronizadas e legalmente aceitas para testes de paternidade. Três casos foram avaliados por eletroforese em microchip, indicando que um método mais reprodutível e de maior resolução deveria ser utilizado, fato que levou ao desenvolvimento de um método para separação de um padrão de tamanho de DNA de 25 pares de base por eletroforese capilar em soluções poliméricas em um equipamento comercial. Este método foi aplicado à separação do mesmo padrão intercalado a um corante dimérico em um equipamento de eletroforese capilar lab-made miniaturizado, com detecção espectrofotométrica na região visível, sugerindo a possibilidade de o equipamento desenvolvido ser utilizado para análises genéticas multiplexadas com custo e tempo minimizados. / In recent years capillary electrophoresis has substituted slab gel electrophoresis and has been used in a variety of forensic applications, such as DNA typing. In order to overcome the disavantages regarding the simultaneous samples analysis that slab gel offers, equipments with capillary arrays were developed, as well as the possibility of multiplex analysis in a single capillary by using intercalating dyes. In this work the metodology to amplify DNA by polimerase chain reaction was studied to seven primers corresponding to seven standardized and legaly accepted regions in paternity tests. Three cases were evaluated by microchip electrophoresis, indicating the need for a more reproductive and with better resolution method has to be used. This fact lead to the development of a method to separate a 25 base pairs DNA ladder by gel capillary electrophoresis in a comercial equipment. In the sequence, this method was apllied to the separation of the same ladder intercalated to a dimeric dye in a lab-made miniaturized capillary electrophoresis system with spectrophotometric detection at visible region, suggesting that the developed equipment can be used for multiplexed genetic analysis with reduced cost and time.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:37:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Denise Radesca Alvares Scaff.pdf: 1215506 bytes, checksum: adf7d7e8d8c173dad2b31f0d2b701350 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-20 / This study focuses on the construction of fatherhood, from hearing the histories, demands and anxieties of men-fathers before their young children. The main point of this process is the father's wish for this child, the thread that ties this singular subject's history crossed by cultural injunctions, in a single way, to this child. The wish originated in the relationship among the subjects is always tributary of vicissitudes found in the course to the other who will love us. It is expressed in reality by facing transient and mutable objects, often impregnated by our fantasies because not said or fully satisfied. As Freud emphasized, we cannot prescind the other, who supports and who is the object of this reality that constitutes and confronts us. The father is part of this reality and for beyond this function which is nowadays shared with mothers, experts and in a way with the State in the new family ties and modernity ideas, we plead a position takeover. This position is based on solutions that each man provides for his oedipal conflicts, on the pacts that makes with the wife and on the reality of the group he belongs to and by which he is supported. The modernity social plot requires us to investigate the narratives, the narcissistic threads of our individual history which weave the oedipal conflict and in its ties with the others constitute us as subjects of wish. This is the object of our study, the listening to this plot, the knotting of these threads is the modernity narcissistic matter in which every man will take over a position in relation to the child, granting him the place of child and his wish, a single legacy orientated to this singular subject / Este estudo centra-se no processo de construção da paternidade, a partir da escuta das histórias, demandas e angústias de homens-pais frente a seus pequenas filhos. O cerne deste processo é o desejo do pai por este filho, fio que ala a história desse sujeito singular atravessado pelas injunções culturais, de modo único, a esta criança. O desejo originado na relação entre os sujeitos é sempre tributário das vicissitudes encontradas no percurso até um outro que nos ame. Não podendo ser dito ou realizado em sua plenitude, o desejo expressa-se na realidade, no encontro com objetos transitários, mutáveis e sempre embrenhados por nossas fantasias. Como assinala Freud, não podemos prescindir do outro, que sustenta e é objeto desta realidade, que nos constitui e confronta. O pai é parte desta realidade e para além de uma função, que atualmente é dividida nos novos arranjos familiares e no ideário da modernidade com as mães, os especialistas e de certo modo com o Estado, pleiteamos a assunção de uma posição. Esta posição sustenta-se nas soluções que cada homem constrói para seus conflitos edípicos, nos pactos que faz com a mulher e na realidade do grupo ao qual aderiu e do qual se nutre. A trama social da modernidade nos impõe indagar as narrativas, os fios narcisistas de nossa história individual que tecem os conflitos edípicos e em seus laços com os outros nos constituem como sujeitos do desejo. Este é o objeto deste estudo, a escuta desta trama, do enodamento destes fios junto à tela narcisista da modernidade em que cada homem assumirá uma posição em relação à criança, transmitindo-lhe o lugar do filho e o seu desejo, um legado único endereçado a este sujeito singular

Nos últimos anos a eletroforese capilar tem substituído a eletroforese em gel e está sendo usada para uma ampla variedade de aplicações forenses, incluindo tipagem de DNA. A fim de superar as desvantagens com relação à análise simultânea de amostras que a eletroforese em gel oferece, equipamentos com arranjos de capilares foram idealizados, assim como a possibilidade de análises multiplexadas em um único capilar por meio da utilização de corantes intercaladores. Neste trabalho foi otimizada a metodologia para amplificação de DNA pela reação em cadeia da polimerase para sete primers correspondentes a sete regiões padronizadas e legalmente aceitas para testes de paternidade. Três casos foram avaliados por eletroforese em microchip, indicando que um método mais reprodutível e de maior resolução deveria ser utilizado, fato que levou ao desenvolvimento de um método para separação de um padrão de tamanho de DNA de 25 pares de base por eletroforese capilar em soluções poliméricas em um equipamento comercial. Este método foi aplicado à separação do mesmo padrão intercalado a um corante dimérico em um equipamento de eletroforese capilar lab-made miniaturizado, com detecção espectrofotométrica na região visível, sugerindo a possibilidade de o equipamento desenvolvido ser utilizado para análises genéticas multiplexadas com custo e tempo minimizados. / In recent years capillary electrophoresis has substituted slab gel electrophoresis and has been used in a variety of forensic applications, such as DNA typing. In order to overcome the disavantages regarding the simultaneous samples analysis that slab gel offers, equipments with capillary arrays were developed, as well as the possibility of multiplex analysis in a single capillary by using intercalating dyes. In this work the metodology to amplify DNA by polimerase chain reaction was studied to seven primers corresponding to seven standardized and legaly accepted regions in paternity tests. Three cases were evaluated by microchip electrophoresis, indicating the need for a more reproductive and with better resolution method has to be used. This fact lead to the development of a method to separate a 25 base pairs DNA ladder by gel capillary electrophoresis in a comercial equipment. In the sequence, this method was apllied to the separation of the same ladder intercalated to a dimeric dye in a lab-made miniaturized capillary electrophoresis system with spectrophotometric detection at visible region, suggesting that the developed equipment can be used for multiplexed genetic analysis with reduced cost and time.

La presente investigación cualitativa describe las expectativas sobre la paternidad en hombres divorciados con hijos, quienes vivieron la ausencia de sus propios padres. Es un estudio fenomenológico a través de entrevistas semi-estructuradas a seis padres de 40 a 55 años, que se encuentran divorciados y no conviven con sus hijos en la actualidad. Los participantes pertenecen a un nivel socioeconómico medio-alto y se encuentran dentro de un proceso terapéutico. Además, el análisis temático que se realizó concluyó en cuatro ejes principales: a) Experiencias en la niñez b) Percepción de su propia paternidad c) Involucramiento en la crianza d) Expectativas sobre su paternidad. Los principales hallazgos demuestran que los participantes buscan ser padres presentes en la vida de sus hijos, con la finalidad de no repetir su propia historia. Así, existe en ellos un deseo por resignificar su pasado a través de acciones en el presente y poder reconstruir su concepción de familia. / The present qualitative research describes expectations about fatherhood in men divorced with children, who experienced the absence of their own parents. It is a phenomenological study through semi-structured interviews to six parents from 40 to 55 years old, who are divorced and do not live with their children at present. The participants belong to a medium-high socioeconomic level and are in a therapeutic process. In addition, the thematic analysis that was carried out concluded in four main axes: a) Experiences in childhood b) Perception of their own paternity c) Involvement in parenting d) Expectations about their fatherhood. The main findings show that participants seek to be present parents in the lives of their children, in order not to repeat their own story. Thus, there is a desire in them to resignify their past through actions at the present moment and to reconstruct their conception of family. / Tesis

Pollen contamination is a severe problem in production breeding programs since it reduces the expected gain. In an attempt to solve this problem Skogforsk created an isolation experiment in the advanced Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seed orchard Västerhus in Västerbotten, Sweden. This experiment involves covering blocks of trees with a tent during the pollination period so that they only can mate with each other inside. To evaluate the effects of this tent treatment one tree from inside a tent with supplementary mass pollination (SMP) and one tree from the open control were chosen for this study. 48 seeds from each tree were sampled and genotypes at 9 microsatellite (SSR) loci. The likelihood and exclusion methods for paternity assignment were used to establish the fathers to these seeds. The results showed 0% contamination inside the tent and 4-8% outside in the control. The number of fathers contributed to the fertilization of the 48 seeds was 9 inside and 15 outside. The selfing rate was unexpectedly high, 10% inside the tent and 19% outside. The mating system inside the tent need to be further evaluated to fully understand what other effect the treatment has on the future progeny.

This essay seeks to explore the various representations of fatherhood in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Although The Scarlet Letter is Hawthorne’s most-studied text, very little critical attention has been paid to Hawthorne’s rendering of paternity in the story. This essay attempts to fill that void by examining the roles of the many father figures in the novel. I argue that Hawthorne’s anxiety about fatherhood, made manifest by his constant doubling and expunging of father figures, dominates the narratives of both The Scarlet Letter and “The Custom-House,” binding the texts together and providing the framework of the novel. The structure of The Scarlet Letter relies on Hawthorne’s continual introduction of potential fathers for Pearl, auditioning and discarding various paternal models – a process that carries implications both for Pearl, and for American fatherhood. I further contend that the figure of the absent father is a key thematic component of the American Renaissance as a whole, reflecting not only the authors’ personal fears, but also their anxieties about England’s paternal relationship to America – a concern that pervades the text of The Scarlet Letter. / text