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Do states experience more peace under female leadership? We examine this question in the context of Europe over the fifteenth to twentieth centuries. We use gender of the firstborn and presence of a sister among previous monarchs as instruments for queenly rule. We find that polities led by queens engaged in war more than polities led by kings. While single queens were more likely to be attacked than single kings, married queens were more likely to attack than married kings. These results suggest asymmetries in the division of labor: married queens were more inclined to enlist their spouses in helping them rule, which enabled them ultimately to pursue more aggressive war policies.
SummaryQueens were reared from eggs and from larvae 1, 2, 3 and 4 days old. They were then mated either naturally or instrumentally with 1 to 2×8 mm3 of semen. Each increase of 1 day in the age of brood grafted decreased not only the body weight, the size of the spermatheca and the number of ovarioles of the virgin queens, but also the number of spermatozoa in the spermathecae of naturally and instrumentally inseminated queens. A given amount of semen injected into the oviducts resulted in different numbers but similar concentrations of spermatozoa in spermathecae of different sizes. A smaller number of spermatozoa entered the smaller spermathecae, despite a surplus of semen in the oviducts and plenty of space in the spermathecae. Correlation coefficients between different characters were significant only when queens reared from brood of different age were compared. Partial correlations showed that a direct correlation existed between the age of grafted brood and the number of spermatozoa in the spermathecae of mated queens.The process of weighing virgin queens therefore helps in their selection.
Understanding the reproductive potential (“quality”) of queens bees can provide valuable insights into factors that influence colony phenotype. We assayed queens from various commercial sources for various measures of potential queen quality, including their physical characters (such as their degree of parasitism), insemination number (stored sperm counts), and effective paternity frequency (number of drone fathers among their offspring). We found significant variation in the physical, insemination, and mating quality of commercially produced queens, and we detected significant correlations within and among these various measures. Overall, the queens were sufficiently inseminated (3.99 ± 1.504 million sperm) and mated with an appropriate number of drones (effective paternity frequency: 16.0 ± 9.48). Importantly, very few of the queens were parasitized by tracheal mites and none were found with either Nosema species. These findings suggest possible mechanisms for assessing the potential fitness of honey bee queens without the need for destructive sampling.
In many species, females store sperm between copulation and egg fertilization, but the consequences of sperm storage and patterns of sperm use for female life history and reproductive success have not been investigated in great detail. In hymenopteran insect societies (ants, bees, wasps), reproduction is usually monopolized by one or relatively few queens, who mate only during a brief period early in life and store sperm for later use. The queens of some ants are particularly long-lived and have the potential to produce millions of offspring during their life. To do so, queens store many sperm cells, and this sperm must remain viable throughout the years of storage. Queens should also be under strong selection to use stored sperm prudently when fertilizing eggs. We used the leaf-cutter ant Atta colombica to investigate the dynamics of sperm use during egg fertilization. We show that queens are able to fertilize close to 100 per cent of the eggs and that the average sperm use per egg is very low, but increases with queen age. The robustness of stored sperm was found to decrease with years of storage, signifying that senescence affects sperm either directly or indirectly via the declining glandular secretions or deteriorating sperm-storage organs. We evaluate our findings with a heuristic model, which suggests that the average queen has sperm for almost 9 years of normal colony development. We discuss the extent to which leaf-cutter ant queens have been able to optimize their sperm expenditure and infer that our observed averages of sperm number, sperm robustness and sperm use are consistent with sperm depletion being a significant cause of mortality of mature colonies of Atta leaf-cutter ants.
It's Saturday night in Key West and the Girlie Show is about to begin at the 801 Cabaret. The girls have been outside on the sidewalk all evening, seducing anyone who walks by into coming in for the show. The club itself is packed tonight and smoke has filled the room. When the lights finally go down, statuesque blondes and stunning brunettes clad in black leather miniskirts, stiletto heels, and see-through lingerie take the stage. En Vogue's Free Your Mind blares on the house stereos. The crowd roars in approval. In this lively book, Leila J. Rupp and Verta Taylor take us on an entertaining tour through one of America's most overlooked subcultures: the world of the drag queen. They provide a backstage pass into the lives of the 801 Girls, the troupe of queens who perform nightly at the 801 for tourists and locals. Weaving together their fascinating life stories, their lavish costumes and eclectic music, their flamboyance and bitchiness, the authors explore how drag queens smash the boundaries between gay and straight, man and woman, to make people think more deeply and realistically about sex in America today. They also consider how the queens create a space that encourages camaraderie and acceptance among everyday people, no matter what their sexual preferences might be. Based on countless interviews with more than a dozen drag queens, more than three years of attendance at their outrageous performances and even the author's participation in the shows themselves, Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret is a witty and poignant portrait of gay life and culture. When they said life is a cabaret, they clearly meant the 801.
Queen health is crucial to colony survival of social bees. Recently, queen failure has been proposed to be a major driver of managed honey bee colony losses, yet few data exist concerning effects of environmental stressors on queens. Here we demonstrate for the first time that exposure to field-realistic concentrations of neonicotinoid pesticides during development can severely affect queens of western honey bees (Apis mellifera). In pesticide-exposed queens, reproductive anatomy (ovaries) and physiology (spermathecal-stored sperm quality and quantity), rather than flight behaviour, were compromised and likely corresponded to reduced queen success (alive and producing worker offspring). This study highlights the detriments of neonicotinoids to queens of environmentally and economically important social bees, and further strengthens the need for stringent risk assessments to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services that are vulnerable to these substances.
Abstract Diapause survival and post‐diapause performance (i.e., if a queen starts to lay eggs) of in total 2210 bumblebee queens ( Bombus terrestris ) were measured under different diapause regimes: 5 temperatures (−5, 0, 5, 10 and 15 °C) in combination with 5 durations of exposure (1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 months). The results show that weight at the start of diapause determines to a large extent whether a queen will be able to survive diapause. Queens with a wet weight below 0.6 g prior to diapause did not survive, but for those queens exceeding this threshold a higher pre‐ diapause weight did not increase their post‐diapause performance. There was no effect of temperature on diapause survival; 76% of the variance in survival could be explained by the duration of the treatment. Neither temperature nor duration of exposure had an effect on post‐diapause performance. The preoviposition period of the queens that laid eggs was also determined. The preoviposition period was affected by both temperature and duration of exposure: the preoviposition period decreased with decreasing temperature but also with increasing duration of the treatment.
Introduction: Was Benazir Bhutto the First?. Part I: Queens and Courtesans:. 1. How Does One Say Queen in Islam?. 2. The Caliph and the Queen. 3. The jawari or Revolution in the Harem. 4. Khayzuran: Courtesan or Head of State?. Part II: Sovereignty in Islam:. 5. The Criteria of Sovereignty in Islam. 6. Fifteen Queens. Part III: The Arab Queens:. 7. The Shi'ite Dynasty of Yemen. 8. The Little Queens of Sheba. 9. The Lady of Cairo. Conclusion: The Medina Democracy. Notes.
Diapause is the key adaptation allowing insects to survive unfavourable conditions and inhabit an array of environments. Physiological changes during diapause are largely conserved across species and are hypothesized to be regulated by a conserved suite of genes (a 'toolkit'). Furthermore, it is hypothesized that in social insects, this toolkit was co-opted to mediate caste differentiation between long-lived, reproductive, diapause-capable queens and short-lived, sterile workers. Using Bombus terrestris queens, we examined the physiological and transcriptomic changes associated with diapause and CO2 treatment, which causes queens to bypass diapause. We performed comparative analyses with genes previously identified to be associated with diapause in the Dipteran Sarcophaga crassipalpis and with caste differentiation in bumble bees. As in Diptera, diapause in bumble bees is associated with physiological and transcriptional changes related to nutrient storage, stress resistance and core metabolic pathways. There is a significant overlap, both at the level of transcript and gene ontology, between the genetic mechanisms mediating diapause in B. terrestris and S. crassipalpis, reaffirming the existence of a conserved insect diapause genetic toolkit. However, a substantial proportion (10%) of the differentially regulated transcripts in diapausing queens have no clear orthologs in other species, and key players regulating diapause in Diptera (juvenile hormone and vitellogenin) appear to have distinct functions in bumble bees. We also found a substantial overlap between genes related to caste determination and diapause in bumble bees. Thus, our studies demonstrate an intriguing interplay between pathways underpinning adaptation to environmental extremes and the evolution of sociality in insects.
OBJECTIVE: To examine systemic immunity in kittens, including transfer of maternal immunoglobulins from the queen to kittens, and subsequent decay of passively obtained immunoglobulins. ANIMALS: 6 healthy queens and their 46 kittens. PROCEDURE: Immunoglobulin concentrations were measured in serum, colostrum, and milk of queens and in their kittens' sera. Decay rate constants and half-lives of maternally derived immunoglobulins were determined. To determine intestinal absorption, foreign IgG was given to kittens at 6- to 8-hour intervals after birth, and bovine IgM was given to kittens at birth. RESULTS: Immunoglobulin concentrations of milk and colostrum did not differ significantly after removal of milk fat. Mean IgG concentration was higher in colostrum/ milk, whereas mean IgA and IgM concentrations were lower than those in the queens' serum. No IgG or IgA was detected in any of the precolostral serum samples obtained from kittens. Small amounts of IgM were present in the sera from 5 kittens at birth. Transferred IgG and IgA decreased rapidly with half-lives of 4.4 +/- 3.57 and 1.93 +/- 1.94 days, respectively. Serum IgM concentration increased irregularly during the first week of life, followed by a steady increase. Foreign IgG given up to 12 hours after birth was detected in kittens' serum, whereas IgG given at or after 16 hours was not found in any kitten's serum. CONCLUSIONS: Milk and colostral immunoglobulin concentrations did not differ significantly. The half-lives of maternally derived IgG and IgA in kittens were shorter than those reported in dogs. IgG given at or after 16 hours of life was not absorbed by neonatal kittens. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Queen's milk obtained anytime during lactation may be used as a replacement for colostrum as a source of antibodies for neonatal kittens. Kittens at risk for neonatal isoerythrolysis must only be removed from the queens during the first day of life.
Queen health is crucial to colony survival of honeybees, since reproduction and colony growth rely solely on the queen. Queen failure is considered a relevant cause of colony losses, yet few data exist concerning effects of environmental stressors on queens. Here we demonstrate for the first time that exposure to field-realistic concentrations of neonicotinoid pesticides can severely affect the immunocompetence of queens of western honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). In young queens exposed to thiacloprid (200 µg/l or 2000 µg/l) or clothianidin (10 µg/l or 50 µg/l), the total hemocyte number and the proportion of active, differentiated hemocytes was significantly reduced. Moreover, functional aspects of the immune defence namely the wound healing/melanisation response, as well as the antimicrobial activity of the hemolymph were impaired. Our results demonstrate that neonicotinoid insecticides can negatively affect the immunocompetence of queens, possibly leading to an impaired disease resistance capacity.
Research Article| May 01 1997 Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer Politics? Cathy J. Cohen Cathy J. Cohen Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google GLQ (1997) 3 (4): 437–465. https://doi.org/10.1215/10642684-3-4-437 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Cathy J. Cohen; Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer Politics?. GLQ 1 May 1997; 3 (4): 437–465. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/10642684-3-4-437 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll JournalsGLQ Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 1997 Mark Blasius1997 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.
SummaryHoney bee queens are highly polyandrous and mate in flight. Instrumental insemination is an essential tool that provides complete control of honey bee mating for research and breeding purposes. The technique requires specialized equipment to anesthetize and immobilize the queen and to collect and deliver semen from the drones. Semen is harvested from mature drones by hand eversion of the endophallus and collected into a syringe. The queen is placed in a chamber and anesthetized during the procedure of insertion of semen into the oviducts. Queens are introduced into colonies and their performance can equal to that of naturally mated queens, given proper technique and care.
In honey bees (Apis mellifera) the behaviorally and reproductively distinct queen and worker female castes derive from the same genome as a result of differential intake of royal jelly and are implemented in concert with DNA methylation. To determine if these very different diet-controlled phenotypes correlate with unique brain methylomes, we conducted a study to determine the methyl cytosine (mC) distribution in the brains of queens and workers at single-base-pair resolution using shotgun bisulfite sequencing technology. The whole-genome sequencing was validated by deep 454 sequencing of selected amplicons representing eight methylated genes. We found that nearly all mCs are located in CpG dinucleotides in the exons of 5,854 genes showing greater sequence conservation than non-methylated genes. Over 550 genes show significant methylation differences between queens and workers, revealing the intricate dynamics of methylation patterns. The distinctiveness of the differentially methylated genes is underscored by their intermediate CpG densities relative to drastically CpG-depleted methylated genes and to CpG-richer non-methylated genes. We find a strong correlation between methylation patterns and splicing sites including those that have the potential to generate alternative exons. We validate our genome-wide analyses by a detailed examination of two transcript variants encoded by one of the differentially methylated genes. The link between methylation and splicing is further supported by the differential methylation of genes belonging to the histone gene family. We propose that modulation of alternative splicing is one mechanism by which DNA methylation could be linked to gene regulation in the honey bee. Our study describes a level of molecular diversity previously unknown in honey bees that might be important for generating phenotypic flexibility not only during development but also in the adult post-mitotic brain.
The n -queens problem is a classical combinatorial problem in the artificial intelligence (AI) area. Since the problem has a simple and regular structure, it has been widely used as a testbed to develop and benchmark new AI search problem-solving strategies. Recently, this problem has found practical applications in VLSI testing and traffic control. Due to its inherent complexity, currently even very efficient AI search algorithms developed so far can only find a solution for the n -queens problem with n up to about 100. In this paper we present a new, probabilistic local search algorithm which is based on a gradient-based heuristic. This efficient algorithm is capable of finding a solution for extremely large size n -queens problems. We give the execution statistics for this algorithm with n up to 500,000.
Deep in the dense rainforests of Central America lie the turbulent stories of the Maya monarchy, stories brought vividly to life in Chronicles of the Maya Kings and Queens, which is newly available in paperback. Describing many of their own discoveries, two of the worlds leading experts in Maya hieroglyphs take the reader into a once-hidden history, setting out the latest thinking on the nature of Maya divine kingship, statehood and political authority, and describing all the most recent readings and archaeological finds. Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens combines groundbreaking research with a highly readable history, offering the reader a front-row seat in one of the most exciting and fast-developing areas of world archaeology.
Abstract We elaborate on Pettigrew's ( 1998 , 1999 ) theory of information grounds while using an outcome evaluation approach enriched by its focus on context to explore the use of need‐based services by immigrants in New York City. Immigrants have substantial information and practical needs for help with adjusting to life in a new country. Because of differences in language, culture, and other factors such as access, new immigrants are a difficult population to study. As a result, little research has examined their predilections from an information behavior perspective. We report findings from a qualitative study of how literacy and coping skills programs are used by and benefit the immigrant customers of the Queens Borough Public Library (QBPL). From our interviews and observation of 45 program users, staff, and other stakeholders, we derived a grand context (in Pettigrew's terms) woven from three subcontexts: the immigrants of Queens, New York; the QBPL, its service model, and activities for immigrants; and professional contributions of QBPL staff. Our findings are discussed along two dimensions: (a) building blocks toward information literacy, and (b) personal gains achieved by immigrants for themselves and their families. We conclude that successful introduction to the QBPL—as per its mission, programming, and staff—can lead immigrants to a synergistic information ground that can help in meeting broad psychological, social, and practical needs.
Many insects show polyphenisms, or alternative morphologies, which are based on differential gene expression rather than genetic polymorphism. Queens and workers are alternative forms of the adult female honey bee and represent one of the best known examples of insect polyphenism. Hormonal regulation of caste determination in honey bees has been studied in detail, but little is known about the proximate molecular mechanisms underlying this process, or any other such polyphenism. We report the success of a molecular-genetic approach for studying queen- and worker-specific gene expression in the development of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Numerous genes appear to be differentially expressed between the two castes. Seven differentially expressed loci described here belong to at least five distinctly different evolutionary and functional groups. Two are particularly promising as potential regulators of caste differentiation. One is homologous to a widespread class of proteins that bind lipids and other hydrophobic ligands, including retinoic acid. The second locus shows sequence similarity to a DNA-binding domain in the Ets family of transcription factors. The remaining loci appear to be involved with downstream changes inherent to queen- or worker-specific developmental pathways. Caste determination in honey bees is typically thought of as primarily queen determination; our results make it clear that the process involves specific activation of genes in workers as well as in queens.
One of the key features of insect societies is the division of labor in reproduction between one or a few fertile individuals and many sterile nestmates that function as helpers. The behavioral and physiological mechanisms regulating reproduction in ant societies are still not very well understood, especially in species in which all colony members are reproductively totipotent. In the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator, queen-worker dimorphism is very limited, and a few mated workers reproduce ("gamergates") once the founding queen becomes senescent. Worker oviposition is regulated by highly directed aggressive interactions among nestmates, who can recognize different levels of ovarian activity. We show that variations in cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) correlate with oogenesis, both for queens and workers. 13,23-Dimethylheptatriacontane is present in egg-layers, but not in infertile workers and queens. Proportions of other CHCs vary as well, resulting in clear separation of the ants in a multivariate analysis. Egg-layers are characterized by an elongation of the chain length of CHCs. We used solid-phase microextraction to measure CHCs in live ants that were experimentally induced to start producing eggs. Over a period of 118 days, CHC profiles of infertile workers changed completely to that of reproductives. The effect of age can be excluded in this modification. This striking correlation of ovarian activity with CHC variation and its correspondence with the observed recognition behavior exhibited by the workers toward egg-laying nestmates suggests that CHCs serve as a fertility signal in the ant H. saltator, a reliable basis for regulating reproduction.
SummaryHere we cover a wide range of methods currently in use and recommended in modern queen rearing, selection and breeding. The recommendations are meant to equally serve as standards for both scientific and practical beekeeping purposes. The basic conditions and different management techniques for queen rearing are described, including recommendations for suitable technical equipment. As the success of breeding programmes strongly depends on the selective mating of queens, a subchapter is dedicated to the management and quality control of mating stations. Recommendations for the handling and quality control of queens complete the queen rearing section. The improvement of colony traits usually depends on a comparative testing of colonies. Standardized recommendations for the organization of performance tests and the measurement of the most common selection characters are presented. Statistical methods and data preconditions for the estimation of breeding values which integrate pedigree and performance data from as many colonies as possible are described as the most efficient selection method for large populations. Alternative breeding programmes for small populations or certain scientific questions are briefly mentioned, including also an overview of the young and fast developing field of molecular selection tools. Because the subject of queen rearing and selection is too large to be covered within this paper, plenty of references are given to facilitate comprehensive studies.