This paper describes the content and evolution of a fourth-year course for medical students on teaching pathographies of mental illness. (It is a follow-up to Nathan Carlin’s Pathographies of Mental Illness that appeared as an Element in the Bioethics and Neuroethics series published by Cambridge University Press.) The course originally centered on classic (and some contemporary) memoirs; however, responding to student evaluations, newer material now ensures more diversity, with material written by women and people of color, and describes the difference that can make.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) are essential crops for Ghana’s economy and food security, but weed infestation poses a significant threat to their cultivation. Crop rotations influence weed communities, but little is known about these processes in peanut-cropping systems in West Africa. This study investigated the impact of different crop rotations and input levels on weed communities in Ghana over 3 yr. Results showed that low inputs (absence of herbicide and fertilization) favored species richness, while higher input levels (weed control with herbicides and fertilizer use) reduced it. Diversity and evenness were also affected by inputs, with varying patterns across locations and seasons. Weed population growth rates (λ) varied significantly by location and treatment; all management programs resulted in increasing weed populations. Principal component analysis revealed distinct associations between weed species and crop management. The majority of weed species exhibited a generalist behavior and did not associate with a particular management. However, billygoat weed (Ageratum conyzoides L.) and Benghal dayflower (Commelina benghalensis L.) were positively associated with high-input systems, while purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) exhibited strong associations with low and medium inputs. The weed–crop rotation dynamics described here demonstrate how management drives the selection of weed species that are more pervasive and interfere with important food crops in Ghanaian agriculture.

A single Stygiomedusa gigantea was caught by demersal crab trawl off Namibia at a fishing depth of 750 m. Although widely considered to be globally distributed in meso- and bathy-pelagic waters, this represents the first record of the species from the SE Atlantic and only the second from around Africa. The photographed specimen differs slightly from previous observations and attention is drawn to accurately recording future material.

Academics across Canada, an officially bilingual and multicultural country, devote a lot of attention to diversity and representation. This is particularly true for political scientists. In this research note, we focus on the linguistic composition of panels and overall linguistic fragmentation of the most important in-person event for Canadian political science: the annual meeting of the Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA). To do so, we generated a dataset based on the official program of the 2023 annual conference. Our main results are twofold. First, we find an important under-representation of French-speaking events and academic communications (i.e., panels and papers). Second, we computed Herfindahl-Hirschman indexes demonstrating that francophone-dominated panels and co-authored papers with francophone first authors are significantly more linguistically diverse than anglophone panels and papers. Our results highlight important blind spots in Canadian political science and help make sense of the lack of representation of French-language work in Canadian academia.

Little is known about the Chondrichthyes fauna of the state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, notably on the species composition, distribution, and biology. Historically, only a few studies have focused on these issues. Basic taxonomy is one of the main tools employed in cataloguing, organizing, and initiating other, more specific, assessments regarding regional diversity. In this context, this study presents the most comprehensive list of shark and ray species occurring in the state of Espírito Santo to date. The compiled data were obtained from specimens deposited in ichthyological collections, literature reviews, and samplings conducted at fisheries landings and onboard commercial fleet vessels. The findings indicate 79 species, comprising 51 sharks and 28 rays. A total of 53.2% of threatened Brazilian marine elasmobranch species occur in the area, indicating the importance of carrying out local studies focusing on this group. A first record for the Brazilian large-eyed stingray, Hypanus marianae, was also observed for the state, increasing the southern limit of the species known distribution, previously considered restricted to the North and Northeast coasts.

Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have recently been proposed as a potentially disruptive approach to generative design due to their remarkable ability to generate visually appealing and realistic samples. Yet, we show that the current generator-discriminator architecture inherently limits the ability of GANs as a design concept generation (DCG) tool. Specifically, we conduct a DCG study on a large-scale dataset based on a GAN architecture to advance the understanding of the performance of these generative models in generating novel and diverse samples. Our findings, derived from a series of comprehensive and objective assessments, reveal that while the traditional GAN architecture can generate realistic samples, the generated and style-mixed samples closely resemble the training dataset, exhibiting significantly low creativity. We propose a new generic architecture for DCG with GANs (DCG-GAN) that enables GAN-based generative processes to be guided by geometric conditions and criteria such as novelty, diversity and desirability. We validate the performance of the DCG-GAN model through a rigorous quantitative assessment procedure and an extensive qualitative assessment involving 89 participants. We conclude by providing several future research directions and insights for the engineering design community to realize the untapped potential of GANs for DCG.

Educational opportunities for investigators and staff to promote inclusive research practices are a critical piece of the effort to increase diversity in study participation and promote health equity. However, few trainings to date have empirically been shown to result in behavior changes. We present preliminary evaluation findings for the Just Research workshop offered at the University of Wisconsin–Madison between October 2022 and August 2023. These sessions included 80 participants who made up 4 cohorts. Data was collected through a retrospective pre/post-test survey administered 0–7 days following the workshop (n = 70), and a follow-up survey administered 9–12 months following the workshop (n = 21). Participants demonstrate significant increases in knowledge and self-efficacy regarding implementing inclusive practices post-intervention (p < .001). 85.7% of participants who completed the follow-up survey reported implementing inclusive practices.

Environmental data science (EDS) is a nascent STEM sub-discipline where we have the opportunity to shape the culture, to work to create an environment that welcomes broad participation, and to build a culture of inclusivity. Like many STEM disciplines, some may be excluded from participating in EDS due to historical legacies, systemic barriers, and social prejudices that create unequal opportunities and access. To better understand barriers to participation, and to identify solutions and priorities, we conducted a survey of the participants of the first Environmental Data Science Summit. We identified three barriers to participation that matched with three solutions and priorities for the field. The most commonly identified barrier was an unsupportive work environment for minorities and a male-dominated culture; creating a supportive community and work environment, particularly for minorities, was identified as both a solution and a priority for broadening participation in EDS. The second most commonly identified barrier pertained to training and maintaining relevance— specifically, late or informal training experiences and time constraints limiting time to upskill. The solution and priority proposed included access to good mentors and teachers, open data and educational materials, and increased applicability of projects. Finally, the third most commonly identified barrier, solution, and priority relate to financial concerns and the funding landscape, with both the solution and priority identified as improving funding and salary conditions. The results of this study identify the key barrier to participation in EDS and highlight potential solutions to lower these barriers to build a more equitable future.

The US biomedical research workforce suffers from systemic barriers causing insufficient diversity and perpetuating inequity. To inform programming enhancing graduate program access, we implemented a formative mixed-method study to identify needed supports for program applications and graduate program success. Overall, results indicate value in added supports for understanding application needs, network development, critical thinking, time management, and reading academic/scientific literature. We find selected differences for underrepresented minority (URM) students compared to others, including in the value of psychosocial supports. This work can inform broader efforts to enhance graduate school access and provides foundation for further understanding of URM students’ experiences.

In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in both proposed and enacted legislation that targets diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within higher education and organizations. These laws aim to dismantle protections and support for vulnerable individuals and groups. In this focal article, we provide an overview of the motives driving these anti-DEI legislative initiatives and categorize the laws based on the type of restrictions they impose: (a) reduction in knowledge, (b) reduction in access, and (c) reduction in support. Next, we discuss the consequences these anti-DEI laws yield for individuals, organizations, and society at large and provide an overview of how individuals and organizations may counteract these regressive policies. Last, we conclude with a call to action for I-O psychologists to investigate and call attention to the consequences of anti-DEI laws for recruitment and selection, well-being and safety of minoritized individuals, organizational reputation, and organizational performance and profits.