Unrealized potential from smaller institutions: Four strategies for advancing STEM diversity.

Diversity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remains disturbingly low. Relative to larger, highly funded universities, smaller schools harbor more diverse student demographics and more limited resources. Here, we propose four strategies leveraging the unique advantages of smaller institutions to advance underrepresented scholars along STEM pathways.

The dynamic proliferation of CanSINEs mirrors the complex evolution of Feliforms.

Background: Repetitive short interspersed elements (SINEs) are retrotransposons ubiquitous in mammalian genomes and are highly informative markers to identify species and phylogenetic associations. Of these, SINEs unique to the order Carnivora (CanSINEs) yield novel insights on genome evolution in domestic dogs and cats, but less is known about their role in related carnivores. In particular, genome-wide assessment of CanSINE evolution has yet to be completed across the Feliformia (cat-like) suborder of Carnivora.

Carnivore-specific SINEs (Can-SINEs): distribution, evolution, and genomic impact.

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are a type of class 1 transposable element (retrotransposon) with features that allow investigators to resolve evolutionary relationships between populations and species while providing insight into genome composition and function. Characterization of a Carnivora-specific SINE family, Can-SINEs, has, has aided comparative genomic studies by providing rare genomic changes, and neutral sequence variants often needed to resolve difficult evolutionary questions. In addition, Can-SINEs constitute a significant source of functional diversity with Carnivora.