Integrating Geographic and Prehistoric Data to Determine Conservation Needs and Reintroduction Potential for the Guam Kingfisher

Conservation efforts for native birds on the island of Guam are currently being hindered by the invasive brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) which has decimated the island’s native bird populations. Many of Guam’s endemic bird species, including the Guam kingfisher (Todiramphus cinnamominus), are now extinct and others are critically endangered. A habitat suitability analysis of Guam using physiographic datasets with respect to habitat preferences of the Guam kingfisher was carried out, using raster analysis in ArcMap 10.8.1. Results found suitable habitat that still existed in northern Guam, which correlated to this bird’s previously disjunct geographic range. These potential areas of habitation for the kingfisher also correlated to fossil remains of this species, derived from the northernmost point of the island. These results from associating environmental data and this bird’s limited fossil distribution on the island through cartographic methods offer a snapshot into the potential to reintroduce this species into the wild once the brown tree snake epidemic is mitigated

Timing of Diversification, Dispersal, and Biogeography of Parrots in the Genus Amazona (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) Throughout the Caribbean, Visualized in GIS

Avian fossil records from across the Caribbean (Greater and Lesser Antilles) demonstrate higher avian diversity prior to extinction events due to climate change at the end of the Pleistocene and human impact across the Caribbean throughout the Holocene. Amazon parrots (Amazona) are a diverse genus of New World parrots found throughout Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Their phylogeny and evolutionary history, specifically for Caribbean species, has been debated in terms of source areas in Central and South America and the timing of and number of colonization events to different islands that preceded diversification into island-endemic forms. Taking a geospatial approach using GIS to study dispersal and biogeography of Caribbean amazon parrots, this study uses modified bathymetric data to model sea level fluctuations during the Late Pliocene (3.6 Ma – 2.58 Ma), the Pleistocene (2.58 Ma – 12 ka), and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (~12 ka) to model potential paths of dispersal to islands of the Caribbean from inferred source regions on the mainland. Network Analyst and Euclidean raster data analysis in ArcGIS Pro 3.0 are utilized to create an optimal series of network pathways and inferred flight regions of the Caribbean at each time interval, based on an estimated maximum flying distance for amazon parrots. Previous phylogenetic information (for mainland and island forms) and Amazona fossil records are utilized as supplementary information to contemporary Amazona distributions in the Caribbean in this study. Network route, Euclidean distance, and fossil distribution mapping results added geographic context to the dispersion patterns of Greater Antillean amazons and offered a hypothesis for the diversification of Lesser Antillean amazons in spite of their paraphyletic status and poorly known evolutionary history

Ship structural analysis using finite element analysis and onboard stress monitoring methods

Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation covers the application of finite element analysis and hull stress monitoring and measuring methods, in the current day design of, and/or the analysis of ship structures

Timing of diversification, dispersal, and biogeography of parrots in thegenus Amazona throughout the Caribbean, visualized in GIS

Modern bird diversity for groups in the Greater Antilles, like parrots, is a fraction of what it once was prior to human arrival in the Caribbean. Among parrot groups thought to have become once more widespread are amazons (Amazona), a genus with almost 30 species, found across Central and South America. Phylogenetic work on Amazona has determined molecularly-dated divergence times for the evolution of different species. Today, the Greater Antilles have many single-island endemic amazon species and only one species, the Rose-Throated Parrot (Amazona leucocephala) being found on multiple islands. Divergence times of amazon parrots from molecular phylogenetic dating, can be correlated to known sea-level values from marine isotope stages (MIS) of the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Bathymetric data was altered using raster math (map algebra) to create seascapes – islands/landmasses reflecting sea-level conditions during the Late Pliocene and Pleistocene to determine optimal connectivity between islands which were then made into Routes using Network Analyst in ArcGIS Pro. Exposure vs inundation of the Nicaraguan Rise likely influenced island-hopping for these parrots between the mainland and Jamaica, leading to at least two colonization events, where after which amazons colonized the rest of the Greater Antilles

The manifestation and potential of constructive journalism in South African digital news

This study aimed to establish the manifestation of constructive journalism, and the perceptions and attitudes of journalists and editors towards the form, in South African digital news. A qualitative content analysis was applied to a sample of 134 articles on “evictions” (written during SA's first Covid lockdown in 2020) from three online news-outlets varying in editorial approach. Semi-structured interviews with a purposively selected sample of journalists and editors followed. Findings showed that the most distinctive principles of constructive journalism were largely absent in the articles. Yet, interviewees recognised a role for the form to be introduced alongside watchdog journalism. Views ranged from supporting constructive journalism as a necessary and valuable approach that would strengthen watchdog journalism, to seeing constructive journalism as a “nice to have” in the overall news cycle. In some of the outlets, constructive journalism has recently been included in output, even if not labelled as such. The contrast between the two dataset's findings indicates a shift in how some journalists have started thinking about the information needs of audiences and ways to address those. Journalists showed acute awareness of the effects of relentless negative news on audiences. Findings revealed that industry pressures posed significant challenges to the implementation of constructive journalism, but that certain of those challenges are also opportunities. One proposition was that newsrooms collaborate to tackle big-issue projects through creating joint investigative/constructive teams. Some journalists had difficulty with a clear conception of constructive journalism but found it noteworthy to see constructive journalism as an additional step in the overall news cycle not replacing their monitorial role. Interviewees wanted to learn more about expanded interviewing techniques proposed in constructive journalism to add complexity to conflict reporting. The study enriches understanding of the applicability of constructive journalism in developing democracies and shows that the form can add nuance and complexity to current practices of watchdog journalism dominating South African news-reporting. The risks of constructive journalism being misinterpreted or manipulated by partisan media requires of journalists to adhere to rigorous journalistic norms proposed in constructive journalism

Ultrasound-guided neural blockade in Proteus syndrome

Summary: Proteus syndrome is a rare genetic disorder first described in 1979 and named after Proteus, a Greek demigod who was capable of changing his form to avoid capture. The incidence is < 1:1 000 000, but can be expected to be slightly higher in the surgical population, as these patients often present for repeat procedures. The disorder is characterised by sporadic and progressive overgrowth of tissue of any origin. Normal anatomy usually becomes distorted and serious functional and cosmetic sequelae may ensue. Regular anaesthetic interventions are required for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, often to correct deformities related to overgrowth, tumour excision and otolaryngological procedures. Literature relating to the anaesthetic management of patients with Proteus syndrome is limited to case reports describing instances of general anaesthesia. Complications of general anaesthesia secondary to respiratory tract abnormalities appear prevalent. Regional anaesthesia is often used when respiratory compromise is anticipated due to any cause. Despite this, current guidelines suggest that regional anaesthesia be avoided in patients with Proteus syndrome, due to the gross anatomical variance and the high incidence of vascular abnormalities in these patients. The use of ultrasound-guided neural block enables practitioners to distinguish nerves from vascular structures and other tissues. It helps avoid neural injury during needle placement and improves success rate. This case report is the first to demonstrate the successful use of an ultrasound-guided regional anaesthetic technique in a boy requiring surgery to his right forearm.Keywords: anaesthesia, local, nerve block, Proteus syndrome, ultrasoun

A study of the role of heritage in brand affinity of south African millennials for iconic South African beer brands

Hollis (2007) states that iconic brands address acute contradictions in society by tapping into a collective desire and that they develop a status that transcends functional benefits. According to Holt (2004) iconic brands hold strong appeal because of their reputation, as told by their brand story, their identity-value or resonance with the consumer and their culture or intense relationship that takes the consumer from merely consuming the brand to sharing the branded lifestyle with like-minded consumers. The reason iconic brands have managed to create seamless integration in consumers’ lives is because they have managed to build a foundation of brand resonance (Carruthers, 2012). Iconic brands in the 21st century have achieved brand saliency, which represents the depth and breadth of brand awareness that goes beyond basic recognition and recall. They have developed not only brand loyalty, but brand affinity in the minds of consumers. Recent years have demonstrated a shift in consumer behaviour. Brand loyalty is on the decrease (Scheuer, 2015), as there are increasing considerations for consumers to make in their purchase decision process. Not only are there more factors to consider, but the number of brands competing has grown exponentially. According to Raynor (2007), iconic brands are forced to remain flexible in this turbulent, consumer empowered environment. The myth of adaptability has seen brands fail as they have been unable to match the pace of these environmental changes. This has bought about the need for iconic brands to become more flexible, allowing them to anticipate future scenarios, formulate optimal strategies and operate effectively by knowing when and where to meet their consumer’s functional and emotional needs (Raynor, 2007)

The map is not the territory: law and custom in ‘African freehold’: a South African case study

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe thesis examines the characteristics of land tenure among African families with freehold title who trace their relationship to the land to their forebears who first acquired title in the mid-nineteenth century. The evidence was drawn from two field sites in the Eastern Cape, Fingo Village, Grahamstown and Rabula in the Keiskammahoek district of the former Ciskei. The evidence, supported by evidence in other Anglophone countries, shows that African familial relationships reminiscent of ‘customary’ concepts of the family, were not, and are not extinguished when title is issued, though they are altered. Africans with title regard the land as family property held by unilineal descent groups, challenging the western notion of one-to-one proprietal relationships to the land and its devolution. By exploring the intersection between tenure, use and devolution of land, the main findings reveal that local conceptions of land and use diverge considerably from the formal, legal notion of title. Title holders conceive of their land as the property of all recognised members of a patrilineally defined descent group symbolised by the family name. Because freehold is so intimately linked with inheritance, the findings significantly illuminate the social field of gender and kinship. The implications of the findings are that differing concepts of the ‘family’ and ‘property’ are fundamental to the lack of ‘fit’ between the common-law concept of ownership and what I term in the thesis ‘African freehold’. The thesis dissects the implications of culturally constructed variability in familial identities for recognition and transmission of property. Title is legally regulated by Eurocentric notions of both family and property, which lead to significant divergence between western and African interpretations of ownership, transmission and spatial division of land. The deficiencies of the South African legal mindset with regard to property law are thus fundamentally affected by the deficiencies in recognising the broader field of gender and kinship relations. The findings fundamentally challenge the dualistic paradigm currently prevalent in much of South African legal thinking, since the factors that are found to affect land tenure relationships cannot be reduced to the binary distinctions that are conventionally drawn in law, such as ‘western’ vs. ‘customary’ or ‘individual’ vs. iii ‘communal’ tenure. Instead, the important sources of validation of social (importantly, familial) and property relationships are found to be common to all property relationships, but are arranged and calibrated according to different normative patterns of recognition. In the case of the subjects in the field sites, these do not fit into the main ‘categories’ of property defined in law. Neither of the main bodies of official law, the common law and customary law, adequately characterise the relationships among the African freehold title holders. The source of legitimation is, therefore, not the ‘law’ but locally understood norms and practices. The findings suggest that the practices of the freeholders, derived from constructed ideas of kinship and descent, have relevance for a wide range of diverse African land tenure arrangements and categories, and not only ‘African freehold’. The findings therefore have significant implications for law reform more broadly. The thesis suggests that law reform should move away from models that do not match reality, and in particular should heed the warnings that titling policies as presently designed are particularly poorly aligned with the realities presented in the thesis

Evaluating the community land record system in Monwabisi park informal settlement in the context of hybrid governance and organisational culture

The study examined the effectiveness of a community-operated land record system (CRS), a product of an evolutionary information system planning approach under hybrid governance arrangements in Monwabisi Park informal settlement in Cape Town. To structure the analysis, the authors adapted an analytical framework for analysing land registration effectiveness to community records systems. It serves as a tool for analysing, designing and managing similar information systems. The CRS is an element of a participatory planning and development project involving a triad: (a) community-based organisations (CBOs); (b) a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which has acted as a change agent, facilitator and resource provider; and (c) the City of Cape Town. The hybrid governance institutions comprised a set of local community and government protocols. Of further significance are the organisational cultures of the CBOs, and the NGO’s information system team differs markedly from that of most land registries