Evolution in a tropical archipelago: comparisons within and among 50 species of Philippine birds

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2013Tropical islands are hotspots for speciation and the generation of genetic diversity within species. The islands of the Philippines have experienced dynamic biogeographic histories, making them excellent for studying the processes affecting the generation and distribution of genetic diversity. I tested hypotheses about the distribution of population genetic diversity within species and examined levels of genetic and phenotypic divergence within 50 species of Philippine birds. The first study empirically tested two models for the distribution of population genetic diversity (increasing diversity with decreasing latitude and decreasing diversity approaching range edges) and found no support for either model. This was not unexpected; in tropical island systems populations are fragmented and potentially more isolated, and their genetic diversity can be limited by island size. However, island size was not correlated with population genetic diversity. Instead, estimates of time spent in evolutionary isolation, inferred from genetic distances between populations within species, were positively correlated with population genetic diversity. This result suggests a possible link between the generation of genetic diversity within populations and the generation of new evolutionary lineages in this system. The second study measured and compared genetic and phenotypic divergence between 136 populations within 50 species and tested the prediction that avian diversity is underestimated in the Philippines. More than half of these species included at least one population that exceeded species-level divergence under conservative thresholds. These results support an urgent need for the taxonomic revision of Philippine birds and have implications for the management of biodiversity in island systems

A Look Back on Ole Miss Football\u27s Spring Break Mission Work in Haiti

The Rebel family helped provide a sustainable water system to their friends in Camp Mari

Smart Money, Noise Trading and Stock Price Behavior

This paper derives and estimates an equilibrium model of stock price behavior in which exogenous "noise traders" interact with risk-averse "smart money" investors. The model assumes that changes in exponentially detrended dividends and prices are normally distributed, and that smart money investors have constant absolute risk aversion. In equilibrium, the stock price is the present value of expected dividends, discounted at the riskless interest rate, less a constant risk premium, plus a term which is due to noise trading. The model expresses both stock prices and dividends as sums of unobserved components in continuous time. The model is able to explain the volatility and predictability of U.S. stock returns in the period 1871-1986 in either of two ways. Either the discount rate is 4% or below, and the constant risk premium is large; or the discount rate is 5% or above, and noise trading, correlated with fundamentals, increases the volatility of stock prices. The data are not well able to distinguish between these explanations.

Wild Bird Banding and Testing for Avian Influenza in the Plain of Reeds, Vietnam

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus H5N1 presents an incredible threat to human and animal health throughout the planet. Little is known about the prevalence of this virus in wild bird populations; however it is evident that the virus has spread throughout most of Asia, Eastern Europe and North Africa through well established migratory flyways. Although H5N1 was first detected in central China, Vietnam has been hit the hardest by this virus, with nearly one hundred human cases to date (World Health Organization, 2006) and one hundred twenty million dollars lost in their poultry industry (Gov. of USA, 2005). Even though incidents of human and poultry outbreaks in Vietnam have decreased significantly in recent months, it is likely that the H5N1 virus is still present in the wild. Capturing and banding wild and migratory birds in the Plain of Reeds of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam will allow viral samples to be collected that can be tested for the presence of the H5N1 virus, thus increasing HPAI surveillance in the country and potentially preventing or minimizing future outbreaks both in country and along migration routes

Stratigraphy and development of the Late Miocene-Early Pleistocene Hawke’s Bay forearc basin

A Late Miocene-Early Pleistocene mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentary succession about 2 500 m thick in the Hawke’s Bay forearc basin is the focus of a basin analysis. The area under investigation covers 3 500 km2 of western and central Hawke’s Bay. The stratigraphy of Hawke’s Bay Basin is characterised by dramatic vertical and lateral facies changes and significant fluxes of siliciclastic sediment through the Late Miocene and Pliocene. This project aims to better understand the character and origin of the sedimentary succession in the basin. Geological mapping has been undertaken at a scale of 1:25000, with data managed in an ARCINFO geodatabase, following the database model employed in the IGNS QMap programme. Along the western margin of the basin there is progressive southward onlap of late Cenozoic strata on to basement. The oldest units are of Late Miocene (Tongaporutuan) age and the youngest onlap units are of latest Pliocene (Nukumaruan) age. Geological mapping of the basin fill places constraints on the magnitude (about 10 km) and timing (Pleistocene) of most of the offset on the North Island Shear Belt. Lithofacies have been described and interpreted representing fluvial, estuarine, shoreface and inner- to outer-shelf environments. Conglomerate facies are representative of sediment-saturated prograding fluvial braidplains and river deltas. These units are dominated by greywacke gravels and record the erosion of the Kaweka-Ahimanawa Ranges. Sandstone facies typically comprise very well sorted, clean non-cemented units of 10-50 m thickness that accumulated in innershelf environments. Siltstone facies probably accumulated in relatively quiet, middle- to outer-shelf water depths, and comprise well-sorted, firm non-cemented units with occasional tephra interbeds. Limestone facies represent examples of continent-attached cool-water carbonate systems that developed in response to strong tidal currents and a high nutrient flux during the Pliocene. These facies are examples of mixed siliciclastic-bioclastic sedimentary systems. Of these facies the widespread distribution and thickness of sandstone and limestone units present the most potential for hydrocarbon reservoirs. Similarly, the distribution of siltstone and mudstone beds provides adequate seal rocks. Mangapanian limestone facies have already been targeted as potential petroleum reservoirs (e.g. Kereru-1). Geological mapping suggests that potential hydrocarbon reservoir and seal rocks occur extensively in the subsurface

Systematic lithostratigraphy of the Neogene succession exposed in central parts of Hawke’s Bay Basin, eastern North Island, New Zealand

This report presents a systematic lithostratigraphy for the Neogene (Miocene–Recent) sedimentary succession in central parts of Hawke’s Bay Basin in eastern North Island, New Zealand. It has been built up chiefly from strata exposed in outcrop, but petroleum exploration drill hole data have also been incorporated to produce this stratigraphic synthesis. Most of the strata exposed in this part of the basin are of Late Miocene (Tongaporutuan, local New Zealand Stage) to Recent age, and the majority of this report focuses on these starta, with brief description of Middle and Early Miocene formations. A companion PR report (Kamp et al. 2007) contains stratigraphic columns for sections through the Neogene succession described in this report

Walking With A Ghost: Sodomy, Sanity and the Secular

In the last twenty-five years there has been a boom in scholarship on Charles Brockden Brown that connects his work to social developments that occurred in the early American republic. Brown scholars often read him as a man ahead of his time as his writing addresses, hints at, or even inverts social mores. The scholarship around Brown\u27s novel Edgar Huntly has concentrated on how the narrative addresses westward expansion and white settlers\u27 relationship with Native Americans or the ways in which Edgar Huntly connects to Revolutionary society. Kate Ward Sugar engages with this narrative in a different way, exploring the dynamic of sleepwalking as a way to address male homosocial bonds. Scholars though continue to side step the eroticism within this narrative and the implications of somnambulism\u27s status as a mental illness being tied to an unnamed desire. My thesis will therefore address this gap in the scholarship by integrating a queer and historicist reading of Edgar Huntly to suggest that Brown\u27s use of sleepwalking is done to reflect a social fear of the homoerotic. It is the goal of my thesis to explore Edgar Huntly as a narrative that weaves the danger of sodomy to sleepwalking, suggesting an implicit relationship between madness, illness, and same-sex desire. In order to fulfill this goal this thesis will employ a queer historicist approach, which aims to engage with the ambiguity of Brown\u27s work to reveal insights into the early American republic. After all as Brown wrote in Edgar Huntly, There are two modes of drawing forth the secrets of another, by open and direct means and by circuitous and indirect (4). To develop this paper\u27s argument, I will need to explore the casual relationship between the loss of Waldegrave\u27s letters and Edgar\u27s emotional distress as the cause of his sleepwalking. Brown himself described this as, ...a supposition not to be endured. Yet ominous terrors haunted me , as Edgar\u27s dread is fixated upon the potential of an unauthorized reader seeing these texts (91). Furthermore, close readings of Brown\u27s description of Edgar\u27s fixation on Clithero will highlight his unspeakable desire. This relationship will also allow us to later compare their fates as Clithero becomes, a madman whose liberty is dangerous, and who requires to be fettered and imprisoned as the most atrocious criminal, while Edgar leaves for Europe with his fiancé (193). Finally, drawing upon medical and legal texts from this period will show how Edgar Huntly suggests a pathologization of sexuality within the time period, in particular the developing figure of a secularized sodomite. This reading of Edgar Huntly not only expands the scholarship on sexuality in Brown\u27s writing, but also the history of sexuality, pointing towards a social development currently unexplored by scholars of the early American republic

PhD

dissertationThe vertebrate pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene codes for the large protein precursor to a number of small peptides with highly conserved sequence, including adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH), and $/beta$-endorphin. previous evidence suggests that structurally and possibly functionally related sequences (homologs) are present in unicellular organisms, and that these may be encoded within a similarly organized genes. This work attempted to identify a POMC homolog in the protozoan, Tetrahymena pyriformis, and in fission yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using two different equilibrium-type radioimmunoassays with polyclonal antibodies, I initially identified ACTH-like immunoactivity in extracts of both species. However, the same extracts showed no reaction in an immunoradiometric assay requiring greater structural similarity to vertebrate ACTH. The low concentration meant purification of adequate amounts of material to sequence was impractical. Southern analysis of Tetrahymena genomic DNA was unfruitful in identifying POMC-related sequences. However, yeast genomic DNA showed hybridizing bands when probed at low stringency with the rat POMC gene. Screening a yeast genomic DNA library under low stringency resulted in identification of one of the DNA sequences responsible. Analysis of hybridizing DNA showed a long open reading frame coding for a putative protein of 610 amino acids, showing 18% identity and 45% chemical similarity to the rat POMC precursor, with 30% identity to the vertebrate ACTH sequence. There was no significant homology to other vertebrate POMC-derived peptides, and the protein showed no features suggesting cleavage into smaller peptides. The presence of a leucine zipper motif and multiple phosphorylation sites indicated an ability to dimerize and possibly bind DNA. A second open reading frame was also found on the opposite DNA strand 500 bases upstream, showing strong homology to DNA-unwinding proteins. A poly(dA-dT) stretch between both genes may function as a common regulatory sequence. Northern analysis indicated the ORF1gene was expressed. However, deletion and overexpression analysis showed it was not likely to be responsible for the measured immunoactivity, that it was not essential, and that it had no effect on growth rate under normal aerobic conditions. Significance of the sequence similarity to POMC and possible functions are discussed

Russian Information Operations in the Soviet Strategic Framework

This thesis seeks to illuminate how information operations supports Russia’s strategy for creating power for the state. Using classic military theory and Soviet strategy as the lens, the paper examines information operations in the context of the nature of war. The examination includes historical and contemporary Russian publications on warfare, as well as information operations case studies from Eastern Europe, Georgia and Crimea. Russia’s operations are found to be consistent with a strategy of attrition. The opponent\u27s society is the primary target of information operations. The emphasis on information operations within contemporary Russian concepts of modern war indicate that the Russian military theory establishment judge this means of war as useful and persistent. Western nations must seek to separately and holistically understand Russia\u27s strategy and how information operations support it, as well as the role of society in the rubric of war. These elements are essential to counter Russian aggression

Late Miocene – Early Pleistocene paleogeography of the onshore central Hawke’s Bay sector of the forearc basin, eastern North Island, New Zealand, and some implications for hydrocarbon prospectivity

The timing of trap formation in relation to the timing of source rock burial and maturation are important considerations in evaluating the hydrocarbon prospectivity of onshore parts of the forearc basin in central Hawke’s Bay. We describe here aspects of the Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene paleogeography for the area based on detailed field mapping and lithofacies analysis, to help constrain petroleum systems evaluations. Key conclusions are: • Most deformation of the forearc basin fill appears to be relatively young (i.e. post-2 Ma). This deformation has occurred after a major phase of Late Miocene to Pliocene sediment accumulation, and is particularly significant along the northwestern and southeastern margins of the basin. • The axis of the forearc basin in central Hawke’s Bay appears to have undergone little structural deformation. Gentle force and reverse faults in the subsurface may be suitable traps. • The most widespread potential reservoir beds are Miocene sandstone beds. • Potential hydrocarbon source rocks are mostly absent from western parts of the basin due to significant Neogene uplift and erosion. They are, however, probably still widely preserved beneath central parts of the basin where uplift and erosion have been much less pronounced. • Miocene structures within the axis of the basin, buried by the Late Miocene to Pleistocene siliciclastic succession, are likely exploration targets. The forearc basin has been substantially inverted along its western side since the latest Pliocene, resulting in erosion of older sediments, including potential source rocks, down to basement in ranges flanking its western side. The stratigraphy along the eastern margin of the forearc basin, and particularly the outcrop pattern of westward-younging Plio-Pleistocene limestones, records the development of faulting and folding associated with the elevation and growth of the inboard part of the accretionary wedge. Parts of the forearc basin succession have become involved in the accretionary wedge, which has migrated westward through time. Uplift of the inboard margin of the accretionary wedge since the latest Miocene helped to cause an interior seaway to develop to the west during the Pliocene. Distinctive coarse-grained bioclastic carbonate sediments of the Te Aute lithofacies were deposited along both margins of the seaway, which was most extensive during the Late Pliocene (Mangapanian). Although significant volumes of siliciclastic sediment were supplied to the basin during the Pliocene, strong tidal currents periodically swept much of these sediments northeastward. Tidal connections existed during the Pliocene into Wanganui Basin in the vicinity of Kuripapango and Manawatu Gorge. By the latest Pliocene (lower Nukumaruan), the interior seaway became closed in the south with uplift of the Mount Bruce block in northern Wairarapa. Potential reservoirs within the map area include both shelf and redeposited sandstone beds in the Miocene to Early Pliocene Tolaga Group. Thick, coarse-grained, variably cemented Plio-Pleistocene limestone lithofacies in the Mangaheia Group are widespread along the margins of the basin, and have been the targets for several past exploration programmes. However, drilling has shown that the attractiveness of the Pliocene limestone facies as reservoir beds is limited because they quickly pass laterally into siliciclastic mudstone away from the margins of the basin