Species delimitation and the population genetics of rare plants : a case study using the New Zealand native pygmy forget-me-not group (Myosotis; Boraginaceae) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Biology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

Myosotis L., the forget-me-nots, is a genus of about 100 species distributed in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. There are two centres of diversity, Eurasia and New Zealand. The New Zealand species are a priority for taxonomic revision, as they comprise many threatened species and taxonomically indeterminate entities. This thesis includes a taxonomic revision of the native New Zealand Myosotis pygmaea subgroup, followed by an exploration of the genetic effects of rarity, and implications for conservation management. Species delimitation follows the general lineage model, in which multiple lines of evidence are analysed to identify evolutionary lineages. The morphological data collected from herbarium specimens and live plants grown in a common garden were used to delineate the M. pygmaea group and identify several groups within it that nearly matched the current taxonomy. High levels of plasticity were also uncovered. Microsatellite loci were developed as polymorphic markers for the M. pygmaea group for species delimitation and conservation genetics. Over 500 individuals were genotyped, mostly focusing on the M. pygmaea group but including several outgroup species for comparison. Several genetic clusters were identified showing morphological or geographic patterns. Considering both the genetic and morphological data, as well as novel ecological niche modelling, there is evidence for three main lineages within the M. pygmaea group which are formally recognised as M. antarctica, M. brevis and M. glauca. M. antarctica is further subdivided into two subspecies based on allopatry and morphology, namely subsp. antarctica and subsp. traillii (formerly M. drucei + M. antarctica and M. pygmaea, respectively). Using this new taxonomic framework to explore genetic variation relative to rarity shows very little difference among species. This is most likely due to the confounding effect of high levels of self-fertilization and low dispersal, which means that the majority of genetic variation within these species is partitioned between, rather than within populations. The implication for conservation is that each population is equally important in terms of their contribution to the genetic diversity of each species. This thesis represents a major increase in our knowledge of the evolution, systematics, taxonomy, rarity and conservation of New Zealand native forget-me-nots

Influence of Motivation on the Efficacy of Natural Family Planning

Purpose: Mutual motivation is recognized as essential for effective behavioral methods of family planning. Few studies have studied this factor in family planning efficacy. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of mutual motivation on unintended pregnancy rates of couples who used natural family planning (NFP) methods to avoid pregnancy. Study Design and Methods: Using an online taught NFP method, 358women and ( their male partners) indicated “how much” and “how hard” they wished to avoid pregnancy on a scale of 0-10 before each menstrual cycle charted over 12 month of use. This motivation scale is used in the National Survey of Family Growth as a measure of motivation. All pregnancies were verified with an online pregnancy evaluation and urine based pregnancy test. A combined motivation score was used in analysis. Results: There were 28 pregnancies among the low motivation participants (N=60) and 16 among the high motivation participants (N=298). At 12 months of use, there were 75 pregnancies per 100 users for the low motivation group and only 8 for the high motivation group. There was an 80% greater likelihood of a pregnancy with the low motivation group (χ2 = 25.5, p \u3c .001) OR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.61-1.90). Clinical Implications: High motivation to avoid pregnancy by both the female user of a behavioral method of family planning and her male partner is required for high efficacy. Assessing motivation of both the woman and her male partner before prescribing NFP methods is recommended

The enzymological characterization of the Inositol Phosphatase Synaptojanin

Synaptojanin is unique in that it is the only mammalian inositol phosphatase to contain more than one catalytic domain; a CX5R Suppressor of Actin (Sac) domain and an Inositol Polyphosphate Phosphatase Catalytic (IPPc) domain. The enzyme has been shown to play a crucial role in synaptic vesicle recycling and its functioning has been implicated in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Many domains and sub-units in bi- and multi-functional enzymes are found to operate in a co-dependent manner. In this work, the possibility that the functioning of the Sac and IPPc domains in Synaptojanin are co-dependent was investigated. The kinetic parameters of the IPPc domain were assessed in a double Sac/IPPc phosphatase and compared to that in both a double phosphatase where the Sac activity had been rendered inactive and a single IPPc phosphatase. It was found that the VMax activity of the IPPc domain towards its lipid substrate PI(4,5)P2 is significantly lower when the Sac domain is not present or functional. Likewise, it was found that the VMax activity of the Sac domain towards PI(4)P is reduced when the IPPc domain is removed or its activity rendered inactive. Interfacial recognition and substrate channelling were investigated as mechanisms to explain the domain dependency. However, they were found not to contribute to the observed differences in VMax. Instead, it seems likely that protein-lipid interactions induce the dependency. In summary, this thesis presents the first evidence that the catalytic domains in Synaptojanin act in a co-operative manner and probes the mechanism by which the domains interact

Student diversity, extra-curricular activities and perceptions of graduate outcomes

This research will examine how different student groups engage with extra-curricular activities and what effect these activities have on their degree and graduate outcomes. Recent research has indicated that different student groups have different degree and employment outcomes, this research examines how different student groups engage with extra-curricular activities and what effect these activities have on their degree and graduate outcomes. It examines what extra-curricular activities students participate in and whether different groups have preferences for different types of activities (i.e. are there patterns of participation in certain activities by certain groups of students) and if so what impact does this patterning have on graduate employment potential. Extra-curricular activities are broadly defined in this research, such as part-time work, involvement in University union clubs and societies, (and different types of clubs and societies, cultural, sporting and other), other University related activities such as volunteering, class representation, etc. and other activities outside of University life, such as family commitments and community activitie

Writing from inside the fire: reflections on the fire-centered politics of the 2015/16 South African student movements

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Art by research in the Department of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand, April 2017Fire lives briefly, breathes sharply and spreads with urgency across the surface of the earth. Writing from Inside the Fire offers a series of reflection on the fire-centered politics that have been ignited within the RhodeMustFall and FeesMustFall movements. in this paper I trace the political roots of fire and explore the ways in which it employed as a tool of resistance and empowerment during the anti-apartheid struggle.: [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]  XL201

Impact of Human Disturbance on the Behavior and Physiology of the Endangered Ringed Sawback Turtle (Graptemys oculifera)

Turtles are one of the most threatened taxa worldwide. In addition to direct anthropogenic impacts such as hunting and pollution, unintentional indirect human disturbance affects poikilothermic turtles by disrupting thermoregulatory basking behavior. In this thesis I assess the behavioral and physiologic impacts of high boat traffic, reductions of basking structures, and environmental factors on basking behavior, rates of disturbance, thermoregulation, parasite load, shell condition, and population recruitment in two populations of the endangered ringed sawback (Graptemys oculifera), also known at the ringed map turtle, on the Pearl River outside Jackson, MS. Basking behavior was influenced by availability of basking structures, boat traffic, zone (wake or no wake), boat type, air temperature, weather, and Julian day. Mathematic simulations of anthropogenically disturbed and undisturbed adult female ringed sawbacks shoa decrease in body temperatures due to disturbance, an effect which was magnified in higher probabilities of disturbance and in the months of May and June compared to July and August. Parasite load did not differ between populations, despite apparent differences in human disturbance. Shell condition was poorer in the population near urban development, and fewer juveniles and young adults were found in the population subject to higher boat traffic. This study explores the effect of unintentional human disturbance on ectothermic riverine turtles and provides management recommendations for the conservation of an endangered, endemic species

The Nineteenth-Century Social Imaginary of the Rebellious Maidservant

This thesis argues that the nineteenth-century bourgeoisie created and reproduced a ‘social imaginary’ of the figure of the rebellious female servant: a socio-cultural construct that is created and understood through elements of nineteenth-century literary and non-literary discourses. I argue that it is thanks to the identification and analysis of a new nineteenth-century literary subgenre that I label le roman de la servante that we can recognize and study the workings of this interconnected network of discourses. In its most schematic form, le roman de la servante is a corpus of literary texts foregrounding a rebellious maidservant as literary protagonist in its own right. It includes works by Stendhal, Balzac, the Goncourts, Barbey d’Aurevilly, Maupassant, Zola, Mirbeau and Léon Frapié. The nineteenth-century authors whose works make up my corpus of texts initially represent a fictional maidservant heroine who implements different strategies of revolt against her bourgeois masters and mistresses in order to escape her oppressive situation as a servant and obtain a sense of power and freedom. I identify and analyse these strategies of revolt through Georges Didi-Huberman’s recent theory of soulèvements, as outlined in his recent study Désirer désobéir: Ce qui nous soulève I (2019). These methods of revolt through the maidservant’s appearance, voice and thoughts consequently allow female servant characters to reverse the prevailing power dynamics between servants and their masters and mistresses, as well as between men and women. I then combine this theory of soulèvements with a third-wave feminist reading of nineteenth-century fictional representations of female freedom in order to argue that it is through soulèvements that maidservant protagonists are only able to gain a ‘sense’ of freedom, and therefore happiness, from their oppressive situations. In the process, I demonstrate how the social imaginary limits the representation of the fictional maidservant’s agency in their respective plots whilst simultaneously restricting the male author’s freedom in his representation of the fictional female servant’s revolt to a reproduction of the stereotypes and prejudices that surrounded her. The figure ultimately remains part of a masculine fantasy about subservient female figures, despite any limited amount of freedom she achieves. The fictional servants in le roman de la servante therefore can never fully transcend their roles as servants: they are either punished or remain subservient to the male characters. The social imaginary of the rebellious maidservant serves as a new category through which the representation of the female servant in the nineteenth-century French novel and short story can be understood insofar as it deepens our understanding how the bourgeoisie’s fragile class position, alongside their collective, misogynistic stereotypes and prejudices concerning categories of class, race and gender, had imagined the female servant as a potential thief, spy and a gossip; a possible temptress with the capacity to corrupt men and children alike; a probable contagion of (sexual) diseases and even a dangerous threat to the bourgeois family

Neoliberalisation of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park as a tourist region

Proponents of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) make a number of claims in favour of this relatively new conservation strategy, one of which is that it leads to an increase in tourism. Despite the growing body of literature on the subject of TFCAs, very little research has been conducted on whether or not this assumption is true. This study therefore draws on and situates itself within this literature on TFCAs and the neoliberalisation of nature and seeks to test this claim through the use of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) as a case study. This is achieved firstly by assessing the changes in tourism development that have taken place both within the Park and in the area surrounding it as a result of the KTP's formation, and secondly by comparing the KTP's tourist levels prior to becoming a TFCA with those from after the TFCA was established, in order to determine what trends and changes have taken place as a result of this development. In doing so, this paper challenges the claim that TFCAs automatically lead to an increase in tourism and tourist development by showing that the link between the two is tenuous at best. It also broadens the scope of enquiry on the subject of TFCAs by analysing the relationship between TFCAs and the small scale, nature-based economic activities that take place around them, a matter which is largely ignored in the literature and, in doing so, critiques the assumption that all nature-based economic activities are part of a wider neoliberal agenda

The use of focus cues in healthy ageing

It is known that general processing resources decline with age (Craik, 1983), yet language comprehension typically remains well preserved in normal aging (Wingfield & Grossman, 2006). It is well known that placing a concept within the scope of focus either with syntactic devices or prosody increases the salience of the text information (e.g., Birch & Rayner, 1997; Cutler & Fodor, 1979; Baker & Wagner, 1987; Cooreman & Sanford, 1996; Sturt, Sanford, Stewart & Dawydiak, 2004). Since information structuring cues are used over a lifetime, it is possible that it is preserved as a cue in older adults and that it may be used to offset other processing difficulties. However, focus may be considered a linguistic equivalent of devices for manipulating selective attention, and there is evidence that older people have difficulties with some selective attention tasks, and have difficulties with the inhibition of irrelevant stimuli. It is thus difficult to predict how older people might respond to focus cues during language processing. There is no evidence regarding this question, and the present thesis contains work aimed at an answer. This thesis presents a series of studies, including sentence continuation studies, self-paced reading studies, delayed probe recognition and eye-tracking studies, and one change detection study investigating the effect of focus and related cues on an older age group. The main findings are older adults showed in some cases larger effects of focus and subordination, in terms of reading times, change detection and probe recognition rates, than did their younger counterparts. However, older and younger participants have different processing patterns based on the proper name/role description contrast, unlike the findings from the information structuring cues. These findings are discussed in relation to existing research on how healthy adult ageing modulates language processing

Ventilation in occupied homes: measurement, performance and sociotechnical perspectives

In the UK, steps have been taken to reduce air permeability of buildings and reduce their energy consumption due to unplanned ventilation. However, adequate ventilation is required for good indoor air quality. The building regulations require means for adequate ventilation in new buildings for good indoor air quality, and in England Approved Document F (ADF) sets out how this may be achieved. Nonetheless, few detailed studies of ventilation in occupied homes have been carried out. This project addresses aspects of ventilation measurement, performance of ventilation systems and the sociotechnical nature of ventilation in occupied homes. Ventilation in occupied buildings is driven by building characteristics, ventilation equipment, weather conditions and occupant actions and therefore can be highly variable. Despite this, much ventilation research in occupied homes either measures a long-term average ventilation rate or collects a small number of `snap-shot’ measurements of ventilation rate. This research developed a method for measuring ventilation rates in occupied homes based on the tracer gas decay technique using metabolic CO₂. The method was applied in four occupied dwellings over 6 months to give more than 500 ventilation rate measurements. These results facilitated assessment of the performance of the ventilation system and exploration of the variation in ventilation rates. This revealed significant differences in the ventilation rates experienced by occupants in the different dwellings and highlighted shortcomings in the planned ventilation system. Ventilation in occupied homes is strongly influenced by occupants. The final part of the research used a social practice theory framework to compare the participants’ practices with the intended uses of ventilation equipment implicit in ADF. This revealed that although the participants shared many of ADF’s goals in terms of the air in their homes, their practices were more nuanced than ADF and that their use of the ventilation equipment did not reflect ADF’s intentions