Interaction of genes and culture is crucial for human evolution. Human ethnic groups and subcultures frequently function as discrete units, and people clearly distinguish between in- group and out-group individuals on a cultural basis. This thesis aims to model the formation of distinct cultural clusters, cultural equivalents of distinct species. Historical development of theories of blending inheritance led to the formation of biometric parallels to Mendelism. Galton-Pearson model of nonparticulate inheritance with constant offspring variance, the most influential model of continuous inheritance ever formulated, was based on measurements of genetically transmitted traits. Ronald Fisher later demonstrated, that this type of inheritance directly stems from polygenic traits with additive genetic variance. Dan Sperber's metaphor of culture space allows integrating any continuous models of position inheritance into computer simulations of the evolution of culture. Most studies today, however, employ particulate models of cultural inheritance. The exceptional works of Cavalli-Sforza and Feldman pioneer the continuous models of cultural inheritance applying Galton-Pearson model to culture. Galton-Pearson inheritance is, unfortunately, not a very good model of cultural transmission. Parental...

Process mining is the application of data science technologies on transactional business data to identify or monitor processes within an organization. The analyzed data often originates from process-unaware enterprise software, e.g. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. The differences in data management between ERP and process mining systems result in a large fraction of ambiguous cases, affected by convergence and divergence. The consequence is a chasm between the process as interpreted by process mining, and the process as executed in the ERP system. In this thesis, a purchasing process of an SAP ERP system is used to demonstrate, how ERP data can be extracted and transformed into a process mining event log that expresses ambiguous cases as accurately as possible. As the content and structure of the event log already define the scope (i.e. which process) and granularity (i.e. activity types), the process mining results depend on the event log quality. The results of this thesis show how the consideration of case attributes, the notion of a case and the granularity of events can be used to manage the event log quality. The proposed solution supports continuous event extraction from the ERP system. / Process mining är användningen av datavetenskaplig teknik för transaktionsdata, för att identifiera eller övervaka processer inom en organisation. Analyserade data härstammar ofta från processomedvetna företagsprogramvaror, såsom SAP-system, vilka är centrerade kring affärsdokumentation. Skillnaderna i data management mellan Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)och process mining-system resulterar i en stor andel tvetydiga fall, vilka påverkas av konvergens och divergens. Detta resulterar i ett gap mellan processen som tolkas av process mining och processen som exekveras i ERP-systemet. I denna uppsats används en inköpsprocess för ett SAP ERP-system för att visa hur ERP-data kan extraheras och omvandlas till en process mining-orienterad händelselogg som uttrycker tvetydiga fall så precist som möjligt. Eftersom innehållet och strukturen hos händelseloggen redan definierar omfattningen (vilken process) och granularitet (aktivitetstyperna), så beror resultatet av process mining på kvalitén av händelseloggen. Resultaten av denna uppsats visar hur definitioner av typfall och händelsens granularitet kan användas för att förbättra kvalitén. Den beskrivna lösningen stöder kontinuerlig händelseloggsextraktion från ERPsystemet.

Doctor of Philosophy / Genetics Interdepartmental Program - Biology / Susan J. Brown / Understanding evolutionary processes that structure genetic variation associated with lineage diversification and speciation is a central problem. Shifts in host plant use by insect herbivores and subsequent divergence in mating signals can lead to sexual isolation, especially when selection for specialization on different hosts restricts gene flow among populations. The grasshopper Hesperotettix viridis (Thomas) is an oligophagous grasshopper feeding on plants primarily in the host plant genera Gutierrezia and Solidago in Kansas. I used mitochondrial and microsatellite genetic markers to evaluate the diversification pattern and underlying evolutionary mechanisms of two putative host races of H. viridis. I also quantified host preferences, the degree of sexual isolation among putative host races and divergence in cuticular attributes to identify the nature and origins of initial barriers that isolated populations in the formative stages of divergence. mtDNA data revealed a star-shaped phylogeny, suggesting isolation in a single refugium ~110,000 years ago based on a molecular clock, followed by rapid population expansion. Microsatellite data reveal significant host-based genetic differentiation and structuring in H. viridis populations in Kansas, including a microsatellite locus under strong divergent selection. Neutral microsatellite loci did not reveal a differentiation pattern specific to host plant use. Significant host-based preferences by individuals that fed on two host plant groups were detected in host paired-feeding preference studies. No-choice mate selection experiments revealed preferences for individuals collected from the same host species independent of location with little mating observed between individuals from different host species. Significant differentiation in color and cuticular composition among different host plant races within the study area was also detected. Correlations between host choice, mate choice and phenotypic divergence were observed and this host associated divergence appears to have a genetic basis. Based on the results of this study, I conclude that divergent selection for host plant use underlies observed sexual isolation among populations in this species. Hesperotettix viridis populations in Kansas that fed on Solidago and Gutierrezia species represent two incipient host races, early stages of diversification that could lead to speciation in insect herbivores.

Understanding the genetic basis of adaptive evolution, and how natural selection has shaped patterns of polymorphism and divergence within and between species are enduring goals of evolutionary genetics. In this thesis, I used whole genome re-sequencing data to characterize the genomic signatures of natural selection along different evolutionary timescales in three Populus species: Populus tremula, P. tremuloides and P. trichocarpa. First, our study shows multiple lines of evidence suggesting that natural selection, due to both positive and purifying selection, has widely shaped patterns of nucleotide polymorphism at linked neutral sites in all three species. Differences in effective population sizes and rates of recombination largely explain the disparate magnitudes and signatures of linked selection that we observe among species. Second, we characterize the evolution of genomic divergence patterns between two recently diverged aspen species: P. tremula and P. tremuloides. Our findings indicate that the two species diverged ~2.2-3.1 million years ago, coinciding with the severing of the Bering land bridge and the onset of dramatic climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene. We further explore different mechanisms that may explain the heterogeneity of genomic divergence, and find that variation in linked selection and recombination likely plays a key role in generating the heterogeneous genomic landscape of differentiation between the two aspen species. Third, we link whole-genome polymorphic data with local environmental variables and phenotypic variation in an adaptive trait to investigate the genomic basis of local adaptation in P. tremula along a latitudinal gradient across Sweden. We find that a majority of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (&gt;90%) identified as being involved in local adaptation are tightly clustered in a single genomic region on chromosome 10. The signatures of selection at this region are more consistent with soft rather than hard selective sweeps, where multiple adaptive haplotypes derived from standing genetic variation sweep through the populations simultaneously, and where different haplotypes rise to high frequency in different latitudinal regions. In summary, this thesis uses phylogenetic comparative approaches to elucidate how various evolutionary forces have shaped genome-wide patterns of sequence evolution in Populus. / <p>The research in this thesis was supported by the Swedish research council (to Pär K. Ingvarsson) and the JC Kempe Memorial Scholarship Foundation (to Jing Wang). The PhD study of Jing Wang in Sweden was funded by the State Scholarship from China Scholarship council.</p>

Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude de modèles de Lévy exponentiels en finance, et en particulier : 1. aux propriétés de continuité de prix d'options en fonction des paramètres de processus de Lévy, 2. à la préservation de la propriété de Lévy lors du passage à une mesure martingale de f-divergence minimale, 3. à l'étude de modèles de type change-point, obtenus par recollement à un instant aléatoire de deux exponentielles de processus de Lévy. Pour l'étude de la continuité, on obtient d'abord des résultats de convergence pour les processus de Lévy sous les mesures martingales et on en déduit par la factorisation de Wiener-Hopf la convergence de nombreux prix d'options. On donne ensuite des résultats de continuité de prix sous différentes mesures martingales minimisant des f-divergences. Il a été remarqué que la préservation de la propriété de Lévy a lieu pour toute f-divergence dont la dérivée seconde est une fonction puissante. On montre que sous certaines conditions sur les paramètres des processus de Lévy, la préservation n'a lieu que pour des f-divergences classiques. La dualité entre maximisation d'utilité et minimisation de f-divergence nous permet alors d'obtenir une formule générale pour certaines stratégies optimales. Pour les modèles de type change-point, on décrit la forme des mesures martingales de f-divergence minimale en explicitant le lien avec les mesures minimales associés aux deux processus de Lévy sous-jacents. On donne également la forme de stratégies optimales liées à la maximisation d'utilité.

Information theoretical measures are used to design, from first principles, an objective function that can drive a learning machine process to a solution that is robust to perturbations in parameters. Full analytic derivations are given and tested with computational examples showing that indeed the procedure is successful. The final solution, implemented by a robust learning machine, expresses a balance between Shannon differential entropy and Fisher information. This is also surprising in being an analytical relation, given the purely numerical operations of the learning machine.

The purpose of this thesis is to introduce theoretical and analytical approaches to mortality convergence and divergence tendencies and assessment of these tendencies in the European area since late 1950s using selected analytical tools. In the considered period fundamental changes in mortality development in Europe were observed. The theoretical part of this study deals with the assumptions of mortality convergence and divergence which are included in significant demographic theories and concepts. In the practical part of this thesis, there are analyzed convergence and divergence tendencies of life expectancy at birth in 28 European countries between the years 1959 and 2009 using selected basic statistical characteristics of variability as well as of indicators that consider state population size. Divergence tendencies of mortality since the 1970s are documented and quantified, the specific development of convergence and divergence from the mortality point of view in post-communist states at the end of the 20th century is observed. Next, possibilities of future convergence of mortality in the Czech Republic to states with more favorable initial mortality conditions on the basis of the development of life expectancy at the exact age of 65 in the period 1990-2009 are evaluated. According to this approach,...

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Entomology / David C. Margolies / Yoonseong Park / The predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari, Phytoseiidae) is one of the most frequently released natural enemies for biological control of spider mites in greenhouse and outdoors crops. In this research, I utilized Expresses Sequence Tags (ESTs), the most cost effective approach for transcriptome exploration, to study three different aspects of this arachnid species for which there is little genomic information. I combined two EST datasets from different whole body cDNA libraries and analyzed by bioinformatics means. Approximately 54% of 10,256 uniESTs were annotated based on the homology to sequences in the National Center for Biotechnological Information (NCBI) database. A list of these uniESTs, sorted from most to least likelihood based on the expected value from the blast search in public databases, was used to create tools for each of the three studies. First, I described sixty-one genes encoding products known to be important in pesticide metabolism and in endocrinology, including cytochrome P450s, glutathione-S-transferases, acetylcholinesterase homologs, neuropetides and neurohormones. Findings on arachnid specific esterases and neuropetides, and possible benefits to pest management programs, were discussed. Next, I inferred divergence time for Acari and the point of divergence of two lineages within anactinotrichid mites, Ixodes scapularis and Phytoseiulus persimilis. I used expresses sequence tags from the predatory mite P. persimilis to pull out 74 orthologous amino acid sequences of invertebrates species: nine insect species, Daphnia pulex, Ixodes scapularis, and Caenorhabditis elegans. I estimated a similar origin for Chelicerata (578.1 ± 38.2 - 482.2 ± 7.2 Mya) as in other recent studies. However, divergence dating using amino acid sequences suggested a Devonian origin of anactinotrichid mites (487.6 ± 32.2 - 410.1 ± 6.1 Mya) based on four reference dates (two fossil records and two molecular clocks) and four amino acid substitution methods; this estimate is much earlier that those in the current literature. This discrepancy of divergence times may be due to the use of a global clock. Finally, I developed molecular markers from the EST dataset to examine inheritance in the haplodiploid system in P. persimilis. Biparental contribution of chromosomes is required among the predatory mites but the paternal chromosome set seems to be eliminated or loss (Paternal genome loss, PGL) in male offspring. However, genetic studies in other two phytoseiid species were suggested diploid males with PGL only in the germ cells. In the present study, haploid adult males of P. persimilis have been observed using five independent EST-derived markers. Single mites derived from inter-population crosses were genotyped after whole genome amplification. The parahaploid genetic system in P. persimilis is supported by this study, in which both sexes arise from fertilized eggs but the paternal chromosome set is subsequently lost in males.

Resumo: O objetivo do presente trabalho foi caracterizar a morfologia de frutos, sementes e desenvolvimento pós-seminal e estudar a divergência genética entre árvores matrizes de Carapa guianensis Aublet., em duas populações naturais no Amapá, uma em Mazagão e outra em Macapá, por meio de caracteres biométricos de frutos e sementes, processo germinativo, desenvolvimento inicial de plântulas e teor de óleo. Na descrição morfológica utilizou-se estereomicroscópio para observação das características externas dos frutos, sementes e plântulas nas diversas fases de desenvolvimento pós-seminal. A divergência genética foi avaliada pela análise de agrupamento, através do algoritmo de Tocher e do método UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Using an Arithmetic Average), obtido a partir da matriz de dissimilaridade pela Distância Euclidiana. Para verificação da importância relativa de cada variável para a divergência genética utilizou-se a análise de Componentes Principais. Os frutos de C. guianensis são cápsulas septífragas, secas, deiscentes, pluriloculares, polispérmicas e subglobosas. As sementes são grandes, angulosas e convexas na região dorsal. A germinação é do tipo hipógea-criptocotiledonar e as plântulas apresentam metáfilos paripinados, hipocótilo pequeno, epicótilo glabro, sublenhoso, com duas a seis gemas axilares protegidas por catáfilos. Nos dois métodos de agrupamento as 25 árvores matrizes foram distribuídas em cinco e seis grupos, respectivamente, em Mazagão e Macapá. Oito (50%) e 12 (75%) dos 16 caracteres avaliados, repectivamente, em Mazagão e Macapá, foram considerados de pequena importância para a divergência. Dos caracteres mais importantes para a divergência, a massa de sementes, a largura de frutos e o teor de óleo foram comuns nas duas localidades. Há grande variabilidade entre as árvores matrizes de C. guianensis ...(Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The objective of the work was the morphological characterization of the fruits, the seeds, the post-seminal development and to evaluate the genetic divergence among mothers trees of Carapa guianensis of two natural populations located in Amapá, one in Mazagão and another in Macapá, through biometric traits of fruits and seeds, oil production, germination process and formation of the seedlings. To morphological description, the external characteristics of the fruits, the seeds and the seedlings in various stages of postseminal development were observed in a stereomicroscopy. The genetic divergence was evaluated using clusters analysis, by the algorithm of Tocher and method of UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Using an Arithmetic Average), obtained by the Euclidian Distance. To verify the relative importance of each variable for divergence was applied the analysis of Principal Components. The fruit of C. guianensis is a septicidal capsule, drought, dehiscent, plurilocular, polyspermic and subglobose. The seeds are large, angulate and convex in the back. The germination is hypogeal cryptocotilar and the seedlings have pinnate metaphylls, small hipocotyl, glabrous epicotyl, subwoody, with two or six axillary buds protected by cataphylls. In clusters analysis the 25 mother trees were distributed in five and six groups, respectively, in Mazagão and Macapá. Eight (50%) in Mazagão and 12 (50%) in Macapá of 16 characters evaluated were considered of presented lower importance for genetic divergence. The more important characters to the study of genetic divergence were the fresh mass of the seeds, fruit width and oil content, common in both locations. The great variability among mother trees of C. guianensis and the genetic divergence studies can xvii possibility the identification of mother trees to seed collection for use in conservation and improvement programs. / Orientador: Rinaldo Cesar de Paula / Coorientadora: Fabíola Vitti Môro / Coorientador: Fabiano Cesarino / Banca: Miguel Luiz Menezes Freitas / Banca: Mario Luiz Teixeira de Moraes / Mestre

Existem poucas informações relacionadas com a comparação de populações de soja derivadas de cruzamentos com diferentes níveis de divergência genética (DG). Os objetivos deste trabalho foram comparar o desempenho de duas populações de soja derivadas de genitores com baixa e alta DG. Foram realizados dois cruzamentos com genitores diferindo quanto à divergência genética baseada em marcadores moleculares AFLP: baixa DG (IAC-12 x IAC-100) e alta DG (EMBRAPA-60 x EMGOPA-315). Para cada cruzamento foram obtidas 100 progênies F2:3, que foram avaliadas experimentalmente em três ambientes e, posteriormente, selecionadas as 25 progênies mais produtivas. Em seguida foram obtidas 10 linhas puras F5:7 de cada uma das 25 progênies, originando aproximadamente 250 linha puras de cada cruzamento. No ano agrícola 2012/13 foram conduzidos os experimentos de avaliação, utilizando um delineamento em parcelas subdivididas, onde as progênies foram alocadas nas parcelas e as linhas puras dentro de progênies nas subparcelas, e as parcelas arranjadas em um látice balanceado 5x5 (seis repetições). As subparcelas foram constituídas de linhas de 2 m, espaçadas de 0,5 m, contendo 30 plantas após o desbaste. Os caracteres avaliados foram: número de dias para a maturação (DM), altura das plantas na maturação (AM), acamamento (AC) e produção de grãos (PG). A partir da análise de variância foram estimados os seguintes parâmetros para cada cruzamento: média geral, amplitude de variação das médias das linhas puras dentro de progênies, variância genética entre linhas puras dentro de progênies (?^2l/p ), variância fenotípica entre médias de linhas puras dentro de progênies (?^2/ F (l/p) ), coeficiente de herdabilidade entre médias de linhas puras (h ^2/X(l/p) ) e resposta esperada com seleção (Rs). Para todos os caracteres, as médias gerais foram maiores para o cruzamento de maior DG. Para PG, AM e DM as estimativas das variâncias genéticas entre linhas puras dentro de progênies F5:7 foram maiores no cruzamento de maior DG, bem como as amplitudes de variação das médias das linhas puras. Consequentemente, a resposta esperada com seleção entre médias de linhas puras dentro de progênies para PG foi 47,6% maior, em média, bem como a proporção de linhas puras de alta produção, para o cruzamento de maior DG. Os resultados deste trabalho indicam que o uso das medidas de divergência baseada em marcadores moleculares AFLP na escolha de genitores para cruzamentos pode ser uma ferramenta útil para reduzir o número de cruzamentos e, consequentemente, aumentar a eficiência da seleção para produção de grãos em soja. / There is limited information in relation to comparison of populations derived from crosses with different levels of genetic divergence (DG) in soybeans. This work was carried out to compare the performance of two soybean populations derived from parents with low and high DG. From two two-way crosses of soybeans with different levels of AFLP molecular marker genetic divergence (DG): low DG (IAC-12 x IAC-100) and high DG (EMBRAPA-60 x EMGOPA-315), one hundred F2:3 progenies were evaluated in three environments and then selected the 25 high yielding progenies. Ten inbred lines were derived in the generation F5:7 from each of 25 high yielding progeny giving rise to approximately 250 inbred lines for each cross. Evaluation trials were carried out in the 2012/13 growing season, using a split plot design, where progenies were allocated in the plots and inbred lines within progenies in the subplots, and plots arranged according to a 5x5 balanced lattice (six replications). Subplots consisted of 2 m rows spaced by 0.5 m, with 30 plants after thinning. The following traits were recorded: number of days to maturity (DM), plant height at maturity (AM), lodging (AC) and grain yield (PG). The following parameters were estimated: general mean, amplitude of variation of inbred lines within progenies means, genetic variance of inbred lines within progenies ( ?^2 l/p ), phenotypic variance on inbred lines within progenies mean basis ( ?^ 2 F(l/p) ), heritability coefficients on inbred line mean basis ( h ^2 X(l/p) ) and expected response to selection (Rs) on inbred line mean basis. For all traits, general means were higher for the high DG cross. For PG, AM and DM, genetic variance among inbred lines within F5:7 progenies were higher for the high DG cross, as well as the amplitude of variation of inbred line means. As a result, expected response to selection for grain yield (PG) was 47.6% higher, on average, as well as the proportion of high yielding inbred lines for the high DG cross. General results indicate that the use of genetically divergent parents based on AFLP molecular markers for choosing parents for crossings can be useful to reduce the number of crossings, and thus, to improve the efficiency of selection for grain yield in soybeans.