Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1931. / Vita. Published also as Studies in history, economics and public law, enl. by the Facutly of political science of Columbia university, no. 343. "List of materials used": p. 223-236.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin, 1968. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis explores the hitherto under-developed relationship between population policy, nationalism and nation-building. It considers how and why the concepts of demography, population and population policy come into play in a sub-state national jurisdiction where the administration of social policy interacts with nation-building objectives as well as other social and political agendas such as support for the family, reduction of poverty, equal opportunities and employment protection. The thesis is designed to provide readers with general observations and preliminary analyses regarding the social and political role of population policy and public discussions thereof in the context of sub-state nationalism in Québec, federal-provincial relations in Canada, and the judicial process that led to the eventual legislation and implementation of Bill 140 An Act Respecting Parental Insurance in Québec. Bill 140, which has come to be known as the Québec Parental Insurance Plan, is a parental leave policy that was legislated in the National Assembly of Québec by two different substate national political parties between the years of 2000 and 2006. It had its origins in the Parti Québécois’ 1996 white paper policies. These family policies, which included affordable day care and the reduction of poverty, especially among women and children, were social democratic in their objectives and were informed by various interest groups. As Bill 140 evolved it developed the explicit objectives of encouraging potential and existing Québécois parents to have children and of providing Quebecers with a provincial parental leave scheme separate from that already administered by the Canadian federal government under the Employment Insurance Act. These objectives, it is argued, differed from those initially set in the province’s 1996 white paper. Bill 140’s attempted implementation in 2001 by the sovereigntist Parti Québécois failed because of unresolved jurisdictional battles with the Canadian federal government but was successfully legislated in 2005 by the federalist Parti Libérale du Québec, after an administrative agreement was struck between the provincial and federal governments. It is the contention of this thesis that the relationship between population policies, nationalism and nation-building objectives is made much more explicit in a sub-state nation where the legislative and administrative boundaries of a political jurisdiction are often contested and jurisdictional battles can serve to highlight issues around national identity and cultural distinctiveness. In Québec, national identity and cultural distinctiveness are most often claimed in the form of linguistic ‘difference.’ This ‘difference,’ furthermore, is often granted public credence in the form of provincially administered social policies that are designed for the purpose of ensuring Québec’s ‘national survival.’ In the context of these broad nation-building objectives, many of which have been the subject of the literature on nations and nationalisms, this thesis explores the extent to which the concepts of population and demography have tended to be overlooked in scholars’ discussions of the reproduction of nationhood. The thesis suggests, therefore, that not only should the reproduction of nations and nationalisms concern us but so too should the policies that concern the reproduction of the nation’s members within a particular national boundary. The thesis concludes by justifying the need for further case studies in this exploratory area of sociology, politics and demography, an area that is currently ripe for further academic investigation.

Genetic diversity has rarely been the focus of study in species at risk in Canada. <i>Tradescantia occidentalis</i> is one of 157 species listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC 2005a). This species is nationally threatened due to the limited number of populations, their geographic isolation from each other and from the main distribution in the United States of America, and habitat loss. The National Recovery Team for Plants at Risk in the Prairie Provinces and the Alberta Western Spiderwort Recovery Team have called for research into the habitat requirements, demography, and genetic diversity of <i>T. occidentalis</i> in Canada. As a result, this study was designed to address the following objectives: 1) to conduct an inventory of the Canadian populations, 2) to investigate intra- and interpopulation genetic diversity in <i>Tradescantia occidentalis</i>, and 3) to provide recommendations for the conservation management of this species. <p>Information on demography and plant communities in <i>Tradescantia occidentalis</i> habitats indicated that the numbers of individuals in the Saskatchewan and Manitoba populations were similar to previous surveys; however, the Alberta population was significantly larger in number than prior estimates, indicating population growth. Taxonomic lists were prepared for each province in habitats with and without <i>T. occidentalis</i>. Community types, as separated by RA analysis, differed by province and not by association with <i>T. occidentalis</i>. Euphorbia esula, an invasive species in Canada, was observed in the Saskatchewan and Manitoba populations but was absent in Alberta. <p> Using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), genetic diversity was assessed at the intra- and interpopulation levels. Relatively low levels of intrapopulation variation were observed in Saskatchewan and Alberta, while higher levels were found in Manitoba. Gene flow via pollen or propagule transfer may account for higher genetic diversity among the closely situated Manitoba populations. The lack of correlation between dendrogram topology and geographic distribution suggests panmixia in all populations. Levels of intrapopulation diversity were low to moderate depending on primer combination used, indicating that populations are isolated within each province. <p>Information on population demography and genetic diversity are important within a conservation context. The large number of individuals within each population and the perceived increase in some populations suggest that the existing populations of <i>Tradescantia occidentalis</i> are relatively stable. Although levels of genetic diversity are low in Saskatchewan and Alberta compared to Manitoba, it appears that all populations are adapted to their local environments based on their apparent size and stability. The most viable conservation strategy for this species is in situ protection. This should include controlling invasive plant species, monitoring grazing, and preventing further habitat fragmentation. Ex situ methods must also be explored. Transplantation of individuals from one population to the next may not be a successful conservation strategy due to the moderate level of population differentiation. Alternatively, it is recommended that a seed bank from each population be implemented in case of a drastic population decline.

Genetic diversity has rarely been the focus of study in species at risk in Canada. <i>Tradescantia occidentalis</i> is one of 157 species listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC 2005a). This species is nationally threatened due to the limited number of populations, their geographic isolation from each other and from the main distribution in the United States of America, and habitat loss. The National Recovery Team for Plants at Risk in the Prairie Provinces and the Alberta Western Spiderwort Recovery Team have called for research into the habitat requirements, demography, and genetic diversity of <i>T. occidentalis</i> in Canada. As a result, this study was designed to address the following objectives: 1) to conduct an inventory of the Canadian populations, 2) to investigate intra- and interpopulation genetic diversity in <i>Tradescantia occidentalis</i>, and 3) to provide recommendations for the conservation management of this species. <p>Information on demography and plant communities in <i>Tradescantia occidentalis</i> habitats indicated that the numbers of individuals in the Saskatchewan and Manitoba populations were similar to previous surveys; however, the Alberta population was significantly larger in number than prior estimates, indicating population growth. Taxonomic lists were prepared for each province in habitats with and without <i>T. occidentalis</i>. Community types, as separated by RA analysis, differed by province and not by association with <i>T. occidentalis</i>. Euphorbia esula, an invasive species in Canada, was observed in the Saskatchewan and Manitoba populations but was absent in Alberta. <p> Using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), genetic diversity was assessed at the intra- and interpopulation levels. Relatively low levels of intrapopulation variation were observed in Saskatchewan and Alberta, while higher levels were found in Manitoba. Gene flow via pollen or propagule transfer may account for higher genetic diversity among the closely situated Manitoba populations. The lack of correlation between dendrogram topology and geographic distribution suggests panmixia in all populations. Levels of intrapopulation diversity were low to moderate depending on primer combination used, indicating that populations are isolated within each province. <p>Information on population demography and genetic diversity are important within a conservation context. The large number of individuals within each population and the perceived increase in some populations suggest that the existing populations of <i>Tradescantia occidentalis</i> are relatively stable. Although levels of genetic diversity are low in Saskatchewan and Alberta compared to Manitoba, it appears that all populations are adapted to their local environments based on their apparent size and stability. The most viable conservation strategy for this species is in situ protection. This should include controlling invasive plant species, monitoring grazing, and preventing further habitat fragmentation. Ex situ methods must also be explored. Transplantation of individuals from one population to the next may not be a successful conservation strategy due to the moderate level of population differentiation. Alternatively, it is recommended that a seed bank from each population be implemented in case of a drastic population decline.

In recent years a growing body of economic and social research has been directed towards studies of migration, the problem of the assimilation of immigrants and the persistence of cultural traditions in new environmental circumstances. The present study is an attempt to contribute towards this work by looking at the evolution of the Glasgow Highland community in the nineteenth century. Though the Highlanders in their homeland and overseas have attracted much attention, the study of their reaction to urban, industrial life has been subjected to less scrutiny. The work already done on this area has tended to argue that a speedy process of assimilation to the dominant cultural pattern took place. The present study looks at a wide variety of indicators, such as residential, employment and household patterns, as well as the question of cultural traditions, and argues, on the contrary, that a definite Glasgow Highland community existed,with its own institutions and patterns of social relationships, within the wider Glasgow society. In contrast to assimilation models, the Glasgow Gaels showed a preference for distinct settlement areas, as well as a predilection to &quot;clustering&quot; in certain employment opportunities. In addition, they demonstrated a loyalty to specific Highland institutions of a cultural and religious nature which marked them off from the non-Gael. These features in turn encouraged strong intra-group social and domestic relationships.

China is entering a new historical era that has as its demographic hallmark an ageing population. The fact that China is ageing before it becomes a modernised, wealthy country, presents serious challenges, one of the most direct and important of which relates to support for older members of society. This thesis concerns the way in which different factors affect intergenerational transfers from adult children to their old parents, with particular focus on living arrangements and parental income. The core question this thesis aims to address is: If public transfers increase, would this crowd out private transfers? The results of the estimated association between living arrangements and intergenerational transfers are also used to improve the robustness of the test of crowding-out effect. This study is based on empirical analyses of two waves of nationally representative datasets, covering adult individuals aged 60 and over from 20 provinces in urban and rural China. Living arrangements are vital to intergenerational transfers and welfare in old age, especially in China where the family-based support mechanism by which the young cared for the old was traditionally through coresidence. The descriptive statistics show that though coresidence is still the predominant living arrangement in rural areas, older Chinese people are increasingly less likely to co-reside with children. Such changes in living arrangements, however, do not leave older people isolated over time. Investigation of the determinants of older people’s coresidence decisions shows that older people with more financial or instrumental needs are more likely to live with children. Analysis of the determinants of parents’ living distance from children finds that in urban areas, old parents with higher pensions are more likely to live far away from children, although insignificant effects are found for rural samples. Finally, this study finds weak evidence that parents living far from children receive more intergenerational transfers. Overall, it has been found that family support, including intergenerational monetary transfers, is still prevalent in China; particularly in rural areas. Although a pattern of declining intergenerational transfers began to emerge during the period between 2000 and 2006, the family unit, and traditional family support, appear likely to remain an essential pillar of security in old age. Through the use of a variety of quantitative methodologies this thesis is able to provide robust estimates of how the increase in public programmes is influencing private transfers in China. Analysis of the factors that determine the incidence of receipt of transfers from children suggests that intergenerational transfers in China tend to target old parents that are in greater financial need. Moreover, the analysis of determinants of the size of transfer suggests that although altruism and exchange motives co-exist, the exchange motive dominates inter-generational transfers in urban China. This study does not find statistically significant estimates of transfer derivatives for older people in rural areas. The emerging pattern of support for older people indicates the pursuit of a new balance between formal and informal support. This thesis argues that a gradual increase in public transfers will not crowd out private transfers, and, in cities, may actually strengthen private transfers.

Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) is an Asian antelope species and it is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN. They have an economic, esthetic and cultural value / therefore, they had been hunted and domesticated for a long time. Additional human disturbance over years nearly led goitered gazelle populations in Turkey to extinction. Today in Turkey, only natural population of goitered gazelle lives in Sanlurfa. In this theses, demographic structure and population parameters of natural population goitered gazelle in Sanliurfa is studied. Line transect and regular surveys are performed to collect data about demographic structure of the population such as sex ratio and group composition. Line transect sampling, which is a distance sampling technique, is used to estimate population size and density of the population. GPS collared goitered gazelles are monitored for fecundity and survival rate. Data is collected for 18 from July 2008 to December 2009 during 32 field surveys. Four main transect samplings have been performed and including transect samplings that are done during regular surveys, 90 line transects are walked. Population sizes and densities were estimated to be (average &plusmn / standard error) 242 &plusmn / 184 and 2.302 &plusmn / 1.590 individual per km2 for July 2008 / 365 &plusmn / 179 and 3.476 &plusmn / 1.707 individual per km2 for January 2009 / 319 &plusmn / 111 and 3.039 &plusmn / 1.059 individual per km2 for June 2009 and lastly, 317 &plusmn / 243 and 3.019 &plusmn / 2.315 for November 2009. Survival rate is estimated to be 0.276, 0.540 and 0.585 for calves, 1 year old and 2+ years olds respectivelty, and fecundity is estimated to be 0.4. This preliminary study shows that according to Population Viability Analysis results, natural goitered gazelle population in Turkey will be extinct in next 10 years if more effective conservation is not performed.

abstract: Building mathematical models and examining the compatibility of their theoretical predictions with empirical data are important for our understanding of evolution. The rapidly increasing amounts of genomic data on polymorphisms greatly motivate evolutionary biologists to find targets of positive selection. Although intensive mathematical and statistical studies for characterizing signatures of positive selection have been conducted to identify targets of positive selection, relatively little is known about the effects of other evolutionary forces on signatures of positive selection. In this dissertation, I investigate the effects of various evolutionary factors, including purifying selection and population demography, on signatures of positive selection. Specifically, the effects on two highly used methods for detecting positive selection, one by Wright's Fst and its analogues and the other by footprints of genetic hitchhiking, are investigated. In Chapters 2 and 3, the effect of purifying selection on Fst is studied. The results show that purifying selection intensity greatly affects Fst by modulating allele frequencies across populations. The footprints of genetic hitchhiking in a geographically structured population are studied in Chapter 4. The results demonstrate that footprints of genetic hitchhiking are significantly influenced by geographic structure, which may help scientists to infer the origin and spread of the beneficial allele. In Chapter 5, the stochastic dynamics of a hitchhiking allele are studied using the diffusion process of genetic hitchhiking conditioned on the fixation of the beneficial allele. Explicit formulae for the conditioned two-locus diffusion process of genetic hitchhiking are derived and stochastic aspects of genetic hitchhiking are investigated. The results in this dissertation show that it is essential to model the interaction of neutral and selective forces for correct identification of the targets of positive selection. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Biology 2011

Reconstructing the origins and evolutionary journey of humans is a central piece of biology. Complementary to archeology, population genetics studying genetic variation among individuals in extant populations has made considerable progress in understanding the evolution of our species. Particularly, studies in indigenous humans provide valuable insights on the prehistory of humans because their life history closely resembles that of our ancestors. Despite these efforts, it can be difficult to disentangle population genetic inferences because of the interplay among evolutionary forces, including mutation, recombination, selection, and demographic processes. To date, few studies have adopted a comprehensive framework to jointly account for these confounding effects. The shortage of such an approach inspired this dissertation work, which centered on the development of model-based analysis and demonstrated its importance in population genetic inferences. Indigenous African Pygmy hunter-gatherers have been long studied because of interest in their short stature, foraging subsistence strategy in rainforests, and long-term socio-economic relationship with nearby farmers. I proposed detailed demographic models using genomes from seven Western African Pygmies and nine Western African farmers (Appendix A). Statistical evidence was shown for a much deeper divergence than previously thought and for asymmetric migrations with a larger contribution from the farmers to Pygmies. The model-based analyses revealed significant adaption signals in the Pygmies for genes involved in muscle development, bone synthesis, immunity, reproduction, etc. I also showed that the proposed model-based approach is robust to the confounding effects of evolutionary forces (Appendix A). Contrary to the low-latitude African homeland of humans, the indigenous Siberians are long-term survivors inhabiting one of the coldest places on Earth. Leveraging whole exome sequencing data from two Siberian populations, I presented demographic models for these North Asian dwellers that include divergence, isolation, and gene flow (Appendix B). The best-fit models suggested a closer genetic affinity of these Siberians to East Asians than to Europeans. Using the model-based framework, seven NCBI BioSystems gene sets showed significance for polygenic selection in these Siberians. Interestingly, many of these candidate gene sets are heavily related to diet, indicating possible adaptations to special dietary requirements in these populations in cold, resource-limited environments. Finally, I moved beyond studying the history of extant humans to explore the origins of our species in Africa (Appendix C). Specifically, with statistical analyses using genomes only from extant Africans, I rejected the null model of no archaic admixture in Africa and in turn gave the first whole-genome evidence for interbreeding among human species in Africa. Using extensive simulation analyses under various archaic admixture models, the results suggest recurrent admixture between the ancestors of archaic and modern Africans, with evidence that at least one such event occurred in the last 30,000 years in Africa.