Post-Conviction Review : Questions of Innocence, Independence, and Necessity

STETSON LAW REVIEW, VOLUME 47, FALL 2017, NUMBER 1Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Electoral Competition with Entry

By extending the established theoretical models of electoral competition with entry (eg. Palfrey (1984)) to incorporate simultaneous competition for multiple districts I produce a unique two party equilibrium under plurality rule with non-centrist party platforms. This equilibrium also precludes entry of additional parties. This result is used to provide a domain for which Duverger's Law could be expected to apply. I also present new results under the run-o_ rule for both the single district and multiple district frameworks. In the single district case I find that for the run-off rule the model is more consistent with empirical observation than it is for the plurality rule, but that this performance is reversed when we consider multiple districts. The paper also sheds some light on how the different levels of elections in the U.S. and other systems relate to each other

Social and environmental influences on mate attraction, mate choice and territorial defence

This thesis explores social and environmental influences on mate attraction, mate choice and territoriality across a range of model vertebrate and invertebrate species. Chapter 1 investigates context-dependent male mate choice in the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki). Theoretical models predict that male choice is strongly influenced by the level of male-male competition. I found, however, that males associated with larger females, irrespective of the presence of rivals or these rivals’ relative competitive ability. It seems, at least in this system, that males do not maximise their expected reproductive success in the immediate social setting. In Chapter 2 I explore who is the ideal neighbour for a male during the communal courtship displays of fiddler crabs (Uca mjoebergi) where females can encounter males at varying distances. The initial distance at which males are seen partly determined how neighbours’ sexual signals affected male mating success, suggesting that males should ideally court next to less attractive neighbours. Interestingly, fiddler crabs are also one of the few territorial species where larger (more attractive) males act to retain smaller (less attractive) neighbours by assisting them to repel intruders (defence coalitions). In Chapter 3 I show experimentally that males are indeed more likely to attract females if they court alongside smaller males. Chapters 4 and 5 examine the role of multiple male cues, namely the display rate, size and shape of the fiddler crab major claw, during female choice. I found that female U. mjoebergi selected mates based directly on wave rate but also indirectly on claw size because smaller males were less likely to wave. In a separate experimental study, controlling for the colour, wave rate and size of the major claw, I show that claw shape alone plays little or no role in female mate choice in this species. When male fiddler crabs (U. annulipes) lose their original major claw, they can regenerate a new one that looks nearly identical but reduces their fighting ability. In Chapter 6 I test whether claw regeneration has an effect on coalition formation. Males with regenerated claws are as likely to help their neighbours as are original clawed males. This suggests that even though males with regenerated claws are weaker competitors, they still benefit from retaining a smaller neighbour. Chapter 7 looks at the role that resource value plays in determining fight outcome for a territory centered on a burrow in U. annulipes. Here, I show that when the disputed resource is also required for breeding (i.e. during the mating period), individuals with low resource holding potential (RHP) can improve their chances of mating if they escalate fights. In the final chapter I test whether the social environment affects male advertisement calling in three populations of field cricket (Teleogryllus commodus). There is some evidence that males increase their calling effort in response to the presence of a rival. Males housed with a rival also experienced a significant reduction in adult longevity. My results highlight the potential importance of plastic behavioral changes in courtship by males to life history strategies

Principles of network development and evolution: an experimental study

This paper reports on an experimental investigation of the evolution of networks and the individual decision-making processes that guide it. Inasmuch as there is no history of experimental work on network formation, part of the paper is devoted to the formulation of problems that can be examined experimentally. The results are that networks, composed of decentralized decision makers, are capable of overcoming complex coordination and learning problems and converge to stationary when it does not occur, significant and persistent inefficiencies can result. The models of equilibration based on the principle of Nash equilibrium are more reliable than models based on the alternative principles of efficiency seeking or focalness of the network configuration. However, individual decision making within networks is not in accordance with the simple decision rules of Nash best response. Instead, we observed complicated strategies that appear to trade short-term profits in order to signal to and teach other agents the strategies required for long-term profit maximization

Modelling the cost of ill health in Health&WealthMOD (Version II): lost labour force participation, income and taxation, and the impact of disease prevention

This paper provides a detailed description of the construction of Health&WealthMOD (Version II). It is Australia’s only microsimulation model of health and illness and their impacts on labour force participation, income, wealth and government revenue and expenditure. In this paper, we describe Health&WealthMOD (Version II) and its architecture, the application of the model, and some of the results it has produced.Health&WealthMOD, cost of ill health, lost labour force participation, income, taxation, disease prevention

Principles of network development and evolution: An experimental study

This paper reports on an experimental investigation of the evolution of networks and the individual decision making processes that guide it. Since there is no history of experimental work on network formation, part of the paper is devoted to the formulation of problems that can be examined experimentally. The results are that networks, composed of decentralized decision makers, are capable of overcoming complex coordination and learning problems and converge to stationary configurations. While stationarity is frequently observed, such an achievement is not guaranteed and when it doesn’t occur significant and persistent inefficiencies can result. The models of equilibration based on the principle of Nash equilibrium are more reliable than models based on the alternative principles of efficiency seeking or focalness of the network configuration. However, individual decision making within networks is not in accordance with the simple decision rule of Nash best response. Instead we observe complicated strategies that appear to trade short term profits in order to signal to, and teach, other agents the strategies required for long term profit maximization