Regions Of Papua New Guinea Research Articles

Sequence typing of Haemophilus ducreyi isolated from patients in the Namatanai region of Papua New Guinea: Infections by Class I and Class II strain types differ in ulcer duration and resurgence of infection after azithromycin treatment.

Haemophilus ducreyi (HD) is an important cause of cutaneous ulcers in several endemic regions, including the Western Pacific Region, especially among children. An HD sequence typing on swab samples taken from 1,081 ulcers in the Namatanai district of Papua New Guinea, during the pilot study for treatment of yaws, has been performed using the Grant typing system. Of the 363 samples that tested positive for the 16S rDNA of HD, the dsrA sequences of 270 samples were determined. Altogether they revealed 8 HD strain types circulating in Namatanai, including seven strain types of Class I (I.3, I.4, I.5, I.9, I.10, I.11, I.12) and one strain of Class II (II.3); four Class I types (I.9, I.10, I.11, I.12) were novel. The southern region of Namatanai (Matalai Rural) was identified as the region with the lowest genotype diversity and with most infections caused by HD Class II. The middle and northern subdistricts were affected mainly by HD Class I. Analysis of patient characteristics revealed that Class II HD infections were more often represented by longer-lasting ulcers than Class I HD infections. An increase in the prevalence of the I.10 strain was found after azithromycin administration compared to the untreated population at baseline likely reflecting higher infectivity of HD Class I, and more specifically strain type I.10.

Recollections: Australian Connections, Collaborations, and Collections in the Sepik Region of Papua New Guinea, 1960s–1970s

Recollections: Australian Connections, Collaborations, and Collections in the Sepik Region of Papua New Guinea, 1960s–1970s

Potential Provinces in Papua New Guinea for Rice Farming

Papua New Guinea has plenty of land with suitable agro-climatic conditions for rice farming, but despite this, the country still needs to import rice to meet the demands of its rapidly growing population and urbanization. To address this issue, a research project was undertaken to create a realistic scope and map of areas within each province of Papua New Guinea that are suitable for rice production, using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. The study included nineteen regions of Papua New Guinea. A digital surface model was used to determine the suitability of each area for large-scale rice farming, based on climate, soil factors, and topography. The Erdas Imagine v-11 model builder was used to create a critical model for the suitability of rice mapping. Each province was classified into five classes based on the suitability of the land for rice farming. The results showed that approximately 14% of the land in Papua New Guinea is exceptionally suitable for rice farming. Eight provinces (Central, East Sepik, East New Britain, Morobe, Madang, Milne Bay, West New Britain, and Western Province) were identified as having large-scale land suitable for rice production and were evaluated accordingly.

Population structure and genetic diversity in Eucalyptus pellita based on SNP markers.

Eucalyptus pellita has the characteristics of rapid growth and high resistance. However, there is little research on molecular breeding of E. pellita, which is essential to shortening breeding life and selecting quality varieties. Therefore, a crucial step before selective breeding can be carried out to increase the wood quality of E. pellita is identifying genetic diversity and population structure using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. In this study, the genetic diversity of 1st generation 196 E. pellita families from 23 geographically defined was assessed using 1,677,732 SNP markers identified by whole genome resequencing. SNP annotation showed that the ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous coding mutations was 0.83. Principal component analysis (PCA), phylogenetic tree, and population structure analysis permitted the families to be categorized into three groups, one of which (G2) contains most of the Indonesian (IDN) and Papua New Guinea (PNG) families. Genetic relationship analysis showed that IDN was closely related to PNG. Genetic diversity analysis showed that He, PIC, I, and H mean values were 0.2502, 0.2027, 0.3815, and 0.2680, respectively. PCA analysis classified various provenances in QLD into two categories (G1 and G3). The genetic diversity of G3 was higher than that of G2. The results of genetic differentiation (Fst) showed that PNG region was divided into two groups (PNG1 and PNG2), the Fst (0.172) between QLD and PNG2 region was higher than QLD and PNG1, and the Fst (0.024) between IDN and PNG1 is smaller than IDN and PNG2. A Mantel test revealed a positive correlation between the genetic and geographic distance of E. pellita. This study has a certain reference value for genetic identification, germplasm preservation, and breeding of E. pellita. Also, it provides a basis for subsequent association analysis to explore excellent alleles and introduction.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Papua New Guinea: A Narrative Scoping Review.

Antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections are a known threat to the public health of low-income countries and are undercharacterized in Papua New Guinea. A scoping literature review of scientific peer-reviewed publications on antimicrobial resistance in Papua New Guinea was conducted, and their results were summarized. Many of the available data on resistant bacteria in Papua New Guinea have come from Port Moresby and Goroka and have been focused on Staphylococcus aureus, as well as important pediatric pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Progressive resistance to the commonly used antibiotics penicillin and chloramphenicol among most clinically important bacterial pathogens has prompted healthcare workers to adopt expensive broad-spectrum antibiotics. There is already evidence of resistance to newly adopted antibiotics among several Gram-negative organisms. Drivers of antimicrobial resistance in Papua New Guinea include a high burden of infectious diseases, inappropriate antibiotic prescription practices, poor regulation of antibiotics, incomplete adherence, substandard drug quality, and overcrowding of healthcare facilities. There is a lack of information on antimicrobial resistance among priority pathogens and from several important regions of Papua New Guinea.

Evidence for a universal association of auditory roughness with musical stability.

We provide evidence that the roughness of chords-a psychoacoustic property resulting from unresolved frequency components-is associated with perceived musical stability (operationalized as finishedness) in participants with differing levels and types of exposure to Western or Western-like music. Three groups of participants were tested in a remote cloud forest region of Papua New Guinea (PNG), and two groups in Sydney, Australia (musicians and non-musicians). Unlike prominent prior studies of consonance/dissonance across cultures, we framed the concept of consonance as stability rather than as pleasantness. We find a negative relationship between roughness and musical stability in every group including the PNG community with minimal experience of musical harmony. The effect of roughness is stronger for the Sydney participants, particularly musicians. We find an effect of harmonicity-a psychoacoustic property resulting from chords having a spectral structure resembling a single pitched tone (such as produced by human vowel sounds)-only in the Sydney musician group, which indicates this feature's effect is mediated via a culture-dependent mechanism. In sum, these results underline the importance of both universal and cultural mechanisms in music cognition, and they suggest powerful implications for understanding the origin of pitch structures in Western tonal music as well as on possibilities for new musical forms that align with humans' perceptual and cognitive biases. They also highlight the importance of how consonance/dissonance is operationalized and explained to participants-particularly those with minimal prior exposure to musical harmony.

Indirect dating of secondary cave burials in the Massim region of Papua New Guinea reveals last millennium reorganisation of social practices

ABSTRACTIn the Massim Island region of southeastern Papua New Guinea secondary interment of skeletal remains was widely practiced historically, but its social context and regional expression in the deeper past remains uncertain. In this paper the chronology of secondary burial on Panaeati Island is established indirectly by reconstructing the cultural and spatiotemporal association of 21 clay pots placed with human skeletal remains at Biniwaga Cave, coincidently establishing the first whole vessel typology of Southern Massim Combed Pottery (SMCP) and Southern Massim Pottery (SMP). Comparison with excavated pottery assemblages on Panaeati and elsewhere in the region demonstrates that the Biniwaga pots are consistent with SMCP and early SMP, dating from 740 to 470 calBP. Secondary burial practices on Panaeati are contemporary with those recorded elsewhere in the region and coincide with changes in pottery production centres. Compared to excavated pottery assemblages from contemporary sites, a relatively narrow range of pots are represented at Biniwaga. It is hypothesised that pots were selected to reflect the cultural affiliation of deceased individuals during a period of increasing inter‐island interaction.

Seroepidemiology of Strongyloides spp. Infection in Balimo, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

Strongyloidiasis in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is poorly understood. There have been limited surveys describing the levels of endemicity in some regions of PNG, but in the Western Province, its occurrence and level of burden are unknown. This study aimed to determine the seroepidemiology of Strongyloides spp. seropositivity within a community located in the Balimo region of the Western Province. Plasma samples were collected from 120 adult participants and were subjected to anti-IgG Strongyloides spp. serological testing. Logistical regression analyses were performed to identify relationships between strongyloidiasis and attributes of sociodemography. In this cross-sectional cohort study, 22.5% (27/120; 95% CI: 15.9-30.8%) of participants were seropositive for strongyloidiasis. Participants with higher body mass indices were less likely to be seropositive for Strongyloides spp. infection (odds ratio [OR] = 0.85, P value = 0.008), and in the multivariable analysis, increasing units of age (adjusted OR [aOR] = 0.93, P value = 0.048) and participants ≤ 40 years old were associated with a decreased likelihood of Strongyloides spp. seropositivity (aOR = 0.07, P value = 0.034). The results from this study indicate that the occurrence of strongyloidiasis is high in the Western Province, PNG, and age is a determining factor of seroreactivity. This study provides evidence of endemic strongyloidiasis in this community and raises questions as to the impact of this neglected disease and other intestinal parasites on disease burden and comorbidities.

ASSESSMENT OF DOSE RATE USING GAMMA RAY OBSERVATIONS IN THE MINING WASTE SAMPLES OF SIMBERI GOLD MINE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The specific activity of natural radionuclides were measured by gamma ray spectrometry with NaI(Tl) detector in the mining waste soil samples collected from Simberi gold mine in New Ireland province of Papua New Guinea. The isotope concentrations of 238U and 232Th in Simberi soil samples are 10.7 and 41.3 ppm respectively whereas the world average values are 2.64 and 11.1 ppm respectively. The average Radium equivalent activity in Simberi samples is 372.2±81.4 Bq/kg which is observed to be higher than the threshold safe value of 370 Bq/kg. The average internal hazard index for Simberi samples is found to be 1.4 which is higher than the maximum permissible value of 1.0. The Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) is calculated to be 0.00553±0.00122 in Simberi whereas the world average value is 0.00145. Radiation in Simberi is found to be higher which may be because Simberi is situated in the volcanic region of Papua New Guinea

TEMPORARY REMOVAL: Tropical splenomegaly in a migrant-in-transit crossing the Darien gap, Panamá: A probable case of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly

Hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly (HMS), or tropical splenomegaly syndrome, is a severe complication of chronic and recurrent infections caused by Plasmodium spp. This condition typically results in splenomegaly greater than or equal to 10cm and a constellation of laboratory findings, including the absence of identifiable parasites in peripheral blood smears. However, patients with HMS demonstrate serological or molecular evidence of infection. Despite being a familiar entity in malaria holoendemic countries in Africa, and regions of Papua New Guinea, the pathophysiology, natural history, and treatment of the syndrome remains to be fully elucidated. Herein, we describe a highly suggestive case of HMS in a Senegalese patient migrating northbound to reach the U.S.-Mexico border and for whom we provided medical care during his crossing of the Darien Gap in Panama. We also reviewed the literature on diagnosing and treating HMS in-depth.

Assessing Human Genome-wide Variation in the Massim Region of Papua New Guinea and Implications for the Kula Trading Tradition.

The Massim, a cultural region that includes the southeastern tip of mainland Papua New Guinea (PNG) and nearby PNG offshore islands, is renowned for a trading network called Kula, in which different valuable items circulate in different directions among some of the islands. Although the Massim has been a focus of anthropological investigation since the pioneering work of Malinowski in 1922, the genetic background of its inhabitants remains relatively unexplored. To characterize the Massim genomically, we generated genome-wide SNP data from 192 individuals from 15 groups spanning the entire region. Analyzing these together with comparative data, we found that all Massim individuals have variable Papuan-related (indigenous) and Austronesian-related (arriving ∼3,000 years ago) ancestries. Individuals from Rossel Island in southern Massim, speaking an isolate Papuan language, have the highest amount of a distinct Papuan ancestry. We also investigated the recent contact via sharing of identical by descent (IBD) genomic segments and found that Austronesian-related IBD tracts are widely distributed geographically, but Papuan-related tracts are shared exclusively between the PNG mainland and Massim, and between the Bismarck and Solomon Archipelagoes. Moreover, the Kula-practicing groups of the Massim show higher IBD sharing among themselves than do groups that do not participate in Kula. This higher sharing predates the formation of Kula, suggesting that extensive contact between these groups since the Austronesian settlement may have facilitated the formation of Kula. Our study provides the first comprehensive genome-wide assessment of Massim inhabitants and new insights into the fascinating Kula system.

Emotional responses in Papua New Guinea show negligible evidence for a universal effect of major versus minor music

Music is a vital part of most cultures and has a strong impact on emotions [1–5]. In Western cultures, emotive valence is strongly influenced by major and minor melodies and harmony (chords and their progressions) [6–13]. Yet, how pitch and harmony affect our emotions, and to what extent these effects are culturally mediated or universal, is hotly debated [2, 5, 14–20]. Here, we report an experiment conducted in a remote cloud forest region of Papua New Guinea, across several communities with similar traditional music but differing levels of exposure to Western-influenced tonal music. One hundred and seventy participants were presented with pairs of major and minor cadences (chord progressions) and melodies, and chose which of them made them happier. The experiment was repeated by 60 non-musicians and 19 musicians in Sydney, Australia. Bayesian analyses show that, for cadences, there is strong evidence that greater happiness was reported for major than minor in every community except one: the community with minimal exposure to Western-like music. For melodies, there is strong evidence that greater happiness was reported for those with higher mean pitch (major melodies) than those with lower mean pitch (minor melodies) in only one of the three PNG communities and in both Sydney groups. The results show that the emotive valence of major and minor is strongly associated with exposure to Western-influenced music and culture, although we cannot exclude the possibility of universality.

Governance networks in the delivery of public healthcare services in the Pacific: Implementation of the Bougainville Healthy Communities Programme

AbstractNetworks play a vital role in the delivery of public services, especially in countries where governments are constrained by capacity and funds. This study develops a framework of governance networks based on two dimensions: at the national and community levels, and within the governmental and non‐governmental sectors. Based on the framework, this article analyses the governance networks of the Bougainville Healthy Communities Programme (BHCP) and their nature of integration and collaboration. BHCP mainly operates as a public healthcare advocacy program in Bougainville, an underdeveloped autonomous region of Papua New Guinea. BHCP’s success reveals that the nature of interaction among the various actors is key to making governance networks work. Its experience demonstrates that governance networks are important in the effective delivery of services, particularly in countries where the governments face financial and human resources shortages.

Sensitive detection of Plasmodium vivax malaria by the rotating-crystal magneto-optical method in Thailand

The rotating-crystal magneto-optical detection (RMOD) method has been developed for the rapid and quantitative diagnosis of malaria and tested systematically on various malaria infection models. Very recently, an extended field trial in a high-transmission region of Papua New Guinea demonstrated its great potential for detecting malaria infections, in particular Plasmodium vivax. In the present small-scale field test, carried out in a low-transmission area of Thailand, RMOD confirmed malaria in all samples found to be infected with Plasmodium vivax by microscopy, our reference method. Moreover, the magneto-optical signal for this sample set was typically 1–3 orders of magnitude higher than the cut-off value of RMOD determined on uninfected samples. Based on the serial dilution of the original patient samples, we expect that the method can detect Plasmodium vivax malaria in blood samples with parasite densities as low as sim5–10 parasites per microliter, a limit around the pyrogenic threshold of the infection. In addition, by investigating the correlation between the magnitude of the magneto-optical signal, the parasite density and the erythrocytic stage distribution, we estimate the relative hemozoin production rates of the ring and the trophozoite stages of in vivo Plasmodium vivax infections.

A multi-purpose, multi-rotor drone system for long-range and high-altitude volcanic gas plume measurements

Abstract. A multi-rotor drone has been adapted for studies of volcanic gas plumes. This adaptation includes improved capacity for high-altitude and long-range, real-time SO2 concentration monitoring, long-range manual control, remotely activated bag sampling and plume speed measurement capability. The drone is capable of acting as a stable platform for various instrument configurations, including multi-component gas analysis system (MultiGAS) instruments for in situ measurements of SO2, H2S, and CO2 concentrations in the gas plume and portable differential optical absorption spectrometer (MobileDOAS) instruments for spectroscopic measurement of total SO2 emission rate, remotely controlled gas sampling in bags and sampling with gas denuders for posterior analysis on the ground of isotopic composition and halogens. The platform we present was field-tested during three campaigns in Papua New Guinea: in 2016 at Tavurvur, Bagana and Ulawun volcanoes, in 2018 at Tavurvur and Langila volcanoes and in 2019 at Tavurvur and Manam volcanoes, as well as in Mt. Etna in Italy in 2017. This paper describes the drone platform and the multiple payloads, the various measurement strategies and an algorithm to correct for different response times of MultiGAS sensors. Specifically, we emphasize the need for an adaptive flight path, together with live data transmission of a plume tracer (such as SO2 concentration) to the ground station, to ensure optimal plume interception when operating beyond the visual line of sight. We present results from a comprehensive plume characterization obtained during a field deployment at Manam volcano in May 2019. The Papua New Guinea region, and particularly Manam volcano, has not been extensively studied for volcanic gases due to its remote location, inaccessible summit region and high level of volcanic activity. We demonstrate that the combination of a multi-rotor drone with modular payloads is a versatile solution to obtain the flux and composition of volcanic plumes, even for the case of a highly active volcano with a high-altitude plume such as Manam. Drone-based measurements offer a valuable solution to volcano research and monitoring applications and provide an alternative and complementary method to ground-based and direct sampling of volcanic gases.

Spatio -Temporal Assessments of Rainfall Variability and Trends in the Highlands to Coastal Regions of Papua New Guinea

The present study assesses spatio-temporal rainfall variability of the most highlands to the coastal zones, comprising of eight provinces, of PNG. The variability investigation was carried out over for a period of 50 years starting from the year 1968 to 2018. After testing and checking for serial autocorrelation in the data series, Mann-Kendal non-parametric statistical evaluation was carried out to investigate rainfall trends and variability. Sen’s method was also used to investigate the magnitude of change in millimeters (mm) per year. Furthermore, the ArcGIS spatial analysis tools were used for the calculation of mean rainfall and to carry out spatial investigation. The assessments were carried out on an annual and seasonal basis within each designated study zone. CRU TS 4.03 gridded rainfall data on a 0.50 x 0.50 spatial resolution was used as an input data for trend as well as variability investigation. The CRU gridded station wise analysis was carried out to understand the variability at each specific location. From the assessments, it was found out that a higher rainfall is observed in the Eastern parts of Morobe, Southern Highlands region and central to northern part of Madang Province, while a low rainfall was observed in Goroka, the Western part of Morobe, Simbu, Western Highlands, Jiwaka and Enga province. From the trend investigation, it was observed that more grid stations show an increasing trend than a decreasing trend. On annual assessments, the significant decreasing trend is observed in the Enga and SH province, while significantly increasing trend is observed in the whole parts of Madang, and to the northern part of EH and Simbu Province. From overall assessments, it was found out that, there has been an increasing trend since 1968 up to the present.

Cup marks on Ambra Crater: a new engraving site in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACTWe report an unusual example of rock engravings in an open context in the Highlands region of Papua New Guinea. The highly weathered assemblage comprised a cluster of two “cup and ring” motifs with at least eight additional cup marks pecked on a small basalt boulder located on the summit of Ambra Crater (also Mt. Ambra), a potentially significant place because it has provided an elevated viewpoint across the denuded Upper Wahgi Valley landscape for millennia.

Site Suitability Analysis for Road in Mountainous Terrain Region of Papua New Guinea (A Case Study of Salt Noname Karimui District of Simbu Province)

Road infrastructure developments in rural Papua New Guinea (PNG) have not picked up pace due to mountainous and difficult geographical landscape. Hence road accessibility in rural Salt Nomane Karimui (SNK) District of Simbu province is emerged as a serious concern particularly with regard to impact of poor accessibility and mobility on agricultural produce and ability to access public amenities. Governing agencies have plans in place for road connectivity in Karimui region and other parts of SNK district but their attempts remain unsuccessful due to difficult geography and lack of technical data. This study utilized Geographical Information System (GIS) and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) techniques through Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to develop site suitability model to evaluate mountainous terrain and forest road connectivity in SNK district. The approach looking at in this research is to classify suitability factors into two principle classes’ i.e. Geophysical and Geotechnical influence as principle factors. Relatively important geophysical factors influencing road suitability sites including altitude, slope, river network, road and rainfall data are integrated to generate alternatively suitability map one. Geotechnical factors influencing road suitability sites including Lithology, Soil Texture and Landform are integrated to generate alternatively suitability map two. The final suitability map is produced by integrating the thematic layers of two principle factors and classified into five suitability classes i.e. less suitable, marginally less suitable, moderately suitable, suitable and highly suitable.

Why does illegal wildlife trade persist in spite of legal alternatives in transboundary regions?

ABSTRACT Both the characteristics of the value chains and the social-ecological context within which they exist are important to uncover motivations for engagement in legal and illegal value chains. Bêche-de-mer (dried sea cucumbers), shark fins, and fish maw (dried swim bladders) are valued products in the South Fly region of Papua New Guinea (PNG). We applied value chain analysis (VCA) to map the ‘vertical’ characteristics of trade and ‘horizontal’ contextual issues driving the trade. Vertical VCA showed that both legal and illegal value chains end in the same Asian cities, but using different routes. Prices offered by illegal middlemen to PNG fishers were significantly lower than those offered by legal buyers. Horizontal analysis showed five drivers (lack of information, obligatory dependencies to middlemen, kinship ties, need for cash, inaccessibility of legal markets) for accepting lower prices. We recommend interventions necessary to tackle these systemic drivers of illegal trade.

A Sketch Grammar of Pondi by Russell Barlow

Reviewed by: A Sketch Grammar of Pondi by Russell Barlow William A. Foley Russell Barlow. 2020. A Sketch Grammar of Pondi. Canberra: Australian National University Press. xiv + 200 pp. ISBN 9781760463830. Downloadable at press.anu.au. This is a short grammar followed by a brief Pondi–English and English–Pondi lexicon of a severely endangered Papuan, or non-Austronesian, language spoken in the Lower Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. There are no texts appended, but that is to be expected given the very brief period of fieldwork, some thirty hours overall, that was available to the author to document the language. The documentation of Pondi was a small side study by the author while he undertook his main project, a detailed documentation of the closely related Ulwa language, which resulted in his PhD dissertation at the University of Hawai'i (Barlow 2018). One might regard thirty hours as insufficient for the documentation of any language, and clearly this limits the scope of this description. However, given the close relationship between Pondi and Ulwa, which the author did very extensive fieldwork on over a few years, and his clear native ability as a linguist, this grammar actually has good coverage, though of course it is necessarily brief and many gaps exist. Pondi and Ulwa along with Mwakai (Barlow 2020) belong to the small Ulmapo family (formerly known as the Mongol–Langam family or as the Koam family in Foley [2018]), which in combination with some languages to their immediate east forms a subgroup within the larger Ramu family, which in turn, with the addition of the Lower Sepik family, constitutes the Lower Sepik–Ramu family (Foley 2018), one of the larger language families of Papuan languages, comprised of some thirty-five members. The author (p. 17) expresses skepticism of any genetic relationship between the Ulmapo and the Lower Sepik languages, but for this reviewer there is little doubt of that, and further evidence to support his claim will be presented below. Pondi like most languages of the Lower Sepik region is severely endangered, with no children now learning it and with no speakers under twenty. All good fluent speakers were over thirty at the time of the author's fieldwork, and with life expectancy in the region around sixty, its prognosis is very poor indeed. Its functions have been entirely usurped by Tok Pisin (see also Kulick 2019), and with no domains favored for its usage, its extinction in the next few decades seems assured. The phonology of Pondi is simple and quite typical of its region. There are voiceless and prenasalized voiced stops at four places of articulation, bilabial, alveolar, palatal, and velar (/s/ being the realization of the voiceless palatal [End Page 485] stop), with a corresponding nasal at each place, though surprisingly the language lacks /ŋ/. There are two semivowels /w/ and /y/ and again like most languages in the region a single liquid, the lateral /l/. Languages in the Lower Sepik region almost always have a single liquid, but its realization varies between a lateral /l/ and a flap /r/; for example, while Pondi has /l/, its close relative Mwakai has /r/, and even in Pondi, /l/ is realized as the flap [r] when following /t/. The vowel system is also very typical of its region, the standard five /i e a o u/ plus a nonlow central vowel, variably realized as high or mid, that is, [ɨ] or [ə]. The author writes this last vowel as <ï>, a convention for Pondi I hold to here. The morphosyntactic typology of Pondi is very typical of Ramu family languages, largely analytic and neutral or dependent marking, in very marked contrast to the highly wrought polysynthetic head marking typology of Lower Sepik family languages. Yet in spite of this huge typological divide, there are clear markers of genetic relationship, and Pondi exhibits a number of these. First are a few probable lexical cognates between Pondi and two geographically widely separated Lower Sepik family languages that I noticed while reading the grammar, given in table 1. Second, nouns in Pondi are inflected for number and in an unusual way that is common among Ramu family languages: a contrast between plural, which is overtly...