bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Structure and Functions of the Press in New Zealand
Authors:   , Cleveland Les
Published: November 2021

This thesis describes the general functions of the New Zealand news media system and the structure, organisation and control of both the daily press and broadcasting and television services in New Zealand. In order to analyse the performance of daily newspapers in detail, a methodology is laid down for the quantitative description of the subject content of newspapers. A sample of the wire copy transmitted to daily newspapers in New Zealand by the New Zealand Press Association is analysed and a study is made of the news selection and display practices observed by 16 daily newspapers in their handling of this material. Further samples of the content of the same 16 daily papers are then analysed in order to obtain characteristic subject content descriptions and to provide material for a generalised discussion of the way in which the newspapers appear to be exercising their functions. This leads to a treatment of the problems facing the New Zealand daily press and a brief outline of the role of the New Zealand Press Association in the New Zealand news media system, as well as a discussion of the possibilities that exist for the improved education and training of journalists. The work then concludes with a set of appendices in which the full texts of various documents are reproduced, as well as a bibliography of literature relevant to the general field of research on the New Zealand mass media.
The Effect of Patterned Sound Deprivation upon Auditory Discrimination in Albino Rats
Authors:   , Patchett Robin Fraser
Published: November 2021

To test the hypothesis that prior patterned or varied auditory experience was necessary for the development of auditory frequency discrimination and auditory pattern discrimination, groups of sprague-Dawley albino rats were deprived of patterned sound from birth by the novel technique of rearing them in 'white' noise. The sound deprived rats learned a frequency discrimination as easily as controls reared in varied sound conditions, but showed inferior performance on an auditory pattern discrimination task. Supporting experiments showed that the inferiority of varied sound deprived animals on the pattern discrimination task was not likely to have been due to their emotional state at the time of the testing nor to their inferiority in learning to respond in a discrimination task compared with non-deprived controls. Open-field testing showed that the sound deprived subjects did not differ from non-deprived controls in 'emotionality'. The sound deprived rats were not inferior, either, to controls on a complex visual discrimination task. Experiments were also carried out to explore the effect of various durations of patterned sound deprivation and the effect of the deprivation at various times in the life cycle of the rat on auditory pattern discrimination. The results of these experiments favoured an explanation for the effect of varied sound experience which proposed that patterned auditory discrimination development depended, simply, on prior experience with varied sound rather than an explanation which proposed that the effect depended on varied sound experience during a particular sensitive period in the life of the rat. The research involved a total of seven different experiments, the similarities in the findings of which when compared with those of other investigators working in the area of the effects of deprivation of patterned light on visual discriminations were noted. The present experiments support generalizations about the role of prior experience on later behaviour, based largely on experiments in the visual mode, by supplying evidence from another sensory mode.
Position and Identity in Visual Information Processing
Authors:   , Bunnell Julie
Published: November 2021

Information that is presented visually can be described in terms of its identity and in terms of its position, and a distinction can be drawn between what an item is and where that item is. For example, a letter displayed on a screen has both an identity (its name) and a spatial position; the spatial position can be specified either absolutely (the upper right quadrant) or relatively (beside the "x" and above the "y"). There is an obvious and intimate relationship between the identity component and the position component, and it is this relationship, between the the processing of position information and the processing of identity information, that forms the subject of the present thesis. First, the relevant I literature is reviewed. The relationship between position and identity is examined in the context of two major research areas: iconic memory and short term visual memory. Second, the concept of dimensional separability is considered with reference to the appropriate literature. The purpose is to indicate a theoretical framework within which the issue of concern may be profitably addressed. The key idea to be developed is that position and identity are asymmetrically separable dimensions. A small group of studies that offer tentative support to this conceptualization will be discussed. Third, the results of eight related experiments are reported. These experiments involve the recognition of position and/or identity information in a discrete trials procedure. The eight experiments fall into three separate groups. Experiments 1 to 3 examine the recognition of either position or identity information, with the two types of information presented in relative isolation. Several stimulus factors are manipulated in order to demonstrate differential effects upon the two dimensions. Experiments 4 to 6 examine the effect of the irrelevant dimension upon recognition of the relevant dimension. Experiment 4 uses a logically balanced set of stimuli, so that the irrelevant dimension is either consistent or inconsistent, whereas in Experiments 5 and 6 each dimension is examined in the context of consistent, inconsistent, or neutral information on the irrelevant dimension. Experiments 7 and 8 explore the integration of position and identity information by varying the task requirements. Shared attention conditions are contrasted with selective attention conditions to show the impact of attentional strategy. The thesis concludes with a general discussion of the results, and their accordance with the hypothesis of asymmetric separability.
A Social, Literary and Musical Study of Julie Pinel's Nouveau Recueil d'Airs Serieux et a Boire (Paris, 1737)
Authors:   , Brain Corisha
Published: November 2021

This thesis discusses the life and work of the eighteenth-century French composer, Julie Pinel. Pinel's extant music comprises one collection of music, Nouveau recueil d'airs serieux et a boire a une et deux voix, de Brunettes a 2 dessus, scene pastorale, et cantatille avec accompagnement, published in 1737, of which a critical edition has been produced in volume II of this thesis. There is little information regarding Pinel's life and work, however, the preface and privilege included in her Nouveau recueil provide some clues as to Pinel's biography. Her life and music are examined, with reference to the social, literary and musical environment she was working in. An added dimension is that Pinel was working as a professional musicienne at a time when women were beginning to find their voice and place in professional society. Pinel claims authorship of the majority of the poems in her collection, and the rest come from anonymous sources. Pinel's literary and musical output illustrates her obvious knowledge of the current trends in eighteenth-century France, with most of her poetry written for a female poetic voice, displaying many of the fashionable themes of the day. Her music displays a variety of styles, ranging from simple airs in binary form, traditionally found in most French airs serieux et a boire, to the operatic, and the fashionable rococo styles.
Role of a Putative Cyclic Di-GMP Forming Locus MSMEG_2196 in Mycobacterium Smegmatis
Authors:   , Youkhana Janet
Published: November 2021

Cyclic di-guanosine-monophosphate (c-di-GMP) has been recognized as a second messenger in bacteria controlling multiple cellular processes such as biofilm formation, motility, and virulence. Proteins containing GGDEF and EAL domains are engaged in the synthesis and degradation, respectively, of cyclic di-GMP. Some bacteria contain multiple proteins with GGDEF and EAL domains. The genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes only one protein (Rv1354c) which contains a GGDEF domain. This protein also contains a tandem EAL. The function of this protein in mycobacteria has not yet been determined. In this study, the orthologue of Rv1354c was investigated in Mycobacterium smegmatis (MSMEG_2196). The expression of MSMEG_2196 in M. smegmatis was altered by constructing sense and antisense expressing strains. The effect of the altered expression of MSMEG_2196 on M. smegmatis was tested under carbon, oxygen, phosphorous, and nitrogen limited growth conditions. There was no significant effect on growth in either the antisense or sense expressing strains grown under nutrient-rich, or carbon-, or oxygen-, or phosphorous limitation conditions. However, a growth effect was observed in the antisense expressing strain when grown under nitrogen-limited conditions. In particular, at mid stationary-phase (1,800 min) the MSMEG_2196 antisense strain had an OD600 value of 0.60, compared to that of the control M. smegmatis/pMind strain (OD600 value of 1.09). These results were further confirmed by the low colony forming units measures observed in MSMEG_2196 antisense strain. Proteomic analysis was carried out on the MSMEG_2196 antisesne expressing strain grown in the nitrogen-limited condition. Proteins that were differentially expressed were identified by mass spectrometry. A number of the proteins that were down-regulated in the antisense expressing strain are important in the survival of the bacteria under nitrogen-limited conditions. This study indicates a role for MSMEG_2196 in growth or survival of mycobacteria under nitrogen-limitations.
Laterality Differences in Perception
Authors:   , White Murray John
Published: November 2021

The subject of this thesis is laterality differences in perception. The term "laterality difference" refers to an asymmetry in report accuracy for stimuli presented about the center of a person's visual field. A discussion of the literature and experimental findings relevant to this topic is first given. This is followed by a detailed analysis of eight experiments which examine the effects of a number of variables on laterality differences. The main conclusion drawn from these experiments is that perceptual laterality differences are a function of acquired. Reading habits, the structural characteristics of the stimuli, and the order in which the stimuli are reported. To a lesser extent, they are also related to certain other factors such as differential eye sensitivity and handedness. An interpretation in terms of a "post-exposure trace-scanning" hypothesis is given to account for the experimental findings.
Movement as a window to the mind: grasping adults’ perception and understanding of others’ goal-directed movements
Authors:   , Sivanantham Schyana
Published: November 2021

Did you know you are a mindreader? Most of us have a fundamental curiosity about people and are in fact engaging in the process of mindreading every day, as we navigate our social worlds. For instance, we often think about what other people are thinking. On a more basic level, we even predict others’ goals based on their actions, such as when they reach for and grasp objects in their environment. This thesis aimed to test and validate a classic action observation paradigm. In order to do so, three experiments were conducted to investigate action observation for goal-directed movements. In Experiment 1, adults' eye gaze was tracked as they viewed reach-to-grasp movements. Contrary to standard predictions, results did not replicate gaze proactivity according to a motor matching account. Rather, adults' eyes latched on to targets that were larger and/or nearer to the agent’s hand. A motor matching account would have predicted that grasp type (pincer grasp or whole-hand prehension) should cue gaze proactivity to the congruent target (i.e., small object or large object, respectively). In Experiment 2, adults’ reaction times were measured as they viewed the same stimuli, but presented in static rather than dynamic format. Similarly to Experiment 1, adults’ response times were faster to detect a target when it appeared over an object closer to the reaching hand, rather than an object farther away from the hand. Again, this was not in line with a motor matching account. Finally, in Experiment 3, adults’ explicit probability judgements were solicited for still frames taken from the original video stimuli. Yet again, a distance effect prevailed, whereby adults explicitly predicted that the agent’s hand would contact the closer of two objects, even when the hand was at rest (in the absence of any motor cue). Overall, these results imply that adults are applying non-motor heuristics during action observation. As such, the stimuli tested in these classical studies may not be fit for purpose, that is, they do not reliably show a motor matching effect during action observation in adults. The implications of these findings for future research and theorising are also discussed.
Challenges of Development in Nibgee Village, Ethiopia
Authors:   , Tarekegn Tefera Alemu
Published: November 2021

This thesis examined why the Nibgeean community, situated in a deep valley 70 kilometres from the capital city of Ethiopia, has chosen to stay in a place where travel is difficult, and amenities are very basic or nonexistent. They have remained there independently, peacefully, and relatively unchanged, for generations; largely untouched by famines and wars that have afflicted wider Ethiopia. Various methods were employed in order to determine the points of view of the people of Nibgee and find out how they regard their own development and whether they subjectively experience deprivation. It was expected that they would feel profoundly in need of a road but direct observation, dream mapping and interviews established that they feel happy and proud as they are, and in fact their isolation is a strategic choice to maintain their self-sustainability and preserve their safe haven. Their traditional culture of cooperation, conservation and resistance to outside interference was found to have kept them safe for generations. They showed some interest in development, however, with different groups within the community showing particular interest in the development of a school and electricity.
New Zealand Families' Beliefs About What Constitutes Successful Management of Unsupervised Childcare
Authors:   , Trenberth Deborah Ann
Published: November 2021

This study explored what some New Zealand families believe constitutes the successful management of unsupervised childcare. It was designed to increase social understanding and practitioner knowledge of the issue by exploring families' beliefs, practices and perspectives. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to obtain a straight description of successful unsupervised childcare, using the everyday language of the participating families. Data was collected in semi structured interviews with five family groups, and subjected to content and thematic analysis. Findings suggest unsupervised childcare is both choice and solution, though parents are fearful of the legal and social consequences of using it. Context of the care is important, with the child's preference, community context and availability of adults through distal supervision critical components of its success. Trust between parent and child, the use of rules and boundaries to regulate child behaviour, the teaching of skills and strategies to build child competency, and parental support of children while unsupervised are identified by parents as factors linked to success. Parents identify increasing child independence and self responsibility as positive outcomes from the successful use of unsupervised childcare. The findings from this study, while not conclusive, provide an insight into the New Zealand experience of successful unsupervised childcare. This study has helped to identify positive factors resulting in good outcomes from which successful interventions could be developed, provides information that will be of particular interest to practitioners and policy makers, and provides a platform to launch larger studies into the issue of unsupervised children.
Commissioned for Mission: the Co-Relation between Mission Theology and Praxis in Contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors:   , Hadfield Anne Grace
Published: November 2021

In the 1993-4 Northern Hemisphere academic year, I had the privilege of studying at Birmingham University and the Mission Studies department of the Selly Oak Colleges. I also had the opportunity to peruse original letters and reports from London Missionary Society and Church Missionary Society missionaries who came to Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands last century. The content of these documents revealed personal stories of dramatic proportions; childbirth, death, drownings, loneliness and cultural shock. Alongside the personal stories lay the pragmatic accounts of establishing schools and mission stations with appropriate accompanying statistics in order to ensure continued funding Interwoven throughout were intensely evangelical sentiments about the salvation of the heathen.
Industry, Thrift and Divine Reward: an Examination of the Ideology and Theology of Work in New Zealand (1840-1992)
Authors:   , Horrex Philippa Kathryn
Published: November 2021

This study of the ideology and theology of work in New Zealand 1840 - 1992, is in response to political statements in 1991 regarding the lack of a work ethic in New Zealand. The concept of the Protestant work ethic as advanced by Max Weber is explored as a background supposition, and is augmented by an examination of the Victorian "gospel of work" which, it is argued, was the basis of the work ethic in New Zealand. Three time periods are explored within New Zealand history illustrating the contemporary work ideology among the politicians and the people, and reflecting on the churches' position in terms of work theology or ethics. The specific times examined in detail are the early colonial years (1840-1900), the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the period of the major restructuring of the New Zealand economy (1984-92). In each instance secular sources are explored, and some church records are examined, in particular those of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. A detailed survey undertaken in 1991 of a group of public servants who were at the centre of much of the Government's economic restructuring (1984-92), is taken as evidence of the existence of a work ethic ideology among a middle class professional group. The opinion is given that church in New Zealand has evolved from initially supporting the Victorian work ethic ideology of the capitalist system, to questioning its relevance in the late twentieth century but has contributed little to a contemporary theology of work. The conclusion is reached that historically New Zealanders have displayed a work ethic ideology which has been encouraged by the politicians.
Shared Parenting after Separation and Divorce in New Zealand
Authors:   , Opie Margaret Anne
Published: November 2021

Shared parenting after separation or divorce is an intricate, fluid process in which gender, power and ideology are implicated. The dominant focus of the literature is on sharply polarised assessments of the value of joint custody or shared parenting, and on the elaboration of the individual moral qualities ideally required by each parent which will help ensure the arrangement's success or failure. This thesis, however, addresses the systemic (individual and social) isssues, and the processes of family life which facilitate or complicate the arrangement. The conclusions indicate that it it is inappropriate to view shared parenting as that form of custody which necessarily safeguards the child's best interests. Rather, it should be viewed as one among several possible modes of custody; and that the particular outcome for any family of a choice of shared parenting after separation depends largely on the ability of those parents to manage their relationship, in which systemic, as well as personal factors are significant. The value of detailed qualitative research as a means to explore and understand areas of family life and relationships is demonstrated, in particular because of its power to reveal the complexity of family process. The crucial material evidence is the transcription of the unstructured, intensive, longitudinal interviews which generates texts suitable for a close textual reading or deconstructive analysis. Such an analysis opens for inspection the way that experience and the respondents' and researcher's textual production is constructed from and by gender, power, ideology, ambivalence, and process. It highlights the way in which elements of experience are often divided from each other and held separate as a consequence of the research act" and their interrelatedness obscured and destroyed. The use of deconstructive qualitative analysis has facilitated a further redefinition of the researcher/respondent relationship. It has emphasised the importance of creating typologies which, within a specific category, can encompass a diversity of experiences and positions. It has challenged the usual mode of sociological writing in which only the authorial voice is present, and has indicated the significance of allowing a range of voices to enter the text, thus emphasising the uncentredness of the social world.
Population Studies on the Southern Black-Backed Gull
Authors:   , Fordham Robin Alexander
Published: November 2021

An account is given of ecological studies on the Southern Black-backed Gull Larus dominicanus Licht in which attention is directed to the structure and balance of the Wellington population. This population is large; in the 1963-64 season more than 5,600 pairs were breeding in the study area, and the peak non-breeding season population in 1964 exceeded 12,000 birds. Its growth has been closely associated with the increase of the human population, and the present distribution and dispersal of gulls is strongly influenced by the distribution of " artificial" feeding sites such as refuse tips and meatworks. The population is composed of breeding colonies, night roosting flocks and daily communal flocks which are inter-related by the social activities and dispersal of the birds. Thus the population is more or less integrated, rather than simply comprising discrete geographic units. Seasonal fluctuations in size and age composition of communal flocks are discussed. Breeding success varies between colonies. It is affected by mammalian predation in some, and by drowning in others, while the largest colonies are comparatively safe for breeding birds. The rapid growth of the whole population in the last five to 10 years appears to have some influence on nesting density, clutch size, spread of laying and overall breeding success. In recent years production of young has been twice that required to maintain the population which has grown at the rate of not less than 7.2% annually. Mortality of banded gulls inside and outside the colony is described and the influence of several factors on chick mortality examined. The principal factor limiting the population appears to be the food supply in relation to the number of birds. When numbers increase and the food supply diminishes, major regulation of the population is apparently achieved in the colony by predation (but not cannibalism) of young by adults. Dispersal of banded gulls from the Wellington colonies is very restricted.
Sexual Abuse Counsellors' Responses to Trauma and Stress: a Social Work Perspective
Authors:   , Pack Margaret Jane
Published: November 2021

Using a qualitative research methodology, this study explores the range of social, organisational and theoretical factors that impact on sexual abuse counsellors. The relevance of the concept of vicarious traumatisation and the theoretical framework of constructivist self-development theory, as presented in the original study of McCann and Pearlman (1990) are investigated using a social work perspective. Secondly, the relationship between sexual abuse counsellors' responses to trauma and the theoretical frameworks identified as fruitful in their work with sexual abuse survivors are explored. Thirdly, the significant others of the primary participants were interviewed to elicit their perspectives of the impact of the work on their relationships with the counsellor-participants. This thesis adds to the body of knowledge about stress and trauma among sexual abuse therapists by introducing a multi-layered understanding of the challenges faced. It suggests that there are ways in which social workers and therapists can develop awareness and understanding of trauma and stress on multiple levels. It underlines the importance of workers sampling and integrating into their practice a wide range of theoretical approaches. These approaches which include narrative, strengths-based, critical-reflective, feminist and emancipatory frameworks provide a way for workers to connect with themselves, which is tansferred into fostering effective connections with clients, colleagues and their significant others. Maintaining relationship is the primary theme of this research which protects the counsellor from the fragmenting sense of disjuncture, that is a key experience of sexual abuse work Practice in a synthesis of theoretical frameworks provides a context for establishing and maintaining connections on a variety of levels: with the self and identity of the therapist, with others including clients, and with the wider social discourses in which their work is located.
An Observational Study of Peripherally Inserted Central Cather(PICC)-Related Complications Amongst Oncology Patients
Authors:   , Fairhall Mary
Published: November 2021

This thesis reports on a retrospective observational study that examined the complication rate of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) within a regional cancer centre. PICCs are increasingly used for delivery of chemotherapy and other intravenous therapies in oncology patients. A literature review revealed that almost all published research on PICC complications reported on silicone (Groshong(TM)) catheter use, rather than the polyurethane (Arrow(TM)) PICCs used at Christchurch Hospital. Also, much literature referred to PICCs being inserted by non-nurses, whereas the Christchurch service uses specially-trained nurses to insert them. The purpose of the study was to identify the nature, incidence and rates of polyurethane (Arrow(TM)) PICC complications in an adult oncology cohort. Ethics Committee approval was gained to retrospectively follow all PICCs inserted in adult oncology patients at Christchurch Hospital over a 13-month period from 1st March 2006 until 31st March 2007. Data collected were analysed utilising the statistical computer package SPSS. One hundred and sixty-four PICCs were inserted into 156 individual oncology patients over this period. The median dwell time was 68 days (range 6-412, IQR 39-126) for a total of 14,276 catheter-days. Complications occurred in 25 (15%) out of 164 PICC lines, in 22 (15%) of the 156 patients for an overall complication rate of 1.75 per 1000 catheter-days. However, only 16 of the 25 PICCs with complications required early removal (9.75% of the cohort) for a favourably low serious complication rate of 1.12 per 1000 catheter-days. The three commonest complications were infection at 4.3% (7/164) or 0.49 infection complications/1000 PICC-days, PICC migration at 3% (5/164) or 0.35/1000 catheter days, and thrombosis at 2.4% (4/164) or 0.28/1000 catheter days. The median time to complication was 41 days (range 2-160, IQR 25-77). Those with complications were more likely to have a gastro-intestinal or an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and less likely to have colorectal cancer (p=0.001). These findings provide support for the safe and effective use of polyurethane (Arrow(TM)) PICCs for venous access within the adult oncology context. Furthermore, it suggests that cost effective nurse-led (Arrow(TM)) PICC insertions can contribute to a low complication rate. This benchmark study should be followed by further prospective studies examining the relationship of cancer diagnosis to PICC complication rates in oncology patients.
The Effects of 1-Beta-D-Arabinofuranosylcytosine and Adriamycin on the Chromosomes of Cultured Human Lymphocytes
Authors:   , McLea Keith Lyle
Published: November 2021

A study of chromosome aberrations induced by 1-Beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (Ara C) and Adriamycin (AM) in the chromosomes of cultured human lymphocytes was made. There were significant increases in the frequency of aberrations with increasing concentrations of both Ara C (2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mug/ml) and AM (0.01, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 mug/ml). The frequency of aberrations induced by both drugs also showed a 'levelling off' above particular concentrations. For Ara C the effect of increasing treatment time was also studied. The frequency of aberrations increased significantly with increasing treatment times (2, 3 and 4 hrs) although no 'levelling off' in the number of aberrations was observed. The relationship between the frequency of the different types of aberrations induced by Ara C and AM was studied. AM allowed for a study of the relative frequency of chromosome versus chromatid aberrations and fragment versus exchange aberrations. There were always more fragments than exchanges, and always more chromatid aberrations than chromosome aberrations. Aberrations induced by Ara C were all of the chromatid fragment type. A study was made of the distribution of inter- and intra-chromosomal aberrations in relation to light and dark G banded chromosomes. Both drugs induced more aberrations in the light G bands than the dark G bands. Both drugs showed distinct clustering of aberrations in some regions of the chromosomes (hotspots), although the location of AM induced hotspots was different from the location of those induced by Ara C. The distribution of AM induced chromatid aberrations was different from the distribution of the chromosome aberrations, as were the distributions of the fragment and exchange aberrations. The different types of aberrations also differed in the number of AM induced aberrations per unit length between the p and q arms. There were more aberrations per unit length in the p arm than in the q arm for exchanges, whereas for fragments and chromosome aberrations the reverse was true. For chromatid aberrations, there was no significant difference in the number of aberrations per unit length between the p and q arms. Inter-individual differences in the frequency of AM induced aberrations were observed in the .AM dosage experiments. Also there was a suggestion that the distribution of Ara C induced aberrations was different for different donors. AM increased the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges. Comparable results were not sought for Ara C because after cells were exposed to Ara C they did not pass through an S phase of the cell cycle, as is the case for cells exposed to AM. The relevance of the present in vitro studies to cancer chemotherapy is briefly discussed.
A Study of Late Ventral Body Wall Degeneration in the Embryonic Chick, with Special Reference to the Cell Cycle
Authors:   , Barwell Peter
Published: November 2021

The cell kinetics and morphological changes during late ventral body wall development of the embryonic chick were studied, particularly midline degeneration and the medial migration of lateral tissues. An histological examination of these events was undertaken, along with autoradiography to determine the duration of the cell cycle, followed by teratological studies involving the prevention of differentiative events in the cell death pathway, using BrDU and Janus B Green as agents. The effects of cell cycle blockade on rates of cell death were also examined, as was the tissues ability to express differentiative features in vitro. Ventral body wall (VBW) cell death was classified as apoptosis, and was involved in two distinct events. Medial migration of lateral tissues began at day 5 of development, with widespread VBW apoptosis being seen by day 6, limited to the original mesoderm of the region. A later precise line of apoptosis (the VBL), involving both ectodermal cells of the midline ectodermal ruffle and the underlying mesodermal cells, was observed at day 7, spreading in a rostral to caudal fashion down the embryo, appearing as the migratory lateral tissues fused in the midline body wall. Increases in the amount of cell death are matched by decreases in the MI, such that at its peak (day 7.5 of development) the cell death rate is sufficiently greater than both the cell proliferation and immigration rates that a state of negative tissue growth ensues. The histological half-life of the apoptotic bodies approximates 3.8 hours. The ability to undergo apoptosis at day 7 is dependent upon a differentiative event around day 4 of incubation, and involves signal mechanisms intrinsic to the VBW tissues. BrDU application was found to inhibit apoptotic differentiation, in contrast to Janus B Green, which had a more generalised teratogenic effect on the region as a whole. Tissue culturing experiments revealed that an ectodermal-mesodermal interaction is important in regulating the extent of mesodermal apoptosis, the ectoderm playing a maintenance role for the mesoderm. Dead cells derive from the cycling cell population, as shown by the occurrence of labelled dead cells after autoradiography, and by the prevention of apoptosis by a cell cycle blockade, and by the production of a semi-synchronised wave of apoptoses after release of this blockade. These cell blockading results further suggest that entry into the apoptotic death program requires cells to be in a particular cell cycle stage, and it seems most likely that the decision to die was made in early G1. Tissue and cell growth rates, cell loss and death rates, cell birth rates and cell immigration rates were all determined for the VBW region throughout the time period studied.
Determining Competency for Entry to Nursing Practice: A Grounded Theory Study
Authors:   , Andersen Patrea Rose
Published: November 2021

Critical Comparative Nursing Assessment (CCNA) is a theory about how the competence of completing Bachelor of Nursing students in New Zealand is determined. Semi-structured, audio-taped interviews and field notes were used to collect data from twenty-seven nurses with experience in undertaking competency  assessment. A Glaserian grounded theory approach was used to guide the data collection and analysis. This utilised the processes of constant comparative analysis, theoretical sampling and saturation to generate a middle range substantive grounded theory. This is presented as a model consisting of four emergent categories that explain how nurses formulate professional judgements about competence. These are a) gathering, which describes the processes used to collect evidence of practice to inform decisions; b) weighing up, which explains how evidence is analysed using the processes of benchmarking and comparative analysis; c) judging brings into focus the tensions inherent in making professional judgements about competence and how nurses formulated these, and d) moderating, which describes the processes nurses use to validate decisions and ensure that professional responsibilities and public safety are upheld. The basic social psychological process of comparing integrates these categories to explain how nurses resolve the tensions associated with making decisions about competence. This research presents a new way of viewing and understanding how nurses assess competence. It identifies where the challengers and tensions related to the assessment of competence lie and suggests strategies that if implemented could further enhance the validity and reliability of assessment outcomes.
The Strategic Nature of the Wellington Regional Land Transport Strategy 2007-2016
Authors:   , Farrell Patrick
Published: November 2021

The purpose of the RLTS is to guide the region's transport spending over the next ten years. This study seeks to determine how strategic it is in terms of key environmental, economic and social outcomes: amenity and amenity access, air quality, accessibility, and low-income groups' transport affordability. Strategic is defined as how well the RLTS will function under potential future circumstances and its internal coherency and consistency. The resilience and adaptability of the RLTS to that range of potential futures is also analysed. The RLTS' priority is increasing regional accessibility, however due to 20+ years of underinvestment in the PT infrastructure, especially rail, targets set towards that goal are limited. Amenity and air quality are both considered to not require much intervention, but amenity services would be more adequately served if they were considered on par with air quality. Transport affordability to the community and users, especially low-income groups, was not given warranted attention. Therefore, four out of five of the outcomes appear to be well balanced. The RLTS objectives and outcomes are rather resilient, while the implementation plans are adequately adaptable with annual monitoring reports and final decisions which are also made on an annual basis. However, this can lead to inconsistencies between the Strategy and its implementation plans. The RLTS is therefore starting to head in a more sustainable direction, but the internal coherency and consistency is somewhat lacking.
Targeting Families' Assistance: Evaluating Family and Employment Tax Credits in New Zealand's Tax-Benefit System
Authors:   , Nolan Patrick John
Published: November 2021

In 2004 the Labour-led government announced a series of tax-benefit reforms (the Working for Families reforms) that will account for an estimated $1.17 billion per-annum of new spending when fully implemented by 1 April 2007. These reforms aim to both reduce rates of child poverty and improve financial incentives for paid work at low wages, particularly for caregivers. Changes to family and employment tax credits (the Family Assistance programmes) are central to these reforms. This study reviews methods for measuring the effectiveness of family and employment tax credits, evaluates the Working for Families reforms, and considers possible improvements to Working for Families. Questions that this study considers are: What roles should family and employment tax credits play in tax-benefit systems? How should family and employment tax credits be designed? Should eligibility for assistance reflect work effort as opposed to family structure? What lessons do historical and comparative perspectives on Working for Families provide? Will New Zealand's Working for Families reforms achieve the optimal design and role of family and employment tax credits? What improvements, if any, could be made to the Working for Families reforms? This study concludes that the Working for Families reforms represent significant income redistribution towards families with children but little change will be made to the overall design of the Family Assistance programmes, some of which have remained largely unchanged since 1986. Working for Families does not fully address the need to reform the Family Assistance programmes in the light of important social and economic changes that have taken place over the last two decades, such as the breakdown of the breadwinner model of social arrangements and the liberalisation of the labour market. This study thus considers a number of improvements to Working for Families, ranging from simplifying the structure of the Family Assistance Tax Credits to a more radical redesign of these programmes. This study concludes that more clearly established policy priorities and a greater understanding of the relative effectiveness of different tax-benefit instruments are required if New Zealand is to develop a tax-benefit system that achieves a desired level of redistribution to families with children at least economic cost.
Valuing Warm Homes - Exploring New Zealanders' Home Heating Choices
Authors:   , Vujcich Hayley
Published: November 2021

New Zealand homes have a record of being poorly heated and inadequately energy efficient. While policy makers increasingly recognise the many benefits associated with energy efficient warm homes, there is currently a lack of understanding of how New Zealanders make choices about space heating. This thesis takes a mixed method approach in order to 1) understand how New Zealanders value energy efficient heating and 2) further explore how people make decisions about home heating. Capturing the economic value of the range of benefits associated with home heating is investigated through analysing a contingent valuation study undertaken by the Housing, Heating and Health Study (University of Otago). Participants show 'willingness to pay' and related values below heater market prices. It is argued that there is some indication of split incentives issues and income constraint, and increased familiarisation with space heaters may increase willingness to pay. Evidence from focus group research suggests that while attitudes and norms are conducive to efficiently heated homes, other market and non-market factors impede pro-environmental choices. The widely recognised Kiwi stoicism of living in cold homes is not evidenced; choosing to go cold in the home may instead be rationalised as mitigating the environmental impacts associated with heating. This analysis sheds light on how intervention and how provision of information to fill the 'energy efficiency gap' could move outside the 'rational person' model of how New Zealanders make home heating choices.
Unintended Consequences: the Montessori Story of the Early Childhood Education Qualification Requirement - 2000-2007
Authors:   , Freeman Sola
Published: November 2021

In 2002, the Ministry of Education in New Zealand released Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki. This 10year strategic plan for early childhood education was the culmination of years of advocacy, research and consultation within the early childhood sector. A key component of the plan is a staged requirement for teachers in early childhood centres to have a Diploma of Teaching ECE or equivalent qualification. The study analyses the impact on the Montessori early childhood sector of the requirement that teachers in a centre be qualified with a Diploma or equivalent. This thesis draws on the results of a qualitative study involving interviews with key policy informants and focus groups of teachers and the story that emerges describes the complexities, frustrations and positive outcomes for centres and their teachers. The story points to a need for support, intervention and creative strategies to ensure no part of the early childhood sector is left behind, and diversity within early childhood education in New Zealand is maintained. The final outcome of the study raises the dilemma faced by the Montessori community; how can the approach accommodate the current ideas of early childhood education brought to centres through the policy requirement and remain identifiably Montessori?
Studies in the Wanganui Series: Pliocene Foraminifera from Wanganui Basin
Authors:   , Collen J D H
Published: November 2021

Foraminifera have been examined from seven Pliocene sections in South Wanganui Basin, southern North Island, New Zealand, including the Waipipian and Mangapanian Stratotypes. Lithology, faunal distribution, biostratigraphy and paleoecology are discussed for each section. The systematics and ecologic and stratigraphic ranges of 193 species are discussed. The new genus Zelamarkina is erected, with Z. excavata n.sp. as type species, and the following five species are also described as new: Bolivina hornibrooki, B. vellai, B. wanganuiensis, Rotalia fastigata and Notorotalia briggsi. Three biostratigraphic zones based on benthonic foraminifera are recognised. The Hurupiensis Zone, defined by the range of Notorotalia hurupiensis in South Wanganui Basin, is considered equivalent to the Opoitian Stage. The Molestus Zone, defined by the overlapping ranges of Cibicides molestus and Notorotalia finlayi, represents the Waipipian Stage. The Finlayi Zone equals that part of the range of N. finlayi after the extinction of Cibicides molestus, and extends through to the Recent. Temperatures dropped abruptly and markedly at the time represented by the base of the Molestus Zone, accompanied by a substantial fall in sea level, then rose at the time represented by the end of this zone to a level maintained through the period studied. No marked temperature or sea level change is recorded across the presumed Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. The region was covered during late Miocene and early Pliocene times by shallow seas, possibly with land to the west. Rapid subsidence of the centre of the basin during the early Pliocene was followed by gradual shallowing until by the late Pliocene uniformly shallow depths again pertained. The basin was bounded to the east by the emergent Ruahine and Tararua Ranges, and probably to the south and west by shallow bars or islands formed from uplifted basement blocks. The surface microstructure of nine species of Bolivina and seven species of Notorotalia is described from scanning electron micrographs. Addition of calcite to the test of Notorotalia is progressive and is controlled largely by the positions of sutural and apertural pores.