bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Care in Collaboration: Preventing Secondary Victimisation Through a Holistic Approach to Pre-Court Sexual Violence Interventions
Authors:   , Beckett Linda Louise
Published: November 2021

Although men's sexual violence is well known as a problem of epidemic proportions and a cause of significant harm, effective prevention strategies have yet to be developed and the effectiveness of services for victims cannot be guaranteed. Most victims of sexual violence choose not to report, but those who do may still incur exacerbation of rape's destructive effects by those who are meant to help. Interested to know how responsiveness could be improved, I began this study by  examining the literature on services for victims in order to identify the ingredients of good practice. Integrated specialist services which include support and advocacy with legal/forensic services emerged as the ideal. Finding that such systems had been positively evaluated in their real-life applications, New Zealand' s responsiveness was analysed with reference to this multi-agency model. I was particularly interested to know what supported the development of such a model and what the impediments might be to its  development in New Zealand. Since literature indicated that government input was vital to implementation of specialist holistic practice, examination of New Zealand government and its Police responsiveness became the primary goal of data-gathering. With Police Districts as the units of study, data was collected from site visits and semi-structured interviews with police in each District. This data was triangulated through prolonged participant observation and interviews with medical/forensic and support/advocacy personnel. I found that specialist holistic services were regularly available for child sexual abuse victims. In contrast, for adult sexual violence victims these were rare and service gaps were rife. This was due to governance bodies failing to coordinate nationally or locally in funding and supporting service development. Explanations for this failure are found in feminist critiques of the patriarchal systems which privilege men' s needs over women's safety. I argue that with women's movement into public life and with the political will, nationally-based reform of services is now possible. Given its small size, New Zealand is particularly well-placed to achieve this reform if current governance structures are employed in constructing a national framework for nationwide development of specialist multi-agency practice.
Studies in Middle and Late Tertiary Foraminifera From New Zealand
Authors:   , Vella Paul
Published: November 2021

Many Uvigerinidae are important zone fossils in deep-water massive sandstones and mudstones of upper Oligocene and Miocene age in Raukumara Peninsula. Twenty-nine species and six subspecies are described, of which nineteen species and three subspecies are new. Subspecific classification is revised, five new genera and four new subgenera being established, partly on morphology and partly on lineage sequences. Time ranges are given in terms of eleven local zones which are correlated approximately with New Zealand stages and with European stages.
Applied Geology of Wellington Rocks for Aggregate and Concrete
Authors:   , Rowe Graham Hamilton
Published: November 2021

This study was initiated to examine geological aspects of Wellington greywacke-suite rocks in relation to their end use as an engineering material - aggregate, particularly for concrete. An attempt has been made to map (at least in part), identify and categorise rocks for quarrying in the Wellington region, to evaluate and quantify their properties as aggregates and to appraise their qualities in concrete - in short to equate rock geology to aggregate and concrete performance as a tool for resource management. Study of bedding 1ed to a classification into three lithofacies and some 70 representative samples were examined petrographically. For engineering purposes, Wellington rocks may be divided into two categories, greywacke and argillite, each having separate and distinct mineralogies and chemistries which do not alter significantly between lithofacies. Greywacke is coarser and may be distinguished from argillite texturally at a mean grain size of 5 phi (0.031 mm). Rock properties, in particular strength, modulus, density, hardness and degradation tendencies, are linked directly or indirectly with mean grain size. Argillites, though more dense, are generally weaker, softer, less elastic and degrade more readily than greywackes, the latter property being readily assessed from a newly devised test based on the destruction of chlorite by hydrochloric acid. As aggregates, greywackes produce similar particle shapes irrespective of grading. Argillites, which are generally more angular, produce concretes which are more difficult to work. Physical properties of aggregate, inherently those of its parent rock, are reflected in concrete made from it. The possibility of laumontite promoting cement alkali-silicate reaction is obviated by the mode of occurrence of minerals within the rock. Although argillite aggregates are unsuitable in certain environments and return lower strength in concrete than do greywacke aggregates, they still have a place in low strength concrete applications.
A Microearthquake Study of the Plate Boundary, North Island, New Zealand
Authors:   , Reyners Martin Everardus
Published: November 2021

The seismicity, structure and tectonics of the North Island plate boundary have been studied by means of a microearthquake traverse oriented in the direction of dip of the subducted Pacific plate and stretching from southern Hawke's Bay to northern Taranaki. The geometry of the top of the Pacific plate is inferred from a band of concentrated microearthquake activity which can be identified with the crust of the plate. The Pacific plate appears to have two knee-like bends, one between the east coast and the Ruahine Range, where the top of the plate is about 25 km deep, the other below the volcanic front, where it is about 70 km deep. The shallower bend and subsequent restraightening of the plate can be related to phase changes in the plate, while the deeper bend can be related to volcanism. Composite focal mechanisms indicate that seaward of its shallower bend the Pacific plate is being loaded by the Indian plate, whereas landward of this bend the Pacific plate is sinking under its own weight. Both composite focal mechanisms and the distribution of microseismicity in the Pacific plate suggest the existence of a major discontinuity striking down the dip of the plate and passing beneath the Tongariro volcanic centre. A conspicuous lack of microseismicity in the Indian plate in the eastern North Island revealed in this study can be related to the plates being unlocked in this region. A feature of the seismicity of the Indian plate in the region of the Wanganui Basin is the concentration of activity in the 25-42 km depth range, shallower activity being largely confined to the northeast edge of the basin, near Mt Ruapehu and Waiouru. Composite focal mechanisms suggest the 25-42 km deep activity reflects stresses set up by locking and unlocking of the plates, while the shallower activity reflects local stresses related to volcanic phenomena.
An Investigation into New Zealand's Climate During the Last Glacial Maximum: a Climate Modelling Approach
Authors:   , Drost Frank
Published: November 2021

New Zealand's climate during the Last Glacial Maximum has been investigated using the UKMO global and regional models HadAM3H (GCM) and HadRM3H (RCM). SSTs and sea-ice were supplied from a set of prior coupled model (HadCM3) runs and all models were set up according to the glacial conditions as specified by PMIP. In the analysis of the global simulation, emphasis was placed on the climate of the Southern Hemisphere. Compared to the present day, the modelled climate of the LGM is mainly characterized by the different wind regimes, both in the zonal and meridional directions. In the zonal mean, the polar trough shifted equatorward, and the westerly wind increased slightly between approximately 30 degrees S-50 degrees S, and decreased poleward of this zonal band. At the same time, there was an increase in the number of and/or strength of southerlies between 35 degrees S-60 degrees S. This resulted in a reduction of the poleward zonal mean meridional heat transport, and an enhancement of the wave number 3 pattern in the mean zonal circulation. All these changes contributed to a weaker SAO during the LGM. Interannual variability was as today, dominated by the High Latitude Mode (HLM, or Antarctic Oscillation/Southern Annular Mode) and ENSO. For the LGM, New Zealand was about 2.5 degrees C-4 degrees C cooler than in a pre-industrial control simulation. The seasonal cooling was largest during winter. Excluding the Alpine region, the largest cooling geographically took place in the east of the South Island. Precipitation was in general reduced everywhere during the whole year, except for the east of the South Island. The westerly wind increased considerably over the North Island and the northern part of the South Island, but was weaker over the rest of the South Island. JJA was the exception with weaker westerly winds over all New Zealand which was probably related to enhance blocking during that season. The stronger westerly wind accentuated the cooling over the North Island, except for the eastern region, where it mainly enhanced the dry conditions by preventing the moist easterly winds coming ashore. The weaker westerly wind in the south on the other hand encouraged enhanced penetration of moist winds. The most dramatic change in the modelled New Zealand climate was the large increase in the number of southerlies in each region, which were capable of bringing very cold polar air over most of the country. It was probably mainly the changes in the winds that lead to the harshness of New Zealand's climate during the LGM, increasing the seasonality in temperature and precipitation. It is suggested that they had therefore a controlling influence on the existence of some of the vegetation types in New Zealand.
Light Scattering in Glass Ceramic X-ray Imaging Plates
Authors:   , Winch Nicola Maree
Published: November 2021

Glass ceramic materials have been suggested as a possible high resolution replacement for current commercial storage phosphor imaging plates. The low spatial frequency of the current plates is caused by strong scattering of the laser light incident on the plate during the read-out process. Glass ceramic materials show very small scattering due to their transparent nature, which should lead to a higher resolution. However, a competing argument is the small amount of scattering that does occur travels a much greater distance in the plate, limiting the resolution. The aim of this thesis was to simulate the scattering of light in imaging plates and use this to optimise the trade-off between resolution, sensitivity and transparency which is implicit in plate design. Additionally, experiments were performed to determine the resolution of glass ceramic and commercial imaging plates. Simulations show that high resolution can be achieved in both the strong and weak scattering limits, corresponding to opaque and transparent materials. Increasing the absorption of the laser light increases the resolution, as does decreasing the laser beam diameter and power. An increase in the resolution almost always comes at a cost of a decrease in the sensitivity. The resolutions of an Agfa MD30 and glass ceramic imaging plate were found to be 4:5 line pairs/mm and 6:5 - 8:0 line pairs/mm respectively for an MTF equal to 0:2.
On Ballance: a Biography of John Ballance, Journalist and Politician, 1839-1893
Authors:   , McIvor Timothy J
Published: November 2021

This thesis is a biography of John Ballance, New Zealand's first Liberal Premier. It examines his career as journalist and politician, from his arrival in New Zealand and Wanganui in 1866 until his death in 1893. Ballance is viewed from a number of different perspectives: as editor and owner of a 'frontier' town's newspaper, as a prominent Wanganui personality closely involved in promoting local development, as Member of the House of Representatives and, finally, as a national political leader. The first chapter looks briefly at Ballance's early life in the north of Ireland and Birmingham. Chapter two then discusses his arrival in Wanganui, the establishment of the Evening Herald, and his participation in the war against Titokowaru. The following chapter begins with an examination of Ballance's attitude to political and economic issues of the 1870s, in particular his opposition to the provincial system, and ends with his entering Parliament for the first time in 1875. A little over two years later he became Colonial Treasurer in the Grey Government (chapter four). Chapter five covers the period 1879 to 1884, and Ballance's only electoral defeat, in 1881. Chapter six examines the broad base of his liberal philosophy, and shows how its different strands are inter-related, all pointing to a democratic, secular society, with considerable emphasis on individual and national self-reliance. In 1884 Ballance re-entered Parliament, and became Minister of Lands and Native Minister in the Stout-Vogel Government. His activities and initiatives when holding these two portfolios are the subject of chapter seven. Chapters eight and nine lead up to the crucial election of 1890. Ballance, after some initial hesitation, accepted the leadership of the Opposition in 1889. Land reform predominated his campaign at the election. Chapters ten to twelve discuss Ballance in power (1891-93). His major problem was to secure and consolidate the new Liberal regime, in the face of opposition to government measures from the Legislative Council and an alleged withdrawal of capital from the country. Ballance's reaction was to pursue a non-borrowing, self-reliant policy, and to establish a Liberal Federation to organise support for the Government at grass roots level. The conclusion discusses the 'Ballance tradition'.
Coloured Views: Images of the New Zealand City and Town, 1880-1930
Authors:   , Alessio Dominic
Published: November 2021

"Coloured Views" is a comparative and multidisciplinary examination of the motives and methods of New Zealand's urban boosters between 1880 and 1930. It looks at the positive image of the country's cities and towns rendered in the literature and art of the period, and compares it with other British Dominions as well as with America. Such optimistic images were considered vital to urban growth by promoters who were intent on inducing increased immigration, tourism and investment to their cities and towns. In addition to economic motivation, it will also be argued that the boosters in New Zealand were imbued to an unusual degree by dreams of creating an urban utopia in their New World, one that was free from the influences of vices typically associated with the Old World. In examining perceptions of urban New Zealand, this thesis also attempts to revert the imbalance in New Zealand historiography which has generally ignored cities and towns or which has assumed that all debate about them was negative. It undertakes a study of a wide array of promotional sources, including material which has never before been examined, such as motion pictures and foreign language texts. "Coloured Views" attempts to show that cities and towns had their ardent defenders in New Zealand as well as their critics. The study concludes with an examination of modern booster techniques in order to emphasise the topicality of the subject matter.
Using Human Rights for Development: a Fiji Case Study
Authors:   , Llewellyn-Fowler Mary
Published: November 2021

Over the past decade there has been a marked shift towards human rights in the policy of multilateral development institutions, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government donor agencies. 'Rights-based' development - in which development and poverty alleviation is viewed through a human rights lens - has become the language of choice among the international development community. As their proponents argue, rights-based approaches to development bring a degree of legal accountability to the alleviation of poverty, turning it from an act of charity to one of social justice. While this shift towards human rights is well documented at the global level, less is known about the understanding and use of human rights for development by NGOs at the local level. By focusing on a particular local context - Fiji - this research investigates how local NGOs understand and use human rights for development, and aims to identify the main challenges surrounding the use of human rights at this level. The findings from interviews with representatives of Fijian NGOs suggest that while human rights are being successfully applied to development in Fiji, they also face some challenges. Two of the most significant challenges are the politicised gap between human rights and development organisations and resistance to human rights on cultural grounds. These challenges demonstrate the impact local social, political and cultural contexts can have on the implementation of global ideas, and have numerous implications for the successful application of rights-based approaches to development at the local level.
Pat Metheny: Composing to Exploit the Sound of the Guitar
Authors:   , Smith Andy
Published: November 2021

The study's objective is to relate the development of Pat Metheny's stylistic characteristics from his interpretation of jazz standards to their incorporation into his own compositions. Stylistic elements are established and a sample of his compositions are analysed to compare his solo style in standards with his compositional style. Metheny is a recognised innovator in technique and uses a wide range of instruments in the guitar family, both traditional and radically new. The use of such instruments frees Metheny from some restrictions and the possibility that this freedom is a major influence in his improvisation and composition is remarked on. There is scope for further work based on a wider sampling, and the methodology used in this study could probably be modified to focus on this objective.
Maori Language Use in New Zealand Secondary Schools: What Are the Issues for Teachers and Students?
Authors:   , Tito Janie
Published: November 2021

The aim of this study was to examine the issues surrounding Maori language use in secondary schools. This was to test the hypothesis that the learning experience for Maori students is influenced by a school's responsiveness to Maori needs. In particular the focus was on the use of te reo Maori e.g. pronunciation. It was found that when features of te ao Maori are reflected positively in secondary school practices, values and environment, the overall learning experience may be enhanced and become more positive for Maori students. Ultimately such practice has the potential to reduce the disparity between Maori and non-Maori educational achievement. The prevalence and quality of Maori language learning opportunities during and after teacher training, is currently not meeting the needs of students and teachers. This shortcoming requires further research and investigation. This mixed method qualitative study followed kaupapa Maori research principles and ethics. It incorporated interviews, repeated focus groups and surveys. Participants were teachers and Maori students from selected Wellington secondary schools. The sixty-four student participants raised issues around teachers and their teaching practice. They saw teachers as important role models for positive attitudes and behaviours towards te reo and tikanga Maori. In particular, correct language use and pronunciation was important. The small sample of teachers reported a variety of concerns. One frequent complaint was their lack of knowledge in using te reo and few chances to learn and improve. This study identified a need for more professional development programmes and educational policy to be introduced in secondary schools, which include aspects of Maori language and tikanga learning. This would help address some of the difficulties faced by teachers when using te reo in the classroom and improve overall teaching and learning for Maori students.
Equations of Heat Conduction with Slow Combustion
Authors:   , Wake Graeme C
Published: November 2021

A study is made of the equations of heat conduction with slow combustion. A mathematical model is established from an interpretation of the physical model, with a few simplifying assumptions. This gives rise to a coupled pair of partial differential equations which are the direct concern of this thesis, the dependent variables being the temperature and reactant concentration as functions of position and time. The model is shown to possess a unique solution for which some properties, such as Lipschitz conditions etc., are established. An investigation into the use of a comparison theorem is given, in which it is shown that no direct comparison theorem is possible for this and related systems. However, it is also shown that it is possible to obtain upper and lower estimates by appealing to the physical model. A discussion of the boundary layer is given and this is followed by a detailed discussion of stability. The latter has been one of the main concerns of earlier authors on this system. Their use of a space-averaging process to establish a criterion for stability is also discussed. Probably one of the most interesting features of this system is the subclass of problems for which the reactant is exhausted in a finite time. These hare been named the "cut-off" problems and they can be likened to the free boundary problems in fluid dynamics. A discussion of the cut-off problem is given with particular examples chosen to illustrate the main features. This thesis, contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any University and to the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis.
A Study of Technological Innovation in New Zealand
Authors:   , Winsley Peter Harry
Published: November 2021

This thesis addresses the research problem of "what are the key underpinning assets or drivers of technological innovation, and how can they be harnessed to create competitive advantage?" Technological change is an evolutionary process. Research and technological innovation creates knowledge and technology that is irreversible in the sense that inventions can be superseded but not "uninvented". Technological innovation creates knowledge and technology that is cumulative because it lays a platform for further knowledge creation, or sets in place another rung in an ascending ladder of new performance characteristics or properties which are demonstrably superior to their antecedents. In turn, the asset specificity and irreversibility of technology and its cumulativeness create barriers to competitive entry. This allows a firm to earn the premiums that create market power and allow further innovation to be financed. The model of technological innovation advanced in this thesis has at its core the strategic governance framework of a firm, within which the dynamics of significant new technology, human capital and social processes are catalysed and made productive by differentiated technological learning processes. No one type of technological learning applies universally, but rather learning is differentiated by variables such as firm size and structure, the past experience and core competencies of the firm, its human capital stocks, social processes, interactions with the external environment, and a host of market, institutional and technological factors. It is argued that the dynamics of significant new technology, human capital and social processes are fundamental and necessary conditions of technological innovation. Technological learning processes underly and provide a connecting thread that integrates these necessary conditions into a model of technological innovation that can be applied by managers to create and sustain competitive advantage. Technological learning both shapes and is shaped by the human capital stocks and social processes of a firm. Learning processes give rise to significant new technology, and the dynamics of that technology in turn helps catalyse and gives rise to further learning. The rate and direction of learning and of technological innovation is also driven by the firm's interaction with external sources of ideas and technology. To create competitive advantage through technological innovation business managers must address a firm's strategy, human capital-related assets, social processes and technological learning abilities. Policy managers must ensure that the public technostructure is in place to foster human capital creation within an economy and to facilitate access to new ideas and sources of stimulus.
On the Resolution of Compositional Datasets into Convex Combinations of Extreme Vectors
Authors:   , Renner Ross Martyn
Published: November 2021

Large compositional datasets of the kind assembled in the geosciences are often of remarkably low approximate rank. That is, within a tolerable error, data points representing the rows of such an array can approximately be located in a relatively small dimensional subspace of the row space. A physical mixing process which would account for this phenomenon implies that each observation vector of an array can be estimated by a convex combination of a small number of fixed source or 'endmember' vectors. In practice, neither the compositions of the endmembers nor the coefficients of the convex combinations are known. Traditional methods for attempting to estimate some or all of these quantities have included Q-mode 'factor' analysis and linear programming. In general, neither method is successful. Some of the more important mathematical properties of a convex representation of compositional data are examined in this thesis as well as the background to the development of algorithms for assessing the number of endmembers statistically, locating endmembers and partitioning geological samples into specified endmembers. Keywords and Phrases: Compositional data, convex sets, endmembers, partitioning by least squares, iteration, logratios.
The Wurttemberg Hofkapelle c.1680-1721
Authors:   , Owens Samantha Kim
Published: November 2021

Today the prosperous reign of Duke Eberhard Ludwig IV (r. 1693-1733) at the court of Wurttemberg is principally associated with the construction of the magnificent palace of Ludwigsburg, some fifteen miles north of Stuttgart. His quest for prestige also resulted in a major expansion of the ducal Hofkapelle, and while much is known about music at other German courts at this time (such as Dresden, Berlin, and Vienna) that at Wurttemberg, which was comparable in size and importance, has been largely overlooked. This study aims to redress the situation through close examination of the wealth of archival documents dealing with the everyday life of the court musicians c.1700. The original employment contracts offer insights into the duties of the Kapellmeister, while the registers of musicians record the evolution of a clear division between the ordinary Hofmusici and the more select and specialized Cammermusici. The development of specialization came about as the direct result of foreign influence, and a period of foreign study was a prerequisite for a successful career as Kapellmeister. Although in the final decades of the seventeenth century French style had dominated the music at court, by the turn of the eighteenth century Italian music had begun to rise markedly in popularity. Contemporary documents show that a wider selection of instruments came into regular use following the appointment of Johann Christoph Pez as Rath und Oberkapellmeister in 1706. Between 1684 and 1714 the membership of the Hofkapelle had risen from twenty-three to thirty-five. In addition to the Kapelle there was a quite diverse range of other musical groups present at the court - the trumpeters and kettledrum players, the court and regimental oboe bands, and the Bock-music, an ensemble with origins in Eastern European folk music. Again the archival documents throw considerable light on the daily lives, musical standards, and relative status of these musicians. We are particularly fortunate that a sizeable selection of the music owned by the Wurttemberg court during this period of increased musical activity can now be found in a collection held by the Universitatsbibliothek in Rostock. Included are around 400 instrumental pieces dating from approximately 1680 up until the death of the Prince Regent, Friedrich Ludwig, in 1731. While the majority of composers represented are German, works of French and Italian origin are also included. Perhaps most interesting are the compositions by two contemporary Wurttemberg Kapellmeister, Theodor Schwartzkopff and Johann Christoph Pez, whose obscurity is due largely to the relative inaccessibility of the Rostock collection in recent years. These works were written or at least adapted for the forces of the Wurttemberg Hofkapelle. Together with the archival documents these pieces furnish a fascinating picture of a once-flourishing musical establishment, one which provided entertainment for a Duke who hoped in his own corner of Germany to emulate the court of Versailles.
When an Infant Grandchild Dies: Family Matters
Authors:   , Stewart Alison Jane
Published: November 2021

When a child dies the main focus of both clinical practitioners and researchers is on the parents and, to a lesser extent, the siblings. In contrast grandparents have been called the "forgotten grievers". Are grandparents "forgotten"? If so - by whom? My interest in this study, as a nurse working with bereaved families, was to explore how grandparents, parents and health/bereavement professionals constructed grandparent bereavement when an infant grandchild died unexpectedly. The 26 participants, living in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, included 16 grandparents and 6 parents from 11 families, in addition to 3 health/bereavement professionals. As a theoretical framework I used constructivist inquiry informed by writings on nursing, storying and postmodernism. Through an exploration of the methodological and ethical issues that arose and were addressed during the study, this work adds to knowledge of how constructivist inquiry can be used in nursing and bereavement research. In addition, the context of this research as a partnership with multiple family members contributes to the ongoing debate about whether participation in bereavement research may be harmful or therapeutic. Our conversations in this research formed a series of interviews and letters, which led to the development of a joint construction and each individual's story. A grandchild's death was constructed as a challenge which grandparents faced, responded to and then managed the changes that arose from the challenge. When facing this challenge, grandparents felt "pain" and had a strong sense of "being unprepared", despite extensive life experience. The context of their bereavement was seen as underpinned by their relationship as "parents of the adult parents" of the grandchild who died. This meant that grandparents placed their own pain second to their wish to support and "be with" the parents. Parents and health/bereavement professionals appreciated the support that grandparents offered at a time when they, too, were bereaved. It was outside the family where many grandparents found friends, colleagues or their community forgot, or chose not to acknowledge, their bereavement. From this work the stories of individuals offer previously unspoken voices, to appreciate the multiple meanings and ways in which grandparents are bereaved. In particular, recognising that some grandparents help to create a space within the family which maintains a continuing relationship with the grandchild who died. Combining the stories with the joint construction offers us as clinicians, researchers and members of communities, a perspective to consider in acknowledging grandparent bereavement as an ongoing part of people's lives.
Plastic Shopping Bags: Environmental Impacts and Policy Options
Authors:   , Tough Rhian
Published: November 2021

Due to public concern over the environmental impacts of plastic shopping bags many countries, states, towns and councils are implementing measures to address their use.While a number of individual retailers in New Zealand have taken steps to reduce plastic bag consumption, there has been limited national or regional government action to address plastic shopping bag use. While other countries have favoured economic instruments, such as Ireland's "PlasTax", under a cost benefit analysis research has identified that all policy interventions are cost inefficient.1This thesis uses a mixed comparative approach to investigate the environmental impacts of plastic shopping bags and consumption patterns, in relation to international practice, alternatives to plastic shopping bag, and policy options.

The mixed comparative approach used in this research is a combination of the philosophies underlying cost benefit analysis, sustainable development, triple bottom line reporting, case studies and policy analysis. Voluntary actions areidentified as the least costly option, but achieve smaller reductions in plastic shopping bag use. In contrast regulatory actions are more likely to achieve greater reductions in plastic bag use, but are costly and have less public and politicalacceptance. Economic instruments while achieving modest to high reductions in plastic shopping bag use, are moderately costly, and also face acceptance and implementation constraints. However, due to strong public pressure for government intervention, and potential implications for future climate change and sustainability initiatives, it is suggested that economic instruments and regulatory options are the most likely choices for government policies to address plastic shopping bags.
Robust Volatility Estimation and Analysis of the Leverage Effect
Authors:   , Randal John
Published: November 2021

Using volatility estimation as the underlying commonality this thesis traverses the statistical problem of robust estimation of scale, through to the financial problem of valuing call options over stock. We use a large simulation study of robust scale estimators to benchmark a nonparametric volatility estimation procedure, which not only uses techniques which are particularly suited to observed financial returns, but also addresses the problem of bias in any robust volatility estimation procedure. Existing option pricing models are discussed with careful study of the assumed volatility and elasticity of volatility with respect to stock price relationships for each of these models. An option pricing formula is derived which extends existing methods, and provides a closed form solution which can be readily computed. Preliminary analysis of real price data suggests this model is able to explain observed leverage phenomena.
Vortex Dynamics and Instabilities in Tax Ge1-x/Ge Multilayers
Authors:   , Ruck Benjamin John
Published: November 2021

In this thesis the magnetic response of a layered type-II superconducting system is explored across the entire range of fields, temperatures and currents where superconductivity exists, with the results providing valuable insight into the role of reduced dimensionality in determining the behaviour of type-II materials such as the new high temperature superconductors. The system in question consists of alternating layers of amorphous Ta or TaxGe1-x (x approximation 0.3) with amorphous Ge where the individual layer thicknesses vary between 17A [angstrom] and 210A [angstrom]. These multilayers were fabricated by vapour deposition in a high vacuum chamber which allowed the creation of samples with uniform layers of high purity. The resistive transport properties have been measured from Tc (approximation 1-3K) to temperatures as low as 50mK in some cases, and in fields of up to 15T. The upper critical fields have been determined from the fluctuation conductivity both with the field parallel and perpendicular to the layer plane of the samples. The results show clearly the dependence of the dimensionality on the superconducting layer thickness and the degree of coupling across the Ge layers. For the samples with the most two-dimensional properties the zero field resistive transition is governed by the unbinding of thermally created vortex-antivortex pairs as described by the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless theory. A detailed investigation of the perpendicular field vortex states and dynamics has been performed, including measurement of the activation energies needed for thermally activated vortex motion. Qualitative difference are observed between the activation energies in two- and three-dimensional samples, with the barriers being generally higher in 3D. The non-linear current-voltage characteristics of the samples provide evidence for the existence of a vortex glass state which melts into a liquid below Hc2, although the divergence of the activation barriers in the glass can be restricted by the finite sample thickness. A brief investigation of the corresponding parallel field regime showed considerably less dissipation, due largely to the transparent nature of the Ge layers to the magnetic field. At the highest currents an instability is observed in the vortices which can drive the samples discontinuously back into the normal state. This instability is shown to be of the type predicted by Larkin and Ovchinnikov (LO), including quantitative agreement between the measured and predicted values of the critical vortex velocity. Several features of the instability are noted which are not specifically predicted by the LO theory, and comparisons are drawn between these and the prevailing vortex state at lower currents.
Managing to Compete? Employment, Work and Labour Relations in the Hospitality Industry in New Zealand
Authors:   , Ryan Rose
Published: November 2021

This thesis outlines the nature of human resource management in the Accommodation, Cafes, and Restaurants industrial sector in New Zealand in the late 1990s. Using data collected through postal surveys, interviews and analysis of employment contracts, the thesis utilises Gospel's (1992) analytical framework (which suggests that labour, employment and work are the key areas in which managers must make human resource decisions) to describe prevailing patterns of management occurring in the industry. It suggests that stereotypical conceptions about the nature and structure of employment within the industry do not reflect current day reality, and that deregulation of licensing laws, a rapid rate of growth and the nature of customer demand within the industry have had a significant impact on human resource related decisions. The thesis also attempts to uncover the rationales provided by managers for their employment related decisions. In doing so it finds that while some management decisions are clearly affected by market constraints, others appear on the face of things to be inconsistent with management's express view of their competitive strategy. This is explained with reference to Anthony Gidden's stratification theory of action to support the notion that managerial decision making is not a completely rational and market-related process, but that other factors, including ideology and manager's own conceptions of themselves as social actors, are influential in the decisions that are made.
Towards a Total Synthesis of Peloruside A and the Preparation of Selected Inositol Derivatives
Authors:   , Baars Sylvia Myrna
Published: November 2021

This thesis covers two broad areas of work under the general theme of the synthesis of bioactive and/or synthetically useful compounds based on natural products or deriving from the chiral pool. Chapters one, two and three focus on the marine secondary metabolite peloruside A (1), which has been shown to stabilise microtubules during mitosis and hence cause apoptosis (cell death) in a similar manner to the very successful anticancer drug Taxol. A synthetic program with the aim of devising a total synthesis was initiated at Victoria University of Wellington after peloruside A's discovery in 1999. Four synthetic disconnects were identified in the retrosynthetic analysis of peloruside A: to give the C-l to C-2 fragment; the C-3 to C-7 fragment; the C-8 to C-11 fragments; and the C-12 to C-24 fragment. The C-7 to C-8 bond was to be formed via an asymmetric aldol reaction to give the pyranose ring fragment (highlighted in blue). In this thesis, the synthesis of the C-3 to C-7 fragment is described. A1do1 reactions with the C-8 to C- 11 ketone have been investigated, and subsequent progress towards the assembly of the pyranose ring fragment is presented. Chapters four, five, six and seven describe the preparation of selected synthetically and biologically useful derivatives of the commercially available inositols, quebrachitol (L-chiro-inositol-2-methyl ether) and myo-inositol. The butane di-acetal (BDA) derivatives 293, 300, and 301 (as well as acetylated and methylated derivatives thereof) were prepared during work directed towards the synthesis of the inositol core of a phosphatidylinositol manno-oligosaccharide (PIM-6) isolated from Mycobacterium bovis and M. smegmatis. Quebrachitol derivatives 305, 306 and 307 were prepared and subsequently tested against myoinositol (the optimal competitor) in biological uptake assays of the microorganisms, Candida albicans and Leishmania donovani. For both microorganisms, the mono- and di-O-methylated L-chiro-inositol derivatives 307 and 305, as well as quebrachitol, gave significant inhibition results, with P values from P < 0.001 to P < 0.05 for paired-sample t-test analyses, i.e.99.9% to 95% confidence for significant inhibition, respectively. The benzoylated derivative 306 did not induce any inhibition of myo-inositol uptake. Myo-inositol is the most abundant of the inositols in nature and is readily available. However, as it is a meso compound, one of the key challenges in the use of myoinositol as a synthetic precursor is an efficient resolution method. The formation of myo-inositol camphanylidene acetal 269a is one successful solution, and work done in an attempt to better understand the selectivity of the reaction is reported here. Also, process development work was done to adapt the preparation so that it was suitable for scale-up, and a subsequent large scale synthesis of the acetal was undertaken. Previously unpublished X-ray crystal structures were obtained for 269a and, for two of the diastereomeric impurities of the reaction.
ADAPTATION OF MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES WITH ITS CHALLENGES IN THE FIELD OF MEDICINE
Authors: Ali Asim
Published: November 2021

An affected person notices an effortless rash over his shoulder but does not get treatment. His spouse suggests he visit the hospital for a physician after few months, who will provide treatment a seborrhea keratosis. Afterward, when the patient went through a colonoscopy screening, a black shaded macule on his shoulder was noticed by a nurse and advises him to evaluate it. Then he takes it to a dermatologist after one month and takes a biopsy specimen for the lesion. Through which they find out a non-dangerous near to cancer but not cancer symptoms. A second reading of the biopsy specimen was suggested by the dermatologist. After that, they started to do the treatment by systematic chemotherapy. One friend who was a physician told the patient why he is not giving a try to immunotherapy.
EFFECT OF LOCKDOWN DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON AIR QUALITY IN THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF EASTERN INDIA
Authors: Ghosh Rajrupa
Published: November 2021

The lockdown due to coronavirus (COVID-19) was forced in India from March, 25 to May 3 2020 as precautionary actions in contradiction of the diffusion of infectious virus. The objective of this study is to analyse the changes in air quality between pre and during the lockdown in Asansol, the “coal mining city” of Eastern India is characterized by high pollution levels due to several industries leading to human discomfort and even health problems. Secondary data of seven parameters like CO, SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, NH3, and O3 have been collected from the website of the Central Pollution Control Board, India and AQI were calculated as per the calculator provided by CPCB. The result displays a significant reduction of seven parameters from 33.31 % (SO2) to 60.44 % (PM2.5) due to the shut down of all manufacturing units and transportation throughout the lockdown period. The air quality index (AQI) was also upgraded from a very poor to a satisfactory state during this period. Plants are the main carbon sink, so, a green belt project proposal for this polluted city has been recommended to improve air quality management. This lockdown (temporarily) showed some vaccine effect on the air quality, but this is totally against economic growth.
SECURE COMMUNICATION USING THE SYNCHRONIZATION OF TWO FRACTIONAL-ORDER CHAOTIC SYSTEMS WITH ORDER CHANGES USING THE FINITE-TIME OPTIMAL CONTROL APPROACH
Authors: Soleimanizadeh Ali
Published: November 2021

In this paper synchronization problem for two different fractional-order chaotic systems has been investigated. Based on fractional calculus, optimality conditions for this synchronization have been achieved. Synchronization Time and control signals are two factors that are optimized. After that, the synchronization method is applied in secure communication. Finally using the simulation example, the performance of the proposed method for synchronization and chaotic masking is shown.