bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can’t See the Words for the Letters: Whole Word Processing in Adolescents and a Novel “Visual” Intervention for Dyslexia
Authors:   , Ashcroft Emma Samantha Louise
Published: December 2021

Individuals with developmental dyslexia, considered as a group, perform poorly on tasks that involve phonological analysis, such as applying sight-sound rules to read new words, or analysing words into their component sounds (De Groot, Huettig, & Olivers, 2016; Temple & Marshall, 1983). However, dyslexia is also associated with other types of difficulties. For example, in some individuals, reading latencies increase disproportionately with the length of the word (De Luca, Barca, Burani, & Zoccolotti, 2008; Spinelli et al., 2005) suggesting they may have difficulties recognising familiar words as whole units (“whole word” processing).  This thesis examined the relationship between the word length effect and overall reading proficiency in a diverse sample of 49 adolescents. We found that the length effect was a unique predictor of reading proficiency, even after factoring out variance in phonological skills (measured using a nonword reading task). We also tested the recent hypothesis that visual attention span - the number of letters a reader can capture in a single glance - is important for efficient whole word reading (Bosse, Tainturier, & Valdois, 2007). Contrary to this hypothesis, we found no association between the word length effect and scores on a standard measure of visual attention span (a partial report task).  We also explored whether reading-delayed adolescents could benefit from an intervention targeting their specific cognitive profile. Five cases demonstrating a selective difficulty with either “phonological” or “whole word” skills completed two interventions. One targeted phonological skills: participants were trained to recognise and apply common sight-sound correspondences. The other targeted whole word skills: we reasoned that training participants to recognise commonly-occurring letter redundancies (e.g. ogue: rogue, synagogue, dialogue) could reduce the load on parallel letter processing. Only one of the five cases showed greater improvement in (untrained) word reading accuracy following their “target” intervention. However, four of the five showed intervention-specific improvements in reading latency. These results suggest that it could be valuable to consider heterogeneity when treating reading delay.
Between attention and mobilisation: Proletariat political activation in a mediated Aotearoa/New Zealand
Authors:   , Pickering Daniel
Published: December 2021

Stagnant pay, increased work hours and other increasingly precarious working conditions are restricting the capacity of the working class to meaningfully participate in political processes, worsening its economic disenfranchisement and further widening the inequality gap. At the same time, political struggles have expanded beyond the economic. “New Social Movements” have for the last half century transformed politics by expanding the definition of “political struggle” to include environmental, cultural and social concerns. Information and communication technologies have also advanced considerably, to the extent that information and its transmission are no longer scarce. Instead, in an “attention economy” that operates under capitalist logics, it is the human capacity to process information that has the most limited availability. Together, these developments have fundamentally changed the ways in which people participate in politics today, with no clear consensus regarding the overall merit of these emergent means of participation for the class-based social movements looking to reverse growing economic inequality.  In this thesis, I examine the role of media in class-based social movements today. Specifically, I ask how organisers for these movements use media to facilitate political activation, or the process by which individuals disengaged from political processes come to participate in them. Using interviews with organisers from social movement organisations seeking to activate working-class audiences, I conduct a thematic analysis of those organisations’ media use and communications strategies. The findings reveal a complex imbrication of mediated and non-mediated activities designed to enable successful navigation of the attention economy. Through these findings, I propose new ways of connecting the individual to the collective in class-based movements through media.
Translating Contemporary New Zealand Poetry into French: Anna Jackson and Robert Sullivan
Authors:   , Arnault Luc
Published: December 2021

This thesis aims to explore the translation process through an in-depth analysis of a large corpus of texts: the works of two contemporary New Zealand poets, Anna Jackson and Robert Sullivan, which I translate into French. The work of both poses translation challenges particularly in terms of intertextual and cultural allusions. These are exacerbated where there are profound differences between source and target cultures. I argue that poetry translation problematises the concepts of equivalence and faithfulness. In resonance with Christiane Nord’s skopos theory and her focus on the principle of loyalty, I suggest that an ideal balance can be reached, emphasising the translator’s responsibility as a mediator between cultures, chiefly by way of techniques of compensation, borrowing, transposition or modulation, explicitation or implicitation of the underlying cultural or intertextual layers, and by resorting to creativity. This emphasis does not do away with pragmatism. On the contrary, I justify my choices when confronted with a range of specific challenges, for instance between domesticating and foreignising, or in Nord’s terms instrumental and documentary translations, on the basis of a case-by-case analysis, thus prioritising a heuristic and experimental approach. Translating New Zealand poetry into French shows that, while it may be crucial in literary translation studies, particularly with regard to poetry translation, the distinction between instrumental and documentary nevertheless needs to be transcended. The two types not only overlap but need to do so for a translated poem to function in the target culture. To translate both Jackson’s recurrent references to text and Sullivan’s to culture – or as an umbrella concept, to translate allusion – I show that it is best to think in terms of balance rather than equivalence. Balance not only highlights the need for the translator to be creative and measured, it is a central element in the harmonisation process inherent to poetry translation.
Mana wahine and atua wāhine
Authors:   , Sharman Ataria Rangipikitia
Published: December 2021

The characteristics of atua wāhine provide the female elements of mana wahine for Māori women. In expressing mana wahine, Māori women draw on the attributes and narratives of the atua wāhine. The atua wāhine narratives went through a period of marginalisation after the arrival of the early settlers. During this time their stories and characteristics were omitted from written literature, and where literature did exist, new meanings were impressed upon them. In their expression of mana wahine today, Māori women are limited to the narratives of the atua wāhine that have been made available to them and the characteristics described in those accounts.  In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the atua wāhine. A modern-day deconstruction and reconstruction of their stories has taken place, particularly amongst Māori women. From this an opportunity has arisen to re-present the narratives of the atua wāhine and reveal the full depths of their attributes and characteristics, an extension to uncover a deeper range of the female elements of mana wahine and their expression through Māori women.  The methodologies drawn upon for this research are Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine. A review of contemporary literature explores the atua wāhine and then examines mana wahine as a framework for Māori female expression. Following the literature review, a series of interviews with Māori women are analysed to contextualise the wāhine. Then the Mana Wahine: Characteristics of Atua Wāhine framework is unveiled. It is a framework for the conscientisation of Māori women and Māori men to the full range of female elements as are illustrated in the atua wāhine narratives.
Electronic properties of the topological insulators Bi₂Se₃ and Bi₂Te₃
Authors:   , Gühne Robin
Published: December 2021

The three-dimensional topological insulators Bi₂Se₃ and Bi₂Te₃ are model systems of a new class of materials with an insulating bulk and gapless surface states. Their small band gaps and the heavy elements are essential for the topologically non-trivial band structure, but these features are similarly responsible for other remarkable properties, such as their high thermoelectric performance.  This thesis investigates the electronic properties of the topological insulators Bi₂Se₃ and Bi₂Te₃ with a broad range of experimental methods. Ferromagnetism in Mn doped Bi₂Te₃ is shown to disappear under sample sintering. A surprisingly large magnetoresistance and a charge carrier independent change in the sign of the thermopower with increasing Mn content are discussed.¹²⁵Te nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of Bi₂Te₃ single crystals suggest an unusual electronic spin susceptibility and complex NMR shifts. The quadrupole interaction of ²⁰⁹Bi nuclei in Bi₂Se₃ single crystals is shown to be a signature of the band inversion in quantitative agreement with first-principle calculations. Furthermore, it is proposed that the strong spin-orbit coupling of conduction electrons causes a non-trivial orientation dependent quadrupole splitting of the ²⁰⁹Bi resonance.
Interpersonal cross border knowledge transfer within the multinational enterprise: Subsidiary power, intra-MNE competition and cultural intelligence
Authors:   , Phookan Himadree
Published: December 2021

Cross border knowledge transfer is not only a major activity of multi-national enterprises (MNEs), but also the very reason for their existence. Most of the literature has investigated cross-border knowledge transfer at the firm level - with the headquarters or the subsidiaries as the actors. However, the action of knowledge transfer occurs between people within organizations but not between amorphous organizations. To account for the heterogeneous, independent individual behaviour, which may not always align with organizational objectives, I investigate interpersonal cross-border knowledge transfers (knowledge seeking and sharing) between subsidiaries in an MNE.  Based on the Social Identity Theory (SIT) insights, my proposed conceptual model hypothesised the impact of subsidiary power on interpersonal knowledge seeking and sharing being mediated by organisational identity of the individuals. It also includes two boundary conditions, intra-MNE competition and cultural intelligence, due to which knowledge transfer outcomes are likely to vary. The proposed conceptual model is tested using a questionnaire survey data from 333 employees from 40 R&D subsidiaries of foreign MNEs in India. Before analysing the data with Conditional Process Analysis using the PROCESS macro within SPSS, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis was conducted with the help of AMOS.  The findings suggest that subsidiary power has a significant direct effect on knowledge sharing and an indirect effect on knowledge seeking. The results show that when it comes to seeking knowledge from another subsidiary, subsidiary power influences employees’ seeking behaviour due to the organizational identification of employees. Whereas, although the decision to share knowledge is influenced by subsidiary power, it is due to factors other than identification. Further, cultural intelligence is found to moderate the indirect effect on knowledge seeking and intra-MNE competition moderates the indirect effect on knowledge sharing.  My study makes three key contributions. Firstly, I bring in SIT insights to the knowledge governance approach (KGA). I have argued and proposed identity based KGA mechanisms such as subsidiary power and intra-MNE competition which influence individual level knowledge transfer. Such mechanisms (although not governance mechanisms per se) can be used by the subsidiary to govern individual knowledge exchanges across the border. Secondly, I contribute by examining two boundary conditions for the subsidiary power and interpersonal knowledge transfer relationships. This explains under what conditions the effect of subsidiary power is strengthened or weakened. Finally, by conducting the study in the context of India, which is fast emerging as a R&D hub for MNEs from different countries, the study provides insights to employees’ knowledge exchange behaviour which is crucial for knowledge transfers within the MNEs and for their success.
Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to assist resilient food production in the Solomon Islands. A case study of Soluve community
Authors:   , Gomese Chelcia
Published: December 2021

The study of indigenous peoples and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) has been of particular interest in recent years. While TEK has been used in areas such as anthropology and conservation biology in the past, little has been done around TEK and resilient food production. The coming years will see the increasing effects of climate change on food production and food security. This research aims to understand and document TEK within the Soluve community in order to understand how people in the community can find ways to be more resilient in the future. In carrying out this research, ten members of the Soluve community were interviewed on food production practices in the light of their knowledge of TEK along with their knowledge of TEK. A thorough search of relevant literature was also central to my research method. The community of Soluve are affected by frequent flooding and rainfall resulting in limited food yields from gardens. The results of my research indicate that TEK is still practised and maintained in the Soluve community in terms of food production. In particular, traditional preservation methods such as smoking and drying in the Motu can help food last longer. Further research is needed, however, on the erosion of TEK, and how the people of Soluve can document this knowledge.
Inter-transitional Architecture: New Spatial Models for Prisoner Reintegration in New Zealand
Authors:   , Brown Emilia
Published: December 2021

The aim of this research was to explore the design of transitional housing for newly released prisoners from the New Zealand prison environment. This was achieved through the development of an architecture that provides a dynamic, vibrant, beautiful and connective environment for those using the space.  Reconnecting released prisoners with society requires careful consideration. The use of architecture may aid released prisoner’s societal habilitation and wellbeing by creating informed dynamic interior spaces.  The issues released prisoners face when trying to reintegrate back into society were analysed. This research focused on how these issues can be addressed through the built environment. Current issues include the lack of supportive accommodation available to released prisoners, the lack of successful mental health interventions, the disproportionate representation of the population in New Zealand prisons and the absence of healing environments for released prisoners.  The research provides evidence that a family and community based model for transitional housing could be successful in New Zealand. It also discussed how released prisoners can improve their personal view of themselves when they are adequately supported by their family and have a strong connection to their site, culture and context. It is argued that released prisoner’s positive sense of self may improve their mental health and recidivism rates. An improvement of recidivism rates is valuable to wider society’s safety.   The research suggests that an ambient, healing and calm atmosphere might be achieved through material texture and tactility and natural lighting in a family and cultural based model.  The proposed design was aimed at a small focus group of three released prisoners and their family members. The purpose was to reconnect and support the family through the reintegration of the released prisoner. There are three main blocks in the design: a reflection space, a communal block, and three private blocks for each family. The design of the walls aimed to visually connect the users to the context of the building and to act as a prompt to establish a relationship with their cultural background. The proposed design uses materiality, lighting and symbolism as techniques to improve the therapeutic atmosphere of the interior.  The design research process and the proposed design was critically analysed and reflected on. The research is related back to a global context and collectively a contribution to the existing body of knowledge was made.
Spatialising Grief. A Landscape-based investigation of atmosphere and recovery
Authors:   , Gregory Patrick
Published: December 2021

I consider atmosphere as a spatial layer of a site and as such, a critical aspect of how urban landscapes are experienced. In this way atmosphere is understood as more than a feeling or sense of connection to a place, thus an intangible fixture that allows spaces to be both unique and general to a person at a given moment (Andersson 73 - 76) .Atmospheric space is thus nonphysical and engages a sensation of emotion and thought rather than the senses of sight, touch, and sound. I identify this layer of space lacks coherence within the urban fabric of cities which tend to focus on landscape as a focus of movement and functions. Spaces for reflection are most often formalised within the city, reflecting on a general scale rather than allowing for individual reflection. Memorials are designed to represent the grief of the city in regards to a specific event and work as a symbolic statement. In this way whilst memorials prompt a form of reflection on collective grief, they do not make a context for individuals personal connections to their own grieving process..This design considers how landscape architecture can design urban spaces that carry such influence. To approach this issue the project uses atmosphere, an ethereal layer of design, to create spaces that allow for positive reflection for those grieving by way of small triggers or ‘vignettes’. These subtle aspects of design prompt a walker experiencing grief to transcend the space, if only for a moment, and aid their recovery process. The project draws on both landscape design discourse and psychology. Research on grief clinically and emotionally has demonstrated a general process of one’s relationship to grief and its eventual transition from a hostile antagonist relation to a friendly companion (Vaughn 36 - 40). This recovery process, yielded in distinct shifts and changes,has formed the basis for the ‘vignettes’ in this design. These moments have informed the design and driven the composition of connection between space and griever. The project explores how atmosphere can be used in design (method) as a ‘connector’ between the user and site. Existing atmospherics of the site are identified and used as a foundation with subtle and minimally noticeable elements. This design approach allows for both a more general engagement for the everyday user whilst creating a canvas for the more reflective walker to interpret. This design research contributes to discourse that uses emotions to create subtle and light handed landscapes. It shows that when engaging with complex emotions, such as grief, joy, and fear, bold or literal gestures in the landscape are not always required.
Snoring and the Internet: A Cartographic Exploration of Medicalisation
Authors:   , Sparks Christopher
Published: December 2021

The medicalisation of snoring has led to new industries of diagnosis, treatment, and transport regulation. Bryn Sparks’s research develops a novel mapping technique to model internet-searches about snoring to help investigate medicalisation in the digital era. Bryn’s research explores the medicalisation of snoring across multiple levels: at the micro-level of individuals in whom the internet-search influences conceptions of snoring; at the meso-level of web-sites wherein competition for attention interacts through search-engine feed-back to amplify medicalisation; and at the macro-level of the internet in terms of how the shifting conception of snoring over time reflects a dynamic pattern of medicalisation.
Strategic Business Model Development in Ecosystems
Authors:   , Mann Dominik
Published: December 2021

Designing and strategically developing viable business models is vital for value creation and capture and in turn for the survival and performance of entrepreneurial ventures. However, the widely held firm-centric and static business model perspective appears inadequate to reflect the realities of increasingly blurred industry boundaries, interconnected economies, and the resulting collapse of incumbent value chains. This PhD thesis adds understanding of the dynamic business model development process from an ecosystem perspective. The evolution of ten entrepreneurial ventures’ business models was documented and investigated through longitudinal in-depth case studies over twelve months. Analysing and comparing the cases revealed strategies that resulted in the development of effective interactive structures and robust value co-creation and capture mechanisms. The development of interactive structures, i.e. firm-ecosystem fits, was either supported by a focused or diversified ecosystem integration approach underpinned by heterogeneous interdependencies of value proposition and business model components across ecosystems. The obtained insights allowed the derivation of sets of capabilities that supported the business model development process and enhanced entrepreneurial ventures’ chances of survival. The findings have several implications for advancements of the business model theory. In particular they indicate what integration strategies can inform entrepreneurs’ and managers’ business model design and execution strategies for operating in increasingly complex ecosystems.
Cultural capital and student engagement in extracurricular activities at a Malaysian University
Authors:   , Jimmie Anita
Published: December 2021

How students perceive education influences their extracurricular engagement at university. In this study, I investigate how Malaysian students perceive the importance of a university education and how this influences their choices about extracurricular voluntary activities. Participants included 21 university students (aged 17-25 years old) studying at a university in East Malaysia. Data collection methods included questionnaires, visual data, semi-structured individual and focus group interviews. The findings reveal that while cultural capital plays a significant role in influencing student perceptions of educational success, other forms of capital are also highly valued in the education system. Academic excellence is emphasized, with families often investing in private tuition and other skills to achieve distinction thus giving students a perceived edge over their competitors. The results also show that social capital has a significant influence on students’ involvement in extracurricular activities while at university. The social capital embedded in friendships functioned as an investment strategy and participants relied on this capital to sustain their interest in community service projects or club activities. They also relied heavily on social capital resources embedded in kinship and religious institutions to obtain information and make decisions regarding future career plans and goals.
The Politics of International Education: Constructing New Zealand's Export Education Industry
Authors:   , Lin Jing
Published: December 2021

International education today is an important export industry for New Zealand. It has come a long way from its origins as a developmental scholarship programme for countries in South and Southeast Asia under the Colombo Plan. This thesis studies the concepts and debates related to international education globally; and traces its development in New Zealand over three stages to investigate how it has been transformed from “education for aid” to “education for trade”.  This transformation has taken place against the backdrop of neoliberal globalisation. Adopting a constructivist approach, I argue that the commercialisation of international education is influenced by normative factors such as globalisation and regionalism, as well as a conscious decision made by the state based on the material resources New Zealand possesses as an English language speaking country with a relatively advanced liberal education system attractive to developing countries, particularly in Asia.  I construct New Zealand’s export education industry in its current state using Wendt’s framework of three elements of social structure. Assuming that the neoliberal norm persists, this thesis identifies the critical factors affecting the continued wellbeing and future development of the export education industry as follows: 1) the quality and reputation of New Zealand’s international education; 2) the continued economic growth of key student source countries and the ongoing demand for overseas education; and 3) the willingness of people from these countries to purchase education services from New Zealand.
HR and Ethics. A relationship that is work in progress
Authors:   , Pandey Saloni
Published: December 2021

In this ever-changing business world, the role of HR has become significantly imperative due to the increasing focus on aligning people of the organisation with the overall business strategy, particularly in an era when unethical behaviour is not tolerated. However, considering the complexity of the HR profession, it has been questioned what the role of HR is. With the changing future of work, this question has become more prevalent considering the influence of factors such as globalisation, automation and generational changes. Various scholars have claimed that HR professionals should be undertaking four distinct roles of administrative expert, strategic business partner, change agent and employee champion, which consequently leads to a role-conflict for HR professionals, hence influencing their decision-making within organisations, particularly in ethical situations. Using Ulrich (1997) model as a benchmark, this thesis aims to explore the relationship between HR and ethics, focusing on the role-conflict that HR professionals experience in organisations, along with the best practices they use to cope with the role-conflict in ethical situations and the influence of these best practices on the future of HR.  Employing a qualitative method approach, this study uses in-depth semi-structured interviews with top-tier HR professionals working in organisations who are continually striving to build their ethical stance. The sample of this study was particularly important, as it was crucial to choose HR professionals who would make strong subject matter experts and provide rich and in-depth perspectives with regards to working in HR. The findings indicate that though there is a visibility and recognition of role-conflict within the profession, it wasn’t regarded as a strong issue compared to what was reflected in the literature. Furthermore, support from the organisation leaders and a strong organisation culture along with following a fair, and consistent process allows for the role-conflict to be diminished, particularly in an ethical situation. The thesis also found that the profession is increasingly becoming more strategic, with the operational HR duties delegated to the line managers, and hence illustrating the emergence of two new roles of ‘mentor’ and ‘analyst’.  The study contributes to the existing literature by proposing a new model for the HR profession by considering the various roles they are required to undertake and the significance for all the roles to work concurrently with each other for HR to truly succeed. Several implications such as re-training and a creation of an independent body for HR professionals, along with a strong organisational culture that allows HR to thrive, and the recognition of them gaining a seat at the management table are discussed, followed by an overall conclusion of what the future of the HR profession is.
Liberalism of the Third Force in Republican China: Carsun Chang and Zhang Dongsun
Authors:   , Peng Lifang
Published: December 2021

This study investigates the liberal thought of Carsun Chang and Zhang Dongsun who were core figures of the “Third Force”, those parties who did not align themselves either with the KMT or with the Communists in the 1940s. They developed a distinctive Chinese form of liberalism that contained elements of socialism, German idealism (Hegel and Kant), and the British tradition of liberty (Mill). Though similar in many respects to New Liberalism represented by the British thinker L. T. Hobhouse, this form of liberalism was specifically adapted to Chinese conditions. Like Hobhouse, Chang used German idealism to reconcile liberalism with socialism but he aimed to address Chinese problems including poverty, national sovereignty, and authoritarianism. Zhang subscribed to Chang’s views and agreed that these problems were the obstacles to Chinese democracy and state-building.  I use Michael Freeden’s theory of ideological morphology to establish the distinctive character of Chinese liberalism represented by Chang and Zhang. As an alternative to conventional approaches, it centres around the semantic meanings of a cluster of political concepts which constitute liberalism and socialism rather than specific definitions of those ideologies. This approach successfully explains the variations within liberalism, socialism, and their complex relationship in different cultures and regions, but has not yet been used by other scholars to discuss Chinese political thought. In addition, I also discuss specific textual and contextual aspects of the Chinese liberalism of Chang and Zhang.  Recognising the liberal tradition Chang and Zhang established helps develop a new understanding of Chinese liberalism and Chinese socialism past and present which are conventionally excluded from the narrative of Chinese political history. The Chinese liberalism identified in my research had an overlap with social democracy. It was not a single concept of liberty but a particular configuration of a few concepts such as liberty, equality, progress, justice, welfare, and limited power. This form of liberalism continues to exist in contemporary China. Chinese thinkers of this liberal tradition were and are actively involved in the debates over socialism, liberalism, and their relationships to Chinese problems such as modernisation, democratisation, and social transformation. In addition, this study reveals an ideological cause of a divided Chinese liberalism in the 1940s. Chang was a new liberal whereas Zhang was a representative of left liberalism. Furthermore, this research enables us to understand the continuing influence of the liberalism of Chang on the constitutional thought in Taiwan and its implications for the relationship between Taiwan and mainland China. Chang drafted the Constitution of the Republic of China. His liberal thought had an impact on this constitution that was initially intended to cover mainland China but was only enforced in Taiwan.
Does Inquiry-Based Learning Provide an Approach for Employing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in a Primary School Classroom?
Authors:   , Benge Andrea
Published: December 2021

Inquiry-based learning could be viewed as a form of culturally relevant pedagogy as they both promote student success regardless of student culture. The aim of this research is to explore whether inquiry-based learning is an approach for employing culturally relevant pedagogy in a New Zealand primary classroom setting.  This is a qualitative exploratory case study examining students’ perceptions of learning through an inquiry-based approach. Focus group discussions were conducted to collect data from a group of students’ aged 9, 10 and 11 years from one New Zealand primary school. Data was analysed using a thematic approach that identified findings to be linked to four themes. Four themes of culture, authentic learning, relationships and teaching strategies were used throughout the study as they are deemed important components of inquiry-based learning and culturally relevant pedagogy.  On analysis of the findings it is evident that there are links between inquiry-based learning and culturally relevant pedagogy. The results highlighted students’ perception of the importance of having a sense of belonging with a culture, the impact of authenticity of learning, the quality of relationships between teacher and student and the positive impact of providing a range of effective teaching strategies.
A qualitative study to investigate the barriers to adoption of a lifestyle associated with optimal peak bone mass acquisition
Authors:   , Zafar Sana
Published: December 2021

Background: Osteoporosis is a major public health problem through its association with fragility fracture. Peak bone mass is attained in the second or third decade and has been shown to be a major determinant of later osteoporosis risk. Important determinants of peak bone mass include weight bearing physical activity levels, diet, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption.  Aim: This study aimed to elucidate knowledge of factors affecting bone health among young people and identify lifestyle barriers to attainment of peak bone mass.  Methods: Participants were recruited through mass mailing of University students and staff aged 18-35 at Victoria University of Wellington. Six semi structured focus group interviews were conducted, where knowledge of factors associated with bone health and attitudes to lifestyles associated with beneficial health behaviors were explored. The interviews were audio taped and transcribed. A thematic approach for data analysis using constant comparative method was performed with Nvivo software.  Results: A total of 28 students (7 males, 21 females, mean age 28 years) were included. Seven themes emerged with regard to knowledge about factors affecting bone health which included physical activity, dairy, menopause, aging, smoking, alcohol and lack of knowledge about osteoporosis. For barriers, broadly eight themes of lifestyle factors emerged that included time, lack of resources, student life, cost, weather, cultural factors, lack of motivation and lastly smoking and alcohol. Students had limited knowledge about bone health in general, prevention of osteoporosis, and the importance of weight bearing physical activity and diet in determining later bone health. Some participants, especially vegans, expressed difficulties with making diet choices adequate in calcium, while others reported time management was a barrier to incorporating physical activity into everyday life. A few voiced a lack of motivation to exercise in bad weather. Some participants reported behaviors detrimental to bone health such as smoking and heavy alcohol consumption, with peer pressure being one factor leading to an increase in such activities, compounded by cultural and social pressures. Many students aspired to a healthier lifestyle but felt that they had limited knowledge about bone health, and specifically what they might need do to improve it.   Conclusions: These data highlights a lack of awareness of factors that impact peak bone mass among University students, an expressed desire to know more, and a keenness to adopt healthier behaviors. School-based education could provide stronger foundations with regards to knowledge of bone health. These observational data might help design interventions that encourage optimal peak bone mass in later life.
Finding the Key: Designing Timber Connections for CLT Panels
Authors:   , Joyce Gabriella
Published: December 2021

In a climate where standard methods of construction are being challenged, developments in engineered timbers are allowing mass timber construction to be explored as a sustainable alternative to traditional building methods. Cross- laminated timber (CLT) is at the forefront of this evolution and, with the advancement in computational design and digital fabrication tools, there lies an opportunity to redefine standard construction. This project explores how digital modelling and advance digital fabrication can be combined to generate a connection system for CLT panels.  The advantages of CLT and mass timber construction are numerous and range from environmental and aesthetic benefits to site safety and cost reduction benefits. There are, however, issues that remain surrounding the connections between CLT panels. Steurer (2006, p.136) stated that, “Progress in engineered timber construction is directly related to developments in connector technology.” This thesis creates connections inspired by traditional Japanese joinery that have been adapted to be used for the panel construction of CLT structures. Using CLT offcuts as a primary connection material, the system not only reduces waste but also mitigates thermal bridging and lowers the number of connection points whilst increasing the ease of building and fabrication.  The connections are first considered at a detail scale. They use the literature review and case studies as a base for design before being tested using digitally fabricated prototypes. These prototypes are evaluated against a framework created in line with the aforementioned criteria. Within this framework, the connections are analysed against existing connection systems as well as previous designs to establish a successful system. The connections are then evaluated within the context of a building scale and considers large-scale fabrication and on- site assembly whilst continuing to focus on the reduction of waste. This research found that the simplicity of the connections is key to a successful system as this allows for faster and cheaper fabrication and installation. However, there is still further research needed surrounding large-scale fabrication and the structural capacity of timber connection systems.
Magnetic and transport properties of electronically spin polarised double perovskites and Heusler intermetallics
Authors:   , Stephen Jibu
Published: December 2021

Half-metallic ferromagnets with 100 % electronic spin polarisation are an interesting class of materials for new spin transport electronics applications. Some of the double perovskites and Heusler alloys are predicted to be half-metallic with Curie temperatures above room temperature. This thesis presents the results from an experimental study of polycrystalline double perovskites Sr₂₋ₓLaₓFeMoO₆ and Ba₂₋ₓLaₓFeMoO₆, and ordered and disordered epitaxial thin films of Co₂MnSi Heusler alloys. A magnetothermopower was observed in Sr₂₋ₓLaₓFeMoO₆ and Ba₂₋ₓLaₓFeMoO₆. This magnetothermopower can be explained in terms of a spin-tunnelling contribution to the thermopower between grains that changes in an applied magnetic field. The results from the high temperature (above 400 K) magnetisation studies on Ba₂₋ₓLaₓFeMoO₆ in the paramagnetic region reveal that a localised electron model with antiferromagnetic coupling to itinerant electrons can account for the carrier concentration dependent effective moments. The correlation between the bare itinerant electron susceptibility and the Curie-Weiss temperature supports the kinetic energy driven model that has been used to account for the electronic spin polarisation and high Curie temperatures.  Antisite disorder is evident in the Co₂MnSi thin films that leads to a reduction in the saturation magnetisation. The resistivity of the ordered Co₂MnSi thin film is linear in temperature whereas the resistivity of the disordered film increases at low temperature due to weak localisation. A magnetoresistance is observed in ordered and disordered films. At low fields (below 0.1 T) the magnetoresistance is likely to be due to domain wall scattering. For magnetic fields greater than 0.1 T there is likely to be a contribution from a magnetic-field-induced suppression of the weak localisation resistivity. Similar magnetoresistance behaviour was observed for ordered and disordered films. There is a large anomalous Hall resistivity observed in the ordered and disordered Co₂MnSi thin films. In the case of the ordered film it is found that the anomalous Hall effect is dominated by skew scattering.
Online Word-of-Mouth Communication in a Collectivist Society
Authors:   , Yang Lin
Published: December 2021

Word-of-mouth (WOM) is perceived by consumers as a highly credible source of information, and online channels for WOM have become increasingly popular among consumers. Although the impact of online word-of-mouth (OWOM) on consumers‘ purchase decisions has been researched, it remains unclear why information about products, brands or organisations is generated online and what influences its initiation from the sender‘s perspective. This research explores the antecedents of customer OWOM and examines the relationships between key antecedent variables and customer OWOM engagement in a Chinese context.  A conceptual model was developed based on the literature and information obtained through one-to-one in-depth interviews. Customer perceived value, satisfaction, loyalty and affective commitment were incorporated as key antecedent constructs of customer OWOM.  The research used a two-phase research design. The first phase was a qualitative exploration of the customer‘s OWOM experience. These findings were used to gain an understanding of customers‘ OWOM initiation, provide confirmation of the model, and refine the measurement thereof. The second phase used a quantitative online survey to validate the measurement instruments and test the model. The data for the study were collected from OWOM initiators in China over a period of one and a half months. A sample of 574 respondents was obtained. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling and multiple regression analysis.  Findings from the research suggest that an emphasis on creating an affective bond with the brand and organisation is the key to customers‘ engagement of WOM on the Internet. The study also indicates that customer perceived QEP (quality, emotional and price) value is a less immediate but critical antecedent. In addition, the customer perceived social value of a product or service is found to significantly impact OWOM. In China, where the collectivist view predominates, customers conform to social standards and withhold negative comments in their OWOM activities in order to maintain social acceptance and inclusion, and to make favourable impressions. They also engage in OWOM to gain and enhance face, which is a social need in China‘s status driven society.  This research contributes to a growing body of research on customers‘ OWOM behaviour by developing and empirically testing the customer OWOM model. It provides a more holistic view of post-purchase OWOM by simultaneously investigating a set of key antecedents for OWOM in a single framework. The research also widens the geographic and culture scope of OWOM research by undertaking the study in China. By using a mixed method, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the research offers a balance among objectivity, detailed description and the predictability of the study. Furthermore, the research provides marketing practitioners with a better understanding of the behaviour of Chinese OWOM initiators, and offers directions to improve their marketing communication strategies.
Consumer processing of interactive online advertisements
Authors:   , McLaren Lachlan
Published: December 2021

The internet is a computer mediated environment that facilitates the interaction between firms and consumers. This inherent interactivity gives marketers the opportunity to provide consumers with more engaging advertisements. Instead of a largely passive audience characteristic of broadcast and print media, advertising on the internet involves interaction between marketer and consumer, resulting in a consumer that is more active in the communication and persuasion process. In an interactive medium, the consumer can also interact with marketing messages in real time. This was not possible with print and broadcast advertising, therefore, understanding how this interaction influences advertising persuasiveness is important. The key research question for this study is what effect does interactivity within an online advertisement have on consumers’ attention to, processing of and attitude towards the ad? This research applies established information processing theory in an online context to develop a conceptual model of the effects of interactivity on consumer processing of advertisements. Using an online experiment to collect data this study manipulates interactivity within an online banner advertisement and tests the conceptual model using structural equation modelling. The results indicate that consumers pay more attention to online advertisements that are interactive and that the increased attention leads to an increase in processing of the advertisement and a more favourable attitude towards the ad. In addition those who interacted with the advertisement had more favourable thoughts about the advertisement. Previous effects of interactivity on processing and attitude towards the advertisements were not observed. A possible explanation is the assumption of attention to the advertisement made in previous studies. Instead this study suggests that interactivity cannot influence consumer processing of advertisements without the consumer first paying attention to the advertisement. The findings of this study contribute to the domains of interactivity and information processing theory through clarifying questions about the ability of interactive advertising to engage consumers and demonstrating the effectiveness of information processing theory to explain how consumers process interactive messages. Future research directions are outlined that include investigating what interactive features in advertisements are most engaging for consumers and combining self-report measures with more objective methods to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how consumers process interactive messages.
Synthesis of Highly Functionalised Furo[3,4-b]pyrans: Towards the Fungal Metabolite (−)-TAN-2483B
Authors:   , Somarathne R.M. Kalpani K.
Published: December 2021

Carbohydrate-derived cyclopropanes combine both the stereochemical wealth of carbohydrates and the reactivity of cyclopropanes. A diverse variety of reaction modes for these cyclopropyl carbohydrates can be harnessed for the synthesis of natural products and other targets.  The natural products (−)-TAN-2483A and (−)-TAN-2483B are fungal secondary metabolites displaying a variety of bioactivities such as inhibition of c-src kinase action and parathyroid hormone-induced bone resorption. This thesis described several synthetic approaches to the natural product (−)-TAN-2483B and analogues of (−)-TAN-2483B employing cyclopropane ring expansion.  The synthetic route to (−)-TAN-2483B began with the readily available substrate D-mannose. The pyran ring unsaturation of the natural product was established by a cyclopropanation-ring expansion sequence. A synthetic strategy via dichlorocyclopropane-based intermediates is described in chapter 2. This being unsuccessful, an alternative approach via 2-fomyl-glycal was developed in chapter 3. The chapter 2 and 3 provided a solid background for the achievement of the analogues synthesis illustrated in chapter 4 via dibromocyclopropane. Lewis acid-mediated alkynylation followed by Pdcatalysed carbonylative lactonisation was successfully utilised in the revelation of the furo[3,4-b]pyran ring skeleton. This route afforded analogues of TAN-2483B; the Z-and E-unsaturated ethyl esters 140 and 141 and hydroxy(−)-TAN-2483B 145. The total synthesis of (−)-TAN-2483B was not achieved due to unforeseen obstacles encountered in the deoxygenation of the side arm of 335 (Chapter 4) into the E-propenyl side arm of (−)-TAN-2483B.