bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polynomial Invariants of the Euclidean Group Action on Multiple Screws
Authors:   , Crook Deborah
Published: November 2021

In this work, we examine the polynomial invariants of the special Euclidean group in three dimensions, SE(3), in its action on multiple screw systems. We look at the problem of finding generating sets for these invariant subalgebras, and also briefly describe the invariants for the standard actions on R^n of both SE(3) and SO(3). The problem of the screw system action is then approached using SAGBI basis techniques, which are used to find invariants for the translational subaction of SE(3), including a full basis in the one and two-screw cases. These are then compared to the known invariants of the rotational subaction. In the one and two-screw cases, we successfully derive a full basis for the SE(3) invariants, while in the three-screw case, we suggest some possible lines of approach.
Enhancing Performance-Based Regulation: Lessons from New Zealand's Building Control System
Authors:   , Mumford Peter John
Published: November 2021

Performance-based regulation establishes mandatory goals rather than enforcing prescriptive standards. Performance-based regulation has become popular over the past two decades as an alternative to prescriptive regulation, as it holds out the promise of simultaneously achieving health, safety and environmental outcomes while facilitating innovation and reducing regulatory costs. In the early 1990s New Zealand adopted a performance-based building control regime. This demonstrably failed and was replaced in 2004 with a new regime, still performance-based but more conservative. Using legal determinations, adjudications and court cases, and reviews of the failures, contributing factors have been identified. An assessment has been made of the extent to which these factors can be attributed to the performance philosophy and features of the regime. Strategies to addresses the weaknesses of performance-based regulation have been explored. The change from a standards-based regulatory regime, where technology shifts are on the margin and occur through a process of incremental trial-and-error, to a performance-based regime, displaced traditional institutions for aggregating knowledge required for risk-based decision-making. At the same time, the new performance-based regime was permissive of greater technology shifts, which demands more of decision-makers who are operating in an environment of inevitable uncertainty. The significance of the regime change was not well understood and new institutions did not evolve. Reverting to traditional institutions is not an option as they are inherently conservative and therefore innovation as one of the normative benefits of performance-based regulation is likely to be constrained. New institutions are required to aggregate knowledge, but also permit decisions that enable the technology threshold to be pushed out in situations where it is not possible to measure accurately how a novel technology will perform in all of the circumstances of its use, and failure in the field is a possibility. This requires knowledge that is both technical and evaluative. Technical knowledge is more than science, but increasingly knowledge in other domains such as psychology, economics, and both domestic and international law. Evaluative knowledge is that which is required to assess risks and consequences. This study explores two strategies for resolving the challenges of decision-making in a permissive performance-based regulatory environment: improving the predicative capability of decision-making systems through the better application of the intuitive judgment associated with expertise and wisdom, and treating novel technologies as explicit experiments. Both strategies show promise, but may be difficult to implement. If the conditions for materially pushing out the thresholds of technology while managing the risks cannot be met, it may be necessary to revert to incremental trial-and-error in high-risk areas. This does not preclude innovation, but it will be at a slower rate.
A Preliminary Descriptive Model of Expertise Related Competence in Child Sexual Offending
Authors:   , Bourke Patrice A
Published: November 2021

Child sexual offending is a great area of concern to the public and researchers alike. The damaging effects of Child Sexual Abuse are numerous and frequently enduring. Research in sexual offending has tended to focus on therapeutic interventions and effectiveness as well as the aetiological aspects of offending. Much of this research has focused on offender deficits associated with sexual crimes that are the target of intervention programs. There has been little attention paid to the view that sexual offenders appear to learn from their previous offending and in some cases acquire a considerable degree of offence related competency. In other words, some sexual offenders appear to develop high levels of expertise. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are 'expert' offenders within the child sexual offending arena who display greater competence in utilising grooming techniques, selecting targets, interpreting and evaluating social and environmental cues, and who possess extensive offence scripts. In this exploratory study, 47 male child sexual offenders were interviewed in New Zealand prison based Sexual Offender Rehabilitation Units about their offences as well as their lives prior to and post offending. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Grounded Theory to generate a model of offence specific decision making. Results indicated that child sex offenders vary on the above dimensions and effectively span the range from 'novice' to 'expert' offenders with respect to the quality of their decision making and their domain relevant knowledge structures. By using the general principles of expertise as a conceptual framework, a developmental model of expertise in child sex offenders in New Zealand was constructed. The implications of the constructed model for theory and treatment are discussed and suggestions are made for the direction of future research.
The Chemical Genetic Interactions of Statin Drugs with Their Target Genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors:   , Busby Bede P
Published: November 2021

Statins, competitive inhibitors of the rate limiting cholesterol/ergosterol enzymes HMG-CoA reductase (HMG1 and HMG2), are the most widely prescribed human therapeutic drugs. They are effective in lowering cholesterol levels in atherosclerosis and related syndromes. However, statins exhibit a range of pleiotropic side effects whose mechanisms are poorly understood. This study investigates statin pleiotropy by analysis of genetic interaction networks in yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which shows high homology to mammalian pathways affected by statins. Synthetic genetic array (SGA) analysis allows elucidation of functional genetic networks of genes of interest ("query genes") by  measurement of genetic epistasis in double mutants of the query gene with the genome - wide deletion mutant array of ~4800 non-essential strains. Chemicalgenetic profiling is similar where a SMP may effectively replace the query gene in genome wide epistatic analysis. The genetic interaction networks resulting from use of HMG1 and HMG2 as query genes for SGA analysis were compared to the chemical-genetic profiles of atorvastatin, cerivastatin and lovastatin. The genes ARV1, BTS1, OPI3 displaying phenotypic enhancements (i.e. their deletion caused major growth inhibition) with statins became essential in the presence of all the statins. Two mitochondrial genes, COX17 and MMM1, showed phenotypic suppressions (i.e. their deletion allowed better growth) in common to all three statin drugs. An attractive hypothesis is that major pleiotropic effects of statins could be due to variation in function or expression of these enhancing or suppressing genes. Other processes compensating statin use were also elucidated. For example, when HMG1 and its epistatically interacting genes are shut down by deletion coupled with inhibition of HMG2 with statin, there is strong evidence that the cell attempts to maintain membrane/lipid homeostasis via anterograde and retrograde transport mechanisms, including the mobilisation of lipid storage droplets. To aid refinement of genetic analysis in this and future studies, a more direct phenotypic assay was developed for quantifying ergosterol. Such an assay may be used as a phenotype to map the effect of up - and downstream - genes, or network genes affecting ergosterol levels. This assay was used to quantify ergosterol in a drug - resistant mutant developed by others aiding confirmation of the drug target.
Over the Great Wall: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of the Experiences and Preferences of Chinese Immigrant Families when Receiving Hospice Services in New Zealand
Authors:   , Hathaway Joanna Clare
Published: November 2021

This thesis discusses the background, processes, findings and recommendations of a qualitative descriptive study to explore and describe the experiences and preferences of Chinese immigrant families when receiving hospice services in New Zealand (NZ). The study arose from clinical practice questions about how hospice services were providing end-of-life care to the growing number of Chinese immigrants in NZ. With the assistance of a Cultural Advisor and a team of professional interpreters, eight bereaved Chinese immigrants living in the greater Auckland area who had cared for a terminally ill close family member with hospice service involvement were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. Participants were asked to describe their family support in NZ as well as their experiences of referral to a hospice, the types of care and treatment provided, communication processes between staff and the patient/family, care in the patient's last days of life, comparisons with care provided in their country of origin and suggestions for NZ hospice service improvements. Four key themes emerged: 1) Unfamiliar territory - participants were unfamiliar with the role or services of hospice and staff's lack of awareness of Chinese customs had led to distressing situations; 2) Service experiences and expectations - while some services were deemed useful others were not; participants had expected more medical treatments to manage the patient's symptoms; deaths in in-patient settings were less concerning to families and were preferred to deaths at home; 3) Support to cope - participants wanted more psychological support from hospice and regarded the maintenance of hope as a key component of a good death; 4) Uncovering sensitive information - families wanted to be consulted before sensitive information was discussed with patients and they preferred information to be uncovered slowly and gently to avoid causing the patient psychological harm. Recommendations for hospice service development included: improved access to information for families; greater provision of support services, especially for patients and families at home; education for hospice staff about Chinese culture and customs; options for in-patient admission in the last days of life; and the involvement of families in disclosure decisions. It is hoped that by responding to the experiences and preferences shared by participants, hospice services will be better equipped to address the end-of-life care needs of Chinese immigrant families.
Impact Evaluation of a 'Brief Intervention Program' for Clients who Deliberately Self-Harm
Authors:   , Aquin Edward Herman
Published: November 2021

Deliberate self harm (DSH) and suicide rates are recognised internationally, nationally and locally as an increasing trend. The financial and emotional cost to society highlights the need for providing services that aim to reduce the likelihood of further deliberate self harm. The emergency department (ED) is often the entry point for service provision to clients who deliberate self harm. A reduction in re-presentations for acts of DSH to the ED would greatly reduce the strain on this essential part of the public healthcare system. It is vital that the services developed to address DSH are evaluated to facilitate informed decisions regarding program sustainability or improvement. Study aim: This study aims to evaluate a 'brief intervention program' (BIP) designed to address the needs of clients who presented with or were at risk of engaging in act(s) of deliberate self harm. The intention of the program was to reduce repetitive acts of DSH and to assist the clients in developing better coping strategies. Study design: This study uses a pluralistic evaluation research design to conduct a program evaluation. The 'line of enquiry' is guided by the Impact Evaluation framework by Owen (2006).The seven steps of the framework were used to organise, categorise, analyse and discuss the program's outcomes in this study. The pluralistic or mixed design used pre-existing quantitative client file data and qualitative data collected from a staff questionnaire. A total number of 40 client files were examined for the data analysis. Six out of the ten staff members agreed to participate in a survey that sought information about the program's implementation. Findings: Results from the quantitative data analysis found that 82.1% of clients did not re-present to the ED with a repeated act of DSH for a period of six months following initial referral and treatment. The mean average of days to follow up was 5.54. Outcome measurements via pre and post PANSI scores found an improvement in the client's resiliency. Results from the repeated measures t-test: p< .05. Qualitative data analysis found that by expanding the referral base that stakeholders perceived it was more difficult for clients to be followed up within five days from their referral date. Other suggestions pertained to increasing the resources of the program for sustainability. Contribution: The use of program evaluation strategies compliments current trends in healthcare to employ pluralistic or mixed method designs. Broader lines of enquiry lead to more informed decisions regarding program sustainability or improvement.
A Cost Benefit Analysis of Secondary Glazing as a Retrofit Alternative for New Zealand Homes
Authors:   , Smith Nick
Published: November 2021

Homes with single glazing represent a large majority of the New Zealand housing stock. With the recent changes to the NZ Building Code Clause H1 Energy Efficiency, new homes require higher glazing thermal performance. This will lead to an increased need for cost effective methods to improve window thermal performance in existing single glazed homes without completely replacing the windows, which includes 'secondary' glazing. There are several secondary glazing options available including 'stick-on' plastic glazing as well as aluminium framed glass solutions that are installed inside the existing joinery. Secondary glazing is marketed as a cost effective alternative to insulated glazing units, providing both improved acoustic and thermal insulation to existing windows. There is little information regarding the in-use performance and cost benefits of secondary glazing in New Zealand. This thesis explores the efficacy of the secondary glazing products when installed in existing single pane frames. A guarded hotbox was used to make thermal resistance measurements on a typical single glazed aluminium window with timber reveal liner. Four common secondary glazing systems were retrofitted into the window - (1) thin plastic film; (2) magnetically-attached acrylic sheet; (3) aluminium framed secondary glazing; and (4) aluminium framed low emissivity (low-E) secondary glazing. Models of 'typical' New Zealand homes created in the ALF building thermal simulation programme were used to explore the heating energy savings and cost benefits provided by the different secondary glazing systems in a range of locations. Of the tested products, the low-E secondary glazing produces the largest cost-benefits. At current energy and material costs, secondary glazing was found to not be a financially viable solution in warmer climates such as Auckland. In cooler climates such as Christchurch and Dunedin, secondary glazing was found to be a cost effective retrofit alternative for existing single glazed homes
"Acquire and Beget a Temperance": The Virtue of Temperance in The Faerie Queene Book II and Hamlet
Authors:   , Hubbard Gillian Chell
Published: November 2021

Shakespeare's Hamlet, like Spenser's The Faerie Queene Book II, is a work systematically concerned with the virtue of temperance. This conclusion is reached partly from comparison between Spenser and Shakespeare. But I also set their works in the context of a range of relevant sources available to the Early Modern period. While comparisons between aspects of FQII and Hamlet are not unknown, critical attention to their common foundation in temperance has been limited. Like Spenser in FQII, Shakespeare in Hamlet is concerned with a virtue that has its roots in the interconnected Greek precepts "Know Thyself", "Nothing in Excess' and "Think Mortal Thoughts." To be sophron (temperate) is to live in accordance with these precepts. Spenser presents the opposed vice of intemperance through the excesses of avarice and lust in the Cave of Mammon and the Bower of Bliss. Shakespeare portrays a court in Elsinore where excess, irascibility, lust and avarice for power are barely concealed beneath a veneer of Ciceronian social decorum and a didactic commitment to self-control. Comparison with the varied aspects of temperance in FQII makes clear how constantly and variously Hamlet reflects upon temperance and intemperance. There is an underlying tension in both FQII and Hamlet between traditional ideals of moderation and self-control on the one hand, and imagery and archetypes of the Fall and tainted human nature on the other. This tension arises naturally in a treatment of a virtue which, although it derives from classical thought, was carefully assimilated into Christian theology by the Church Fathers. As in much Early Modern writing, we find strands of Platonic, Aristotelian and Stoic thought that privilege reason (on the one hand) intermingled with (on the other) an Augustinian emphasis on the heart, the will, and dependence on Christian grace. In Hamlet Shakespeare portrays Claudius as one intractably intemperate in the Aristotelian sense, a condition made apparent in his inability to repent. Claudius' apparent rational self-control is based on premises that are ultimately false; his actions therefore derive from "false prudence" as defined by Aquinas. His projection of reasonableness forces his antagonist, Hamlet, into a range of irascible and irrational behaviour, some of which is calculated and some of which is not. Both Spenser and Shakespeare present an anatomy of the processes of rational self-control and their disruption by the passions. Both are also concerned with the metaphysical dimensions of temperance, both Platonic and Pauline. When Hamlet (like a Greek sophronistes) sees it as his duty to act against Claudius, "this canker of our nature," he is expressing a confused mixture of desires--for ethical and spiritual transformation, political reformation, justice, and an irascible lust for vengeance. It is no coincidence that the problematic endings of both FQII and Hamlet echo the conclusion of the Aeneid and its failure to reconcile justice and temperance.
The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley
Authors:   , Campbell James Stuart
Published: November 2021

This thesis examines the alchemical patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520-1598), Principal Secretary and later Lord Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I. Through an examination of Cecil's surviving papers, along with other primary manuscript and printed works, it places Cecil's patronage of alchemy within the context of both his previous examined patronage and the intellectual context of sixteenth century England. This thesis analyses why Cecil, a key member of government for over fifty years and Elizabeth's most trusted councillor, believed in the legitimacy of alchemical solutions to both national and personal problems. To explain Cecil's trust in alchemy, the thesis focuses first on his understanding of nature. It argues that a belief in alchemical transmutation was an essential consequence of an education that emphasised an Aristotelian understanding of the universe. Cecil was therefore receptive of demonstrations of theoretical as well as practical alchemical knowledge. Through an assessment of Cecil's neglected medical patronage, the thesis also argues that he was amongst the first in England to utilise new alchemically based medical treatments. In his role as Elizabeth's chief minister, Cecil administered a number of alchemical projects intended to support both Crown finances and England's industrial competitiveness. In light of Cecil's integral role in these projects, the thesis contends that he saw alchemy as a legitimate method of addressing both his short and long term policy aims. This thesis therefore both provides a more complete understanding of Cecil's patronage and adds to the limited historiography of alchemy in Elizabethan England.
An Examination of the Information Behaviour of New Entrepreneurs in the Start-Up Phase of a Business
Authors:   , Leslie Susan Elder
Published: November 2021

This research set out to examine in detail how eight first-time entrepreneurs went about finding out what they felt they needed to know during the first months of their business's operation, and in particular how they constructed their problems or questions in discourse and how they went about addressing them. Based on Brenda Dervin's Sense-Making methodology and work by Pamela McKenzie, the research involved semi-structured interviews in which participants were invited to recount specific instances of problems or questions they had experienced in their business. Data analysis involved close reading of both the interview transcripts and the researcher's notes and observations in order to draw out key themes and enable analysis of the discursive practices respondents used, particularly in privileging some information sources over others. The research found that the respondents experienced questions and problems largely relating to a small number of business issues, principally around the mechanics of setting up a company, deciding what kinds of services to provide and learning about the market environment in which they were operating. Like other studies of the information behaviour of small business owners, the research found that all of the respondents reported acting on information obtained from friends, colleagues or family. Most had consulted professional advisors, and all but one talked of using the Internet as a source of information. Only one respondent had sought assistance from an enterprise agency. The objectives of this research were twofold; to gather information about the actual behaviour of new entrepreneurs, and to test the potential usefulness of the sense-making methodology to an understanding of new business owners' information needs. Both of these objectives were largely met, with the research concluding that Sense-Making offers a valid and useful model with which to investigate the information behaviour of new entrepreneurs.
Service as Theatre: The Customer Service Behaviour of Librarians in a Market Driven World
Authors:   , Cherry Jane
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this research is to explore the attitude of librarians to service. Previous studies showed that although many librarians identified service as their most important value, librarians were still perceived by many customers as unfriendly and unhelpful. Using Goffman's theory of dramaturgy the study looks at the relationship between the library service ethic and the market driven service ethic attributed to retail, and whether there is conflict between these two models, and if so what affect this is having on the attitudes and behaviour of librarians. This qualitative study uses focus groups to gather data. Focus group participants were all practicing librarians from the Wellington area. The research concludes that there is a conflict between the two service models which is directly affecting the attitude and thus the behaviour of librarians. The marketing model is perceived as a threat to the core functions of libraries because of its 'one size fits all' approach to service. Participants felt this model was a threat to genuine authentic service and personal autonomy.
A Selected Annotated Bibliography of the resources on the Perceptions and Attitudes in Relation to People Who Stutter: Covering the Period from 1990 to the Present Day
Authors:   , Hwang Kyu Won
Published: November 2021

Stuttering, or fluency disorder, is one of the most baffling and debilitating communication disorders of all time. Research has shown that people with stuttering suffer from a range of negative emotions and that strong negative stereotypes of stutterers exist in society. Some of the most important factors in stuttering treatment have been known to be the perceptions and attitudes toward and of stutterers. To assist practitioners and researchers in the related field, a selective annotated bibliography has been complied on the basis of the two key concepts of perception and attitude and their relationships with stuttering. Access points are offered via generic index at the end.
Are the People Listening to Government's Good Advice: Source Credibility in Government Attributed Social Marketing Messages
Authors:   , Millard A. D.
Published: November 2021

During 2008, the New Zealand government conducted over 53 separate social marketing programmes aimed at improving the lifestyle and behaviours of the New Zealand people. This situation has provided a niche environment to study the impact of high-volume government-attributed social marketing advertising on the source credibility of the government (where the government is the main source and sponsor of social marketing). The research data was collected through fourteen semi-structured in-depth interviews with four social marketers and ten members of the public. This study further sought to identify alternative sources of social marketing messages considered more effective than government, and as a logical part of this study, the repetition effect of various similar messages from one source, the New Zealand Government, in a social marketing context was examined. This research has showed that the high-volume of social marketing messages has homogenised the source thoughts of the interviewed members of the public. It has led them to assume all social marketing is from government. Further, the high-volume has caused the target audience to abbreviate the cognitive response process illustrated by the Model of Cognitive Response compiled by Belch & Belch (2007). Where their attitude towards the messages was favourable or it conformed to their beliefs, the target audience placed less priority on the importance of the source's credibility. This research compares and contrasts the social marketing data to well-accepted commercial marketing theory and principles, and attempts to provide a social marketing context to these theories.
Aligned Nanorods of AlPO4-5 Within the Pores of Anodic Alumina
Authors:   , King L J.
Published: November 2021

Anodic aluminium oxide has been identified as a versatile porous template material having high pore density, (up to 1010 cm-2), controllable channel length and monodisperse pore diameter within the range 20-250 nm. A number of studies have demonstrated the concept of utilizing the porous structure for directing the growth of various nanostructures. An example of this is the growth of crystals of the aluminophosphate AlPO4-5 within the anodic nanochannels. The high aspect ratio of the template pores encourages growth of the crystals in the preferred c-axis orientation. We have produced membranes of this material and investigated the degree of crystal alignment using X-ray diffraction. The relative degree of preferred orientation is over 200 for a typical membrane. Field emission SEM micrographs clearly show the aligned crystals within the pores. The inclusion of luminescent guest molecules within the pores of the zeolite has also been achieved. This work describes the synthesis, characterization and potential application of these membranes.
The Effect of Illustrations on the Ability of Children to Draw Inferences While Reading Narrative Texts
Authors:   , Protheroe Pamela Irene Mary
Published: November 2021

Materials used to teach reading in New Zealand schools, as elsewhere, generally include illustrations to help learners develop reading skills. The present research tests the claim that the availability of pictures can hinder rather than help the complex constructive processes of reading and considers whether or not boys are more at risk than girls. It does this by considering how pictures affect the ability of learners to practice making inferences and how the use of pictures in instructional material might be one factor that could affect the development of an ability to integrate the skill of making inferences with the other skills that are performed during reading. The construction of a mental model while reading gives rise to making inferences and depends on the integration of such inferences. This process leads to an enhanced memory of the text and assists comprehension. Four questions were raised: To what extent do 7-9 year old readers draw inferences from pictures rather than text? Is there any difference between male and female readers of this age and in each of these reader groups in how illustrations affect their ability to draw inferences from text? Do pictures hinder 7 -9 year old readers who can decode text well and have a high level of vocabulary knowledge but do not comprehend well (referred to throughout as 'difference poor readers') in their attempts to incorporate general knowledge in their comprehension of text? Do pictures hinder 7-9 year old good readers in the same way? A repeated measures study was designed; 48 children read four stories each, rotated between 4 groups (good readers and poor readers, male and female) so that each story was read with and without pictures. Each child read 2 stories in one condition in the first session and the other 2 stories in the other condition in the second session. The order in which the stories were read was also rotated. The children gave oral answers to questions designed to probe for evidence of inference making after each reading with books open and then re-told the stories with books closed. Results indicated that for these participants, the male difference poor readers were more likely than any in the other groups to make more inferences from the text without the pictures; for some the response also indicated that the nature of their reading experience was profoundly affected. The good readers also tended to make fewer inferences with pictures as did half of the female difference poor readers. The other half seemed to make very few inferences unless pictures were present but these inferences were more influenced by the text than the pictures. These findings suggest that if the aim is to teach comprehension of text then learning materials might be more effective if they did not contain illustrations.
Bringing Our Boy Home: the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, Its Visitors, and Contemporary War Remembrance in New Zealand
Authors:   , Phipps Gareth
Published: November 2021

In November 2004 the remains of an unknown New Zealand soldier from the First World War were brought home from France and placed in the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior (TUW) outside the National War Memorial (NWM) in Wellington. This was one of the largest ceremonial events ever held in New Zealand, and the entire programme was broadcast live on national television. An estimated 100,000 people lined the streets of Wellington to watch his casket make its way from Parliament to its final resting place. Why did the return of the Unknown Warrior, some 90 years after his death, have such an impact on the country, and what is the significance of the TUW for visitors today? The aim of this dissertation is to bring together the material culture of war commemoration with aspects of public memory and meaning-making in an examination of visitor interpretations of the TUW. To achieve this, entries left in the NWM visitor books and onsite survey interviews are analysed in the light of the institutional objectives set out in the design and planning of the TUW, and the political and popular motivations that led to its construction. The view advanced by this dissertation is that visitors draw on individual memory, civil remembrance and national commemoration to construct meanings of the TUW. Their interpretations draw on lived experience and personal connections to form connections with the TUW. These are influenced by the impact of 'grassroots' interest in war remembrance, soldier ancestors and an understanding of the experience of war, public ritual and state involvement in commemoration. This provides a snapshot of contemporary war remembrance in New Zealand.
Immigrant Language Maintenance and Shift in the Gujarati, Dutch and Samoan Communities of Wellington
Authors:   , Roberts Mary Lucy
Published: November 2021

This thesis makes a contribution to the study of language maintenance and shift among New Zealand ethnic minority communities; it explores reasons for different rates of shift and different outcomes in relation to language maintenance in different communities; and the results are related to wide-ranging issues of New Zealand language policy. Research was undertaken in three minority immigrant groups in Wellington. The Gujarati community in Wellington is a major part of the Indian community totalling approximately 6,000 people at the time of the research; the Samoan community consisted of approximately 16,000 people, and the Dutch of 3,000. 141 members of the Gujarati community responded to questionnaires and interviews about themselves and their children, providing information on patterns of reported language proficiency, language use and attitudes to language maintenance from a total of 327 people. 184 Dutch respondents replied to a postal questionnaire about their own and their children's language knowledge, language usage patterns and attitudes to language maintenance, providing data on 412 people. 93 Samoan respondents filled out questionnaires and responded to interviews about themselves and their 133 children. Thus Information on a total of 965 New Zealanders belonging to minority immigrant communities was obtained. The data collected on patterns of language maintenance and shift is examined in the light of a wide range of language policy issues. The history of language and identity politics, minority immigration in New Zealand, and the immigration histories of the three groups are examined in detail, and the history of language and policy formation in New Zealand, is outlined and evaluated. The research focuses on the process of immigrant language maintenance and shift in the family and immediate community, and also investigates the role of language maintenance education in these processes. Information about language use processes in childhood and adulthood is presented. The Graded Intergeneration Disruption Stages scale, proposed by Joshua Fishman is tested against the information gathered on the three communities and found to be a useful heuristic device. The results of the research show that while processes of language maintenance and shift occur in all three communities, these processes take very different forms in each community, move at different speeds and. to date, have had very different outcomes. The reasons for the differences between the communities in these respects are examined in some detail. Finally, on the basis of the evidence provided by the research, language policy proposals are presented supporting the provision of government services in minority immigrant languages and indicating the advantages of state support for language maintenance education.
Encyclopaedic Fiction, Cultural Value, and the Discourse of the Great Divide
Authors:   , Cooke Simon
Published: November 2021

Recent postmodern work on cultural evaluation, such as Barbara Smith's Contingencies of Value (1989), argues that cultural value cannot be treated as an inherent or objective quality of cultural products. Instead, cultural value must be understood as "value for": relative, that is, to the identities and interests of particular cultural consumers and producers. Theorists (for instance, John Frow in his 1995 study Cultural Studies and Cultural Value) have employed similar relativist logic in their analyses of the putative "structures" or institutions that supposedly give shape to Western culture-as-a-whole: "high" culture, "popular" culture, "mass" culture and so on. This "postaxiological" strain of cultural theory undermines the real-world integrity of those categories by suggesting that they (the categories) are merely contingent effects of critical / evaluative discourse. Other archetypically "postmodern" arguments in literary and cultural studies have focused on charting or advocating both the demise of the modernist "great divide" between "high" and "low" culture, and its replacement, in cultural production and criticism, with more permissive and socially egalitarian modes of interplay between "high" and "low" culture. Some critics and critically aware cultural producers have treated these two projects as though they are complementary facets of a general "postmodern" turn. Yet contesting or reversing obsolete hierarchies of cultural value does not necessarily lead critics to contemplate the status of "high"/"low" categories themselves. A meaningful refusal of the logic of the modernist "great divide" would obligate critics and producers to reflect on the contingency of those categories and their own interests with respect to those categories. Juxtaposing an "encyclopaedic" modernist text renowned for its interspersion of "high" and "low" cultural elements (James Joyce's Ulysses) with a postmodern text that seems knowingly to do the same (David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest), two case studies illustrate the inseparability of readings or narratives that are couched in "high"/"low" terms from the particular interests of cultural producers and consumers.
Industrial Relations and Institutional Changes in Sweden: a Response to European Integration
Authors:   , Bannan Kelvin
Published: November 2021

Many observers have identified Europeanization as undermining the foundation of national systems of capitalisms. This paper addresses a national level response. The approach taken assesses the positions (for change) by actors within the Swedish Model toward the 'Laval' European Court of Justice ruling (C-341/05). Through the analysis of position documents and semi-structured interviews with representatives from the social partners, this paper identifies key pressures within the Swedish labour market model in response to the Court ruling. The extension model (autonomous collective agreement model) proved to be the preferred option for the Swedish partners. Concurrently, this model results in the least amount of change to Swedish industrial relations. While a substantial degree of support was identified for 'change', specifically the legislated minimum wage option, institutional structures were identified that restricted such positions from reaching official channels of influence. This case provides evidence of institutional continuity and is an example of national industrial relations proving robust against the forces of European integration.
The Origin of Objects
Authors:   , Kinnaird Zakary Sebastian
Published: November 2021

This thesis forms a series of texts inquiring into the integration of semiological studies in product design. Semiology is often illustrated in systems; it is these systems that govern the practice of product design in the contemporary studio environment. The designer today can struggle to cope with the arbitrary nature of this system, and frequently does not fully understand the implications of working with semiological systems. By understanding their construction the designer can benefit by actively participating in the system's configuration, this may occur by directly imposing oneself into the system or by carefully observing a defective system in order promptly amend it. The thesis is configured in our 'books', each book examining the semiological system from a different perspective. Particular attention is given to the origin within the semiological system; this is mirrored differently in each of the four books...
Spatial Patterns in Plant Diversity
Authors:   , Almeida Danilo Coelho de
Published: November 2021

The present study is divided into two parts: Firstly, null models where used to test whether plant communities in a New Zealand forest were assembled deterministically or stochastically. Secondly, a relationship between a plant trait; Leaf Mass per Area (LMA) and environmental conditions was investigated in a New Zealand forest. For the first study abundance of adult species was recorded in thirty 30m x 30m plots at Otari Wilton's Bush. In a subsample of six plots, the abundance of seedling species was also recorded. Null models for species co-occurrence, species richness, species abundance and niche overlap were used in order to establish how plant communities assemble at Otari Wilton's Bush. There was evidence of both determinist and stochasticity in some aspects of the plant community, it appears that seedlings are mainly randomly assembled whereas, determinism appears to be the main driver of community composition for mature trees. Results therefore suggest a pluralistic approach should be used in order to explain plant community patterns at Otari Wilton's Bush. For the second study, of all species observed in the first study only those species found in five or more of the plots were examined. For those species, the height of the two highest individuals was measured. From each individual, six fully exposed leaves were collected and measured. Measurements of environmental conditions were also collected for all plots. Principal component analysis and multiple regression was used to analyse the data. Height related (vertical) trends were observed for three surveyed species such that LMA significantly increased with plant height. Horizontal patterns were observed for two species, and for three species it was not possible to distinguish the association of tree height (vertical) and position along the forest (horizontal) with LMA. Potentially, by including more species in future studies a clearer pattern will be observed. It could also be that different species display different strategies regarding LMA and if so, a study more focused on individual species in isolation may be able to provide more informative explanations.
Telling the Truth about People's China
Authors:   , Shaw Alistair
Published: November 2021

This work is a discussion of the history of the construction and propagation over time (1949- 2002), by New Zealanders, of positive images of the People's Republic of China (PRC). This was done primarily through the New Zealand China Friendship Society. The thesis also looks at China-aligned communist parties, students who went on New Zealand University Students'  Association study tours in the 1970s, and key interlocutors such as Rewi Alley. These other groups had cross-membership with the NZCFS but differing engagements with China. The images propagated by the New Zealanders altered over time in response to changes in the PRC, developments in New Zealand, and shifting characteristics amongst the people who were engaged in the practice of producing images of the PRC. The thesis looks at how these observers of the PRC, and the organisations which they are combined, are themselves created, and see themselves, in relation to their process of viewing the PRC. This idea of a shifting sense of China and the changing sense of self is explored using a range of ideas. These include ideology, subjectivity, concepts of truth and practices of truth-telling. The thesis is an attempt to provide a sympathetic reading of a wide range of material and trying to understand what the PRC has meant at different times, in different circumstances and to different people. Accounts of the PRC are examined contextually. This involves the re-reading of a range of texts that have 'written' the PRC for those New Zealanders who, in different circumstances, have themselves been sympathetic to projections of successes taking place in the PRC.
The Nuremberg Justice Trial 1947: Vengeance of the Victors?
Authors:   , Schnitzer Jan
Published: November 2021

Nuremberg became famous for the 13 Nuremberg Trials against the leading German officials after World War II. Following the first trial against the remaining Nazi leaders before the Allied International Military Tribunal in 1945-1946, the United States initiated 12 subsequent proceedings against leading members of all areas of Germany's society. The Justice Trial against 16 representatives of Nazi Germany's judicial system was the third of these trials and held before US Military Tribunal III in 1947. Organised and held under the aegis of the United States as one of the war's victors, the trials were seen by many as simple acts of vengeance, hidden behind a smokescreen of legality. Therefore, especially in post-war Germany, the trials were often described as victor's justice. Yet, besides investigations relating to specific aspects of this allegation, a profound analysis of this issue has not been done for the Justice Trial. This study aims to help in closing this gap. Focussing on the issue of victor's justice, the work analyses and evaluates all stages of the Justice Trial, from its legal basis, to the planning and preparation, to the proceedings and judgments, to the enforcement of the sentences after the trial. In the end, it is concluded that only two aspects, the violation of the principle of separation of powers and the restriction to initiate trials only against German nationals, can be seen as examples of victor's justice. All other aspects cannot be proved as examples of victor's justice; whether Germany's state sovereignty was violated, whether the judges were impartial, whether the ex post facto principle was violated, whether the defendants could be held individually responsible, whether the defendants received a fair trial, whether the trial was justified from a moral point of view, whether the defendants were selected for appropriate reasons, whether the Tribunal analysed and evaluated the Nazi legal system and the defendant's role therein reasonably, whether the US judges and prosecutors were qualified enough, and whether the early release of the convicted defendants in the 1950s was arbitrary. The Justice Trial and all other Nuremberg Trials, in many ways, set unique precedents for international criminal law. The legacy, therefore, is primarily a positive one. Thus, overall, it is concluded that the limited examples of victor's justice within the Justice Trial do not ultimately undermine these achievements.
Disturbances in the Ether
Authors:   , Smith Tony Rex
Published: November 2021

We criticise the current philosophical practice of invoking causation as a solution to various problems in various fields of philosophy. Our specific concern is that many of these solutions to problems rely on the intuition that causation is "the cement of the universe". We question whether several different analyses of causation which are supposed to substantiate this intuition (or at least are treated as if they substantiate this intuition) in fact substantiate this intuition. We begin by establishing a basic desideratum for such an analysis of causation - that causal dependence ought to track physical dependence in this universe. We investigate in turn a Lewis-style counterfactual analysis of causation, the transference analysis developed by Aronson, Fair and Heathcote, and the process analyses developed by Salmon and Dowe. Rather to our surprise, none of the analyses fulfil our basic desideratum. Although this is not in itself conclusive grounds for scepticism about causation, our results speak against casually invoking analyses of causation in order to solve particular varieties of philosophical problems.