bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Dracophyllum Labill. (Ericaceae)
Authors:   , Venter Stephanus 
Published: November 2021

<p>In recent years the New Zealand biogeographic paradigm has shifted from 'Moa's Ark' (Bellamy et al. 1990) to the view that most biota has dispersed here in the lastÃ Ã Â± 10 My (Fleming 1975, Pole 1994, McGlone et al. 2001). Large and widely distributed genera on island archipelagos and oceanic islands are important elements for the investigation of evolutionary processes such as dispersal from continents to islands and back, adaptive radiation and in some cases extinction. The genus Dracophyllum (Ericaceae: Richeeae) occurs on the Australian continent and the New Zealand archipelago as well as on many oceanic islands in the region. With its wide distribution, ecological importance and apparent taxonomic complexity, a monograph and phylogenetic study of Dracophyllum will make a valuable contribution towards the understanding of the above- mentioned processes. There is still uncertainty about generic limits within tribe Richeeae (Dracophyllum Labill., Richea R. Br. and Sphenotoma R. Br. ex Sweet). Sphenotoma is geographically isolated (southwest Western Australia), monophyletic and forms a distinct evolutionary lineage that diverged early from Dracophyllum and Richea (Powell et al. 1996, Kron et al. 2002). The generic limits between Dracophyllum and Richea still need to be addressed, preferably by making use of DNA sequence data. There are two fundamental aims of systematics: a) to discover, describe and name all species and b) to document the changes on the branches that have occurred during evolution and to transform these into a predictive classification system that reflects evolution (Systematics 18 Agenda 2000). Systematics is therefore the study of the biological diversity that exists on earth today and its evolutionary history (Judd et al. 1999). Taxonomic revisions, especially of large groups, need to focus on groups that are monophyletic (i.e. comprising an ancestor and all of its descendents) and not constrained by geography. Generic delimitation can become problematic when the flora of a specific region is studied in isolation. Many important aspects of genotypic and phenotypic variation are then not taken into consideration, resulting in a skewed and unrealistic representation of the genus as a whole. The long list of synonyms in the southern hemisphere for the genus Veronica L. is a reflection of this situation: Paederota L., Hebe Comm. ex Juss., Derwentia Raf., Pygmaea Hook.f., Detzneria Schltr. ex Diels, Parahebe W.R.B.Oliv., Chionohebe B.G.Briggs & Ehrend., Leonohebe Heads, Heliohebe Garn.-Jones and Hebejeebie Heads.</p>
The Effect of Microtubule Stabilising Drugs on Immune-Mediated Excytosis
Authors:   , Robinson Marcus James 
Published: November 2021

<p>The microtubule network is involved in cellular processes including protein transport and cell division. Microtubule stabilising drugs (MSD) bind to microtubules and alter their dynamic balance in favour of the polymerised state. While primarily known for their anti-mitotic properties, MSD also exert immunomodulatory effects in vitro and in vivo. It is the aim of this project to investigate the effects of MSD on protein trafficking and secretion to determine how they affect immune-mediated exocytosis. Previous work in our lab demonstrated that macrophage responses to bacterial lipopolysaccharide, as measured by the production of TNF-a and nitric oxide, are inhibited by both paclitaxel and peloruside. In this thesis we continued this work and saw that inhibition was not affected by temporal IFN-y priming and found that altered production kinetics were not sufficient to explain the inhibition. To kill target cells cytotoxic T cells (CTL) reorganise their cytoskeleton so that lytic granules can traffic down microtubules to be delivered to the target. Using an in vitro model of CTL killing, we saw that MSD did not inhibit killing by CTL, lytic granule delivery to the cell surface, or antigen-stimulated Interferon-y (IFN-y) production by CTL. In contrast to this, in a murine model of antigen-induced killing we saw that a single dose of paclitaxel had a significant inhibitory effect on CTL-mediated cytolysis in vivo. Together these studies suggest that MSD have multiple immunomodulatory effects that are independent of their anti-proliferative effects. The data suggest that patients undergoing taxane therapy may be unable to fight infection long before the anti-mitotic effects of MSD are apparent.</p>
Do Dolls and HFDs Assist in Eliciting Information about Touch in Interviews with Children?
Authors:   , Malloy Alana 
Published: November 2021

<p>The current study aimed to investigate the utility of HFDs and dolls in memory interviews about a touch event. Fifty-three children aged 5 to 7 years experienced a staged event involving innocuous touch. They were interviewed 7 to 11 days later either with a purely verbal interview, the assistance of HFDs, or the assistance of dolls. No significant differences were found in the amount or accuracy of information reported in each interview type, though information was highly accurate in all conditions. This indicates that although props did not offer any additional facilitation to eliciting information from children than verbal interview alone, they also were not harmful to the children's reports. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are discussed.</p>
Persevere in Adversity: Perrceived Religious Discrimination and Islamic Identity as Predictors of Psychological Wellbeing in Muslim Women in New Zealand
Authors:   , Jasperse Marieke Lyniska 
Published: November 2021

<p>Given the increasing prevalence of Islam, current socio-political climate and visibility of Muslim women in Western societies the current study aimed to investigate 1) the nature of religious discrimination experienced by Muslim women in New Zealand and 2) the influence of perceived religious discrimination and differing facets of Islamic identity (psychological, behavioural and visible) on the psychological wellbeing (life satisfaction and psychological symptoms) of 153 Muslim women. The results of the present study revealed that Muslim women rarely feel discriminated against, although women originating from the Middle East and Africa reported significantly more discrimination than women from Asia. When discrimination did occur, it was more likely to come from strangers and service people and take the form of social exclusion as opposed to direct harassment. Furthermore, Muslim women wearing highly visible hijab experienced significantly more religious discrimination. A strong sense of Islamic identity (psychological, behavioural and visible) and low frequency of perceived religious discrimination were hypothesized to predict significantly greater life satisfaction and fewer psychological symptoms in Muslim women. Contrary to the hypothesis, psychological and behavioural facets of Islamic identity, in addition to perceived religious discrimination, failed to independently predict psychological wellbeing. Islamic visibility did however predict greater psychological wellbeing. Strong endorsement of the different aspects of Islamic identity was hypothesized to buffer the detrimental influence of perceived religious discrimination on psychological wellbeing. The results of the present study however indicated strong psychological affiliation with Islam may have exacerbated the detrimental effect of perceived religious discrimination and as a consequence was associated with poorer psychological wellbeing. The act of participating in Islamic practices, on the other hand, seemed to provide a degree of resistance against the detrimental effects of religious discrimination and was associated with better psychological wellbeing.</p>
Sacred Technologies: the Evolution of Religious Cognitive Niche
Authors:   , Murphy David J. 
Published: November 2021

<p>Most cognitive studies of religion adopt a modular theory of cognition. The 'space'that is studied is often the 'space between the ears'. Culture and religion are viewed as by-products of more entrenched features of our brains. Although this 'Standard Model' explains many intuitive expressions of religious belief, it has trouble explaining (a) the variability of religious systems crossculturally (b) the uses of material culture (i.e. symbolic structures etc) in transmitting religious concepts. The following thesis presents a 'wideware mind' hypothesis for religious cognition. I urge that while our internal cognitive architecture is causally relevant to religious cognition, the material artefacts of culture must be viewed as cognitive properties in their own right. Hence any causal account of religious cognition must acknowledge the external features of minds and how our neurological resources interact with the artefacts of our world.</p>
Understanding Common Sense Themes of Intellectual and Creative Work: the Social Representation of Intellectual Property
Authors:   , Pauling Joel Wiramu 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis examines the construction of Intellectual Property discourses using the social Psychological theoretical framework of Social Representations theory (Moscovici, 1984), and explores the various themes which emerge around the treatment of knowledge, ideas and creative work from both historical and contemporary perspectives. The first two chapters introduce Social Representations theory and the methodology of Thematic Analysis. Study one presents a historical account and literature review on the general themes of knowledge, intellectual and creative endeavours, and how various cultures and social powers have approached these concepts throughout history. It includes an overview of current technological and social changes around the same themes, the challenges these changes may have on existing social representations, and the groups that have vested interests in particular representations. The idea that existing dominant representations cannot adequately incorporate new representations arising from users and adopters utilising the new medium of the 'network' as a social-cultural tool is also introduced. Study two examines similar topics through analysis of public submissions to the New Zealand Patent act review. In this study, individual submissions are analysed in detail using a thematic analysis-like process, incorporating this into a Social representations framework designed to extend and test the representations observed in study one. Evidence of a dominant industrial representation involving market economic treatment of knowledge centred on a physical resource conceptual anchor was observed. Conflicting social representations held by other groups included representations of a collectivist common good centred on innovation and rights themes. Evidence that significant re-representation of the property conception away from a physical good anchor by various groups was found. Social, cultural, and economic consequences of these competing representations effect on societies are considered.</p>
A Time of Travelling Hopefully: a Mixed Methods Study of Decision Making by Women and Midwives about Maternity Transfers in Rural Aotearoa, New Zealand
Authors:   , Patterson Jean Ann 
Published: November 2021

<p>Making decisions about the reasons for, and the timing of transfer to specialist care from rural maternity care were examined in this study. This is a time when women and midwives 'travel hopefully' through labour and birth aware of their rural context. A Mixed Methods Research (MMR) approach was used to gather data from a national survey of rural maternity units together with individual and small group interviews of women and of midwives. A modified Concurrent Mixed Model Design was used to structure the research process with each data strand collated and discussed consistent with its paradigmatic roots. The findings were then drawn together in a metainference. A 17% rate of transfer during labour and up to 6 hours postpartum was found for the two year period examined. Slow progress in labour was the most common reason for transfer. Interviews with rural women and midwives revealed a similar range of decision making styles. The strategy of 'thinking ahead' emerged as a common theme which allowed for the distance and time involved in the transfer and in anticipation of critique from the secondary care system and local community.This thesis makes a significant contribution to the national and international understanding of the experience of maternity transfer in rural areas and finds that within a regionalised perinatal system, midwives make cautious and timely decisions about transfer in labour and birth. Further, that a rural birthing service contributes to the health and well being of the community and ought to be appropriately resourced to provide the optimal environment for safe decisions about transfer.</p>
Factors Influencing Provision of Enterprise Training: a Study of India's Information Technology (IT) Sector
Authors:   , Malik Ashish 
Published: November 2021

<p>Policy debates and academic research have emphasised the need for investment in human capital for improving national and organisational competitiveness and reducing unemployment. However, limited attempts have been undertaken to understand the factors that explain a firm's decision to invest in training. Most studies have been undertaken in the context of manufacturing firms in developed countries. Extant training demand models do not fully explicate the reasons for differences in training provision between firms operating in one industry sector. Further, the extant literature has often neglected a much cited need to consider, among other external factors, the influence of an organisation's clients on its decision to invest in training. Finally, little is known of the factors that influence a firm's decision to invest in training in the context of born-global, high-technology firms in a developing country context. This thesis is an attempt to bridge the above gaps. More specifically, it addresses how various factors - internal and external to the firm - interact with each other in shaping the final provision of training. Further, the thesis explores the reasons for variations in training between firms. Owing to the still evolving state of theory and a relatively unexplored contextual setting, case study research is considered an appropriate method for this study. This thesis examines factors influencing training in ten organisations in India's IT services sector. Findings from case analysis suggest that the nature and extent of training is a result of complex interaction between an organisation's internal and external environment. An organisation's competitive strategy, the service markets it caters to, clients' specifications, workplace change, employee turnover, the temporal dimension of a process/project, and process complexity are found to be important factors in training decision-making. Contrary to the established view of training as an integral part of a firm's human resource management infrastructure, this thesis finds support for strong linkages between a firm's training infrastructure and its operations management. Further, this thesis reveals the critical and unexplored link between an organisation's quality management systems and its human resource management, as well as its learning and market orientation capabilities, in shaping the nature and extent of training. Findings from the study are then used in the development of a conceptual framework for understanding training decisionmaking in dynamic and high-growth outsourcing environments. Finally, areas for future research are identified.</p>
Logic-Based Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Authors:   , Lempp David Frieder Georg 
Published: November 2021

<p>The aim of this thesis is to explore the extent to which formal logic can be applied to the topic of conflict analysis and conflict resolution. It is motivated by the idea that conflicts can be understood as inconsistent sets of goals, beliefs, norms, emotions, or the like. To achieve this aim, two formal frameworks are presented. Conflict Modelling Logic (CML) is a logical system, based on branching-time temporal logic, which can be used to describe and interpret conflicts. Conflict Resolution Logic (CRL) is a set of five algorithms, inspired by the AGM model of belief revision, which can be used to generate possible solutions to conflicts. Furthermore, two numerical measures for the 'potential conflict power' of propositional formulae and the 'degree of inconsisteny' of sets of propositional formulae are introduced. The two measures allow one to assess the role of particular elements within a conflict and the depth of a conflict. The formal framework is illustrated with the example conflict of the Second Congo War.</p>
Missed Opportunities and Future Challenges: Globalisation, Small-Farmers and the Expanding Chilean Non-Traditional Fruit Sector
Authors:   , Chandler Tony Trevor 
Published: November 2021

<p>The following research revisits, re-examines and builds on previous and ongoing critical work into the rise of non-traditional fruit exports in Chile. The work is principally concerned with the negative distributional impacts on small-scale producers in light of the country's extensive neoliberal reforms of the mid 1970s and 1980's and their continuation under successive Concertacion governments since 1990. Attention is placed on revisiting and better understanding the phenomenon observed by Murray (1997) ten years earlier, that saw small-scale producers enter into grossly uneven bargaining relationships with large fruit export firms that tended to expose them to a disproportionately high proportion of the risks associated with exporting in the global marketplace. At the time, these processes were shown to be driving many small-scale producers into a cycle of debt- resulting in land concentration and greater inequality in the locality. In the absence of government intervention, it was predicted that these patterns would continue to threaten the livelihood and economic sustainability of the Chilean peasantry. The following dissertation demonstrates that in the ten years since 1994 significant land concentration has indeed continued to take place as predicted within the original research locality, El Palqui. But unlike in the past, where land was dominated by large haciendas, today, it is equally large, capital intensive producers - including a handful of internationally owned export firms - who are progressively extending their grip over the Chilean countryside. In light of these changes, it could therefore be argued that the Chilean countryside is developing a character gravely reminiscent of Chile's pre-reform 'semi-feudal' system. With even those small producers, who have supposedly 'successfully inserted' into the global economy facing serious financial hardship, the future looks bleak for the Chilean peasantry. This thesis argues that the continuation of land concentration is a by-product of successive Chilean governments' persistent failure to assist small-producers during and after the critical transitional phase from an inward oriented development model to an outward oriented export-led model. This failure to act represents a missed opportunity to effectively integrate smaller producers into the export sector in a manner which might have been conducive to growth with equity.</p>
Assessing the Effectiveness and Quality of Libraries
Authors:   , Calvert Philip James 
Published: November 2021

<p>A variety of library evaluation methods have been developed, yet few have attempted to evaluate the evaluation methods. This thesis is a meta-evaluation: an evaluation of other evaluations. The merits of different evaluation are analysed. Then the relationships between the different types of evaluation are identified, and a meta-model of library evaluation created. The Research Question posed in this thesis is "What are the most useful types of library evaluation, and how are they related to each other?" A four cell model has been developed. The two axes were chosen based upon systems theory. The y axis (vertical) uses two perspectives: an internal view (from the library) and an external view (the customers). The x axis (horizontal) is about the topic: the library itself; its collection, processes, costs, and the customer' use of its products and services. Four types of library evaluation are each placed in one cell of the matrix. Early chapters examine library effectiveness based upon four models of organisational effectiveness. A two stage project that investigated New Zealand public library effectiveness is described. First, stakeholders said what the best statements for evaluating public library effectiveness were. Second, library staff said how well their library was performing on each of the key statements. This data was subjected to a factor analysis to create clusters of statements that are the 'imensions'of library effectiveness. Then two chapters describe a similar project conducted in university libraries. Later chapters describe research into library service quality based upon the SERVQUAL model. It used the Hernon-Altman method rather than the LibQUAL+ approach. The intention of the research was to understand the concept of service quality for academic libraries and then create an instrument to measure library service quality. Subsequent research adapted the instrument for use with electronic services provided by libraries.</p>
Sugar and Democracy in Fiji: the Material Foundations of Post-Colonial Authoritarianism 1970-2005
Authors:   , Barbalich Keiran 
Published: November 2021

<p>Fiji became independent in 1970, and functioned for 17 years under a constitution with democratic elements, including elections. Three times since 1987, however, armed force has overthrown constitutionally elected governments. Some observers see this as a failure of the consolidation of Fijian democracy, while others acknowledge the facade of Fijian democracy. Among those who acknowledge Fiji's authoritarian institutions, conflict persists as to whether authoritarianism is the inevitable product of ethnic conflict in Fijian society, or a consequence of post-colonial institutional legacies. No movement toward democracy in Fiji is likely to succeed until we understand the material foundations underlying Fiji's authoritarian politics. This thesis argues that Fiji' authoritarian political institutions, established under colonial rule, have been sustained since independence by forces in the international economy. These forces have helped to maintain the economic, social and political dominance of a Pacific-Fijian chiefly elite over Fijian society. Specially, chiefly control of the sugar industry, Fiji's principal export, has provided chiefs with sufficient patronage resources to retain their control over Fijian society through electoral politics or, at the event of undesirable electoral outcomes, through armed opposition. Through post-colonial structures, the chiefs control the land-tenure system, and through their setting and receipt of land rents, they have been the principal beneficiaries of Fiji's sugar exports. This comparatively inefficient industry, and the social and political institutions that it rests on, have survived because Fiji, as party to the European Union's Sugar Protocol, has received two-and-a-half to three times the world market price for its sugar exports between 1975 and 2009. This thesis makes its case through close textual analysis of Fiji's three constitutions, detailed inspection of Fiji's land-tenure system, and, specifically, the accounts of the Native Land Trust Board, as well as examination of the secondary literature on Fiji's sugar industry.</p>