title: Effect of drivetrain set up on acceleration, torque, shifting and track times

authors: Piebenga, Nicholas

abstract: Every year SAE International organise an international competition to design and race a formula style race car called Formula SAE. The last time WESMO sent a car to competition was in 2018 and the 2018 car had gearing that was very short geared. This resulted in the driver having to constantly change gears, due to the final drive gear ratio being too high. The objective of this thesis was to research into potential way to increase the performance of the future WESMO cars through research into how to the effects of tuning the drivetrain along with potential areas for redesign with the gaol of producing a car that can complete the acceleration event in less than 3.8 seconds. Where practical the majority of the drivetrain components will be retained from the 2018 design,.
Through a combination of optimising the drivetrain gear ratio, researching into new tyres as well as incorporating more carbon into the drivetrain design the proposed car could potentially meet that goal. The incorporation of carbon driveshafts as well as carbon rim shell both increases the efficiency of the torque transfer across the drivetrain as well as reduces the overall weight of the drivetrain. Optimising the gear ratio results in a reduced tendency to wheelspin and minimal shifting required during the acceleration run, while still maintaining high torque at the wheels. Future WESMO teams should also design the car around incorporating 7.5inch wheels, since changing from 6-inch to 7.5-inch wide tyres gives a noticeable increase in traction. The two best options for changing the tyres depend on the situation of future WEMO teams. Changing to 16-inch wheels will give better torque transfer to the wheels and reduces the Unsprung weight of the car but will require extensive redesign of the suspension on the car due to the different outer diameter of the tyre. Changing to the 18x7.5-inch tyres will increase the traction of the car, but also slightly increase the weight, however does not require as extensive of a redesign.

text: Effect of drivetrain set up on acceleration, torque, shifting and track times Every year SAE International organise an international competition to design and race a formula style race car called Formula SAE. The last time WESMO sent a car to competition was in 2018 and the 2018 car had gearing that was very short geared. This resulted in the driver having to constantly change gears, due to the final drive gear ratio being too high. The objective of this thesis was to research into potential way to increase the performance of the future WESMO cars through research into how to the effects of tuning the drivetrain along with potential areas for redesign with the gaol of producing a car that can complete the acceleration event in less than 3.8 seconds. Where practical the majority of the drivetrain components will be retained from the 2018 design,.
Through a combination of optimising the drivetrain gear ratio, researching into new tyres as well as incorporating more carbon into the drivetrain design the proposed car could potentially meet that goal. The incorporation of carbon driveshafts as well as carbon rim shell both increases the efficiency of the torque transfer across the drivetrain as well as reduces the overall weight of the drivetrain. Optimising the gear ratio results in a reduced tendency to wheelspin and minimal shifting required during the acceleration run, while still maintaining high torque at the wheels. Future WESMO teams should also design the car around incorporating 7.5inch wheels, since changing from 6-inch to 7.5-inch wide tyres gives a noticeable increase in traction. The two best options for changing the tyres depend on the situation of future WEMO teams. Changing to 16-inch wheels will give better torque transfer to the wheels and reduces the Unsprung weight of the car but will require extensive redesign of the suspension on the car due to the different outer diameter of the tyre. Changing to the 18x7.5-inch tyres will increase the traction of the car, but also slightly increase the weight, however does not require as extensive of a redesign.

year: 2021

title: Elucidating the molecular basis of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) production in Leptospermum nectar

authors: Grierson, Ella

subjects: dihydroxyacetone

abstract: Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) nectar contains variable amounts of dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a triose sugar that is the precursor to methylglyoxal (MGO), the antimicrobial compound underpinning the high value of mānuka honey and forming the basis of the Aotearoa-New Zealand honey industry. This trait is unique to some species within the Myrtaceae. The molecular basis of this high-value trait is unknown and identifying it would allow development of gene-based tools to identify high value germplasm to inform replanting and breeding programmes. Despite the fundamental importance of nectar to crop pollination and honey industries, the genetic control of nectary function is poorly understood, especially in non-model species. This thesis aims to elucidate the molecular basis of DHA production in Leptospermum nectar, through identifying associated genes and genomic regions, followed by further exploration of gene regulation and enzyme characterisation in vitro and in vivo. 
RNAseq analysis identified nectary-associated genes differentially expressed between high and low nectar-DHA genotypes of L. scoparium, and a mānuka high-density linkage map and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping population revealed genetic regions associated with nectar DHA content. Expression and QTL analyses both pointed to the involvement of a phosphatase gene, LsSgpp2, as its expression correlated with nectar DHA accumulation and it co-located with a QTL on chromosome 4. To investigate Sgpp2 and its complex locus further, we produced high-quality genomes and hypanthium transcriptomes for two further Leptospermeae species with contrasting DHA phenotypes – Leptospermum morrisonii and Gaudium laevigatum. Expression patterns of Sgpp2 again correlated with nectar DHA in these species, and comparative analyses of Sgpp sequences within the Myrtaceae indicated that high Sgpp2 expression was likely ancestral in DHA producing taxa, followed by repeated loss of the trait. Comparison within and between Sgpp genes with differing expression profiles identified regions unique to the highly expressed Sgpp2 genes, which contained two C-box motifs, and a bZIP11 transcription factor predicted to bind to these motifs was identified as significantly differentially expressed in the RNAseq dataset. The bZIP11 gene was subsequently found to co-locate with another of the QTLs identified, further supporting its involvement. The L. morrisonii promoter drove strong nectary-specific expression in transgenic lines of Petunia and Nicotiana, showing elements essential for Sgpp2 expression are within that region. However, the promoter in 13 DHA producing L. scoparium genotypes was found to be similar, indicating variation in nectar DHA amounts may be conferred by further complex transcriptional regulation fine tuning Sgpp2 expression from beyond the promoter region analysed here. Functional analyses demonstrated that LmSGPP2 can dephosphorylate dihydroxyacetone-phosphate (DHAP) to produce DHA and phosphate in vitro. Transgenic Petunia and Nicotiana lines were created to characterise LmSGPP2 activity in vivo, but results were inconclusive due to low and mis-located expression of the transgene. 
Together our results suggest Sgpp2 may contribute to maintaining phosphate homeostasis in a photosynthesising nectary, potentially evolving due to low phosphate availability – which is common in Australia where this tribe originates. This work advances our understanding of nectar biology and reports some of the first QTLs and genes linked to a low abundance nectar compound. The genes and genomic regions identified here provide a foundation for developing tools to identify high-value germplasm – ensuring biodiversity can be maintained while increasing high-value honey production.

text: Elucidating the molecular basis of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) production in Leptospermum nectar Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) nectar contains variable amounts of dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a triose sugar that is the precursor to methylglyoxal (MGO), the antimicrobial compound underpinning the high value of mānuka honey and forming the basis of the Aotearoa-New Zealand honey industry. This trait is unique to some species within the Myrtaceae. The molecular basis of this high-value trait is unknown and identifying it would allow development of gene-based tools to identify high value germplasm to inform replanting and breeding programmes. Despite the fundamental importance of nectar to crop pollination and honey industries, the genetic control of nectary function is poorly understood, especially in non-model species. This thesis aims to elucidate the molecular basis of DHA production in Leptospermum nectar, through identifying associated genes and genomic regions, followed by further exploration of gene regulation and enzyme characterisation in vitro and in vivo. 
RNAseq analysis identified nectary-associated genes differentially expressed between high and low nectar-DHA genotypes of L. scoparium, and a mānuka high-density linkage map and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping population revealed genetic regions associated with nectar DHA content. Expression and QTL analyses both pointed to the involvement of a phosphatase gene, LsSgpp2, as its expression correlated with nectar DHA accumulation and it co-located with a QTL on chromosome 4. To investigate Sgpp2 and its complex locus further, we produced high-quality genomes and hypanthium transcriptomes for two further Leptospermeae species with contrasting DHA phenotypes – Leptospermum morrisonii and Gaudium laevigatum. Expression patterns of Sgpp2 again correlated with nectar DHA in these species, and comparative analyses of Sgpp sequences within the Myrtaceae indicated that high Sgpp2 expression was likely ancestral in DHA producing taxa, followed by repeated loss of the trait. Comparison within and between Sgpp genes with differing expression profiles identified regions unique to the highly expressed Sgpp2 genes, which contained two C-box motifs, and a bZIP11 transcription factor predicted to bind to these motifs was identified as significantly differentially expressed in the RNAseq dataset. The bZIP11 gene was subsequently found to co-locate with another of the QTLs identified, further supporting its involvement. The L. morrisonii promoter drove strong nectary-specific expression in transgenic lines of Petunia and Nicotiana, showing elements essential for Sgpp2 expression are within that region. However, the promoter in 13 DHA producing L. scoparium genotypes was found to be similar, indicating variation in nectar DHA amounts may be conferred by further complex transcriptional regulation fine tuning Sgpp2 expression from beyond the promoter region analysed here. Functional analyses demonstrated that LmSGPP2 can dephosphorylate dihydroxyacetone-phosphate (DHAP) to produce DHA and phosphate in vitro. Transgenic Petunia and Nicotiana lines were created to characterise LmSGPP2 activity in vivo, but results were inconclusive due to low and mis-located expression of the transgene. 
Together our results suggest Sgpp2 may contribute to maintaining phosphate homeostasis in a photosynthesising nectary, potentially evolving due to low phosphate availability – which is common in Australia where this tribe originates. This work advances our understanding of nectar biology and reports some of the first QTLs and genes linked to a low abundance nectar compound. The genes and genomic regions identified here provide a foundation for developing tools to identify high-value germplasm – ensuring biodiversity can be maintained while increasing high-value honey production.

year: 2025

title: Te Mātāpuna o Te Waihou: When the river speaks: Te Waihou river rights and power-sharing in the currents of cultural inequality.

authors: Kelly, Clifton Edward

subjects: Water Rights

abstract: National fresh water management in Aotearoa New Zealand is a subject of political contention for hapū that claim customary rights over natural water resources.  Waterways continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate under the Resource Management Act (RMA) and regional policies that prioritise economic development and industrial intensification over sustainable resource management.  This thesis embodies a collection of unique perspectives and knowledges from Te Waihou river marae.  The primary focus of this thesis is to examine hapū values in relation to an ancestral river and significant freshwater source.  Hapū geographies are enduring remnants of oral tradition and tikanga practices (cultural traditions and values).  These geographies are examined in the context of contemporary water management to contrast strands and values of indigenous knowledge that has guided the health, growth and longevity of hapū for millennia.  Such traditional knowledge is an integral part of discerning the future cultural protection and sustainability of a tribal water resource.   
Hapū narratives are juxtaposed with resource management and reconciliation discourse to consider firstly, bicultural world-views of the natural environment, and secondly, the influence of Western resource management frameworks and mechanisms on tikanga practices.  This study is framed by a Kaupapa Māori theoretical framework that creates a site of resistance to dominant colonial theory.  Such a space is used to decolonise and decentralise the Eurocentric ideologies in national water frameworks and acknowledge an indigenous approach to environmental protection and sustainable management.  
With a particular focus on mana whenua customary rights, and Crown and iwi Treaty settlements, commentary on a collaborative management regime for Te Waihou examines power-sharing and the location of power within processes of the co-management mechanism.  The review of key resource management literature considers bicultural definitions of water rights and ownership, and the implications of a rights-to-culture model within the contexts of tikanga Māori.  River health and sustainability is synonymous with tribal health and the health of communities.  This research examines the implications of this statement within the natural resource frameworks of national, regional and district municipalities.

text: Te Mātāpuna o Te Waihou: When the river speaks: Te Waihou river rights and power-sharing in the currents of cultural inequality. National fresh water management in Aotearoa New Zealand is a subject of political contention for hapū that claim customary rights over natural water resources.  Waterways continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate under the Resource Management Act (RMA) and regional policies that prioritise economic development and industrial intensification over sustainable resource management.  This thesis embodies a collection of unique perspectives and knowledges from Te Waihou river marae.  The primary focus of this thesis is to examine hapū values in relation to an ancestral river and significant freshwater source.  Hapū geographies are enduring remnants of oral tradition and tikanga practices (cultural traditions and values).  These geographies are examined in the context of contemporary water management to contrast strands and values of indigenous knowledge that has guided the health, growth and longevity of hapū for millennia.  Such traditional knowledge is an integral part of discerning the future cultural protection and sustainability of a tribal water resource.   
Hapū narratives are juxtaposed with resource management and reconciliation discourse to consider firstly, bicultural world-views of the natural environment, and secondly, the influence of Western resource management frameworks and mechanisms on tikanga practices.  This study is framed by a Kaupapa Māori theoretical framework that creates a site of resistance to dominant colonial theory.  Such a space is used to decolonise and decentralise the Eurocentric ideologies in national water frameworks and acknowledge an indigenous approach to environmental protection and sustainable management.  
With a particular focus on mana whenua customary rights, and Crown and iwi Treaty settlements, commentary on a collaborative management regime for Te Waihou examines power-sharing and the location of power within processes of the co-management mechanism.  The review of key resource management literature considers bicultural definitions of water rights and ownership, and the implications of a rights-to-culture model within the contexts of tikanga Māori.  River health and sustainability is synonymous with tribal health and the health of communities.  This research examines the implications of this statement within the natural resource frameworks of national, regional and district municipalities.

year: 2020