title: Speleothem growth intervals reflect New Zealand montane vegetation response to temperature change over the last glacial cycle

authors: Hellstrom, John C.

abstract: Flowstone speleothem growth beneath Mount Arthur, New Zealand shows a clear relationship to vegetation density and soil development on the surface above. Flowstone does not currently form beneath sub-alpine Nothofagus forest above ca. 1000–1100 m altitude but U-Th dating shows it has formed there during past intervals of warmer-than-present conditions including an early–mid Holocene optimum and the last interglacial from ca. 131–119 ka. Some flowstones growing beneath ca. 600 m surface altitude, currently mantled with dense broadleaf-podocarp forest, grew during full glacial conditions, indicating that local tree line was never below this altitude. This implies that Last Glacial Maximum annual temperature was no more than ca. 4 °C cooler than today. Flowstone growth appears to be a robust indicator of dense surface vegetation and well-developed soil cover in this setting, and indicates that past interglacial climates of MIS 7e, 5e, the early–mid Holocene and possibly MIS 5a were more conducive to growth of trees than was the late Holocene, reflecting regional temperature changes similar in timing to Antarctic temperature changes. Here, flowstone speleothem growth is a sensitive indicator of vegetation density at high altitude, but may respond to other factors at lower altitudes.

text: Speleothem growth intervals reflect New Zealand montane vegetation response to temperature change over the last glacial cycle Flowstone speleothem growth beneath Mount Arthur, New Zealand shows a clear relationship to vegetation density and soil development on the surface above. Flowstone does not currently form beneath sub-alpine Nothofagus forest above ca. 1000–1100 m altitude but U-Th dating shows it has formed there during past intervals of warmer-than-present conditions including an early–mid Holocene optimum and the last interglacial from ca. 131–119 ka. Some flowstones growing beneath ca. 600 m surface altitude, currently mantled with dense broadleaf-podocarp forest, grew during full glacial conditions, indicating that local tree line was never below this altitude. This implies that Last Glacial Maximum annual temperature was no more than ca. 4 °C cooler than today. Flowstone growth appears to be a robust indicator of dense surface vegetation and well-developed soil cover in this setting, and indicates that past interglacial climates of MIS 7e, 5e, the early–mid Holocene and possibly MIS 5a were more conducive to growth of trees than was the late Holocene, reflecting regional temperature changes similar in timing to Antarctic temperature changes. Here, flowstone speleothem growth is a sensitive indicator of vegetation density at high altitude, but may respond to other factors at lower altitudes.

year: 2020

title: Propositionalisation of multiple sequence alignments using probabilistic models

authors: Mutter, Stefan

subjects: computer science

abstract: Multiple sequence alignments play a central role in Bioinformatics. Most alignment representations are designed to facilitate knowledge extraction by human experts. Additionally statistical models like Profile Hidden Markov Models are used as representations. They offer the advantage to provide sound, probabilistic scores. The basic idea we present in this paper is to use the structure of a Profile Hidden Markov Model for propositionalisation. This way we get a simple, extendable representation of multiple sequence alignments which facilitates further analysis by Machine Learning algorighms.

text: Propositionalisation of multiple sequence alignments using probabilistic models Multiple sequence alignments play a central role in Bioinformatics. Most alignment representations are designed to facilitate knowledge extraction by human experts. Additionally statistical models like Profile Hidden Markov Models are used as representations. They offer the advantage to provide sound, probabilistic scores. The basic idea we present in this paper is to use the structure of a Profile Hidden Markov Model for propositionalisation. This way we get a simple, extendable representation of multiple sequence alignments which facilitates further analysis by Machine Learning algorighms.

year: 2008

title: lnteragency collaboration in youth justice: Creating change through action research

authors: Atkinson, Melanie

abstract: This thesis describes a community psychology intervention in the Hamilton youth justice sector from September 2001 through to August 2004. I initiated the project with a Maori social service provider, Maatua Whangai, to address poor communication, gaps in service provision, and a lack of coordination and leadership in the sector. Drawing on an action research methodology the purpose of the project was to create better outcomes for youth offenders and their families by using an interagency approach to increase collaboration, coordination and the effectiveness of service delivery.
 My role became one of project manager and researcher. Representatives from the key agencies in the wider youth justice sector became participants and together we embarked on a journey of transformation. The group we formed, initially known as the 'Hamilton Youth Justice Collaboration', became the Hamilton Youth Offending Team (YOT), following the establishment of YOTs nationally by the Ministry of Justice in 2002. 
This thesis details the development of the Hamilton YOT, focusing on its purposes, methods, process, relationships and outcomes. The ten initiatives planned and implemented by the YOT are also discussed. Some of these initiatives addressed system-wide issues. Others targeted the way services were delivered by the statutory youth justice agencies. The final group of initiatives aimed to improve the knowledge of services for young people and also established services or programme to fill gaps in services. 
Collaborative initiatives tend to generate multiple purposes and goals aimed at multiple levels of the situation. Thus an ecological and systems approach was used to analyse the impact of the YOT's activities. This allowed for larger units of analysis at the instrumental, structural, relational and cultural dimensions of the environment. 
In the first instance this project created a group of agencies to provide oversight and leadership for the sector. This growth in capacity for analysing problems, devising solutions, and mobilising the required resources, allowed for the various initiatives to be implemented. YOT members spoke positively about the changes that had been made and there was a perception that the quality of service delivery had increased. The outcome evaluation that was conducted confirmed the assumption that improving communication and coordination of services, aligning service delivery with good practice, and increasing the capacity of services would equate to improved outcomes. In addition to the positive impacts on 'clients', the introduction of norms and practices that focused on cooperation and the increased opportunities for joint work, connectedness and mutual support, produced positive changes in the relational environment. 
While the extent to which interagency collaboration improved is considered, there is a strong focus on what was learned about the process of collaboration. The roles of the researcher and the participation by YOT members are also examined. The thesis ends with a reflection on the project as a whole, considering the major findings the study has made in the areas of action research, evaluation and collaboration.

text: lnteragency collaboration in youth justice: Creating change through action research This thesis describes a community psychology intervention in the Hamilton youth justice sector from September 2001 through to August 2004. I initiated the project with a Maori social service provider, Maatua Whangai, to address poor communication, gaps in service provision, and a lack of coordination and leadership in the sector. Drawing on an action research methodology the purpose of the project was to create better outcomes for youth offenders and their families by using an interagency approach to increase collaboration, coordination and the effectiveness of service delivery.
 My role became one of project manager and researcher. Representatives from the key agencies in the wider youth justice sector became participants and together we embarked on a journey of transformation. The group we formed, initially known as the 'Hamilton Youth Justice Collaboration', became the Hamilton Youth Offending Team (YOT), following the establishment of YOTs nationally by the Ministry of Justice in 2002. 
This thesis details the development of the Hamilton YOT, focusing on its purposes, methods, process, relationships and outcomes. The ten initiatives planned and implemented by the YOT are also discussed. Some of these initiatives addressed system-wide issues. Others targeted the way services were delivered by the statutory youth justice agencies. The final group of initiatives aimed to improve the knowledge of services for young people and also established services or programme to fill gaps in services. 
Collaborative initiatives tend to generate multiple purposes and goals aimed at multiple levels of the situation. Thus an ecological and systems approach was used to analyse the impact of the YOT's activities. This allowed for larger units of analysis at the instrumental, structural, relational and cultural dimensions of the environment. 
In the first instance this project created a group of agencies to provide oversight and leadership for the sector. This growth in capacity for analysing problems, devising solutions, and mobilising the required resources, allowed for the various initiatives to be implemented. YOT members spoke positively about the changes that had been made and there was a perception that the quality of service delivery had increased. The outcome evaluation that was conducted confirmed the assumption that improving communication and coordination of services, aligning service delivery with good practice, and increasing the capacity of services would equate to improved outcomes. In addition to the positive impacts on 'clients', the introduction of norms and practices that focused on cooperation and the increased opportunities for joint work, connectedness and mutual support, produced positive changes in the relational environment. 
While the extent to which interagency collaboration improved is considered, there is a strong focus on what was learned about the process of collaboration. The roles of the researcher and the participation by YOT members are also examined. The thesis ends with a reflection on the project as a whole, considering the major findings the study has made in the areas of action research, evaluation and collaboration.

year: 2006