title: Dibbling Machine for ArborGen

authors: Duke, Mike

abstract: ArborGen’s nursery, located in Tokoroa, supplies approximately 6 million seedlings per year to the forestry industry (figure 1). The vast majority of seedlings are Pine Radiata but they also supply Plug Plus and Douglas fir. In peak season, they plant up to 120,000 seedlings per day that each require a straight vertical hole of certain depth and spacing, (depending on seedling type). For example the most common seedling, Radiata pine, requires holes of approximately 10mm diameter x 40mm deep (figure 2). The process of making the holes is called dibbling. Dibbling has become a major problem that has resulted in an estimated 400,000 rejections per year. An investigation of the dibbling process identified the following problems: • Existing human dibbling methods too slow and unreliable • Machine methods produce low quality holes that lead to mis-planted seedlings • Lack of flexibility of existing, methods with regard to hole size and spacing • Current methods compact the soil hindering root growth so hole drilling is preferred • Currently, dibbling must be done on the day of planting due to the deterioration of the bed surface

text: Dibbling Machine for ArborGen ArborGen’s nursery, located in Tokoroa, supplies approximately 6 million seedlings per year to the forestry industry (figure 1). The vast majority of seedlings are Pine Radiata but they also supply Plug Plus and Douglas fir. In peak season, they plant up to 120,000 seedlings per day that each require a straight vertical hole of certain depth and spacing, (depending on seedling type). For example the most common seedling, Radiata pine, requires holes of approximately 10mm diameter x 40mm deep (figure 2). The process of making the holes is called dibbling. Dibbling has become a major problem that has resulted in an estimated 400,000 rejections per year. An investigation of the dibbling process identified the following problems: • Existing human dibbling methods too slow and unreliable • Machine methods produce low quality holes that lead to mis-planted seedlings • Lack of flexibility of existing, methods with regard to hole size and spacing • Current methods compact the soil hindering root growth so hole drilling is preferred • Currently, dibbling must be done on the day of planting due to the deterioration of the bed surface

year: 2014-01-18

title: Escape from the peak procedure

authors: Juekarun, Phloiuma

subjects: Peak procedure

abstract: The peak procedure is a timing procedure used to measure the ability of animals to time intervals. The peak procedure consists of fixed interval (FI) trials and some non-reinforced or extinction trials (EXT). Typically, responding on EXT trial increases at the usual time of reinforcement on the FI trial then decreases and resurges towards the end of the EXT trial. One short-coming of the peak procedure is that there is only one response alternative available to the animal, which might explain why, even after extensive experience, the animals still respond at high rates at times when they would never earn food reinforcers. In my experiment, I hypothesised that the reason response rates increase towards the end of EXT trials on the peak procedure is because those responses are negatively reinforced by escaping the EXT trials and resurgence maybe the result of escape from the EXT trials. This “escape” hypothesis was tested in different conditions. 
Results show roosters have a sense of time and by providing an alternative key to response; the birds’ performance on the peak procedure was improved.

text: Escape from the peak procedure The peak procedure is a timing procedure used to measure the ability of animals to time intervals. The peak procedure consists of fixed interval (FI) trials and some non-reinforced or extinction trials (EXT). Typically, responding on EXT trial increases at the usual time of reinforcement on the FI trial then decreases and resurges towards the end of the EXT trial. One short-coming of the peak procedure is that there is only one response alternative available to the animal, which might explain why, even after extensive experience, the animals still respond at high rates at times when they would never earn food reinforcers. In my experiment, I hypothesised that the reason response rates increase towards the end of EXT trials on the peak procedure is because those responses are negatively reinforced by escaping the EXT trials and resurgence maybe the result of escape from the EXT trials. This “escape” hypothesis was tested in different conditions. 
Results show roosters have a sense of time and by providing an alternative key to response; the birds’ performance on the peak procedure was improved.

year: 2014

title: Beyond structuralism: Exploring a semantic based approach for describing the Māori language in grammar books and textbooks for pedagogical purposes

authors: Taiapa, Michael William

subjects: Māori

abstract: Since the 1950s, the advancements and developments in English language studies has had a profound impact on its description that has made it less syntactically driven and more communicatively oriented. This has the potential to influence language description moving it from a purely structurally focused orientation to a more semantically focused one that could influence pedagogic outcomes in more meaningful and useful ways. Nevertheless, in the case of the Māori language, its description has largely focused on structure linguistics that was prevalent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There has been very little focus on a semantic description and this, in turn, is reflected in grammar books and textbooks on te reo. This thesis set out to explore a semantic approach to describe te reo and to rethink how this type of description may be realized and included in the design of grammar books and textbooks for the teaching and learning of te reo in the broader field of second language pedagogy and acquisition. The thesis also includes a practical component in which a small sample of Māori language teachers were interviewed to determine how linguistic and/ or semantic approaches to describe te reo may have or have impacted on their own beliefs, attitudes, and teaching practices (See, Chapter 7). Thus, it is argued here that research-based studies, advancements, and developments in language descriptions over the past five decades (See, for example, Council of Europe, 1949; Fillmore, 1967; Longacre, 1968; & Crombie, 1985b) should play central roles in the design of a semantic based description of the Māori language from which a linguistic based description can significantly benefit.

text: Beyond structuralism: Exploring a semantic based approach for describing the Māori language in grammar books and textbooks for pedagogical purposes Since the 1950s, the advancements and developments in English language studies has had a profound impact on its description that has made it less syntactically driven and more communicatively oriented. This has the potential to influence language description moving it from a purely structurally focused orientation to a more semantically focused one that could influence pedagogic outcomes in more meaningful and useful ways. Nevertheless, in the case of the Māori language, its description has largely focused on structure linguistics that was prevalent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There has been very little focus on a semantic description and this, in turn, is reflected in grammar books and textbooks on te reo. This thesis set out to explore a semantic approach to describe te reo and to rethink how this type of description may be realized and included in the design of grammar books and textbooks for the teaching and learning of te reo in the broader field of second language pedagogy and acquisition. The thesis also includes a practical component in which a small sample of Māori language teachers were interviewed to determine how linguistic and/ or semantic approaches to describe te reo may have or have impacted on their own beliefs, attitudes, and teaching practices (See, Chapter 7). Thus, it is argued here that research-based studies, advancements, and developments in language descriptions over the past five decades (See, for example, Council of Europe, 1949; Fillmore, 1967; Longacre, 1968; & Crombie, 1985b) should play central roles in the design of a semantic based description of the Māori language from which a linguistic based description can significantly benefit.

year: 2023