title: Why the trip home is shorter, but not faster

authors: Charlton, Samuel G.

abstract: When we travel by car the trip home often seems shorter than the initial trip away from the place of origin. This perceptual phenomenon (called the Return Trip Effect) has been noted in many contexts and its existence has puzzled drivers and researchers alike since the distance travelled and time spent traveling are usually identical. It has recently been proposed that the reason for this effect may be due to the fact that the outward trip has more unpredictable elements which make the initial trip seem longer. An alternative interpretation is that drivers pay less attention to familiar tasks (like the trip home) and our sense of trip duration is shorter when we are engaged in taskunrelated thoughts. In this paper we provide data from a driving simulator experiment that contrast these two interpretations as well as determine actual travel times as drivers complete return trips on familiar roads. The results indicate that there is no difference in participants' travel times on the two legs of the journey (i.e., the return trip is not actually faster). When elements of the scene are changed to include new elements and change existing elements during the return leg, the participants' actually did travel faster (decreasing their return trip time). Although changing expectations may play a role in the Return Trip Effect for unfamiliar destinations, when traveling on familiar roads these data suggest that lower levels of conscious engagement with driving is the likely reason for the subjective experience of shorter return trips.

text: Why the trip home is shorter, but not faster When we travel by car the trip home often seems shorter than the initial trip away from the place of origin. This perceptual phenomenon (called the Return Trip Effect) has been noted in many contexts and its existence has puzzled drivers and researchers alike since the distance travelled and time spent traveling are usually identical. It has recently been proposed that the reason for this effect may be due to the fact that the outward trip has more unpredictable elements which make the initial trip seem longer. An alternative interpretation is that drivers pay less attention to familiar tasks (like the trip home) and our sense of trip duration is shorter when we are engaged in taskunrelated thoughts. In this paper we provide data from a driving simulator experiment that contrast these two interpretations as well as determine actual travel times as drivers complete return trips on familiar roads. The results indicate that there is no difference in participants' travel times on the two legs of the journey (i.e., the return trip is not actually faster). When elements of the scene are changed to include new elements and change existing elements during the return leg, the participants' actually did travel faster (decreasing their return trip time). Although changing expectations may play a role in the Return Trip Effect for unfamiliar destinations, when traveling on familiar roads these data suggest that lower levels of conscious engagement with driving is the likely reason for the subjective experience of shorter return trips.

year: 2013-08-28

title: Content-Based Language Learning in a Digital Library

authors: Wu, Shaoqun

subjects: computer science

abstract: Digital libraries have untapped potential for supporting language teaching and learning. This paper describes a new scheme for automating topic-specific language learning using a specially built digital library. Three exercises of different types are generated automatically from the library content: one that learners undertake individually, one in which learners collaborate in pairs, and one in which a group of learners compete. The system aims to foster content-based language learning, which greatly increases students’ motivation, fosters long-term recollection, and can be culturally situated in appropriate ways.

text: Content-Based Language Learning in a Digital Library Digital libraries have untapped potential for supporting language teaching and learning. This paper describes a new scheme for automating topic-specific language learning using a specially built digital library. Three exercises of different types are generated automatically from the library content: one that learners undertake individually, one in which learners collaborate in pairs, and one in which a group of learners compete. The system aims to foster content-based language learning, which greatly increases students’ motivation, fosters long-term recollection, and can be culturally situated in appropriate ways.

year: 2007

title: Mātauranga Māori to inform understanding of population dynamics and health of pipi in Waihī Estuary, Bay of Plenty.

authors: Kettle, Tyla

abstract: Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems on earth. They hold significant value to Māori as they connect the whenua (land), awa (river) and moana (ocean), and are an important source of kaimoana (seafood) including shellfish. However, due to increased anthropogenic pressures, many estuaries are degraded, affecting taonga (Māori treasure) species such as pipi (Paphies australis). My thesis uses kaupapa Māori methodology and is co-developed with Ngāti Whakahemo, tangata whenua (people of the land) of Waihī Estuary. This project fundamentally draws upon mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge), combined with western science to map the historic and current distribution, abundance and health of pipi in Waihī Estuary; as well as explore the perceptions of threats to pipi and estuary ecology from tangata whenua and the regional authority. 
Participatory mapping was used via kōrero/interviews with kaumātua to identify sites of significance for pipi, which were then sampled in November 2020. Mātauranga ā iwi from Ngāti Whakahemo informed the sampling locations. Previous pipi sampling methodology and protocols undertaken by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) were used to facilitate temporal comparisons of pipi distribution and abundance. Environmental factors including sediment grain size, organic content, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were also measured to help understand what drives the population dynamics of pipi. Perceptions of tangata whenua and staff members of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) were also explored following methods similar to Klain et al. (2018) and implementing a dread risk tool via participatory mapping.
Results show that culturally significant sites identified by kaumātua support high pipi abundances of large size (40mm+), with low abundances of pipi in the upper reaches of the estuary. The inclusion of sites identified by MPI allowed for more comprehensive survey on pipi population dynamics by utilising a stratified survey design. Pipi size and abundance was significantly correlated with environmental factors with high pipi densities associated with medium grain size fractions and low levels of TN, TP and organic content. Over harvesting was perceived by kaumātua and BOPRC staff members as the dominant threat to pipi abundance and Waihī Estuary. Nutrients related to sewage inputs and runoff were rated as the second highest perceived threat and diseased shellfish ranked third by kaumātua and BOPRC staff members. 
This study demonstrates that the sharing of mātauranga ā iwi can fundamentally inform western science methods and can be used as an approach to research in the marine science realm. The research space was shared by researchers and kaumātua, was honourable of the mātauranga, iwi voices were heard and a co-developed field survey plan/research plan was produced. Iwi concerns were made a priority throughout, and incorporated into the monitoring, mapping and management frameworks. Thus, I had a Māori-centred agenda which is important as Ngāti Whakahemo are looking to utilise the results from my research to inform their iwi environmental management plan. This approach will help to strengthen current marine management practices and in turn Aotearoa New Zealand’s ecosystems due to iwi environmental management plans being informed by such results.

text: Mātauranga Māori to inform understanding of population dynamics and health of pipi in Waihī Estuary, Bay of Plenty. Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems on earth. They hold significant value to Māori as they connect the whenua (land), awa (river) and moana (ocean), and are an important source of kaimoana (seafood) including shellfish. However, due to increased anthropogenic pressures, many estuaries are degraded, affecting taonga (Māori treasure) species such as pipi (Paphies australis). My thesis uses kaupapa Māori methodology and is co-developed with Ngāti Whakahemo, tangata whenua (people of the land) of Waihī Estuary. This project fundamentally draws upon mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge), combined with western science to map the historic and current distribution, abundance and health of pipi in Waihī Estuary; as well as explore the perceptions of threats to pipi and estuary ecology from tangata whenua and the regional authority. 
Participatory mapping was used via kōrero/interviews with kaumātua to identify sites of significance for pipi, which were then sampled in November 2020. Mātauranga ā iwi from Ngāti Whakahemo informed the sampling locations. Previous pipi sampling methodology and protocols undertaken by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) were used to facilitate temporal comparisons of pipi distribution and abundance. Environmental factors including sediment grain size, organic content, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were also measured to help understand what drives the population dynamics of pipi. Perceptions of tangata whenua and staff members of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) were also explored following methods similar to Klain et al. (2018) and implementing a dread risk tool via participatory mapping.
Results show that culturally significant sites identified by kaumātua support high pipi abundances of large size (40mm+), with low abundances of pipi in the upper reaches of the estuary. The inclusion of sites identified by MPI allowed for more comprehensive survey on pipi population dynamics by utilising a stratified survey design. Pipi size and abundance was significantly correlated with environmental factors with high pipi densities associated with medium grain size fractions and low levels of TN, TP and organic content. Over harvesting was perceived by kaumātua and BOPRC staff members as the dominant threat to pipi abundance and Waihī Estuary. Nutrients related to sewage inputs and runoff were rated as the second highest perceived threat and diseased shellfish ranked third by kaumātua and BOPRC staff members. 
This study demonstrates that the sharing of mātauranga ā iwi can fundamentally inform western science methods and can be used as an approach to research in the marine science realm. The research space was shared by researchers and kaumātua, was honourable of the mātauranga, iwi voices were heard and a co-developed field survey plan/research plan was produced. Iwi concerns were made a priority throughout, and incorporated into the monitoring, mapping and management frameworks. Thus, I had a Māori-centred agenda which is important as Ngāti Whakahemo are looking to utilise the results from my research to inform their iwi environmental management plan. This approach will help to strengthen current marine management practices and in turn Aotearoa New Zealand’s ecosystems due to iwi environmental management plans being informed by such results.

year: 2021