title: Connecting curriculum and policy to assist families' aspirations

authors: Clarkin-Phillips, Jeanette

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s early childhood national curriculum, is strongly underpinned by sociocultural and ecological theories of development that recognise the significance of families in children’s lives. There are, however, very few national policies that support the holistic nature of the curriculum. In 2006, the first significant recognition by government of the potential for early childhood centres to assist the holistic well-being of a community occurred. A pilot programme was launched that awarded Parent Support and Development contracts to early childhood centres in vulnerable communities. Eight centres took part in the pilot. This paper reports on the impact of a Parent Support and Development contract on a kindergarten ecosystem, highlighting ways in which the ecological systems of the community were strengthened.

text: Connecting curriculum and policy to assist families' aspirations Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s early childhood national curriculum, is strongly underpinned by sociocultural and ecological theories of development that recognise the significance of families in children’s lives. There are, however, very few national policies that support the holistic nature of the curriculum. In 2006, the first significant recognition by government of the potential for early childhood centres to assist the holistic well-being of a community occurred. A pilot programme was launched that awarded Parent Support and Development contracts to early childhood centres in vulnerable communities. Eight centres took part in the pilot. This paper reports on the impact of a Parent Support and Development contract on a kindergarten ecosystem, highlighting ways in which the ecological systems of the community were strengthened.

year: 2012

title: Findings from an in-depth annual tree-ring radiocarbon intercomparison

authors: Wacker, L.

subjects: annual tree rings

abstract: The radiocarbon (¹⁴C) calibration curve so far contains annually resolved data only for a short period of time. With accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) matching the precision of decay counting, it is now possible to efficiently produce large datasets of annual resolution for calibration purposes using small amounts of wood. The radiocarbon intercomparison on single-year tree-ring samples presented here is the first to investigate specifically possible offsets between AMS laboratories at high precision. The results show that AMS laboratories are capable of measuring samples of Holocene age with an accuracy and precision that is comparable or even goes beyond what is possible with decay counting, even though they require a thousand times less wood. It also shows that not all AMS laboratories always produce results that are consistent with their stated uncertainties. The long-term benefits of studies of this kind are more accurate radiocarbon measurements with, in the future, better quantified uncertainties.

text: Findings from an in-depth annual tree-ring radiocarbon intercomparison The radiocarbon (¹⁴C) calibration curve so far contains annually resolved data only for a short period of time. With accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) matching the precision of decay counting, it is now possible to efficiently produce large datasets of annual resolution for calibration purposes using small amounts of wood. The radiocarbon intercomparison on single-year tree-ring samples presented here is the first to investigate specifically possible offsets between AMS laboratories at high precision. The results show that AMS laboratories are capable of measuring samples of Holocene age with an accuracy and precision that is comparable or even goes beyond what is possible with decay counting, even though they require a thousand times less wood. It also shows that not all AMS laboratories always produce results that are consistent with their stated uncertainties. The long-term benefits of studies of this kind are more accurate radiocarbon measurements with, in the future, better quantified uncertainties.

year: 2020

title: Māori, Tongan and Chinese households: Medications and elder care

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: medications

abstract: Research reveals that medicines are frequently not taken as intended, stockpiled for future use, discontinued when symptoms fade or passed to others. Medications are material objects with therapeutic uses that enter into and take on meaning within people’s lives. In this way they are culturally embedded phenomena that carry meanings and shape social relationships and practices. The symbolic meanings given to medications and cultural relations are important for understanding variations in medication practices. Households with elders often contain more medications and have more complex age-related medical conditions. In households where members are engaged in the reciprocation of care among two or three generations, medications within and between these relationships take on a range of dynamic meanings. In this paper, we explore how interactions between household members affect medicines-taking practices of elders and their families from three cultural groups: Māori, Tongan and Chinese. This research was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

text: Māori, Tongan and Chinese households: Medications and elder care Research reveals that medicines are frequently not taken as intended, stockpiled for future use, discontinued when symptoms fade or passed to others. Medications are material objects with therapeutic uses that enter into and take on meaning within people’s lives. In this way they are culturally embedded phenomena that carry meanings and shape social relationships and practices. The symbolic meanings given to medications and cultural relations are important for understanding variations in medication practices. Households with elders often contain more medications and have more complex age-related medical conditions. In households where members are engaged in the reciprocation of care among two or three generations, medications within and between these relationships take on a range of dynamic meanings. In this paper, we explore how interactions between household members affect medicines-taking practices of elders and their families from three cultural groups: Māori, Tongan and Chinese. This research was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

year: 2010