title: An evaluation of current and potential technology for the treatment of farm dairy effluent in New Zealand - Assessing the potential to use anaerobic digestion and sequencing batch reactor technology as an alternative method of treatment of  farm dairy effluent

authors: Buchanan, Kendal

subjects: Farm Dairy Effluent

abstract: In order to keep up with social and consumer demands the regulations surrounding nutrient losses from dairy farms in New Zealand are becoming harsher. A way in which dairy farms can reduce the loss of nutrients is to improve the management of farm dairy effluent (FDE). FDE management can be improved by adding a treatment. This treatment may be chemical or biological.
The objective of this research was to develop a method of biological removal of nutrients from farm dairy effluent that enables more efficient management of those nutrients. The system that resulted (BioClean) was a five-stage system including; solids separation, anaerobic digestion, an enhanced biological nutrient removal sequencing batch reactor, sand filtration and UV disinfection.
Modelling of the BioClean system and current methods of FDE handling and treatment, found that BioClean outperformed all current technologies (two pond treatment, land application and ClearTech) in the removal of nitrogen from the liquid fraction (average removal of 98%). The removal of phosphorus and potassium from the liquid fraction were not found to be sufficient for discharge to waterways with average residuals of 13 mg/L and 772 mg/L (Table 32) respectively. Removal of Escherichia coli by BioClean was found to be vary significantly with scenario variation (from a mean of 0 cfu/100ml to 16,260 cfu/100ml).
Analysis of the model found that variation in results could potentially be explained by the model simulation. Therefore, even though scenario and treatment variation were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) in most cases, the cause of that variation can not confidently be linked to either the treatment change or variable that changed with regards to scenario differences.
Economic analysis of the addition of the BioClean system to a New Zealand dairy farm found that if the desired levels of nutrient removal could be achieved the addition of the BioClean system to a dairy farm was to be viable. The system was found to reduce daily running costs in comparison to the typical land application system due to pumping only the liquid fraction of FDE after solid separation a short distance.

Future research into the BioClean method through a lab-scale trial was recommended to improve the accuracy of the model and optimise the operating system.

text: An evaluation of current and potential technology for the treatment of farm dairy effluent in New Zealand - Assessing the potential to use anaerobic digestion and sequencing batch reactor technology as an alternative method of treatment of  farm dairy effluent In order to keep up with social and consumer demands the regulations surrounding nutrient losses from dairy farms in New Zealand are becoming harsher. A way in which dairy farms can reduce the loss of nutrients is to improve the management of farm dairy effluent (FDE). FDE management can be improved by adding a treatment. This treatment may be chemical or biological.
The objective of this research was to develop a method of biological removal of nutrients from farm dairy effluent that enables more efficient management of those nutrients. The system that resulted (BioClean) was a five-stage system including; solids separation, anaerobic digestion, an enhanced biological nutrient removal sequencing batch reactor, sand filtration and UV disinfection.
Modelling of the BioClean system and current methods of FDE handling and treatment, found that BioClean outperformed all current technologies (two pond treatment, land application and ClearTech) in the removal of nitrogen from the liquid fraction (average removal of 98%). The removal of phosphorus and potassium from the liquid fraction were not found to be sufficient for discharge to waterways with average residuals of 13 mg/L and 772 mg/L (Table 32) respectively. Removal of Escherichia coli by BioClean was found to be vary significantly with scenario variation (from a mean of 0 cfu/100ml to 16,260 cfu/100ml).
Analysis of the model found that variation in results could potentially be explained by the model simulation. Therefore, even though scenario and treatment variation were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) in most cases, the cause of that variation can not confidently be linked to either the treatment change or variable that changed with regards to scenario differences.
Economic analysis of the addition of the BioClean system to a New Zealand dairy farm found that if the desired levels of nutrient removal could be achieved the addition of the BioClean system to a dairy farm was to be viable. The system was found to reduce daily running costs in comparison to the typical land application system due to pumping only the liquid fraction of FDE after solid separation a short distance.

Future research into the BioClean method through a lab-scale trial was recommended to improve the accuracy of the model and optimise the operating system.

year: 2020

title: Country-of-origin effects on Russian wine consumers

authors: Cicia, Gianni

subjects: Russian wine market

abstract: In recent years, Russia has experienced significant economic growth. The wine industry is among those most affected by increases in disposable income. As a consequence, Russian wine importers have widened the range at the upper end of the quality spectrum. In the current scenario, some key questions arise concerning consumer attitudes toward wine and the way it is perceived in this evolving market. This article attempts to investigate such concerns through a choice experiment approach conducted by means of a questionnaire-based survey submitted to 388 Russian households located in the country's three largest cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Novosibirsk). In the experiment, respondents were asked to choose their favorite wine among seven dry red wines. The stated choices are analyzed using a random utility model to obtain an estimation of the price effect through a triangular distribution. Our results indicate the presence of three distinct market segments in the Russian wine market: a segment with only high-quality, highly priced Italian and French wines, a medium-quality segment currently limited to Spanish wines, and a much lower quality segment of wines in which demand for alcohol is essentially satisfied.

text: Country-of-origin effects on Russian wine consumers In recent years, Russia has experienced significant economic growth. The wine industry is among those most affected by increases in disposable income. As a consequence, Russian wine importers have widened the range at the upper end of the quality spectrum. In the current scenario, some key questions arise concerning consumer attitudes toward wine and the way it is perceived in this evolving market. This article attempts to investigate such concerns through a choice experiment approach conducted by means of a questionnaire-based survey submitted to 388 Russian households located in the country's three largest cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Novosibirsk). In the experiment, respondents were asked to choose their favorite wine among seven dry red wines. The stated choices are analyzed using a random utility model to obtain an estimation of the price effect through a triangular distribution. Our results indicate the presence of three distinct market segments in the Russian wine market: a segment with only high-quality, highly priced Italian and French wines, a medium-quality segment currently limited to Spanish wines, and a much lower quality segment of wines in which demand for alcohol is essentially satisfied.

year: 2013

title: Volunteering at the edge of chaos: A case study on the self-organising of younger volunteers during the Rena oil spill crisis

authors: Lockwood, Sarah Jane

subjects: volunteer

abstract: This thesis investigates the self-organising of younger volunteers during the 2011 Rena oil spill crisis in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It builds on emerging research that considers the relationships between volunteering and activism and focuses on the ways in which younger volunteers carved out a ‘volunteer-activist’ space for themselves on the edge of the formal crisis responses.  
The research adopts a case study approach and uses an interpretive lens to investigate three research questions: (1) How was volunteering conceptualised by younger volunteers involved in the Rena crisis?; (2) How did the generational dynamics of younger volunteers affect the various organising responses to the Rena event?; and, (3) How was self-organising conceptualised by younger volunteers involved in the Rena crisis?
The data comprised interviews with 53 participants, 38 of whom were classified as younger volunteers (16-29 years of age) and 15 who held positions of authority in the Rena crisis response and who had high levels of engagement with the younger volunteers. By examining the intersections and overlaps of self-organising, younger generations of volunteers, and crisis events through a social constructionist methodology combined with an interpretive lens and reflexive position, the thesis makes several theoretical and practical contributions.
At a theoretical level, the thesis challenges traditional crisis management approaches dominated by command and control, formal, or top down organisational structures and arrangements. The thesis demonstrates how, as active members of society, younger volunteers developed alternate forms of participation to strengthen crisis response. 
Power tensions between younger volunteers and crisis officials were grounded in a deep sense of frustration resulting from negative societal views toward younger generational cohorts and the structural workings of a risk society. By reconciling social and institutional grievances through self-organising, younger volunteers could take advantage of their marginalised position and enact self-reflexive responses in ways that were not readily available to them in everyday life. This sense of empowerment helped younger volunteers navigate the structural uncertainties they faced as they transitioned towards a competitive labour market and also to take greater control of their lives during a crisis.
From an Aotearoa/New Zealand, perspective, the thesis also provides insights into how younger Māori participants made sense of and enacted their ‘volunteer’ experience and how this experience was influenced by culturally embedded principles. Importantly, there appeared to be no generational differences between how younger and older Māori participants made sense of their ‘volunteer’ experience. Both groups were driven by collectivist orientations, which highlights the importance of contextualising culture in volunteer sector research. 
The social constructedness of the media technologies used by participants exposed broader power structures that existed within their generation-specific social worlds. To this end, media multiplexity showed how use of different communication technologies (1) supported the maintenance of relationships between participants and (2) was fundamental to the meaning participants attached to the different forms of technologies. These findings indicate the need to move away from the current literature’s focus on the tools of communication technologies used by younger people during crisis events, towards the meanings that exist behind the use of such technologies as well as the digital relationships fostered among volunteers. 
This thesis contributes to the scholarship on volunteering and activism by showing how self-organising emerged as an alternative form of activist—or activator—approach to volunteer participation within a crisis response. This approach enabled young volunteer-activators to move beyond their perceived sense of marginalisation and avoid those formal organisational forces that limit their sense of freedom and personal development. The result was an alternative crisis response of self-organised volunteering on the edge of chaos.

text: Volunteering at the edge of chaos: A case study on the self-organising of younger volunteers during the Rena oil spill crisis This thesis investigates the self-organising of younger volunteers during the 2011 Rena oil spill crisis in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It builds on emerging research that considers the relationships between volunteering and activism and focuses on the ways in which younger volunteers carved out a ‘volunteer-activist’ space for themselves on the edge of the formal crisis responses.  
The research adopts a case study approach and uses an interpretive lens to investigate three research questions: (1) How was volunteering conceptualised by younger volunteers involved in the Rena crisis?; (2) How did the generational dynamics of younger volunteers affect the various organising responses to the Rena event?; and, (3) How was self-organising conceptualised by younger volunteers involved in the Rena crisis?
The data comprised interviews with 53 participants, 38 of whom were classified as younger volunteers (16-29 years of age) and 15 who held positions of authority in the Rena crisis response and who had high levels of engagement with the younger volunteers. By examining the intersections and overlaps of self-organising, younger generations of volunteers, and crisis events through a social constructionist methodology combined with an interpretive lens and reflexive position, the thesis makes several theoretical and practical contributions.
At a theoretical level, the thesis challenges traditional crisis management approaches dominated by command and control, formal, or top down organisational structures and arrangements. The thesis demonstrates how, as active members of society, younger volunteers developed alternate forms of participation to strengthen crisis response. 
Power tensions between younger volunteers and crisis officials were grounded in a deep sense of frustration resulting from negative societal views toward younger generational cohorts and the structural workings of a risk society. By reconciling social and institutional grievances through self-organising, younger volunteers could take advantage of their marginalised position and enact self-reflexive responses in ways that were not readily available to them in everyday life. This sense of empowerment helped younger volunteers navigate the structural uncertainties they faced as they transitioned towards a competitive labour market and also to take greater control of their lives during a crisis.
From an Aotearoa/New Zealand, perspective, the thesis also provides insights into how younger Māori participants made sense of and enacted their ‘volunteer’ experience and how this experience was influenced by culturally embedded principles. Importantly, there appeared to be no generational differences between how younger and older Māori participants made sense of their ‘volunteer’ experience. Both groups were driven by collectivist orientations, which highlights the importance of contextualising culture in volunteer sector research. 
The social constructedness of the media technologies used by participants exposed broader power structures that existed within their generation-specific social worlds. To this end, media multiplexity showed how use of different communication technologies (1) supported the maintenance of relationships between participants and (2) was fundamental to the meaning participants attached to the different forms of technologies. These findings indicate the need to move away from the current literature’s focus on the tools of communication technologies used by younger people during crisis events, towards the meanings that exist behind the use of such technologies as well as the digital relationships fostered among volunteers. 
This thesis contributes to the scholarship on volunteering and activism by showing how self-organising emerged as an alternative form of activist—or activator—approach to volunteer participation within a crisis response. This approach enabled young volunteer-activators to move beyond their perceived sense of marginalisation and avoid those formal organisational forces that limit their sense of freedom and personal development. The result was an alternative crisis response of self-organised volunteering on the edge of chaos.

year: 2019