title: Texts written in English and Chinese by expert writers: A genre-based comparative study from the Pacific Rim

authors: Wu, Huang

subjects: Pacific Area

abstract: On the basis of the analysis of the structure of text segments occurring in a range of journals, Bruce (2003) proposes four prototypes for the overall rhetorical structure and internal discourse structure of academic texts in English that focus on explanation, argument, recount and classification. This paper reports on a study involving 20 texts written in Chinese by native speakers of Chinese resident in Taiwan who were judged to be highly competent writers of Chinese. Five of these texts focused on explanation; five on argument, five on recount and five on classification. Analysis of these texts in terms of overall rhetorical structuring and internal discourse structuring suggests that texts written in Chinese by competent writers of Chinese may be closer to texts written in English by competent writers of English than is sometimes supposed, something that may have significant implications for the teaching of writing in English to native speakers of Chinese. However, the participants in this study were residents of Taiwan, a country that has had long-term academic and trading links with the USA and one in which most residents have some competence in English. It may be that a similar study involving native speakers of Chinese from other areas would yield different results.

text: Texts written in English and Chinese by expert writers: A genre-based comparative study from the Pacific Rim On the basis of the analysis of the structure of text segments occurring in a range of journals, Bruce (2003) proposes four prototypes for the overall rhetorical structure and internal discourse structure of academic texts in English that focus on explanation, argument, recount and classification. This paper reports on a study involving 20 texts written in Chinese by native speakers of Chinese resident in Taiwan who were judged to be highly competent writers of Chinese. Five of these texts focused on explanation; five on argument, five on recount and five on classification. Analysis of these texts in terms of overall rhetorical structuring and internal discourse structuring suggests that texts written in Chinese by competent writers of Chinese may be closer to texts written in English by competent writers of English than is sometimes supposed, something that may have significant implications for the teaching of writing in English to native speakers of Chinese. However, the participants in this study were residents of Taiwan, a country that has had long-term academic and trading links with the USA and one in which most residents have some competence in English. It may be that a similar study involving native speakers of Chinese from other areas would yield different results.

year: 2009-09

title: A study of knot-graphs

authors: Turner, John Christopher

abstract: This thesis is an account of studies made of knot projections, the tools used being graph-theoretic methods and extensions of them. The basic tool is the adjacency matrix. In fact several kinds of adjacency matrix are defined, for knot diagrams which are either nonoriented or are given orientations which reflect certain topological properties of the knots concerned.
First the properties of knot-graph adjacency matrices are studied. In particular, a matrix equation is derived which is shown to be satisfied by the α- and β-adjacency matrices of all knot-graphs; other matrices appearing in the equation are studied.
Examination of types of walk that can be made on a knot-graph leads to a definition of walk-groups and groupoids on knot-graphs. Relations between the Cayley diagrams of walk-groups and certain other knots which are derived from the diagrams lead to interesting correspondences between knots, both finite and infinite.
An extensive study of the spectra of knot-graph adjacency matrices is presented. Methods for obtaining spectra are given, both for general cases and for certain classes of knots.
The concept of balanced orientations of knot-graphs is introduced; and numbers of rooted directed spanning trees of oriented knot-graphs are studied. It is shown that one type of tree number is a knot invariant, and evidence for the invariance of another one is given. A general inequality relating the two types of number is conjectured. The first tree number has several topological interpretations, and these are discussed. Tables of the numbers are given for knots of orders n = 3, ... ,10; and methods for calculating them for various knot classes are developed.
A vertex deletion theorem relating tree numbers of three knot-graphs is proved. Families of twins which arise from vertex deletions in knot-graphs are defined and studied. It is shown that by repeatedly applying the deletion operation on a given alternating knot-graph, one is led to a certain distribution of ‘twists’, which is given the name ‘twist spectrum’. Twist spectra have many interesting topological properties: they are topological invariants, and their moments are powerful knot discriminants; they distinguish between a knot-graph and its mirror image and hence can be used to investigate amphicheirality. 
The twist spectra for prime alternating 1-links up to order n = 9 and for 2- links up to order n = 8 are tabulated. A general algorithm for computing a twist spectrum is given, and formulae are obtained for twist spectra of members of certain knot-classes.

text: A study of knot-graphs This thesis is an account of studies made of knot projections, the tools used being graph-theoretic methods and extensions of them. The basic tool is the adjacency matrix. In fact several kinds of adjacency matrix are defined, for knot diagrams which are either nonoriented or are given orientations which reflect certain topological properties of the knots concerned.
First the properties of knot-graph adjacency matrices are studied. In particular, a matrix equation is derived which is shown to be satisfied by the α- and β-adjacency matrices of all knot-graphs; other matrices appearing in the equation are studied.
Examination of types of walk that can be made on a knot-graph leads to a definition of walk-groups and groupoids on knot-graphs. Relations between the Cayley diagrams of walk-groups and certain other knots which are derived from the diagrams lead to interesting correspondences between knots, both finite and infinite.
An extensive study of the spectra of knot-graph adjacency matrices is presented. Methods for obtaining spectra are given, both for general cases and for certain classes of knots.
The concept of balanced orientations of knot-graphs is introduced; and numbers of rooted directed spanning trees of oriented knot-graphs are studied. It is shown that one type of tree number is a knot invariant, and evidence for the invariance of another one is given. A general inequality relating the two types of number is conjectured. The first tree number has several topological interpretations, and these are discussed. Tables of the numbers are given for knots of orders n = 3, ... ,10; and methods for calculating them for various knot classes are developed.
A vertex deletion theorem relating tree numbers of three knot-graphs is proved. Families of twins which arise from vertex deletions in knot-graphs are defined and studied. It is shown that by repeatedly applying the deletion operation on a given alternating knot-graph, one is led to a certain distribution of ‘twists’, which is given the name ‘twist spectrum’. Twist spectra have many interesting topological properties: they are topological invariants, and their moments are powerful knot discriminants; they distinguish between a knot-graph and its mirror image and hence can be used to investigate amphicheirality. 
The twist spectra for prime alternating 1-links up to order n = 9 and for 2- links up to order n = 8 are tabulated. A general algorithm for computing a twist spectrum is given, and formulae are obtained for twist spectra of members of certain knot-classes.

year: 1984

title: Final arrangements following death: Maori indigenous decision making and tangi

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: Maori death rituals

abstract: Death is a universal event. It will happen to all of us, yet how we respond to death is particular and influenced by our cultural worlds. This study offers an investigation of the idiographic, of how one woman responded to, and made arrangements to, mourn and bury her mother. Specifically, we explore how she and her whanau (family) under pressure of time and grief and in the absence of clear final wishes, met to consider issues and make decisions about the situation they were confronted with. This case forms part of a much larger programme of research into Maori death rituals, change and adaption. Informing a scholarly audience unfamiliar with the Maori world requires a significant amount of contextual information. The case study is a powerful strategy to achieve this and one that draws readers into deep understanding (Willig, 2008). This case provides insight into the struggles of an indigenous fourth-world people living within the heterogeneity of Aotearoa/New Zealand society; it demonstrates how values change across generations as people live their lives increasingly away from their ancestral homelands; and how traditionally defined roles and responsibilities within the whanau (family) are challenged by members living away from each other.

text: Final arrangements following death: Maori indigenous decision making and tangi Death is a universal event. It will happen to all of us, yet how we respond to death is particular and influenced by our cultural worlds. This study offers an investigation of the idiographic, of how one woman responded to, and made arrangements to, mourn and bury her mother. Specifically, we explore how she and her whanau (family) under pressure of time and grief and in the absence of clear final wishes, met to consider issues and make decisions about the situation they were confronted with. This case forms part of a much larger programme of research into Maori death rituals, change and adaption. Informing a scholarly audience unfamiliar with the Maori world requires a significant amount of contextual information. The case study is a powerful strategy to achieve this and one that draws readers into deep understanding (Willig, 2008). This case provides insight into the struggles of an indigenous fourth-world people living within the heterogeneity of Aotearoa/New Zealand society; it demonstrates how values change across generations as people live their lives increasingly away from their ancestral homelands; and how traditionally defined roles and responsibilities within the whanau (family) are challenged by members living away from each other.

year: 2012-03