title: An Algorithm for the explicit evaluation of GL(n, R) Kolsterman sums

authors: Broughan, Kevin A.

subjects: Kloosterman sum

abstract: An algorithm for the explicit evaluation of Kloosterman sums for GL(n, R) for n ≥2 and an implementation in the Mathematics package GL(n) pack are described

text: An Algorithm for the explicit evaluation of GL(n, R) Kolsterman sums An algorithm for the explicit evaluation of Kloosterman sums for GL(n, R) for n ≥2 and an implementation in the Mathematics package GL(n) pack are described

year: 2009

title: Adolescent property offending and socialisation

authors: McKissack, Ian James

abstract: A stable aspect of adolescent property offending has been coincidence of the peak age of such offences with the last year of compulsory schooling. This fact is taken as the focus of three epidemiological analyses. These were:

1. A survey of child welfare records of adolescent property offences for Hamilton, N.Z., in 1971.
2. The collection of teacher ratings of behaviour for a delinquent sample and a random sample, in the classroom situation.
3. Investigation of an unexpected finding, the disappearance of the peak age in Scotland in 1961.

Study 1. confirmed earlier work suggesting that the property offences of the younger adolescent are more likely to be first offences and of a casual, low expertise nature. It added to such findings the fact that this is not so much an age effect as a difference between those attending school and those who have left school.

Study 2. replicated the well established finding of close association between difficult behaviour at school and delinquent acts. It added to such studies the fact that while property offending increases rapidly in early adolescence, difficult behaviour remains fairly stable.

Study 3. provided an unusual example of variation in delinquency rates, and showed that children born immediately after World War 2 in Scotland were significantly less delinquent than expectation.

The results of these studies are extensively discussed in relation to a general concept of primary deviance, the interaction between socialisation and situational or life style variables, and the nature of socialisation processes.

text: Adolescent property offending and socialisation A stable aspect of adolescent property offending has been coincidence of the peak age of such offences with the last year of compulsory schooling. This fact is taken as the focus of three epidemiological analyses. These were:

1. A survey of child welfare records of adolescent property offences for Hamilton, N.Z., in 1971.
2. The collection of teacher ratings of behaviour for a delinquent sample and a random sample, in the classroom situation.
3. Investigation of an unexpected finding, the disappearance of the peak age in Scotland in 1961.

Study 1. confirmed earlier work suggesting that the property offences of the younger adolescent are more likely to be first offences and of a casual, low expertise nature. It added to such findings the fact that this is not so much an age effect as a difference between those attending school and those who have left school.

Study 2. replicated the well established finding of close association between difficult behaviour at school and delinquent acts. It added to such studies the fact that while property offending increases rapidly in early adolescence, difficult behaviour remains fairly stable.

Study 3. provided an unusual example of variation in delinquency rates, and showed that children born immediately after World War 2 in Scotland were significantly less delinquent than expectation.

The results of these studies are extensively discussed in relation to a general concept of primary deviance, the interaction between socialisation and situational or life style variables, and the nature of socialisation processes.

year: 1974

title: He Piko, He Repo: Environmental DNA as a biomonitoring tool for wetland restoration

authors: Bird, Starsha

subjects: colonisation

abstract: Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots, harbouring distinctive species while providing numerous ecosystem services. Unfortunately, throughout human civilisation, they have been systematically degraded, resulting in a dramatic global loss in wetland extent, the establishment of invasive species and the extinction of many natives and, in Aotearoa New Zealand, impediment of the special connection Māori share with their repo (wetlands). Monitoring wetland biodiversity to take appropriate restorative action and minimise further degradation is imperative, particularly in the face of climate change. Environmental DNA (eDNA; genetic material released by organisms into the environment) is an increasingly popular non-invasive biomonitoring method that provides information about the presence or potential absence of species inhabiting a given ecosystem, but has yet to be optimised for wetland environments. My thesis aimed to address the consequences of colonisation on the relationship between Māori and their wetlands, and to explore the value eDNA holds for wetland biomonitoring. The first analysis (Chapter 2) delved into the past (post-European settlement; 1840s), the present (2023), and the future (2073) of Opuatia Wetland (Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand) through a series of interviews with three individuals who whakapapa to (are connected with) Opuatia Wetland and its surroundings. I found that Opuatia Wetland once flourished with native biodiversity, and kai (food) was readily available. However, land confiscation by European settlers marked the downfall of this once productive and connected catchment such that it is presently in a fairly degraded state, dominated by exotic species, with Māori feeling disconnected from their whenua (land). Considering the future, the interviewees envisioned a revived abundance of native species and desire for restoration efforts to be facilitated by both mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and science. The second analysis (Chapter 3) examined a publicly available eDNA database to retrieve data from 26 wetland sites across Aotearoa New Zealand to understand taxonomic diversity patterns. Here, I showed that DNA sequence composition varied across the motu (country), illustrating that varying environmental conditions among wetland types influences biodiversity. Notably, most sites were dominated by >50% exotic species. These findings highlight the value of publicly shared data for generating new insights, and the need for resource allocations to tackle the persistence of exotic species in wetland ecosystems. The third analysis (Chapter 4) focused on analysing biodiversity dynamics at a single wetland and tested various eDNA sampling techniques. I sampled four spatially distant sites across Opuatia Wetland at three time points during an austral spring and simultaneously obtained data from conventional taxonomic surveys, tested three different filter sizes, and assessed DNA degradation rates using foreign DNA. I found significant differences in biodiversity across time and space, and when using different eDNA collection filters. Foreign DNA persisted for up to one week post-release within a 10 m radius, and combining conventional and eDNA methods provided a more comprehensive overview of biodiversity patterns. These findings collectively showcased key changes in biodiversity, even over short spatial and temporal scales, and identified parameters to consider for wetland biodiversity monitoring and associated data interpretation. It is only a matter of time until the impacts of climate change and invasive species take firmer hold of Aotearoa New Zealand's distinctive and fragile environment. Undoubtedly, eDNA can be part of the solution to mitigate these challenges, owing to its versatility across ecosystem types, capacity to extend to various substrates, and accessibility for researchers and citizen scientists alike. As eDNA methods continue to improve and become integrated into ongoing biomonitoring schemes, building equitable and empowering relationships between Māori and researchers/government bodies will best ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand repo and other environments are maintained and conserved for future generations.

text: He Piko, He Repo: Environmental DNA as a biomonitoring tool for wetland restoration Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots, harbouring distinctive species while providing numerous ecosystem services. Unfortunately, throughout human civilisation, they have been systematically degraded, resulting in a dramatic global loss in wetland extent, the establishment of invasive species and the extinction of many natives and, in Aotearoa New Zealand, impediment of the special connection Māori share with their repo (wetlands). Monitoring wetland biodiversity to take appropriate restorative action and minimise further degradation is imperative, particularly in the face of climate change. Environmental DNA (eDNA; genetic material released by organisms into the environment) is an increasingly popular non-invasive biomonitoring method that provides information about the presence or potential absence of species inhabiting a given ecosystem, but has yet to be optimised for wetland environments. My thesis aimed to address the consequences of colonisation on the relationship between Māori and their wetlands, and to explore the value eDNA holds for wetland biomonitoring. The first analysis (Chapter 2) delved into the past (post-European settlement; 1840s), the present (2023), and the future (2073) of Opuatia Wetland (Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand) through a series of interviews with three individuals who whakapapa to (are connected with) Opuatia Wetland and its surroundings. I found that Opuatia Wetland once flourished with native biodiversity, and kai (food) was readily available. However, land confiscation by European settlers marked the downfall of this once productive and connected catchment such that it is presently in a fairly degraded state, dominated by exotic species, with Māori feeling disconnected from their whenua (land). Considering the future, the interviewees envisioned a revived abundance of native species and desire for restoration efforts to be facilitated by both mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and science. The second analysis (Chapter 3) examined a publicly available eDNA database to retrieve data from 26 wetland sites across Aotearoa New Zealand to understand taxonomic diversity patterns. Here, I showed that DNA sequence composition varied across the motu (country), illustrating that varying environmental conditions among wetland types influences biodiversity. Notably, most sites were dominated by >50% exotic species. These findings highlight the value of publicly shared data for generating new insights, and the need for resource allocations to tackle the persistence of exotic species in wetland ecosystems. The third analysis (Chapter 4) focused on analysing biodiversity dynamics at a single wetland and tested various eDNA sampling techniques. I sampled four spatially distant sites across Opuatia Wetland at three time points during an austral spring and simultaneously obtained data from conventional taxonomic surveys, tested three different filter sizes, and assessed DNA degradation rates using foreign DNA. I found significant differences in biodiversity across time and space, and when using different eDNA collection filters. Foreign DNA persisted for up to one week post-release within a 10 m radius, and combining conventional and eDNA methods provided a more comprehensive overview of biodiversity patterns. These findings collectively showcased key changes in biodiversity, even over short spatial and temporal scales, and identified parameters to consider for wetland biodiversity monitoring and associated data interpretation. It is only a matter of time until the impacts of climate change and invasive species take firmer hold of Aotearoa New Zealand's distinctive and fragile environment. Undoubtedly, eDNA can be part of the solution to mitigate these challenges, owing to its versatility across ecosystem types, capacity to extend to various substrates, and accessibility for researchers and citizen scientists alike. As eDNA methods continue to improve and become integrated into ongoing biomonitoring schemes, building equitable and empowering relationships between Māori and researchers/government bodies will best ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand repo and other environments are maintained and conserved for future generations.

year: 2023