title: Literature review on motor skill and physical activity in preschool children in New Zealand

authors: Ali, Ajmol

subjects: Physical Literacy

abstract: Children’s physical activity levels have decreased significantly over the past 20 - 30 years, coinciding with obesity rates reaching epidemic levels. There is little research into typically developing preschool (birth to 5 year-olds) child- ren’s physical activity, with the majority of research focusing on children at risk of motor skill or neurological deficiencies. This review examines current research into young children’s development, especially motor development and physical activity, the effectiveness of intervention programmes for pro- moting children’s physical development and the various methods used to as- sess physical development. A decrease in children’s physical activity levels has coincided with an increase in obesity rates. Further research is needed to de- termine culturally and contextually appropriate and effective interventions for preschool children. Areas for further research include preschool children’s physical activity, particularly in regards to movement guidelines and require- ments for this age-group and ways to overcome potential barriers to meeting physical activity requirements. Young children’s physical activity and motor skill proficiency may be an important predictor of later-life physically active behaviors. Physical literacy and physical activity interventions within early childhood education could potentially support academic skills as well as phy- sical skills and behaviors.

text: Literature review on motor skill and physical activity in preschool children in New Zealand Children’s physical activity levels have decreased significantly over the past 20 - 30 years, coinciding with obesity rates reaching epidemic levels. There is little research into typically developing preschool (birth to 5 year-olds) child- ren’s physical activity, with the majority of research focusing on children at risk of motor skill or neurological deficiencies. This review examines current research into young children’s development, especially motor development and physical activity, the effectiveness of intervention programmes for pro- moting children’s physical development and the various methods used to as- sess physical development. A decrease in children’s physical activity levels has coincided with an increase in obesity rates. Further research is needed to de- termine culturally and contextually appropriate and effective interventions for preschool children. Areas for further research include preschool children’s physical activity, particularly in regards to movement guidelines and require- ments for this age-group and ways to overcome potential barriers to meeting physical activity requirements. Young children’s physical activity and motor skill proficiency may be an important predictor of later-life physically active behaviors. Physical literacy and physical activity interventions within early childhood education could potentially support academic skills as well as phy- sical skills and behaviors.

year: 2017

title: Defining sets and critical sets in (0,1)-matrices.

authors: Cavenagh, Nicholas J.

subjects: (0,1)-matrix

abstract: If D is a partially filled-in (0, 1)-matrix with a unique completion to a (0, 1)-matrix M (with prescribed row and column sums), we say that D is a defining set for M. If the removal of any entry of D destroys this property (i.e. at least two completions become possible), we say that D is a critical set for M. In this note, we show that the complement of a critical set for a (0, 1)-matrix M is a defining set for M. We also study the possible sizes (number of filled-in cells) of defining sets for square matrices M with uniform row and column sums, which are also frequency squares. In particular, we show that when the matrix is of even order 2m and the row and column sums are all equal to m, the smallest possible size of a critical set is precisely m². We give the exact structure of critical sets with this property.

text: Defining sets and critical sets in (0,1)-matrices. If D is a partially filled-in (0, 1)-matrix with a unique completion to a (0, 1)-matrix M (with prescribed row and column sums), we say that D is a defining set for M. If the removal of any entry of D destroys this property (i.e. at least two completions become possible), we say that D is a critical set for M. In this note, we show that the complement of a critical set for a (0, 1)-matrix M is a defining set for M. We also study the possible sizes (number of filled-in cells) of defining sets for square matrices M with uniform row and column sums, which are also frequency squares. In particular, we show that when the matrix is of even order 2m and the row and column sums are all equal to m, the smallest possible size of a critical set is precisely m². We give the exact structure of critical sets with this property.

year: 2013

title: Race-ing and engendering the nation-state in Aotearoa/New Zealand

authors: Seuffert, Nan

subjects: Maori

abstract: During the past several decades the dynamics of law and policy reform in Aotearoa/New Zealand have prefigured and encapsulated contemporary trends in economic state restructuring, indigenous claims to refigure the nation, and gender struggles for political representation. Successive governments have restructured the economy and the state using radical forms of neo-liberal economic policy with the stated aim of globalizing the economy. Political action on the part of the indigenous Maori people, often led by Maori women, increased and diversified, and included demands for self-determination and redress of historical colonial injustices. In 1997, the conservative National Party’s Jenny Shipley become the country’s first white female Prime Minister, followed in 1999 by the election of a center-left coalition headed by Labour Party leader Helen Clark. This article analyzes the race and gender dynamics of these contemporary trends. First, it argues that policies of state structural adjustment and Maori political claims have converged in commodified settlements of past colonial injustices as corporate deals. These deals are temporary alliances of men across race to silence and erase the demands for self-determination or political power sharing of Maori activists, who are usually Maori women. Second, this article contends that the political instability created by rapid structural adjustment and the change to a Mixed Member Proportional (“MMP”) electoral system converges with white backlash against these settlements to open space for New Zealand’s first two female Prime Ministers. This article also suggests that the election of a second white female Prime Minister in New Zealand may reflect the (temporary) regendering of the role of Prime Minister to the feminine.

text: Race-ing and engendering the nation-state in Aotearoa/New Zealand During the past several decades the dynamics of law and policy reform in Aotearoa/New Zealand have prefigured and encapsulated contemporary trends in economic state restructuring, indigenous claims to refigure the nation, and gender struggles for political representation. Successive governments have restructured the economy and the state using radical forms of neo-liberal economic policy with the stated aim of globalizing the economy. Political action on the part of the indigenous Maori people, often led by Maori women, increased and diversified, and included demands for self-determination and redress of historical colonial injustices. In 1997, the conservative National Party’s Jenny Shipley become the country’s first white female Prime Minister, followed in 1999 by the election of a center-left coalition headed by Labour Party leader Helen Clark. This article analyzes the race and gender dynamics of these contemporary trends. First, it argues that policies of state structural adjustment and Maori political claims have converged in commodified settlements of past colonial injustices as corporate deals. These deals are temporary alliances of men across race to silence and erase the demands for self-determination or political power sharing of Maori activists, who are usually Maori women. Second, this article contends that the political instability created by rapid structural adjustment and the change to a Mixed Member Proportional (“MMP”) electoral system converges with white backlash against these settlements to open space for New Zealand’s first two female Prime Ministers. This article also suggests that the election of a second white female Prime Minister in New Zealand may reflect the (temporary) regendering of the role of Prime Minister to the feminine.

year: 2002-02-01