title: An estimation of the concentration of atmospheric nitrous oxide containing complexes

authors: Salmon, Steven Ray

abstract: Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is one of the major greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. It also has impacts on the removal of ozone (O₃) from the atmosphere and is now the single most important ozone depleting substance. Atmospheric N₂O primarily comes from bacterial denitrification processes in soils, a process which is augmented by many agricultural practices. As a result of the large amount of agricultural land in New Zealand, emissions of N₂O are disproportionately high for our population.
Nitrous oxide is primarily removed from the atmosphere via a photodissociation process, involving photons between 180 - 230 nm. The process of photodisociation involves the bending of the linear structure of the N₂O molecule, which allows for photodisociation to proceed. The presence of other gas molecules, such as those that we are investigating in our complexes, peturbs the bending mode of N₂O, which is throught to alter the photodisociation rate.
In this work we investigate the weakly bound complexes of N₂O with the major atmospheric molecules, namely N₂, O₂, Ar and H₂O. We use explicitly correlated coupled cluster theory to determine interaction energy, vibrational frequencies and rotational constants of the four complexes. This data is then used in combination with the standard statistical mechanics equations to determine the equilibrium constant of formation for each complex as a function of altitude. Finally the abundance profile of each complex is determined using the atmospheric concentrations of the constituent monomers.

text: An estimation of the concentration of atmospheric nitrous oxide containing complexes Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is one of the major greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. It also has impacts on the removal of ozone (O₃) from the atmosphere and is now the single most important ozone depleting substance. Atmospheric N₂O primarily comes from bacterial denitrification processes in soils, a process which is augmented by many agricultural practices. As a result of the large amount of agricultural land in New Zealand, emissions of N₂O are disproportionately high for our population.
Nitrous oxide is primarily removed from the atmosphere via a photodissociation process, involving photons between 180 - 230 nm. The process of photodisociation involves the bending of the linear structure of the N₂O molecule, which allows for photodisociation to proceed. The presence of other gas molecules, such as those that we are investigating in our complexes, peturbs the bending mode of N₂O, which is throught to alter the photodisociation rate.
In this work we investigate the weakly bound complexes of N₂O with the major atmospheric molecules, namely N₂, O₂, Ar and H₂O. We use explicitly correlated coupled cluster theory to determine interaction energy, vibrational frequencies and rotational constants of the four complexes. This data is then used in combination with the standard statistical mechanics equations to determine the equilibrium constant of formation for each complex as a function of altitude. Finally the abundance profile of each complex is determined using the atmospheric concentrations of the constituent monomers.

year: 2015

title: a Bakhtinian homecoming: operationalizing dialogism in the context of an early childhood education centre in Wellington, New Zealand

authors: White, Elizabeth Jayne

subjects: assessment

abstract: Dialogic research, building on the dialogic philosophy of Mikhail Bakhtin, is fundamentally concerned with the social, discursive nature of language. This article describes an application of dialogic research methods in a pilot study conducted in an Education and Care setting in Wellington, New Zealand focusing on an 18-month-old toddler and his teacher. The purpose of this exploratory study was to ‘operationalize’ dialogic research within this early childhood education context, in preparation for a larger investigation. Approaching the field through this dialogic research method offered an alternative means of investigating the acts of a toddler through genre (as the framework of analysis) and utterance (as the unit of analysis). This article argues for dialogic research as a method which enables toddler and teacher ‘voices’ to authentically inter-animate and contribute accordingly to the research process, thus promoting hermeneutic complexity rather than scientific truth.

text: a Bakhtinian homecoming: operationalizing dialogism in the context of an early childhood education centre in Wellington, New Zealand Dialogic research, building on the dialogic philosophy of Mikhail Bakhtin, is fundamentally concerned with the social, discursive nature of language. This article describes an application of dialogic research methods in a pilot study conducted in an Education and Care setting in Wellington, New Zealand focusing on an 18-month-old toddler and his teacher. The purpose of this exploratory study was to ‘operationalize’ dialogic research within this early childhood education context, in preparation for a larger investigation. Approaching the field through this dialogic research method offered an alternative means of investigating the acts of a toddler through genre (as the framework of analysis) and utterance (as the unit of analysis). This article argues for dialogic research as a method which enables toddler and teacher ‘voices’ to authentically inter-animate and contribute accordingly to the research process, thus promoting hermeneutic complexity rather than scientific truth.

year: 2009-10

title: “Whānau Vibes”: Reclamation of self, space and community within group fitness gyms.

authors: Metekingi, Cydney

abstract: Group fitness gyms are becoming more popular in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This thesis is an investigation of the lived experiences of Māori members within a commercialised fitness space called BFT Hamilton East, located in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton. Drawing on Indigenous anthropology and autoethnography, and grounded in Kaupapa Māori theory, this thesis firstly explores how the gym becomes a site in which Māori members seek to reclaim the narrative around their own bodies. I explore the colonial depictions, the politics of the Indigenous body and how Māori-owned clothing brands contribute to this reclamation. I then examine how Māori gym members use the gym space with a sense of purpose, balancing the values of culture and commercialisation. And finally, I investigate the importance of relational well-being and the use of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga to create a sense of belonging among participants in their search for connection. In foregrounding Indigenous ways of knowing, being and moving in a commercial group fitness gym, this thesis aims to contribute to the anthropological conversations that advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous methodologies into Anthropology, centring Indigenous agency and advocating for the decolonisation of fitness spaces.

text: “Whānau Vibes”: Reclamation of self, space and community within group fitness gyms. Group fitness gyms are becoming more popular in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This thesis is an investigation of the lived experiences of Māori members within a commercialised fitness space called BFT Hamilton East, located in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton. Drawing on Indigenous anthropology and autoethnography, and grounded in Kaupapa Māori theory, this thesis firstly explores how the gym becomes a site in which Māori members seek to reclaim the narrative around their own bodies. I explore the colonial depictions, the politics of the Indigenous body and how Māori-owned clothing brands contribute to this reclamation. I then examine how Māori gym members use the gym space with a sense of purpose, balancing the values of culture and commercialisation. And finally, I investigate the importance of relational well-being and the use of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga to create a sense of belonging among participants in their search for connection. In foregrounding Indigenous ways of knowing, being and moving in a commercial group fitness gym, this thesis aims to contribute to the anthropological conversations that advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous methodologies into Anthropology, centring Indigenous agency and advocating for the decolonisation of fitness spaces.

year: 2025