7,127 results for Doctoral
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What Makes a Good Graded Reader: Engaging with Graded Readers in the Context of Extensive Reading in L2
Claridge, Gillian Margaret Helen (2011)
Doctoral thesis
Victoria University of WellingtonIt is widely accepted in the ESOL field that Extensive Reading is good for ESOL learners and there are many studies purporting to show that this is true. As a result, the publication of Graded Readers in English today is a major commercial concern, although David Hill (2008, p. 189), former director of the Edinburgh Project on Extensive Reading, in his most recent study of Graded Readers, comments that they are being produced 'in a hostile climate where extensive reading is little valued, practised or tested.' However, anecdotal evidence from teachers and researchers claims that learners do not read anywhere near the recommended one Graded Reader a week prescribed by Nation and Wang (1999, p. 355) to provide the necessary amount of comprehensible input for increasing vocabulary. If these claims and Hill's comments are true, there may be a mismatch between the kind of reading material produced for learners of English and the nature and teaching of the texts currently recommended by teachers and librarians. Such a situation would not only be a huge waste in terms of resources; it could also lead to the alienation of generations of English learners from a potentially valuable means of improving and enjoying language learning. My study investigates this discrepancy by looking at the perceptions of the main stakeholders in Graded Readers, namely the publishers, the judges and academics, the teachers and the learners, to see how they differ and why. As each population is different, the methodologies used in the study are various, making for an approach described as 'bricolage' (Lincoln & Guba, 2000a, p. 164). At the heart of the study are five case studies of learners, set against the backdrop of data gathered from all the stakeholders. As the results indicate that the purpose of the reading appears to govern the perceptions of the individual learner, I found Louise Rosenblatt's (Rosenblatt, 1978) Transactional Theory of Reading Response was an appropriate framework within which to interpret the data.
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People Power: The Everyday Politics of Democratic Resistance in Burma and the Philippines
Henry, Nicholas (2011)
Doctoral thesis
Victoria University of WellingtonHow do Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in Burma and the Philippines participate in the construction of political legitimacy through their engagement in local and international politics? What can this tell us about the agency of non-state actors in international relations? This thesis explores the practices of non-state actors engaged in political resistance in Burma and the Philippines. The everyday dynamics of political legitimacy are examined in relation to popular consent, political violence, and the influence of international actors and norms. The empirical research in this thesis is based on a grounded theory analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews with a wide cross-section of spokespeople and activists of opposition groups from Burma, and with spokespeople of opposition groups in the Philippines. The research covers community-based organisations with broad memberships, including women’s organisations, student and youth groups, ethnic minority and indigenous groups, and trade unions. The thesis demonstrates that CBOs exercise a range of tactics in forming political relationships in local and international contexts, and emphasises the role of learning processes in the interaction of local and international norms in the course of political change.
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The courage to speak : how investigative journalists persuade reluctant whistleblowers to tell their stories : a thesis submitted to Massey University in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), 2010.
Hollings, James (2010)
Doctoral thesis
Massey UniversityInvestigative journalism is often said to be based on two pillars of information gathering – documents and human sources. Yet while document retrieval and analysis have received much attention in recent years, particularly with the advent of computer‐assisted reporting and Freedom of Information legislation, remarkably little attention has been given in the journalistic literature to best practice for developing and maintaining sources, especially reluctant, vulnerable sources with high‐risk information. This thesis uses a case study approach to analyse four highprofile examples of New Zealand investigative journalism based on revelation by vulnerable and reluctant human sources. Using interviews with both the sources and the journalists who persuaded them to speak out, it draws on persuasion and social psychology theory to explain the decision‐making process of the whistleblowers and establish a model of best practice for journalists wishing to persuade reluctant, vulnerable people to speak out safely and effectively.
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Empirical Analysis of Schemata in Genetic Programming
Smart, Will (2011)
Doctoral thesis
Victoria University of WellingtonSchemata and buiding blocks have been used in Genetic Programming (GP) in several contexts including subroutines, theoretical analysis and for empirical analysis. Of these three the least explored is empirical analysis. This thesis presents a powerful GP empirical analysis technique for analysis of all schemata of a given form occurring in any program of a given population at scales not previously possible for the kinds of global analysis performed. There are many competing GP forms of schema and, rather than choosing one for analysis, the thesis defines the match-tree meta-form of schema as a general language expressing forms of schema for use by the analysis system. This language can express most forms of schema previously used in tree-based GP. The new method can perform wide-ranging analyses on the prohibitively large set of all schemata in the programs by introducing the concepts of maximal schema, maximal program subset, representative set of schemata, and representative program subset. These structures are used to optimize the analysis, shrinking its complexity to a manageable size without sacrificing the result. Characterization experiments analyze GP populations of up to 501 60- node programs, using 11 forms of schema including rooted-hyperschemata and non-rooted fragments. The new method has close to quadratic complexity on population size, and quartic complexity on program size. Efficacy experiments present example analyses using the new method. The experiments offer interesting insights into the dynamics of GP runs including fine-grained analysis of convergence and the visualization of schemata during a GP evolution. Future work will apply the many possible extensions of this new method to understanding how GP operates, including studies of convergence, building blocks and schema fitness. This method provides a much finer-resolution microscope into the inner workings of GP and will be used to provide accessable visualizations of the evolutionary process.
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Locally least-cost error repair in LR parsers
Cerecke, Carl (2003)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryThis thesis presents some methods for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of locally least-cost error repair algorithms for an LR-based parser. Three different algorithms for reducing the search space are described and compared using a collection of 59,643 incorrect Java programs collected from novice programmers. Two of the algorithms prove particularly effective at reducing the search space. Also presented is a more efficient priority queue implementation for storing transformations of the input string. The effect on repairs of different grammars describing the same language is investigated, and a comparison of different methods of assigning costs to edit operations is performed.
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The Integration of Chinese Opera Traditions into New Musical Compositions
Shen, Nalin (2010)
Doctoral thesis
Victoria University of WellingtonAlmost fifty years ago Chinese composer Chou Wen-chung proposed a musical “re-merger” of East and West. For many Chinese composers of today a sense of historical continuity and an awareness of inherited musical traditions are important contributor to cultural identity, and a basis on which to build the future. The generation that emerged after the Cultural Revolution found new freedoms, and has become, at the beginning of the twentyfirst century, a significant presence on the international musical stage, as the paradigm shifts away from being European-centered, to a culture belonging to the “global village”. As with many other Chinese composers of my generation, the creation of new compositions is both a personal expression and a manifestation of cultural roots. Techniques of “integration” and “translation” of musical elements derived from traditional Chinese music and music-theatre are a part of my musical practice. The use of traditional Chinese instruments, often in combination with Western instruments, is a no longer a novelty. The written exegesis examines some of the characteristic elements of xìqǜ (the generic term for all provincial Chinese operas), including dǎ (percussion - an enlarged interpretation of dǎ, as found in chuānjù gāoqiāng Sichuan gāoqiān opera), bǎnqiāng (The musical style that characterizes Chinese xìqǚ), and niànbái (recitation and dialogue), as well as the kuàibǎnshū (storytelling with percussion) of qǚyì (a term to use to include all folk genres), and shāngē (mountain song). The techniques employed in integrating and translating these elements into original compositions are then analyzed. In the second volume of the thesis the scores of five compositions are presented, four of the five works are set in Chinese, exploring the dramatic aspects of language, and may be considered music-theatre, one being an opera scene intended for stage production.
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Development of a computer based decision support system for introducing no-till technology : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Engineering, Massey University, Palmerston North
Abbas, Syed Ghazanfar (1998)
Doctoral thesis
Massey UniversityNo-Till cropping systems have evolved rapidly since the early 1960s and have attracted attention world-wide. The difficulty of transferring new technologies is also well established. The selection of a tillage system is a difficult management decision with long term implications. Specific constraints impede its implementation. No-Till has the potential to conserve soil and energy as well as to sustain the agricultural ecosystem, yet some soil types have high cultivation requirements to maintain optimum soil structure. Climatic factors, such as level of precipitation, can influence both plant response to soil compaction and the timing of crop establishment. Furthermore, biological constraints such as plant diseases or specific weed species can become controlling factors governing the successful adoption of No-Till. The use of an expert system is considered the best way to derive the researchers' knowledge and aid the process of choosing an appropriate tillage technique. The No-Till Expert (NOTE) System is designed to aid farmers and extension workers in their decision-making process for promoting No-Till. A prototype expert system has been developed and initially run in Pakistan under the rice-wheat and cotton-wheat rotation. A model for popularizing No-Till technology is also proposed. Over-drilling pasture, and crop establishment data from New Zealand conditions has been incorporated for possible use of this expert system in developed agriculture. The following technical, social, and economic input parameters have been incorporated in the NOTE. Users are required to input information concerning each parameters (guidance in selecting values is provided). Technical: Soil texture, soil slope, crop rotation, weed and pest management, straw residue management, seeding technology, and soil moisture condition around seed micro-environment at the time of planting. Social: The ability to carry out a particular operation correctly determines the farmer's ability to manage No-Till successfully. Therefore, the literacy level, use of knowledge for correct and timely operations is also considered under the social aspects in this study. Economic: If the cost of productions, and productivity is not likely to vary positively with the change in tillage technique, it would be difficult for extension workers to convince farmers to change their existing practices. Thus, the economic aspects of No-Till were also considered. Environmental, local legislation, residue handling, use of chemicals, and its impact on ground water contamination were the other key factors that were considered while designing NOTE. However, these were not incorporated in the final design of NOTE because of lack of the available quantitative data. NOTE interactively considers the above parameters and makes appropriate recommendations as to the acceptance/rejection of No-Till. Based on the wide range of studies on above subjects. NOTE out-rightly rejects No-Till under the following conditions: 1. If the area is affected by rice stem borer, and the requisite pesticides are not available under Pakistani condition. 2. If the soil texture is heavy and not well drained. 3. If the requisite weed control chemicals are not available. 4. For growing cereal after pasture, as sowing of an intermediate crop is recommended under New Zealand situation because of likely transfer of Argentine stem weevil. However, if farmer could afford to apply some appropriate pesticides, No-Till could be considered. 5. If farmer does not have access to a No-Till drill. NOTE, however, has in-built facilities for future upgrading. Such upgrading would be required to account for more specific climatic conditions, locations, and crops. A User's Guide has also been developed to assist end-users to use this decision support package.
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The effect of condensed tannins upon protein degradation in the rumen and on animal production in sheep fed fresh Lotus corniculatus : a thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, College of Sciences at Massey University
Min, Byeng-Ryel (1999)
Doctoral thesis
Massey UniversityA series of in vitro, in sacco and in vivo indoor and grazing experiments were conducted at Massey University and AgResearch Grasslands, Palmerston North, New Zealand to study the effect of condensed tannins (CT) in Lotus corniculatus (Birdfoot trefoil; CV. Grasslands Goldie) upon protein digestion in the rumen and on animal production. Aspects studied included effects of CT upon proteolytic bacterial activity, protein solubilization and degradation in the rumen and wool production and reproduction in grazing sheep. The studies also investigated the potential of L. corniculatus compared with perennial ryegrass/white clover pasture (hence referred as to pasture). The nutritional effects of CT in L. corniculatus were assessed by administrating polyethylene glycol (PEG; MW 3500) into the rumen of one group of sheep (PEG sheep; CT-inactivated), whilst a separate group of sheep received water (control sheep; CT-acting). PEG selectively binds with CT, preventing the CT from binding plant proteins in the rumen, so that effects of CT can be determined by comparing CT-acting sheep with PEG sheep. The productivity of mixed age ewes in grazing trials was measured in two experiments in the summer of 1995/1996 (Chapter 2) and the summer/autumn of 1997 (Chapter 3), to evaluate the effects of CT in L. corniculatus upon efficiency of animal production. A rotational grazing system with restricted feed allowance was used in both experiments. 1. During 1995/1996 (Chapter 2), a grazing trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of CT in L. corniculatus on wool growth and on wool processing characteristics in sheep fed close to maintenance for 125 days during summer and autumn (20 December 1995 until 25 April 1996). Half the ewes received twice daily supplements of PEG. The Lotus corniculatus contained 32 g total nitrogen (N) and 28 g total CT/kg dry matter (DM) and had an in vitro organic matter digestibility of 0.70. Action of CT reduced rumen ammonia concentration (P < 0.05) and reduced blood plasma urea concentration (P < 0.01) but increased blood plasma cysteine concentration (P < 0.05) compared to their counterparts receiving PEG supplementation. The concentration of blood plasma methionine was unaffected by CT. The CT had no effect on voluntary feed intake (VFI) and average liveweight gain (P > 0.05) but increased both clean fleece weight (P < 0.05) and staple length (P < 0.001). The CT also reduced dag percentage (P < 0.05) and tended to reduce wool yellowness (P = 0.07) relative to sheep receiving PEG. There were no significant effects of CT on fiber diameter (µm), staple breaking force (Newtons), bulk density (cm3/g) or wool resilience (cm3/g). It was concluded that the action of CT in sheep fed L. corniculatus increased the efficiency of wool production, with more wool being produced at the same feed intake. 2. Another grazing trial (Chapter 3) was conducted to study the effects of CT in L. corniculatus upon VFI, concentration of plasma metabolites, reproductive efficiency and wool production in ewes during two synchronised oestrous cycles in autumn 1997. The ewes were restricted to maintenance feeding for the first 12 days of each oestrous cycle and then increased to ad-libitum for the last five days before ovulation. The experiment was of 2 x 2 factorial design, using two types of forage (L. corniculatus vs. pasture), with half the ewes grazing each forage being given twice daily oral PEG supplementation. A rotational grazing system with 200 mixed aged dry ewes (52±0.88 kg/ewe) was used. The Lotus corniculatus contained 17 g total CT/kg DM in the diet selected, with only trace amounts of total CT present in pasture. Ewes grazing L. corniculatus had higher plasma concentrations of branched chain amino acids (BCAA; 57 %) and essential amino acids (EAA; 52 %) than sheep grazing pasture. Again CT in L. corniculatus had no effect on mean VFI. The PEG supplementation had no effect upon ovulation rate (OR; 1.33 vs. 1.35) and lambing percentage (1.36 vs. 1.36 %) of the ewes grazing pasture. The CT increased both OR (1.78 vs. 1.56) and lambing percentage (1.70 vs. 1.42%) in the ewes grazing L. corniculatus relative to sheep supplemented with PEG. Increases in OR and lambing % of ewes grazing L. corniculatus were due to increases in fecundity (more multiple ovulations and less single ovulations), with no effect on ewes cycling/ewes mated. Compared to ewes grazing pasture, ewes grazing L. corniculatus had increased clean fleece weight (19 %). It was concluded that action of CT in the lotus diet was partly responsible for the increased efficiency of reproduction, with more lambs being produced at the same VFI. 3. In situ and in vitro rumen incubations (Chapter 4) were used to determine the effect of CT on both the solubilization and degradation of Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase; EC 4.1.1.39; fraction 1 leaf protein) from white clover (Trifolium repens; 0.3 g CT/kg DM) and Lotus corniculatus (22.1 g CT/kg DM). The sheep used for the experiments were fed either white clover or L. corniculatus. The loss of DM and neutral detergent fibre (NDF), total N and Rubisco from polyester bags suspended in the rumen of sheep was used as a measurement of solubilisation. The effect of CT extracted from L. corniculatus on the degradation of Rubisco from white clover was measured by in vitro incubations with rumen fluid obtained from the same fistulated sheep fed either white clover or L. corniculatus. In the absence of PEG, the solubilisation of Rubisco from L. corniculatus was less rapid than the solubilisation of this protein from white clover when each forage was incubated in the rumen of sheep fed the same diet. Addition of PEG tended to increase the solubilisation of Rubisco from L. corniculatus, suggesting that CT slowed the rates of solubilization of Rubisco from this forage. The action of CT did not inhibit the in situ loss of NDF from either white clover or L. corniculatus. In the absence of PEG, the in vitro degradation of Rubisco from L. corniculatus was slower when compared to the degradation of this protein from white clover; PEG addition increased the degradation of Rubisco from L. corniculatus, but not from white clover, showing that CT was the causal agent. The addition of CT extracted from L. corniculatus markedly depressed the degradation of Rubisco from white clover, with the effect being completely reversible by PEG. The large subunit (LSU) of Rubisco was consistently degraded at a faster rate than the small subunit (SSU) and added CT had a greater effect in slowing the degradation of the LSU compared to the SSU. It was concluded that the action of CT from L. corniculatus reduces the digestion of protein in the rumen of sheep through a minor effect on solubilization and a major effect on degradation. The main effects of CT on protein solubilization and degradation seemed to be produced locally by CT present in plant tissue. 4. Eleven strains of proteolytic rumen bacteria (Chapter 5) were used to determine the effect of CT extracted from Lotus corniculatus on the in vitro proteolysis of Rubisco protein, bacterial specific growth rate and maximum optical density (ODmax). Effects of CT on the rate of Rubisco proteolysis (%/h) were determined through making measurements in the presence and absence of PEG. Streptococcus bovis strain NCFB 2476 and B315, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens strain WV1 and C211a, Prevotella ruminicola strain 23 and C21a, Clostridium proteoclasticum B316T, Ruminococcus albus 8, Fibrobacter succinogenes S-85, Eubacterium sp. strain C12b and C124b were tested against 1.5 mg CT/ml for Rubisco proteolysis and were examined with 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 600 µg CT/ml for bacterial growth measurements. In general, the presence of CT markedly depressed the degradation of both the LSU and SSU of Rubisco, with the effect being completely reversible by PEG. However, the rates of proteolysis per hour for both sub-units of Rubisco varied considerably between individual bacterial species and subunits of Rubisco. In the absence of CT, S. bovis strain NCFB 2476 and B315 and P. ruminicola like-strain C21a appeared to be most active in both LSU and SSU degradation, while P. ruminicola 23, Eubacterium sp. strain C12b and C124b, C. proteoclasticum B316T, B. fibrisolvens strain WV1 and C211a had moderate to lower rates of LSU and SSU degradation. In the presence of CT, S. bovis strain NCFB 2476 and B315 and P. ruminicola-like strain C21a appeared to be most active in both LSU and SSU breakdown. Most bacterial strains showed significantly (P< 0.05-0.01) decreased specific growth rate and ODmax with increasing CT concentrations. However, some of the strains, C. proteoclasticum B316T and R. albus 8 showed transient increases in specific growth rate at low concentrations of CT (between 50 to 100 µg CT/ml), but not at high concentrations of CT. In terms of specific growth rate, addition of CT at low concentrations (50-200 µg CT/ml), S. bovis NCFB 2476, Eubacterium sp. C124b and F. succinogenes S-85 were most affected compared to the minus CT controls, while P. ruminicola sp. C21a and C. proteoclasticum B316T were not greatly inhibited at the highest concentrations of CT. The degree of inhibition of both bacterial growth and Rubisco degradation in the presence of CT varied considerably between individual bacterial species and will be discussed in Chapter 5. It was concluded that action of CT from L. corniculatus reduces both the rate of Rubisco proteolysis and the growth rate of proteolytic rumen bacteria, but the magnitude of the CT effect differed between strains used. 5. Twelve six month old Romney sheep were fistulated in the rumen and abomasum and fed Lotus corniculatus (32 g CT/kg DM), to examine the effects of CT on proteolytic rumen bacterial populations and on quantitative N digestion in the rumen. Half the animals were given continuous intraruminal infusions of PEG. In the first part of the experiment, the populations of four proteolytic rumen bacteria were enumerated directly from rumen samples using a competitive polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) technique. During pre-feeding on a perennial ryegrass/white clover pasture diet, populations of C. proteoclasticum B316, Eubacterium sp. C12b, S. bovis B315 and B. fibrisolvens C211a were 1.6 x 10 8, 2.7 x 10 8, 7.1 x 10 6 and 1.2 x 10 6 per ml respectively. When the diet was changed from pasture to L. corniculatus (average of 8 h to 120 h), the average populations of C. proteoclasticum B316, Eubacterium sp. C12b, S. bovis B315 and B. fibrisolvens C211a from the same animals were decreased significantly (P < 0.001) to 5.1 x 10 7, 1.5 x 10 8, 2.6 x 10 6 and 1.0 x 10 6 per ml, respectively. When the PEG was infused into the rumen of sheep fed L. corniculatus, the populations of proteolytic bacteria were significantly increased (P < 0.01-0.001) compared to the CT-acting group. Rumen proteinase activity, concentrations of rumen ammonia and soluble N were decreased significantly (P < 0.05-0.001) in the CT-acting compared to the PEG treatment group. In the quantitative N studies, the principal effects of CT were to reduce rumen N digestibility (P < 0.05) and ammonia pool size, and to increase the flow of non-ammonia nitrogen (NAN) to the abomasum. Dry matter intake and DM digestibility were unaffected. The N intake, rumen NAN and microbial NAN pool sizes were similar in both CT-acting and PEG sheep. Non-microbial NAN fluxes to the abomasum were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the CT-acting sheep than in the PEG sheep, but microbial NAN flux to the abomasum was unaffected by treatment. It was concluded that L. corniculatus CT reduced forage protein degradation in the rumen, and increased the flow of undegraded feed NAN to the abomasum. Proteolytic bacterial populations seemed to be reduced by CT, but these changes did not effect the total rumen microbial NAN pool or abomasal microbial NAN flux. Therefore, more protein was potentially available for absorption from the small intestine. 6. This study is the first to report that action of CT increased reproductive efficiency in grazing ewes. It is also the first study to show that action of CT decreased proteolytic bacterial populations measured directly from rumen samples using cPCR techniques. Feeding forages containing CT such as L. corniculatus has been shown to reduce proteolysis in the rumen, with the mechanisms being to slightly reduce protein solubilization, to markedly reduce protein degradation and to reduce the populations of proteolytic bacteria. CT increased NAN flux into the abomasum (in indoor studies) and increased animal production in grazing ewes without affecting VFI, thus improving the efficiency of animal production. It is concluded that forage CT can be used to increase the efficiency and sustainability of livestock production from grazed forages.
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Comparative Ecology and Conservation of Rare Native Broom, Carmichaelia (Fabaceae), South Island, New Zealand
Gruner, Ingrid Gerda (2003)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryUsing a comparative approach, the presented study explores the ecology of ten species of native New Zealand broom, Carmichaelia, and their vulnerability to competition and herbivory, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the significance of introduced species as a threat to rare indigenous plants in New Zealand. In particular, the study focuses on the relationship between characteristics of the Carmichaelia species and their vulnerability, as well as on other factors influencing the significance of introduced species as a threat. To gain a better understanding of the ecology of the Carmichaelia species, their current habitats and associated plant communities were investigated using quantitative-descriptive methods in the field. The effect of competition with introduced plants was studied in two glasshouse experiments, differentiating above ground competition for light from below ground competition for nutrients and water. The experiments focussed on the early life-stage of seedling establishment of the Carmichaelia species. The impact of herbivory by introduced mammals was studied in four field-based exclosure trials, focussing on the effects on survival and reproductive activity of adult Carmichaelia plants. The results showed that the effects of competition and herbivory vary between the different species. Furthermore, they provided a set of species characteristics that can be used as indicators to predict the vulnerability of Carmichaelia to the impact of introduced species. These indicators provide a useful tool for threatened species management, as they allow the identification of the most vulnerable species as well as the most significant threat to each species. Furthermore, the indicators can be used to group species, combining those with similar vulnerability profiles, and therefore, likely similar management needs. However, the example of the Carmichaelia species also illustrated that the use of indicators for the vulnerability of threatened species is limited and needs to be combined with case-by-case studies to verify the actual significance of threats for each population of concern. The vulnerability profiles derived from species’ characteristics can be used to guide such site specific studies, ensuring they focus on the most relevant threat factors. This combination of the understanding of general patterns in the vulnerability of species with targeted species and site-specific studies will lead to increased efficiency in the conservation management of threatened plant species.
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The virtualMe : a knowledge acquisition framework : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Information Systems at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Verhaart, Michael Henry (2008)
Doctoral thesis
Massey UniversityThroughout life, we continuously accumulate data, information and knowledge. The ability to recall much of this accumulated knowledge commonly deteriorates with time, though some forms part of what is referred to as tacit knowledge. In the context of education, students access and interact with a teacher’s knowledge in order to create their own, and may have their own data, information and knowledge that could be added to teacher’s knowledge for everyone’s benefit. The realization that students can contribute to enhancing personal knowledge is an important cornerstone in developing a mentor (teacher, tutor and facilitator) focused knowledge system. The research presented in this thesis discusses an integrated framework that manages an individual’s personal data, information and knowledge and enables it to be enhanced by others, in the context of a blended teaching and learning environment. Existing related models, structures, systems and current practices are discussed. The core outcomes of this thesis include: • the virtualMe framework that can be utilized when developing Web based teaching and learning systems; • the sniplet content model that can be used as the basis for sharing information and knowledge; • an annotation framework used to manage knowledge acquisition; and • a multimedia object (MMO) model that: o allows for related media artefacts to be intuitively grouped in a logical collection; o includes a meta-data schema that encompasses other metadata structures, and manages context and referencing; and o includes a model allowing component parts to be reaggregated if they are separated. The virtualMe framework provides the ability to retain context while transferring the content from one person to another and from one place to another. The framework retains the content’s original context and then allows the receiver to customise the content and metadata so that the content becomes that person’s knowledge. A mechanism has been created for such contextual transfer of content (context retained by the metadata).
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Nano Scale Cluster Devices
Reichel, René (2007)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryThis study uses clusters formed in a UHV-compatible cluster apparatus, which was built and commissioned during this thesis. The design and operation of the cluster deposition system is described. This system is optimised for high clus- ter fluxes and for the production of cluster assembled nanoscale devices. One key feature of the system is a high degree of flexibility, including interchangeable sputtering and inert gas aggregation sources, and two kinds of mass spectrome- ter, which allow both characterisation of the cluster size distribution and deposi- tion of mass-selected clusters. Another key feature is that clusters are deposited onto electrically contacted lithographically defined devices mounted on an UHV- compatible cryostat cold finger, allowing deposition at room temperature as well as at cryogenic and at elevated temperatures. The electrically contacted nanoscale cluster devices were fabricated using a novel template technique. Hereby, clusters are placed between two electrodes separated only by ∼100 nm. The width of the cluster ensemble is in the order of a few cluster diameters, which means that the assembled clusters form a cluster wire bridging the electrode separation. During this thesis, the design and layout has been optimised to be able to measure electrical properties of the cluster devices and in particular to investigate the interaction between the cluster ensemble and the contact electrodes. In-situ electrical characterisation of cluster assembled nanoscale devices are performed in the temperature range 4.2 K to 375 K. The samples are provided with a backgate, which in principle allows modification of the conduction through the cluster ensemble by applying a gate voltage. However, no change in conduc- tion with changes in gate voltages was seen. The main focus of the electrical measurements is on the current voltage char- acteristics. It was noticed that the nanoscale bismuth (and antimony) cluster devices exhibited non-linear current voltage characteristics, which were in stark contrast to the linear current voltage characteristics measured for cluster films previously. Investigations into the causes of this non-linearity suggests that tun- nelling conduction occurs between the cluster ensemble (wire) and the contact electrodes. The non-linear current voltage characteristics were fitted using three models of tunnelling conduction and appear to be best fitted using a model in- volving fluctuation-assisted tunnelling through barriers of different heights. Further, measurements of the temperature dependent resistance are performed showing an increase of resistance with decreasing temperature for bismuth and antimony assembled cluster devices. The temperature dependence of bismuth as- sembled cluster wires can be explained by the decrease of the carrier concentration in bismuth for decreasing temperature. Annealing of the cluster ensemble and the cluster contact connection resulted in an increase in conduction. This increase of conduction can be explained due to the current flow through the cluster wire. Locally, at the bottlenecks, the current flow causes resistive heating and subsequently coalescence of two (or more) clusters.
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The Kadazans and Sabah Politics
Luping, Herman James (1985)
Doctoral thesis
Victoria University of WellingtonThe Kadazans - the indigenous non-Muslim tribal people of what was North Borneo under Chartered Company rule and is now Sabah, a state of Malaysia - have for the most part throughout their history been governed by others than themselves. Before European contact Muslim overlords from Brunei or the Sulu archipelago exercised a tenuous sovereignty; the London-based Chartered Company was concerned to extract wealth for shareholders and to keep the indigenes quiescent; and since the formation of Malaysia, with the covert or overt support of the federal government in Kuala Lumpur, for the greater part of the time Muslim rule has prevailed. This thesis is a detailed examination of the last quarter-of-a-century's political life in Sabah, with particular reference to the role of the Kadazan community therein. The growth of Kadazan consciousness or "nationalism" is traced, and the evolution of their political parties and fortunes. Political and socio-economic developments within the state are linked always to the federal framework within which they take place and must be understood. The author has been and is a participant-observer in the history with which he deals having been both newspaper editor and Radio Sabah commentator; back-bench M.P. in opposition and front-bench Cabinet Minister in Government; grass roots activist in villages and legal advisor to the present Government of Sabah headed by a Kadazan, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan.
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Maturation and Personhood in Wellington, New Zealand and Shizuoka, Japan
Theng, Judith Helen (2008)
Doctoral thesis
Victoria University of WellingtonThis thesis is a comparative study of maturation and personhood in two modern societies: Wellington, New Zealand and Shizuoka, Japan. It examines the interrelations between cultural and ideological constraints and pragmatic choice in the maturation of young people. It explores how concepts of personhood and 'becoming a person' affect the decisions and choices made by young people of senior high school age and upward as they negotiate transitions toward fuller social personhood. It demonstrates how modernity carries different implications for young people in Wellington and Shizuoka despite large areas of commonality. In terms of the current debate concerning the nature of modernity, it is supportive of multiple modernities. The thesis argues that 'becoming adult' is central to young people's maturation in Wellington whereas in Shizuoka maturation involves sequential transitions through time. The different perceptions of 'adulthood' in Wellington and of transitional change in Shizuoka are analysed in relation to a number of themes. These themes include ideas of the self/person, the significance of gender, concepts of independence, and relations between self and others; the importance of school, part-time work, tertiary education, employment and careers; and orientations toward the family, leaving home, marriage and the future. The thesis argues that the distinctiveness of each society may be found at the interface between sociocultural knowledge of what makes a person and the construction of self. It suggests that the direction of transformations in each society results from choices and decisions that attempt to reconcile socoiocultural ideals and personal desires. This approach is one that leads to a better appreciation of fundamental differences between modern societies.
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Seed characteristics and resource requirements of broom (Cytisus scoparius), elder (Sambucus nigra) and mahoe (Melicytus ramiflorus) in the context of a secondary succession
Jinadasa, P. Nishantha Maheshwari (2000)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryThis study investigated the role of the seed characteristics, light, nutrient and water requirements of broom (Cytisus scoparius), elder (Sambucus nigra) and mahoe (Melicytus ramiflorus) in an attempt to clarify the successional sequence of broom through elder to mahoe in the Hoon Hay Valley, Christchurch, New Zealand. The study took a comparative approach under controlled conditions and aimed to understand the factors and/or processes contributing to the dynamics of this successional pathway.
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Conservation ecology of riparian forest within the agricultural landscape: West Coast, New Zealand
Miller, Craig J. (2002)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryThis study seeks to determine the spatial extent and characteristics of riparian forest on the South Island's West Coast, and to examine the ecological status and condition of riparian forest patches within the West Coast's agricultural landscape. The majority of West Coast riparian forest occurs on south Westland floodplains. Further north these forests were found to comprise 80 000 ha (53%) of the floodplains are in pasture, and <1% of the farmed areas are in indigenous forest. Remaining forests on the farmed floodplains are comprised of many small patches (mean size 3.7 ± 0.3 ha), with only 13 patches 9 ha.
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Tools for managing threatened species: improving the effectiveness of whio conservation
Whitehead, Amy Louise (2009)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryConservation frequently requires immediate responses to prevent further declines of imperilled populations, often in the absence of detailed information. Consequently, population distribution patterns are often used to guide conservation decisions. However, distribution patterns may be misleading if threats have restricted species to low quality habitat. This issue means it is not always apparent where management efforts should be concentrated for maximum conservation gain. My aim was to improve the effectiveness of threatened species conservation by investigating this issue in whio (blue duck - Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos), a New Zealand riverine duck that has undergone serious declines. I used population and spatial modelling to answer three questions: (1) what are the threats to whio, (2) how can these threats be managed, and (3) managing which whio habitats will give the greatest conservation gain? A spatial analysis of contemporary whio habitat using boosted regression trees revealed whio are only secure in 1 % of their historical range, with predation likely causing significantly greater range contraction (83 %) than habitat modification (29 %). In that analysis, I identified 39,000 km of occupiable whio habitat, providing extensive opportunities to expand their contemporary range through management. Intensive monitoring identified stoats (Mustela erminea) as the primary cause of whio population declines, with stoat predation severely reducing whio nest survival (10 % and 54 % in the absence and presence of stoat control, respectively). Population viability analyses indicated whio populations in the absence of stoat control were at high risk of extinction (λ = 0.74) but large-scale, low-intensity predator control was useful for short-term whio conservation. However, whio populations with stoat control still had a declining population growth rate (λ = 0.95) and further intervention may be required to prevent whio extinctions. Such management needs to target high quality habitat to ensure the greatest conservation value. Analyses of habitat quality revealed whio fitness was highest in warm, low gradient rivers, although fitness gradients differed between North and South Islands. Comparisons of fitness relationships with spatial model predictions showed that South Island whio occurred more frequently in poorer habitat, indicating they may occupy a relict distribution. Limited resources for conservation mean identifying effective management techniques is critical for species persistence. My modelling approach enabled the effectiveness of whio management to be assessed and areas of high quality habitat where such management should provide the greatest benefit to be identified. These tools are directly applicable to the conservation management of many threatened species by quickly informing managers in situations where distributions may not follow habitat quality.
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New Worlds and Fresh Choices? Continuties and discontinuities in industrial relations practices in New Zealand's retail grocery supermarkets
Pringle, Alistair (1996)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryA recurrent theme in recent industrial relations literature is that analysis should go beyond the study of institutions and systems. The analysis of industrial relations should also incorporate changes to political, ideological and economic environments, as well as the impact of new technologies and changing product markets. With the advent of the Employment Contracts Act in May 1991 this theme has gained greater currency within New Zealand. The de-centralisation of bargaining, and the emergence of employer-driven ways of organising the employment relationship, have given rise to a growing body of research into contemporary workplace "reform". This research has documented a widening diversity in industrial relations practices. This study seeks to extend this research by documenting this diversity, between different employers in the same industry. The focus of the study is the retail grocery industry. Utilising a longitudinal approach it examines significant infrastructural and environmental constituents of change and evaluates the different ways in which these have been used by employers in reworking the employment relationship in different enterprises and workplaces. The study is based on an extensive series of interviews conducted between 1990 and 1995, complemented by documentary material from industry, media and academic sources. Those interviewed included a cross-section of employers, managers and workers, as well as union officials involved with the industry. The findings disclose that the Employment Contracts Act was not the primary cause of innovation and change in this industry. Emerging patterns of workplace industrial relations display elements of continuity as well as change. Employer pursuit of greater workforce flexibility, impelled by competition and changing product markets, was formerly constrained by the operation of an overarchlng industrial relations framework. The removal of this framework, coupled with a low level of worker organisation and resistance, has legitimised former de-facto practices and set a new agenda for union survival.
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Putting self on the map: An examination of user-driven mapping
Kirkpatrick, Russell (1991)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryThis thesis advances the basic argument that many people have difficulty interpreting cartographic information because that information has not been provided to meet their needs. Map users are wrongly regarded as passive users of a finished product. Original work in this thesis attempts to make the wishes of map users more prominent in the mapmaking process. The research is based upon the presupposition that people conduct communicative activity as a ritual, the form of which is designed to advantage some participants while imposing on others. Cartographic communication is examined on this basis and the map, as a form of ritualised communication, is deconstructed to yield insight into the participants in the mapping process. This deconstruction takes the form of a critical review of historical and contemporary cartography. The discussion of cartographic communication leads to a number of important advances in cartographic theory. The author presents a model of the mechanics of cartographic communication, and discusses the evocation and recovery of meaning from maps with reference to a recently-developed psycholinguistic theory of communication. The significant contribution of this thesis is found in the examination of alternative map subject matter and form. A map form incorporating elements of time as well as space is argued to be of more relevance to many map users. Results from a number of tests demonstrate that this alternative map form is well suited to the representation of personal data. The user-driven generation of cartographic subject matter is tested by the construction and operation of a Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) into which users can contribute data. Recorded use of this system, named Tourist Info, demonstrates that groups of users who are often disadvantaged in the provision of traditional cartography find Tourist Info helpful. This thesis concludes that it is both theoretically and practically possible to provide map users with the opportunity to determine the form and subject matter of maps relevant to their needs.
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Towards a new understanding of psychological suffering
Taylor-Moore, Karen Elizabeth (2009)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryIt is suggested that the lack of progress made towards understanding and preventing, or even in many cases even alleviating, psychological suffering has been due, in large part, to the way in which such suffering is conceptualised – as ‘disorder’, ‘illness’ or ‘disease’ which is located, and is thus potentially locatable, within the individual. This conceptualisation of psychological suffering is referred to in this thesis as the ‘Dysfunctional Mind Account’ (DMA). The DMA, it is argued, underlies all accepted models/theories of psychological suffering and is the dominant way of conceptualising such suffering for both professionals and lay-people in Western cultures. It is further argued that the main reason the DMA is unable to assist in understanding and alleviating psychological suffering is because it is underpinned by assumptions about human beings and their suffering which are inherently flawed. The account presented in this thesis places at its centre an analysis of persons and their experience that attempts to overthrow these assumptions. The resulting reconceptualisation presents a view of psychological suffering as emergent from our continual personal and embodied enmeshment within our social world, rather than as arising primarily out of the various processes occurring ‘within’ us (whether that be our neurochemistry or our ‘mental mechanisms’ or an ‘interaction’ between them). It is essentially suggested that psychological suffering emerges from the same source as all other aspects of our personal being; from the constant coactions between the various aspects of our being in the world – personal, organismic and molecular – with the environment within which we are enmeshed. This means that the feelings/thoughts/behaviours conceptualised as ‘mental disorder’ are as much part of our personal being as any other aspect of us; they are not ‘other’, they are not ‘disease’, ‘illness’ or ‘dysfunction’. Such feelings/thoughts/ behaviours, it is argued, almost always, perhaps inevitably, represent a very adaptive response, at every level of our being, to environmental contingencies. Thus, when understood in its full context, the suffering conceptualised as ‘mental disorder’ can be seen as the very understandable responses of the embodied person to what is happening to them, rather than ‘un-understandable’ dysfunctions, aberrations and pathological processes of the ‘mind’ (or brain).
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Mafic-felsic interaction in a high level magma chamber - the Halfmoon Pluton, Stewart Island, New Zealand: implications for understanding arc magmatism
Turnbull, Rose Elizabeth (2009)
Doctoral thesis
University of Canterbury LibraryField evidence from exposed plutonic rocks indicates that mafic-felsic magma interaction is an important process during the construction and evolution of magma chambers. The exhumed, ~140 Ma, Halfmoon Pluton of Stewart Island, New Zealand is characterized by a sequence of mingled mafic sheets and enclaves preserved within an intermediate-felsic host, and provides a unique opportunity to directly investigate the physico-chemical processes that operate within an arc setting. Interpretation of mingling structures and textures in the field, in combination with extensive petrographic, geochemical and geochronological data, allow for conclusions to be reached regarding the nature of the mafic-felsic magma interactions, and the physical, chemical and thermal processes responsible for the generation and evolution of the calc-alkaline magmas. Detailed documentation and interpretation of mafic-felsic magma mingling structures and textures reveal that the Halfmoon Pluton formed incrementally as the result of episodic replenishments of mafic magma emplaced onto the floor of an aggrading intermediate-felsic magma chamber. Physico-chemical processes identified include fractional crystallization and accumulation of a plagioclase – hornblende – apatite – zircon mineral assemblage, episodic replenishment by hot, wet basaltic magmas, magmatic flow and compaction. Early amphibole and apatite crystallization played an important role in the compositional diversity within the Halfmoon Pluton. Variations in the style of magma mingling preserved within the magmatic “stratigraphy” indicate that processes operating within the chamber varied in space and time. Variations in mineral zoning and composition within hornblende indicate that the Halfmoon Pluton crystallized within a magma in which melt composition fluctuated in response to repeated mafic magma replenishments, fractionation, crystal settling and convection. Mineral assemblages, chemical characteristics, isotopic data and geochronological evidence indicate that the amphibole-rich calc-alkaline Halfmoon Pluton was emplaced into a juvenile arc setting, most probably an island-arc. Data are consistent with a model whereby ‘wet’ amphibole-rich basaltic magmas pond at the crust-mantle interface and episodically rise, inject and mingle with an overlying intermediate-felsic magma chamber that itself represents the fractionated product of the mantle melts.
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