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Exploring the relationship between sustainable tourism behaviour and psychological well-being in tourism experiences
No full textWhile the closely related fields of sustainability and well-being have been usefully informed by research in recent years, efforts to integrate these fields are yet to be systematically advanced. This investigation seeks to contribute to this convergence of these research fields. It addresses the context of tourism as an experience-based form of consumption with the potential to enhance individual ephemeral (hedonic) and sustainable (eudaimonic) well-being. Given the complex array of stakeholders involved in the tourism sector that can function as agents of change, this study focuses on individual tourists and their capacity to direct tourism toward greater sustainability. Although the empirical work was conducted before the outbreak of COVID-19, this inquiry is timely as the global pandemic has provided key stakeholders with a rare opportunity to rebuild a more sustainable post-COVID tourism sector.
An extensive critical review of the existing literature informed the framing of this thesis. A tourism-wellbeing-sustainability triple helix vision guided the review of the key theoretical perspectives. This included well-being theories in relation to tourism experiences and possible interconnections between well-being and sustainable behaviour. To date, the literature has remained largely silent on how tourist’s pro-sustainable behaviour connects to their experienced well-being, as there is no identification of a clear link between these constructs. Recognising the gap in the literature, the overarching aim of the present study is to understand the role of the tourists’ sustainability-related decisions in their well-being and to explore whether what is good for the well-being of the destination’s residents and environment is also good for the well-being of individual tourists. The investigation is exploratory in nature and qualitative in approach. Data were collected via thirty semi-structured in-depth interviews with men and women from a wide range of age, culture, and education with a recent international tourism holiday experience. The empirical data were interpreted by applying a data-driven thematic content analysis approach.
The research finds that responsible tourist behaviour can be usefully linked to the PERMA model of psychological well-being from positive psychology. Therefore, tourists’ responsible behaviour can directly lead to positive psychological outcomes not only in terms of hedonic (positive emotions) but also deeper level eudaimonic well-being (engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment). There was little evidence that tourists perceive responsible tourism behaviour as self-sacrifice. A set of external barriers (e.g., lack of tools at the destination) and internal conflicts (e.g., a lack of sense of attachment to the destination) were identified as underlying reasons why individuals are often less responsible in their tourism experiences compared to their everyday lives. When engaged in irresponsible tourism behaviour, tourists experienced short- and longer-term negative emotions, including a sense of guilt. However, negative emotions are shown not to be necessarily a negative outcome as they could drive an individual toward behaving in appropriate ways best for the destinations and themselves. Participants reported a degree of awareness about environmental impacts of tourism aeromobility and identified it, when avoidable, as an instance of a deeply entrenched irresponsible tourism behaviour. To maintain their sense of psychological well-being when engaging in such conduct that goes against their beliefs, tourists employed a range of defence mechanisms such as depreciating the consequences of their behaviour and denial of personal responsibility.
The research contributes to knowledge in tourism studies by linking concepts from psychology to tourist behaviour studies. It reconceptualises well-being in tourism as much more than the mere pursuit of pleasure, to include important aspects of personal and collective well-being. It also contributes to framing responsible tourist behaviour and psychological well-being as compatible pursuits. The empirical findings of the thesis, therefore, have implications for the tourism sector as a more positive messaging strategy could increase tourists’ motivation to engage in responsible behaviour in their tourism experiences and would be less likely to elicit defensive responses. With the transformational affordance of the global pandemic, the present research recommends that researchers in the fields of tourism well-being and sustainability take on an active role in informing, driving, and guiding discussions toward a responsible recovery, with sustainability a centrepiece of post-COVID tourism
Boards of Trustees : finding a home in Tomorrow's Schools : (too busy managing to govern and too busy governing to manage)
Get PDFThe aims of this study were: to examine how boards of trustees were making sense of the changes in educational administration which were the result of reforms initiated by the Picot Report and known as Tomorrow's Schools; and to analyse data in terms of the policy sociology literature with the intention of elaborating on the connections between the macro and micro levels of policy development and implementation.
This was achieved by attending boards of trustees' meetings at five primary schools during 1991 and conducting supplementary interviews in order to collect qualitative data for analysis. The six major areas of activity which were derived from the data were the areas of finance management, property management, community relationships, educational objectives, personnel management, and governance. Further analysis revealed four major themes: an expectation that reforms would be structured; that the trustees would be supported in the new environment; that the new system
involved equal partnerships with shared responsibilities; and that the trustees were elected to meet school needs. These four themes collectively reflected the trustees' expectations about their role of governance.
The data was then integrated with other substantive findings about Tomorrow's Schools and used to develop a model of board expectations about their role of governance. A feature of the model was that many of the same terms used to describe the relationship between the Ministry of Education and the boards of trustees, at the macro-level of analysis, were also used, at the micro-level of analysis, to describe the relationship between the board, staff and community, yet the terms have different meanings at each level. This model was then evaluated in terms of Gidden's (1984) theory of structuration.
The results reveal how trustees were actively engaged in mediating the policy process and indicated that people at the "top" did not have complete control over policy implementation. The boards were able to operationalise their own definitions of governance - management, which was based on trust and co-operation, in order to meet their schools' needs.
This was despite the Ministry adopting a more directive "top-down" approach in its relationship with boards, which reflected the principles within agency theory.
This study makes a contribution to the area of policy sociology by revealing how policies alter their meanings, for the different people involved, and mutate as they descend different social levels. Overall the model developed was successful in indicating how the macro and micro levels interact during the process of administrative reform. There are limits, however, to the value of the model until it is tested drawing on a larger number of boards. In the meantime it is useful as a heuristic device for developing hypotheses about the role of boards in the governance of schools
Dextran-based vaccine delivery system
No full textBackground: As opposed to conventional cancer therapies (i.e. chemotherapy, radiation or surgery) that target cancer cells directly, immunotherapies stimulate the immune system to release effectors that kill cancer cells. Immunotherapies can offer safer and more effective approaches for certain cancer types. Intratumoral delivery of immunotherapies that utilises the tumour as a source of tumour antigens holds promise for inducing anti-tumour immune responses without the need for tumour antigen identification. Intratumoral administration of the immunostimulatory cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) alone or in combination with other immunostimulatory agents has shown some promise in pre-clinical and clinical studies. However, previous bioimaging studies have reported that CpG administered intratumorally diffused rapidly from the tumour into circulating blood, which reduced its anti-tumour efficacy and caused systemic side effects. It was hypothesized that conjugation of CpG to a dextran-based nanocarrier would enhance retention of the CpG at the tumour resulting in enhanced anti-tumour activity of intratumoral CpG. The thesis aim was to test this hypothesis using the two nanoplatforms prepared from amino-dextran, (i) amino-dextran nanoparticle (aDNP) and (ii) dextran polymeric conjugate.
Methods: Amino-dextrans with a molecular weight of either 20, 40, 70 or 110 kDa were used to prepare the dextran-based nanocarriers. aDNP was prepared by desolvation of amino-dextran of 70 kDa followed by the chemical crosslinking of amino groups. Class-B CpG-1668 oligonucleotide was immobilised onto aDNP either by adsorption (CpG-adsorbed-aDNP) or conjugation to aDNP (CpG-conjugated-aDNP). To prepare the CpG-dextran conjugate, CpG was conjugated to amino-dextran of different molecular weight using either stable or redox-responsive bis-aryl hydrazone linkages. Amino-dextrans and CpG-loaded dextran nanocarriers were characterised for their physicochemical properties such as particle size, shape, and surface charge, by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Conjugation of CpG to amino-dextran was confirmed by size-exclusion chromatography and agarose gel electrophoresis. An in vitro cleavage assay was conducted by incubating the CpG-dextran conjugate with the cellular reducing agent, glutathione (GSH), at extracellular (10 or 20 μM) or intracellular concentrations (5 mM) for 2 h at 37 °C. In vitro cellular uptake by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and immunostimulatory activity of CpG formulations to activate bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) was determined by flow cytometry. The uptake by BMDCs was visualised by either fluorescence or confocal microscopy. An in vivo therapeutic tumour study was undertaken using an MC-38 murine colorectal cancer cell line injected subcutaneously into the left flank of C57BL/6 mice. Free CpG or the CpG-dextran conjugate was administered intratumorally when the tumour reached 50 mm2 (day 0), followed by three other doses given on days 3, 6, and 9.
Results: The hydrodynamic size of amino-dextran polymers ranged from 10 to 20 nm and the zeta potential ranged from -2 to +10 mV. Amino-dextrans were more readily internalised by splenic dendritic cells or macrophages compared to B-cells. The incorporation of amino groups significantly enhanced the uptake of the high-molecular-weight dextran (110 kDa) by BMDCs compared to native dextran, while for the low molecular weight dextran (20 kDa) there was no significant difference in uptake for native and amino-dextrans.
The size and zeta potential of aDNP could be controlled to produce uniform spherical particles in the size range of 50 to 300 nm and surface charge of -16.5 to +14 mV. Different formulation parameters such as the anti-solvent, water-to-anti-solvent ratio, level of amine functionality of dextran, and crosslinker content, were shown to impact the particle size and surface charge of aDNP. CpG-conjugated-aDNP showed higher uptake by APCs and stimulated a higher level of cytokines compared to CpG-adsorbed aDNP; both formulations had similar particle size, surface charge and CpG loading capacity.
CpG-dextran conjugates were 15 to 30 nm in size with a net negative charge. The in vitro cleavage assay showed that the reversible conjugate was stable in the simulated extracellular reductive environment but cleaved in the intracellular environment, while the non-reversible conjugate was stable in both reductive environments. The CpG-dextran conjugate of the low dextran molecular weight (20 kDa) showed enhanced uptake by BMDCs compared to free CpG. The reversible and non-reversible conjugates of the same dextran molecular weight demonstrated no significant difference in the uptake by BMDCs. Non-reversible CpG-dextran conjugates (20 or 40 kDa) produced a higher level of cytokines compared to free CpG in vitro. The reversible CpG-dextran 40 kDa conjugate showed an enhancement in both tumour growth inhibition and survival of mice in vivo compared to the non-reversible counterpart or free CpG.
Conclusion: This thesis highlights the potential of dextran-based nanoplatforms for intratumoral delivery of CpG. The results demonstrate that conjugation of CpG to the dextran carrier via a reversible linkage improves the in vivo anti-tumour activity of intratumoral CpG compared to the non-reversible conjugate or free CpG. This new dextran nanoplatform could be applied to other vaccine formulations for the delivery of immunostimulatory agents
Codes vs regulations: How best to enforce animal welfare in New Zealand?
Get PDFIn a suite of new regulations, New Zealand has introduced a series of infringement offences designed to better enforce animal welfare. In doing so, however, those regulations relegate existing enforcement mechanisms, including codes of welfare. This article will compare and contrast the status quo with the new system, and query whether these regulations are in fact the best way of improving animal welfare enforcement
Characterising volatile compounds in New Zealand hop cultivars to facilitate targeted breeding.
No full textThe popularity of craft beer in New Zealand and around the world continues to grow rapidly. In recent years, there has been a trend for increasing the diversity of beers flavour, much of which has been facilitated by the development of hop cultivars with distinct aroma characteristics. Hop aroma characteristics are produced from the volatile compounds present in the essential oils. New Zealand’s hop breeding programme has produced a range of hop cultivars (varieties) with distinct flavour profiles. However, New Zealand produces only 1% of the world’s hops. With distinct flavours and high demand, there is potential for New Zealand’s hop production to expand. For the first time in literature, this PhD thesis investigates the volatile profiles of New Zealand hops, as a function of cultivar, growing location, and harvest date, to provide further knowledge which will support the hop breeding programme and enable further development of hop cultivars in New Zealand.
The volatile compounds were analysed using headspace solid phase micro extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GCMS). Data analysis was conducted using chemometrics, PCA, PLSDA or PLSR to classify the different samples and identify discriminating volatile compounds.
The volatile compounds were compared as a function of growing location (terroir) and harvesting period. To study the effect of terroir, this PhD project employed a systematic and comprehensive approach, starting by comparing hop samples sourced from different countries, then from different locations within New Zealand, and finally different commercial farms within the Tasman region in New Zealand. To investigate the effect of maturity on volatile compounds (influenced by advancing harvest date), the evolution of volatile compounds was studied for each of the 2019 and 2020 harvesting periods.
The first study compared the volatile profiles of four hop cultivars grown in the USA, UK and New Zealand. Cultivar (genetics) was the dominating variable over location (environment) that determined the volatile profile. Nevertheless, the New Zealand grown cultivars had a comparable volatile profile in contrast to those grown overseas. The second location study aimed at comparing two New Zealand hop growing locations (Tasman and Central Otago) based on six cultivars (Kohatu, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Taiheke, Wai-iti and Wakatu) over two harvest years (2019 and 2020). In line with the first study, cultivar had a dominant effect over location, but some differences between locations were also observed. After further investigation (using significant difference testing), terpenes and esters were found to be the dominant chemical classes that were significantly different between the two locations. As an example, methyl octanoate concentrations were significantly different between the two locations in Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Wai-iti and Wakatu cultivars. Moreover, hop samples grown in the Tasman region had higher concentrations of methyl octanoate. The third location study focused on comparing hop samples from multiple farms in the primary New Zealand commercial hop region (Tasman). Four hop cultivars (Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Taiheke and Wakatu) were collected from seven commercial hop farms. Cultivar was again the dominant effect over location. Subtle differences between each of the commercial farms found esters to be the most prevalent chemical class separating samples from the Moutere location farm from those grown in the Motueka area. These differences between farms could be due to several variables, including differences in microclimate and soil differences, but may also be influenced by extrinsic factors such as maturity (i.e. different harvest dates), handling, storage conditions, and processing (e.g. drying).
To understand the effect of maturity on hop volatile profiles, six New Zealand grown hop cultivars (Cascade, Riwaka, Nectaron, Nelson Sauvin, Dr Rudi and Waimea) were analysed over 19 days within the 2019 harvesting period. Results illustrated that the majority of volatiles increased with maturity. However, a number of volatile compounds demonstrated non-linear patterns in their concentration over the harvest period. An expanded harvest date study (over 32 days) was subsequently conducted on two New Zealand cultivars (Nectaron and Nelson Sauvin) during the 2020 harvesting period. Results found that the dominating trend was that volatile compounds increase with maturity of the hop plant, and continued to increase even after the customary harvesting time and maturity for the hops. In both the 2019 and 2020 harvesting periods, esters and terpenes were found to be the dominating chemical class that significantly changed with time of harvest.
Overall, the location experiments concluded that cultivar (genetics) was the dominating factor over growing location influencing the volatile profiles, while location has a subtle effect on some compounds, like esters, which may influence aroma character. Results from the location experiments illustrated that the majority of cultivars grown in different locations should still be recognisable by their volatile profiles, albeit indicting subtle differences. Some cultivars were more affected by location than others, namely Wai-iti and Wakatu. Harvest date experiments illustrated that most volatile compounds increased over the harvest period. This indicates that flavour profiles will likely change with increasing maturity and hops can be harvested at different time points to obtain different flavour profiles.
The information presented in this thesis can be used by hop breeders and farmers to further expand the New Zealand hop industry. Hop breeders can utilise the information to understand the volatile flavour profile of hops which will facilitate targeted breeding to select for specific compounds and aroma characteristics. The hop industry will be able to use this knowledge to understand the variability of hops between different locations and how the cultivars can produce similar volatile profiles when grown outside of the current commercial producing region. Hop farmers can use the knowledge gained to help understand how they can extend their growing area and the potential to diversify the regions where they grow hops. The harvest date results provides data to facilitate growers altering harvest timings to accentuate certain compounds and aroma characteristics
Associations between retinal measurements, cognition, and psychosocial risk factors: A lifecourse study
No full textThe retina has been proposed as a potential biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease, despite a thin but nonetheless growing body of evidence to support its utility during preclinical stages of the disease. This thesis evaluated whether quantitative retinal measurements of the neural layers (retinal nerve fibre layer [RNFL] and ganglion cell layer [GCL]) and the microvasculature (vessel density [VD] and perfusion density [PD]) were associated with cognitive abilities and their decline, in a birth cohort followed to middle-age. Further, a lifecourse approach was adopted to investigate potential early psychosocial determinants of these retinal measures.
Participants were members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a representative birth cohort (n = 1037). Study members were assessed at birth and at ages 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 26, 32, 38, and most recently at age 45 years, with 94% still participating. Importantly, while the participants were relatively young at the latest assessment, some were already showing evidence of cognitive decline.
The first study examined the association between cognitive performance in childhood and at age 45, and RNFL and GCL measured via optical coherence tomography (OCT) at age 45. Full scale IQ was associated with RNFL and GCL thickness cross-sectionally in middle age, and prospectively from childhood. Although neither RNFL nor GCL were associated with global cognitive decline across the same period, thinner RNFL was associated with a greater decline in processing speed.
The second study investigated whether a psychosocial risk factor in childhood, specifically social isolation, was associated with RNFL and GCL thickness. Social isolation in adulthood is a known risk factor for poorer physical health, but the effects of social isolation during childhood on adult physical health has been less explored. Childhood social isolation may become biologically embedded, such that effects on the body remain apparent across the lifecourse. Childhood social isolation was associated with average RNFL thickness at age 45, as well as in the nasal and inferior quadrants. The association with the nasal quadrant was not attenuated by co-occurring risk factors from childhood (family socioeconomic status, maltreatment, perinatal complications, IQ, or physical health) or adulthood (socioeconomic status, blood pressure, tobacco use, or cannabis use). Further, this association was not mediated by adult loneliness or social support, suggesting that childhood social isolation is an independent predictor of adult RNFL thickness.
The third study examined whether there was an association between cognitive decline and retinal microvasculature using a novel extension of OCT technology, OCT angiography. This study presents evidence of a weak association between vessel density and cognitive performance in childhood and adulthood, but no association with cognitive decline over this period.
Considered together, these findings suggest that RNFL, but not other retinal measures, may contribute to identifying those in the earliest stages of cognitive decline. Psychosocial factors may ‘get under the skin’ to influence RNFL thickness, specifically childhood social isolation. This suggests that the retina is subject to the mechanisms of chronic stress which affect other bodily systems, and that there might be a shared pathway between neurodegeneration in the retina and the brain
He Piki Raukura (the flight feathers of the toroa): Understanding and assessing ao Māori child development constructs within kaupapa Māori early years education
No full textQuality early years education has been shown to have far-reaching positive impacts on children. Indigenous early years approaches have been found to make a difference in the lives of young Indigenous children. However, there is a lack of rigorous evaluative research into effective kaupapa Māori early years programmes. Moreover, tamariki Māori are currently assessed using measures based on non-Māori constructs that do not take into account Māori cultural priorities such as the child’s cultural context, language and whānau connections.
The research presented in this thesis sought to address these gaps in the literature. The research was conducted at the interface between mātauranga Māori and Western science, in three stages. First, N=23 whānau enrolled at a Taranaki kaupapa Māori immersion early years programme identified key features of quality provision. Five themes were identified: the central importance of reo, tikanga and local identity; building whānau/community; clear and consistent processes; dealing with issues positively; and commitment to a shared kaupapa. Through a series of iterative wānanga with whānau and kaupapa Māori education experts, a novel set of strengths-based Māori child behaviour constructs was identified. The four constructs are tuakiri (a secure local Māori identity); whānauranga (feeling and acting, as a member of a whānau/community); manawaroa (having courage in adversity, persisting despite difficulty and a positive outlook); and piripono (having integrity, commitment and responsibility for a shared kaupapa/purpose).
The second stage involved creating and testing the psychometric properties of a set of tools to measure the four constructs. Parents and kaitiaki answered questions and video observations were undertaken with N=28 children aged 0-5 years at five timepoints over a school year. The questionnaire measures were found to be meaningful and appropriate for whānau. Different raters showed good inter-rater reliability on observational ratings of the videos. The whānau and kaitiaki versions of the questionnaire and the observational rating schedule were internally consistent and correlated as expected at most timepoints. The third stage involved growth curve analysis which demonstrated significant positive change in each of the four constructs over the five timepoints, even when controlling for age to account for development.
Overall, the findings of this thesis provide valuable contributions to understanding appropriate ways of assessing young Māori children, effective Māori child development and the importance of kaupapa Māori immersion early years approaches in fostering strengths-based behaviours in young Māori children. The study helps address the lack of Māori-specific research in the field of child development and early years education by providing whānau and Māori communities preliminary evidence about the potential long-term benefits of engaging in quality kaupapa Māori early years education. It also informs best educational and clinical practice including equitable approaches when working with young Māori children and their whānau. These findings can mark a turning point in Māori child development, ensuring culturally appropriate assessment that is founded on equity and fairness. Importantly, there is a need for policymakers to pay attention and properly resource proven interventions and future research in this field
Jung Young Lee's biblical-cultural trinity: A systematic theology from East Asia
No full textThe twentieth century saw the emergence of a number of theologians and seminal thinkers from Asia, such as C S Song (Taiwan), Peter Phan (Vietnam), Sang Hyun Lee (Korea) among others, who for political and economic reasons took up residence in America. Among them, the Korean-American theology professor Jung Young Lee (1935-1996) specifically analyzes the doctrine of the Trinity from the perspective of an East Asian-originated metaphysical framework.
In aid of his ambitious theological reconstruction of the cardinal Christian doctrine, Lee appropriates the dialectical paradigm of Change from the eponymous Yijing (the Book of Changes), a collection of symbols originally used for divination but subsequently given philosophical meaning by imperial and Confucian commentators over many centuries. Lee makes the tenets of the Change metaphysic and its constituent elements of yin and yang the entire interpretive grid of his doctrinal system, which results from an attempt to read the Christian Scriptures from that framework.
On the basis of the comprehensiveness of the scope and intention of Lee’s theological enterprise, Lee can be assessed to be a systematic theologian in his own right. The aim of this dissertation will be to make that case. In engaging in a description of Lee’s theological system, we will consider the personal, intellectual, and cultural context of Lee’s theology (Ch. 1); expound his doctrine of God as Change with an outline of yin-yang philosophy (Ch. 2); and articulate his reconstructed doctrine of the Trinity (Ch. 3).
In the second major section, we will assess and consider Lee’s theological system on the basis of four conditions he identifies as goals and guidelines in The Trinity in Asian Perspective (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1996; TAP). These are the system’s agreement with the testimony of the Scriptures (Ch. 4; TAP, 12); its complementarity with existing theological systems (TAP, 12); its ability to comprehend the social dimensions of Trinitarian thought (TAP, 17); and its relevance to culture. In regard to the three latter points, we will explore how Lee’s theology serves to enrich social Trinity theory (Ch. 5) and the classical Trinitarian tradition as represented in the thought of the Cappadocian Fathers (Ch. 6) in a culturally relevant way. We conclude with a statement concerning the reason Lee should be considered to be a true systematic theologian from the East who brings Asian philosophical thought-forms to bear on present-day discussion of the doctrine of the Trinity (Ch. 7).
Along the way, we will examine how Lee’s theological construction satisfies other self-identified conditions including balancing masculine with feminine aspects in the Trinity (TAP, 17), not being dependent on Western validation, addressing the symbolic nature of theological conceptions of God, being cosmocentric in its approach (TAP, 18), being able to reinterpret ideas about the divine persons, and holding practical implications. We will also examine theological consequences of Lee’s doctrine and its cultural reception. The object of this study, to establish Lee as a systematic theologian, is crucial given the relative lack of attention to Lee’s major works from the systematic theological fraternity
Seventh Annual Report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee
Get PDFThis is the seventh annual report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee (PMMRC). The aim of this committee is to identify areas in maternity and newborn care where improvements could be made. The purpose of this report is to provide an accurate estimate of the numbers and rates of perinatal and maternal deaths in New Zealand, to describe the risk factors for perinatal and maternal deaths, and to attempt to identify where the attention of maternity and neonatal services might be focused to prevent perinatal and maternal deaths
Eighth Annual Report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee
Get PDFThis report details perinatal and maternal deaths from 1 January to 31 December 2012, and analyses six years of perinatal mortality data from 2007 to 2012 and seven years of maternal mortality data from 2006 to 2012. Data are also included on babies with moderate and severe neonatal encephalopathy from 2010 to 2012 and mothers with selected morbidities for the same time period