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The benefits of belonging: National belonging as a resource for mental health and a potential buffer against the effects of ostracism for young and older adults
No full textPeople develop strong emotional connections with the places they inhabit, similar to the connections formed between caregivers and infants. Moreover, as we get older, places come to form part of our identity. Taking a social identity approach, the current thesis investigates the relationship between national belonging and well-being. In Study 1, data from the New Zealand General Social Survey was utilised to investigate the relationship between a sense of belonging to New Zealand and mental well-being. Consistent with Hypothesis 1, a sense of belonging to New Zealand was positively associated with mental health. Further, consistent with Hypothesis 2, the positive relationship observed between a sense of belonging to New Zealand and mental health was stronger for older adults than young adults. Building on Study 1, in Study 2 we investigated whether the benefits of a sense of belonging to New Zealand could be leveraged to protect against the negative impact of ostracism. Specifically, young and older adults were primed with belonging to New Zealand or a control location before being ostracised. It was hypothesised that participants primed with New Zealand, relative to those primed with a control location, would be buffered against the negative impact of ostracism. Additionally, it was hypothesised that this buffering effect would be stronger for older, compared to younger, adults. Neither hypothesis was supported. Priming participants with a sense of belonging to New Zealand did not buffer younger or older adults against the negative effects of ostracism. We discuss our findings in the context of research on the social identity approach and the ostracism literature more generally
Potential of Extracted Locusta Migratoria Protein Fractions as Value-Added Ingredients
No full textAlthough locusts can be sustainably produced and are nutrient rich, the thought of eating them can be hard to swallow for many consumers. This paper aims to investigate the nutritional composition of Locusta migratoria, including the properties of extracted locust protein, contributing to limited literature and product development opportunities for industry. Locusts sourced from Dunedin, New Zealand, contained a high amount of protein (50.79% dry weight) and fat (34.93%), which contained high amounts of omega-3 (15.64%), creating a desirably low omega-3/omega-6 ratio of 0.57. Three protein fractions including; insoluble locust fraction, soluble locust fraction, and a supernatant fraction were recovered following alkali isoelectric precipitation methodology. Initially, proteins were solubilised at pH 10 then precipitated out at the isoelectric point (pH 4). All fractions had significantly higher protein contents compared with the whole locust. The insoluble protein fraction represented 37.76% of the dry weight of protein recovered and was much lighter in colour and greener compared to other fractions. It also had the highest water and oil holding capacity of 5.17 mL/g and 7.31 mL/g, possibly due to larger particle size. The high supernatant yield (56.60%) and low soluble protein yield (9.83%) was unexpected and could be a result of experimental pH conditions chosen
The Role of Personality in Daily Food Allergy Experiences
No full textFood allergies present numerous challenges to coping in everyday life. Even simple things like planning a lunch with a friend can be stressful for people with food allergies. But are some people more adversely impacted by having a food allergy than other people? This paper addressed this question by investigating whether individual differences in the Big Five personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) are related to food allergy-related problems in everyday life among adults with food allergies. Participants were 108 adults (85% female; mean age = 40.2; age range 18–87) with a physician-diagnosed food allergy [most commonly to gluten (54.6%), peanuts (21.3%), cow’s milk (16.7%), and shellfish/seafood (16.7%)]. Participants completed an initial online survey that measured demographics, food allergy information, and personality traits using the Big Five Inventory (John et al., 1991). For 2 weeks, participants completed a daily online survey that queried the occurrence of 25 food allergy issues that day and participants’ overall stress and mood that day. Neuroticism did not predict more frequent allergy issues or greater stress/poorer mood on days with more allergy issues. Instead, higher openness to experience predicted a range of issues including going hungry because there is no safe food available, problems finding suitable foods when grocery shopping, feeling anxious at social occasions involving food, being excluded, and feeling embarrassed and poorly understood about their food allergy. Conscientious people were less embarrassed or self-conscious about their food allergy, but they had more problems eating out, and their positive mood was more impaired by allergy issues than their less conscientious peers. Extraversion and agreeableness played minor roles. Personality testing can identify people that may have difficulty living with food allergies–such as those higher in openness to experience
Manuherikia group of Central Otago, New Zealand : stratigraphy, depositional systems, lignite resource assessment and exploration models
No full textDunstan Formation lignite bearing strata within the 1,000m thick Miocene Manuherikia Group of Central Otago represent an important coal resource. Three principal coalfields, Blackstone, Roxburgh and Nevis are identified.
Detailed stratigraphic and sedimentologic data from outcrop and over 120 boreholes were assessed to evaluate Central Otago coalfield stratigraphy and the paleoenvironmental controls governing peat deposition on a broad alluvial plain surrounding a large freshwater basin (Lake Manuherikia).
Six complexly interrelated Dunstan Formation members are identified; each member represents a distinctive depositional system that is subdivided into sequences comprising genetically related lithofacies recognized by an abbreviated mnemonic code. Depositional systems recognized are: 1. Braided river deposits of the St Bathans Member occurring at the base of the group, infilling valleys entrenched in the weathered schist and greywacke basement. They incorporate deposits of major channels and a diverse range of shallow minor channels dominated by bar and dune bedforms. 2. Fine grained alluvial plain deposits of the Fiddlers Member and Middle Old Woman
Submember. The former represents an extensive long-lived fluvial plain traversed by meandering channels dispersing sediment into muddy flood-basins and Lake Manuherikia. Locally, muddy and peat-forming swamps replaced abandoned splay filled flood-basins. 3. Anastomosed fluvial deposits of the Lower Old Woman· Submember. Stabilized river channels were bordered by long-lived muddy flood-basins and peat-forming swamps, producing thick laterally discontinuous deposits of lignite, gravelly sand and mud. 4. Carbonace,ous rich delta plain deposits representing Blackstone and Teviot Members developed at major points of sediment entry into Lake Manuherikia. Complexly interdigitating fine grained facies representing short-lived peat swamps, well drained swamps, interdistributary bays, levee and distributary channels accumulated on the lower delta plain, contrasting with the long-lived peat-forming backswamp environment that dominated the upper delta plain - lower alluvial plain landscape. 5. Marginal laaustrine deposits of the Kawarau Member represent a stagnant swampy shoreline interdigitating with interdistributary bays (Cromwell Submember) and a current agitated terrigenous lake margin (Ewing Submember) of beaches, mudflats, backbarrier lagoons and bays. Ostracods, algae (including oncolites), fish and bird remains are dispersed within shoreline facies. An enlarging Lake Manuherikia progressively onlapped older lake margin and alluvial plain strata, depositing a thick (700m) pile of sandy and muddy (including richlykerogeneous) sediments (Bannockburn Formation), blanketing an area in excess of 5,600 km2.
Extraordinary thick coal beds of the 33 - 90 m thick Johnstone and McPherson Seams (Blackstone and Teviot Members) accumulated in long-lived backswamps of upper delta plain - lower alluvial plain environments. Thin (< 5m thick) laterally discontinuous coal beds with numerous splits occurring in the upper portions of these seams accumulated in short-lived lower delta plain swamps, adjacent to a network of interdistributary bays and distributary channels. Pluvial plain peats primarily accumulated in swamps that enveloped infilled flood-basins of the broad low gradient Fiddlers alluvial plain, or they accumulated (like the deposits of the 24m thick Ben Nevis Seam) in long-lived swamps on the Old Woman alluvial plain, adjacent to stable anastomosed channels. In fluvial settings, coal quality, seam configuration, frequency and thickness of partings was primarily influenced by channel overbank and splay sedimentation. Almost total abandonment of Old Woman flood-plain alluviation and a sustained high water table were conducive to the development of the laterally extensive 22m thick Homestead Seam of the Upper Old Woman Submember. At the lake margin, peat-forming swamps interdigitating with interdistributary bays produced the numerous thin (< 5m thick), laterally discontinuous coal beds constituting the Kawarau Seam. Cyclic repetition of these coal beds was governed by fluctuating lake levels.
The study emphasizes the significance of detailed observations and analyses of coal-bearing strata, demonstrating the potential role of paleoenvironmental modeling in coal exploration and mining activities
An attribute prioritization-based segmentation of the Chinese consumer market for fruit juice
No full textDespite the enormous opportunity that the Chinese market provides for exporting companies in the food and beverage industry, little research has considered Chinese consumer decision making processes sur-rounding these products. This study provides an empirical investigation into how Chinese consumers prioritize extrinsic product attributes (brand, nutrition content claim, ingredient label, shelf-life, price, and manufacturing country) when making their fruit juice purchase decisions. The study illustrates that consumer decision making processes are culturally embedded by presenting a comparison of the study’s findings with the more prevalent Western-based literature on consumer decision making processes. A choice-based conjoint survey was administered to 645 Chinese participants in Hangzhou, China using the internet-based software 1000Minds. Three consumer segments were identified through cluster analysis: Health Conscious, Premium Product, and Long Product Shelf-life. The Health Conscious segment wants natural and nutritious fruit juices that have a well-known brand. The Premium Product segment is willing to pay higher prices for imported fruit juices. Compared to the other two segments, the Long Product Shelf-life segment prefers lower priced and extended shelf-life fruit juices that are more convenient to store and consume. While the three clusters were similar in their preferences for the fruit juice attributes and levels, they differed in the rank order of the attributes. These findings highlight the importance of how extrinsic product attributes are traded off by Chinese consumers when making their fruit juice purchase decisions. The identification of these Chinese consumer segments provides juice manufacturers better knowledge on the market opportunities in China and strategic guidance for effective positioning, packaging, labeling, and pricing of fruit juices. This attribute prioritization-based segmentation for the Chinese consumer market is novel and thus provides strong implications for the fruit juice industry. In addition, this paper also makes a novel academic contribution to the Chinese consumer decision making literature on food and beverage products
The role of personal values in Chinese consumers’ food consumption decisions. A case study of healthy drinks
No full textDifferences in culture, language, and behavior between Chinese and Western consumers make entering the Chinese market a challenge. Chinese consumers may desire similar product features (e.g. brand name, quality, and flavor) to Western consumers but the value that consumers attach to the same product may differ cross-nationally. Besides values, an understanding of desired product attributes and the consequences linking to these values is also important. To the authors’ knowledge, there is no published scientific research that investigates how personal values influence Chinese consumers’ food consumption decisions. The aim of this research was to identify the links among product attributes, consequences of these attributes, and personal values associated with healthy drink consumption decisions within the
Chinese market. Specifically, this research employed means-end chain theory and used association pattern technique (APT) as the main data collection technique to identify these links. Focus groups (n = 6) were held in Hangzhou, China to identify the important attributes and consequences involved in the consumption decisions of healthy drinks. These attributes and consequences along with Schwartz’s 10 basic values were used to construct the matrices included in the APT survey. A total of 600 APT surveys were administered in six different companies in Hangzhou, with 570 returned. Construction of the hierarchical value map (HVM) identified four of Schwartz’s personal values influencing Chinese consumers’ healthy drink consumption decisions: security, hedonism, benevolence, and self-direction. Food safety was the foremost concern for Chinese consumers when choosing healthy drinks. Chinese consumers also sought a good tasting and nutritious drink that was good value for money. Results from this study provide food marketers with an in-depth understanding of Chinese consumers’ healthy drink consumption decisions. Implications and recommendations are provided that will assist food marketers to effectively enact marketing strategies in China
Systematics of selected species in the mycorrhizal genus Cortinarius and the utility of whole chloroplast genomes in the population genetics of the mycorrhizal host species Nothofagus menziesii
No full textNew Zealand has an interesting history that has shaped its biota through its isolation, almost total absence of terrestrial mammals and climate history. This history is thought to have influenced, for instance, the evolution of flightless birds, rapid speciation and morphological diversification of vascular alpine plants, the high abundance of brightly coloured, epigeous sequestrate fungi and the disjunct distribution of the mycorrhizal host species Nothofagus. However, inferences concerning such concepts are reliant on accurate and informative data, in particular a complete and robust taxonomic treatment of species involved, supported by appropriate genetic data.
This thesis concerns three different areas. Firstly, the systematics of selected species from the New Zealand mycorrhizal genus, Cortinarius. Secondly, automated data retrieval of BLAST search results and associated sequences from the same vouchered specimen. Finally, the potential utility of chloroplast genomes in population genetics of a one of the most wide spread mycorrhizal fungal host species, Nothofagus menziesii.
Accurate taxonomy is fundamental for communicating species concepts and critical in many biological disciplines including biodiversity analyses, conservation and life history studies. Fungi are the second most diverse group of eukaryotic organisms on the planet after insects. Twelve million species are thought to be in the fungal kingdom, with only ca. 120 000 currently described. Cortinarius is a widely distributed genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the Agaricales, present in temperate and subarctic-alpine climates in both hemispheres. Cortinarius is highly diverse; with over 3000 species described it is the largest genus in the Agaricales. In New Zealand, Cortinarius is the dominant ectomycorrhizal genus and associates with Nothofagus, Kunzea and Leptospermum. Members of the genus display a wide range of colours from white to almost black, and almost every colour in between. The sexual fruit bodies of Cortinarius taxa are mostly agaricoid in morphology, but many species have a gasteroid or secotioid morphology.
In this thesis, new species of sequestrate and agaricoid Cortinarius are described, covered in chapters 2–4. In particular, four additional species of purple secotioid species were discovered to be hidden under the name of the iconic C. porphyroideus. Members of Cortinarius section Subcastanelli were also investigated. It was discovered that the protologue of C. subcastanellus was based on multiple taxa, other members of this section were found to be synonyms of earlier species. In total seven new Cortinarius species were described, three synonymisations and one emendation are made.
The second objective was to ameliorate some of the manual data retrieval and cleaning for multigene phylogenetics, particularly in relation to fungal taxonomy. In chapter 5, the python script multigene_blastnparse.py is presented. This script retrieves BLAST matches from Genbank and all other markers from the same specimen identifier. BLAST matches are written to a csv file for immediate overview, while the sequences are written to a file in fasta format. All headers in the primary field of the fasta file are unique for each specimen identifier allowing for seamless concatenation of sequences from different regions for multigene phylogenetics. This bioinformatics tool is used in a subsequent chapter and is freely available on GitHub.
Nothofagus is a dominant and widely distributed tree genus in New Zealand. It is one of three genera that host ectomycorrhizal fungi, upon which they are dependent for much of their mineral nutrient acquisition. Nothofagus in New Zealand displays an interesting disjunct distribution on the South Island of New Zealand where it is missing in central Westland, known as the Westland beech gap. Many hypotheses and studies have been put forward for the presence and persistence of the Westland beech gap, including the lack of mycorrhizal symbionts in the beech gap preventing the expansion of Nothofagus into the area. However, there is a paucity of genetic data for confident conclusions to be drawn. Chloroplast markers are often used in population genetic studies as they are generally unilaterally inherited and geneflow is restricted to seed dispersal. However, most traditional chloroplast markers are slow evolving genes that are not suited to population genetics. Advances in sequencing has enabled high throughput sequencing of whole chloroplast genomes. Whole chloroplast genomes have been found to contain highly variable regions between populations, making them valuable for population genetics. Either through identification of variable regions for studies using traditions techniques, or used in their entirety.
In chapter 6, the chloroplast genome of Nothofagus menziesii from a Dunedin individual was sequenced and assembled using short and long read sequencing technologies. The chloroplast genome was 156 145 kb and presented a typical quadripartite structure. The genome contained 130 genes and was comparable to other chloroplast genomes in the Fagales. A chloroplast genome was sequenced using genome skimming from a geographically distant individual (St Arnaud, ~500 km separation) and compared to the Dunedin individual. The comparison revealed 131 polymorphic sites, with 13 regions less than 700 bp containing more than 3 SNPs. These regions may be valuable for future population genetic studies of Nothofagus menziesii.
This thesis makes a significant contribution to the systematics of the mycorrhizal genus Cortinarius in New Zealand. It also accelerates sequence data acquisition for multigene phylogenies. Finally, this thesis presents the first whole chloroplast genomic resource for one of the dominant mycorrhizal fungi host species, Nothofagus menziesii
Or, The Triumph of the Trust
No full textMorganeering is a satire on capitalism in the era of the "Robber Barons" like John Rockefeller, Henry Ford and John Pierpont Morgan. Their success at consolidating industries is taken to extremes by the novel's capitalist villain, Jonathan Wondergilt. Most of the novel depicts how Wondergilt came to own the entire world, how he maintained and supported his powers, and how such greed brought misery to people everywhere
Dietary habits between New Zealand adolescent males and females
No full textBackground: Dietary habits develop in adolescence, and these can continue into adulthood, as does obesity, increasing the risk of non-communicable disease. The dietary habits of fruit, vegetable, breakfast and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) have varying effects on health; sub-optimal dietary habits are associated with poor diet quality and nutrient intake, increasing the risk of poor health outcomes. There has been no research examining the dietary habits of New Zealand (NZ) adolescents in over a decade. Research is needed so current behaviours can be identified and strategies put in place to help reduce the risk of non-communicable disease in this population.
Objective: To assess the specific dietary habits of fruit, vegetable, breakfast and SSB consumption among NZ adolescents, and compare these dietary habits between males and females.
Design: An observational cross-sectional study was used to gather data on a total of 266 females (15-18yrs) and 135 males (15-17yrs) from 19 secondary schools around NZ. In total, 241 females and 122 males completed a dietary habits questionnaire, to assess their consumption of fruit, vegetables, breakfast and SSB. A demographic questionnaire was also completed, heights and weights were taken during school visits, and the World Health Organisation growth charts were used to determine BMI Z-scores. Level of deprivation was determined using the New Zealand Deprivation Index (NZ Dep18).
Results: Overall a low proportion of males and females are meeting our recommendations (based off the Ministry of Health, Healthy Eating for young people) for fruit, vegetable, breakfast and SSB consumption. All dietary habits assessed in this study were significantly different between males and females. Females were more likely to meet recommendations for fruit and vegetables, while males were more likely to consume breakfast and SSB daily. Healthy weight females were more likely to meet recommendations for fruit, while those from areas of low and moderate deprivation were 6 times more likely to meet recommendations than those from areas of high deprivation. This was not seen in the male sample, where obese males and those from areas of high deprivation were most likely to meet recommendations. There was an inverse relationship observed between vegetable consumption and weight status in the female sample, whereas, a positive relationship was observed for the males. Females from areas of low and moderate deprivation were 4 times more likely to meet vegetable recommendations, compared to females from areas of high deprivation. An inverse relationship between breakfast consumption and NZDep, was observed in both the male and female samples. Obese males and females were also less likely to consume breakfast than adolescents in healthy and overweight categories. Males and females from areas of low deprivation were less likely to consume SSB daily compared to those from areas of moderate and high deprivation. Obese males and females were also more likely to consume SSB daily compared to those in the healthy or overweight categories.
Conclusion: Overall, findings of our study suggest the dietary habits of NZ adolescents are sub-optimal, with low proportions of both males and females meeting recommendations for fruit, vegetable, breakfast and SSB consumption. Due to the differences in dietary habits between males and females, and between those of different SES, interventions should be targeted to help improve diet quality and reduce chronic disease risk
Nut consumption among female and male adolescents in New Zealand
No full textBackground: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in New Zealand (NZ), with those of Māori and Pacific ethnicity disproportionately affected. Healthy dietary habits in adolescence have been shown to track into adulthood, so it is important for us to understand the dietary patterns of this age group to then support public health advice to reduce rates of heart disease and other non-communicable diseases. One dietary pattern that is associated with a reduced risk of chronic disease, in particular CVD, is the regular consumption of nuts. There is little information on nut consumption patterns among adolescents. This data could be used to inform interventions and public health strategies to improve chronic disease risk.
Objective: To describe nut consumption patterns among male and female adolescents in New Zealand. A secondary objective was to investigate associations between regular nut consumption and body mass index (BMI), ethnicity and socio-economic status (SES).
Design: The Survey of Nutrition, Dietary Assessment and Lifestyles project (SuNDiAL) is an observational, cross-sectional survey including male and female adolescents aged 15-18 years. Participants were recruited from 13 female schools and 6 male schools in NZ. In total 266 females and 135 males enrolled in the study, with 266 females and 123 males completing the section of the dietary habits questionnaire (DHQ) about nut consumption, administered via Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) software. Height and weight measurements were taken using standard methods. BMI was categorised by WHO z-scores for adolescents. SES was measured using NZDep2018 scores based on the participants geographic location.
Results: A total of 91.8% (93.1% of males, 90.9% of females) were nut consumers and 71.8% (75.0 % of males, 69.7% of females) were nut butter consumers at any level of consumption (including rarely). The most commonly consumed nuts were almonds, cashews, peanuts and pistachios. It appeared that consumption of almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, walnut butter and other nut butters was higher in males; however, this was not statistically significant. Likewise, for females it appeared that the consumption of brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts, other nuts, almond butter and peanut butter was higher; however, this was not statistically significant. A total of 36.2% of participants were regular nut consumers (defined as consumption greater than 5-6 times per week). There was an apparent trend whereby regular nut consumers were more likely to have a healthy body weight (39.3%), be of Pacific ethnicity (57.1%), and be living in areas of low deprivation (39.6%). However, these trends were not significant.
Conclusion: Nut consumption among both male and female adolescents in New Zealand is low. Consumption appears to be sporadic rather than regular. It is, therefore, unlikely that many adolescents are meeting the 30 g/day New Zealand Heart Foundation (NZHF) guideline–a recommendation specified to gain optimal cardioprotective benefit. Future research is needed, in particular addressing the lower intakes among those living in areas of high deprivation and those of Māori ethnicity. This is important to reduce health disparities and improve future outcomes for these populations