13553 research outputs found
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The Self Through Play: A Creative Exploration Of Bicultural Identity Through A Solo-Journaling Tabletop Roleplaying Game
No full textThis thesis explores how solo-journaling tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) can support 1.5 and 2nd generation immigrant youths in Aotearoa New Zealand in navigating and expressing their bicultural identities. While existing literature highlights the psychological complexity of biculturalism such as in-betweenness, cultural frame-switching, and identity integration, few studies examine interactive narrative tools as supportive spaces for identity exploration. Addressing this gap, the research investigates the potential of solo-journaling TTRPGs as reflective, creative, and therapeutic mediums.Using a Research for Design and Research through Design methodology, the study integrates autoethnography, secondary narrative analysis, and semi-structured interviews with bicultural youths to identify core themes of cultural negotiation, intergenerational conflict, and identity formation. These insights informed the iterative design of two prototype solo-journaling TTRPGs: 'Memoria: Inside the Capsule' and 'Charmweaver'. Both games were play tested using cultural probes, post-gameplay questionnaires, and focus groups to evaluate their impact on immersion, engagement, and bicultural reflection.Findings reveal that narrative framing, metaphorical distance, and tactile mechanics such as journaling prompts and physical artifacts enhance emotional safety and encourage deeper identity reflection. Participants preferred the fantasy-based 'Charmweaver' for its balance of imaginative storytelling and personal meaning, allowing them to engage with bicultural themes without feeling overly exposed.This study contributes to a growing understanding of how interactive narrative tools can create accessible, empathetic, and culturally resonant spaces for self-exploration. By situating solo-journaling TTRPGs within the fields of creative writing, identity psychology, and game design, it highlights their potential as innovative, user-centered interventions for supporting migrant and bicultural youths in complex identity negotiations.</p
Going Above and Beyond: Procedural Justice, Mental Wellbeing, and Organizational Citizenship Among New Prison Officers
No full textThis study explores the relationship between procedural justice, mental wellbeing, and confidence in carrying out organizational citizenship behavior among new prison officers recruited through the Unlocked Graduates Leadership Development Program in England and Wales. We found a direct association between supervisory procedural justice and organizational citizenship, and an indirect association between organizational procedural justice and organizational citizenship, through mental wellbeing. Our results highlight the importance of both supervisors and organizations treating their staff with procedural justice; not only is fair treatment associated with greater mental wellbeing, but it encourages behaviors that extend beyond formal job requirements. Cultivating such behaviors among new prison officers may ultimately improve practices, cultures, and outcomes for people in custody within prisons
OPTIMISING LANDSCAPE-SCALE FOREST RESTORATION WITH SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS, REGENERATION TRENDS, AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICE MODELLING
No full textAbstract The urgency of restoring degraded ecosystems has never been more critical as global environmental challenges intensify. This PhD thesis explores landscape-scale ecological restoration, focusing on approaches that integrate future climate resilience, regeneration dynamics, and ecosystem service optimization. Addressing the need for practical and scalable solutions, the research emphasizes methodologies that enhance restoration outcomes while aligning with long-term ecological and socio-economic objectives. By leveraging modeling tools and statistical analyses, this thesis contributes to the growing body of knowledge on restoring complex landscapes effectively and sustainably.The degradation of ecosystems worldwide has been exacerbated by habitat loss, fragmentation, and the escalating impacts of climate change. In Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ), deforestation during both pre- and post-European settlement periods has left extensive tracts of degraded land, providing opportunities for restoration at scale. However, achieving successful landscape-scale restoration requires careful planning and adaptive management, particularly under the pressures of climate change. This research addresses key questions for future-proofing restoration: (1) How will climate change affect the species distributions central to restoration efforts? (2) How do landscape-level factors influence natural regeneration at restoration sites? (3) What are the quantifiable ecosystem service benefits of restoration at a landscape scale?This thesis employs a multi-method approach across three core studies to explore these questions, offering insights into how landscape-scale restoration can be planned, implemented, and sustained to meet future challenges.</p
Harbour of Opportunities: Designing an inclusive waterfront Youth centre through sustainable and climate-resilient adaptive reuse.
No full textA major ongoing issue for young people is the inequality and negative perception they can face when occupying the public realm (Loebach et al., 2020). Continually being excluded from the design of public urban spaces, young people can feel undervalued, unsafe and are left to cluster in spaces that aren’t designed to cater for their needs. My Thesis explores the design of an inclusive youth-focused facility, which is an adaptive reuse of an existing building located on the Miramar waterfront. With rapidly changing climates, and increasing environmental challenges in New Zealand (Royal Society NZ, 2017) the architecture will explore sustainability and climate resilience to ensure the longevity of the new waterfront facility. Climate-resilient and sustainable architecture must also be designed to enhance the social and cultural atmosphere (Ministry for the Environment, 2022). Therefore, the youth centre will simultaneously foster an inclusive and versatile space for the young people of Wellington alongside sustainability and climate resilience.This Thesis aims to address the need for inclusive spaces dedicated to the well-being, social and cognitive development of young people aged 10-18. And investigates the integration of sustainability and climate resilience into the architecture. This will be the design of a waterfront facility and enhanced site development, providing interior and exterior spaces for young people. Therefore, strengthening their connection to the natural environment, cultural history and surrounding community, providing them with a greater sense of place. The outcome of this Thesis is the design of The Shelly Bay Youth Centre located on 9 Shelly Bay Road, in Miramar, Wellington. The final design is an adaptable, inclusive, and sustainable facility tailored to increase the wellbeing of young people while addressing the challenges of climate resilience and adaptive reuse. Internally, the design features spaces for counselling and mental health services, a welcoming cafe, workshare spaces for study, a gym, creative workshops, a quiet zone, a music and art studio, and a Pasifika and Māori space to highlight cultural wellbeing. Externally, it the site has an amphitheatre, outdoor sports courts, landscaped green spaces, skating zones, and safe harbour access for water-based activities. The large range of programme accommodates spaces that afford both interaction and reflection while enhancing social, cognitive, physical and emotional wellbeing. The use of low-carbon materials, passive design strategies, and renewable energy systems like solar panels and wind turbines are incorporated to reduce environmental impact. Climate resilience is explored by investigating Wellington coastal climate challenges and mitigating them through the use of durable materials elevated foundations, green buffer zones and rain gardens. By addressing the needs of young people while responding to environmental challenges, this project demonstrates that architecture can be both socially conscientious and environmentally conscious, leaving a lasting impact on both the community, young people and the environment.</p
On the correct spelling of <i>Pycnocraspedum rowleyense</i> Schwarzhans, Psomadakis & Nielsen, 2025 (Ophidiidae)
No full textThis paper changes a name to match the ICZN Article 31.</p
Working across religions, cultures, settings, and development: Protocol for wave 2 data collection with children and parents by the developing belief network
No full textThe Developing Belief Network is a global research collaborative studying religious development in diverse social-cultural settings, with a focus on the intersection of cognitive mechanisms and cultural beliefs and practices in early and middle childhood. The current manuscript describes the study protocol for the network’s second wave of data collection, which aims to further explore the development and diversity of religious cognition and behavior using a multi-time point approach. This protocol is designed to investigate three key research questions—how children represent and reason about religious and supernatural agents, how children represent and reason about religion as an aspect of social identity, and how religious and supernatural beliefs are transmitted within and between generations—via a set of eight tasks for children between the ages of 5 and 13 years and a survey completed by their parents/caregivers. This study is being conducted in 41 distinct cultural-religious settings, spanning 16 countries and 12 written languages. In this manuscript, we provide detailed descriptions of all elements of this study protocol, and give a brief overview of the ways in which this protocol has been adapted for use in diverse religious communities. As one example of how this protocol has been implemented outside of the United States, we present Arabic- and English-language study materials for children being raised in one of the following religious traditions in Lebanon: the Druze faith, Maronite Christianity, Orthodox Christianity, Shia Islam, or Sunni Islam. We end with reflections on the challenges of developing and implementing large-scale, multi-site, multi-time point studies of child development; our approach to navigating these challenges; and our suggestions for how future researchers might learn from our experiences and build on the work presented here
Subverting the Typical: Envisioning densifying urban spaces through an environmentally sensitive lens
No full textFifty six percent of the global population currently live within cities (Urban Development, 2023), within the next 25 years this amount of people will effectively double as population growth continues. As this process takes place New Zealand and its cities such as the capital Poneke (Wellington) will be forced to densify (Burkett, 2011). Within this setting of a high-density city individuals are put under increasing volumes of stress and external intensities, there are more instances of sensory overload, panic attacks and other mental disorders within these settings than low density rural areas (Šantrić-Milićević et al., 2017). This inflammation is particularly prominent for the 15-20% of the population that are highly sensitive people (HSP) and their attempts to function ‘normally’ on a daily basis. In fact “individuals with ASD are 4-times more likely to experience depression” (Hudson et al., 2019) than their neurotypical counterparts and there is a strong correlation between having ADHD and other mental illnesses such as anxiety (Ellis, 2021). This situation provides opportunities for landscape architecture to improve design of dense urban spaces, focusing on sensory needs, and instilling a reconnection with nature that is often lost within the city (Grigoletto et al., 2023). This thesis will focus on designing for the often-overlooked individuals with environmentally sensitive dispositions intending to create equity in the public realm through design within a New Zealand context.</p
THE PQ?! EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF REDUCED IRRADIANCE ON THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC QUOTIENTS OF WELLINGTON HARBOUR MACROALGAE
No full textAnthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are driving global warming and ocean acidification, threatening ecosystems, and prompting urgent attention to carbon sequestration strategies. Blue Carbon, the sequestration of carbon by marine vegetated ecosystems, is an important mitigation approach. As one of the most productive organisms in the world, macroalgae could have significant potential for carbon sequestration through the uptake of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) during photosynthesis. Photosynthesis involves either the active, energy consuming uptake of the abundant bicarbonate (HCO3-) or the passive, less energy consuming uptake of the less abundant carbon dioxide (CO2). The product of photosynthesis is that oxygen (O2) is evolved, with the ratio between DIC and O2 evolution described as the photosynthetic quotient (PQ). Typically, a 1:1 ratio is assumed based on early photosynthetic stoichiometry, yet this assumption can introduce errors if environmental and species-specific factors alter this ratio. Reduced irradiance could influence macroalgal PQ by favouring passive CO2 uptake, therefore changing energetic requirements and thus PQ values. However, the effect of reduced irradiance on PQ is not well studied, highlighting a key research gap addressed in this thesis. Locally, within Wellington Harbour, there is possible impacts of sedimentation, but no published baselines of seaweed cover. I aimed to 1) Assess macroalgal cover in Wellington Harbour across a gradient of sites impacted by sedimentation, 2) Investigate the impact of reduced irradiance (simulating sedimentation) on PQ across five macroalgal species, and 3) Examine interspecies variation in PQ and discuss implications for carbon sequestration. I surveyed six Wellington Harbour sites showing significant variability in macroalgal coverage, diversity, and richness related to environmental stressors like sedimentation. Historical data comparison revealed substantial ecological changes in the status of macroalgae. Key species were chosen based on these surveys and were used in closed chamber incubation experiments under controlled light treatments (“Low” = ~120 µmol photons m-2 s-1, “Normal” = ~220 µmol photons m-2 s-1) representative of local sedimentation. I found that reduced irradiance had no significant impact on PQ, but PQ values differed from the assumed ratio 1.0, ranging from 0.90 (Pyropia plicata) to 1.36 (Macrocystis pyrifera). These interspecies differences are likely due to varying physiological and structural carbon assimilation strategies. Applying species-specific PQ values to global carbon sequestration models revealed potential inaccuracies – overestimations of up to 36% and underestimations of up to 10%, emphasizing the need for species-specific PQ data into carbon sequestration estimates.</p
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education: from organizing visions to official guidelines
No full textNo description supplie
Purpuramine R, a New Bromotyrosine Isolated from Pseudoceratina cf. verrucosa Collected in the Kingdom of Tonga
No full textSponges in the verongiid genus Pseudoceratina Carter are well-known producers of bioactive secondary metabolites. Chemical screening of a Tongan P. cf. verrucosa Bergquist using NMR highlighted the presence of aromatic natural products. Subsequent extraction and purification of P. cf. verrucosa yielded a new bromotyrosine, purpuramine R (1), that exhibits moderate (MIC 16 µg/mL) antibacterial activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. The E-geometry of the oxime was confirmed using a combination of NMR and computational approaches. Additionally, computational conformational analysis indicates that purpuramine R adopts a hairpin orientation, stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen and halogen bonds. Knowledge of this stabilized conformation can inform synthetic approaches to make analogues of the purpuramines for future SAR studies
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