13553 research outputs found
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Renaming a bill type for Tundra Swan ( Cygnus columbianus )
No full textA subspecies of Tundra Swan, the Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) has patterns of yellow areas on its bill. The schema for identifying individual bill-types includes a term which is known to be offensive, used for bills which are predominantly black. Following other movements to decolonialize and reject antiquated and offensive terms, I suggest that we rename this term going forward.</p
A New Zealand freshwater nitrate data quality validation study using commercial laboratories and portable testing instruments
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Signs of Deaf Ni-Vanuatu: A sociolinguistic study
No full textThe sociolinguistic situation for individuals in Vanuatu who are deaf from childhood is under
described. Geographical, economic and social circumstances mean that deaf individuals’
access to education and social contact with other deaf people is minimal, which hinders
development of a sign language that is widely shared among deaf people. This article firstly
outlines the sociolinguistic circumstances for deaf individuals in this context and secondly,
reports on the documentation of signs recorded from 19 deaf adults in disparate locations
during fieldwork in Vanuatu in 2011-2012. Their personal sign repertoires are considered in
terms of similarity to one another and iconic depicting strategies. This study contributes to
understanding the ways in which deaf individuals innovate visual-gestural communicative
repertoires in remote contexts like the islands of Vanuatu, where the potential for a deaf
community sign language is constrained by geography, mobility, absence of accessible
schooling, and opportunity for deaf sociality
Book Review: Charismatic Leadership in Organizations: A Critique of Texts LehmanIga Maria, Charismatic Leadership in Organizations: A Critique of Texts, Routledge: New York, 2024. 129 pp.: 978-1-032-62058-9 (hbk), £140
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Physioactive Listening: Finding Auditory Liberation Within the Soundscape Through Listening and Movement
No full textAndra McCartney acknowledges soundwalking as existing within two creative spheres; the fixed composition (the guided, timed soundwalk), and the improvisatory (untethered soundwalking) (McCartney, 2010). This research responds to the latter by suggesting a physioactive listening approach; an improvisational form of soundwalking with focus towards movement and the soundscape spectromorphology which occurs as a result of this movement. Within this exegesis and accompanying portfolio I navigate a framework for physioactive listening through the following topics: - The passive role of the listener in the present cultural context; - The commercial and institutional incentives towards greater cultural passivity, and how these incentives engender particular listening habits; - Connecting listeners with the wider soundscape (through use of improvisational listening practice); - Critical thought surrounding ways in which we can address problematic a priori understandings of the soundscape, in particular regarding definitions of noise; - The use of virtual reality and other novel frameworks to promote physioactive listening.While McCartney’s (2010) definition of “compositional soundwalking” is frequently used to introduce newcomers to the practice, “improvisational soundwalking” is less restrictive (in a physically exploratory sense), encouraging free movement while listening. Each work within my portfolio seeks to introduce an approach which combines both soundwalking methods, by providing an accessible structure through the use of contemporary aesthetic framing methods and installation practices all grounded in field recording. My portfolio invites uninitiated listeners to participate in a meaningful conversation about the soundscape, while critiquing normative discourses which are in part responsible, through educational negligence, for “deaf” ears. By creating spatial works that demand physiological movement, I aim to assist the listener in examining the links between movement and soundscape, while providing a space in which the listener can reevaluate their relationship to sound.</p
Testing the assumptions of turbidite paleoseismology using the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake
No full textUnderstanding the magnitude and frequency of earthquakes at subduction zones beyond historical and instrumental records is paramount to understanding the potential hazard these earthquakes pose in the future. However, terrestrial evidence of past earthquakes is generally patchy and poorly preserved. One method that circumvents some of these limiting factors is the study of seafloor turbidites. Turbidite paleoseismology uses the observed relationship between widespread triggering of turbidity currents and the co-occurrence of large earthquakes to build up a paleoseismic record. However, the application of turbidite paleoseismology is underpinned by largely untested hypotheses, due to a lack of modern examples of earthquake-triggered turbidites. The 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake that struck New Zealand triggered turbidity currents in ten consecutive canyons along hundreds of kilometres of the southern Hikurangi margin. Their occurrence provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine earthquake-triggered turbidites within the framework afforded by paleoseismology. The Kaikōura event bed (KEB) is examined in detail herein to test some key assumptions made in turbidite paleoseismology. The first is the assumption that a single, well-placed core can contain the full history of earthquake-triggered turbidity currents in a given distributary system. Studies have shown that deposition of turbidites can be highly variable, both along the flow path of a turbidity current and with height above a canyon/channel thalweg. The KEB is deposited ubiquitously where the canyons broaden in their lower reaches, and in the channel, ~30 m above the canyon/channel thalweg. This result offers confidence that representative coring locations can be found for turbidite paleoseismology, and the methods currently used to identify optimal core sites are likely robust. Some turbidite paleoseismology studies also use the confluence test, a method used to identify synchronous deposition of turbidites. The confluence test counts the number of turbidites above and below a confluence, and if the number below the confluence is the same as in the tributaries above, the turbidites are inferred to be triggered simultaneously. In this study, turbidites linked to the 2016 Kaikōura (KEB), 1855 MW 8.2 Wairarapa and 1848 MW 7.4 Marlborough earthquakes are examined through the confluence of Cook Strait, Campbell and Opouawe canyons with the Hikurangi Channel to provide the first evaluation of the confluence test following observed earthquakes. The number of turbidites present below the confluence crucially does not exceed the number observed above, showing that these historic earthquakes produced turbidites that adhere to the assumptions of the confluence test, thus showing the viability of the method.Examination of turbidites through the last millennium in the Cook Strait region highlights the potential utility of turbidite records to unravel complexities in fault rupture styles. By linking turbidite records to terrestrial paleoseismic evidence, instances where upper plate faults rupture synchronously with each other and/or the subduction interface can be identified. From this, the most recent Hikurangi margin rupture (1473-1434 CE) does not show any evidence of synchronous rupture. However, the penultimate rupture (1153-1072 CE) potentially involved synchronous rupture with the Wairarapa and/or Wellington faults. Paleoseismic records derived from marine turbidites, while they have often been debated in the literature, are shown here to be a valuable tool that can shed light on the potential hazards posed around subduction margins.</p
THE VALUE OF USING AUGMENTED REALITY IN ORGANIZATIONAL SETTINGS
No full textThis thesis explores the value of using augmented reality (AR) in organizational settings, focusing on how AR can contribute to achieving organizational goals. While AR's benefits ,defined here as immediate, measurable outcomes such as improved task efficiency or enhanced learning, are widely recognized, understanding its value, conceived as the as the achievement of organizational objectives, remains challenging for many organizations. This research addresses that gap by examining both the theoretical foundations and practical implications of AR implementation.The study began by examining the use of AR in the education sector, where its value was most clearly expressed in terms of learning gains. Building on this initial insight, we then conducted a broader literature review to understand the value of using AR across organizational contexts. This review identifies key capabilities and their potential impact, providing insights into how AR can enhance individual and organizational outcomes and helping organizations understand its broader value proposition.Building on these insights, the empirical component of the research investigates how AR value is realized. First study introduces the Affordance Actualization Value (AAV) model, showing how AR affordances translate into—or fail to achieve—organizational value by linking user goals with strategic outcomes. Then a structured categorization of AR use cases is developed to help organizations understand how AR can create value. This approach positions use cases as tools for aligning AR adoption with strategic goals and reducing uncertainty in decision-making. To recognizing the practical challenges organizations face, the thesis also proposes strategies for overcoming common barriers to AR adoption. These strategies provide actionable guidance across key phases, supporting organizations in navigating implementation challenges and maximizing AR's potential.On the other hand to support practical adoption, this research develops a comprehensive taxonomy of AR use cases across diverse contexts. The taxonomy enables organizations to identify relevant applications, assess potential benefits and challenges, and align AR initiatives with strategic priorities and key performance indicators (KPIs). Building on this foundation, an actionable use case tool is introduced, offering a structured approach to guide organizations from identifying use cases through to evaluating their outcomes.This thesis contributes to both academic understanding and practical implementation by providing insights, frameworks, and tools that enable organizations to realize AR’s long-term value. By emphasizing the distinction between benefits and value, and by highlighting the contextual conditions under which value emerges, the research equips organizations to adopt AR more effectively and achieve meaningful outcomes.</p
The examination of the Tofā Māmāo cultural concept and repositioning it as a theoretical approach to guide Pacific research
No full textWhile the emergence of Pacific scholars has contributed to the development of Pacific methodologies, they have not fully addressed the broader academic context in New Zealand. Appreciating the importance of diverse cultural values and beliefs among Pacific peoples, doing research with them must be honoured and acknowledged for its uniqueness. The Samoan cultural concept named Tofā Māmāo (in-depth knowledge) is a potential theoretical approach to guide Pacific research. This study explored Tofā Māmāo from the perspective of paramount chiefs and its theoretical position within academia. The talanoa (dialogue) approach was employed during the one-on-one interviews to collect the data. The findings revealed that the Tofā Māmāo is defined metaphorically as a Pearl of Wisdom and a principal philosophical element in the fa'a-Samoa (Samoan culture). Its principles are suitable for Pacific research and enrich the whole process. It symbolises the ability to unlock an archive of knowledge that has existed for generations. It defines truth through oral traditions which justifies its positioning when doing research. While Pacific metaphors and proverbs are elements of interpreting the meaning of the Pacific people's worldview, the significance of the Tofā Māmāo has a primary potential to inform the theoretical stance of the research
Reconstructing the deglacial thinning history of Byrd Glacier, East Antarctica, using cosmogenic surface exposure dating
No full textPast Antarctic ice sheet behaviour is complex and non-linear, necessitating understanding of interactions on deep timescales, especially considering future melt-induced sea level rise is the greatest uncertainty of our time. Antarctic outlet glaciers play a crucial role within this interconnected system, by modulating ice sheet discharge and global sea level contribution through their response to climate forcing. In our warming world, it is integral to examine the past response of the ice sheets to warming, in order to predict future ice sheet change. Glacier chronologies using deposits in the Transantarctic Mountains provide critical constraints on deglaciation of the paleo-ice sheet in the Ross Sea. Yet, neither the timing nor configuration of the grounded ice sheet at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and subsequent grounding line retreat are fully understood. A glacier chronology exists upstream from the fjord of Byrd Glacier, a prominent fast-flowing outlet of East Antarctica, but fails to capture the entire deglacial history. Here, I present a new deglacial chronology from Mt. Tadpole in the Byrd Glacier fjord using in situ 10Be and 14C surface exposure dating of erratics.In the new exposure age record, a 14C-saturated sample unambiguously demonstrates that the ice surface did not overtop the summit of Mt. Tadpole (∼880 m above current ice surface) during the LGM. Below the LGM ice limit, unsaturated 10Be and 14C ages indicate exposure since the Early to Mid Holocene. The data indicate >600 m thinning of the ice surface profile occurred between ∼10–5 ka. The potentially rapid thinning rate (2 σ = 0.14–11.83 m/yr) is consistent with Byrd Glacier’s susceptibility to marine ice sheet instability, given the overdeepened bed topography and reverse bed slope of the Byrd Glacier system. The new chronology aligns with regional deglacial trends across the Ross Embayment, as it suggests debuttressing of the grounded ice sheet accelerated Byrd Glacier ice flow, resulting in thinning rates comparable to modern ice sheet thinning observations. This thesis provides new geochronological constraints that enhance understanding of likely ice sheet retreat mechanisms across the Ross Embayment since the LGM. Importantly, these findings should inform reassessment of current ice sheet model inputs to more accurately simulate past glacier dynamics and thus forecast the future contribution of ice mass loss to global sea level rise.The second strand of this thesis draws on a possible connection between the nunatak adjacent to Mt. Tadpole, Mt. Tuatara, and a Māori voyaging narrative about Hui Te Rangiora, a mytho-historical figure who explored the Southern Ocean. Significant gaps in Antarctic research exist due to the exclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems such as mātauranga Māori. Analysis finds the legacy of colonialism underlies the barriers impeding Māori engagement with Antarctic research. This work uses the possible connection between Mt. Tuatara and Hui Te Rangiora to invite acknowledgement of iwi connections to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean as a foundation for collaboration. Disrupting the epistemological constraints of Western scientific frameworks, and centring mātauranga Māori and other Indigenous knowledges, is important for facing climate and glaciology challenges.</p
Passing the baton, holding the storm: Generational Transfer of Resilience in Fiji's Family Businesses
No full textFamily businesses can sustain through generations, springing back from challenges and adversities. This study investigates how resilience is understood, developed and transferred across generations within family businesses in Fiji. Employing a qualitative methodology using the semantic analysis tool Leximancer, the research draws on fourteen in-depth semi-structured interviews with family business owners/ managers to explore the connection between resilience and business longevity, and to understand how resilience is passed on to successive generations. The findings highlight "people" as the most dominant theme, emphasising the importance of personal commitment and strong relational ties within Fiji’s cultural and familial context. The concept of "business" also emerged as central, with participants viewing family enterprises as inter-generational endeavours rooted in adaptability, innovation, open communication, and mutual support. Intergenerational training, particularly led by father figures or senior family members, was found to be critical in ensuring continuity during periods of disruption such as pandemics, market fluctuations, and natural disasters. Additionally, good governance and meaningful work practices were identified as vital for promoting succession planning, transparency, role clarity, and accountability. The study also reveals diverse interpretations of resilience among participants: some perceived it as inherent, others as attribute-based, outcome-driven, or process-oriented. Several recognised it as a combination of these dimensions. These findings underpin the complex, multifaceted nature of resilience in family businesses and offer practical insights for enhancing sustainability and leadership continuity for family firms.</p
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