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Formulaic Language in University Seminars: A Comparison of EAP Textbook Coverage and Authentic Language Use in ELF Settings
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Primo Levi as a Contemporary Classic: Tradition and Translation
No full textAfter Dante, Primo Levi has become one of the best-known Italian writers in the world, alongside two of his contemporaries, the poet and Nobel Laureate Eugenio Montale and the novelist Italo Calvino. I investigate how, as a poet, essayist, narrator and translator, his work has become part of the international canon of literary classics. The first chapter examines the concept of the literary canon, its limits, uses and legitimacy. I discuss the debates surrounding it, the attacks by cultural relativists and its reaffirmation by Harold Bloom. Further opposing theoretical positions from domains including Post-colonial Studies, Gender Studies and World Literature are also discussed, and I show how the traditional paradigm of ‘classics’ has now been undermined and the canon opened up to new ideas and perspectives on literature, as well as to new authors and works.Levi’s initial motivation to write was the urgent need to preserve the memory of his deportation to Auschwitz: he had no literary aim other than clarity. In the early post-war period, it was a response to requests from institutions and committees, urging survivors to send memoirs and reports to testify against Nazi criminals, to count the victims, to register the missing people, and to recognize the merits of those who provided help to the deportees or their families. Levi’s response, his memoir "If This is a Man", was met with little initial acclaim from readers and critics. It was not until the mid-1970s that he gained recognition inside Italy with publication of his collected poems, science-fiction tales, autobiographical stories, essays and articles, and the novel "Se non ora, quando?" (1984). Levi’s reception by readers and critics developed in stages. Rejected by Einaudi, he had difficulty finding a publisher for "If This Is a Man" and he had to his living by working as a chemist.In my second chapter, I discuss how Levi’s reception went from neglect, to the publication of his first works in English translation, then to the 1984 publication in the US of "The Periodic Table". This book of essays received favourable authoritative reviews and its success prompted the further promotion of all his other books in the American and British markets. This was followed in the mid-1990s by his rediscovery in Italy by a new generation of readers, overcoming the lasting prejudice against him of earlier critics. After discussing the difficulties and obstacles associated with the reception of his texts, I describe how Levi himself became aware of his international recognition and of the different reception of his works amongst readers who had not experienced war or Nazi-fascist persecution. This led him to reflect on the style and form of his writing and how he dealt with his sources. In his first works (except for specific references in "If This is a Man"), models such as Dante and Manzoni are mostly alluded to, but later they are explicitly declared.Chapter 3 continues my exploration of the English translation of Levi’s works. I focus on his correspondence, in particular, with the American poet and artist Ruth Feldman who undertook the first translation of Levi’s verses. His poems, less well-known than his prose writing, were his first works, and the first of his works to be translated. The letters I discuss reveal his concerns about the interpretation of his words and the style of the translations, and about the preservation of poetic models such as Catullus and others like Leopardi, Petrarch, Manzoni, or Heine, Coleridge and Eliot. To this third chapter I have added an Appendix which transcribes and comments on the correspondence between Levi and Feldman. These include Levi’s last letters which contain significant information on the writer’s feelings in the last months of his life.In the fourth and fifth chapters I deal with Levi’s translation of works by foreign authors, beginning with his anthology "La ricerca delle radici" – "The Search for Roots" – (Einaudi, 1981). His choices were personal. He deliberately excluded the ‘obvious’ names, those that he believed should be the heritage of every reader, such as Dante, Leopardi, Manzoni, and Flaubert, as well as authors whose work had not been translated fully into Italian (apart from a few that he translated himself for the publication). His choices were made for reasons of personal like or dislike and included works that had meaning for himself, rather than because of their traditional literary value. The common thread of his choices is that they touch essential aspects of his reflection on the questions of evil and the injustice of human suffering, and on the redeeming power of knowledge. The years during which Levi worked on this personal anthology are also the years of his personal maturity, during which he read widely in disciplines such as anthropology, ethnography, and sociology. He was exposed to Einaudi’s “Collection of religious, ethnological and psychological studies” early on, and later proposed to the publisher some important essays on the history of ethnography.In the final chapter of the thesis, I focus on Levi’s translation of Mary Douglas’s "Natural Symbols" and explore the connections between Douglas’s research, dedicated to the close relationship between ritualism and social organization, and Levi’s reflections on the origin of evil and his elaboration of the concept of the “grey zone”. He believed that a defence against the disorder of life was hidden in the "Shulkhan Arùkh", a set of rules for Ashkenazi ritualism, and that its message was that when rules are divorced from morality, then hatred for the Jews and Auschwitz can result. The nagging anxiety created by the need to understand how the Holocaust happened runs through all of Levi’s work, resulting eventually in the redeeming project of "La ricerca delle radici".</p
What’s in a Name? The Presence of Feminist Foreign Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textThe transformative potential of Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) remains elusive despite its rising momentum. First conceptualised as a mechanism for integrating gender equality into foreign policy, FFP is now a contested paradigm with divergent normative underpinnings, balancing ethical ideals and policy pragmatism. The contribution of this thesis is twofold. First, building on theoretical and empirical scholarship, this thesis advances a critical FFP conceptual framework that departs from liberal FFP interpretations and embraces ethical and postcolonial logics. Second, using this conceptual framework, this thesis examines the extent to which Aotearoa’s foreign policy has transformative feminist underpinnings that align with critical FFP. This research addresses the question, to what extent is Aotearoa’s foreign policy feminist? To do this, the author examines the discourse and outcomes of Aotearoa’s foreign policy across all domains, including defence, humanitarian and development aid, trade and human rights policy from 2019–2023. This thesis finds that Aotearoa’s foreign policy sat at a crucial juncture. It demonstrated firm rhetorical commitments to gender mainstreaming and the feminist principles of gender equality, inclusivity, and human rights. However, critical gaps existed in Aotearoa’s implementation of these principles within its foreign policy practice. To champion a transformative feminist agenda, this thesis posits that Aotearoa’s foreign policy must address the power dynamics and gendered hierarchies across all areas of its foreign policy practice.</p
The Unsettledness of Treaty Settlements: Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara - a case study
No full textIn very broad terms, Treaty of Waitangi claims in Aotearoa New Zealand are pursued by Māori people with great hope over long periods of time and under duress; hope that settlement with the Crown will bring justice to long-held grievances and acknowledgement of the accumulated damage and hurt; hope for the beginning of a transformation and change. Cultural and financial redress are expected to provide opportunities for revitalisation and reconstruction of a kin-based community and way of life that is distinctly and proudly of their own heritage. This is often expressed in terms of tino rangatiratanga (paramount authority), mana motuhake (autonomy), mana whenua (customary authority over land), and simply, mana (customary authority) – key pillars upholding practices that sustain confidence in an identity handed down from their tūpuna (ancestors) and a will to continue living that identity. This thesis is a case study of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, a relatively small settling group, located in south Kaipara (a rural area just north of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city), who lodged a treaty claim in 1992 and received a settlement in 2013. It explores the realities of working the settlement to drive social, cultural, economic, and environmental initiatives in accordance with their own values and design, to support and uplift whānau (extended family) well-being, and restore faith in their ability to manage and represent their affairs via the organisation created to manage the settlement, the post settlement governance entity. My starting point, based on my own experience, is that there is an inherent contradiction in treaty settlements and that the unintended consequence of them is that there is more ‘unsettledness’ post settlement. My thesis asks in which ways do treaty settlements create unsettledness, what form does unsettledness take, and what progress is being made despite any unsettledness? While a certain optimism permeates treaty settlements because of the presumed synergy between self-reliance and rangatiratanga (self-determination), my findings are that a treaty settlement is also another form of colonisation. It entrenches norms and behaviours that comply with the institutional framework of the Crown yet does not offer the comparable power and resources to the settling group to effect major change to those legislative and bureaucratic institutions. Though a settlement provides a framework in principle for reparation, many aspects depend on further negotiation with the Crown to finalise them, which has proven difficult to achieve. Despite the gesture of reconciliation in a treaty settlement and the rhetoric of removing the grievances and strengthening the relationship between the settling group and the Crown, there is no shared vision of the future. Consequently, the logistics of post settlement are plagued with complexities and distractions, causing further division and disappointment within the settling group in their struggle to meet their own expectations. At the same time, a settlement provides an agreed set of criteria for a settling group to hold the Crown to account. A settlement holds opportunities for empowerment and transformation in that it provides a settling group with more assets, resources and mechanisms of self-governance than it had before. It acknowledges the historical injustices suffered and includes an apology from the Crown that allows for an improved relationship and further dialogue with the Crown. My conclusion is that despite the unintended consequences and unsettledness, or perhaps because of them, the settling group will find ways of reimagining themselves and their capabilities that could never have been foreseen until after settlement. Contestation and debate can bring unpredictable turning points critical to determining what is important to the settling group and propel creativity and innovation. In this case, there is a strong will to continue to evolve, to fulfil the hopes of those who lodged the treaty claim to provide a more settled future for generations of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara to come.</p
Numerical study of the effect of anisotropy and field dependence of critical current on AC loss in REBCO coated conductors and stacks
No full textHigh-temperature superconducting (HTS) AC electrical devices generally carry AC transport currents and are exposed to AC external magnetic fields with arbitrary orientations. Realistic HTS coated conductors (CCs) show diverse critical current anisotropy and field dependence (Ic(B,θ)), which directly affect the superconducting behavior. However, under complex electromagnetic (EM) conditions, the discrepancies in AC loss characteristics caused by different Ic(B,θ) features are still unclear. Moreover, the selection of CCs with desirable Ic(B,θ) features to further reduce AC loss under various EM conditions remains overlooked. In this work, the transport AC loss (Qt) (without field), magnetization loss (Qm), and total AC loss (Qtot) of the nearly isotropic Shanghai Creative (SCST) CC and the strongly anisotropic Fujikura (FYSC) CC, along with their stacks, are investigated in the range of 90° and 90° (parallel to the CC wide surface) field angles based on the H-formulation. The results show that, due to the opposite angular dependence of Ic, the effective penetration fields of these two CCs or stacks exhibit distinct trends with the field angle, and the Qm in the nearly isotropic CC is less dominated by the perpendicular field component compared to that in the strongly anisotropic CC. Furthermore, due to the different field dependence of Ic at various field angles, the two CCs or stacks exhibit opposite flux flow loss behaviors with the field angle. Overall, the SCST CC and its stack show lower Qtot within the angle range around 0°, and this range expands as the external field increases, while the FYSC CC and its stack show lower Qtot at the remaining angles. This is further explained by analyzing the field distribution and Qtot of each tape in the stacks. This paper clarifies the discrepancies in AC loss caused by different Ic(B,θ) and identifies the applicable EM conditions for different REBCO materials to reduce AC loss, providing valuable references for material selection to minimize loss in HTS AC devices across different scenarios
Population genomics of Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross and use of genetic markers for threatened seabird species identification
No full textBiodiversity loss is occurring at an unprecedented rate, and seabirds are one of the most threatened taxa. This is of serious concern because of their important role as top predators in the marine ecosystem, which makes their protection and recovery an important goal of conservation. A range of factors have been implicated in the decline of seabird populations, and mortality due to incidental bycatch in fisheries is considered one of the biggest threats. The implementation of effective measures to protect seabirds against bycatch mortality relies on accurate assessment of the risk to populations. This can be hindered because of difficulties delineating and identifying species from bycatch using morphology, or uncertainty about population units and taxonomy. The Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross (Diomedea antipodensis antipodensis and D. a. gibsoni) are taxa of particular concern due to recent population declines, largely as a result of incidental fisheries bycatch mortality. However, the effectiveness of current conservation measures is unclear due to the taxonomic uncertainty of these taxa and the lack of information about distinct population units. The aims of this thesis were to investigate the use of genetic markers for assessment of seabird taxa highly threatened by fisheries to inform conservation management by 1) developing genetic markers to identify seabird bycatch from fisheries, 2) assemble high-quality reference genomes for the Antipodean and Gibson’s albatrosses and 3) use whole-genome data to assess their population genetic structure.Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers were assessed for their utility in genetic identification of seabirds caught in New Zealand fisheries. Analysis of sequences across 36 species indicated cytochrome oxidase I (COI) was useful as a broadly applicable genetic marker for species identification, with successful identification of 28 of 36 species. To provide additional resolution, mtDNA control region sequences were used to successfully identify species not resolved using COI sequence. Three subspecies pairs were unable to be distinguished using either marker. However, assembly of whole mitogenomes for one of these pairs, the Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross, revealed a diagnostic variable repeat region suitable for taxon identification for this species. A workflow for genetic identification of seabird specimens was developed and is presented. These methodologies can be implemented in fisheries management for identification of bycaught seabirds, to assess the risk of fisheries to different species.De novo whole-genome sequences were generated and assembled for both the Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross using samples collected from the respective breeding sites on Antipodes Island and the Auckland Islands. DNA sequencing was performed using Oxford Nanopore Technology chemistry and the Flye algorithm used for genome assembly. The final reference genomes were approximately 1.25 Gigabase pairs (Gb) in length and comprising 255 and 313 scaffolds for the Antipodean and Gibson’s assembly respectively, although the largest 60 scaffolds of each genome showed BUSCO completeness of ~97%. Approximately 10% of each genome was composed of repetitive elements. These highly contiguous and complete reference genomes will be a valuable resource for future population genomic analysis of the Antipodean and Gibson’s albatrosses, as demonstrated in further chapters of this thesis.Population genetic structure and differentiation of the Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross was assessed using whole-genome resequencing data for 43 individuals from each taxon. Overall, 6.7 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. After filtering, final datasets of 60,488 neutrally evolving, and 21 outlier (putatively adaptive) independently segregating SNPs were obtained. Analysis of these datasets revealed low but significant genetic differentiation between the Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross, with no evidence of contemporary gene flow. Further assessment using the neutral dataset revealed apparent fine-scale structure within the Gibson’s albatross population, with birds breeding on different islands showing a degree of genetic differentiation. Discovery of significant genome-wide differentiation between the Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross agrees with other evidence (morphological and behavioural) of population differentiation. This identification of distinct breeding units will help to inform improved management of the taxa and may prompt reconsideration of their taxonomic status. The high-quality reference genomes are the first for Diomedea albatrosses and some of the first presented across the albatross family. These provide a valuable resource for study of albatross phylogeny and evolution. Improvements in resolution of taxon discrimination and genetic structure highlights the promise of genomic data for informing management of populations of closely related seabirds. Overall, this thesis research demonstrates the value of both genetics and genomics for precise assessment and monitoring of threatened populations, which is critical for effective conservation.</p
Quantifying the Cosmogenic Radionuclide Concentration in Landslide Dominated Catchments
No full textThe measurement of cosmogenic radionuclides (CRNs) in alluvial and fluvial sediments has become one of the most popular methods for quantifying erosional processes across a wide variety of landscapes. Despite the prevalent use of CRNs for determining catchment-averaged erosion rates, deep-seated co-seismic landslides can bias the CRN concentration in detrital sediment through the input of low concentration CRN sediment in the channel. The influence of co-seismic landslide magnitude and frequency on the CRN concentration in tectonically active catchments however, is still relatively unknown. Through a combination of field measurements and numerical modelling, this thesis aims to understand the impact of landsliding on the in-situ CRN concentration in detrital sediment. In particular, this study aims to investigate how 10Be dilution subsequent a major earthquake event can provide insights into sediment transport dynamics and determine the influence of earthquake events on the CRN concentration over millennial timescales. This thesis begins by presenting the 10Be concentrations in two catchments, the Hapuku and Kowhai, that were greatly affected by the 2016 7.8 Mw Kaikoura earthquake event, New Zealand. The 10Be concentration was measured in multiple grain sizes and compared to the detailed landslide inventories and sediment fluxes calculated from the geomorphic change detection. The landslides triggered from the earthquake delivered low enough 10Be concentrations to the channel to dilute the concentration in both the sand and pebble grain sizes. The results indicated that the 10Be concentration in the sand and pebble fraction accurately reflect the suspended and bedload flux, respectively. To understand the factors controlling the 10Be dilution in each catchment, a numerical model is built to accurately calculate the CRN concentration through time with various erosional processes and landslide events. By varying the residence time and hillslope sediment contribution using the landslide distribution from the Kaikoura earthquake, the model is able to predict the measured dilution factors. The model results suggested that magnitude of dilution is controlled by the ratio of landslide to background sediment volume. As one earthquake event is able to influence the CRN concentration, the model is then utilised to explore the influence of recurrent earthquake events on the mean 10Be concentration in the channel over a millennial-scale. This result is particularly prevalent in catchments where frequent large earthquakes occur that potentially generate significantly large landslides. The results from this study indicated that regardless of the existing background erosion rate, the CRN concentration at any point in time is dictated by the production rate of CRNs, and the time from the last earthquake event. The model results highlight the importance that the catchment-averaged erosion rate derived from the CRN concentration can either underestimate or overestimate the true catchment-averaged erosion rate if landslides are the dominate driver of erosion. Hence, the CRN concentration may never accurately reflect the background erosion rate in tectonically active catchments that are frequently perturbed by mass-wasting events. Previous studies that have published catchment-averaged erosion rates derived from the CRN concentration in catchments where perturbed by landslides and other mass-wasting events may therefore need reassessment. This thesis demonstrates that deciphering catchment average erosion rates using the CRN concentration in tectonically active landscapes is complex and provides important guidance on how CRN signals may be interpreted.</p
The Effect of Cross-border Acquisition Experience on Subsequent Cross-border Acquisitions: A Test of the S-shape Hypothesis
No full textThe literature generally supports the linear effect of cross-border acquisition (CBA) experience on subsequent CBA behaviour. We draw from the extended organisational learning perspective to propose an S-shaped relationship between CBA experience and subsequent CBAs. We hypothesise that the number of CBAs decreases at a low level of CBA experience, increases at a moderate level of CBA experience, and decreases again at a high level of CBA experience. Based on a sample of 1675 observations from 205 Indian MNEs, we find support for our hypothesis. Our findings contribute to the CBA literature, specifically in the context of emerging economy multinational enterprises
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