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Sculpture: 'Yellow River Boat 2'
No full textThis sculpture was gifted to Chengdu University, Chengdu, China by the Waikato Institute of Technology, NZ. It was gifted for the 10th Anniversary of the partnership between Chengdu University and the Waikato Institute of Technology.
The work refers to water vehicles, river transport and exchange of goods, as well as having reference to traditional culture in a continually modernizing world. The title also refers to a major waterway, and also to the colour of the industrial material used in its fabrication
Who is art for?
Get PDFThis lecture addresses the following set of linked questions:
Has contemporary art become a form of mass entertainment? What, if anything, distinguishes contemporary art from other forms of popular culture? Should art have as wide an audience as possible? Why is contemporary art so popular at the moment? Is the popularity of contemporary art a problem or something to be welcomed
The effect of swilling carbohydrate, menthol or a combination on 40km cycling time trial in the heat.
Get PDFIntroduction: Both carbohydrate and menthol mouth swills have shown ergogenic effects under a variety of settings. The aim of the current study was to compare the effect of the aforementioned mouth swill solutions on 40 km time trial (TT) performance in the heat (32°C, 40% humidity, 300kw radiant load) and investigate associated subjective measures (thermal comfort, thermal sensation, thirst, and RPE) every 5km. Methods: Six (6) recreationally trained male cyclists (31.8 ± 5.9 years, 178.2 ± 6.0 cm, 75.7 ± 10.0 kg) completed 3 trials, swilling either menthol (MEN), carbohydrate (CHO), or a combination (BOTH) at 10km intervals (5, 15, 25, 35km). Results: There was no statistically significant difference in 40km TT performance between mouth swills (P = 1.00), with MEN producing slightly quicker times on average (MEN 65:43 ± 4:48, CHO 66:09 ± 4:13, BOTH 65:57 ± 3:58 min:sec). Subjective measures were not significantly different, however MEN showed small (0.2-0.6) and moderate (0.6-1.2) effect size increases on thermal comfort compared to CHO and BOTH 5km post swill. Discussion: The ability to activate receptors in the oral cavity may be responsible for improved athletic performance due to potential central activation. The ability to perceptually cool and or fuel an athlete while exercising, especially in the heat, may allow for improved levels of thermal comfort and subsequently enhanced performance Take Home Message: Results, however, indicate that while MEN showed a beneficial effect on making participants feel more comfortable while exercising in the heat compared to CHO or BOTH, 40km TT was not significantly difference between solutions
Strength and reaction time capabilities of New Zealand polo players and their association with polo playing handicap
Get PDFPolo is an equestrian team sport consisting of four players per team, with level of play determined by cumulative player handicap (-2 to + 10 goals), with a higher handicap denoting a better player. There is minimal literature investigating Polo players’ physical attributes, hence the understanding of the physical characteristics that may contribute to an improved handicap are unknown. This study sought to identify the relationship between pertinent strength measures (left and right hand grip strength; absolute and relative isometric mid-thigh pull) and reaction time in Polo handicap in 19 New Zealand Polo players, and ascertain whether handicap could be predicted by these measures. Correlation coefficients were expressed using R values, accompanying descriptors and 90% confidence intervals (C.I.). Variance explained was expressed via the R2 statistic, and statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Right hand grip strength, isometric mid-thigh pull values were found to significantly correlate to and explain variance within Polo player handicap (all moderate to large correlations; p< 0.05). Whereas left hand grip strength (R: 0.380; 90% C.I. -0.011 to 0.670) and reaction time (0.020; -0.372 to 0.406) were non-significant, moderate and trivial correlates and predictors of handicap respectively. Practically, these findings highlight the differing roles between rein and mallet hands of Polo players and emphasise the importance of a strong and stable platform when riding and striking the ball. Lack of association with reaction time may be explained in part by higher handicapped Polo players employing a more proactive approach to the game
Dispersal of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Driven by Historical European Trade in the South Pacific
No full textMycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a globally distributed bacterial pathogen whose population structure has largely been shaped by the activities of its obligate human host. Oceania was the last major global region to be reached by Europeans and is the last region for which the dispersal and evolution of Mtb remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the evolutionary history of the Euro-American L4.4 sublineage and its dispersal to the South Pacific. Using a phylodynamics approach and a dataset of 236 global Mtb L4.4 genomes we have traced the origins and dispersal of L4.4 strains to New Zealand. These strains are predominantly found in indigenous Māori and Pacific people and we identify a clade of European, likely French, origin that is prevalent in indigenous populations in both New Zealand and Canada. Molecular dating suggests the expansion of European trade networks in the early 19th century drove the dispersal of this clade to the South Pacific. We also identify historical and social factors within the region that have contributed to the local spread and expansion of these strains, including recent Pacific migrations to New Zealand and the rapid urbanization of Māori in the 20th century. Our results offer new insight into the expansion and dispersal of Mtb in the South Pacific and provide a striking example of the role of historical European migrations in the global dispersal of Mtb
Tuberculosis as an Underlying Etiological Factor for Other Human Respiratory Diseases
No full textTuberculosis (TB) does not occur in isolation from other human illnesses. There are multiple examples where TB combines with one of more comorbidities to amplify its prevalence. Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, or lifestyle behaviors including smoking and alcohol misuse, place people at a greater risk of presenting with active TB. But the epidemiological associations between TB and other human conditions are not confined to increasing susceptibility to TB disease. TB, in itself, is an underlying risk factor for the development of downstream respiratory illnesses later in life. This indicates that injury to the host resulted from an episode of TB persists beyond successful eradication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by antimicrobial drug therapy. In this chapter, the specific role of TB in promoting other lung diseases is examined. In particular, TB during childhood increases the risk of development of progressive and poorly reversible airway diseases that include bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is apparent from the literature that prevention of TB disease offers a potential pathway for reducing the global burden of downstream chronic lung diseases
Bring the bird music back across New Zealand part of Smart Hamilton Smart Space
Get PDFEvery day, all around New Zealand, the dawn chorus tells us that our birdlife is one of our greatest treasures. Yet, New Zealand’s native birds are under threat from introduced predators such as possums, rats and stoats. How can modern information technology help to solve this problem
An overview of recent research with adult Learners with limited literacy
Get PDFIn August of this year I attended the LESLLA
conference in Pittsburgh, USA to show findings
from a 2-year research project conducted in my
hometown in New Zealand. Hamilton, a city of
178,000, receives regular intakes of former
quota refugees through UNHCR. My research
was with 60 of these learners who had limited
or no print literacy in their L1. The participants
came from Wintec, a tertiary educational
institution, and a partner organisation, English
Language Partners New Zealand, who provide
tutoring in homes and ESOL Literacy classes for
their 7000 learners.
The research investigated whether there were
differences in rates of learning between two
groups of adult former-refugee participants:
refugees that had 0-2 years of prior education
and those that had 8 plus years of prior
education. An online digital assessment,
developed by the Tertiary Education
Commission New Zealand, tracks students’
learning progress and was administered at the
beginning and end of every programme.
Learners’ receptive/listening skills and
recognition and selection of 30 familiar
vocabulary items were captured over four
sessions over 18 months. The results showed
that those who had more years of prior
learning learned at a slightly faster rate than those with little or no prior education
Distance, speed and high-intensity characteristics of 0 to 24-goal, mixed and women’s polo
Get PDFThis dataset presents information pertaining to the spatiotemporal characteristics of Polo play from a 0 to 24-goal level. Data were collected by player worn GPS units, across a New Zealand Polo season. The dataset comprises observations from 466 chukkas of Polo, across mixed and women’s only Polo and is curated by cumulative player handicap. Data are presented for distance, speed and high intensity metrics, which have further ategorised into five equine-based speed zones. The purpose of this dataset is to provide a detailed quantification of a range of Polo performance levels, advancing the scope and size of previous Polo literature that has employed GPS technology. This dataset may be of value to equine scientists and trainers, veterinary practitioners and sports scientists
Surface irregularities in titanium marine parts formed by the particulate injection moulding process.
Get PDFHigh-alloy steels with the addition of > 10 % chromium are known as stainless steels and due to their increased strength and oxidation resistance are used for food production equipment, in the chemical industry and in the marine environments. A problem within some marine environments is that corrosion still occurs. The corrosion still occurs despite the alloying content because of high mechanical stress a result of high loading. This is particularly seen in structural applications and load points. While this may be acceptable within industries such as commercial fishing and container transportation it is not desirable in luxury vessels or high-performance sports vessels. To eliminate the effects of stress on these components materials with greater oxidation resistance are recommended one of which is titanium metal. Not only does titanium metal have greater oxidation resistance than marine alloyed chromium steels it also has lower density and higher yield strength which enable lower weight and lower material utilisation.
In this study a structural hold down component was designed and produced using the particulate injection moulding (PIM) process. The material of choice was titanium due not only to the material properties mentioned previously but also due to the desire to create custom made components for a state-of-the-art marine vessel, Earthrace 2.
The component was produced using the particulate injection moulding (PIM) process. This fabrication technique was used due to several efficiencies offered by the process. It supports materials sustainability of the powder metallurgy approach by using only the volume of metal required to create the necessary part geometries (material utilisation). It has high reproducibility which is desirable for high volume of parts, it produces isotropic material properties and where necessary can be used to provide unique alloys not possible from wrought material.
The original design was modified to better utilise the titanium properties and using a polymer mould tool green parts were produced with green machining used to mark the parts with logos and identifiers and apply final features. The tests were never completed as the break was always the lifting shackle used to connect mounts to the universal testing instrument. The load shackles had working capacity six times that required for the mounts. To this end, the mounts were redesigned and a material saving of some 40 % was realised. The new components, therefore, having a thinner wall section and a corresponding reduction in loading capability is expected.
One unexpected result of reducing the wall thickness was seen on the upper surface of the mount known as surface bloom. It can be seen during plastic moulding of single-phase commodity polymers as a result of changes in the polymer density, due to shear stresses and irregularities of turbulent flow. The PIM process, however, uses a two-phase (polymer carrier and the titanium particles) metallic blend or feedstock that behaves in a different manner to a polymer.
The literature suggests the surface bloom is a result of a separation between the two phases, but the preliminary findings show little evidence of this within the sectioned profile. It is this phenomenon that is being investigated and will be presented in relation to melt flow modelling, mechanical simulation and visual analysis. The sections are subjected to mechanical testing and it is these results combined with SEM imaging that shows in greater detail a more likely scenario