3501 research outputs found
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It's only a duck
No full textA short soundscape composition for contemporary dance.
Based around vocal snippets from documentary footage of a morning tea.
Created as part of a research project with the University of Otago Department of Music and Theatre.
Premiered at the 'Super-Taster' event
Topical and ingested cooling methodologies for endurance exercise performance in the heat
Get PDFThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess studies which have investigated cooling methodologies, their timing and effects, on endurance exercise performance in trained athletes (Category 3; VO2max ≥ 55 mL·kg·min−1) in hot environmental conditions (≥28 °C). Meta-analyses were performed to quantify the effects of timings and methods of application, with a narrative review of the evidence also provided. A computer-assisted database search was performed for articles investigating the effects of cooling on endurance performance and accompanying physiological and perceptual responses. A total of 4129 results were screened by title, abstract, and full text, resulting in 10 articles being included for subsequent analyses. A total of 101 participants and 310 observations from 10 studies measuring the effects of differing cooling strategies on endurance exercise performance and accompanying physiological and perceptual responses were included. With respect to time trial performance, cooling was shown to result in small beneficial effects when applied before and throughout the exercise bout (Effect Size: −0.44; −0.69 to −0.18), especially when ingested (−0.39; −0.60 to −0.18). Current evidence suggests that whilst other strategies ameliorate physiological or perceptual responses throughout endurance exercise in hot conditions, ingesting cooling aids before and during exercise provides a small benefit, which is of practical significance to athletes’ time trial performanc
How to create and sustain a strong profile, in order to grow the heart trust organisation
Get PDFThis research project seeks to develop conclusions that will assist in the alleviation of The Heart Trust’s current problems by identifying how an organisation can create and sustain strong company profile, in order to achieve future growth. In this report, profile is defined and referred to as business/corporate identity. The research identifies that the subject of corporate identity is very multidisciplinary and entails various areas of theory/strategy pivotal for success, such as, quality leadership & management, clear mission, vision, values, branding, communication, reputation, and image. It has become evident that strong identity requires a full organisational approach, in order to develop a shared understanding and commitment towards The Heart Trust’s actual (i.e. distinct & unique) identity. This must be first achieved internally with The Heart Trust trustees & employees, in order to maintain one unique identity concept (i.e. differentiation & competitive
advantage), which can then be communicated and successfully understood by all relevant external stakeholders (i.e. potential donors, etc.). Research results have confirmed that The Heart Trust’s weak internal identity and organisational behaviour of high resistance towards change are prime causes for their weak external identity (i.e. lack of profile & differentiation). Therefore, it is recommended that The Heart Trust quickly overcomes this resistance, in order to develop and articulate clear mission, vision, and value statements; essential elements for the creation and sustainment of identity/profile
Optimal treatments and experiences for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM): improving health for mothers and babies
Get PDFAims: To provide insights into optimal treatments, glycaemic targets, and experiences of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) to guide clinical management.
Optimal treatments for women with GDM
Method: An overview of Cochrane systematic reviews to synthesise evidence on treatments for women with GDM.
Findings: Eight systematic reviews were eligible and included a total of 62 randomised trials involving 9133 women, 8373 babies and 767 children. High-quality evidence suggested that lifestyle interventions were ineffective for reducing the likelihood of induction of labour compared with usual diet/diet alone. Exercise compared with control was ineffective in improving the return to pre-pregnancy weight. No other high-quality evidence was found.
Promising interventions included lifestyle interventions (reduced risk of large for gestational age) and the DASH diet (reduced rate of caesarean section).
Glycaemic treatment targets for women with GDM
Method: A Cochrane systematic review to synthesise evidence from randomised controlled trials on the effect of different glycaemic targets for women with GDM and their children.
Findings: One randomised trial with 180 women was eligible and included. Based on limited data it remains unclear which glycaemic targets to recommend for women with GDM for improving their health and that of their babies.
Views, experiences, barriers, and enablers of women with GDM on achieving optimal glycaemic control
Methods: Sixty women with GDM completed the survey and semi-structured interview.
Findings: The survey highlighted how the 60 women viewed adherence to their glycaemic targets and identified ten enablers and nine barriers. Thematic analysis using the Theoretical Domains Framework from the semi-structured interviews provided insights of the women’s first reaction to a diagnosis of GDM and identified multiple barriers and enablers for women with GDM trying to achieve optimal glycaemic control within ten relevant Theoretical Domains.
Conclusions
This thesis found limited evidence for effective treatments and glycaemic targets for women with GDM. A need for high-quality research with long-term follow-up was identified. Women with GDM in New Zealand identified multiple enablers and barriers to achieving optimal glycaemic control that need to be considered when providing health care
Critical thinking: A perpetual paradox
No full textThis paper reports on the findings from a doctoral study examining critical thinking in Nursing practice in New Zealand.
The term ‘critical thinking’ has conflicting definitions in Nursing, For some, it is an analytical linear problem solving approach within defined parameters, while for others it demands an engagement with underpinning theoretical and philosophical influences. Critical thinking is, however, considered crucial and essential for Nurses to determine what knowledge to use, what care to provide, and how
to decide the best way to deliver this care (Alfaro-LeFevre, 2009; Benner, Hughes & Sutphen, 2008; Brunt, 2005; Distler, 2007; Fesler-Birch, 2005; Martin, 2002; Profetto-McGrath, 2005; Scheffer,& Rubenfeld 2006; Simpson & Courtney, 2002). Yet, exactly what is required when Nurses critically think
is not clearly articulated within Nursing theory and practice. The study identifies assumptions about critical thinking within Nursing theory and clinical practice, and the way in which a number of discourses position and influence Nurses’ professional identities. These findings have international relevance for the Nursing profession and indeed other health professionals. The expectation that
critical thinking should be the ultimate aim of any higher education endeavour highlights this (Moore, 2011)
Proposing a centralized algorithm to minimize message broadcasting energy in wireless sensor networks using directional antennas
No full textWireless Sensor Networks(WSN) are utilized in many fields such as environmental monitoring and military applications. The nodes of WSNs are not rechargeable, so energy conservation in these networks is important. One of the important issues in these networks is to optimize energy in message broadcasting. Depending on the ability of nodes and antennas, broadcasting is done in two means: directional and omni-directional antennas. There are centralized algorithms to broadcast message in wireless networks either by directional or omni-directional antennas. The problem of minimizing energy in broadcasting and multicasting is Non-polynomial-hard. In this paper, a centralized algorithm is proposed to improve energy and running time of the algorithm by using directional antennas. As evolutionary algorithms by omni-directional antenna are better than heuristic algorithms in terms of the time and the average result; a new approach based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) as an evolutionary algorithm is proposed in this paper. We have also considered and evaluated most of famous evolutionary algorithms such as Simulated Annealing (SA), genetic algorithm (GA), Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO), Harmony Search (HS) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). The experiment results indicate that the proposed method is effective especially in term of energy conservation
Manual drafting. Is it still relevant?
Get PDFAs a mini-workshop, this session has a focus on delivery of the course DE4103 Technical literacy but is relevant to all courses that may face obsoletion due to changing technology
Predicting and improving the recognition of emotions
Get PDFThe technological world is moving towards more effective and friendly human computer interaction. A key factor of these emerging requirements is the ability of future systems to recognise human emotions, since emotional information is an important part of human-human communication and is therefore expected to be essential in natural and intelligent human-computer interaction. Extensive research has been done on emotion recognition using facial expressions, but all of these methods rely mainly on the results of some classifier based on the apparent expressions. However, the results of classifier may be badly affected by the noise including occlusions, inappropriate lighting conditions, sudden movement of head and body, talking, and other possible problems. In this paper, we propose a system using exponential moving averages and Markov chain to improve the classifier results and somewhat predict the future emotions by taking into account the current as well as previous emotions
Developing a business strategy to increase customer loyalty for Q variety stores
Get PDFQ Variety Stores started as a small $2 shop in 2012, and now it has expanded to eight branches and one franchise all over New Zealand. As the business grows, Q Variety Stores is also facing more increased competition from its peers in the industry. Recent research acknowledged customer loyalty as one of the most significant factors for the success of an organisation, because it can bring many benefits and retain existing customers. Therefore, this research aims to investigate strategies to improve customer loyalty for Q Variety Stores. The author conducted a questionnaire to customers in eight branches to get feedback and provided a specific loyalty programme in the survey for customers’ feedback. A key finding shows that Q Variety Stores already have had some loyal customers, but there is still room for improvement. The questionnaire also revealed that customers’ acceptance of the hypothetical loyalty programme is low, but most of them are fond of some other mature customer loyalty programmes with other suppliers. It is concluded that a loyalty programme that won’t cost customers a lot may work at Q Variety Stores, and it should provide customers with the benefits that actually meet their needs
The drivers of motivation
Get PDFThis project has been completed for a medium-sized supermarket located on the southern side of Hamilton. They currently have 83 people employed to work there. The reason for researching the drivers of motivation is so employers can begin to understand the best ways to motivate their individual employees
The aim of the project was to analyse what drives motivation in the workplace and to provide recommendations for the supermarket.
Both a questionnaire and interview were used, the questionnaire with the purpose of gathering a large amount of quantitative data in a short period of time and the interview to build on the results received from the questionnaires and provide qualitative data. Only employees in the grocery and checkout departments were asked to participate.
Results from the questionnaire and interview showed that when it came to store culture, most staff felt that it could improve, that the store’s values were not being displayed, and that if store culture improved they would be better motivated. The store culture was also identified as an important motivator, especially for the staff over 26 years of age.
When data concerning training and development was analysed, it was found that both training and career development were important motivators, with most staff wishing to undertake training and/or career development opportunities if they arose. From the analyses of the results for the reward and recognition questions, the staff indicated they felt they were not valued as employees and would prefer to receive more feedback to help increase their motivation. Pay was the last motivator to be analysed. The respondents indicated that they felt an increase in their pay rate would improve their motivation. However, upon further analysis through the interview, it was found although initially they would be motivated whether this would permanently improve their motivation was questionable.
There were three recommendations for the organisation. These were, to implement a reward and recognition programme that addressed meeting the three motivational needs of the staff mentioned above, rewards and recognition, pay, and training and development. The second was to improve store culture, which would involve taking existing store values and establishing them into everyday life at the supermarket, so they become a shared set of values by them team. The third was to undertake further research to investigate how the motivational needs for the supermarket industry, a typical low skill, entry level job may differ to that of a higher skill job