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Ngā manu taketake o te ao (Indigenous birds of the world): a scoping review of research focusing on Indigenous speech-language therapy for Indigenous children, using Indigenous methodologies
No full textFor Indigenous children with speech, language and communication needs, providing speech-language therapy within their worldview is of vital importance. This scoping review identified speech-language therapy research undertaken internationally in the past 20 years using Indigenous methodologies. This is part of a research project conducted by tribal researchers from Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki Trust, the mandated tribal organization located in the Eastern region of New Zealand’s North Island. The review critically appraised 31 articles and theses using the CONSoliDated critERia (CONSIDER) for strengthening reporting of health research involving Indigenous peoples, to evaluate the quality of research practices in studies involving Indigenous peoples. The review revealed small pockets of speech-language therapy research for children from Indigenous communities around the English-speaking world, but insufficient research to form a robust evidence base to meet the rights of any group of Indigenous peoples, as expressed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Electrochemical Ammonia Production under Ambient Conditions based on Ion Beam Synthesised Transition Metal (Oxy)Nitride Catalysts
No full textThesis embargoed until 09/202
The Reality of Implementing the New Zealand Curriculum in Classrooms: The Challenges Experienced by Japanese Language Teachers in Secondary Schools
No full textIn 2010, New Zealand fully implemented a revised national curriculum that included Learning Languages as a new learning area, aiming to develop students' communicative competence through interactive, learner-centred approaches. Successful curriculum reform hinges on teachers' understanding of policy objectives and their perceived relevance and practicality. This study examines how New Zealand secondary school Japanese language teachers are implementing the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and identifies influencing factors.
While there have been studies that examined the implementation of the NZC and its challenges across all teaching disciplines, none have specifically focused on Japanese language teaching and learning. This study provides direct insights from Japanese language teachers through a nationwide online survey and semi-structured interviews. It identifies the unique challenges and barriers these teachers face in implementing the curriculum reform. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lesson observations could not be conducted as originally planned. To provide a more comprehensive picture, students' perspectives and those of assessment governing bodies were included.
The findings indicated that teachers agreed with the NZC’s ideal language learning goals but did not fully understand its underlying principles. The curriculum's open and generic nature posed significant challenges. Teachers often reverted to the previous curriculum guidelines and used past exam papers to ensure comprehensive content coverage, favouring traditional teacher-led methods deemed more effective for examination preparation.
Teachers identified barriers such as insufficient class time, low student proficiency, large class sizes, lack of resources, inadequate support and guidance, multi-level classes, assessment pressures and tensions between government agencies. For the Interact standard, intended to positively influence teaching, teachers often avoided it due to grading uncertainties and the time-consuming format. They found developing communicative competence challenging under these constraints and did not offer this standard.
By highlighting the specific experiences of Japanese language educators, this research offers an understanding of the practical difficulties and systemic issues that impact the implementation of the NZC in language classrooms. This study not only fills a critical gap in the literature but also provides valuable recommendations for policymakers, curriculum developers, teacher trainers and professional development programs aimed at supporting language teachers in their efforts to align classroom practices with curriculum goals
From Rupture to Rhythm: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Dance as a Somatic Response to Earthquake Trauma
No full textThis thesis explores the intricate relationship between dance and trauma, focusing on how embodied practices facilitate psychological recovery. Dominant narratives often prioritise cognitive experiences, limiting our understanding of healing. By employing a qualitative, post-positivist and critical autoethnographic approach, I reflect on my journey through trauma following the Christchurch earthquakes, utilising journal entries from the point of view of my younger self to illustrate the transformative power of movement and dance. The key themes of this research are structure and routine, socialisation, and alleviation of anxious thoughts, demonstrating how engaging with the body challenges conventional notions of recovery. Furthermore, it highlights the complementary role of Dance Movement Therapy in trauma- informed practices, advocating for a holistic approach that recognises the mind-body connection. The findings underscore the necessity of viewing trauma as an embodied experience and propose a shift toward movement-based therapeutic practices that empower individuals through their lived experiences. Ultimately, this research calls for reimagining therapeutic frameworks, emphasising dance's potential to complement current trauma- informed therapies and promote a bottom-up approach to recovery
Translation of Software Neuromorphic Platform to Hardware Implementation
No full textThe first perceptron models of neural networks have evolved further into deep neural networks such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs). These conventional models are efficient in applications like image processing and sequential data analysis, respectively. However, the lack of energy efficiency and biologically-inspired dynamics of the human brain is noticeable in this design due to the need of millions of parameters learning iteratively, therefore making learning slow and resource intensive. Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) that work by discrete spike events instead of continuous activations in conventional models more closely resemble the biological nature of neural systems and are fundamental to various neuromorphic platforms such as Intel Loihi, IBM TrueNorth, and BrainScale. These platforms take advantage of the event driven, parallel processing nature of real neural connections and have been shown to work well for different network models. High-level software frameworks and dedicated hardware on which to run SNNs remain a challenge to bridge the gap between the two. Presented in this thesis, is a design for implementing real-time processing of a group of spiking neurons using hardware. The hardware architecture is inspired by the high-level conceptual view of Nengo, which is a software framework that implements the Neural Engineering Framework (NEF). The design's main goal is to mimic how spiking neurons work together: by encoding signals into spike trains, employs synaptic filtering to emulate post-synaptic responses, and decodes the neuron output into an approximated signal, or a function thereof. The evaluations also show that reconfigurable hardware can be suitable for accurate and low latency neural computations with minimal resource overhead, with an approximated 94% accuracy while having a less complicated system. This work combines the flexibility of hardware implemented design and Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), alongside event-driven principles of spiking network models to provide a stepping stone for a complete hardware implemented and scalable neuromorphic network that more closely resembles the cognitive behavior of brain functionality
What is health education within HPE? A critical analysis of curriculum in Aotearoa New Zealand, China and Japan
No full textObjective: With growing international interest in youth mental health as well as the other health issues
faced by young people, school health education draws the attention of scholars from both East and West.
However, what stands for health education in the context of a ‘health and physical education’ (HPE)
curriculum varies widely between locations internationally. This article considers how we might understand
what counts as health education as part of HPE in different policy contexts.
Method: Informed by Foucauldian concepts of discourse, knowledge/power, and truth, we used Fairclough’s
textually oriented discourse analysis to conduct a critical discourse analysis of official HPE curriculum policy
in three different nation states (Aotearoa New Zealand, China and Japan).
Findings: In Aotearoa New Zealand, curriculum discourse reflects a socio-critical approach to health
education within HPE. In China, physical fitness dominates discourse on health education in HPE. In Japan,
health education in HPE is directly connected to notions of safety and disease.
Conclusion: In each of these three countries’ HPE curricula, we can see how global policy discourses
construct particular ‘truths’ about the place and purpose of health education in schools. It is important to
understand why different perspectives exist, because these different ‘truths’ are not just variations in policy content, but also reflect each country’s approach to health education as a response to unique challenges and
priorities, shaping how health is understood and practised
The Use of Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry to Improve Newborn Screening for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia in New Zealand
No full textNewborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) prevents the severe clinical complications that can occur in babies with the condition in the first few weeks after birth. The screening test is the measurement of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) by immunoassay in dried blood specimens collected 48-72 hours after birth. Screening is sensitive for the severest form of CAH but is confounded by a high false positive rate. Babies with milder forms of the condition may benefit from early treatment, can be missed by screening.
This thesis has two aims: Firstly, to improve screening specificity by incorporating a second-tier steroid profile test using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMSMS) and secondly, to identify novel bloodspot markers that may improve screening sensitivity for CAH.
In a prospective study, the existing second-tier screening immunoassay was replaced with a LCMSMS test incorporating five steroids. Second tier 17OHP, 21-deoxycortisol and steroid ratio parameters were evaluated in a series of studies before a new laboratory screening protocol was developed and modelled using data collected over a 4-year period (232,542 specimens and 35 residual specimens from babies with CAH). In a separate study, a LCMSMS method to measure 41 ketosteroids in bloodspot specimens was developed and evaluated and then applied to 53 specimens from babies with CAH and 389 specimens where a false positive screening result was encountered.
During the study, 11 CAH cases were detected, and the positive predictive value of screening improved from 1.1% to 48.7% after the introduction of LCMSMS. Analysis of retrospective cases was modelled to show that the sensitivity using the new protocol would improve from 78% to 87%, primarily due to the incorporation of 21-deoxycortisol as an additional second-tier marker. Evaluating the data from the expanded steroid study, 7 novel newborn screening markers, more sensitive than 17OHP, for the detection of classical CAH were identified. Two novel bloodspot markers, 21-deoxycortisone (receiver operated characteristic area under the curve 0.9906) and 11-ketotestosterone (AUC 0.9876) were more accurate markers than 21-deoxycortisol (AUC 0.9623) for the detection of classical CAH, and 21-deoxycortisone as a single marker had a specificity of 100%
Impact of Key Winemaking Tools on the Yeast-mediated Production of Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Chardonnay Wines
No full textChardonnay wine is one of the most popular white wines worldwide, holding a significant market share. Its widespread popularity stems not only from its diverse flavours, but also from its ability to adapt to different climatic and soil conditions. From the crisp and refreshing Chablis style to the rich and full-bodied Californian style, each Chardonnay has its unique charm. At the same time, the flavour profile of Chardonnay is not only determined by the grape variety itself but is also influenced by numerous factors during the winemaking process, among which the formation of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) plays a key role. VSCs are the product of yeast activity during fermentation, and their presence can bring about a reductive flavour, which is often described as a flinty, matchstick-like smell in white wines. This reductive flavour is often considered to be a defect, but as research into VSCs has progressed, certain VSCs have been shown to positively contribute to the formation of wine aromas. The ‘double-edged sword’ nature of VSCs has made it crucial for winemakers to precisely regulate their type and concentration during the winemaking process. Although detailed studies have been conducted on the mechanisms and pathways of VSC formation, there is still a lack of systematic research on which variables have a significant effect on VSCs during the winemaking process and how. Therefore, in this study, systematic comparative fermentation tests were conducted in both grape juice and synthetic grape medium (SGM) for turbidity levels, yeast inoculation regime, elemental sulfur addition, and oak chips addition, respectively.
The results of the study indicate that the fermentation medium has the most significant effect on the concentration of VSCs. Wines fermented in SGM, and wines fermented with grape juice exhibited significant differences in the concentrations of all 12 VSCs studied. Compared to the control group using only Saccharomyces cerevisiae, fermentation using the combination of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Hanseniaspora uvarum significantly modulated the concentrations of ethanethiol (EtSH), dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and carbon disulfide (CS₂). Furthermore, fermentation with a mixture of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts significantly reduced the alcohol content of the wine. Regarding the addition of elemental sulfur to simulate the residual sulfur sprayed in vineyards, no significant correlation between elemental sulfur addition and hydrogen sulfide concentration was observed in this experiment, despite the link between these molecules. However, significant changes were noted in the concentrations of diethyl sulfide (DES), methanethiol (MeSH), and 3-(methylthio)-1-propanol (MTP), many of which stem from H2S in terms of origin. The addition of oak chips had a limited impact on the concentration of VSCs, with only the concentration of carbon disulfide (CS2) being affected in this study. Surprisingly, increasing turbidity levels using grape solids did not result in significant changes in VSC concentrations, and the presence of grape solids in the fermentation system appeared to influence VSC concentrations more than the amount of solids present.
This study aims to provide an in-depth discussion of how these conditions affect the final concentrations of VSCs during the fermentation of Chardonnay wine. VSCs are key components of wine flavour, but their formation process is complex and influenced by a variety of factors. This research not only expands our understanding of the mechanisms underlying VSC formation but also provides valuable guidance for winemaking practices. Furthermore, it offers winemakers a useful toolkit to make more scientifically informed decisions during fermentation, ultimately enhancing both production efficiency and wine quality. In the long term, it will help provide consumers with higher-quality wines and better experiences, contributing to the competitiveness of the wine industry in the global market
Use of Dependency‐Annotated Learner Corpora in Measuring Syntactic Complexity for Granularity, Accuracy, Consistency, and Transparency: Implications for Research and Teaching
No full textAbstractSyntactic complexity has long been used to gauge language learners' performance, proficiency, and development, offering language teachers valid recommendations for syllabus design and materials development. Progress in syntactic complexity research foreshadows the imperative of measuring syntactic features at a high level of granularity, which remains, however, inadequately represented in the current operationalization of syntactic complexity. Beyond this misalignment, researchers also caution against the issues of consistency and accuracy in its measurement. We thus advocate for a methodological synergy by combining automatized dependency annotation and self‐built learner corpora, arguing that this can effectively address the aforementioned concerns and promote the initiative for transparency and openness in applied linguistics. Next, we concisely showcase how to manage this method step by step, which can be done easily with tools, and some practical considerations, so researchers and teachers can compile their do‐it‐yourself corpora. We conclude by discussing the implications of adopting this method for research and teaching. How this method can figure into potential areas of inquiry is identified with examples, including task‐based language teaching, writing assessment, and additional language syntactic acquisition. Pedagogically, we illustrate how this method can help language teachers identify gaps in learners' language production, raise their language awareness, and inform learner‐centered instruction.</jats:p
