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Athlete level, sport-type, and gender influences on training, mental health, and sleep during the early COVID-19 lockdown in Malaysia
Get PDFPurpose: We evaluated the extent of changes in training practices, recovery, mental health, and sleep patterns of athletes during the early COVID-19 lockdown in a single country-cohort. Methods: A total of 686 athletes (59% male, 41% female; 9% World Class, 28% International, 29% National, 26% State, 8% Recreational) from 50 sports (45% individual, 55% team) in Malaysia completed an online, survey-based questionnaire study. The questions were related to training practices (including recovery and injury), mental health, and sleep patterns. Results: Relative to pre-lockdown, training intensity (−34%), frequency (−20%, except World-Class), and duration (−24%–59%, especially International/World-Class) were compromised, by the mandated lockdown. During the lockdown, more space/access (69%) and equipment (69%) were available for cardiorespiratory training, than technical and strength; and these resources favoured World-Class athletes. Most athletes trained for general strength/health (88%) and muscular endurance (71%); and some used innovative/digital training tools (World-Class 48% vs. lower classification-levels ≤34%). More World-Class, International, and National athletes performed strength training, plyometrics, and sport-specific technical skills with proper equipment, than State/Recreational athletes. More females (42%) sourced training materials from social media than males (29%). Some athletes (38%) performed injury prevention exercises; 18% had mild injuries (knees 29%, ankles 26%), and 18% received a medical diagnosis (International 31%). Lower-level athletes (e.g., State 44%) disclosed that they were mentally more vulnerable; and felt more anxious (36% vs. higher-levels 14%–21%). Sleep quality and quantity were “normal” (49% for both), “improved” (35% and 27%), and only 16% and 14% (respectively) stated “worsened” sleep. Conclusion: Lockdown compromised training-related practices, especially in lower-level athletes. Athletes are in need of assistance with training, and tools to cope with anxiety that should be tailored to individual country requirements during lockdown situations. In particular, goal-driven (even if it is at home) fitness training, psychological, financial, and lifestyle support can be provided to reduce the difficulties associated with lockdowns. Policies and guidelines that facilitate athletes (of all levels) to train regularly during the lockdown should be developed
Key concepts in Māori and iwi histories: A critique of Te Takanga o te Wā (2015)
Get PDFIn 2019, the New Zealand government announced a “reset” of the national history curriculum, with the intention of including more Māori content and addressing ongoing petitions to make the New Zealand Wars compulsory in all schools. Two curricula - one for mainstream schools and the other for Māori immersion Kura - were developed, with each drawing on a recent Ministry of Education publication Te Takanga o te Wā (2015) to provide key insights to Māori history concepts and themes. The Māori curricula has since taken on the name of that document, and uses those themes in its new framework, while the mainstream curriculum also adopts some of these same concepts. But how relevant are these proposed themes and concepts to Māori history, and what have Māori and iwi historians and experts actually written or said about the significance of these concepts to Māori historical practice, content, and theory?
This thesis critiques the five key themes and concepts presented in Te Takanga o te Wā and evaluates their relevance as leading Māori history concepts. These are Whakapapa, Tūrangawaewae; Mana-Motuhake; Kaitiakitanga, and Whānaungatanga. This study surveys the existing work produced by Māori historians and other experts over the past century, particularly the extent to which they have used these themes or discussed their significance to Māori and iwi historical practice and thinking. This dissertation argues that aside from whakapapa, the majority of the themes presented in Te Takanga o te Wā are not reflected in the historiography of the field, and that there are in fact a range of other crucial concepts missing. These include discussions about Wā, the importance of te reo Māori, tikanga, Mātauranga-a-iwi and other important approaches like “historical trauma”, “survivance”, Kaupapa Māori and decolonisation
Monotonic and cyclic undrained behaviour and liquefaction resistance of pumiceous, non-plastic sandy silt
No full textExperimental data related to the mechanical behaviour of crushable pumiceous soils are limited compared with those for hard-grained soils. The main focus of previous studies has been on pumiceous sands, whereas pumiceous silts have not been investigated to date. In this paper, several series of monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests were performed to investigate the undrained behaviour and liquefaction resistance of a natural volcanic-ash derived, non-plastic pumiceous silt from northern New Zealand. Particle crushing due to sample reconstitution and triaxial testing was analysed by quantifying the changes in grain-size parameters and pumice contents. The main results can be summarized as follows. (1) The pumiceous silt showed a contractive response, even at medium to high relative densities, leading to high flow liquefaction susceptibility. (2) When subjected to cyclic undrained loading, the silt exhibited similar trends in terms of excess pore water pressure and axial strain accumulation to those established for hard-grained soils as opposed to those for pumiceous sands. (3) The liquefaction resistance of both medium-dense and dense samples was within the lower range compared to published cyclic resistance curves of both hard-grained soils and pumiceous sands. (4) The material did not undergo significant particle crushing after testing. Result (4) was considered to be the main factor that contributed to the fact that, in general, the cyclic undrained behaviour of the pumiceous silt was close to the trends established for those of hard-grained soils
Experiencing “the Wrong Kind of Puberty”: Navigating Teenage Years with a Variation in Sex Characteristics
Get PDFThere are many different variations in sex characteristics, some of which have implications for how the body goes through puberty. This paper draws from critical disability studies and childhood and youth studies to understand the teenage experiences and aspirations of young people with variations in sex characteristics, focusing particularly on navigating puberty. We undertook a reflexive thematic analysis with interview data from 12 young people in England, all assigned female at birth. Our analysis produced a central theme: aspiring to certainty through “fixing” the wrong kind of puberty. Participants experience puberty as a time where things exist on a continuum of rightness and wrongness in comparison with their peers and in relation to their specific variation. We suggest that the neoliberal aspiration to and illusion of bodily control and certainty provides the context within which the medical management of variations in sex characteristics makes sense. Going through medical intervention in relation to a variation in sex characteristics provides a very particular aspirational context for young people. The experience of puberty is intersectionally differentiated for young people with variations in sex characteristics.© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license
The ecology of the lucerne flea, Sminthurus viridis, in the South-Auckland/Waikato area
No full textLucerne flea, Sminthurus viridis L., is an annual pest in pastures in the Auckland/Waikato area. It damages legumes, particularly white clover, from late autumn until early summer, with a peak in infestation in spring. No research into the seasonality of the lucerne flea (LF) has been done in New Zealand. It was therefore decided to study the bionomics and population dynamics of LF, and aspects related to the damage, caused by LF.
The study showed that the life cycle of LF consisted of three nymphal instars, one adult male and three adult female instars with the males being smaller and lighter in weight than the females. The population of LF built up steadily from March or April onwards to reach a peak in numbers in October or November after which the numbers declined to a low level and LF were only present as diapause eggs. Rainfall in March and April played an important role in the hatching of the diapause eggs and influenced the survival of the first instar larvae. The accumulated temperature (°D) above a zero development threshold of 4 °C determined the number of generations of LF per year, with five generations in 1982 and four in 1983 in Huntly. Shutting up a paddock for hay production as well as the consecutive cutting of the hay influenced the number of LF in the field. Population dynamic studies of LF showed that LF populations had overlapping stages of development as well as overlapping generations during the study period. Examination of the data with methods, equivalent to the k-factor analysis, showed that LF populations were prone to great changes in number at the beginning of the immature stage of the life cycle of the males and the end of the life cycle of the females, but fairly stable at the time that sexual maturity was reached. The locomotory activity of LF took place during the day and night and all growth stages were active. No statistically significant relationship could be found between the locomotory activity and temperature or rainfall. The mite, Bdellodes lapidaria, a predator of LF, was found in the study sites in Huntly but their numbers were so low that no control effect on LF could be established. Feeding trials showed that adult female LF ate significantly more than adult male LF, and that the feeding rate was highest at 15 and 20 °C and a photophase of 12 and 16 hours light. Other results suggested that some feeding activity would also occur at night. Severe damage by LF in the field reduced the leaf surface area of white clover plants by up to 40 % during this study, and most severe damage was observed in October and November. Observations in the field and the laboratory established that LF is a wasteful feeder
Studies of source area hydrology under indigenous forest and pastoral agriculture in the Hapuakohe Range, North Island, New Zealand
Get PDFThis thesis describes a systematic study of hillslope runoff processes and stream flow processes from two forms of land use characteristic of the New Zealand steep land environment: indigenous forest (podocarp-hardwood association) and pastoral agriculture.
In humid temperate environments, hillslope runoff is now recognised to result from a variety of mechanisms, that are dynamic and spatially variable. In these environments, surface and subsurface hillslope runoff processes are dependent on the soil, topographic and vegetation characteristics of individual catchments. The terms ‘partial and variable source area models’ have been used to describe these concepts and flow processes.
The new concepts of hillslope runoff generation have important implications for the way in which land is managed to maintain desirable stream flow characteristics and stream water quality. However, this information has not been used widely as a basis for land management procedures in areas where conflicts of land and water use occur. This situation has occurred because most of the studies of source area hydrology have been qualitative and have not provided information suitable for use in applied management problems. Also, few comparative land use studies have been established since the new concepts of source area hydrology have been developed.
The main aim of this study was to clarify the processes of hillslope runoff under indigenous forest and pastoral agriculture, and to interpret the hydrologic implications of these two forms of land use on the basis of the new concepts of hillslope runoff.
A comprehensive, integrated study of source area hydrology was established in a steepland catchment supporting the two vegetation types. Although the areas of forest and pasture vegetation were contiguous areas within a single catchment, each vegetation type was treated as a separate hydrologic entity and referred to as an individual catchment. Both ‘process’ scale experiments and some ‘catchment’ scale experiments were established to understand fully the processes of hillslope runoff and the relationships between hillslope flow processes and stream flow processes in the two land use catchments.
An experimental design was developed for this study based on the partial and variable concepts of source area hydrology. The experimental catchments were subdivided into three geomorphically distinct sub-catchment units (riparian, midslope and spur regions) on the basis of a preliminary survey of the spatial distribution of soil moisture.
Data were collected on rainfall, stream flow, surface and subsurface runoff components and soil moisture, during weekly visits to the catchments over a two year period, July 1979 - July 1981. Quantitative estimates of the spatial variability of surface and subsurface hillslope runoff components were made in the sub-catchment units of each land use catchment. The processes of hillslope runoff were also examined within each sub-catchment unit. Additional studies of forest interception processes, soil permeability and other soil, topographic and vegetation characteristics were completed during this period.
The results of this study show that the hillslope runoff regimes are complex in both land use catchments. In each land use, hillslope runoff processes vary spatially and seasonally. The results also show that the differences in hillslope runoff processes are not consistent, either between the sub-catchment units of each land use catchment, or between similar sub-catchment units of both land use catchments. Despite the complexity of the hillslope runoff processes, the integrated stream flow responses from each land use catchment are less variable, and show the differences expected for the two vegetation types.
For most storm events, the spatial distribution of hillslope runoff conforms with the patterns described by the variable source area model of hillslope runoff. However, the mechanisms of hillslope runoff and the causes of the spatial distribution of these processes are not described well by this model.
Infiltration-excess overland flow is generated above the mineral soil in each land use catchment, despite the intermittent, low intensity, rainfall. Infiltration-excess overland flow occurs because the catchment soils are considerably less permeable than in other catchments in similar environments. The spatial distribution of surface runoff is dependent on the spatial variability of soil permeability in each land use that is, in turn, determined by variations of soil moisture in space and time.
Subsurface discharges are also less important in determining the stream hydrograph from the two land use catchments studied, than reported in other studies of similar forms of land use. The catchment soils are so slowly permeable that large volumes of subsurface runoff do not reach the stream channel in time to contribute to storm runoff.
An examination of stream flow processes and water balance data was completed to provide an analysis of the integrated runoff response from the two land use catchments. Compared with the forest, greater stream discharges occur from the pasture land use for all flow regimes. However, the time distribution of the storm runoff response is independent of vegetation type or antecedent catchment conditions. The principal differences in the water balance components from each land use catchment are caused by differences in interception losses: similar transpiration rates were observed for the two vegetation types.
Selective catchment management, of riparian areas in pasture catchments in the Hapuakohe Range, is suggested as a method of improving general stream flow characteristics from these areas, while the multiple use of the land and water resources is maintained. Estimates of the effectiveness of this management strategy are presented. However, the degree to which riparian re-afforestation causes a satisfactory change in stream flow characteristics, depends entirely on the objective of the land management practices proposed for a given catchment
Systemic racism in clinical psychology: Symposia
No full textThis study constitutes a part of the Working to End Racial Oppression (WERO) project on Systemic Racism in Health Education, Training, and Practice. The focus is on the three dimensions of racism in psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand: its costs, systems and the potential responses that exist. Content: To set the scene, the session will begin with a 30-minute presentation that outlines evidence from three WERO studies on different levels of racism affecting indigenous Māori and minoritised groups. First study presents findings from a desktop analysis of papers across university psychology departments. The findings will be compared with previous studies (Levy, 2007; Levy & Waitoki, 2015) to identify the changes in inclusion of Māori and culturally focused paper at different timepoints. The second study involves semi-structured interviews with Māori students enrolled in clinical psychology training programmes (n = 19) to understand the extent of cultural responsiveness, support, disparities, and representation within programmes. The third study draws on preliminary survey findings with directors of training programmes to depict the progress towards including taha Māori and cultural competency in the psychology curriculum since the studies by Abbott and Durie (1987) and Nathan (1999). The rest of the session will be conducted as a wānanga or a forum that includes a panel discussion amongst WERO research team while allowing for a reciprocal exchange of knowledge with the attendees. Opportunities will be provided for attendees to ask questions, provide feedback to the research analyses and findings, and share their experiences of witnessing or encountering racism in psychology. The session will be opened with a karakia (prayer) and attendees to be offered manaakitanga (hospitality) and tikanga (custom) to ensure cultural safety. Goals: In this session, the research team will bring the evidence derived from robust analyses on existence and ramifications of racism in psychology to the fore. These findings will be integrated with the Waitangi Tribunal claim (Levy, 2018) to shed light on the manifestations of racism across systems and agents responsible for the regulation, training and employment of psychologists. Findings will be used to inform ways for all in psychology to embark on Te Tiriti-focused, culturally-competent and equitable approaches in the quest of indigenising the psychology discipline and advancing it to be relevant to the multicultural nature of Aotearoa populations
Distinguishability of rechargeable battery equivalent circuit models
Get PDFThe contention made by Berthier et al. - that competing fractional-element equivalent- circuit models of battery cells are indistinguishable in the presence of noise - is revisited in this work. A set of six equivalent circuit models (ECMs) were chosen as a subset of West- erhoff’s generalised ECM from 2016. These six ECMs had increasing complexity, and gave a simulated output similar to that of an idealised Lithium battery impedance spec- trum. By extending the frequency range of Berthier, using methods suggested by both Mauracher & Karden, and Hasan & Scott, sets of simulated electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) are generated. A Nelder-Mead based optimisation method, which em- ploys multiple restarts, is used to fit each ECM to the sets simulated data. The data was produced with 0%, 1%, 3% and 5% noise. The optimisations showed that all six ECMs were distinguishable at 0% noise, but as the noise increased - distinguishability is lost. Typically a 4-element ECM is shown to model the simulated data with preci- sion which is comparable to the error in the data. When optimising the ECMs against measured data (measured with an Egilent 66332A, E5270 and a Keithley 2460A) from INR and NCA batteries, it is seen that the 3-element ECMs are an adequate model. However there is some variation between the two battery chemistries. Battery ageing and the measurement system used also contribute to variation in which ECM models the data best. Further work on this project should include repeating this fitting method on different battery chemistries, and collating and fitting ECMs to a battery which is measured at different points as it ages
Bringing Antarctica to the lab: a polar desert environmental chamber to study the response of Antarctic microbial communities to climate change
Get PDFPolar deserts contain unique and sensitive communities responsive to climate-associated habitat changes. However, unlike temperate desert ecosystems, characterizing and predicting the responses of polar ecosystems to environmental change remains a significant challenge due to logistical constraints. Here we aim to demonstrate the use of a custom-designed Polar Desert Environmental Chamber (PDEC) to perform off-continent experimental ecological research. We did so by characterizing the structure and composition of arid edaphic bacterial communities collected from the McMurdo Dry Valleys during a simulated wetting event. The results were discussed in light of previous field observations. Rapid structural and compositional changes were observed during wetting and re-drying treatments. Those were driven by changes in the relative abundance of coexisting taxa, which fluctuated asynchronously over time in response to the treatments. While selection was the main ecological factor influencing communities during dry conditions or the initial wetting, with prolonged exposure to wetness, neutral processes began to drive community assembly. Ultimately, these observations reflect different adaptative responses from microbial taxa to water stress, which can be argued as beneficial to increasing resilience in polar deserts. Our findings demonstrate that experiments conducted in PDEC provide valuable contextual data on community response to environmental change and can accelerate our ability to assess biological thresholds to change within polar desert ecosystems. We advocate that, with careful consideration of key emulated environmental attributes, laboratory-based Antarctic research can complement fieldwork to achieve a nuanced and evidence-based understanding of the ecology of Antarctica’s ice-free regions
Volcanic history of the Mount Misery rhyolite domes, Tauranga Volcanic Centre
Get PDFThe Mount Misery rhyolites are a group of three complex lava domes, which are part of the Minden Rhyolites within the Tauranga Volcanic Centre. The lava domes are a previously unstudied volcanic area and have in recent years been partially exposed by a series of quarries, creating an opportunity to understand the volcanic history. A pyroclastic succession flanking the side of the Pukunui dome was studied to compare it to the Otawera ignimbrite and potentially correlate it to the Pukunui succession. This study aims to determine the volcanic emplacement and post-emplacement processes of the Mount Misery series domes and pyroclastics, achieved through field work, thin section microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray fluorescence.
Key findings from this study show similar phenocryst assemblages but the groundmass textures are complex. The rhyolite groundmasses analysed varied between glassy, crystalline and devitrified, while key phenocrysts found were plagioclase and quartz, and within Maungatūtū/Mount Misery and Greenpark domes also minor clino- and orthopyroxenes. Quartz polymorphs such as cristobalite were common in the groundmass as needle-like structures, while at Pukunui, pure quartz composed the thin bands. The thin bands found at Pukunui and Greenpark formed as a strain feature that caused segregation of quartz along preferential axial planes. Sanidine was found at all three locations as devitrification of glass within the groundmasses. Maungatūtū/Mount Misery had sanidine present as radiating spherulites, while Greenpark had a new find of sub-circular crystalline inclusions which appeared to be some variation of a spherulite.
The domes have similar geochemical and mineralogical compositions, proving they are linked to the same source magma, but would have erupted at different points in time, likely with Maungatūtū/Mount Misery as the oldest and Pukunui as the youngest. The flow banding and flow folding present at Pukunui and Greenpark, and the lack of shearing features, have been used to identify the domes as endogenous. The Pukunui pyroclastic succession included multiple flow units that were correlated to the Otawera ignimbrite elsewhere, which was likely emplaced as a proximal ignimbrite from a dome collapse event at Pukunui. This was one of the final volcanic events in the Mount Misery series area