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A porous fluoride-substituted bovine-derived hydroxyapatite scaffold constructed for applications in bone tissue regeneration
No full textHydroxyapatite is widely used in bone implantation because of its similar mineral composition to natural bone, allowing it to serve as a biocompatible osteoconductive support. A bovine-derived hydroxyapatite (BHA) scaffold was developed through an array of defatting and deproteinization procedures. The BHA scaffold was substituted with fluoride ions using a modified sol-gel method to produce a bovine-derived fluorapatite (BFA) scaffold. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that fluoride ions were successfully substituted into the BHA lattice. According to energy dispersive X-ray analysis, the main inorganic phases contained calcium and phosphorus with a fluoride ratio of ~1–2 wt%. Scanning electron microscopy presented a natural microporous architecture for the BFA scaffold with pore sizes ranging from ~200–600 μm. The BHA scaffold was chemically stable and showed sustained degradation in simulated-body fluid. Young’s modulus and yield strength were superior in the BFA scaffold to BHA. In vitro cell culture studies showed that the BFA was biocompatible, supporting the proliferative growth of Saos-2 osteoblast cells and exhibiting osteoinductive features. This unique technique of producing hydroxyapatite from bovine bone with the intent of producing high performance biomedically targeted materials could be used to improve bone repair
Web crippling behaviour of cold-formed stainless steel lipped channel sections with edge-stiffened web holes under two-flange loading conditions
No full textIn New Zealand, edge-stiffened holes have been recently introduced to cold-formed steel channels (CFS) to facilitate the installation of plumbing and electrical systems. Previous studies on cold-formed carbon steel (CFCS) channels have demonstrated that using edge-stiffened web holes provides nearly the same strength as an equivalent channel section with a plain web when facing web crippling. However, there is a lack of experimental or numerical investigations into the application of edge-stiffened web holes in cold-formed stainless steel (CFSS) channels in the existing literature.
This thesis builds upon previous studies conducted on CFCS channel sections. It presents a comprehensive numerical examination of the web crippling behavior of CFSS channel sections with edge-stiffened circular web holes under interior-two-flange (ITF) and end-two-flange (ETF) loading conditions. Three stainless steel grades were considered: EN 1.4509 (Ferritic), EN 1.4462 (Duplex), and EN 1.4301 (Austenitic). A parametric study involving 3,744 non-linear finite element (FE) models was developed for both fastened and un-fastened flange cases. The study covered the impact of different hole sizes, edge-stiffener lengths, channel inner radius, and the length of the bearing plates.
The results of the parametric study were used to establish new equations for web crippling strength and strength reduction factors through non-linear regression analysis. These proposed design equations outperformed predictions from American Society of Civil Engineers Specification (ASCE 8-02), American Iron and Steel Institute Specification, Australian/New Zealand Standard (AISI&AS/NZS), and Eurocode 3. Finally, a reliability analysis was conducted, revealing that the proposed design equations accurately predict the web crippling strength of CFSS channel sections with plain webs, unstiffened web holes, and edge-stiffened web holes under two-flange loading conditions
Supernatural curses in Pacific communities: A challenge for modern healthcare
No full textWhile largely ignored by modern medical science, spirituality and supernatural phenomena continue to play a significant role in the belief systems of Indigenous peoples. In the Pacific and Pacific diaspora, ‘curses’ are commonly cited as the cause of death, poor health, and diminished wellbeing. At The University of Waikato, Dr Apo Aporosa teaches future healthcare workers the importance of acknowledging and respecting these beliefs, even if they go against personal belief structures. This encourages ‘cultural safety’ aimed at improving healthcare delivery and health equity in Pacific communities
Tūtereinga o Pirirākau: He piringa rākau, he piringa whakairo, he piringa whare, he piringa mana Māori motuhake Reclaiming identity and mana Māori motuhake
No full textSince the early 19th century, colonisation has deeply harmed Pirirākau, a hapū of Ngāti Ranginui in Tauranga moana, severely and consistently undermining our vitality, livelihood, ambitions, and aspirations. Colonisation through the lens of land alienation, economic impoverishment, mass settler immigration, warfare, cultural marginalisation and assimilation, and multi-level hegemonic racism has had profound negative impacts on the identity, connectedness, sense of belonging, and mana Māori motuhake for Pirirākau.
As a counter-colonial strategy, this thesis explores the role that the Tūtereinga whare whakairo has contributed towards the reclamation of the identity and mana Māori motuhake for Pirirākau. Tūtereinga whare whakairo, a mnemonic architectural vessel fashioned with anthropomorphic figures, is pivotal in the reclamation of the identity and mana Māori motuhake for Pirirākau. Our wharenui is the focal point of our marae – Tūtereinga and remains the cornerstone of the identity of Pirirākau. The historic moments manifested in its carved patterns and structural elements are inextricably connected with and dependent upon the structure of the world fabricated by mātauranga Māori. However, due to the disastrous effects of colonisation, whakairo rākau and its associated architectural practices that are central to Māori identity and mana Māori motuhake suffered decline in many parts of Aotearoa, leading to the detrimental impacts of Māori identity and mana Māori motuhake.
Our wharenui Tūtereinga is a visual representation of our identity and mana that preserves our whakapapa, history, and inter-generational narratives unique to Pirirākau in the form of whakairo rākau, tukutuku, and kōwhaiwhai, enabling the transmission of knowledge for generations through traditional narratives and customary protocols and practices
Cultural and ethical implications of wearable technology uses
No full textFor Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) practitioners, interacting with people is a fundamental part of our work. When running any kind of user study, it is important to critically consider any ethical or cultural biases that we (or our data or methods) may have. While this is not a new consideration, the introduction of wearable technology has introduced new aspects to user studies which may not have been apparent previously. In this paper, we present a wearable technology-based user study as a case study to highlight cultural and ethical considerations. Cultural considerations centre on both the cultural considerations that should be made towards participants and considerations for their data. Ethical considerations centre on the immediate impact on participants’ privacy and agency and the longer-term impact on their mental and physical safety. Finally, we suggest that in situations where cultural and racial disparities affect participant expectations and technical results, it is essential to proactively explore these factors
Marks of conscious engagement when performing a motor task with or without a robotic arm
No full textUtilizing prosthetic limbs effectively and alleviating the conscious burden through
minimizing conscious control is important to address and understand in the ever-changing
world of technology. Prosthetics can be difficult to learn how to use effectively and using them
increases conscious awareness which is termed a burden. The conscious burden prosthetics
have on users is consistently addressed by a multitude of studies and garners for more in depth
research to understand and identify solutions to alleviate this burden. Conscious motor control
is defined as the level of awareness of an individual performing a movement related skill or
task, where the higher the conscious control the more an individual is thinking of their
movements while executing them. The aim of this thesis was to measure conscious burden
objectively by examining the marks of conscious engagement when performing a reaction time
task with and without a robotic arm.
Chapter 1 is an introduction to this thesis including a literature review of relevant topics
such as prosthetic limbs, conscious movement control, subjective and objective measurements
of conscious movement control and electroencephalography (EEG). Prosthetic rejection rates,
conscious burden and prosthetic limb learning are also addressed. The outline of the experiment
for this thesis is included and discussed more in depth in Chapter 2.
Chapter 2 is the experiment in full examining the level of conscious control while
participating in a reaction time based motor learning task using a robotic arm versus own arm.
There were two conditions, the complex condition (multi-choice) and simple condition (single
choice). A secondary task of tone counting was included in half the trials to examine whether
more conscious processing is involved when working with the robotic arm versus normal arm
while doing the reaction time task. It was expected that there would be higher conscious control
and slower reaction times when participants used the robotic arm compared to their own arm.
EEG was used to assess the connectivity between the left temporal verbal-analytical (T7) site
and the motor planning mid-frontal (Fz) site of the brain. Connectivity of T7-Fz is used to
measure the verbal-analytical engagement in motor planning which is then used to measure
conscious control. The results revealed the complex condition had a significantly higher
reaction time dual-task cost for arm compared to robotic arm and a higher T7-Fz connectivity
dual-cost (difference in performance for single versus dual task) for the robotic arm in the
complex condition compared to simple condition. We concluded that use of a robotic arm
increases verbal-analytical engagement when performing a motor task compared to using the
own arm.
Chapter 3 is the overall discussion of the experimental findings for the use of robotic
arms in reaction time tasks measuring conscious control and what it may mean for future
research. Implicit motor learning is discussed as well as implicit motor learning interventions
such as dual-task learning, analogy learning and errorless learning. There are also other
learning interventions to promote intuitive control in prosthetic limb learning such as gaze
training and neurofeedback
Beyond paternalism and racism in Pacific labour migration
No full textKey Insights
• The operation of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme in its present form reflects and reinforces the unequal relationship between New Zealand and countries in the Pacific that have been shaped by colonial and imperial practices. • Our analysis of policy and strategy documents related to the RSE scheme reveals three key discourses (language and ideas) that underpin the foundation and operation of the RSE. They are: 1) a form of paternalism that is shaped around claims of ‘co-development’, 2) a strong commitment to technocratic managerialism, and 3) the racialisation of Pacific people as ‘good’ candidates for seasonal manual labour.
• Paternalism is expressed primarily in the notion of benevolence and development aid that reflect and reproduce colonial power relations between New Zealand and its neighbouring Pacific countries. • Managerialism, the idea that ‘orderly migration’ relies on evaluation, monitoring, target setting, and enforcement, is evident in New Zealand’s disproportionate authority over determining the entry numbers as well as the conditions that structure the stay and work experiences of the RSE workers.
• Pacific people are racialised as the ideal seasonal workforce for physically challenging jobs in the horticultural and viticultural industries – sectors that are characterised by low wages and working conditions. • Our analysis indicates a need to rethink the RSE scheme as a ‘global model’ for circular migration management as it reproduces colonial power relations. We suggest that Pacific migration policies should be revaluated to rectify the existing power imbalance in the administration of RSE and other Pacific focused schemes. A more equitable and fairer outcome can be achieved through mutual dialogue with Pacific countries to enhance the rights and freedoms of migrants and provide pathways to residence should Pacific people desire so.
• To address the imperialist underpinnings of the RSE scheme and other migration policies focused on the Pacific, the reform efforts should be firmly grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with substantive involvement of Māori as tangata whenua
Exploring the symbiosis and tensions between vocational practices and the aspirations for vocational education and training in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textVocational Education and Training (VET) is recognised as a key to social, ecological and economic transformation, pertinent given the urgency for societies to transition to more socially just and environmentally sustainable forms of human development, what has been termed a “just transition”. As such, a key policy aspiration is to improve the relevance of VET to support individuals and communities and meet the anticipated demands of diverse stakeholder groups through these transitions. In the Aotearoa New Zealand VET context, these principles have been reflected in the recent Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) and signalled in the Government’s social development and climate response policies. Yet VET research is replete with enduring examples of VET’s failures based on a narrow conception of training people for skills for work rather than how VET contributes to the full range of human capabilities and flourishing. Therefore, a reimagining of VET is required however what this might look like is theoretically under development while the narrow conceptions endure.
Contributing to this reimagining, this investigation argued a practice-theoretical approach to VET research using the Theory of Practice Architectures provides opportunities to explore the conditions of possibility inherent in vocational practices as the sites where transformations occur. To achieve this, a qualitative, ethnographic case study of the vocation of beekeeping in a workand study-based context was undertaken. Using a hybrid approach to participant observation/observant participation, unstructured interviews and a review of historical materials on beekeeping, a complex array of beekeeping practices was generated and thematised. This provided the empirical resources to explore the rich complexity of beekeeping practices, to identify notions of relevance from these perspectives of practice, and analyse the symbiosis or tensions between them against a review of New Zealand’s current suite of apiculture qualifications and programmes as a part of New Zealand’s recent reforms and aspirations to meet just transitions objectives through a relevant VET system.
The findings located tensions between the strategic industry focuses and projects of production in the qualifications against the affective dimensions and projects of productivity for care that describes the unique beekeeping practice traditions of human-bee relations. This further implicated how the qualifications and programmes were relevant to the needs of learners and employers and illuminated why disparate experiences between training and work manifest. Further, these tensions highlighted how VET can change the practice landscape of beekeeping practices in ways that consolidate this industry focus. However, by making these tensions visible, transformative possibilities inherent in new meanings of VET and the traditions of vocational practices themselves were identified. This supports the use of a practice-theoretical approach to contribute to a range of theoretical, strategic and practical endeavours in VET research, policy and practice, further backgrounding opportunities for practice-based research to define transformational trajectories for vocational practices and VET moving forward
RE-AUTHORISING BICULTURAL EXPERIENCES: Listening to previously silenced voices
No full text"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence."
Leonardo de Vinci
The principles of the Doctrine of Discovery, conceived 500 years ago, advocated absolute power and authority for European invaders to conquer and claim indigenous land. This shaped the converging of Māori/Settler relationships and validated the colonisation of Aotearoa New Zealand.
This thesis contends that the historic and taken for granted power and privilege that has benefitted Pākehā, transpired through a reimagined, fabricated version of our separate and combined past. The study unearths ingrained Pākehā perspectives and stereotypes about Māori, and a rejection of their disparate culture and identity. It highlights the role of schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand as a tool of colonisation to erase the culture and identity of Māori and to maintain a world view that authorised power and privilege for the Settlers.
The study challenges Pākehā to 'step up' by shattering the sphere of silence around our combined historical narratives. It urges us [Pākehā] to develop critical consciousness so we may reflect on the world, and our position within it.
Inherent in this research is the premise that for Aotearoa, New Zealand to devise a future based on respectful and equitable sharing of social, financial, cultural, spiritual, and physical resources and opportunities, our silenced history, authorised by the State through the procedures of colonisation, must be acknowledged