19366 research outputs found
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Financial Budget Manual : Volume 41
No full textThe "Financial Budget Manual Vol 41" is an invaluable reference book for farmers and growers, consultants, and students. It contains a wealth of information on farm and orchard costs and prices, the profitability of different enterprises, and income taxation. Following its successful introduction in 1969, the manual is also available to purchase as an online Ereader https://aginfo.lincoln.ac.nz/manual/financial-budget manual-vol-40-online/.
Unless stated otherwise, data contained in the Manual are current mid-2023 and are exclusive of GST. Acknowledging the current inflation rate effect in New Zealand, prices will not remain stationary so the Manual should be used as a guide only. Market movements and exchange rate changes are just two of the factors which can rapidly alter costs and prices. The availability of discounts for bulk purchases, and deferred payment arrangements, may also affect final costs for budgeting purposes. In addition, some commodity price information is becoming increasingly sensitive and remains confidential between the client and the supplier and/or buyer. It is therefore unavailable for publication in this Manual. Information quoted has been gathered from sources throughout New Zealand, but some variation may occur between regions. Trade names have been used for clarity and convenience; no preferential endorsement by the University is intended, nor is any criticism implied of any product which does not appear in the Manual
Safe working load of strand lifting eyes for precast concrete construction
No full textIn the precast concrete industry, it is common to install lifting eyes within the slab to use them for lifting and transporting the precast concrete elements. For instance, the shallow precast pre-stressed solid concrete slab units are required to be lifted usually the next day after manufacturing and stored in a precast yard before being delivered to site. Normally, a set of four lifting eyes are located in the corners of each slab. These lifting eyes consist of strands that have been bent into loops and cast within the slabs or beams. It is economical to use strands because short, off-cut lengths have little or no value in production and are normally wasted.
Currently, limited guidelines and standards for the design and installation of these lifting eyes exist. Additionally, the safe working load of such unstressed strand lifting eyes are rarely studied in the extant literature. Therefore, in this research an experimental plan was developed to investigate the safe working load of lifting eyes used in typical commercial precast slab units. A series of tests were conducted on several shallow precast concrete slabs with different concrete strength and lifting eye design embedded in the slabs. For each testing scenario, several lifting eyes were loaded to failure to obtain the lower fifth percentile safe working load. The results obtained from different testing scenarios are then evaluated and compared. The findings provide a valuable insight on the behavior and safe working load of lifting eyes applicable to the precast concrete industry
Probing biological nitrogen fixation in legumes using Raman spectroscopy
No full textBiological nitrogen fixation (BNF) by symbiotic bacteria plays a vital role in sustainable agriculture. However, current quantification methods are often expensive and impractical. This study explores the potential of Raman spectroscopy, a non-invasive technique, for rapid assessment of BNF activity in soybeans. Raman spectra were obtained from soybean plants grown with and without rhizobia bacteria to identify spectral signatures associated with BNF. δN¹⁵ isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was used to determine actual BNF percentages. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was employed to develop a model for BNF quantification based on Raman spectra. The model explained 80% of the variation in BNF activity. To enhance the model’s specificity for BNF detection regardless of nitrogen availability, a subsequent elastic net (Enet) regularisation strategy was implemented. This approach provided insights into key wavenumbers and biochemicals associated with BNF in soybeans
Understanding the uptake of climate change adaptation research for policy making in Aotearoa, New Zealand : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science at Lincoln University
No full textThe interplay between science, policy and decision making has long been an area of interest to researchers, however, there is limited exploration of this dynamic in the context of climate change adaptation research uptake in Aotearoa, New Zealand (NZ). This study aims to advance climate change adaptation efforts by investigating this crucial intersection of research and policy, offering insights into the factors that influence the uptake of climate change adaptation research into policy making. In-depth, semi-structured interviews (n=23) with policy practitioners and individuals in related roles and organisations, were used to elicit information about the barriers and enablers of research uptake. Results of the interviews were coded thematically and analysed using a general inductive approach to find emerging themes. The findings led to the formation of four key propositions:
1) Relationships are instrumental for research to influence policy making.
2) Climate change adaptation policy is hampered by interpretations of uncertainty.
3) Election and policy cycles, competing timeframes and priorities impact research uptake.
4) Research prioritisation and funding influences its impact on policy.
Recommendations from this research emphasise the importance of strengthening collaboration between researchers and policymakers by building trust and fostering mutual understanding as well as establishing feedback loops between individuals in the two fields. Additionally, there is a need to support knowledge translators to ensure that research addresses critical issues while remaining independent of political influences. Ultimately this research supports the promotion of mission-driven research that tackles the complex challenge of adapting to a changing climate with a focus on transparency and trust between policymakers and researchers
Improvement in microbiota recovery using Cas-9 digestion of Mānuka plastid and mitochondrial DNA
No full textUnderstanding host-microbe interactions in planta is an expanding area of research. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene is a powerful and common method to study bacterial communities associated with plants. However, the co-amplification of mitochondrial and plastid 16S rRNA genes by universal primers impairs the sensitivity and performance of 16S rRNA sequencing. In 2020, a new method, Cas-16S-seq, was reported in the literature to remove host contamination for profiling the microbiota in rice, a well-studied domestic plant, by engineering RNA-programmable Cas9 nuclease in 16S rRNA sequencing. For the first time, we tested the efficiency and applicability of the Cas-16S-seq method on foliage, flowers and seed of a non-domesticated wild plant for which there is limited genomic information, Leptospermum scoparium (mānuka). Our study demonstrated the efficiency of the Cas-16S-seq method for L. scoparium in removing host contamination in V4-16S amplicons. An increase of 46% in bacterial sequences was found using six guide RNAs (gRNAs), three gRNAs targeting the mitochondrial sequence and three gRNAs targeting the chloroplast sequence of L. scoparium in the same reaction. An increase of 72% in bacterial sequences was obtained by targeting the mitochondrial and chloroplast sequences of L. scoparium in the same sample at two different steps of the library preparation (DNA and 1st step PCR). The number of OTUs (operational taxonomic units) retrieved from soil samples was consistent when using the different methods (Cas-16S-seq and 16S-seq) indicating that the Cas-16S-seq implemented for L. scoparium did not introduce bias to microbiota profiling. Our findings provide a valuable tool for future studies investigating the bacterial microbiota of L. scoparium in addition to evaluating an important tool in the plant microbiota research on other non-domesticated wild species
The commercial application of insect protein in food products: A product audit based on online resources
No full textInsect protein has received considerable attention as an alternative to conventional animal proteins with its high nutritional contents and eco-friendly credentials. Exploring commercially available insect-protein-enhanced foods, this study aims to profile and compare such products in the ultra-processed category with products protein-enhanced with dairy (e.g., milk and whey) and plants (e.g., pea and rice). A global product audit was conducted drawing from English-language online retail portals to determine the product formats and statistically compare their nutritional contents with products fortified with non-insect proteins. The results show that four categories—flour/powder, pasta/noodle, starch-based snacks (e.g., chips, crackers, and cookies), and energy bars—are involved with food enhanced with insect protein. Flour/powder and pasta/noodles with insects demonstrated comparable protein contents to non-insect equivalents, highlighting insects’ potential as effective protein sources. However, insect protein’s performances in snacks and energy bars were less favourable, with significantly lower protein contents compared to products enhanced with non-insect sources. This may be attributed to the high fat content of insects, which may also contribute to undesirable flavours in complex foods, limiting their usage. The study highlights the need for industry innovation and scientific collaboration to overcome the challenges to widely applying insects as food ingredients, offering benefits for both the industry and consumers
Christchurch City Council Land Demand Model: 2024 update
No full textThe causal relationship between the economy and the property industry is evident through the use of land. In order to ensure sufficient land, planning is required to make provision for growth within the economy. This work explains the modelling to estimate the demand for land in Christchurch City over the next 30 years
The effect of land management on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in New Zealand
No full textIncreasing the resilience of soil ecosystems is key to sustainable agricultural production in the face of our changing climate. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbionts that form an intricate and intimate relationship with plant roots, making them a key component of soil ecosystems. AMF are crucial to both aboveground and belowground processes, and play an essential role in ecosystem resilience, with communities able to adapt to changing environmental conditions. This project explores the drivers of AMF community composition, and how AMF communities affect the resilience of plants in New Zealand ecosystems.
We conducted two years of seasonal sampling across agricultural and native forest ecosystems to assess AMF community abundance and diversity, using fatty acid analysis and metabarcoding.
The results presented at NZES 2024 will highlight the differences between ecosystems including variations in community composition, spatiotemporal effects on community structure and correlation with soil physiochemical properties.
This research addresses how anthropogenic stressors and land management practices influence AMF communities, which play a critical role in soil health and ecosystem functioning. By examining the effects of different land management strategies on AMF communities, these findings contribute to understanding how environmental changes impact belowground biodiversity and soil ecosystem functions. Additionally, this work provides insights into how these impacts might affect soil resilience and recovery, offering valuable information for sustainable land management and restoration efforts in Aotearoa New Zealand
Improving the performance of fresh value chains for economic development, nutrition and food security: A system dynamics approach : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
No full textImproving the performance of fresh value chains (FVCs) for economic development and food and nutrition security is vital in the face of emerging local and global challenges. In addition to securing an affordable food supply, well-performing AVCs improve the incomes of actors along the chain. The extant literature indicates that a severe lack of investments throughout FVCs in emerging economies, resulting in high post-harvest losses, erodes actors' margins and leads to a persistent shortfall in the availability of affordable fruit. This research adopts the System Dynamics (SD) modelling approach as it can measure quantifiable ex-ante impacts in the FVCs and offers a system-wide view that accommodates the complexity, dynamic, and multi-objective nature of the problem. Its moderate demand for data, proficiency, and experience in programming languages, and the relatively less obscure nature of models and results to ordinary decision-makers make SD modelling suitable.
This research presents findings of modelling the avocadoes value chain (AVC) from the three major producing areas in the developing country. The primary aim was to identify, analyse, and explain the causes of the poor performance of the AVC and simulate the impacts of selected interventions. The theoretical and empirical literature on AVCs in emerging economies suggests a severe lack of investments by all stakeholders, resulting in high reported post-harvest losses (25% - 40%) that reduce incomes and affordability, causing a persistent shortfall in fruit availability. Various theories indicate factors influencing investment decisions, including profitability, availability of skills and input, availability and cost of finance, and uncertainties created by actors' opportunistic behaviours. An extensive literature review, observations of the AVC activities, in-depth semi- structured interviews, and Group Model Building (GMB) workshops were used to collect data, collaboratively build qualitative and quantitative SD models, and validate the outputs. To build the model, secondary data from several sources was combined with primary data from the interviewees and GMB workshop participants.
Quantitative SD modelling identified several feedback loops in play, determining the performance of the AVC. Currently, dominant loops arise from interactions of market realities and efforts of actors to protect and increase their margins. When faced with faced with decreasing margins due to high post-harvest losses, retailers pass parts of these costs to consumers and producers by increasing consumer prices and reducing producer prices. Two dominant loops revealed how producers and consumers push back by decreasing quantity demanded and quantity supplied, swaying prices in their favour. Given the resulting decrease in quantity of demand, bumper fruit supplies reduce producer prices, decrease revenue and margins, and discourage investment in subsequent seasons to cut back on production. Essentially, these loops represent a vicious cycle in which a severe lack of investments leads to remarkably high post-harvest loss and reduced margins that decrease affordability and producer prices, impacting quantity demanded and discouraging investment which ultimately decreases availability. In this vicious cycle, the high post-harvest loss also reduces income to agribusinesses, leading to low economic development and discouraging investment.
Comprising all these feedback loops, simulation of the quantitative SD model for the past and future twenty years also revealed persistent low levels of income to actors, affordability and availability, given the high post-harvest loss as a result of the prevailing level of incentives and drivers of the lack of investments. The salient cost of high post-harvest loss, mostly realised at the retailer stage, continues to erode their margins, particularly in distant urban centres, even after continually pushing consumer prices up, reducing affordability. The resulting decrease in quantity demand pushes producer prices down, forcing them to continue cultivating a small number of avocado trees under a low-input production system, limiting the growth in the availability of avocadoes in the whole chain.
A coherent set of interventions spearheaded by modernising and organising retail was identified collaboratively. Modernised and organised retailers can assume chain leadership and deploy bestowed customer value and market information to incentivise and sanction other transformed actors to invest, access, and fulfil supply contracts, enforcing implemented quality and fruit handling standards and facilitating the flourishment of agribusiness credit services and efficient payment systems. Scenario analysis suggests that the current trajectory would lead to a worsening of performance even in a plausible best case, while interventions bring about robust positive ex-ante impacts on actors’ incomes, affordability, and availability from improved levels of investments. The research identified several institutional changes needed to effectively implement these interventions, including legislating mandatory fruit quality and safety standards, independent quality-assuring services, and forming hybrid producer organisations and organised retail. The research results contribute a strategic planning input and a platform for dialogue in efforts to build effective AVCs. Results also extend the literature in improving and measuring the performance of AVCs
Deconvolution enhanced negative-refractive-index lens imaging system
No full textDeconvolution of images captured with an experimental 3 GHz negative-refractive-index lens imaging system can reveal 0.1 wavelength features. The spatial spectral transfer function used for deconvolution was obtained from the image of a narrow metal strip object of known width