19366 research outputs found
Sort by
Lizard monitoring on Banks Peninsula Summer/Autumn 2023-2024: Summary report
No full textAs part of the biodiversity work that is ongoing on Banks Peninsula, Lincoln University staff (Jennifer Gillette) and students (Katelyn Crafts and Alice McCormick, participating in Lincoln University’s Summer Scholars programme) continued their work in association with Alice Webster (Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust) to monitor lizards between December 2023 – January 2024 as part of the Pest-Free Banks Peninsula (PFBP) initiative. Mike Bowie has now retired from Lincoln University, and Jennifer Gillette has replaced him on this project. This report summarises our findings from this field season. We also conducted monitoring in April 2024, but result from that field work are not included in this report
Effects of post-fermentation addition of green tea extract for sulfur dioxide replacement on Sauvignon Blanc wine phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity, colour, and mouthfeel attributes
No full textThis study examines the feasibility of replacing in a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wine with a green tea extract. The treatments included the control with no preservatives (C), the addition of green tea extract at 0.1 and 0.2 g/L (T1 and T2), and an treatment at 50 mg/L (T3). Five monomeric phenolic compounds were detected in the green tea extract used for the experiment, and their concentrations ranged in the order (−)-epigallocatechin gallate > (−)-epigallocatechin > (−)-epicatechin > (−)-epicatechin gallate > gallic acid. At the studied addition rates, these green tea-derived phenolic compounds contributed to ∼70% of the antioxidant capacity (ABTS), ∼71% of the total phenolic index (TPI), and ∼ 84% of tannin concentration (MCPT) of the extract dissolved in a model wine solution. Among wine treatments, T1 and T2 significantly increased the wine's colour absorbance at 420 nm, MCPT, gallic acid and total monomeric phenolic content. TPI and ABTS were significantly higher in wines with preservatives (i.e., T2 > T1 ≅ T3 > C, p < 0.05). These variations were observed both two weeks after the treatments and again after five months of wine aging. Additionally, an accelerated browning test and a quantitative sensory analysis of wine colour and mouthfeel attributes were performed after 5 months of wine aging. When exposed to excessive oxygen and high temperature (50 °C), T1 and T2 exhibited ∼29% and 24% higher browning capacity than the control, whereas T3 reduced the wine's browning capacity by ∼20%. Nonetheless, the results from sensory analysis did not show significant variations between the treatments. Thus, using green tea extract to replace at wine bottling appears to be a viable option, without inducing a negative impact on the perceptible colour and mouthfeel attributes of Sauvignon Blanc wine
Stimulating awareness of precision farming through gamification: The farming simulator case
No full textPrecision Farming (PF) provides different solutions to assist the decision-making process on farms. Current PF technologies such as variable rate site-specific applications can bring financial benefits to farmers as well as environmental advantages. Increasing scientific research and an expanding number of PF products are supporting a growing interest in PF applications. However, the actual implementation of these technologies on farms in many cases remains low. Therefore, there is a need to disseminate and transfer knowledge about the positive aspects of PF. One of the ways to facilitate the adoption process of PF technologies is education and training among farmers and other interested stakeholders. This paper presents a case study using the computer game Farming Simulator as an educational tool for raising awareness about the topic in an engaging and enjoyable way. Two distinct downloadable content (DLC) versions were developed and implemented in the versions 2019 and 2022 of the game, respectively, each with a range of PF functionalities (automatic steering, variable rate applications, yield mapping among others). The PF DLCs have received positive feedback from students and scientists but also the general public. The growing number of downloads (3,661,069 in total for both DLC versions as of 15th November 2023) demonstrates the effectiveness of computer games as an educational tool to educate and inform stakeholders (farmers, scientists, students, and the general public) about agricultural challenges and the potential of PF as a solution
A short-term home with long-term potential: temporary aquatic habitat additions to support macroinvertebrate colonisation
No full textRiver restoration projects often focus on water quality and riparian vegetation, assuming this will result in direct improvements to ecological health. However, successful recovery of aquatic communities likely requires additional steps targeting habitat beneath the water surface. We trialled the addition of simple, instream habitat units as a practicable short-term restoration tool targeting aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. Habitat units were built from readily available, biodegradable materials. They were deployed at three sites around Auckland with differing hydromorphology and surrounding land use, enabling evaluation of both the efficacy of installation and impacts on biodiversity. Additional macroinvertebrate sampling (Surber and drift collection) was conducted to assess community responses following habitat unit addition. All habitat units showed significant increases in macroinvertebrate densities and taxon richness compared to the surrounding existing habitat. However, the most marked increases in abundance may be attributable to inundation of habitat units by pre-existing tolerant taxa capitalising on the increase in available habitat, rather than successful colonisation by additional taxa. This work highlights the potential of small-scale, short-term habitat additions as a restoration tool. This approach facilitates evaluation of restoration potential, informing design and implementation of more permanent restoration measures in future
High-resolution reconstruction of infiltration in the Southern Cook Islands based on trace elements in speleothems
No full textThis study utilizes speleothem trace elements as climate proxies to reconstruct hydroclimate variability over approximately 350 years in the Southern Cook Islands. Stalagmites Pu17 and Pu4 from Pouatea cave were analyzed using high-resolution LA-ICP-MS for trace elements (Mg, Na, Sr, P, U, Y). By monitoring cave dripwater and conducting regression analysis, we found that Mg, Sr, and Na in Pouatea dripwater mostly originated from marine aerosols, while Sr and Ba were primarily from bedrock, with additional Ba coming from marine aerosols and weathered oceanic basalt leaching. Mg was identified as the most reliable element for hydroclimate reconstruction due to its predominantly marine aerosol origin. Infiltration, via dilution of marine aerosols and bedrock inputs, was identified as the main driver of trace element variations in Pouatea at a seasonal scale. Transfer functions were established between each trace element and effective infiltration was calculated, with Mg showing the strongest correlation. The reconstructed infiltration data were compared with climate indices, showing an overarching role of the SPCZ and ENSO in controlling rainfall in the South Pacific. This research demonstrates the potential of speleothem trace elements for paleohydroclimate reconstructions, improving understanding of rainfall variability in the climatically vulnerable South Pacific Islands over the past millennia
Psychology
No full textFrom its modern origins, the discipline of psychology has sat at the confluence of biology and culture. Its broad aim is the explanation of individual activity and experience. In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology laboratory to address philosophical questions about mind in a scientific manner. Influenced by the methods of physiology, Wundt pursued what came to be called Ganzheit psychology (holistic psychology), the study of the totality of the components and processes of consciousness. In his later years, Wundt developed a voluminous account of the social and cultural bases of the higher mental functions, known as Völkerpsychologie. Wundt’s two “psychologies” reflect the poles of a continuum of interacting levels within which research in psychology has developed ever since
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
No full textClimate change reduces agricultural productivity and leads to greater instability in crop production, disrupting the global food supply and resulting in food and nutritional insecurity. A transformation of the agricultural sector towards climate-resilient practices is urgently needed to successfully tackle food security and climate change challenges. Climate-smart agriculture is an approach that guides farmers’ actions to transform agri-food systems towards building the agricultural sector’s resilience to climate change based on three pillars: increasing farm productivity and incomes, enhancing the resilience of livelihoods and ecosystems, and reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Promoting the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices is crucial to improve smallholder farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change and mitigate its impact, as well as help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Although smallholder farmers worldwide have adopted numerous practices and technologies (e.g., integrated crop systems, improved pest, water, and nutrient management, improved grassland management, reduced tillage and use of diverse varieties and breeds, restoring degraded lands, and improved the efficiency of input use) to reach the objectives of climate-smart agriculture, the increased uncertainty that climate change imposes calls for more flexible and rapid response capacity in smallholder farming systems.
With this special issue, we seek to comprehensively understand the associations between climate-smart agriculture and sustainable agricultural development. To achieve this goal, we aim to find answers to these questions: What are the climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies (either single or multiple) that are currently adopted in smallholder farming systems? What are the key barriers, challenges, and drivers of promoting climate-smart agricultural practices? What are the impacts of adopting these practices? Answers to these questions will help devise appropriate solutions for promoting sustainable agricultural production and rural development. They will also provide insights for policymakers to design appropriate policy instruments to develop agricultural practices and technologies and promote them to sustainably enhance the farm sector’s resilience to climate change and increase productivity
Assessing New Zealand wheat genotypes on canopy closure and light interception as an Integrated Weed Management Strategy
No full textGlobally, weeds are major biotic stressors in crop production systems, causing yield losses of up to 35%. Herbicides have been a cost-effective way to mitigate yield losses due to weeds. However, extensive use has resulted in the development of herbicide resistance across multiple weed species and herbicide mode-of-action groups. In the face of herbicide resistance and increasing weed control costs, the development of economically viable integrated weed management strategies is increasingly important. Non-chemical weed management (NCWM) approaches are thus required to provide opportunities to reduce herbicide use, mitigate herbicide resistance, reduce the cost of weed management while increasing the life expectancy of chemicals. Crop competition is a NCWM approach that has been successfully implemented overseas but needs further assessment in New Zealand context. This study assessed the variability of some traits related to above-ground competitive ability in New Zealand wheat cultivars. Non-destructive measurements, including light interception and ground cover, of fifteen New Zealand commercially available and pre-commercial cultivars, were performed. Results show significant differences within this pool, suggesting that there potentially exist cultivars that are more weed-competitive than others
Gold, platinum and the predictability of bubbles in global stock markets
No full textThis paper examines the predictability of bubbles across global stock markets and whether or not synchronicity in bubble formation can be predicted via metrics of market risk that are readily available. Utilizing the gold to platinum price ratio (LGP) as an easy to implement risk metric and the Log-Periodic Power Law Singularity (LPPLS) model to detect positive and negative bubble formation at different time scales, we document evidence of synchronized boom and bust cycles of the seven developed equity markets in the G7 bloc. More importantly, our analysis shows that bubbles and their comovements are in fact predictable although the predictive relationship is only detectible via models that account for non-linearities in the data. We find that the gold to platinum price ratio serves as a stronger predictor of deeper downward accelerating price formations followed by a rally. The predictability results for the U.S. also carries over to bubble formation in the remaining stock markets of the G7 bloc, to the extent that the gold to platinum price ratio also helps to explain the synchronicity of bubbles across the G7. Our findings provide a valuable opening for market regulators as the results show that readily available metrics of market risk can be used to model and monitor the occurrence of bubbles in financial markets as well as the connectedness of bubbles across the global markets
Hotel human capital return on investment: What’s that about? Never heard of it!
No full textHotel managers in New Zealand do not calculate Human Capital Return on Investment (HCROI) and are unaware if they are over or underinvesting in their HC. While literature reports the complexity of such measurement, given the challenges of attracting, retaining and ongoing training of HC, it is surprising little has been done to examine how HCROI can add value to hotels and how it can be calculated. Hotel practitioners and hospitality researchers must collaborate to examine and define better HCROI and measurement tools to enable hotel managers to make more strategic HC decisions