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Size and strength of rugby players
No full textFollowing the success of the World Cup held in South Africa in 1995 and subsequently the International Rugby Board’s decision to develop rugby union into a professional sport, a number of changes have occurred in professional teams including the desire to have taller and heavier players for a competitive advantage and to ensure their longevity in the game. Size and strength have been identified as important characteristics for rugby players, which contribute to winning games, and have been used to discriminate between levels of competition (Lombard 2015; Argus, Gill, and Keogh 2012)
Ballance and de Belalcázar: What violent action against two statues in New Zealand and Colombia reveals about the political power of landscape
No full textThe narratives of two colonial figures, represented in the landscape as memorial statues in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Colombia, reveal the role ‘context’ plays in the representation of and response to colonial power within the landscape. In both countries, tensions relating to indigeneity have intensified in recent decades. In both countries, the violent actions against some of the statues of historical figures demonstrate the political potency of memorials and the effect that ‘context’ – both geographical and socio-cultural – has on public response. New Zealand’s statue of statesman John Ballance – symbolising European colonial presence on Māori land – became the target of attacks by activists during the occupation of Pākaitore, Motua Gardens, Whanganui in 1995. The statue was beheaded and later entirely removed. In 2009, a new statue of Ballance was erected outside Whanganui District Council offices. In 1940s Colombia, officials chose the "Morro de Tulcán," the most sacred site for the Pubenenses Indians, as the location for a statue of Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar instead of one of Indigenous leader and defender of the land, Cacique Pube.
In 2020, protesters pulled down the statue of de Belalcázar, a powerful symbol of oppression favouring Spanish heritage over indigenous culture
Dietary compounds regulate gene expression through n4- cytosine dna methylation in lactobacillus acidophilus
No full textBackground and Aims
The human gut microbiome is vital for maintaining overall health, with
probiotics playing a pivotal role. While it is widely acknowledged that dietary
compounds impact gene functionality within the gut microbiome, the
precise mechanisms remain elusive. To shed light on this, we selected the
commonly utilized probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, as a model
organism.
Methods
We accomplish this through a comprehensive multiomics approach,
including PacBio sequencing, RNA sequencing, proteomics, and
metabolomics analyses.
Results
We show here that dietary compounds, such as genistein and resveratrol,
have the capacity to modify the epigenome of Lactobacillus acidophilus,
thereby significantly influencing gene expression, primarily by altering
N4-cytosine DNA methylation (m4C) in non-palindromic motifs. We
detected unique changes in motifs for both genistein and resveratrol.
These modifications potentially lead to notable changes in both gene
expression and metabolite production. For example, we observed m4C
modifications in motifs GACCCACCAAC and CAACTGGTCATG within the
YSIRK-type signal peptide-containing protein-2 gene, which correlate
with a remarkable 34-fold increase in gene expression in genistein-treated
Lactobacillus acidophilus. This gene is associated with enhancing the binding
of Lactobacillus species to mucus. We additionally tested these compounds
on a different probiotic bacterium, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, and noted
comparable m4C alterations. Additionally, we examined the effects of other
dietary compounds known to influence DNA methylation, such as caffeic
acid, diallyl disulfide, and sodium butyrate, on Lactobacillus acidophilus gene
expression
Parental financial support for housing in New Zealand: Resource and motivational drivers : A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
No full textHousing affordability, welfare changes, and an unstable job market have made the dream of homeownership increasingly unattainable for young New Zealanders. In response, a growing number of parents are offering financial assistance to help their children achieve homeownership and independent living. Recent reports indicate that 14% of New Zealand families have provided financial support for their children’s home purchases, with an average contribution of $108,000 NZD. Despite this trend, there has been scant investigation into the mechanism of such support, particularly in the New Zealand context.
This study draws on the concepts of family resource allocation and resource mental accounting to examine how parental resource availability, particularly housing assets, influences their provision of financial housing support. Additionally, recognising that financial transfers within families are shaped by emotions and relationships, the study moves beyond purely economic-demographic explanations of giving. It also explores parents’ perceived motivations for providing such support and how these influence large-scale support behaviour through the lens of family motive concepts and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). This study uses a quantitative-dominant approach with exploratory elements. Due to a lack of formal secondary data in New Zealand, data for this study were collected through an online survey. The study employed a range of analytic techniques including ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, logistic regression, mean score (MS) analysis, the relevant importance index (RII), and exploratory factor analysis (EFA).
Findings indicate that parents with investment properties are more likely to provide substantial financial support compared to those without investment properties or homeownership. This difference arises not from income and savings advantages but likely from the perceived accessibility and liquidity of investment assets, aligning with the resource mental accounting concept. Additionally, investment properties appear to mitigate the resource dilution effect in multi-child families, significantly influencing the amount of support provided to children in such families. A non-linear relationship between investment property wealth and support levels is observed. This finding suggests that parent provide support not solely based on their resource availability but may also seek to maximise their family utility and preserve their children's independence. These results expand the focus of existing literature from resource advantage to resource allocation principles.
This study also explores the motivations underpinning parental housing support, revealing that parents primarily express concern for their children’s housing challenges, a desire to fulfil their role as responsible parents, and an expectation to strengthen family bonds. However, regression analysis reveals that a discrepancy exists between parents’ higher intentions and actual support behaviour, influenced by parental homeownership, living region, and retirement. The findings demonstrate how parents’ perceived control over housing assets and regional disparities in housing wealth shape their support behaviour. Additionally, the influence of retirement suggests that life stage plays a key role in shaping parental housing support behaviour. This finding provides new insights into the theory of planned behaviour, demonstrating how life stage can moderate the link between intentions and actions within the context of intergenerational transfer.
This research contributes to a deeper understanding of intergenerational housing wealth transfers, showing that parental financial support for housing is shaped by a complex interaction of housing resources, motivations, and welfare contexts. While the study does not aim to explore the interaction of welfare dynamic in depth, its findings offer insights for policymakers about the potential need to consider these factors when designing housing policies. Further research is needed to explore how the drivers of family support differ across institutional contexts, particularly concerning public welfare systems
Small-scale habitat additions engage local communities and support ecosystem restoration in New Zealand streams
No full textRiver restoration projects often focus on riparian management actions such as planting and fencing, under the assumption that improved water quality will result in direct benefits for ecosystem health. Such projects can help rivers to recover from degradation, but successful recovery of instream communities likely requires additional steps targeting physical habitat quality.
Ecologically focused instream habitat restoration typically aims to increase habitat complexity, creating more niches to support higher biodiversity. Methods such as channel reconfiguration and addition of large woody material or boulders can be effective; however, their implementation typically requires heavy machinery, consenting and deep pockets. This type of restoration is thus often beyond the physical and financial means of non-governmental organisations and community groups.
So, how can we enhance instream habitat without breaking the bank? I present four case studies from New Zealand which trialled instream habitat additions as a practicable restoration tool and an opportunity for community engagement
Measurement of gluten in 2Thumb Brewing Co. craft beer
No full textIndustry presentation night in collaboration with lincoln University and Two Thumb Brewing
Relationship of body condition score, body parameters and body carcass fat in Coopworth breeding ewes
Get PDFThe objective of this study is to determine the relationship between body condition score (BCS) and body carcass fat (BCF) of ewes at two key stages of the production cycle. Data were collected from 88 Coopworth ewes including BCS measurements manually evaluated by the farm manager, BCF measurements determined by computerized tomography (CT) and body parameter measurements automatically determined by an image processing application. Artificial neural network (ANN) statistical analysis method was used to develop a relationship between the body parameters and the BCF with an r²=0.96 and RMSE=1.01 using all top and side variables
Merger and acquisition, firm‐level cybersecurity risk, and research and development intensity
No full textThis paper investigates the relationship between firm-level cybersecurity risk and merger and acquisition (M&A) activities of firms in the United States from 2007 to 2018. Using a novel measure of firm-level cybersecurity risk and the multivariate regression analysis, we find empirical evidence of a positive association between M&A and cybersecurity risk. Interestingly, cybersecurity risk only increases with intangible assets acquisitions, but not with tangible assets acquisitions. Further empirical analysis shows that the impact of M&A on cybersecurity risk is moderated by technological intensity, with firms that have higher levels of research and development (R&D) intensity facing less pronounced cybersecurity risk. Our findings are robust to different variable measurements and endogeneity diagnoses. Our results deliver important implications for practitioners and policymakers and make a valuable contribution to the literature by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between M&A and cybersecurity risk and by highlighting the role of corporate innovation in mitigating this risk
A review of the development and implementation of the critical source area concept: a reflection of Andrew Sharpley's role in improving water quality
No full textCritical source areas (CSAs) are small areas of a field, farm, or catchment that account for most contaminant loss by having both a high contaminant availability and transport potential. Most work on CSAs has focused on phosphorus (P), largely through the work in the 1990s initiated by Dr. Sharpley and colleagues who recognized the value in targeting mitigation efforts. The CSA concept has been readily grasped by scientists, farmers, and policymakers across the globe. However, experiences and success have been mixed, often caused by the variation in where and how CSAs are defined. For instance, analysis of studies from 1990 to 2023 shows that the proportion of the annual contaminant load coming from a CSA decreases from field to farm to catchment scale. This finding is consistent with increased buffering of CSAs and greater contribution of other sources with scale, or variation in the definition of CSAs. We therefore argue that the best application of CSAs to target mitigation actions should be at small areas that truly account for most contaminant loss. This article sheds light on the development and utilization of CSAs, paying tribute to Dr. Sharpley's remarkable contributions to the improvement of water quality, and reflecting upon where the CSA concept has succeeded or not in reducing contaminant (largely P) loss
Cultivating success: bridging the gaps in plant breeding training in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand
No full textPlant breeding is a multidisciplinary applied science that is crucial for enhancing food, fodder, fuel, and fiber production globally. Using detailed surveys in three Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, this study investigated the current state of the plant breeding sector across tertiary, government, and industry levels. The findings highlight increasing concerns about the shortage of trained plant breeders, especially in the private sector, impacting food security and the economy. The need for a coordinated approach between the public and private sectors is emphasized. Suggestions for improvements include the establishment of dedicated training facilities, national funds for graduate fellowships, and increased private sector involvement in plant breeding education. The importance of adapting plant breeding courses to emerging scientific and technological advancements is highlighted, along with industry-relevant training and improved promotion of the sector. The study raises awareness of the global shortage of trained plant breeders and provides valuable insights for decision makers toward strategic planning to address global food and fiber production challenges