2 September. A-Block South Theatres

//.PROGRAMME//.PROGRAMME

2 SEPTEMBER. A-BLOCK SOUTH THEATRES

//. PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS Session 1: 10.45am – 12.15pm

Lecture Theatre A5

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

10.45 – 11.00am Amy Stephenson - Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Benchmarking the resilience of organisations” In New Zealand and across the world, the frequency and impact of disasters and crises appears to be increasing. However communities struggle to increase their ability to plan for, respond to and recover from these crises and disasters. As a result, the field of community resilience has grown significantly over the last few decades. Organisations play a vital role in communities’ response to, and recovery from, crises and disasters. These roles include the provision of governance, law and order, healthcare, food and water, and critical infrastructure such as telecommunications and transport. As a result, looking at community resilience alone is like only looking at half of the equation to solve the whole problem; organisational resilience must also be increased. Organisational resilience can be defined as the ability of an organisation to survive and thrive, still achieving its core objectives even in the face of adversity. Despite the vital role that organisations play in enabling communities’ resilience, and the positive affect that their own resilience has on the surrounding community, they still find it difficult to prioritise resilience as a goal. There are many reasons for this, including that many organisations operate at full capacity on a day-today basis and therefore have little time or resources to devote to anything which is not seen as directly related to profit. This research is all about enabling organisations to answer the following key questions; how resilient are we, what are our resilience strengths and weaknesses, and what could we do to improve? The focus of this research is to develop a web-based survey as a resilience measurement and benchmarking tool and to test it on a sample of organisations from the Auckland region. Participating organisations are then given a full results report answering the key questions and also providing them with some strategies for increasing their resilience. This showcase presentation will introduce the research and present some interesting initial results.

11.10 – 11.25am Jordan Rel C. Orillaze – Electrical and Chemical Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Harmonic state space model of a thyristor controlled reactor” The presentation is about the development of a Harmonic State Space (HSS) model of a three-phase Thyristor Controlled Reactor (TCR). State-space representation is a robust modeling and analysis technique that has widespread application for dynamic systems in engineering and sciences. In the power systems engineering field, harmonic analysis is a frequency domain investigation of steady-state signals (i.e. voltages and currents) especially in the presence of non-linear loads and equipment in the system. These two approaches combined in a novel way provide insights into the dynamic evolution of harmonic signals in a power system. TCR being a first generation flexible AC transmission system controller provides a good test bed for evaluating the strength of this modeling approach. The presentation caps with validations between results from HSS model and results from EMTDC/PSCAD, a standard power system analysis package.

2 11.35 – 11.50am Jaganmohan Billakanti – Chemical Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] “High value minor protein extraction from milk” Milk is the primary source of food and nutrition for neonates before they start digesting any other kind of food. Milk contains a wide range of bioactive components, such as proteins, fat, lactose, vitamins, sugars and minerals. Each of these elements has a unique application in human health. Extraction and purification of high value proteins directly from milk has been a challenge for the dairy industry. Pre-treatment of milk before extraction of proteins requires several steps and results in significant loss of yield and activity for many minor proteins. For example, lactoperoxidase (LP) extracted from processed milk has little/no- commercial value due to loss of its activity during milk processing. It is also necessary to produce these high value minor milk proteins in bulk amounts with low production cost due to their increasing demand and applications in the food, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. The research aim is to develop innovative processing methods to extract these high value proteins and minimize some of the limitations associated with current processing methods while improving the final product quality. In this presentation, I describe the current processing methods and recent developments in this area of research, along with some of my research outcomes.

12.00– 12.15pm Murni Mohamad and Isabelle Gensburger Natural Resources Engineering–, BE (Hons) Candidates [email protected] “Improving a simple water purifying system for use in developing countries” More than 2.2 million people die each year from diseases associated with poor drinking water and unsanitary conditions (WHO/UNICEF/WSSCC, 2000). To overcome these difficulties, there is a need for research into effective design and implementation strategies that can increase the adoption of technologies and improve prospects for sustainability in developing countries. Currently, there are thousands of water filters on the market which purify contaminated water; but only the ones fusing simple science and locally available resources are sustainable. McAllister (2005) compared the performance of five sustainable water filters in terms of contaminant removal and cultural impact, and showed that the silver-impregnated clay pot water filter and sediment filter (with iron) were the most feasible options given (i) the material available in developing countries, (ii) the manufacturing cost, and (iii) the ability to filter out bacteria, viruses and metals. Furthermore, the simple purifier technology means that it can easily be operated and maintained by rural villagers. In particular, the clay pot water filter is comprised of a mixture of clay and burnout materials such as sawdust (Lantagne, 2001). When the clay is fired, the burn-off materials leave pores in the clay material that makes it suited to filter out contaminants, especially suspended solids and bacteria. Generally, however, the filtration rate is low (i.e. unable to meet the drinking water needs of a typical household) and the filtration rate decreases over time due to clogging of pores (Fahlin, 2003). In addition, Murphy, Sampson, McBean and Farahbakhsh (2008) demonstrated that contamination of water storage containers occurs through inappropriate household practices. On the other hand, S. Panthi (personal communication, May 10, 2009) found that the iron sand filter technology was very simple in nature and effective at removing arsenic in water. Iron sand is readily and abundantly available in New Zealand and around the world in sea beaches. The purpose of this research is to find an improved solution for sustainable water purification technologies involving clay pot water filters and iron sand filters in developing countries which can (1) improve drinking water quality (especially in terms of turbidity, arsenic and bacteria) and reduce health problems associated with unsanitary drinking-water in a low-cost and practical way; (2) increase the filtration rate to enable filter systems to cater for drinking water needs of a typical household; and (3) reduce clogging of clay pot water filters to extend the operational life and decrease the frequency of required washing and maintenance of the filters. Based on the results and recommendations of McAllister (2005), it is proposed that an iron sand filter be installed prior to the clay pot filter to allow the removal of a large portion of the suspended solids as well as bacteria, nutrients and metals adsorbed onto the sediments. This may reduce clogging, which should improve filtration rates, decrease the required washing frequency and increase the operational lifetime of the clay pot water filters. The main water quality parameters considered in this experimental research are bacteria, turbidity and arsenic. Other parameters considered are pH, alkalinity, odour, colour and taste.

3 12.20-12.35pm Jonathan Stanger– Mechanical Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Charging into Nanotechnology, electrospinning direct production of continuous nano- scale fibre” Electrospinning is a method of producing nano-structured material from a polymer solution or melt using high voltage electric fields. It is a process that has yet to find extensive industrial application but does show promise if better theoretical models can be constructed to help overcome obstacles such as low rate of production. New Zealand has a particular interest in the potential of electrospun proteins and polysaccharides as industrial raw materials, allowing the production of high added value products from agricultural waste streams. The electrospinning method does not use high temperatures or invasive coagulating chemicals to produce fibres and hence could be used to exploit the methods of self-organisation used in nature to directly manufacture articles on an industrial scale. These materials are expected to have exceptional mechanical properties and high specific surface areas that can be exploited to make structural composites, low-pressure- drop highly selective active filters or bio-reactor cores. It was found that current models for charge transfer in electrospinning neglect free electron effects and make the assumption that all charge transported by a convective transport mode resides on the surface of the jet. A generalized equation describing the different charge transport modes has been presented as follows: 2 2 I  r E  r v jet D,C

Where I is the current, κ is the conductivity, r is the jet radius, E is the parallel electric field, vjet is the velocity of the jet, σD,C is the charge density moving in a convective charge transfer mode The electric current was calculated for a number of electrospinning solutions, making the assumptions that the ions in an electrospinning solution were evenly distributed, that all ions participate in the transfer of charge and that no charge is lost during flight. It was found that the observed electric current was typically only 18% of the predicted electric current, demonstrating that at least one of the assumptions was incorrect. Direct collaboration with a spin-off company, ElectrospiNZ has resulted in a series of laboratory scale electrospinning apparatus that are now being sold around the world. As research needs change ElectrospiNZ further develops solutions to help scientists understand the fundamental aspects of the electrospinning process. This will help the development of the commercial applications that electrospun fibre shows such promise for.

Session 1: 10.45am – 12.15pm

Lecture Theatre A6

COLLEGE OF ARTS

10.45 – 11.00am Michael Couch – Philosophy, PhD Candidate [email protected] “The Greatest Possible Subject? Compulsory Philosophy at St Peters College” The new secondary school curriculum places heavy emphases on such areas as “thinking”, and some have argued that a key subject appropriate for schools would be philosophy. St Peters College, Auckland, is unique in New Zealand in having ALL of it's senior students, years 11 to 13, doing Philosophy for nearly half the year. It is compulsory, it is academic, it is challenging, it has no credits... and it is generally enjoyed and even loved as some as "The Greatest Possible Subject". This presentation is derived from a short case study of St Peters and is part of one of the chapters of my Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Education.

4 11.10 – 11.25am Erin Harrington – Culture, MA Candidate [email protected] “You will give birth to it, pregnancy in contemporary horror film” The role of pregnancy in horror film is both complicated and contradictory. When utilising a psychoanalytic approach, pregnancy is intertwined with the concepts of maternal and reproductive monstrosity; within ideological and socio-cultural frameworks, the ‘gyno-horror’ film distils fears and anxieties surrounding the politics and practicalities of conception, pregnancy and birth in a way that is not always sanctioned in more ‘mainstream’ films. Where women in film are often deemed to be objects ‘to-be-looked-at’, not subjects, the pregnant figure takes this further – the woman loses any agency she might have had, instead acting as a carrier or even a host for the child within. Furthermore, pregnant characters rarely recoup their subjectivity, even after the birth of the child. While pregnant women are in many ways presented in a privileged way – as delicate, as important, and as worthy of salvation and protection – all too often this comes at the expense of their agency and subjectivity by turning them into objects and incubators. Further to this, the woman’s welfare comes secondary to the welfare of the unborn child, which in turn reflects contemporary ideas and debates surrounding reproductive health and abortion. Looking at films such as Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Demon Seed (1977), Á l’interieur (Inside) (2008) this presentation will give an overview of the role of the pregnant woman in contemporary horror film, looking at the ways in which her role has reflected contemporaneous issues whilst providing a fairly conservative and in some cases even nihilistic attitude towards a women’s right to bodily self-determination.

11.35 – 11.50am Hong Wang – Sociology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Technological & Social Interactions: The BRCSS New Settler Postgraduate Students Network in New Zealand” In the information age, the information and communication technologies are expected to provide opportunities to create globally networked and computer-sustained virtual communities to avoid the decline of social capital. This study examines the role of the Access Grid (AG), an advanced videoconferencing technology, in facilitating communications among emerging student researchers and integrating them into the established academic community in New Zealand. It uses participant observation, a questionnaire distributed through one-to-one emails and semi-structured interviews to record the development of the Building Research Capacity in the Social Sciences New Settler Postgraduates Students Network (BRCSS NSPSN) and interactions between its members. It argues that virtual meetings through the Access Grid cannot replace but can initiate and reinforce other ways of face-to-interface and face-to-face interactions for the purpose of social capital building, network expansion and knowledge exchange.

12.00 – 12.15pm Barbara Stephens – Sociology, MA Candidate [email protected] “Swimming in the aid and development environment” The thread that weaves together the story of colonialism, developmentalism, and globalization, is that development is a project of rule”. (McMichael, 2008) p.xv The research supporting this paper is designed to test that thesis. The literature review analyses the dominant and contemporary discourses on development, and the research undertaken analyses the way in which the practice of international non- government development organisations are impacted by the shifts in such discourses. Undertaking this research and analysis locates the interweaving of the threads identified by McMichael in the history and contemporary expressions of colonisation, together with the intentional implementation of neoliberal economic globalisation, in the social, political and economic structures of contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand out of which international development non-government organisations carry out their work. Lecture Theatre A8

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE and ENGINEERING

10.45 – 11.00am

5 David Anderson – Chemistry, PhD Candidate [email protected] “The Magic of Gold” Gold has traditionally been perceived as a chemically inert material with applications limited to arts and the electronics industry. Recent research has illustrated that small particles of gold are surprisingly reactive and potentially useful for a wide range of important chemical reactions. With increasing demands for greener, milder, cheaper and more efficient ways of synthesising chemicals, gold based catalysts have massive potential for applications in the chemical industry. The origin of the unique catalytic ability of gold is still a hotly debated topic. The catalytic activity of gold has been shown to be exceptionally sensitive to a wide variety of factors, which influence the rate of reaction, but also the selectivity of the reaction. The latest research in this field has indicated that gold particles of less than 2 nm (20-9 m) in diameter are critical for catalysis. Previous studies on gold catalysis have used a wide variety of co-precipitation and impregnation methods to produce gold particles on various supports(C, TiO2, Fe2(O)3, Al2O3). The resulting particles have a wide size distribution (+/- 5 nm) with only a small portion of particles having diameters less than 2 nm. Our current research is focused on the use of various wet chemical techniques to generate a variety of tri-phenyl phosphine and thiol stabilised gold clusters with a wide range of nuclearities. These clusters have been characterised using a wide range of techniques (PXRD, NMR, UV) and employed as catalysts for a wide range of unique, industrially relevant catalytic transformations.

[Au39(PPh3)14Cl6]Cl2

11.10 – 11.25am Phil Emnet– Chemistry, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Estrogenic Pollution – Presence and Effects of Xenoestrogens in the Antarctic and New Zealand Marine Ecosystem” Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are a hot topic in science today. Their effects range from reduced penile sizes to the production of egg protein in male fish. The most negative effects come from man made EDCs (xenoestrogens), and have been found in the Antarctic since the 1960s. Since then a range of EDCs have reached the Antarctic, and only limited studies have been carried out on the more recently emerging contaminants. This study aims to quantify selected emerging contaminants in sewage, ocean sediments and waters, and in the food chain, including invertebrates, fish, birds, and seals. During the 09/10 Antarctic season we propose to sample the environmental matrices. Contamination in seals and birds will be assessed through non-invasive methods (faeces, feathers, and egg shells). Preliminary studies will be carried out on similar matrices collected in NZ. A comparison between these two sets of data will give an indication of the extent of atmospheric and oceanic transport of EDCs, as well as the impact of human activities on the levels of EDCs. Once levels have been quantified in the Antarctic established modeling studies can be adapted to model the physiological effects of these concentrations on the endocrine systems of high trophic animals; the seals and penguins.

6 11.35 – 11.50am Katrina Dewey– Chemistry, MSc Candidate [email protected] “The effects of copper on the degradation of pesticides in a New Zealand soil” New Zealand agricultural products such as meat, crops, wine, and timber, are becoming internationally desirable. The application of pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides) is important to the agricultural industry in order to make these products higher in quality, allowing them to compete in the global markets. Biodegradation of synthetic organic pesticides including Atrazine and Indoxacarb is an important mechanism for their breakdown in soils. If one of these mechanisms is inhibited, pesticides can persist in the environment. Persistence is crucial to the fate and associated adverse effects of a pesticide in the environment. Heavy metals can inhibit a broad range of soil microbial processes, including the degradation of organic contaminants, such as pesticides. Copper-containing fungicides have been used historically in New Zealand and are still in use today. Atrazine and Indoxacarb are both chlorinated pesticides currently used in New Zealand to control a range of weeds and insect pests, respectively. There is limited data on the fate and behaviour of pesticides applied to soil in conjunction with each other. Application rates and pesticide half-lives are calculated based on pristine conditions, and do not take into account co-contamination with other pesticides. If pesticides take longer to degrade, there is a potential for non-target species (i.e.: humans) to be exposed. Atrazine has already been detected in surface waters and is thought to be an endocrine disrupting compound. Only limited information is available on the fate of Indoxacarb in the environment. This project was undertaken to determine if a there is a relationship between copper-induced changes in the soil microbial community and inhibited degradation of the target pesticides. Our hypothesis was that high concentrations of copper will negatively affect the soil microbial community, inhibiting degradation of the target pesticides. A fine sandy loam soil was spiked with copper over a range of 0 to 1000 mg kg-1 and field-aged for 6 months before being spiked with either Atrazine or Indoxacarb at a rate of 2 mg kg-1. Sampling occurred at the time of spiking, the anticipated half life and twice the anticipated half life of the individual pesticides. For both pesticides, there was no difference in degradation between the five soil copper concentrations, indicating that elevated soil copper concentrations may not inhibit the degradation of Atrazine and Indoxacarb. However, soil microbiomass and phosphatase activity both decreased with increasing copper concentration, indicating copper does negatively affect the soil microbial community. These results will be discussed in relation to total and bioavailable soil copper concentrations

12.00 – 12.15pm Andrew Gross – Chemistry, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Nanochemistry: Bottom-up (with a bit of top-down)” Nanotechnology is being heralded as a new technological revolution with potential to profoundly change the world and improve our standard of living. This field of science is developing rapidly, and with huge investment, to create materials and applications that are smaller, faster, stronger, safer and more reliable. Commercial examples (albeit, fewer than expected) already exist and include, for example, the use of nanotechnologies for new medicines, anti-ageing creams, most high-spec computer chips used today, and many electronic devices. My research focuses on developing new nanostructured materials with well-defined surfaces for potential bio- and chemical sensor applications. The basis of this work is the use of well-known chemical reactions to modify entire surfaces, or micro-regions, with desired functionalities whilst retaining the properties of the bulk material. In recent work, for example, we have been able to modify graphitic carbon with anti-fouling (anti- protein) properties. Other work has utilised the bottom-up approach to carefully tailor surfaces with chemical groups that will anchor vitamin-H to designated regions of conducting silicon surfaces. This research is predominantly based on chemistry, or nanochemistry, but also incorporates elements of other disciplines such as engineering and biology. Engineering techniques such as top-down lithography have been used, in combination with various surface chemistries, to allow specific attachment of biological species to solid surfaces. A variety of microscopy tools have also been used in this work to further understand the behavior and properties of the nanostructured materials (scanning-electron microscopy, atomic-force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy).

7 12.20 – 12.35pm Shantha Parthan – Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Improved cost planning for solid waster managements in developing countries” Solid Waste Management (SWM) in developing countries is an emerging and challenging area of study. Rapidly growing economies such as India, China, Philippines etc are facing major environmental and health problems due to improper handling and disposal of solid wastes. Municipalities in these regions are under constant pressure to upgrade the existing SW facilities to cope with these increasing quantities waste. Due to improper cost estimation and long term planning techniques to handle the growing waste quantities, budget allocation in the SW sector continues to be ad hoc. Thus an improved cost estimation and planning methodology for SWM could help municipalities to efficiently manage their limited finances. Development of “Cost Functions” (CF) allows one to estimate direct costs. A CF in the context of SWM can estimate the cost associated with, for example, increasing the rate of recycling from 100 to 110 tons/day. A case study on India showed that an effort to provide generalised cost functions applicable to regions of developing countries is worthwhile. The main challenge though seems to be associated with problems of cost data. Issues such as data accuracy, invalidity, high scatter etc are to name a few. Since cost estimation and planning is generally based on past data, first and foremost the importance of proper documentation and accounting of cost data should be recognised. Although the results obtained so far are preliminary, it gives confidence to evaluate highly scattered data which is typical in SWM, particularly with developing countries. The objective of this presentation is to provide a broad overview of this interesting but challenging research problem. It is hoped that the audience will be able to appreciate the realities and challenges that a SW planner faces in these regions. The proposed methodology of using CF to estimate and plan costs of SWM is demonstrated by briefly discussing the results obtained for the Indian scenario.

Lecture Theatre A9

COLLEGES OF EDUCATION

10.45 – 11.00am Philippa Drayton – Health Sciences Centre, PGDipHealSc Candidate [email protected] “Getting it right: Ethical issues facing the adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in New Zealand” If an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is to be successful then it must have the confidence of the general public and all users. For this to occur there needs to be wide consultation with all stakeholders and consideration of a number of practical matters and ethical issues. Without such dialogue and consequent design and implementation of appropriate technology and processes there is the potential for loss of confidence in both the record keeping system and people in the health system. A robust EHR architecture is more likely to be one that allows the ‘right’ information to be available in the ‘right’ place, at he the ‘right’ time, to only the ‘right’ people, protecting he ‘rights’ of both the patient and the health professional. One theme this paper traces is ethical issues facing the adoption of EHRs in New Zealand. Privacy and confidentiality, autonomy, beneficence and non-malfeasance are addressed; the interrelationships and conflicts between them are identified, as is the need for balance between them. As part of this discussion I suggest a range of possible solutions to the ethical-practical problems. These are, however, intended as indicative, not best practice. A second theme derives from the first: whether the ethical issues around EHRs are a by-product of EHRs, or whether they are a by-product of changes in doctor-patient relationships. This paper focuses specifically on EHRs but it also touches on bigger questions about the changing nature of doctor-patient relationships and how the ethical questions of privacy and confidentiality, autonomy, beneficence and non-malfeasance adapt to an ever-changing health landscape. Although the issues are discussed within the New Zealand context they are applicable to other national contexts who must also address the changing context of clinical practice and the ethical issues around EHRs.

11.10 – 11.25am Amir Sadegi – Education, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Predictors of Persian reading comprehension”

8 The present research, Predictors of Persian Reading Comprehension, is intending to address the contribution of word-level skills and processes (particularly verbal skills, phonological skills, orthographic skills, and speed) of reading comprehension in primary age children in Iran. In this study, the need to move toward universal theories for literacy and reading comprehension will be addressed by a cross-language comparison (i.e., English, Persian and Arabic), which helps develop reading comprehension models for Persian orthography and English-Persian bilinguals. English has been chosen for this study because reading comprehension and literacy models are mostly derived from this language despite there is a common core amongst researchers that English orthography is not very transparent. Persian orthography was selected for this study, as the researcher’s background in this language will provide valuable resources and Arabic was considered because Persian orthography is a modified version of the Arabic script. Arabic and Persian orthography has the feature of using marks to represent sounds within the languages. These marks are not always included in written text, particularly in passages targeted at more experienced readers. School children from grades 2 to 5 will be given measures of text reading involving cloze completion tasks or followed by comprehension questions. Ability levels on these measures will be compared to scores on additional measures of language competence, non-verbal skills, phonological ability, orthographic processing and memory. Findings in the literature indicate that English reading comprehension levels are best predicted by measures of language comprehension and word decoding, in contrast to the main underlying predictors of Arabic text processing, which are orthographic and phonological skills. However, the latter effects are influenced by the grade of the reader and whether the text is fully marked or not. Data in the current study will be collected from a sample of 240 Persian-speaking primary school children (120 females and 120 males) in Iran from Grade 2 to 5 with an average age of about 9 years. Measures will be modified to be culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate for the cohorts to be assessed. Data will be further analysed utilizing SPSS through multiple regression analyses to find the predictors of Persian reading comprehension. Then the three languages (i.e. Persian, Arabican, English) will be compared in terms of reading comprehension at word level literacy.

11.35 – 11.50am Virginia Good - Communication Disorders, Masters Candidate [email protected] “The Effects of integrating sound-field amplification and a classroom based phonological awareness programme upon the literary outcomes for at risk school children” Sound-field amplification systems (SFA) have proven effective in overcoming children’s listening difficulties that are associated with noise, distance and reverberation in classrooms. However, whether improving the listening environment of the classroom is sufficient to enhance young children’s learning in areas that are critical to early reading acquisition such as becoming aware of the sound structure of spoken words (phonological awareness) is unclear. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an enhanced classroom listening environment in the context of regular reading instruction compared to enhanced listening environment and a phonological awareness intervention, which aimed to specifically increase children’s awareness of sounds in words. Method: Participants included thirty-eight children aged 5-6 years from two classes at a low-decile primary school. All children were hearing screened at baseline, pre- and post- intervention. The performance of all children in tasks measuring PA, letter-sound knowledge, real and non- word decoding was monitored three times over ten weeks (Term 1) prior to SFA installation in both classrooms, and at pre- and post-intervention. In Term 2, the eighteen children in class 1 were randomly assigned to receive SFA and an eight-week class-based PA programme administered by the teacher. Twenty children in class 2 received SFA intervention only. There was no significant difference in the age, gender, socio-economic status, and language development of the groups. Results: At baseline no significant differences existed between the class groups. A significant learning effect occurred over the ten-week monitoring period although a learning plateau was reached between assessment times two and three. Following intervention, all literacy assessments revealed a significant time effect and a non-significant difference between the classes. Visual analysis of data revealed substantial (although non-significant) improvements for the poor readers in class 1. These children, as a group, outperformed the poor readers in class 2 on all measures. The scores of the poor readers in class 2 remained relatively static following SFA intervention alone. Implications: Teacher questionnaires indicated that children’s listening skills improved dramatically with SFA intervention. Yet, results showed that children at-risk of poor reading outcomes needed either (a) a longer intervention period or (b) more than an improved auditory signal in the classroom to facilitate reading development. The results in class 1 suggested that an effect was taking place for some children following SFA+PA intervention. However, class-based-teacher-administered PA programmes may require more focused phoneme level intervention to optimally enhance children’s progress in underlying PA and subsequent reading and spelling skills.

9 12.00 – 12.15pm Stephanie Borrie – Communication Disorders, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Learning to better understand distorted speech: The role of perceptual learning in speech intelligibility of dysarthria” The ability to produce spoken words lies at the very heart of what it is to be human. Unique to the human race, it is the medium through which one expresses thoughts, feelings and emotions. Furthermore, communication empowers people to respond to and control their environment (Duffy, 2005). Therefore, it is not surprising that the reduced ability to communicate effectively has profound deleterious effects on an individual’s social, family, academic and vocational life (Theodoros, Murdoch, & Goozee, 2001). Dysarthria refers to an impairment in speech motor control arising from neurological disorder or disease. The speech of individuals with dysarthria is frequently reduced in intelligibility and, to the lay listener, sounds “slurred” to various degrees. Speech therapy for dysarthria has traditionally focused on the individual speaker, aiming to improve the speech signal or equip the speaker with strategies to compensate for the impaired signal. Research examining this area is limited and traditional behavioural interventions lack substantial evidence to support their effectiveness in improving the intelligibility of dysarthric speech (e.g. Sellars, Hughes & Langhorne, 2005). However, the speech signal represents only one half of the equation when attempting to improve intelligibility in dysarthria speakers (Liss, 2007). Recent research in dysarthria has begun to focus on the other half of the equation; that is the role of the listener in the communication process (e.g. D'Innocenzo, Tjaden & Greenman, 2006; Hustad & Cahill, 2003; Liss, Spitzer, Caviness, & Adler, 2002; Spitzer, Liss, Caviness, & Adler, 2000). While research in this field is relatively sparse, these studies provide preliminary support that prior exposure to the disordered speech signal may have a beneficial effect on the listener’s ability to perceive the degraded speech signal during subsequent communication interactions. Thus far, research has yet to conduct a systematic program of study grounded in current theories of perceptual learning and speech perception with a dysarthric population. It is, therefore, the overall aim of the current thesis to provide an in- depth examination of the nature of the perceptual learning process in a group of participants with acquired dysarthria associated with Parkinson’s disease. The thesis will further investigate the potential to optimise these effects with this same population. This presentation will provide a brief outline of the three phases of this research program. The research seeks to highlight the link between theories of speech perception and clinical practice and will be conducted in three phases. Phase one will establish basic perceptual learning processes with dysarthria and consider the cognitive mechanisms that may underlie the perceptual benefit of exposure to a distorted signal. With insight into underlying processes, phase two will investigate methods of optimising perceptual learning and the subsequent intelligibility gains with this population. Finally, phase three will incorporate the use of the visual signal into perceptual learning investigations in order to determine whether the presence of the visual information will influence intelligibility outcomes. It is anticipated that the findings from this research will provide strong foundational evidence for the development of efficient and effective listener-based training methods to improve intelligibility of dysarthric speech, as well as advance the understanding of the basic cognitive processes the underlie speech perception and perceptual learning of neurologically-disordered speech.

12.00 – 12.15pm Katrina Light– Communication Disorders, MAud Candidate [email protected] “Reactions to the diagnosis of a hearing loss in adults”

10 PERFORMANCE: A- Block Lobby 12.35 – 12.45pm Mark Hamilton – Theatre and Film Studies, PhD Candidate [email protected]

“The Bee Keeper’s Son from Tuakau” Mark has studied and performed bharatanāṭyam (South Indian classical dance) since 1987. He is now a PhD student in the department of Theatre and Film Studies. He works daily in the dance studio, sustaining his commitment to the department’s integration of practice and theory. This two-fold process ensures rigorous enquiry in the field of performance studies. Mark’s present research explores the interface of the martial arts and dance. At the conclusion of his thesis he considers the proposition of seminal theatre practitioner Jerzy Grotowski, that there are actions whose affective presence precedes differences of culture. Today, Mark dances to a song composed by Mahinarangi Tocker. Through illustrative gesture, dramatic enactment and abstract movement he responds to the lyric as sung by Emma Johnston, a fellow PhD student. His movement vocabulary is an integration of forms and principles emergent from his study of Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Māori martial arts and dance. Dancing in this way allows Mark to seek out key convergences of performance practice manifest in these diverse cultures. It also furthers his consideration of how his prolonged engagement with cultures other that his own has led to his own exoticisation.

LUNCH BREAK 12.45– 1.20pm

Session 2: 1.30pm – 3.00pm Lecture Theatre A5

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE and EDUCATION

1.30 – 1.45pm Sara Kross – Biology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “The use of remote videography to observe the nesting behaviour of New Zealand Falcons” The New Zealand falcon is chronically threatened and is New Zealand’s only remaining endemic raptor. Since 2005, as part of a conservation programme, falcon nestlings have been relocated from nests in the arid hills of Marlborough into artificial nests in the vineyard-dominated landscape of the Wairau valley. There is a small population of falcons now breeding in the vineyards. As part of a PhD study examining the behavioural differences between the ‘hills’ and ‘vineyard’ populations of falcons, I am using remote videography to compare the nestling diets, prey delivery rates, and nesting behaviours of the two falcon populations. Details of the remote videography technology will be discussed, along with preliminary results from the first season of video.

2.45 – 3.00pm Kata Fulop– Education, PhD Candidate [email protected] “How do immigrants in New Zealand perform their cultural identity?” My research investigates how immigrants in New Zealand perform their cultural identity. New Zealand is often referred to as a bicultural society, which is very much reflected in thinking as well as in policy. However, there is a large and growing part of society, living in New Zealand who do not fit in this model. Immigrants do bring a multicultural flavour to New Zealand, a few examples are performances, food, events, protests and sports. But how do they perform their cultural identity? Looking at formal and at direct performance, both terms by Schechner my study will investigate this question through qualitative research

Lecture Theatre A6 COLLEGE OF ARTS

1.30 – 1.45pm Megan Ryburn - Spanish, BA (Hons) Candidate [email protected] “Desterrado: Chilean refugees in Christchurch” On 11 September 1973, General Pinochet seized power in Chile in a coup that led to horrific human rights abuses and a military dictatorship, which lasted nearly 17 years. 200, 000 Chileans were forced to flee the country. 354 of those refugees were accepted into New Zealand. Of those, approximately 20 families came to Christchurch. Some of these people still live in our community today. Through a process of interviews and analysis of primary documents, this research examines the experiences of some of the Chileans who came to Christchurch and compares it to the experiences of Chileans who were exiled in other countries around the world. It compares the reasons for exile, the journeys into exile, the experiences of life in exile and the experiences of return of these people. Often, research into exile focuses on high-profile citizens. This research looks at the lives of lower-profile citizens in the belief that their stories are equally valuable and should be told. This presentation will focus on the experiences of life in exile of the Chileans who came to Christchurch, with brief comparisons to the experiences of those in other countries. In particular, it will look at the integration of Chileans into Christchurch society and their promotion of Chilean culture and opposition to the regime in Chile. Their experiences provide us with important insights into how Christchurch society was and how it is now.

1.55 – 2.10pm Louise Tapper– Education, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Parental perspectives on underachievement in gifted and talented students” The goal of this multiple case study design PhD research is to explore the understandings that gifted students, their parents and their teachers have about the phenomenon of underachievement. Eleven gifted and talented students were tracked over 18 months, from the end of their final year of primary school through the transition to the early high school years. Triangulation of data collection involved semi-structured qualitative interviews with student participants, their parents and teachers, document analysis, and reflection sheets collected from the student participants. For the purposes of this presentation, emerging themes from the parent participant group will be discussed. The parent voice seems to be silent in terms of the literature on underachievement in gifted and talented students with little attention given to parental beliefs. Emerging findings from the parent group for this study reveal understandings about the phenomenon that are both expected and contradictory. Findings may have implications for further research in this area. In what ways can the sharing of understandings that parents have about underachievement and the factors that they believe impact on this process, aid in promoting the constructive dialogue that is needed to support underachieving gifted students in NZ schools?

2.20 – 2.35pm

12 Lane Perry – Education/UCTL, PhD Candidate [email protected] “ Service learning in New Zealand: Is it related to student engagement and student development?” The links between service-learning and John Dewey’s theory of experiential education are wide and deep from Tonkin’s Service-Learning Across Cultures: Promise and Achievement (2004) to Giles and Eyler’s The Theoretical Roots of Service-Learning in John Dewey: Toward a Theory of Service-Learning (1994). While Dewey never wrote specifically about service-learning, he did write about many of the characteristics that are seen to describe the contemporary practice of it with, “typical problems to be solved by personal reflection and experimentation and by acquiring definite bodies of knowledge leading later to more specialized scientific knowledge” (Dewey, 1933, p. 290-291). Building upon that idea, Giles and Eyler further suggest that, “principles of continuity and interaction, the process of problematization and inquiry, and the phases of reflective thought” (Giles and Eyler, 1994, p. 80) encompass the general definition of service-learning. Instruments such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) identify measures of student engagement and have been used by over 1,200 higher-education institutions in the US and the Australasia region. By their widespread adoption and promotion of scores, these participating institutions are interested in their levels of student engagement and are, presumably, seeking ways to improve those levels, including implementing engaging pedagogies. According to Kuh et al. (2005, 2008), student engagement in the teaching and learning process has been found to be a key factor in student success in higher-education. Astin et al. (2000) indicated that service- learning was a source of student engagement. Empirical studies of service-learning have shown significant increases in many of the indicators of engagement measured by the NSSE (Astin et al., 2000; Kuh, 2003; Hicks and Lee, 2008). However, few studies have been conducted in New Zealand that emphasize the influence of service-learning on student engagement and learning outcomes as measured by the AUSSE and observed by the Naturalistic Inquiry (NI) methodology. This study will identify the influence of service-learning on student engagement according to AUSSE data and NI (Lincoln and Guba, 1985) in two upper-division courses at a university in New Zealand. It will also identify the relationship of service-learning in those courses with student development outcomes according to the Service Experience Survey (Eyler and Giles, 1999) and NI. Considering the effects of service-learning on engagement and student development have been relatively un-researched in a New Zealand tertiary environment, the implications of this study could provide insight into the further development of service- learning in New Zealand and at an international level.

1.55 – 2.10pm Melissa Reimer – English, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Katherine Mansfield: Colonial Impressionist” Very early morning. The sun was not yet risen, and the whole of Crescent Bay was hidden under a white sea-mist. The big bush-covered hills at the back were smothered. You could not see where they ended and the paddocks and bungalows began.... there was nothing to mark which was beach and where was the sea. A heavy dew had fallen.... (“At the Bay”). Cf. Monet, Early Morning on the Seine, Morning Mists (1896-97) This paper considers the painterly quality of Katherine Mansfield’s short stories within the context of Impressionism, specifically, Mansfield’s evocative and elusive semi-rural landscapes alongside Monet’s images of, for example, Argenteuil, Vétheuil and Menton. For both Monet and Mansfield, the natural landscape was their primary aesthetic resource. Their adult trajectories were not dissimilar, with both artists drawn to the temperate climes of coastal France and Italy. Their respective childhoods were spent in port cities; these landscapes were perhaps the most influential of all – instilling in them both a particular affinity for light upon water, which shaped and influenced the landscapes they produced in their maturity. This paper, then, also investigates Francis Pound’s concept of “geographical determinism” and considers the idea that the unique light and landscape of Mansfield’s native country made her more susceptible to the ideas of Impressionists, even before she reached the more art-oriented cities of London and Paris.

2.20 – 2.35pm

13 Alicia Barnaby – Media and Communication, Hons Candidate [email protected] “Power in the hands of the people or just a regular policy change? A study of the effects online protesters had on Section 92a copyright act” Section 92a of the copyright (new technologies) amendment act, 2008, (No. 27) is a law that requires internet service providers (ISPs) to have a policy for terminating the internet accounts of repeat copyright infringers. It was put through parliament by Judith Tizard of the Labour party in October, 2008. New Zealand needs a law like this if it is to sign a Free-trade agreement with the United States of America. The newly elected National party put the act on hold on February 23rd, 2009, and delayed it indefinitely on March, 23rd 2009. The implementation of a law like this raises many complexities. How can commercial ISPs monitor something as intimate as what people choose to do on the internet and enforce penalties like internet termination, without invading privacy and giving people fair and due process? The Creative Freedom Foundation (CFF) is a group of artists in Wellington that felt strongly about this question. They developed a highly innovative and effective internet protest campaign which drew international media attention about the Copyright and the rights ISPs have to cut off internet connections. I chose to study the online protest strategies of the Creative Freedom Foundation: Online Petition, Email the National MPs in charge of the law,The internet blackout from the 16th of February until the 23rd, 2009, Join CFF on Social networks Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Bebo The research questions: What online media strategies were used by the Section 92a protest movement? To what extent did these strategies affect the Governments decision to change its policy on this law? Methodology In depth interviews with: The politicians who were influential in the decision to put the law on hold in February (after the avatar black out) The chairperson and co-founder of the creative freedom foundation who developed the online strategies that I am interested in: Bronwyn Hollow-Smith. I will explore the online strategies in my presentation and the impact they had on the National party’s decision to put the law on hold in February of this year.

Lecture Theatre A8

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

1.30 – 1.45pm Juliane Wilcke – Psychology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “What makes consciousness particularly difficult to study—and what does not” Consciousness is perceived as being particularly difficult to investigate. Why is this, and is it true? I examine the following reasons that might contribute to potential methodological challenges in the study of consciousness: the familiarity and subjective importance of consciousness, the concept itself, the history of consciousness research in philosophy and psychology, the failure to treat consciousness as an empirical variable, its measurement by introspection or behavioural indices, and the irreconcilability of first- and third- person perspectives. Whereas some of these reasons are mostly historical and others depend on the personal discipline of researchers, there are several reasons that make consciousness difficult to study at present. However, whether consciousness is more difficult to investigate than other phenomena depends on the phenomena to which we compare it. Here I compare the study of consciousness to that of other psychological constructs and conclude that the main difference may well be that consciousness researchers are particularly self-conscious of their methodological difficulties. Fortunately, this is not holding back progress any more as consciousness research is in full swing, and it could even prove advantageous.

14 1.55 – 2.10pm Sebastian Koenig – Psychology/HIT Lab, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Virtual reality rehabilitation of spatial abilities after brain damage” Cognitive processes that contribute to navigation and spatial cognition are widely distributed in the human brain. Consequently, deficits in wayfinding ability are common after brain damage [1]. Nevertheless, after the initial neuropsychological assessment at the rehabilitation hospital, no explicit training of navigational skills is currently in use. Navigation practice and assessment are integrated into occupational- or physiotherapy sessions. Quantification of progress in navigation ability is based on patient observation. This approach is very time-consuming, makes it difficult to assess parameters like goal-distance, redundant routes or orientation behaviour (e.g. head-movement), and generalization of regained abilities across different locations is limited. To overcome these limitations, accurately measure patient progress throughout the training across several contexts, and to provide a dedicated training-tool for wayfinding ability, a VR training application is proposed. This VR training is administered after the standard rehabilitation training at the hospital is completed. Compared to the standard training, the VR application provides more possibilities to manipulate the complexity of the training environment, thus it is expected that the patients will show further improvement and generalization in wayfinding ability beyond the effects of the standard rehabilitation. Additionally, the program will be used as an assessment tool to quantify the participants’ wayfinding performance. The data will be compared with real-world navigation performance in tasks of similar complexity to evaluate real-world transfer of the VR training. It is predicted that the virtual navigation task is a suitable assessment tool for wayfinding ability and provides similar results to the assessment with a comparable real-world navigation task. Currently, the application is under development and basic functionality and data acquisition are being implemented. [1] M. J. Farah, Disorders of Visual-Spatial Perception and Cognition. In K.M. Heilman & E. Valenstein (eds.): Clinical Neuropsychology, 146-160, Oxford University Press, New York, 2003.

2.20-2.35pm Jessica Boyce – Psychology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Ideal body media, self-evaluation and dietary self-regulation: The role of restraint status” Introduction. Idealized body media (IBM) does not affect all women equally. For example, IBM can encourage restrained eaters (chronic dieters) to overeat. According to Restraint Theory (Polivy & Herman, 1980) chronic dieters are likely to overeat when confronted with a disinhibitor. It is debatable whether negative or positive affect mediates between IBM and disinhibition. Some suggest that restrained eaters only report negative self-evaluations when the methodology demands this negative response. We investigated this suggestion. It was anticipated that restrained eaters would be either negatively (negative contrast effect) or positively (thinness fantasy effect) affected by IBM. We expected either change in self- evaluation to facilitate overeating. Method. Because some claim that participants will report negative effects if they suspect the true purpose of an IBM study, we sought to eliminate this confound. Female participants (N = 118) completed two “separate” studies, one exposed them to IBM (vs. control); the second measured the dependent variables (self-esteem, body-satisfaction, eating behavior and overeating associated guilt). The measurement of restraint and filler items occurred one week prior to participation. Results. The experimental conditions alone did not significantly affect any of the dependent variables. However, the restrained eaters in the experimental condition reported elevated negative affect, body- dissatisfaction, negative figure appraisals and guilt about general instances of overeating. Although restrained and unrestrained eaters did not differ in their food intake, results indicate that the true effects of IBM exposure may be negative for restrained eaters. Discussion focuses on potential mechanisms that discouraged overeating. The possibility that IBM can activate dietary restraint is addressed.

2.45 – 3.00pm

15 Louella Orillaza – Psychology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Working models of attachment and health outcomes in type 2 diabetes patients: The mediating role of supportive and negative interactions with the intimate partner” Introduction: A number of studies have shown that working models of attachment is related to health outcomes in patients with a chronic condition, but the possibility of another variable mediating this relationship has not yet been explored. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how supportive and negative interactions with an intimate partner mediate this relationship, specifically in type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: Sixty-five type 2 diabetes patients, who were in a stable relationship, completed a questionnaire package which assessed health-related quality of life and psychological distress (both in general and diabetes-specific), supportive and negative interactions (in the past week) with their partner, their own and their partner’s caregiving behaviour, and working models of attachment. Results: Patients with higher scores on attachment-related anxiety or attachment-related avoidance (compared to those who scored lower on these scales) reported experiencing more psychological distress and quality of life. In addition, patients with higher scores on attachment-related anxiety also experienced more diabetes-specific distress. In terms of support-seeking, patients with higher attachment-related anxiety or attachment-related avoidance were more likely to keep their problems to themselves by hiding or masking their feelings. With regard their caregiving behaviour, patients with higher attachment-related anxiety acknowledged that they could not easily recognize their partner’s needs. During the times they helped their partner, however, these patients were more likely to be overly involved in their partner’s problems; the same is true for patients with higher attachment-related avoidance. When asked about their perception of their partner’s caregiving behaviour, patients with higher attachment-related anxiety perceived their partner to be more distant caregiver. These patients also reported receiving less emotional support, being less satisfied with the support they recieved, and experiencing more negative interactions with their partner in the past week. Mediational analyses revealed that attachment-related anxiety or attachment-related avoidance operated through avoidance of opening up to their partner to influence psychological distress and diabetes-specific quality of life. Attachment-related anxiety worked through negative interactions with the intimate partner in the past week to influence psychological distress, diabetes-related distress, and diabetes-specific quality of life. Attachment-related anxiety also worked through satisfaction with the support given in the past week to influence psychological distress. Conclusions: This study shows the important mediating role of support- seeking behaviour, negative interactions with the partner, and satisfaction with the support received, and helps us better understand the mechanism through which working models of attachment influence health outcomes.

Lecture Theatre A9 COLLEGES OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS 1.30 – 1.45pm R.A Ranga Prabodanie –Management, PhD candidate [email protected] “Trading Nitrogen in Lake Taupo” Protecting our great lakes from nitrogen overloading is a critical environmental concern in New Zealand. Since the mid 1970s, increased nitrogen levels have been observed in the lake due to intensive farming and urbanization in the catchment. Excess nitrogen in water bodies cause eutrophication (plant growth in water, mainly algae) and hypoxia (shortage of oxygen in water which may kill the fish and other aquatic species). As a solution, Environment Waikato suggests a tradable permit program which allows the farms to buy and sell nitrogen discharge allowances. Economic and environmental benefits of such trading systems are well understood by the success of carbon credit trading systems in the West. However, trading nitrogen allowances in Lake Taupo catchment is complicated by three main factors: (1) groundwater transporting nitrate from farms to the lake may take several decades to reach the lake (residence times vary between 20 to 180 years), (2) spatially varying levels of denitrification in the catchment, (3) it can take 11 years for water to move through Lake Taupo to Waikato River. Theses factors imply that nitrogen discharges in spatially distributed farms affect the lake in different intensities and timings. Therefore, the allowances should not be freely traded on a one-to-one basis. We propose a new mechanism to trade nitrogen allowances in Lake taupo catchment, based on the structure of the New Zealand Electricity Market. The farms can buy and sell permits in an online trading system. They use nutrient budget models such as OVERSEER to determine the nitrogen loss from land uses and hence the allowance requirements of alternative land uses. A market manager uses a linear program to determine the equilibrium prices and clear the market. The linear program uses a set of transport coefficients generated from a catchment nitrate transport simulation to relate the farm discharges and nitrogen flux into the lake. 1.55 – 2.10pm

16 James Horrocks - Economics, Honours Candidate [email protected] “The effects of weather on criminal activity” Motivation for addressing the research question in the thesis Understanding criminal behaviour is important for the allocation of police resources and so this research will aid New Zealand police departments. Weather could also be added as an explanatory variable to existing models of criminal behaviour. If weather is correlated with crime, weather could serve as an instrumental variable for crime in studies where the inclusion of crime causes endogeneity. Methodology and scope of the topic A conceptual framework has been developed. Prior studies in Psychology and Criminology can be used to postulate the likely relationship between weather and criminal activity. These findings can then be incorporated into an Economic model of criminal behaviour. The study will primarily be empirical. Panel data econometric techniques will be used to analyse the relationship between weather and criminal activity. Our data (daily and monthly) comes from forty four police districts across New Zealand from 2000 to 2007. The paper will focus on two categories of crime: property crime and violent crime. Weather data will include temperature and precipitation. Anticipated findings The paper expects to find that violent crime will be positively correlated with temperature, as higher temperatures facilitate aggression and the necessary interaction for violence to occur. Precipitation will be negatively correlated with violence as it decreases interaction. Property crime is expected to be positively correlated with temperature, as higher temperature increases human outdoor activity, thereby increasing the likelihood that property is left unattended. Precipitation is anticipated to decrease property crime as it increases the likelihood of property being attended to. Research limitations/practical implications The possibility of displacement will have to be considered. Does precipitation decrease violence in aggregate, or does it simply shift it to another period? On a more minor front, there may be difficulties in measuring the exact timing of a crime. For instance, property crime may take a couple of days to be reported as people do not immediately discover they have had something stolen. Originality and value of the research The research is the first of its kind in New Zealand. The New Zealand police have had limited economic analysis of crime and so this project will be of great value to them.

2.20 – 2.35pm Scott Brooker- Economics, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Determining batting production possibility frontiers in one day cricket ODI” The nature of the game of One Day International (ODI) cricket means that a batsman is required to play different roles in the very large set of game situations that he may find himself in. Individual batsmen have significantly varied skill sets; therefore, when comparing two batsmen, one may be preferred in situations that call for aggressive (high scoring and high risk) batting, while the other may be preferred in situations that call for a more defensive (low scoring and low risk) approach. One batsman may also be preferred to the other in all possible situations. If we know what individual players are capable of, we are then able to determine the best way for a team to use their particular sets of skills. This presentation will outline how a dynamic programming model of ODI cricket can provide the necessary information to calculate a production possibility frontier for an individual player. The method, based on the concept of revealed preference, assumes that a rational batsman assesses the impact of scoring rates and survival probabilities on the expected outcome of the innings when deciding on the appropriate level of risk to take. A critical component of the analysis is the concept of the cost of losing a wicket. The information conveyed in this presentation is part of a wider programme of research as part of a Ph.D. in Economics. In this wider research programme, we created a dynamic programme to determine the cost of losing a wicket in any game situation. In this presentation, these costs will be the starting point and we will proceed from the assumption that a batsman should base his strategy around the potential cost to his team of him losing his wicket. Under this assumption, it is possible to derive a production possibility frontier for a batsman and assess his strategy by comparing the strategy that he chooses with the strategy that he optimally should choose. These production possibility frontiers have useful applications, such as including determining the best strategy for an individual batsman to follow while at the crease and determining the optimal batting order for a given team of eleven players. We use a case study of two prominent international batsmen to outline a situation where a lesser-skilled batsman is preferred to a higher-skilled batsman due to the sub-optimality of the higher-skilled batsman’s decisions about risk.

2.45 – 3.00pm

17 Therse Arno - Management, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Creating networks to manage carbon” I will conduct a qualitative study on logistics companies around New Zealand in an effort to answer the question: how do firms create networks to manage carbon emissions? The aim of this research is to produce a theoretical framework for how companies create networks to manage carbon. I will be looking at the various types of networks that firms use to manage carbon. These networks will include, but are not limited to the following: joint ventures, strategic alliances and partnerships, supplier relationships, and relationships with customers. I have chosen to focus on the logistics sector because these companies transport freight via air, land and sea, which requires a great deal of energy. The movement of freight around the world produces massive amounts of carbon emissions and puts logistics companies in the spotlight concerning their carbon footprints. Previous studies have established a foundation for how firms create portfolios to improve firm performance. However, this study attempts to contribute by adding another variable, the management of carbon. This study also prepares to discuss the various motivations companies have for forming such networks. Companies that seek partnerships to manage carbon are motivated by several factors other then firm performance such as government regulations, consumer demands, depletion and price of natural resources, corporate social responsibility reporting and public opinion. I plan to use a grounded theory inductive approach using case studies of logistics companies from New Zealand. I will use within-case descriptions to provide a background of the firms being studied and cross- case comparisons to compare the findings between cases. I will conduct interviews with decision makers, top managers and key stakeholders using semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. This research will be beneficial to companies of relevant sectors when constructing networks to manage carbon. It will demonstrate what strategies logistic firms are using to mitigate climate change, which will allow for a comparison against other nations and industries. It will provide valuable insight into the strategies and practices being used to manage carbon.

AFTERNOON TEA

POSTER SESSION

3.00 – 3.30pm

Please use this time to enjoy refreshments while viewing the research posters in the A-Block Lobby. Many poster presenters will be available to answer questions about their research at this time.

18 Session 3: 3.35 – 5.05pm Lecture Theatre A6

COLLEGE SCIENCE and BUSINESS

3.35 – 3.50pm Brad Miles– Psychology, PhD candidate [email protected] “What do voices say? Social perception of the human voice” This research investigates the idea that independent of language and emotional content, human voices reliably convey important biological and social information that listeners are perceptive to. Sixty speakers (30 male, 30 female) had their voices recorded on two separate occasions. For female speakers, recordings were made once at menstruation (a low fertility period) and once at, or just prior to, ovulation (a high fertility period). For male speakers, recordings were made two weeks apart. In addition to the voice recordings, demographic and morphological measures of the speakers were also recorded. Another group of sixty participants acted as perceivers and were asked to listen to the voice recordings and rate each speaker on a number of dimensions. Again, perceivers completed the task on two separate occasions, at periods of high and low fertility for female perceivers and two weeks apart for male perceivers. Results demonstrated that listeners displayed high inter-rater agreement across all dimensions and that they were able to reliably and accurately estimate a speaker’s sex, age, height, and physical attractiveness from vocal information alone. In addition, male listeners rated the voices of female speakers recorded at high fertility to be significantly more attractive than voices recorded at low fertility. Moreover, while speaker body symmetry was generally positively associated with how attractive opposite sex listeners found a voice to be, this relationship was significantly stronger for female listeners at high fertility than at low fertility. These findings are discussed in terms of the functional nature of voice perception.

4.00 – 4.15pm Jacqueline Tither – Psychology, PhD candidate [email protected] “What a difference a dad makes! Testing the impact of fathers on developmental outcomes in girls using a sibling comparison design” Girls growing up without their biological fathers tend to go through puberty earlier than their peers. Whereas evolutionary theories of socialization propose that this relation is causal, it could arise from environmental or genetic confounds. To distinguish between these competing explanations, the current study employed a genetically- and environmentally-controlled sibling comparison design to examine the effects of differential exposure to family disruption/father absence in a community sample of sister pairs. As specified by evolutionary causal theories, younger sisters had earlier menarche than their older sisters in disrupted families but not in intact families. This effect was superseded, however, by a large moderating effect of paternal dysfunction. These data suggest that early exposure to disordered paternal behaviour, followed by residential separation from the father, can substantially advance age at menarche. The utility of this sibling comparison design to test for the effects of differential exposure to other non-shared environmental factors will also be discussed.

4.25 – 4.40pm Yan Wang – Computer Science, Masters candidate [email protected] “An authoring tool for building mobile phone AR applications” This thesis describes research on developing an authoring tool for mobile phone Augmented Reality (AR) applications. This work is based on earlier work at the HIT Lab NZ on ComposAR, a tool for authoring PC based AR applications. We describe modifications to ComposAR that allows end-users to prototype mobile AR applications on a PC, and player software that allows prototype AR applications to be delivered on a mobile phone. In this way, end-users with little programming experience can develop simple mobile AR applications.

19 Lecture Theatre A8

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

3.35 – 3.50pm Shuhaidah Md Noor – Geography, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Overview of studies on effects of design on thermal comfort in hot and humid countries” This study aims to investigate aspects of urban design, which could contribute to improved outdoor human thermal comfort such as urban form, use of vegetation, use of water elements and use of different materials. This study will be conducted in the hot and humid country of Malaysia, in an old shophouses area in Kuala Lumpur called Tuanku Abdul Rahman Street, which was nicknamed “Heritage Row”. The recent pressing need for conservation of the street area requires specific measures to ensure human comfort. The presentation will include some theoretical background of the study, its necessity, the research context, the focus and method of study also some expected use of the findings. The research context are divided into discussions on the necessity of combine disciplinary thermal comfort works done by the urban climatologist and urban designers and on the lacking of researches on thermal comfort in Asian countries compared to some other part of the world. The presentation will pin point some of the consequences related to designs without climatic considerations and list some of the urban design criteria that are found to affect the thermal comfort of the street users.

4.00 – 4.15pm Mette Riger-Kusk – Geography, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Dynamics of the Darwin-Hatherton glacial system, Antarctica” The Darwin-Hatherton glacial system drains through the Transantarctic Mountains and into the Ross Embayment. In its current state, the glacial system is thought to be predominantly locally fed; however, ice drainage from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet may have played a more important role in the past. Previous research has shown that the Darwin-Hatherton glacial system has recently experienced significant fluctuations in ice thickness. During the last glaciation, in response to a growing West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), a grounded Ross Ice Sheet advanced into the Ross Embayment and past the outlet of the glacial system. It effectively dammed the glacial system causing widespread ice thickening. Following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the Ross Ice Sheet grounding line retreated past the glacial outlet, consequently leading to a thinning of the Darwin-Hatherton glacial system. Important information in fluctuations of the Ross Ice Sheet and consequently the WAIS can therefore be inferred through a thorough understanding of the dynamic behaviour of the Darwin-Hatherton glacial system. Presented here are the results of a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey of the Darwin-Hatherton glacial system using a PulseEKKO pro radar with 25 MHz antennas. The data give evidence of a complex glacial system with highly variable bedrock topography. Ice thickness along the centre flow lines of the Darwin and the Hatherton glaciers range from about 600 meters in the upper reaches to a maximum-recorded ice thickness of 1100 meters near the grounding line. Multiple prominent internal layers along with large folds were observed in most radar sections providing important information about the local flow behaviour of the ice. The results from the radar survey will be utilised along with other relevant information from the study area in adapting a numerical ice flow model. The model will be applied to both past and future climatic scenarios, and will contribute to an increased understanding of the dynamics of the Darwin-Hatherton glacial system, and thus of the behaviour of the West and East Antarctic Ice Sheets.

20 4.25 – 4.40pm Francis Ayuka – Geography, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Neighbourhood access to alcohol outlets and individual health behaviour in New Zealand Much of the literature on the determinants of health, including alcohol consumption, has focussed on differences in individual socio-economic status as a primary risk factor. However variation in health between places, it has been shown, can be attributed to both the characteristics of the people who live in those places (composition) and also to the places where people live (context). In recent times there has been considerable interest in the role of neighbourhoods, specifically whether their social and physical characteristics are important in explaining inequalities in health. The aim of this project is to examine the relationship between neighbourhood access to alcohol outlets and alcohol related behaviour and health outcomes. To achieve this, a database of all alcohol outlets and including name, address, license types, category e.g. taverns, pub, supermarkets and license category (off license and on license, for alcohol consumption) was obtained from the Liquor Licensing Authority and geocoded for all meshblocks in New Zealand. In the first stage, neighbourhood accessibility was calculated using ArcGIS road network functionality. Analysis was undertaken to calculate the least cost distance to nearest alcohol outlets. In addition, differences in number of outlets by neighbourhood deprivation and in urban and rural areas are examined. These are examined by calculating the rates of alcohol outlets per 10,000 population for meshblocks divided into quintiles of social deprivation. Furthermore, Pearson correlation was undertaken to examine the extent and direction of the relationship between deprivation index and rates of alcohol outlets. In the second stage, analysis was undertaken to examine the relationship between neighbourhood access to a range of alcohol outlets and deprivation. Using GIS, two buffers were created around the population weighted centroids of each mesblocks. These buffers are a Euclidean radius of 800 metres (walking distance) and 3000 metres (driving distance) from the population weighted centroid. Buffers are used because the sphere of influence of each outlet often extends beyond the meshblock boundary. For each of these neighbourhood measures, the number of alcohol outlets was calculated for each of the deprivation quintile. Results show that there are disproportionately high numbers of alcohol outlets in most deprived areas. In addition, those in most deprived neighbourhoods have more outlets within walking or driving distance compared to the least deprived. One implication is to examine the zoning practices, licensing procedures and other system level policies. In the future, additional analysis of individual alcohol related behaviour with and health outcomes and how this relates to accessibility to alcohol outlets will be undertaken using multi-level modelling with data from the New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS 2006/2007).

4.50 – 5.05pm Tristan Shepard– Geography, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Perfecting the imperfect storm: Numerical simulations of Tropical Cyclone Sidr (2007)” Tropical cyclones are a majestic, yet violent atmospheric weather system occurring over tropical waters. Their majesty evolves from the significant range of spatial scales they operate over: from the mesoscale, to the larger synoptic-scale. Their associated violent winds and seas, however, are often the cause of damage and destruction for settlements in their path. Between 10 November and 16 November 2007, tropical cyclone Sidr formed and intensified into a category five hurricane over the southeast tropical waters of the northern Indian Ocean. Sidr tracked west, then north, during the course of its life, and eventually made landfall on 15 November 2007, as a category four hurricane near the settlement of Barguna, Bangladesh. The storm affected approximately 2,700,000 people in Bangladesh, and of that number, 4,234 people were killed. In this study, the dynamics of tropical cyclone Sidr were simulated using version 3.0 of Advanced Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) — a non-hydrostatic, two-way interactive, triply-nested-grid mesoscale numerical model. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of convective parameterisation on hurricane structure and track. A moving nest of grid spacing 5 km was employed to provide high resolution simulations of hurricane structure – the coarse model domain was 15 km. The convective parameterisation experiment consisted of three simulations, with each using a different implicit convective scheme. The three schemes used were, the Kain-Fritsch, Betts-Miller-Janjic, and Grell-Devenyi ensemble. As verified against available observations, the model showed considerable sensitivity in each of the simulations. The convective simulations showed differences in cyclone track, intensity and structure, when using different convective schemes. The Kain-Fritsch scheme produced the most accurate cyclone track and structure, but the rainfall rate was spurious on the sub-grid-scale. The Betts-Miller-Janjic scheme resolved realistic rainfall on both domains, but cyclone intensity was poor. The Grell-Devenyi ensemble behaved similarly to the Kain-Fritsch scheme, albeit significantly different cyclone tracks. Overall, the results suggest that the modelled cyclone is highly sensitive to changes in microphysics. In particular, in the context of other studies, it appears that the combination of convective scheme, microphysics scheme, and boundary layer scheme, are most significant for accurate track and intensity prediction.

21 Lecture Theatre A9

COLLEGES EDUCATION

3.35 – 3.50pm Odile de Comarmond – Education, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Factors influencing commitment of secondary teachers in Seychelles” The purpose of the study is to explore the factors that are influencing the commitment of secondary teachers in Seychelles at the different stages of their profession and the relationship between teachers’ perceptions and the perceptions of school administrators and policy makers on commitment of secondary teachers. This study will focus on the Seychelles, which is a small developing country with limited resources and manpower. The implications that these factors may have on secondary education in terms of retention, quality of curriculum delivery, preparation of secondary teachers, support and professional development of secondary teachers will be closely examined. Subsequently, the study will inform policy and practice in Seychelles and provide a platform for the enhancement of secondary education in the current context where teacher retention and quality of education are key priorities. It may also generate recommendations for prospective reform in secondary education and for further research focusing on teacher commitment in other developing countries. Amidst the desire to develop ‘lifelong learners’, ‘professional learning communities’ and ‘learning societies’, important issues such as teacher commitment seem to remain inadequately addressed in international research. The question is particularly appropriate to consider in relation to the Republic of Seychelles, where several education reforms have been undertaken, but very little research has been conducted on teachers’ work and the factors that are influencing their performance and causing them to leave the profession. Little is known about the extent of alignment between teachers’ perceptions of their commitment and the perceptions of other stakeholders on the same concept. While several studies have been conducted in other countries on teacher commitment, most of those studies have focused on developed countries and they are mainly quantitative in nature. According to Crosswell (2006) teacher commitment can be conceptualised under two main dimensions: (i) the personal and (ii)the enactment dimensions. Under personal dimension two categories emerged: passion and investment of extra time; whereas, the enactment dimension included four categories: a focus on the student, maintaining professional knowledge, transmitting knowledge and values, and engagement with school community. This conceptual framework will be used as a foundation for this study and developed further in the context of Seychelles. A qualitative design and case study structure has been chosen for the specific purpose of this study, which is focused primarily on the lived experiences of participants in a specific environment (in this case, the Seychelles). The researcher is grounded in an interpretive paradigm and will draw on phenomenological philosophical underpinnings and research approaches. Individual interviews will be the main techniques of data collection, with the possibility of having supplementary focus group interviews for groups of teachers. This methodology will generate rich descriptions of teachers’ experiences, as presented by the participants and interpreted and given meaning in the research process, and an understanding of individual teachers’ experiences in their social contexts.

22 4.00 – 4.15pm Alexandre Heitz – Education, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Computer enhanced simulations in education” Context: Nowadays E-learning is used in a wide range of areas, from Higher Education where courses can either be supported through asynchronous learning environments or even totally taught online, to the corporate world using E-learning platforms to train their employees, through sectors as varied as military or health care for instance (Andrews & Haythornthwaite, 2007; D'Antoni, 2006; Wilkerson, Avstreih, Gruppen, Beier, & Woolliscroft, 2008). Moreover, E-learning’s potential is still growing thanks to continuing evolution of the technologies. This research focuses on Virtual Characters as one of those technologies, their adoption in simulations and their involvement for users’ learning outcomes and learning experience. Objectives: My research will be a part of a collaborative enterprise, drawing together the expertise of researchers, scientists and experts from the University of Canterbury’s HITLab, the University of Auckland, the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, the University of Queensland, and the University of Florida. Funded through the HITLab’s “Immersive Learning through Virtual Reality” project, my research aims to assist engineers, audiology specialists and other health care professionals through the development of a set of virtual environments that will provide simulated experiences with virtual patients and clients. Through my involvement in this project, I hope to provide an educator’s perspective and my skills as a mediator to give voice to multiple perspectives and to negotiate potential challenges associated with multidisciplinary work. In addition, I will draw upon my experience as an IT specialist to assist with the prototype development. My perspective as an educator will be valuable to this research, particularly as I seek to measure the impact of the interventions designed on the participants in order to evaluate their educational benefits. Data on variables such as feeling of presence, interactions, and engagement in the Virtual Environments, as well as results of specific activities will be gathered with the intent of designing instruments to assess the use of virtual characters and simulated experience in complement of traditional interventions. Methodology: This research will follow a design-based approach, proven effective in both the research and design of technology-enhanced environments (Wang & Hannafin, 2005). In addition, as an iterative process, this approach involves the participants throughout the research experience. Participants’ feedback at each design stage will both help to improve the quality of the interventions produced, and to enable data collection at each step. My research will employ both qualitative and quantitative methods. During this design process the approach will be more qualitative; using interviews, observations and surveys. Once the simulations are ready for use, the project will enter its second stage, at which point experimental methods will determine and evaluate the use of virtual characters and simulations as support for traditional interventions.

4.25 – 4.40pm Robyn Robinson – Education, Masters Candidate [email protected] “Learning to teach in another language and culture” – a case study of six Initial teacher education students whose own education was outside New Zealand” As future secondary school teachers in New Zealand, perspectives on the Initial Teacher Education experience of post-graduate students whose own education was linguistically and culturally different have previously been given limited attention. However their perspectives have a pertinent place in the current interest in NZ in the nature and importance of pre-service teacher education. The study aimed to identify factors that might either support or act as barriers to the learning and understanding of 6 international students in their first semester of learning to be a teacher in language and culture different to their own. It sought to determine the nature and resilience of any shifts in understanding of teaching and learning that were taking place. In order to place the study beyond merely an inquiry, conclusions were reached about ways that pre-service teacher education could be improved to support and facilitate learning for a growing sector of pre-service teacher education students.

23 4.50 – 5.05pm Karyn Carson – Education, PhD Candidate [email protected] “The use of technologies in phonological awareness assessment: A pilot study” This presentation reports the results of a pilot study that employed a cross-over experimental design to compare the use of computer-based versus pen and paper methods to assess phonological awareness aptitude in twenty New Zealand children at school entry. Phonological awareness ability at school entry is a powerful prognostic marker for differentiating between children who are likely to become good and poor readers in the later school years, and thus early assessment of this skill can help identify which children need additional support in early literacy development from the outset of schooling. Ten children with typical development and ten children with speech-language impairment aged between 4 years 10 months and 5 years 0 months participated in this study. Through random assignment to one of two groups, half the participants received one computer-based assessment of phonological awareness first followed by one pen and paper assessment whilst the other half of participants received the same assessments in the reverse order. Preliminary results indicate that the computer-based methods used to assess phonological awareness skills at school entry generate comparable results to their conventional pen and paper counterparts utilized in this study. These findings will be discussed in the context of the various advantages and disadvantages of using computer-based assessment to predict which children are at risk for later literacy difficulties within the New Zealand new entrant classroom.

//. RESEARCH POSTER Displayed in A-Block Lobby

COLLEGE OF ARTS

Barbara Garrie - Art History and Theory, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Oculus: Postgraduate journal for Visual Arts research” Oculus is a postgraduate journal produced entirely by students from the Department of Art History and Theory, and School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. The journal is an annual, peer reviewed publication intended to showcase the scope and high quality research being produced by postgraduate students working broadly in the field of visual arts and culture. In 2009/10 Oculus will broaden its reach by inviting contributions from postgraduate students working throughout New Zealand. In doing so we aim to establish a valuable network of connections between students around the country, whilst at the same time positioning the University of Canterbury as a leader in promoting postgraduate scholarship in the visual arts. This poster is intended to introduce the wider UC postgraduate community to this new student-led initiative. Oculus

Kate Roff - Mass Communications, BA (Hons) Candidate [email protected] “New Zealand’s International Appeal” Kate Roff holds a Bachelor of Arts form Curtin University, Western Australia. She studied Communication and Cultural Studies as well as Journalism and is now doing her Honours in Mass Communication here at the University of Canterbury. One of her courses, Media and International Relations, requires here to research a topic involving international politics and the power of communications. This poster presents her initial research into "soft power" - the concept of a nation attracting other nations without using military force or economic incentives. She believes that New Zealand has the ability to use its international reputation as a form of soft power and is investigating the international media's portrayal of the land of the long white cloud, to prove New Zealand has much to give on the stage of world politics.

24 Wan Munira- Sociology, BA (Hons) Candidate [email protected] “Social integration and social capital in Malaysian Oline communities” Malaysia as a multiracial country has a main concern to maintain social integration within the society. In 1996 the Malaysian government established the national ICT policy intended to transform Malaysia into an information and knowledge society. The implementation of the policy has been interpreted as part of the policy to overcome ethnic segregation through encouraging the development of online communities. The aim of this research is to discuss how online communities have contributed to the generation and maintenance of social capital. The research explores the views of eight selected online communities’ administrators into this issue. The findings suggest that the administrators’ views reflect some tensions around developing social integration in online communities and how this is also challenged by transferring online activities into actual offline communities.

Lydia Yu- Sociology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Behind the belief and fanaticism: Mao’s Cult”

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

Felix Arndt – Management, PhD Candidate [email protected] “The role of strategic alliances in gaining competitive advantage”

Natrah Sadd – PhD Candidate [email protected] “Fairness perceptions and compliance behaviour: Taxpayer’s view” The present study fills a gap from the literature through investigating in a rarely examined jurisdiction, namely New Zealand, the role of fairness in tax compliance decisions among taxpayers. Specifically, this study investigates taxpayers’ perceptions with regard to fairness; how tax knowledge and complexity influence fairness perceptions; and how these elements subsequently affect taxpayers’ compliance behaviour. This study’s hypotheses were tested using the responses to a questionnaire sent to 229 taxpayers nationwide in New Zealand. The Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis was used to assess the relative influences of the factors under study. Findings reveal that there are mixed perceptions of fairness; tax knowledge and complexity have some influence on fairness perceptions; and taxpayers’ compliance behaviour was partially influenced by fairness perceptions. By employing the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the study also provides evidence of the significant influence of attitude and subjective norms on compliance behaviour. This study should help tax researchers generally to understand the role of fairness perceptions, tax knowledge, tax complexity and TPB variables in compliance behavior.

25 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Annie Soutter- Horton – Education, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Health and well-being in a New Zealand senior secondary environment” Youth spend a considerable part of their day in schools and learning centres. Traditionally, much of the focus of these hours has been on the individual learner's cognitive development and assessment of that growth against uniformly prescribed standards. Scholars across disciplines contest that such industrial-era teaching and learning models provide sufficient attention to the promotion of health and well-being on a personal or global scale (Craft, Claxton & Gardner, 2008; Barnekow et al., 2006; Davis & Sumara, 2006; Sizer, 2005 Bornstein et al., 2003). These scholars and others writing more locally, (see Macfarlane, 2009; Nuthall, 1999; Durie, 1994) suggest that experiences and conditions that support the development of foundational strengths and assets across multiple and interrelated domains, within culturally sensitive and responsive educational settings, will better equip youth for their lives and lifestyles in a complex and dynamic world. Through in-depth interviews, extensive participant observation, and document analysis of curriculum and assessment-related materials, school newsletters, and home-community correspondence, I am exploring the complex worlds of senior secondary pupils and their teacher in terms of engagement, health and well-being. I hope to offer a holistic and thought-provoking representation of participants’ ‘realities’ that may spark conversation and develop insights into how to provide healthy, engaging educational experiences conducive to the well-being not only of the individuals within the schooling contexts, but also of the local and global communities of which they are a part.

Franziska Gallrach - Health Science, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Quality of life in dementia: Clinical and economic findings from New Zealand” Introduction: To date, multivariate analyses of quality of life (QoL) in dementia are relatively rare. This study aims to measure QoL of persons with dementia and their family-caregivers. In addition, the study examines, what interventions from primary and secondary care in New Zealand are helpful for enhancing QoL, and what these interventions cost. Methods: Questionnaires investigating various QoL-domains were administered to outpatients, recently diagnosed with dementia, and their caregivers at baseline and 12 months follow-up. Economic factors, including the time spent caring and direct and indirect costs were estimated using questionnaires and diaries. Results: Fifty-three patient/caregiver dyads were included. 3MS ranged from 49 to 91; CDR from 0.5 to 3. At baseline, all but one measurement confirmed the predicted correlations. Patients’ QoL was strongly correlated with the stage of illness, depression, neuropsychological behaviours, functioning and their caregiver’s QoL and burden. Caregivers’ QoL was linked to patients’ QoL and daily functioning, and carers’ burden and subjective informal support. Joint income/pension and financial burden of care were (negatively) correlated with carers’ QoL, depression, and burden. The level of cognitive impairment and the level of formal support were not associated with patients’ or caregivers’ QoL. Preliminary findings from the follow-up period will show if these correlations remain stable over 12 months. Conclusions: Depression in patients and caregivers, each other’s QoL, patients’ neuropsychological behaviours and functioning, as well as caregivers’ burden, and the level of informal care can predict QoL in dementia. Reducing the intensity of informal care - by treating depression and difficult behaviours in patients - might reduce caregivers’ stress and burden. Developing financial incentives that reward informal caregivers for their time spent caring could be a key factor in supporting informal caregivers in their role and therefore delaying institutionalisation.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Isabelle Gensburger and Murni Mohamad- Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, PhD Candidates “Improving a simple water purifying system for use in developing countries”

26 Dudi Iskandar - Forestry, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Adoption of improved technology in Agroforestry by rubber smallholder farmers in Indonesia” The use of clonal planting material is important to increase the latex productivity of traditional rubber agroforestry systems among smallholder rubber farmers in Indonesia. There are technical, economic and social challenges associated with conversion from a traditional to an improved system. Although the benefits of clone-based technology are significant and there are sustained programs and efforts to promote it, its adoption by farmers has been limited. Often the underlying reasons for the limited adoption of an improved system by farmers remain unclear. Why farmers adopt certain technologies faster than others remains an important question in the dissemination process. This paper is based on a study of technology adoption of the improved Rubber Agroforestry System (RAS) introduced by ICRAF (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry) in Jambi and West Kalimantan provinces in Indonesia. The new approach includes using recommended clones but other aspects of rubber cultivation are maintained as traditional practice. In the study Ethnographic Decision Tree Modelling (EDTM) was used to determine the decision criteria of rubber farmers. Based on interview of farmers, the model helped to identify the main reasons, motivations and constraints that influenced a farmer’s decision to adopt or reject the new technology. The results show that there were some differences in the adoption process between smallholder rubber farmers in Jambi and West Kalimantan. The reasons for different adoption rates include differences in social, cultural and economic factors between these provinces. The role of capital, demonstration plots, incentives, farmer group dynamics, extension support and factors such as pest and disease influenced farmers' decisions. The results provide important clues in decision criteria and limitations in adoption; the information will be of importance to extension workers, researchers, and policy makers involved in promotion of new rubber technology.

Justin Morgenroth - Forestry, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Porous Pavement’s Effect on Urban Tree Growth” Porous paving has been increasingly installed in urban areas as a strategy for stormwater management. Its proliferation inherently modifies urban soil characteristics. By virtue of its permeability to water and air, porous pavement more closely resembles a natural surface, relative to traditional asphalt or concrete pavements. Intuitively, this should provide a more hospitable rooting environment for urban trees. Indeed, a number of authors have speculated that porous paving will benefit urban vegetation, though this remains largely unstudied. If porous paving does ameliorate soil conditions as predicted, then root growth and consequently tree health should improve. This poster highlights some of the results from an experiment that contrasted the growth of trees surrounded by porous paving with those surrounded by standard impervious paving. Above- and below-ground growth measurements are presented.

Michael Newcombe - Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Reaching for the sky with timber” Recently there has been renewed interest in multistorey timber buildings within New Zealand. The cause of this reemergence is mostly centered on sustainability. Recently, government policies have been introduced that enforce the consideration of a timber building alternative for all government buildings up to four storeys high. However, existing structural systems in timber may not achieve many of the requirements set out by building owners. This is especially the case for multistorey office buildings. The focus of this research is the development of timber structural systems that are appropriate for any type of multistorey building. These systems must be competitive in terms of cost and safety with less sustainable material alternatives such as steel and concrete. The new structural system:The new concept for timber buildings incorporates the use of high strength steel post-tensioning tendons and an engineered wood product, Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), as shown in Fig. 1. The system has significant advantages over more traditional construction; the structural elements remain undamaged and there is no residual deformation after an earthquake loading.

27 Fig. 1 – An example of a post-tensioned timber frame

Research objectives: The aim of the project is to thoroughly investigate and understand the behaviour of the new timber systems and their potential application by using structural design, analysis and experimentation. Design guidelines will be created for New Zealand that will be accessible to the rest of the world. These guidelines will empower structural engineers to design these systems and be confident that they will perform excellently under different loading conditions (gravity, wind, earthquake etc). Researchers Involvement: To achieve aforementioned project objective that applicant has performed both experimentation and detail numerical (computer) analysis. So far the following milestones have been reached:  Development of seismic design procedures.  Experimental investigation of timber-concrete-composite floors (see Fig. 1) subject to earthquake loading.

Fig. 1 – Floor system experimental testing

 An extensive numerical investigation (using computer modeling) was undertaken using parameters obtained from the floor experimentation. The results of this study showed that floor flexibility under earthquakes could be ignored for timber frame structures but not for wall structures. Recommendations are given for how to model floor flexibility simply.  The complete design and project management for a large-scale experimental test building (see Fig. 3) that has been constructed in the University of Canterbury Engineering Laboratory.

Fig. 3 – Large scale experimental testing  Construction of the experimental building (commenced on the 8th of April 2009). The building is 2- stories high and incorporates post-tensioned timber frames, walls and timber-concrete-composite floors which cover a total plan area of 45 square meters. Commercial manufacturers fabricated the structural elements and industry contractors (Mainzeal) assembled the components on-site. This

28 enables realistic cost estimation, optimization of the construction sequencing and aids with the induction of the building system into industry.

Fig. 4 – Construction of large scale experimental testing

In subsequent months, the large-scale experimental testing will commence. These tests will demonstrate the performance of the building system when subject to earthquake loading. Testing will indicate how well the building performs under earthquake and identify areas of potential building damage (if any). Numerical computer models will be used to match the experimental response of the building. This will result in simplified design procedures that can be followed by practicing structural engineers. Outcomes:This investigation will culminate with the dissemination of a thesis, papers and seminars that will show how to design new and highly effective multistorey timber buildings. This project will pioneer a new generation of timber buildings and place the New Zealand construction industry at the forefront sustainable building design.

Andre Pinkert - Chemical and Processing Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] It is a shocking fact—but it is estimated that the world’s population is currently consuming petrol 100 000 times faster than nature can create it.1 New environmental regulations and an increasing global awareness are now reinforcing the search for products and processes that are eco-friendly and sustainable. A renewable resource for producing bio-composites is cellulose. With an estimated annual biosphere production of 90_109 metric tons, it represents the world’s most abundant natural polymer.2 Wood cellulose possesses desirable mechanical properties due to its highly ordered structure, but its crystallinity makes it also insoluble in most common solvents.3 The first attempts to dissolve cellulose date back to the early 1920’s.4 Since then, several cellulose solvents have been developed, but all of these suffer either from high environmental toxicity, or from insufficient solvation power and the solvents usually cannot be recovered after the process.5–9However, a new field was opened to the cellulose research community, when in 2002 Swatloski et al. reported the use of an ionic liquid as cellulose solvent.6 Ionic liquids are a group of salts that exist as liquids at a relativelylow temperature (<100 _C). They have many attractive properties, such aschemical and thermal stability, non-flammability and immeasurably low vapor pressure.10 First discovered in 1914 byWalden, their huge potential for industry- 1 -and research was only realised within the last few decades.11,12 It is estimated that up to one trillion different types of ionic liquids could exist, each of them displaying different physical and chemical properties.13 This allows to tailor ionic solvents with specific properties for task specific applications.14 UoC research The aims of this project are to: 1. Extract wood cellulose with ionic liquids; 2. Chemically modify the dissolved cellulose in order to faciliate subsequent composite formation; 3. Regenerate the extracted cellulose in form of a composite; 4. Recover and recycle the ionic liquid. If successful, the results of this research will enable us to use leftovers from the wood industry, e.g. sawdust, as a primary source to form bio-compatible composites. Possible applications are not only limited to the replacement of current petroleum-based composites, e.g. food packaging, but the properties of this bio-polymer are also highly valued in medicinal areas like tissue engineering or bone repair to give an example.15 The great potential of this approach lies in its eco-friendliness. The raw material originates from a renewable biological feedstock and the ionic liquid as processing aid can be recovered and recycled without any loss. - 2 -Summary To summarise, the application of ionic solvents towards the dissolution, modification and regeneration of cellulose for composites offers an immense potential. The anticipated outcomes are environmentally harmless composites that could replace the existing petroleum-based plastics in everyday life, and that are also highly regarded in high-tech areas like bio-medical engineering.

29 Thahirah Syed Jalal - Electrical Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] “The application of system dynamics in power generation planning” The introduction of power market to replace the traditional monopolistic vertically integrated system in the electric supply industries (ESI) all over the world has called for a different approach to the system planning and expansion. Considerations would no longer be only on technical issues and meeting the national demands as the ESI become profit oriented and operate in their own separate domain (eg. generation, transmission, distribution retail or ancillary services). Due to the special nature of electricity where it cannot be stored and the variable demand at the customers’ end has to supplied instantaneously and continuously, it becomes a challenge for the power generators to decide when to invest in new power plants. Under the market power pool, the price can be more lucrative when there is high demand but low supply, causing generators to delay investment for assured profits. It has been shown in some studies that deregulation of the electricity industry causes boom (excess capacity) and bust (under capacity) cycles of the generation capacity. Shortage of power supply is not only inconvenient to the public but may harm the economy in the long run especially since power plants take a long time to construct. On the other hand, overbuilding indicates an inefficient allocation of resources. This poster discusses the application of system dynamics to study the impact of deregulation on power generation capacity growth. It is capable of taking economic factors such as market conditions to examine the impacts on the national electricity security.

Jonathan Stanger– Forestry, PhD Candidate “Electrospinning: Direct production of continuous nano-scale fibre”

Alwyn Williams – Mechanical Engineering, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Different Species of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi Effect the Growth of Podocarpus hallii Cuttings” Colonisation by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been shown to improve growth and nutrient uptake of plants. Recent studies have demonstrated that different AMF species and communities result in changes in plant responses, especially when different plant species are grown in competition, highlighting the importance of specific AMF communities to enhance the performance of specific host species. This presentation reports the results of a study aimed at quantifying the impacts of different AMF species on the growth of a conifer, Podocarpus hallii, indigenous to New Zealand’s South Island high country. The glasshouse-based experiment involved two grass treatments (+/- grass) and compared four AMF treatments – a commercially available strain of Glomus intraradices, a New Zealand strain of Acaulospora laevis, a mix inoculum of G. intraradices and A. laevis, and a sterile control. Plants were grown in a pasteurised high country soil within individual pots. Analysis of relative shoot and stem diameter growth and final root biomass revealed significant differences between AMF treatments. In the absence of grass, inoculation with A. laevis resulted in significantly greater growth than the other treatments; the commercial inoculum resulted in significantly less growth. When in competition with grass, the effect of AMF was eliminated, with cuttings across all treatments growing equably. These results highlight the host specific influence of different AMF species and demonstrate the importance of optimising AMF products, especially for use in tree nurseries, where slow growing endemic species often carry higher production costs.

30 COLLEGE OF SCIENCE Sue Adkins – Biology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Effects of contaminants on the health of New Zealand cockles” The intertidal cockle, Austrovenus stutchburyi (the little neck clam) occurs throughout New Zealand in sheltered sandflats and estuaries. It is an important food source for both humans and other species but over the past 30 years populations have declined and shellfish health has been compromised. This may be due to human induced activities including industrial contaminants, urban development, land run off and increased sedimentation. Cockle populations in the Canterbury area are exposed to a variety of potential contaminants including increased nutrient levels, sediment loads and reduced salinities. Population structure and cockle density have been recorded from 8 sites between January 2006 through to January 2009. Few cockles reach a marketable size, populations are highly variable (dynamic?) with irregular recruitment success. The low numbers of small (juvenile) individuals suggest that populations are in decline. Trace metal concentrations from cockles collected from 4 of these sites within two estuaries show that accumulation of trace metals in the tissues depends on both body size and age of the cockles. Uptake rates are compared with trace metal concentrations in the sediment and the suspended particles available as food. The results show clear differences between sites, which are related to contaminant loads. The potential of cockles to accumulate contaminants will be discussed in relation to their role as a valuable food resource for recreational, commercial and Maori fisheries.

Andolsa Arevalo – Physics and Astronomy, PhD Candidate [email protected] “PSC area in the Antarctic polar vortex derived from EOS MLS observations and NCEP/NCAR analyses” In the Antarctic winter, when very low temperatures occur, Polar Stratospheric Clouds b(PSCs) form in the lower stratosphere (10 to 25 km above the Earth surface). The heterogeneous chemical reactions that these particles allow result in ozone depletion in the Antarctic spring. PSCs promote the chlorine-activating reactions in the polar stratosphere, the key catalyst for ozone loss and, when NAT PSCs (type I PSCs) are formed, the nitric acid from the gas phase is removed, allowing a massive ozone depletion (in the Arctic, where PSCs persist for a shorter time than in the Antarctic, these clouds release their nitric acid back into the gas phase and thus, the ozone depletion is not as large as in the Antarctic). Understanding the spatial and temporal variability of these clouds is thus important in understanding ozone depletion. Our study focuses on observations from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), one of the four instruments on NASA's EOS Aura satellite. We utilise the latest version of this satellite-based dataset to calculate PSC occurrence temperatures and analyse how variations in this parameter modify the PSC geographical distribution inside the Antarctic vortex region. To make this area calculation as accurate as possible the PSC area is derived via Delaunay triangulation using temperature grid points where average temperatures below the PSC formation temperature threshold (TNAT) occur. It is worthy of note that the TNAT value is derived from water vapour and nitric acid concentration data measured by MLS. Results from this satellite-based derivation of PSC area are then compared to those from global NCEP/NCAR reanalyses in different years and altitudes. This comparison suggests that at some altitudes the PSC area derived using these independent datasets differ. The reasons for these differences are examined and discussed in detail. Type I PSC area [millions of km2] from NCEP/NCAR analyses over the Antarctic Polar Vortex (AVP) region in 2005 and altitude range of 12-24 km with TNAT threshold set constant at 195 K Type I PSC area [millions of km2] from EOS MLS v2.2 over AVP in 2005 and same altitude range where TNAT threshold was derived from the dataset using Hanson and Mauersberger (1988) formulation, where HNO3 mixing ratio was set at 100 hPa and the H2O concentration as a function of pressure and time.

David Alexander – Geology, BSc (Hons) Candidate [email protected] “Examining the response of Franz Josef Glacier to climate change and rock avalanches” Understanding the past response of glaciers to climate change and rock avalanches allows us to anticipate future glacier behaviour. A simple, two-dimensional, steady state, mass balance model of Franz Josef Glacier, South Island, New Zealand, is used to investigate the effects of climate and debris cover on glacial length. The model suggests that 5°C cooling from the present-day is required to advance the glacier to the globally significant Waiho Loop terminal moraine, 11 km beyond the present-day terminus. This is incompatible with the proxy data for the 13-10 ka (thousands of years before present) period, when the Waiho Loop was formed. One possibility for explaining this is if surface ablation is reduced by rock avalanche debris. With only 2°C cooling from present-day and 65% ablation reduction at a constant rate along the glacier, an advance to the Waiho Loop can be achieved. Rock avalanches can thus lead to significant increases in glacial length, more so than small thermal changes. 31 Carolyn Boulton – Geological Science, PhD Candidate [email protected] “The need for speed: stimulating Earthquakes in the Lab” Faults accommodate strain in the Earth’s crust either by creeping aseismically or by rupturing seismically. Near the Earth’s surface, fault slip commonly occurs on thin (mm-cm) surfaces composed of granular fault gouge. The frictional behaviour of fault gouge may govern whether faults creep or rupture. Through laboratory experiments and microstructural analyses, this research aims to assess the frictional strength and seismic behaviour of fault gouge formed within New Zealand rocks.A custom-built annular shear apparatus (rheometer) in the Department of Geological Sciences can shear fault gouge at velocities experienced during earthquake slip (~1 ms-1). Initial experiments have succeeded in creating fault gouge under normal loads of 10 MPa; crushing, melting, and acoustic emissions accompanied fault gouge creation. Future experiments will measure the frictional resistance to shear and constrain the normal loads at which fault gouge weakens during high-velocity sliding. Experiments in the rheometer will produce fault gouge with microstructures formed at known sliding velocities and strain rates. Comparison of these experimentally produced fault gouges with those collected from natural exposures of the Alpine Fault will provide new insights into the nature of faulting and strain accommodation along this seismically active plate boundary. These experiments have important implications for understanding seismic efficiency and estimating rupture top depth, a seismic engineering parameter.

Jenipher Cate – Biology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Jungle Seals: A behavioral study of the New Zealand fur seal pup”

Jennifer DuBois - Geology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “A Kaikoura Tsunami? The plausibility of a submarine landslide generated tsunami at Kaikoura Canyon” The head of the Kaikoura Canyon is located in close proximity to shore at Goose Bay in the Kaikoura district. Sediments are deposited regularly into the canyon from rivers to the south via longshore sediment motion. These sediment deposits, which already exhibit tensional fracturing, continue to build up in a tectonically active area. Rupture of the nearby Hope Fault or the more distant Alpine Fault, which is expected to occur every few hundred years, could induce failure on the deposits. The subsequent submarine landslide is expected to produce a tsunami of significant magnitude in the nearby Kaikoura township. There should presently be sufficient amounts of sediment to cause such a tsunami. The failure of the Kaikoura Canyon sediments potentially could occur approximately every 100-200 years, in which case there should be sediment logical evidence in the Kaikoura region and prehistoric accounts in the form of oral histories and legends referring to extremely large waves or taniwha, sea monsters. If there is evidence that the Kaikoura Canyon will produce an appreciable tsunami then it will be necessary to determine how the people will react and what emergency measures need to be put in place.

Lisa Jardine-Coom – Geography, Masters Candidate [email protected] “Maori perceptions of natural hazards: framing hazards positively” On March 13th 2007, the tephra barrier at the Mt Ruapehu Crater Lake burst causing a lahar to flow down the mountain flank and into the Whangaehu River. Due to a tragedy in 1953 caused by a similar event, concern about the risk to life and infrastructure leading up to the dam burst was high. This concern was well reported and received significant media coverage. Although a negative perception of the lahar event dominated the media, there was another, under represented, perception of the lahar present in the Aotearoa/New Zealand community. Local iwi, in particular Ngati Rangi, Ngati Tuwharetoa and Ngati Hikairo, saw the lahar as a positive event and something to be celebrated. The disregard of this alternative view is symptomatic of a wider disregard and misunderstanding in Aotearoa/New Zealand for iwi relationships with the natural environment. For effected natural resource management and communication between stakeholders, different discursive framings of, and relationships to, natural events need to be better understood.

32 Dona Jayakody, Audiology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “A Pitch Perception-Training Program for Hearing Impaired” Music perception remains a challenge to cochlear implant (CI) users as well as to hearing aid (HA) users. There is a lack of research investigating the effect of pitch perception training on the music perception abilities of the hearing impaired. The focus of the study is to develop an effective pitch-training program and subsequently pilot test this program with post-lingually deafened adult cochlear implant and hearing aid users, and prelingually deafened children using cochlear implants. The training program will be implemented as a 10-week, take-home computer-based program with interactive activities progressing from simple to complex tasks. This training program covers a larger range of frequencies compared to those in existing research and uses live recordings of male and female sung vowels along with 10 musical instruments. , Tasks involve (a) identifying the tone with a higher/lower pitch, (b) identifying odd-ball stimuli and (c) pitch-sequence training with 9 melodic contours. The training program uses an algorithm to select the appropriate level of difficulty for the trainee, and provides numerous user- selected options to suit the trainee’s musical preferences. This poster presentation will detail the development of the training program.

Mohammad Lazerjna - Geography, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Water balance in Matagouri” New Zealand has a long history of land use change which began with the fires of the moa hunters. Change continues with conversion from pasture, tussock and scrub to exotic plantation. The hydrological responses reported have implications for a wide range of land and water uses. Through the effects on ground water recharge, land-use changes can affect downstream uses. Resource managers in particular need to be aware of the effects of land use change on water yields if they are to make meaningful decisions on the allocation of water resources in water-short areas. (Duncan 1995). Matagouri is a thorny plant endemic to New Zealand which covers large area of South Island tussock grasslands. Matagouri is considered as a weed by majority of the farmers of South Island because it invades pasture that is why it is frequently burnt or removed in order to keep pasture. Environment Canterbury is considering planting pine instead of matagouri while 70 % of irrigated land of New Zealand is located in Canterbury region. In fact, there is no research undertaken on how matagouri affects regional water budget. Therefore, matagouri is of the interest particularly in water sensitive catchments in the foothills of the Southern Alps. Consequently, it is crucial to know how matagouri results in differences in water cycling in tussock grasslands of New Zealand before any serious decision being made. This project aims to address the issues concerning current knowledge gaps in water balance of matagouri by carrying out a research at Melrose Station.

Juliane Wilcke – Psychology, PhD Candidate [email protected] “Moving beyond the common bias that consciousness is an evolutionary adaptation” Is consciousness an evolutionary adaptation? Only few researchers have claimed otherwise. Yet despite the general consensus that consciousness is an adaptation, most of the arguments for this position are weak. I highlight sample difficulties with five pro-adaptation arguments. One important factor in the arguments’ failures seems to be an underlying bias that consciousness is an evolutionary adaptation; this suggestion is supported by several observations. Consciousness researchers should be concerned about the widespread bias because it impedes progress with increasing our knowledge about consciousness. I propose the following remedies for the consciousness adaptation bias: being aware of the bias; employing better methods for obtaining evidence for, or against, consciousness being an adaptation; aiming for more comprehensive explanations of the evolution of consciousness; and using good methods from the relevant subdisciplines. These recommendations, if followed, can help to increase the amount and quality of research on the biological evolution and functions of consciousness.

33 VOLUNTEERS

Ms. Diane Lancaster Ms. Marcella Payton Mr. Charmaine Bradbury-Pratt Ms. Sally Wishart

//. THANK YOU

2009 SPONSORS University of Canterbury Research Committee University of Canterbury Colleges & Schools University of Canterbury Students’ Association (UCSA)

Special Thanks UC Facilities Management UC Audio Visual Support UC Photography UC Postgraduate Office Erin Martin 2009 UCSA Executive UC Postgrad Students!