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The mathematical construct of dimension is one of the fundamental ideas for developing a sound understanding of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) shapes. Yet, research in mathematics education has rarely explored children's understanding of dimension in primary education. This paper explores how year 5/6 (9 to 11 years old) children construct and negotiate their meanings about dimension while engaging in classroom interactions about 2D and 3D shapes during geometry lessons in a New Zealand (NZ) English-medium multilingual primary classroom. Transcribed data of two key moments selected from six audiovisually recorded geometry lessons are presented. The findings suggest that children may use different discursive constructions—"another world", "different ways to go", and "flat vs fat"—to display their meanings about dimension. The findings also suggest that children and teacher participants may use prosodic features of their languages to interactionally construct the meanings of these discursive constructions. The paper discusses these findings in light of current research literature and offers a few implications for curriculum development and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although visual arts pedagogies are considered central within early childhood education programs, teacher self-efficacy has a direct impact on the quality and delivery of visual arts curricula. Until recently, the visual arts self-efficacy, pedagogical knowledge, and practice of in-service early childhood teachers have remained largely unexplored. The authors of this paper present a qualitative, iterative re-analysis of their three PhD studies which broadly focussed on early childhood visual arts praxis and specifically examined the visual arts beliefs and pedagogy of early childhood teachers in Australia and New Zealand. A thematic analysis of the intersecting self-efficacy findings raised in the three studies identifies the powerful influence of self-efficacy on teaching practice in the visual arts domain and offers new understandings about visual arts self-efficacy amongst early childhood teachers. The combined findings reveal several factors that restrain or enhance teachers' visual arts self-efficacy across time, including the impact of childhood experiences, pre-service training and epistemological beliefs. The paper also identifies several enabling conditions that appear to support teachers to develop and maintain positive visual arts self-efficacy beliefs, including practical engagement with materials, sustained professional learning, relational trust and intentional leadership. These enabling conditions offer practical strategies and research recommendations in service of positive visual arts self-efficacy to enhance quality visual arts teaching in early childhood contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of statistical concepts into school curricula in Australia and New Zealand in the early 1990s initiated an ongoing research program into the learning and teaching of statistics and probability in both countries. This paper reviews the contribution of Australian and New Zealand researchers to building statistical literacy at school, alongside international developments. From recognising how students develop understanding of specific statistical and probabilistic concepts, through teacher knowledge and beliefs for teaching statistics, to intervention studies and targeted teaching, the field of statistics education has grown and changed. Statistics and probability are now well established as part of the mathematics curriculum. The importance of linking statistical literacy and statistical understanding across the curriculum, as well as in STEM, has also begun to receive attention as other subjects have recognised the importance of data in their fields. Following a comprehensive review of the field in Australia and New Zealand, this paper then considers emerging areas of interest, such as new approaches to data visualisation, and suggests future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the NZ COVID Tracer App (NZCTA) was released as a digital intervention to support contact tracing processes in Aotearoa New Zealand. This paper examines whether NZCTA met the data governance requirements of the Indigenous Māori people. Māori are an interesting case study as they have unique Treaty and data sovereignty rights, and a higher risk of COVID-related mortality. Methods: The NZCTA was assessed against 24 criteria drawn from the Māori Data Governance Model. The assessment drew on documentary sources and the authors' knowledge of NZCTA and contact tracing process. Each criteria was assessed as 'met', 'partially met' or 'not met'. Results: Our retrospective assessment showed a mixed performance against the Māori Data Governance Model, with NZCTA only fulfilling seven of the 24 model criteria and failing to meet nine. Conclusion: There is significant room for improvement in future digital health interventions for Māori. Much work remains to be done in the Aotearoa public sector to uphold Māori data sovereignty and address systemic barriers to genuine partnership with Māori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to legal information is fundamental to access to justice. Yet accessibility refers not only to making legal documents available to the public, but also rendering legal information comprehensible to them. A vexing problem in bringing legal information to the public is how to turn formal legal documents such as legislation and judgments, which are often highly technical, to easily navigable and comprehensible knowledge to those without legal education. In this study, we formulate a three-step approach for bringing legal knowledge to laypersons, tackling the issues of navigability and comprehensibility. First, we translate selected sections of the law into snippets (called CLIC-pages), each being a small piece of article that focuses on explaining certain technical legal concept in layperson's terms. Second, we construct a Legal Question Bank, which is a collection of legal questions whose answers can be found in the CLIC-pages. Third, we design an interactive CLIC Recommender. Given a user's verbal description of a legal situation that requires a legal solution, CRec interprets the user's input and shortlists questions from the question bank that are most likely relevant to the given legal situation and recommends their corresponding CLIC pages where relevant legal knowledge can be found. In this paper we focus on the technical aspects of creating an LQB. We show how large-scale pre-trained language models, such as GPT-3, can be used to generate legal questions. We compare machine-generated questions against human-composed questions and find that MGQs are more scalable, cost-effective, and more diversified, while HCQs are more precise. We also show a prototype of CRec and illustrate through an example how our 3-step approach effectively brings relevant legal knowledge to the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inquiry-based project learning is an internationally recognised pedagogical approach where children work collaboratively to research and discover the answers to their questions through discussion, representation, and evaluation. This paper explores the findings from Phase One of a qualitative study examining how this approach has been interpreted in early childhood settings in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The findings from an online questionnaire sent to all settings registered on the New Zealand national data base revealed that the international discourse surrounding this approach has been a key influence in this context. There was, however, also evidence that more localised approaches that value indigenous knowledges, in alignment with the national early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki (Te Whāriki. He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Ministry of Education. https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Early-Childhood/Te-Whariki-Early-Childhood-Curriculum-ENG-Web.pdf) have been developed. Whilst participants identified pedagogical and practical challenges of undertaking inquiry-based approaches, the educational value of this approach for children was also strongly championed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effectiveness of existing conceptions of digital citizenship education (DCE) to address the challenges and issues of postdigital societies. Current conceptions of DCE aim to develop learners who are capable of using digital technologies to their advantage or for the betterment of society. However, existing DCE approaches do not fully acknowledge the relational space between humans and digital technologies. Applying postdigital theory to DCE forefronts sociotechnical relations and the issues citizens face in postdigital societies. Using the Aotearoa New Zealand context as an example, digital citizenship policies and guidelines are unpacked to reveal the shortcomings of the guidance schools and teachers are offered. The analysis suggests ways to update current DCE approaches to reflect the realities of citizenship in continuously developing, complex postdigital societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the instrumentation and the first results of an upper atmospheric observing project conducted in New Zealand. We operate an all-sky aurora camera and a 64-Hz sampling induction magnetometer at Middlemarch, as well as 1-Hz sampling fluxgate magnetometers which have been operative at three stations in New Zealand, Middlemarch, Eyrewell and Te Wharau. Green and red auroras corresponding to the 557.7 nm and 630.0 nm emissions, respectively, were observed on the night of 5 August 2019. Pc1 pulsations were observed in the frequency range of ~ 0.2–1 Hz before and after a small (minimum Dst = − 40 nT) geomagnetic storm during 4–6 October 2020. Before the geomagnetic storm, Pc1 pulsations with several center frequencies were observed regardless of local time. During the recovery phase, an IPDP (interval of pulsations of diminishing period) type of Pc1 and four subsequent intervals of Pc1s were detected. The Ionospheric Alfvén Resonator (IAR) was also identified with spectral resonance structures during this magnetic storm. Lower harmonic modes of the IAR were present throughout the local nighttime, but higher harmonic modes with frequency of 5–15 Hz seemed to disappear at the onset time of substorms. This is the first report of the IAR at such a high frequency range and this is the first IAR observation in the southern hemisphere. Examples of applying cross-phase analysis to observation data of fluxgate magnetometers are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to report on fatal landslides resulting from two extraordinary storm events in January and February 2023, in Auckland, New Zealand, including the characteristics of the terrain, the site geology, and the storms. The January 27 Auckland Anniversary storm was from an "atmospheric river," dumping Summer's worth of rain (265 mm) in one day. This was the highest 24-h total on record, estimated a 1 in 200-year event, with a peak 2-min rainfall of 4.2 mm, coinciding with Friday's evening "rush hour." This led to widespread landsliding throughout Auckland, including a fatal landslide in Parnell, central Auckland. Notably, this occurred only meters from a similarly destructive landslide in 1997. With January 2023 Auckland's wettest January on record, and with the region still in a state of emergency, Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle crossed the region on February 13–14. This also caused widespread landsliding, including a fatal landslide at Muriwai on the west Auckland coast. Fatal landslides from the same escarpment had occurred in 1965, close to the February 13, 2023, fatal landslide. Taken together, both storm events caused > 140,000 landslides across the North Island, and flooding, making hundreds of people homeless, with damage estimates of > US$8.6 billion (3.4% of NZ's GDP). For future disaster risk reduction, attention should be paid to revising legislation and local planning, which currently allows people to legally build (and re-build) houses in landslide-prone areas of New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In October 2019, the largest fire in a commercial building in New Zealand since 1947 burned for over ten days through the roof and upper floor of the 120 m wide × 100 m long New Zealand International Convention Centre, which was under construction and nearing completion at the time. The steel composite and reinforced concrete framed building features five storeys above grade of structural steel framing with composite floors, comprising heavy, intricate steel work that was impacted by the fire. The main steel structure performed very well in response to fire exposure ranging from low to severe, with minimal damage and distortion to the heavy steel roof members in general, considering the severity of the fire. Secondary steel angles, tubular steel, and wide-flange members at the roof elevation were locally more heavily distorted. A very detailed post-fire evaluation of the structure was carried out, comprising mapping of the fire effects, deflections, metallurgical changes, extensive numerical modelling, and full scale in-situ experimental testing. The outcome resulted in retention of over 95% of the total roof steelwork (2500 tonnes). This paper provides an overview of the fire and the key steps involved in the post-fire structural evaluation of this unique fire case history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of teledermatology (TD) in Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) at various stages of patient care. The study aims to assess the benefits, limitations, and patient experiences surrounding TD integration into MMS practices. We conducted a PubMed search using keywords related to TD and MMS, categorizing selected articles into pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative stages of MMS. TD reduced waiting times (26.10 days for TD compared to 60.57 days for face-to-face [FTF]) and consultation failure rates (6% for TD vs. 17% for FTF) for MMS preoperative consultations. It also shortened time to treatment by two weeks and led to notable travel savings (162.7 min, 144.5 miles, and $60.00 per person). Telepathology facilitated communication and decision-making during MMS, improving accuracy and efficiency, especially in challenging cases requiring collaboration where physical presence of another surgeon or pathologist is not feasible. Telepathology definitively diagnosed benign lesions and malignant tumors in 81.8% of cases (18/22). Additionally, there was a 95% agreement between conventional light microscopy diagnosis and telepathology in tumors (19/20), and 100% agreement for all 20 Mohs frozen section consultations. For post-operative follow-up, telephone follow-up (TFU) and text messaging proved effective, cost-efficient alternatives with high patient satisfaction (94% in New Zealand and 96% in the U.K.) and early complication identification. This study underscores TD's multifaceted benefits in MMS: enhanced patient experience preoperatively, improved communication during surgery, and cost-effective postoperative follow-up. Limitations include the financial expense and technical issues that can arise with TD (connectivity problems, delays in video/audio transmission, etc.). Further studies are needed to explore emerging TD modalities in post-operative patient management. The integration of TD into MMS signifies a progressive step in dermatological care, offering convenient, cost-effective, and better solutions with the potential to enhance patient experiences and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Island of New Zealand is a region of high volcanic activity, with significant eruptions over the past. Analogous to past events, future volcanic eruptions would produce a considerable volume of ash and granular soils, covering widespread areas and raising concerns for their disposal and storage. Such deposits, primarily airfall tephra, could be potentially used in geotechnical engineering applications such as foundations, roadway embankments and land reclamations. However, before their use as structural fills can be recommended, detailed laboratory investigations of their physical, chemical, compaction, and geotechnical engineering properties (strength, compressibility, collapsibility, liquefaction potential, etc.) must be conducted. Different tephra deposits can be products of different eruptions, so chemical composition analyses can be combined with the physical, compaction, and engineering properties to characterize such deposits. Accordingly, this paper provides useful insights from physical (grain size, specific gravity, and morphology), chemical (elemental and mineralogy using X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction), and compaction tests (maximum dry density, optimum water content, and particle breakage) for eleven selected volcanic tephra samples sourced from the North Island of New Zealand in the Rotorua, Taupo, and Auckland regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using historical data on energy from (Malanima 2020) and GDP from the Maddison Project Database, this paper investigates the energy-growth nexus in a less-studied region, mainly Australia and New Zealand, since 1870. The long annual series allow meaningful application of recently developed time-varying and quantile Granger causality analysis. Results indicate that there is a bi-directional Granger causal relationship between economic growth and energy, coal, and oil consumption at both ends of the distribution, and during various time periods over the past 150 years. Little evidence is found on the Granger causal relationship from gas consumption to economic growth, but some evidence on the direction from economic growth to gas consumption. The Granger causal relationships between electricity consumption and GDP change over time, but results suggest much closer links between the two in most recent decades, and big (positive and negative) changes in electricity consumption significantly Granger causes economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the findings of a laboratory-based and numerical study to investigate the undrained flow failure behavior of East Coast Sand (ECS). ECS is a commonly encountered coastal deposit from the upper North Island of New Zealand. The study focused on establishing the undrained strength characteristics of ECS under static, triaxial compressive loading conditions, and at confining pressures in the range of typical engineering interest and for a range of soil densities considered in loosely deposited sands. The research objectives of establishing the basic soil properties and the intrinsic advanced geomechanical properties specific to ECS from Auckland were achieved through laboratory experiments and matching numerical simulations with an advanced critical-state compatible soil constitutive model (Norsand). The current work examined five different aspects of the ECS undrained behavior under static loads. It was shown that loosely deposited ECS within mean effective stresses ranging between 50 and 200 kPa was highly susceptible to expensive flow failures of structures built on or with them. The obtained approximate peak undrained shear strengths before failure and critical states were 29 kPa, 84 kPa, 130 kPa, and 200 kPa for test confining stresses of 50 kPa, 100 kPa, 200 kPa, and 300 kPa, respectively. Similarly, the corresponding excess pore water pressures were 48 kPa, 98 kPa, 200 kPa, and 240 kPa, respectively. The above results proved that the soil's effective and confining stress are key determinants of the soil's undrained shear strength characteristics which was consistent with the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a mixed-method approach, this present study examined the roles of calling and the relation between life goals and spiritual values among early childhood professionals in New Zealand. Among the 102 participants who completed the surveys, 24 participated in the follow-up individual interviews. In line with previous research, results showed that the five spiritual values—conformity, universalism, tradition, benevolence, and security—positively correlated with at least three intrinsic life goals, but showed a negative correlation with at least three of the four extrinsic goals. In addition, all non-spiritual values—self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, achievement, and power—correlated negatively with at least three of the intrinsic life goals. A similar pattern was found between the correlation between all non-spiritual values and extrinsic life goals. Interview data showed that participants who self-identified as having experienced a call to work with young children actively engaged with their calling. They also affirmed that their calling was experienced at a deeply personal and emotional level. Participants also recognized the important impact of life goals, personal and spiritual values on their work. This paper concludes with implications for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to determine the postoperative hypersensitivity of two-step Total-etch as compared to one-step Universal adhesives followed by composite restorations on 100 patients by applying Total-etch on one tooth and Universal adhesive on another tooth. The bonds and teeth were randomly selected. Postoperative hypersensitivity was recorded by visual analog scale before, immediately after, and 24 h after the restoration using cold stimulus. The Mann–Whitney test was applied for statistical comparison of postoperative hypersensitivity between the two bonds as well as for any significant difference in genders with each bond. No significant difference was found between postoperative hypersensitivity of the two adhesives before (p-value = 0.57), immediately after (p-value = 0.604), and 24 h after (p-value = 0.728) the restoration. Males showed more hypersensitivity with Total-etch as compared to females before (p-value = 0.037), immediately after (p-value = 0.047), and 24 h after the restoration (p-value = 0.022). No significant difference was found between gender and Universal adhesive at all three stages (p-value > 0.05). The results suggest no significant difference in postoperative hypersensitivity between the two materials when good sample size and proper technique were observed along with the removal of bias like different patients having different pain perceptions and multiple operators having different operating skills. Males showed more hypersensitivity to Total-etch. Trial registration number: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials. Registry number: ACTRN12622001213730. (Retrospectively registered: 09/09/2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propagule dispersal is a crucial aspect of the survival and reproduction of sessile organisms, such as plants and fungi. As such, the colours of fleshy fruits serve as a visual cue for animal dispersers. However, little is known about how, or whether, specific traits of fungal fruiting bodies, such as colour or shape, attract animal dispersers, and additionally the identities of fungal dispersers are poorly understood. Globally, most truffle-like fungi are dull-coloured, subterranean, and likely have scents that are attractive to mammalian dispersers. In Aotearoa-New Zealand, however, brightly coloured truffle-like fungi that emerge from the forest floor have seemingly proliferated. This proliferation has prompted the hypothesis that they are adapted to dispersal by a bird-dominated fauna. In our study, we used the literature and citizen science data (GBIF) to explore whether colourful species occur at a higher proportion of the total truffle-like fungi flora in Aotearoa-New Zealand than elsewhere in the world. In addition, we tested for a relationship between biotic factors (avian frugivory and forest cover) and abiotic factors (precipitation, radiation, and temperature) and the prevalence of brightly coloured truffle-like fungi across the world. The most colourful truffle-like fungi are in three defined regions: Australia, South and Central America and the Caribbean, and Aotearoa-NZ. Potential dispersers and the environment both relate to the distribution of truffle-like fungi: we found that increasing levels of frugivory were associated with higher proportions of colourful truffle-like fungi. This finding provides new insights into drivers of certain fungal traits, and their interactions between birds and fungi. Unique ecosystems, such as Aotearoa-NZ's bird-dominated biota, provide fascinating opportunities to explore how plants and fungi interact with the sensory systems of animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the association between persistence and change in behavioral difficulties during early to middle childhood and several cognitive outcomes. We observed 3904 8-year-olds enrolled in the longitudinal study Growing Up in New Zealand (50% male/female; 23% Māori, 9% Pacific Peoples, 13% Asian, 2% Middle Eastern/Latin American/African, 9% Other, 43% European). The NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery was used to assess cognitive functioning at 8 years and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for behavioral difficulties at 4.5 and 8 years. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted, controlling for well-known sociodemographic confounders. Children with persistent or later onset of behavioral difficulties were at higher risk for poorer vocabulary, reading, inhibitory control/attention, episodic memory, working memory and processing speed at age 8 compared to children with no or improved difficulties. Our study supports the importance of addressing both cognitive and behavioral aspects when planning educational programmes and interventions in early and middle childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the cyclic response of the Precast Hollow Core Slab (PHCS) to the beam connection by proposing a novel connection detail. The evaluation involved, three different connection details, namely, (1) Continuity rebar and U-type Core Rebar Discrete with 100 mm ledge width (CUCRD_100); (2) continuity rebar and Core Rebar Combined with 100 mm ledge width (CCRC_100); and (3) continuity rebar and Core Rebar Combined with Ties along with 100 mm ledge width (CCRCT_100) were experimentally validated. These were validated through experimental testing, comparing their performance with a reference specimen that adhered to New Zealand guidelines using Continuity rebar and Core Rebar Discrete with 100 mm ledge width (CCRD_100). Displacement controlled reverse cyclic loading, following the ACI T1.1–0.1 protocol, was applied to the end of a hollow core slab for the experimental testing. The structural performance of all four connections considered failure pattern, strength, hysteretic behaviour, energy dissipation, displacement ductility, stiffness degradation, and equivalent viscous damping. The overall seismic efficiency of the connections was assessed using ACI 374.1–05 approval criteria. The experimental results proved that the peak load-carrying capacity for CCRCT_100 specimen was observed to be greater in both directions of loading (positive and negative) when compared with the other connection detailing. The presence of transverse reinforcement enhanced the confining capacity of the concrete in the joint region which substantially increased the ductility and dissipation of energy in CCRCT_100 specimen. The seismic performance of every connection specimen was favourable, and they all met the ACI 374.1–05 approval standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trees in breeding programmes are often selected at 1/4–1/3 of rotation, called 'early selection', which is typically between 8 and 10 years in radiata pine. However, differences between populations and genotypes selected for either basic density or wood stiffness are already apparent at age 2. We report the application of very early screening techniques for wood properties in the New Zealand Radiata Pine Breeding Programme deployment populations. Approximately 3000 trees representing three populations with 92 families and 10 clones were grown in a common garden trial, leaning for 21 months to separate compression and opposite wood. The trees were harvested and analysis carried out separately by wood type. The trial showed the existence of large variability in wood properties at early age, in some cases similar to variability near rotation age, and moderate to high degree of genetic control ( 0.35 ≤ h 2 ≤ 0.71 ). The genetic association between traits was strong, particularly between wood stiffness and longitudinal shrinkage ( - 0.69 ) and between longitudinal and volumetric shrinkage (0.83), suggesting that improving stiffness would also have a strong effect on improving dimensional stability. Basic density was also associated with stiffness and shrinkage, but with lower predictive capacity. These results can be used for roguing deployment populations-which already contain superior growing trees-and quickly upgrade the wood quality of seeds and clones currently available to New Zealand forest growers. We discuss necessary modifications to turn this research work into operation to screen any new material before commercial release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Aotearoa New Zealand, technology education is a means for teachers to introduce students to future-focused contexts and innovative approaches to learning. When viewed from this lens, there are opportunities for pedagogical practice to be responsive to student interests by developing creative and critical thinking in a variety of technological areas (e.g., Digital Technologies, Design & Visual Communication, Materials and Processing). Recent media coverage in Aotearoa New Zealand promoted the need for increased attention on innovation in New Zealand schools and implied that for such a focus, there were natural associations being made with the use of digital tools for teaching and learning - rather than technology education. The COVID-19 climate has seen an observable change in learning, which has further highlighted that all teachers should have the necessary knowledge and skills to enact curriculum policy - in a range of different ways. The technology education curriculum in Aotearoa New Zealand has an increasing focus on the role of digital technologies and this article reports findings from research, which explored how secondary technology teachers' curriculum practice was impacted by lockdowns during the global pandemic. Semi-structured online interviews and teachers' resources offered insight into three significant stages of transition - before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdowns, which had implications for their teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keratoconus, a disorder characterized by corneal thinning and weakening, results in vision loss. Corneal crosslinking (CXL) can halt the progression of keratoconus. The development of accelerated corneal crosslinking (A-CXL) protocols to shorten the treatment time has been hampered by the rapid depletion of stromal oxygen when higher UVA intensities are used, resulting in a reduced cross-linking effect. It is therefore imperative to develop better methods to increase the oxygen concentration within the corneal stroma during the A-CXL process. Photocatalytic oxygen-generating nanomaterials are promising candidates to solve the hypoxia problem during A-CXL. Biocompatible graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) quantum dots (QDs)-based oxygen self-sufficient platforms including g-C3N4 QDs and riboflavin/g-C3N4 QDs composites (RF@g-C3N4 QDs) have been developed in this study. Both display excellent photocatalytic oxygen generation ability, high reactive oxygen species (ROS) yield, and excellent biosafety. More importantly, the A-CXL effect of the g-C3N4 QDs or RF@g-C3N4 QDs composite on male New Zealand white rabbits is better than that of the riboflavin 5'-phosphate sodium (RF) A-CXL protocol under the same conditions, indicating excellent strengthening of the cornea after A-CXL treatments. These lead us to suggest the potential application of g-C3N4 QDs in A-CXL for corneal ectasias and other corneal diseases. NCOMMS-23-46799C Keratoconus can be effectively stabilized by corneal crosslinking (CXL), but the depletion of stromal oxygen limits the efficiency of CXL photochemical reactions. Here the authors address this issue by developing biocompatible graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots- based oxygen self-sufficient platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are important in nurturing social skills and behaviours. Research consistently demonstrates that movement into/out of school (transience/mobility) disrupts positive social skill development, especially for students who frequently move. The impact of attending a highly transient school on non-mobile students is not as well-known. The current study explored the impact of values and life skill-based programme, Kiwi Can, on social development and the classroom climate for non-mobile children. Researchers administered surveys to students attending 15 intervention (i.e. Kiwi Can programme; n = 763) and 9 control (n = 456) schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. We examined the impact of programme participation by school transience level (high, middle, low) and length of school participation (new, experienced). The results indicate that students attending highly transient schools struggled to build social relationships, feel connected, demonstrate care and compassion to others, and behave in prosocial ways. They also felt less safe at their schools. Students participating in Kiwi Can for more than two years (experienced schools) showed fewer negative effects of transience on social development than less experienced schools. This research highlights the plight of students who are 'left behind.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was a pilot intervention to develop Year 5–8 students' close reading and writing of literary texts using the T-Shape Literacy Model (Wilson and Jesson in Set Res Inf Teach 1:15–22, 2019). Students analysed text sets to explore how different authors use language to engender mood and atmosphere. The study used a single-subject design logic for repeated researcher-designed and a quasi-experimental, matched control group design for repeated standardised measures of reading and writing. Nine teachers and their classes participated. The schools were part of a large school improvement programme using digital tools and pedagogy to accelerate students' learning participated that the authors were research-practice partners in. The schools all served low socio-economic status communities and the majority of students were Māori (51%) and Pacific (28%). There was a large effect size on the overall score for the researcher-designed measure (effect size = 1.00) and for the close reading of single texts sub-score (effect size = 0.90). There was a moderate-to-high effect for students' identification of language features (effect size = 0.75) but no significant effect on their synthesis scores. Students in the intervention significantly outperformed matched control group students in the standardised writing post-test (effect size = 0.65) but differences for the standardized reading comprehension test were not significant (effect size = 0.15). Results overall suggest the approach has promise for improving the metalinguistic knowledge, literary analysis and creative writing of younger and historically underserved groups of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws attention to shifting educational discourses on the two texts of the 1840 treaty: te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi. Policy and resource conversations in education reveal subtle strategic shifts in use of an invented idea of "treaty principles"—from standing in for and attempting to reconcile the two language texts, to a focus on the specific language of te Tiriti o Waitangi with reference to so-called principles to support contemporary application. Tracing these changes assists our teachers and educators in developing a critical understanding of the language employed in education policy and teaching resources. Examining these shifts with students also provides "teachable moments" about the politics of treaty discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marginalised and ousted from the New Zealand education system, 70% of youths apprehended for offending and appearing in a New Zealand Youth Court or Rangatahi Court experiencing complex needs are not engaged in education, employment, or training (Oranga Tamariki, Oranga Tamariki. (2020). Quarterly report—September 2020). This article reports findings from a broader PhD study investigating the educational experiences of 10 rangatahi Māori (Māori youth) aged 15–17 years apprehended for serious youth offending and excluded from mainstream education. Drawing on mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and kaupapa Māori, notions of indigenous resilience are used to unpack the rangatahi Māori participants' responses to negative educational experiences in the mainstream English medium secondary school education system. This article posits that resilience was evident when the rangatahi Māori exercised tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty) through boldness (a characteristic of Tū-mata-uenga the guardian of war), resistance and liminality to reject educational spaces where they perceived they were underserved, discriminated against, and marginalised. Changing the negative Māori student exclusion and disengagement statistics in mainstream education is critical. To address the exclusion statistics, classroom practitioners could be more responsive to rangatahi Māori experiencing complex needs by recognising their experiences and understanding their responses to those experiences. Understanding how resilience as resistance, liminality, and boldness is understood within te ao Māori (the Māori world) perspectives will enable a more culturally responsive approach to working with these rangatahi Māori in mainstream education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Prior studies indicate risk for recidivism declines with time spent in the community post-incarceration. The current study tested whether declines in risk scores occurred uniformly for all individuals in a community corrections sample or whether distinct groups could be identified on the basis of similar trajectories of change in acute risk and time to recidivism. We additionally tested whether accounting for group heterogeneity improved prospective prediction of recidivism. Methods: This study used longitudinal, multiple-reassessment data gathered from 3,421 individuals supervised on parole in New Zealand (N = 92,104 assessments of theoretically dynamic risk factors conducted by community corrections supervision officers). We applied joint latent class modelling (JLCM) to model group trajectories of change in acute risk following re-entry while accounting for data missing due to recidivism (i.e., missing not at random). We compared accuracy of dynamic predictions based on the selected joint latent class model to an equivalent joint model with no latent class structure. Results: We identified four trajectory groups of acute dynamic risk. Groups were consistently estimated across a split sample. Trajectories differed in direction and degree of change but using the latent class structure did not improve discrimination when predicting recidivism. Conclusions: There may be significant heterogeneity in how individuals' assessed level of acute risk changes following re-entry, but determining risk for recidivism should not be based on probable group membership. JLCM revealed heterogeneity in early re-entry unlikely to be observed using traditional analytic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global and national policy frameworks emphasize the importance of people's participation and volunteers' role in disaster risk reduction. While research has extensively focused on volunteers in disaster response and recovery, less attention has been paid on how organizations involved in disaster risk management can support volunteers in leading and coordinating community-based disaster risk reduction. In 2019, the New Zealand Red Cross piloted the Good and Ready initiative in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, with the objective to empower local people in resilience building with a focus on volunteers and community participation. This research examined the positive and negative outcomes of Good and Ready and investigated volunteers' experiences in the disaster resilience initiative. It involved the codesign of a questionnaire-based survey using participatory methods with Good and Ready volunteers, the dissemination of the survey to gather volunteers' viewpoints, and a focus group discussion with participatory activities with Red Cross volunteers. The findings highlight that a key challenge lies in finding a balance between a program that provides flexibility to address contextual issues and fosters communities' ownership, versus a prescriptive and standardized approach that leaves little room for creativity and self-initiative. It pinpoints that supporting volunteers with technical training is critical but that soft skills training such as coordinating, communicating, or facilitating activities at the local level are needed. It concludes that the sustainability of Good and Ready requires understanding and meeting volunteers' motivations and expectations and that enhancing partnerships with local emergency management agencies would strengthen the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New Zealand housing market has become a public concern due to the significant surge in housing prices. The steep increase in housing prices has presented significant difficulties for individuals seeking homeownership, particularly for first-home buyers. Therefore, this research aims to identify the crucial factors of the New Zealand housing price system and their influence on housing prices. The system dynamics (SD) methodology was applied to organise the cause and effect variables into a causal loop diagram (CLD) illustrating the structure and interaction of the primary feedback mechanisms within the complex system of housing prices. Accordingly, population growth, macroeconomic stability, investment demand, monetary policy, and construction costs are key contributing factors to promoting affordable housing prices and increasing homeownership rates in New Zealand. The construction costs, including the land cost, are the most significant of all the factors. Hence, there is a call to prioritise optimising construction resources. This research's developed model was validated by exploring experts' views on the model's components and system dynamics. The findings provide relevant stakeholders in New Zealand's residential construction sector with solutions and guidelines for coping with supply and demand fluctuations and reducing economic cycles on material price and workforce development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, one of the most significant bottlenecks of land-based abalone aquaculture is the high cost of the feed, which is associated with the use of wild fish stocks to produce fish meal. Fish meal is a key ingredient used in aquaculture feeds due to its nutritional profile and palatability. Alternative ingredients, such as insect meal and grape marc, are potential candidates to be included in aquafeeds due to their suitable nutritional profile and more sustainable production. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of insect meal and grape marc on growth and nutritional profile using abalone as an animal model in a feeding trial for 165 days. Proximate analyses were used to identify nutritional variations in abalone tissue and faecal matter, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography mass-spectrometry analyses were utilised to characterise amino acid and fatty acid composition. Results showed a 95% survival for all treatments. The inclusion of insect meal and grape marc did not affect the protein proportions of abalone tissues, but differences were found in the carbohydrate and lipid proportions. The inclusion of insect meal and grape marc significantly affected levels of amino acids L-histidine, L-methionine, and L-phenylalanine, and fatty acids oleic acid, linoleaidic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, and α-linolenic suggesting a correlation between the feed source and fatty acid tissue composition. This work provides promising results for future optimisation of abalone diets including more affordable and sustainable alternative ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of hydrocarbon reserves has declined significantly in recent years owing to the structural and lithological heterogeneities present in reservoirs. To overcome this decline, it is crucial to incorporate advanced computational methods, such as machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL). These technologies can facilitate more precise discovery of hydrocarbon reserves, thereby replenishing and increasing the supply of proven reserves. By utilizing ML and DL, likelihood of errors arising from human error or bias during exploration activities can be diminished substantially. This is due to the extensive incorporation of sophisticated statistical techniques within the applications of ML and DL. Well logs provide valuable information about the physical characteristics of subterranean fluids and rocks. In the McKee field in New Zealand, the lithology of three wells was determined using petrophysical parameters, such as porosity, permeability, water saturation, volume shale, and oil saturation that were extracted from the well logs. The unsupervised method K-means clustering (KMC) was used to perform facies classification tasks, utilizing clusters that matched the well's facies and ranged from 5 to 10 and each well yielded six pairs of outputs. Graph convolutional networks (GCN) are reliable technique for working with graph representations. The best performance is achieved by directly integrating graph convolutions with feature information and related parameters. The petrophysical parameters were combined with the unlabeled KMC outputs to form the GCN dataset. The initial potential zones were classified into five classes based on petrophysical criteria: very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. This GCN approach was used to identify each graph quality in the dataset. The hydrocarbon potential of the three wells was evaluated using the graph dataset and the GCN approach, which produced results with higher accuracy when real labels were used. The findings of this study indicate that the identification of a hydrocarbon-rich region through the utilization of a graph that integrates lithological and petrophysical data requires a comprehensive understanding of the subsurface that goes beyond lithology alone. To achieve this, a novel method for predicting hydrocarbon potential based on GCN is proposed, which combines graph datasets derived from well logs consisting of petrophysical entities and depth values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable flood damage models are informed by detailed damage assessments. Damage models are critical in flood risk assessments, representing an elements vulnerability to damage. This study evaluated residential building damage for the July 2021 flood in Westport, New Zealand. We report on flood hazard, exposure and damage features observed for 247 residential buildings. Damage samples were applied to evaluate univariable and multivariable model performance using different variable sample sizes and regression-based supervised learning algorithms. Feature analysis for damage prediction showed high importance of water depth variables and low importance for commonly observed building variables such as structural frame and storeys. Overfitting occurred for most models evaluated when more than 150 samples were used. This resulted from limited damage heterogeneity observed, and variables of low importance affecting model learning. The Random Forest algorithm, which considered multiple important variables (water depth above floor level, area and floor height) improved predictive precision by 17% relative to other models when over 150 damage samples were considered. Our findings suggest the evaluated model performance could be improved by incorporating heterogeneous damage samples from similar flood contexts, in turn increasing capacity for reliable spatial transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) are popular healthcare choices among consumers globally. The latest national data on the use of TCAM practitioners in New Zealand (NZ) were collected over a decade ago. Robust data on the use of natural health products (NHPs) and TCAM practices alongside conventional medicines are not yet available in NZ. Objectives: This study aimed to develop and test a bespoke questionnaire (All-MedsNZ) that included comprehensive data collection elements exploring NHPs' and conventional medicines' use. Methods: This was a questionnaire design study involving expert panel feedback, and engagement with TCAM users, in the development process. This work comprised questionnaire development (stage 1) followed by a questionnaire-testing study (stage 2). The questionnaire was developed on the basis of literature review findings and the research team's expertise. The questionnaire content was then validated by an expert panel comprising practitioners in TCAM and conventional medicine. Then, a two-phase study was utilised to test the questionnaire. Phase 1 involved participants (NHP users) completing the web-based questionnaire and providing feedback by answering probing questions added throughout the questionnaire to evaluate users' comprehension of the questions and to identify issues with the questionnaire. In phase 2, selected participants were interviewed online to gain in-depth insights into issues identified in phase one. Based on these findings, the questionnaire was revised. Results: The expert panel (n = 9) confirmed the questionnaire had high face and content validity; most original questions were retained. In the questionnaire-testing study, 95 and 27 participants completed the phase 1 and 2 studies, respectively. Most questions achieved a high response rate of ≥ 90%, and participants had no major issues understanding and answering the questionnaire. Problematic questions were those relating to providing product barcodes and photographs, and information on product costs. Most of the NHPs data entered by participants included the brand/generic name, manufacturer/company name, main ingredient(s) and dose form. Generally, these NHP-related data were of acceptable quality. However, information on the main ingredient(s) of products entered by participants was less satisfactory: approximately one-third of the 143 NHPs recorded in the study had the main ingredient(s) missing or incorrectly stated. Interviews with participants reiterated the issues identified in the phase 1 study. The low response rates for some of the questions were partly due to participants' unpreparedness (i.e. not having NHPs/medicines on hand) to complete the questionnaire. In addition, a lack of clarity for the term 'natural health practitioner' led to confusion among some participants. Conclusion: Overall, no major design-, method- or questionnaire-related issues were identified in this development and testing work. The questionnaire demonstrated adequate face and content validity and acceptability among participants. The data collected were reasonably complete and of sufficient quality for analysis. Future studies should pilot the revised All-MedsNZ questionnaire with a larger, nationally representative sample to ascertain its feasibility and utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red clover casebearer moth (Coleophora deauratella) (Leinig and Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae) is an invasive insect pest in red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) seed production systems in North America and New Zealand. Recent discoveries of C. deauratella in Oregon and New Zealand prompted research investigating the seasonal phenology and population dynamics of C. deauratella to inform management strategies and develop a risk prediction framework to mitigate outbreak severity. We sampled 76 site-years across three geographic regions, including western (Willamette Valley) and eastern Oregon and New Zealand. An attractant-based trap network was deployed across sampled regions using a female sex pheromone to lure male moths in commercial red clover seed production fields. Remotely sensed temperature and landscape composition data were extracted for phenological and geospatial modeling. Nonlinear logistic regression was used to develop regionally explicit phenology models that predict the unimodal timing of C. deauratella flights. Molecular gut-content analyses revealed the dietary history of early-season captures and informed landscape analysis covariate selection. A spatial Bayesian generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was developed to test landscape-level effects of landscape composition and configuration predictors on C. deauratella abundance. The spatiotemporal dominance of clover and grassland land area was positively associated with Oregon C. deauratella populations. These results can be used to forecast C. deauratella risk across space and time and advise integrated pest management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercritical CO2 offers an alternative method of removing wood moisture and reducing cellular collapse compared to traditional drying techniques. The technique has been previously demonstrated for Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus nitens dewatering and was modified in this study for New Zealand red beech (Nothofagus fusca) heartwood, which is notoriously difficult to dry without causing excessive distortion. The technique was also successfully extended to drying below the fibre saturation point. A specific dewatering and drying schedule was developed for N. fusca because of negligible dewatering using a schedule previously designed for wood with an open hydrofluidic network of interconnected vessels. An anatomical assessment confirmed lumen pathways were occluded with tyloses and polyphenol resins. A fluid dynamics assessment concluded that permeability measurements are recommended together with tortuosity and porosity information for improved wood species dewatering characterisation. Using the dewatering and drying schedule, collapse was successfully reduced by 92% for both normalised internal wood area and void collapse when compared to oven-dried samples. The beech specimens took 18 days to reach 17.3% moisture content (MC) but displayed some checking from early dewatering depressurisation, compared to air-dried control specimens which showed no collapse or checking but took 6 months to reach 12% MC. Supercritical CO2 dewatering and drying could be combined with extractives separation, preservative treatment, and mechanical forming of wood in one plant to make a potentially economically viable process with improved energy, environmental and carbon footprints. A techno-economic analysis is suggested to fully compare supercritical drying of wood against conventional drying operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategies that motivate agrifood producers to adopt more sustainable practices are a critical component for a sustainable future. This case study examines farmer attitudes to a recently released New Zealand agricultural policy aimed at improving freshwater quality by restricting agricultural activities. Our study interprets interviews of nine individuals managing a range of dairy and sheep farming operations to explore how these farmers manage societal expectations of being a 'good farmer' in the context of the new regulations. Four themes were developed to capture perceptions of participants: the vested interest of farmers in positive community engagement and being seen as a 'good' farmer; the need to manage farms prudently for future generations; the unique geographical and environmental conditions on each farm and their concerns about the lack of acknowledgment of differences across land types in New Zealand; and the unintended consequences of the new regulations for rural communities. Overall, the themes suggest that the way the policy was enacted conflicts with perceptions of a 'good farmer' and good farming practice, resulting in identity conflicts for the farming community and reduced motivation to adopt alternative practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beach placer gold has been mined around the world historically, but extraction of fine (~ 100 µm) gold particles is notoriously difficult. This study illustrates morphological and mineralogical changes that transform fine gold during aeolian processes on windy beaches and contribute to mine concentration inefficiencies. Sandblasting on exposed beaches in southern New Zealand has caused extreme attenuation of edges of gold flakes that were previously transported in rivers for > 200 km. Flakes have been transformed into complex but compact toroids and spheroids with thin (~ 20 µm) internal and external strands of attenuated gold. Most of the gold within the attenuated strands has recrystallised to fine (micron-scale) undeformed grains with little or no Ag (< 1 wt%). Some coarse (> 40 µm) gold grains remain from the precursor fluvial particles, and these retain original Ag contents (1–10 wt%). These coarse grains show substantial internal crystallographic deformation and sub-grain formation, although some of these strain effects may have been inherited from fluvial transport. Co-existing detrital platinum minerals are much less malleable than gold during sandblasting and have only minor (10-µm scale) toroidal deformation on edges of fluvial flakes. The complex frameworks of the fine toroidal and spheroidal gold particles can include air, water, and clay, which lowers their average density and so they commonly float on water and are readily entrained with other heavy minerals. The fine particle size, compact shapes, and clay coatings also resist mercury amalgamation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is anticipated to lead to an increase in the occurrence and intensity of drought and fluctuations in insect cycles that will challenge modern pasture systems. Feeding by root aphids such as Aploneura lentisci Pass. can be a significant challenge to pastures. These below-ground living aphids are commonly found in New Zealand and Australia, feeding year-round on the roots of graminaceous plants such as perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Some strains of the fungal endophyte Epichloë festucae var. lolii in perennial ryegrass can provide protection against root aphids and greater resilience under drought, contributing to higher persistency and growth than endophyte-free plants. However, the interaction between insect pressure and drought is not understood. This study examined the effect of drought on root aphid populations and plant performance in perennial ryegrass plants relative to endophyte status (±) and endophyte strain (AR37, NZCT) in a glasshouse experiment. Plants were cloned across the drought and well-watered treatments, and half of the plants were inoculated with root aphids, whilst half of the plants were treated with insecticide. Endophyte infection with strain NZCT and AR37 reduced root aphid numbers. Aphid populations were significantly higher in drought-stressed than in well-watered plants in both endophyte-infected and endophyte-free treatments. Under drought conditions, root aphid populations were increased 4-fold in NZCT and 8-fold in AR37 and endophyte-free plants in comparison with their well-watered counterparts. Root aphids reduced shoot dry weight by 16% in drought-exposed and 26% in well-watered plants in comparison with their insecticide-treated counterparts whilst reducing root biomass by 49%. Our results suggest that root aphids are likely able to exploit the higher availability of amino acids in the plant sap of drought-exposed plants. This study provides evidence that climate change-mediated impacts of root aphids could reduce production in perennial ryegrass-dominant pastures. However, field trials would be necessary to determine whether this effect is seen in situ, where numerous additional factors will be operating at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop an appropriate program for essential oils (EOs) used in pest control, it is important to acquire information about the effect of the EO when used at a low concentration. Previously, we demonstrated the enzymatic activity of Haemaphysalis longicornis (the main livestock pest in Australia and New Zealand) exposed to Cinnamomum cassia EO and (E)-cinnamaldehyde (its major compound) when applied at 50% lethal concentration (LC50). However, H. longicornis respond to toxic substances via different mechanisms and at different times of exposure. Herein, the enzymes involved in the defense response were studied by monitoring glutathione-S-transferase, acetylcholinesterase, and Na+/K+-adenosine triphosphatases (ATPase) activities in H. longicornis larvae exposed to C. cassia EO and (E)-cinnamaldehyde across different times. Further, the molecular changes related to the defense mechanisms were studied by monitoring adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABCB10) gene expression. In addition, we investigated the acaricidal activity of the test substances against the engorged larvae and nymphs of H. longicornis. Our results showed that the activities of these enzymes were significantly affected by the EO and/or (E)-cinnamaldehyde depending on the exposure time. We observed up-regulation of the ABCB10 gene in the larvae. Also, our results revealed that C. cassia EO (LC50 = 1.46 and 16.69 mg/mL) and (E)-cinnamaldehyde (LC50 = 3.86 and 17.96 mg/mL) were effective against the engorged larvae and nymphs, respectively. Our results provided a deeper understanding of the defense mechanisms of H. longicornis, which may provide an important clue for the development of EO-based acaricides that are cheaper and environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]