Patterns of vegetation use by black bears (Ursus americanus) on Long Island, Washington were documented using radio-telemetry in 1973-74 and 1980-81. Secondary succession altered the vegetative compostion of clearcut areas through this time, reducing the areas dominated by productive brush species by nearly 50%. Seasonal food habits, consisted primarily of grasses and forbs in spring (den emergence-May) and flowers and fruits of shrub species in summer (June-September) and fall (October-den entrance). Bears selected for clearcuts (5-21 years of age) over all other vegetation types for feeding but preferred areas dominated by large trees when inactive during both the day and night. Inactivity in clearcut areas occurred most frequently in clearcuts offering the greatest amount of horizontal cover. Although preferred in all seasons, clearcuts received the greatest use during the summer months when flowers and fruits of shrubs species were most abundant. Tidelands and meadows were used more in the spring than during other seasons and conifer stands received the greatest proportionate use in spring and fall. Old growth timber (200 +years of age) was used similarly to mature second growth. Adult males were less influenced than other classes of bears by availability of horizontal cover and proximity of cover provided by adjacent vegetation types when feeding in clearcut areas. Adult females with cubs fed in timber stands and clearcuts with abundant horizontal cover more than other bears and generally remained in close proximity to bordering timber stands when feeding in clearcuts. Subadults, as well as adult females with cubs, appeared to use available habitats in a manner that allowed them to avoid other bears. Areas in large timber stands that were long distances from clearcuts were used by bears more during the 1980-81 phase of the study, apparently because of the increased competition for declining resources in clearcut areas. Home ranges of the adult females present during both phases of the study were similar in both size and location.

Market integration testing is important to agricultural marketing, industrial organization, international trade, and international model design. With reliable market integration information, decision makers can undertake appropriate actions to maximize profits, welfare, or both. Level I market analysis, which uses price data solely, has proved unreliable especially in the presence of discontinuous or bidirectional trade, or significant or nonstationary transaction costs. Level II market analysis methods, which incorporate both transactions costs and prices, permit spatial markets to be integrated in some periods and segmented in others, thereby obviating many level I method problems. However, level II methods still fail to distinguish between market integration and spatial market equilibrium. Both level I and level II methods omit the rich information provided by trade flow data. This dissertation develops the first level III method-combining price, transactions costs, and trade flow data, and thus can move beyond the flaws remaining in levels I and II methods. The full information parity bounds model (FIPBM) enables researchers to distinguish between market integration, a concept of market "conduct," and spatial market equilibrium, one of market "performance." FIPBM also shows real promise in signaling the importance of unobservable transactions costs, the frequencly of nontrading periods of competitive disequilibrium likely due to nontariff trade barriers, and the effects of asymmetric trade policies. FIPBM seems better suited to international markets analysis than do other existing methods. This dissertation applies levels I,II, and III methods to analyze price, trade, and market relationships in the product and factor markets of pork industries in key Pacific Rim countries. This empirical work highlights the superiority of the FIPBM approach. FIPBM finds that pork, hog, and feed grain markets between Canada and the United States are almost always integrated. But they are not in competitive equilibrium, implying that there frequently exist positive accounting profits to arbitrage. By contrast, markets between Asian (Taiwan and Japan) and North American countries (Canada and the United States) are integrated less frequently than are intra-North American markets. This reflects greater trans-Pacific transactions costs that reduce tradability. However, markets between Asian and North American countries are commonly in competitive equilibrium.

This PhD by project outlines research conducted in 2007 on the Thai Burma border, introducing social work education to Burmese health and community workers. In addition to experiencing physical and social upheaval, workers have little access to general education or training in relation to their work with refugees and displaced people. A request from the director of a Refugee Health Clinic to provide social work education for local workers led to my research question: How do I develop and teach a culturally relevant, cross cultural, sustainable social work curriculum for Burmese health and community workers on the Thai Burma border? The project consists of a product: three manuals of curriculum developed on the border and written for use by future visitors or locally trained workers, and an exegesis: an exploration of the research, methodology and a detailed analysis of my product in the context of the literature. The exegesis is organised around three main themes. First is the intersection of social work education and international social work, with a critique of colonialist impositions of Western social work in developing Asian countries. This section considers what constitutes relevant social work and social work education in this context. The second theme examines the researcher's attempts to suspend her assumptions and create a learning exchange through culturally sensitive social relationships that acknowledge and scrutinize power relations within the Burma border context. The final theme raises questions of critical pedagogy. Key differences in beliefs about educational purpose and approaches can be identified between Asia and the Western world. The project employed adult learning principles and explored the challenges of teaching critical thinking. Based on a participatory action research model, the curriculum design process attempted to be collaborative, inclusive and recursive. As a corollary, the project created a community of practice that continues to meet and work together towards social justice for migrants on the border, concepts that were not known to the participants prior to the training program. The project aimed to connect international social work education to social work's core missions of emancipation, human rights and activism on the Thai Burma border. The themes are transferable to other sites of social work in the Asia-Pacific region where social development precedes the practice and teaching of social work.

This study seeks to determine the reasons for the departure of New Zealand-born Samoans from a South Auckland traditional Samoan Seventh-day Adventist church. The concept of SURVIVAL: Exposure, Exit, and Reinvestment Model is used to explain the two factors instrumental in these young people's decisions to depart from the church. The first factor, which is a push factor, is the atmosphere at church, or what I refer to in this study as exposure. The second factor, which is a pull factor, involves the benefits of reinvesting their time and talents in other churches or in other non-church related activities. The results of this study strongly indicate that the church atmosphere was neither conducive nor promising, but very antagonistic to developing New Zealand-born Samoan young people's spiritual and social journeys. Consequently, the situation at church made these young people look elsewhere for social and spiritual survival. An analysis of the data suggests that the church can reverse the problem of departure by putting in place an active and effective system whereby the concerns and ideas of New Zealand-born Samoans as well as other youths are shared, heard, and rightly understood by the elders and the leadership of the church.

Pacific Islanders have faced discrimination in New Zealand particularly since the 1960s when members of communities, particularly from the Cook Islands, Samoa, Niue and Tonga began to be transplanted from their home nations to Aotearoa as cheap immigrant labour. Subsequently, the New Zealand vernacular has contained references to Pacific Islanders as 'overstayers', 'coconuts', 'bungas' and 'fresh off the boat' [FOB]. However, the legacy of a domineering relationship between the Palagi1 majority group and Pacific2 minorities that is captured by such derogatory terms is still evident in public forums such as the media. Using a quantitative content and qualitative narrative analysis, this first chapter documents portrayals of Pacific Islanders in New Zealand print media reports (n= 65) published over a three-month period. Findings reveal that Pacific people are predominantly portrayed as unmotivated, unhealthy and criminal others who are overly dependent on Palagi support. Consideration of this offered Pacific identity formation is explored and compared with that implied for Palagi, which is active, independent, competent and caring. Issues in coverage are discussed in relation to how Pacific Islanders are encouraged to see themselves, and the health and social consequences of dominant practices in press coverage. The second part of this thesis will take the findings from the investigation of the characterizations of Pacific Islanders in newspaper coverage and consider audience responses to such coverage. Focus group discussions will be used to explore how different New Zealand audiences view and respond to the portrayals of Pacific Island people and health in news media. The focus on audience responses supports the development of a better understanding of how groups can internalise media portrayals and use these as anchor points for understanding their own situations. Qualitative content from the two groups of Pacific Islanders (P1, P2) and two groups of Palagi (NP1, NP2) enabled a comparative analysis of audience interpretations. Findings propose that health issues are predominantly framed from the perspective of the dominant social group - in the local context Palagi - often at the expense of minority groups such as Māori and Pacific peoples. In appropriating aspects of news coverage, audience members do not engage or regurgitate what they are told or shown through the media. It is a rather complex process with audience members interpreting and using fragments of what they are presented with in making sense of issues of concern in their own lives. All the participants (n= 24) were compensated for their time and travel. We offer some suggestions as to how more equitable representations of Pacific people could be fostered in news media and how changes to a more civilised media will impact Pacific health positively. 1 Palagi (pronounced Palangi) is a term used by Pacific Islanders to refer to people of European decent. 2 We use the terms 'Pacific people' and 'Pacific Islanders' to denote a general social category or minority in Aotearoa used by the media. However, we need to qualify the use of these terms because their use can lead to a glossing over of the diversity in languages and cultures that exists between over 20 different Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian communities.

This study investigates issues impeding effective school leadership in Solomon Islands' secondary schools. In particular, it examines principals' perceptions of those issues that impede their effective leadership of their schools. There is an international literature focusing on this area that has contributed to the study. However, many of the research findings in western contexts are invalid in the context of a developing nation such as the Solomon Islands. Thus contextual specificity was an important underlying factor in the study. The research data was gathered using qualitative methods. Specifically, interviews with five principals were conducted using semi-structured interviews and was analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The research fieldwork was carried out in the Solomon Islands in August 2006. A sample of five participants was used. They were selected from five schools representing Community High Schools (CHS) and senior Provincial Secondary Schools (PSS) in two provinces and the Honiara City Council. The key findings of the study identify a range of factors that inhibit effective school leadership. These included a lack of initial training and support for on-going professional learning, unfavourable conditions of service, poor quality of teachers' professional practice, poor school facilities and infrastructure, poor administrative infrastructure, lack of appropriate and adequate financial resources, lack of support personnel, policy and systemic issues, social and cultural issues, and issues pertaining to school-community partnerships. Based on the findings identified in the study, recommendations were made on how to improve effective leadership of the schools throughout the Solomon Islands. Of particular importance is the establishment of professional development programmes for both newly appointed and servicing principals. Such programmes should enhance the leadership capacity of the principals in the schools and create a more conducive learning environment.

The study involved the investigation of ancient dental enamel derived from former inhabitants of Pacific Islands: a population whose movements were necessarily more restricted than their mainland counterparts. Lead and strontium isotope analysis of human teeth were undertaken using TIMS and MC-LAM-ICPMS. Exposure information was obtained from elemental concentrations of lead and strontium using LAM-ICPMS, GFAAS and ASV. Isotopic measurements of lead within the dental enamel of these individuals suggest that the dominant source of biogenic lead exposure in these and other pre-metallurgical societies derived from the local water supply. Data from these ancient populations are compared with measurements made on ‘moderns’ based at Broken Hill, NSW, as well as from other UK-based post Iron Age populations. Results of this study indicate that the concentration of ancient lead within crystalline dental enamel in both ancient and modern populations can in certain circumstances be approximately the same, even when the degree of lead exposure is very high. The study proposes reasons for the discrepancies between these results and those obtained in previous studies, as well as discusses the implications of these analytical results for future studies in lead exposure in human populations. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis concerns two topics: the kinematics of Pacific cross-equatorial flow ??? the location, timing and magnitude of the flow; and their dynamics???what are the driving forces controlling the flow? Despite extensive observations in the central and eastern Pacific, observations of these flows remain contradictory. We use output from an Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM) viewed from a Lagrangian framework on density layers. This addresses the problem of high variability due to features such as Tropical Instability Waves. The annual mean flow is found to be southward nearly everywhere, east of 140??W. Flow becomes stronger in the second half of the year due to a bolus transport of very light surface water, introduced by Tropical Instability Waves. A Tropical Cell pattern occurs along the equator that does not require diapycnal downwelling. From 160??E to 160??W the annual mean flow is northward, occurring mostly in the mixed layer, appearing to originate partly from the Equatorial Undercurrent surfacing in the east. The northward flow is strongest in March and becomes southward in September. The wind stress and nonlinear terms are shown to be the key driving features, with a prescribed biharmonic Smagorinsky horizontal friction scheme having negligible impact. From 160??E to 160??W, the flow is partly accounted for by an Ekman forcing, with the curl of the nonlinear term providing a crucial additional torque, more than doubling the magnitude in some instances. From 160??W to 120??W the wind stress curl provides a weak southward flow of about 1 Sv, which increases by the nonlinear addition to around 5 Sv. The curl of the steady component of the nonlinear term, derived from annual mean currents, is similar in structure to the total nonlinear term, but higher in magnitude. The structure of the variable term, which was mostly of opposite sign to the steady term, suggests damping occurs in place of friction. While our study is limited to an examination of the model's characteristics, our results provide important clues to the observed flow patterns not resolved by present-day measurements. This study also highlights the importance of time-space variability and both horizontal and vertical density structure in controlling the flow and its feedback on the system.

Cryopreservation of gametes is a valuable tool for the fast-growing aquaculture industry in New Zealand. In the present study, research was aimed to improve the cryopreservation of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) oocytes. For this, two main approaches were used: the modification of an existing published (standard) cryopreservation protocol for oyster oocytes and the modification of the oocytes themselves prior to cryopreservation. The objectives in the chapters of this thesis were: (a) determination of the cryobiological characteristics of oyster oocytes; (b) assessment and reduction of intracellular ice formation (IIF) in oocytes; and (c) modification of the lipid fraction (cholesterol and fatty acids) of oocytes prior to cryopreservation. Knowledge of the membrane permeability parameters in response to concentrations of water and ethylene glycol (EG), the influence of temperature upon these parameters, and the osmotic tolerance limits of oyster oocytes were used to develop computer models that simulated the cellular volume changes that oocytes underwent during EG addition and removal. The models predicted that when one part of EG was added in one step to one part of oocyte suspension and equilibrated for 20 min at 20 �C, similar volume changes in oocytes would be obtained, compared to a more complicated multi-step addition method. This method of addition resulted in similar post-thaw fertilization rates to those obtained by using the multi-step addition method, thus reducing oocyte handling. Cryomicroscopy was used to assess the effect of cooling rates and EG concentration on the temperature at which oocytes underwent IIF. It was found that IIF occurred at higher subzero temperatures when fast cooling rates were used (30 and 5 �C min⁻�) and at EG concentrations ranged between 0 and 15%. At a relatively slower cooling rate of 0.3 �C min⁻� and with 10% EG, which are the conditions employed in the standard cryopreservation protocol, no IIF occurred. The steps of the standard protocol that were more likely to cause oocyte damage were identified by evaluating the fertilization rate of oocytes at each step. Results showed that oocytes were most damaged by cooling them to -35 �C and followed by plunging them in liquid nitrogen. Contrary to what had been observed under the cryomicroscope, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that all oocytes cryopreserved by the standard protocol contained cytoplasmic ice. In addition, it was also observed that oocytes were at two developmental stages when frozen (prophase and metaphase I). These observations prompted the development of alternative cooling programmes aimed to reduce intracellular ice. The effect of cooling rate, plunge temperature and time held at the plunge temperature were thus evaluated, based on post-thaw fertilization rate of oocytes. Overall, neither the cooling rate nor the holding time had an effect on oocyte fertility. However, the plunge temperature had an effect, where oocytes plunged at -60 �C had lower post-thaw fertilization rates than oocytes plunged at -35 �C. Through the slowing of the cooling rate, lengthening of the holding time and lowering of the plunge temperature, it was possible to reduce the amount of ice in the cytoplasm. However, the reduction of intracellular ice did not improve the post-thaw fertilization rate of the oocytes; on the contrary, post-thaw fertilization decreased notoriously. From these results, it can be suggested that oyster oocytes are more likely to be damaged by exposure to high intra and extracellular solute concentration than IIF during cryopreservation. In an effort to modify the lipid content of oyster oocytes prior to cryopreservation and thus, making them more resistant during cryopreservation, oocytes were incubated in solutions that would add or remove cholesterol or in solutions rich in long chain fatty acids (EPA or DHA). Oocytes incubated in cholesterol-rich solutions showed a positive uptake of fluorescently labelled cholesterol and this effect was dose dependent. Nevertheless, this uptake did not improve the post-thaw fertilization rate nor did it increase the total cholesterol content of the oocytes. When oocytes were incubated in non-conjugated or conjugated EPA or DHA, no increase in the proportion of these fatty acids was identified in the fatty acid profiles of whole oocytes and no improvement of the post-thaw fertilization rate was recorded. Given that there was no uptake of fatty acids from the incubation media by the oocytes, a different approach was taken. This involved the supplementation of lipid-rich diets to the oyster broodstock during gametogenesis (cold-conditioning) and vitellogenesis (warm-conditioning). Despite results showing that lipid content and, indeed, fatty acid profile was altered through the diet, the results also showed that fresh oocytes from broodstock fed during cold-conditioning did not show any improvement in their fertilization rates, nor did they benefit from a lipid-rich diet during warm-conditioning. On the other hand, cryopreserved oocytes did have higher post-thaw fertilisation rates when broodstock were fed during cold-conditioning and, although no effect was found from feeding broodstock with either of the lipid-rich diets during warm-conditioning, trends indicated that a diet consisting of fresh microalgae or the commercial supplement Algamac would yield the highest post-thaw fertilization rates. This thesis has furthered the understanding of some of the factors that determine cryosurvival in oyster oocytes and has demonstrated that both physical and biological issues must be taken into consideration for cryopreservation. Specifically, the results in this thesis helped to modify an empirically developed cryopreservation protocol for Pacific oyster oocytes. In addition, the results also showed strong evidence of the survival of oyster oocytes to intracellular ice and highlighted the importance of supplying the broodstock with lipid-rich food during the periods of gamete formation and maturation in order to obtain oocytes that are more amenable to cryopreservation. These benefits could be of significant practical importance and may be extended for the development or refinement of cryopreservation protocols for other shellfish species of commercial importance to the aquaculture industry of New Zealand.

Pacific peoples in New Zealand are identified as having the highest risk and prevalence of problem and pathological gambling behaviours. Despite increasing awareness of gambling related harms in New Zealand there is a dearth of research on Pacific gambling, the reasons for problem gambling and the risks gambling poses for these populations. This thesis examines contemporary Samoan gambling and problem gambling through the perceptions and in-depth understandings of thirty-two Samoan participants. Pacific research methodologies premised on Pacific epistemologies, practices and protocols provide the cultural framework that supports the qualitative methods used in this research. These cultural methodologies also provide the context within which data gathered is analysed, interpreted and discussed. The method used within this thesis is an amalgam of Pacific and grounded theory approaches. The research identifies Samoan cultural factors that play a major role in understanding contemporary Samoan gambling. It links the deep-rooted cultural understandings of va/teu le va that are associated with early Samoan games and sports with contemporary Samoan gambling behaviours and practices. The research provides cultural understandings of the complex conditions and processes within which contemporary Samoan gambling and problem gambling are embedded, constituted and differentiated for Samoan people in New Zealand. These understandings are used to explore the extent to which gambling impacts harm Samoan individuals, families and communities. The research also describes cultural factors that are associated with motivations for contemporary Samoan gambling. It demonstrates that concepts such as ‘winning’, ‘fundraising’ and ‘socialising’ act as primary motivations for engagement and explores ways in which these drivers challenge the va and teu le va that are inherent within fa’aSamoa. The potency of these new motivations is illustrated through consideration of cultural practices such as fa’alavelave, status acquisition, religion and hospitality. These factors are not only complex but they also play an important role in the initiation, development and maintenance of Samoan gambling. This thesis articulates a broad knowledge base of cultural factors, practices, influences and understandings that are associated with contemporary Samoan gambling in New Zealand. It highlights how Samoan (problem) gambling while often rationalised in terms of aiga enhancing precepts is in reality most often undermining and eroding of aiga values and practices. In light of these findings, contextually effective Samoan solutions incorporated into Public Health interventions are recommended as a means of addressing the alarming gambling-related issues facing Samoan people in New Zealand. A greater emphasis on aiga/familial interventions rather than focusing on individuals is crucial since aiga and close social networks are identified as playing an important role in the development and maintenance of gambling behaviour and can also be effective catalysts and supports for behavioural change. Further research is indicated to better understand and develop the knowledge-base on contemporary Samoan gambling with specific relevance to Samoan youth and adult populations in New Zealand. / Whole document restricted, but available by request to UoA members, use the feedback form to request access.