During the 1960’s Maori concerned about the state of te reo Maori lobbied the government to have te reo Maori included as a teaching subject in the New Zealand curriculum. In the early 1970’s they reaped the rewards of their hard fought efforts when te reo Maori became a taught subject in the New Zealand curriculum. However, even with te reo being taught in English medium schools, its use was still in decline creating even more anxiety about its survival. In the 1980’s Maori took the matter into their own hands and the birth of Maori medium early childhood education centres named Kohanga Reo (Language Nests) was the result. Shortly afterwards Maori medium primary schools (Kura Kaupapa Maori) emerged followed by Maori medium secondary schools (Wharekura). There was a ground swell of support for these community driven initiatives and it seemed te reo Maori would be returned from the brink of extinction. Even given the emergence of Maori medium educational facilities including Wananga (Tertiary Institutes), the majority of Maori students have remained in English medium education. After a respite of about twenty years it would seem that te reo Maori is once again on the decline. For many years kaiako reo Maori (Maori language teachers) in English medium secondary schools have grappled with the issue of high attrition rates from their senior te reo Maori programmes. This is a significant issue as 85 percent of akonga Maori (Maori students) still participate in the English medium education system. However this problem plagues not only akonga Maori but also those who are non Maori. Te reo Maori programmes in mainstream New Zealand schools are offered to akonga as optional subjects. While retention is relatively unproblematic for akonga in the junior levels of secondary schools (ages 13 to 14), it becomes a significant issue in the senior levels (ages 15 to 18) where attrition rates are considerably high. This research attempts to identify the factors that contribute to the high rates of attrition and offers some possible solutions to decreasing attrition rates amongst akonga reo Maori.

Nanoporous metal films have many applications in a great variety of scientific fields, and especially nanoporous gold films have many applica- tions in green nanotechnology. Hence, structural and optical properties of such materials were investigated. Local density functions and local per- colation functions were calculated by using scaning electron micrographs and the optical properties of the films were calculated using the Hilfer equation. The results are presented in the report as graphs and show how the materials optical properties depend on the structure of the gold films.

No description available.

Dopamine (DA) is a key catecholamine neurotransmitter involved in motor control, cognition, and neuroendocrine regulation. Reduced DA transmission is associated with Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anhedonia. An overexpression of the dopamine transporter in mice (DAT-tg) results in a 40% reduction in extracellular DA, and can be classified as a genetic model of hypodopaminergia. Reserpine treatment depletes extracellular DA, and is a pharmacological model of hypodopaminergia. The aim of this study was to determine morphological and proteomic changes to medium spiny neurons (MSNs), which receive dopaminergic input, as a consequence of reduced DA transmission. To achieve this, MSNs were fluorescently labelled using a diolistics method and immunofluorescence. There were no observable changes to morphology or proteomic profile of MSNs in DAT-tg animals. Reserpine treatment resulted in reduced spine density in MSNs. DAT-tg animals may present a level of DA depletion that is below the threshold to induce morphological changes to MSNs.

Dopamine (DA) is a key catecholamine neurotransmitter involved in motor control, cognition, and neuroendocrine regulation. Reduced DA transmission is associated with Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anhedonia. An overexpression of the dopamine transporter in mice (DAT-tg) results in a 40% reduction in extracellular DA, and can be classified as a genetic model of hypodopaminergia. Reserpine treatment depletes extracellular DA, and is a pharmacological model of hypodopaminergia. The aim of this study was to determine morphological and proteomic changes to medium spiny neurons (MSNs), which receive dopaminergic input, as a consequence of reduced DA transmission. To achieve this, MSNs were fluorescently labelled using a diolistics method and immunofluorescence. There were no observable changes to morphology or proteomic profile of MSNs in DAT-tg animals. Reserpine treatment resulted in reduced spine density in MSNs. DAT-tg animals may present a level of DA depletion that is below the threshold to induce morphological changes to MSNs.

Innovation and commercialization are crucial for the competitiveness and economic well-being of countries. Despite the importance of innovation, recent studies have showed that Canada is lagging behind other countries in terms of its innovation and commercialization performance. The claim is often made that Canada performs well in generating the knowledge needed for innovation; however, the problem lies in transforming this knowledge into commercial success. Thus, a major preoccupation is how to turnaround this weak commercialization performance. Despite the wide range of programs, policies and regulations implemented by the Canadian Government along with its provincial counterparts to engender a turnaround, little has changed in Canada’s commercialization performance. Therefore, the search for solutions continues. Given that commercialization takes place at the firm-level, this study will explore the relationship between firm-size and commercialization. Several existing studies have examined the link between innovation and firm size, but few have examined the link between commercialization and firm size. Despite the arguments supporting medium-sized firms’ ability to commercialize innovations, there is a weak empirical base that explores the position of Canadian medium-sized firms and their innovation and commercialization capabilities. This study will contribute to the existing knowledge by covering the gap in the literature concerning the role of medium-sized firms in commercialization, compared to small and large firms. This study provides evidence suggesting that small and medium-sized firms should be considered differently.

Zugl.: Rostock, Univ., Diss., 2009

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Buenos Aires, 2005. / PDF copy of thesis. Includes bibliographic references.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2001--Kaiserslautern.

Techn. University, Diss., 2004--Berlin.