The health effects of forced retirement on older New Zealanders :|ba thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

This study investigated the relationship between forced retirement and physical and mental health of older New Zealanders. As well, individuals’ social support, socioeconomic status, and participation in employment and voluntary and recreational activities also impacted health and adjustment to retirement. Participants who responded to all three surveys conducted by the Health, Work, and Retirement (HWR) study, and the New Zealand Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NZLSA), over 2006, 2008, and 2010 were included in the study. Bivariate and multivariate methods were applied to data from 2006 and 2010. The findings showed a negative relationship between forced retirement and mental health at 2010 when health and age at 2006 were held constant. High social support was associated with better physical and mental health, and low and high socioeconomic status showed physical health benefits. Employment in retirement was positive for physical health, and participation in recreational activities was positive for mental health and adjustment to retirement. Participation in voluntary activities was associated with adjustment difficulties. It is argued that the loss of control associated with forced retirement is regained through participation in meaningful employment and recreational activities

Hierarchical video summarisation in reference frame subspace

In this paper, a hierarchical video structure summarization approach using Laplacian Eigenmap is proposed, where a small set of reference frames is selected from the video sequence to form a reference subspace to measure the dissimilarity between two arbitrary frames. In the proposed summarization scheme, the shot-level key frames are first detected from the continuity of inter-frame dissimilarity, and the sub-shot level and scene level representative frames are then summarized by using k-mean clustering. The experiment is carried on both test videos and movies, and the results show that in comparison with a similar approach using latent semantic analysis, the proposed approach using Laplacian Eigenmap can achieve a better recall rate in keyframe detection, and gives an efficient hierarchical summarization at sub shot, shot and scene levels subsequently

Metatheory for Second Language Teaching

Outline (1) Theories in applied linguistics: SLA not SLT (2) Concepts for an explanatory theory of SLT – 2.1. Explanatory theories – 2.2. Multiple causality and oPen systems – 2.3 Aclivc agents intcracting – 2.4 Lcvels of thmry –– (3) Gencrative mcchanisms relating SL learning and teaching – 3.1 Thc tcachcr-lcarncr system –– (4) Elemcnts of a systematic theory of SLT – 4.1 Good systcmatics is that which rcflects cxplanatory theory – 4.2 Elements of a thtx.rry of SLT bascd on SLA – 4.3 Elcmcrrts of a theory of SLT not basc'd on SLA: Teaching leamcrs as opPoscd to teaching a leamer –– (5) lndividual theories of SLT and a scientific theory of SLT –– (6) Summar

Action Research and Second Language Teachers –It's Not Just Teacher Research

Although 11action research" has a long history, it is a term which has only quite recently become known and used in ESL. It is apparently, therefore, something "new'', and predictably has already become a buzzword within the field of second language studies. There are good reasons for being sceptical of anything the ESL field takes up and finds fashionable, and this has already led to the suspicion in some quarters that action research implies a new research methodology which will lead to work of poor quality or undesirable in other ways (a position acknowledged, though not argued for, by Brumfit & Mitchell, 1989; Usher & Bryant, 1989; and Winter, 1989). It is the purpose of the present paper to clarify the nature of action research, and thereby dispel this suspicion. Accordingly, I first outline the history of action research, and distinguish between two kinds of action research, both of considerable importance and utility to the SL field. I then discuss the rhetorical manifestations of action research, which are part of the source of the suspicions concerning quality, and argue that, while the forms of action research reports are different from those of orthodox research, they are of interest and potential benefit to both the regular SL teacher and the profession as a whole

Theory Format and Structured and SLA Theory

SLA theory development has reached the stage where a meta-understanding of the forms and structures is needed to facilitate theory development. This paper reviews work in the philosophy of science pertinent to SL theory formats and structures, relating it to recent SLA theories

1999 NFLRC Summer Institute Evaluation: “Self-Directed Learning: Materials and Strategies”

The University of Hawaiʻi National Foreign Language Resource Center has been operating for nine years. Each year a Summer Institute (SI) has been run, and it is generally the most intensive and expensive operation in the yearly activities. Although they last only a few weeks, yearly planning for the next one begins almost as soon as the current one has finished, and a great deal of person-power and accumulated expertise goes into the delivery of each Institute. The Advisory Board, as part of its general oversight role considers each year’s Institute as proposed and reviews it upon completion by way of an evaluation report. The present report, then, is directed to the Board1, UH NFLRC Director, and to the Workshop facilitators, as its primary audience (though it is, or will be, a publicly-available document, of interest to other readers as well). The present evaluation report is intended to provide the reader with an accounting of this part of the work of the University of Hawaiʻi NFLRC, through giving a sense of the form and processes of the SI, as well as a providing good faith assessment by an appropriately qualified observer. This year’s Summer Institute was the ninth to date, and was entitled “Self-Directed Learning: Materials and Strategies.” A particular focus, as with past summer institutes at this site, as well as ongoing activities of this NFLRC, was the less-commonly taught languages.The University of Hawaiʻi National Foreign Language Resource Center has been operating for nine years. Each year a Summer Institute (SI) has been run, and it is generally the most intensive and expensive operation in the yearly activities. Although they last only a few weeks, yearly planning for the next one begins almost as soon as the current one has finished, and a great deal of person-power and accumulated expertise goes into the delivery of each Institute. The Advisory Board, as part of its general oversight role considers each year’s Institute as proposed and reviews it upon completion by way of an evaluation report. The present report, then, is directed to the Board1, UH NFLRC Director, and to the Workshop facilitators, as its primary audience (though it is, or will be, a publicly-available document, of interest to other readers as well). The present evaluation report is intended to provide the reader with an accounting of this part of the work of the University of Hawaiʻi NFLRC, through giving a sense of the form and processes of the SI, as well as a providing good faith assessment by an appropriately qualified observer. This year’s Summer Institute was the ninth to date, and was entitled “Self-Directed Learning: Materials and Strategies.” A particular focus, as with past summer institutes at this site, as well as ongoing activities of this NFLRC, was the less-commonly taught languages

Improved integration of communications and scholarly roles can help academics become successful digital influencers

It has become increasingly incumbent upon higher education institutions to improve the visibility of their academic research. Heather Crookes has examined the role of university departments in transitioning academic researchers into digital influencers able to engage with non-academic publics. Although the value and opportunities presented by this are clear, some obstacles remain. It is improved integration of communications and scholarly roles that will lead to increased digital scholarship

Kinetic studies of nitrosations by alkyl nitrites

The reactions of tertiary butyl nitrite and isopropyl nitrite in aqueous acid solution have been studied. In the case of Isopropyl nitrite the rates of reaction with hydrazoic acid, sulphamic acid, thioglycolic acid and N-methylaniline are markedly reduced by the addition of propan-2-ol. This has been explained in terms of a rapid hydrolysis of the alkyl nitrite to yield an equilibrium concentration of nitrous acid which then effects nitrosation. Analysis of the results gives values for the equilibrium constant for isopropyl nitrite hydrolysis and for the rate constants for nitrous acid nitrosation of the substrate, which are in good agreement with the literature values obtained by direct measurement. For tertiary butyl nitrite the extent of hydrolysis is so large and rapid that the kinetics are identical to those obtained using nitrous acid. The reactions of isopropyl nitrite in isopropanol and tertiary butyl nitrite in tertiary butanol with thiourea and thioglycolic acid have been studied. In both cases the reactions are acid catalysed and the results are consistent with a direct reaction between the protonated alkyl nitrite and the substrate. The reactions with thioglycolic acid were subject to catalysis by chloride and bromide salts and thiourea. The results for chloride and bromide salt are best explained in terms of formation of hydrochloric or hydrobromic acid which can then act as a general acid catalyst. For thiourea the catalysis is due to the formation of an equilibrium concentration of s-nitrosothiourea. In acetonitrile the reactions of tertiary butyl nitrite, isopropyl nitrite, isoamyl nitrite and nitrous acid with alcohols and thioglycolic acid were found to be kinetically zero order with respect to the substrate concentration. The results have been interpreted in terms of rate limiting formation of the nitrosonium ion. With less reactive substrates, aniline, N-methylaniline, p-toluidine, acetylacetone, 1,1,1,trifluoroacetylacetone and 1,1,1, 5,5, 5, hexafluoroacetylacetone, the reactions are kinetically first order with respect to the substrate concentration and have been interpreted in terms of rate limiting reaction of the nitrosonium ion with the free (at low acidity) or protonated (at high acidity) form of the amine. For the ketones reaction occurs, in a rate limiting step with either the enols or enolate ions