The Canterbury tales : an insider's lessons and reflections from the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence to inform better public communication models : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English and Media Studies at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

This research evaluates the public earthquake preparedness communication before the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence (2010-present) and examines communication learnings to create recommendations for improvements in implementation for these campaigns in future. The research comes from an “insider” perspective from someone who worked on these campaigns in Canterbury before the earthquakes. In this research I use this insider lens to analyse the Q-Files booklets, developed by the Public Education Public Information group (PEPI) and coordinated by the Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group, both groups in which I worked professionally before the earthquakes. These booklets aimed to communicate the geological hazards and risks in Canterbury to persuade publics to prepare. For my analysis, I developed a “best practice matrix”, derived from the most relevant literature, to determine how closely these booklets aligned to best-practice academic research. I also used readability tests and word counts to triangulate the data. I interpreted that the Q-Files were overly long, jargon-laden text filled with little positive outcome expectancy messages, and would have failed to persuade most people that earthquakes were a real threat in Canterbury. Paradoxically, it is likely these booklets created fatalism in publics who read them. While the overall intention was positive, to scientifically explain geological risks to encourage the public to prepare for these events, my analysis identified that the implementation could have been greatly improved. After summarising my findings, I shared these insights with my community of practice and found that many of my former colleagues shared with me their frustrations, concerns and disappointments with not only the Q-Files but the overall management of public preparedness communication within Canterbury. Finally, I reflect on what it means to have been part of the development of a failed risk communication campaign. I interpret that scientism was the fundamental belief system inspiring the PEPI group in Canterbury to create the Q-Files. I argue that the PEPI group created echo-chamber-like effects, supporting and reflecting their own belief systems in their public communication. The group’s self-containment led to the creation of documents filled with jargon, gobbledygook and scientificism. Based on my findings, I highlight areas for improvement in strategic approaches for more successful campaigns in future as well as potential research pathways

Effect of Endurance Exercise Training and High-Fat Diet on Muscle Fiber Type and Aerobic Performance in Tibialis anterior of Mice

Our world has an increasing demand for finding different exercise and diet combinations that lead to greater aerobic performance. Previous studies show that independently, endurance training and high-fat diets increase aerobic muscle fibers and fatigue resistance of muscle. My experiment tested whether the combination of high-fat diet and endurance training would produce greater increases in aerobic muscle fibers and fatigue resistance than either treatment alone. I predicted that there would be an increased proportion of type I and type IIa, oxidative fibers, in addition to an increase time for muscle to fatigue and a decrease in lactic acid concentrations after exercise. Mice were broken into four groups. One experimental group was a control, one ate a high-fat diet, one followed an exercise regime, and one group did both. Weights and lactic acid levels were monitored throughout the experiment. The tibialis anterior muscle was analyzed with in vitro tests and microscopic analysis. All mice experienced weight gain, but it was most pronounced in the two high-fat groups. In vitro properties, such as contraction time and time to fatigue, showed no significant difference between groups. There were also no significant changes in fiber type ratios. Conversely, fiber cross-sectional area significantly decreased for groups undergoing the exercise regime. Lactic acid concentrations following standardized exercise decreased significantly for the High-Fat & Exercise group after the 28-day experiment but were unchanged for all other groups. The lower lactic acid levels could have been the result of a decrease in fiber area and an increase in capillarization of the tissue. This would have increased the oxidative capacity of the cells, reducing the need for anaerobic respiration. The timeframe, sample size (N=32) and exercise intensity appeared insufficient to induce significantly noticeable changes in muscle function, fiber type, and lactic acid dynamics

Perennial Forage Trial

In 2015, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program initiated a trial investigating forage yield, quality, and nitrogen use efficiency of cool season perennial grasses alone and in combination with red clover. The grass species selected were orchardgrass, timothy, brome, and meadow fescue. These grasses were chosen as they have been shown in previous research to have adequate survivability and forage production in this region compared to other species such as perennial ryegrass or festulolium. The goal of this trial is to evaluate these species not only for forage yield and quality, but also nitrogen use efficiency as this could help determine species and varieties that may be better suited to organic production systems. In addition, we hope to identify any differences in performance when legumes are incorporated. In 2017, with the stands fully established, evaluation of these perennial forage treatments continued

Altered white matter structure in auditory tracts following early monocular enucleation

Purpose: Similar to early blindness, monocular enucleation (the removal of one eye) early in life results in crossmodal behavioral and morphological adaptations. Previously it has been shown that partial visual deprivation from early monocular enucleation results in structural white matter changes throughout the visual system (Wong et al., 2018). The current study investigated structural white matter of the auditory system in adults who have undergone early monocular enucleation compared to binocular control participants. Methods: We reconstructed four auditory and audiovisual tracts of interest using probabilistic tractography and compared microstructural properties of these tracts to binocularly intact controls using standard diffusion indices. Results: Although both groups demonstrated asymmetries in indices in intrahemispheric tracts, monocular enucleation participants showed asymmetries opposite to control participants in the auditory and A1-V1 tracts. Monocularenucleation participants also demonstrated significantly lower fractional anisotropy in the audiovisual projections contralateral to the enucleated eye relative to control participants. Conclusions: Partial vision loss from early monocular enucleation results in altered structuralYork University Librarie

Planning for Pedestrians and Bicyclists in North Carolina.

Over the past decade, as obesity has continued to rise among both youth and adults, interest has grown in developing policies to promote community environments that support healthy lifestyles.1 A broad range of local, regional, state, and federal policies under the rubrics of active living, smart growth, and sustainable development share the underlying assumption that they can help people make healthier choices. From a transportation planning perspective, the benefits of pedestrian and bicycle plans resulting from the building of infrastructure to support pedestrian and bicycle travel include improved health (for example, through increased levels of physical activity and reduced obesity), a better environment (for example, through lower carbon emissions), and a stronger economy (for example, through lower fuel bills). However, until more recently, the health benefits have not been specifically explored

UA3/3/1 Correspondence Re: Dress Code

Memos to and from Sara Tyler, Kelly Thompson and Charles Keown regarding posting signs about dress code, specifically wearing shorts

RESISTING STEREOTYPES: EVALUATIONS OF PEER GROUP EXCLUSION

Gender stereotypes permeate peer groups, often functioning as the norms, or conventions, which contribute to group identity. Little is known about the conditions under which children will resist the norms of their peer groups, including norms that reflect stereotypic expectations. This study investigated this issue by measuring how children responded to members of their gender groups who disagreed with the group about gender stereotyped aggressive behaviors (female stereotype: relational aggression, male stereotype: physical aggression) as well as about social activities (football and ballet). Social domain theory as well as social identity theory provided the basis for formulating the design and the hypotheses. It was expected that children and adolescents would expect their peers to challenge the group, but that they would be concerned about the consequences of challenging the group in terms of social exclusion. Participants (N = 292, 9-10 and 13-14 years of age) assessed members of same-gender peer groups who disagreed with their group. The findings revealed that children and adolescents generally expected that their peers will resist the group's gender stereotypic norms surrounding aggression, but that this may be more difficult for boys when voicing their counter- stereotypic opinions. Further, participants themselves believed that they would be less influenced by gender stereotypes than would their peers. They asserted that they would, individually, be more likely to resist the group than they expect a peer would be. This research also revealed important barriers to resisting the group. Specifically, children and adolescents expected that group members who dissent from or resist the group are likely to be excluded from the group for voicing their dissent. This stands in sharp contrast to much research which indicates that children are not accepting of exclusion. Rejecting the behavior of one's peer group, especially when that behavior has negative intrinsic consequences for others, is a key step towards changing the culture of peer groups more broadly. However, the findings indicate that, while children and adolescents are optimistic about their peers challenging the peer group, they also see exclusion as a very real possibility and consequence for such resistance