The case for Pacific media reform to reflect island communities

"The largest number of Tongans outside of Tonga lives in the United States. It is estimated to be more than 70,000; most live in the San Francisco Bay Area. On several occasions during two visits to the US by my wife and I during 2004, we met workers who operate the only daily Tongan language radio programmes in San Francisco. Our organisation supplies the daily news broadcast for their programmes. Our newspapers— in the Tongan and Samoan languages— also sell in the area. The question of what are the fundamental roles of the media came up in one of our discussions...

FORUM: Exposing the contradictions

It is good to see that Pacific Journalism Review is being relaunched at Auckland University of Technology and I congratulate David Robie for spearheading this project. When I was an AUT journalism lecturer, I used to use excerpts from PJR articles in the Public Affairs Reporting course, especially in relation to indigenous and 'ethnic' media. - Jill Oven

Media—a destructive or constructive force in Pacific peace and development

Commentary: How the media message is conveyed creates either a destructive or a constructive force in peace and development. The power of the media essentially depends on its primary purpose. There is a pronounced convention regarding the purpose of media—for those who believe media must have a purpose. But the purpose of any particular media is dependent on what is designed or set up by the ownership, which is why media ownership is an important issue in the Pacific region today. Those who own the media is ultimately responsible for its performance

The Social Impacts of seasonal migration on left-behind children: An exploratory study from Lifuka, Tonga

There is a dearth of knowledge about the social impacts of seasonal migration on children left behind in Tonga and Pacific countries more generally. The economic benefits of remittances on families have been studied quite extensively but the social costs and benefits have not been the subject of much inquiry. This exploratory study in a Tongan village setting seeks to better understand children who are left behind and who are being affected by lengthy absences of older family members when they are employed as seasonal workers in the horticulture and viticulture industries of New Zealand and Australia. Three main questions are addressed. Firstly, how do community leaders, teachers, parents and the children themselves perceive the impacts on the children left behind by older family members when they are working overseas? Social impacts on children are examined with reference to health, education, social and religious participation. Secondly, how do the social impacts vary by gender and age of the children? Finally, what, if any, coping strategies are used or are being planned to mitigate the social impacts of seasonal migration overseas on teenage children? The data that was collected to address these questions came from three major sources: i) informal talanoa, ii) semi-structured interviews iii) and focus group discussions held in Lifuka, Ha’apai, Tonga. This study revealed that children left behind in Tonga experience both positive and negative impacts on their education, health, social and religious participation when their mother/father or older siblings are working overseas. Seasonal workers’ earnings raise household incomes and assist with paying children’s school fees and other financial needs at school, improving access to health and church services through the purchasing of cars for transportation, and providing new clothes for children especially for special occasions. Children affected by migration faced several challenges including suffering from loneliness, fear and sadness as a result of the absence of parents and sometimes experienced abuse in the communities. There can also be problems with diet, school performance, and permission to participate in social activities, especially young girls going out at night. Girls and boys face different challenges as a result of the absence of parents and older siblings, as do younger children. The main coping strategy is accessing support from teachers and other community leaders, but there needs to be more research on both impacts and strategies before definitive conclusions can be drawn

Objective Priors for Estimation of Extended Exponential Geometric Distribution

A Bayesian analysis was developed with different noninformative prior distributions such as Jeffreys, Maximal Data Information, and Reference. The aim was to investigate the effects of each prior distribution on the posterior estimates of the parameters of the extended exponential geometric distribution, based on simulated data and a real application

A challenge of 28-day, a Pasifika way intervention to reduce free sugar consumption : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Public Health at Massey University, Wellington Campus, New Zealand

Background: The direct link between excess free sugar consumption with negative health effects including dental caries, heart disease, diabetes and obesity is well documented. Pacific people in New Zealand experience a disproportionate burden from the above said health conditions in term of morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization defines free sugar as – monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods and beverages by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices, and fruit juice concentrated. A group-based brief intervention for sugar consumption reduction was piloted among a group of Pacific participants. Aim: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a group-based intervention for sugar reduction with Pacific people. Methods: This study explored the feasibility of a brief group-based intervention aimed at reducing sugar consumption within the Pacific community. Participants were recruited via word of mouth from the Auckland community. The pre-post intervention delivered two group based sessions plus ongoing support via social media over a 28 day period. The intervention was grounded on self-determination theory which supports autonomy, competence and relatedness. It delivered goal setting and a simple set of planning techniques (action planning and coping planning) plus self-monitoring. Participants completed baseline assessment via Qualtrics and then again 28 days post-intervention. Data analysis involved a mixed methods approach which involved both quantitative and qualitative data collection. Results: Twenty four participants were recruited for the study. Quantitative analysis indicated a significant reduction in sugar consumption and a significant increase in self-efficacy. The majority of participants were mostly or very satisfied with the program materials. Generally they agreed action plans were initially developed and participants knew how, where and when they would reduce sugar consumption. Qualitative data indicated the majority of participants found the plans very helpful. Interestingly, participants stated they would have liked more ownership of peer support. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study findings support the feasibility of a group-based intervention for sugar reduction with Pacific people. Future research can build on these findings to develop improved group-based interventions. Future studies might also ensure recruitment from all Pacific ethnic groups and from the wider Pacific community in New Zealand

São Paulo, v.30

ABSTRACT: Usually the classical approach to make inference in linear regressio

Calculating the Binding Energy of Nucleus (3H – 12C ) by finding the Numerical Solutions of Faddeev's Equation, using Three Nucleon Forces

We investigate the effect of introducing the three nucleon forces on calculating the binding energy of Tritium and Carbon 12, where the two nucleon force has only  assigned binding energy less value than the experimental one, and this is called the shifting energy problem. Many interpretations have been put forward to handle this problem. In this paper, we show that the introduction of three nucleon forces produces the correct binding energy of Tritium and Carbon-12. We start by using the Faddeev equations for forming a three-body system in configuration space in the total angular momentum representation, solving them by using numerical methods over two stages: the first is interpolating the unknown wave function by splint method; the second is using  the linear algebra technique, which is called the Lanczos method for obtaining  specific values. We consider the nuclei of carbon as a cluster of three nuclei of alpha, and this model has given positive  results

Studying the Three-Body Problem in the Effective Quantum Field Theory by using the Monte Carlo Method

This research is concerned with Efimov states of helium trimer 4He3; these states have universal characteristics displaying the interaction of three bodies at low energy, where the scattering length is greater than the range of interaction. The mathematical theory used in this study is the effective quantum field theory, which physically says that we do not need to know the physics of high energy  in order to study low energy physics. This theory enables us to get rid of the infinites by introducing the renormalization function. The numerical solution to integral equations has been carried out by using the Monte Carlo method

Pulse versus daily oral Alfacalcidol treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in hemodialysis patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a common complication of chronic kidney disease and is managed using vitamin D replacement therapy. Very few studies have examined the effectiveness of pulse alfacalcidol therapy in comparison to daily oral alfacalcidol therapy in suppressing serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in hemodialysis patients. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to replicate the findings of prior studies comparing effectiveness of pulse oral alfacalcidol therapy versus daily oral alfacalcidol therapy in suppressing PTH after 13 weeks of therapy using a Palestinian sample of hemodialysis patients, and to identify demographic and biomedical characteristics of patients that are independently associated with PTH levels. One hundred and sixty-seven patients completed the study, 88 in the daily group and 79 in the pulse group. The pulse group had more clinically significant reduction in mean PTH level by 75 pg/dL at 13 weeks than the daily group, but this was not statistically significant. The effect of alfacalcidol therapy on metabolism of phosphate and corrected calcium levels was comparable in both groups, and pulse therapy was not associated with increased risk of hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. Serum PTH levels were independently and inversely associated with older age and diabetes. Switching daily alfacalcidol therapy to thrice-weekly alfacalcidol pulse therapy seems safe and convenient, especially for hemodialysis patients with poor compliance with treatment. This study also highlights the importance of monitoring and preventing malnutrition in hemodialysis patients and maintaining optimal glycemic control in diabetic hemodialysis patients