Samoa and New Zealand's special relationship: More than a Neighbour?

This thesis will discuss in detail the special relationship between Samoa and New Zealand. From the Samoa and New Zealand relationship certain equitable obligations arise because of the special features ascertained in the relationship. These features include the historical and ongoing relationship of both countries as well as the Treaty of Friendship, a unique document that assists in regulating the relationship between both countries. The purpose of this thesis is to discover the true meaning of the special relationship between Samoa and New Zealand and discover the obligations that arise out of it. The special relationship of Samoa and New Zealand will be discussed in light of the fiduciary principles of a sui generis relationship. Such relationships have been found to exist in Crown-Aboriginal peoples' relationship in Canada and Australia. This thesis will develop how the Samoa-New Zealand relationship may be analogous to a Crown-Aboriginal peoples' relationship. A unique feature between the relationship of Samoa and New Zealand is what is encompassed in the text of the Treaty of Friendship. Discussion will focus on the importance of Treaties and the role treaties play in facilitating relationships between countries. Comparative analysis will be drawn on the Māori-Pākehā relationship and how it has developed since the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi have been identified by the New Zealand Court of Appeal. Through the articulation of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi its status has been acknowledged. This thesis will use this analogy to show that through recognition of the text of the Treaty of Friendship, the special relationship between Samoa and New Zealand may give more legal and practical effect. Other special features of the Samoa-New Zealand relationship will be discussed in detail emphasising the difference of the Samoa-New Zealand relationship to other types of relationships. The articulation of the special relationship of Samoa-New Zealand will also identify the breaches that have occurred in the relationship. Such breaches include New Zealand maladministration during the colonial period and breaches that occurred during the post-independence era such as the Dawn Raids and the aftermath of the Lesa decision. This thesis will address these breaches and make suggestions on a way forward by addressing some of the crucial issues in the relationship to provide a firmer foundation. In this thesis, when reference is made to Samoa , this means the Independent State of Samoa, which was formerly known as German and Western Samoa. It is not referring to the Eastern Islands of Samoa known as American Samoa. The words Samoa and Western Samoa are used inter-changeably throughout the thesis. Both words refer to the Independent State of Samoa and are synonymous except where stated

Physical properties of Thallium-Tellurium based thermoelectric compounds using first-principles simulations

We present a study of the thermodynamic and physical properties of Tl5Te3, BiTl9Te6 and SbTl9Te6 compounds by means of density functional theory based calculations. The optimized lattice constants of the compounds are in good agreement with the experimental data. The electronic density of states and band structures are calculated to understand the bonding mechanism in the three compounds. The indirect band gap of BiTl9Te6 and SbTl9Te6 compounds are found to be equal to 0.256 eV and 0.374 eV, respectively. The spin-orbit coupling has important effects on the electronic structure of the two semiconducting compounds and should therefore be included for a good numerical description of these materials. The elastic constants of the three compounds have been calculated, and the bulk modulus, shear modulus, and young's modulus have been determined. The change from ductile to brittle behavior after Sb or Bi alloying is related to the change of the electronic properties. Finally, the Debye temperature, longitudinal, transverse and average sound velocities have been obtained

Associations of adverse childhood experiences and social support with self-injurious behaviour and suicidality in adolescents

Background There is little investigation on the interaction effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and social support on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in community adolescent populations, or gender differences in these effects. Aims To examine the individual and interaction effects of ACEs and social support on NSSI, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in adolescents, and explore gender differences. Method A school-based health survey was conducted in three provinces in China between 2013–2014. A total of 14 820 students aged 10–20 years completed standard questionnaires, to record details of ACEs, social support, NSSI, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. Results Of included participants, 89.4% reported one or more category of ACEs. The 12-month prevalence of NSSI, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt was 26.1%, 17.5% and 4.4%, respectively; all were significantly associated with increased ACEs and lower social support. The multiple adjusted odds ratio of NSSI in low versus high social support was 2.27 (95% CI 1.85–2.67) for girls and 1.81 (95% CI 1.53–2.14) for boys, and their ratio (Ratio of two odds ratios, ROR) was 1.25 (P = 0.037). Girls with high ACEs scores (5–6) and moderate or low social support also had a higher risk of suicide attempt than boys (RORs: 2.34, 1.84 and 2.02, respectively; all P < 0.05). Conclusions ACEs and low social support are associated with increased risk of NSSI and suicidality in Chinese adolescents. Strategies to improve social support, particularly among female adolescents with a high number of ACEs, should be an integral component of targeted mental health interventions. Declaration of interest None

Deep Tissue Wavefront Estimation for Sensorless Aberration Correction

The multiple light scattering in biological tissues limits the measurement depth for traditional wavefront sensor. The attenuated ballistic light and the background noise caused by the diffuse light give low signal to noise ratio for wavefront measurement. To overcome this issue, we introduced a wavefront estimation method based on a ray tracing algorithm to overcome this issue. With the knowledge of the refractive index of the medium, the wavefront is estimated by calculating optical path length of rays from the target inside of the samples. This method can provide not only the information of spherical aberration from the refractive-index mismatch between the medium and biological sample but also other aberrations caused by the irregular interface between them. Simulations based on different configurations are demonstrated in this paper

Deep Tissue Wavefront Estimation for Sensorless Aberration Correction

The multiple light scattering in biological tissues limits the measurement depth for traditional wavefront sensor. The attenuated ballistic light and the background noise caused by the diffuse light give low signal to noise ratio for wavefront measurement. To overcome this issue, we introduced a wavefront estimation method based on a ray tracing algorithm to overcome this issue. With the knowledge of the refractive index of the medium, the wavefront is estimated by calculating optical path length of rays from the target inside of the samples. This method can provide not only the information of spherical aberration from the refractive-index mismatch between the medium and biological sample but also other aberrations caused by the irregular interface between them. Simulations based on different configurations are demonstrated in this paper

Complete chloroplast genome of Zingiber mioga by de novo sequencing

Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Rosc. (Zingiber mioga) is an important edible species, which also has important medical and natural pigment value. This article is firstly reported the Zingiber mioga’s chloroplast genomes which detect by de novo sequencing. The results showed that the length sequence of Zingiber mioga’s chloroplast genome was 163,541 bp, and the length of LSC, SSC, and two IR regions was 88,035, 15,886, and 29,810 bp, respectively. Zingiber mioga’s chloroplast genome was encoded 135 genes involving 10 rRNA, 38 tRNA, and 87 protein-coding genes. After phylogenetic and cluster analysis, the Zingiber were closest approach to Zingiber mioga, followed by Kaempferia, Curcuma, Hedychium, and Roscoea