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- ItemWhy so unfit?: Assessing potential barriers to exercise adoption in middle-aged men(The Author(s), 2005-02-10) Towers AJ; Flett RA; Seebeck RF; Towers, AJ; Flett, RA; Seebeck, RFCompared to women, men: have a higher mortality rate consistently die younger are more susceptible to sedentary-lifestyle related diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease) are more likely to engage in behaviours that increase risk of injury, disease, or death are less likely to seek help with physical health. Despite these statistics, the amount of literature devoted to women’s health in the past two decades still greatly exceeds that devoted to men’s health. The result is that we actually know very little about what influences men’s health behaviours. Introduction We utilised the transtheoretical model of exercise behaviour change to determine the pattern of exercise adoption in middle-aged men. We also analysed whether this pattern was influenced by three potential barriers to exercise: poor self-rated health, low levels of internal health locus of control, and high perceived stress levels. Hypotheses Compared to participants in the last stage of change (maintenance), it was hypothesised that participants in the first stage of exercise change (precontemplation) would have: lower self-efficacy less concern over the pros of exercise more concern over the cons of exercise poorer self-rated health higher levels of perceived stress lower levels of internal health locus of control [From Introduction]
- ItemThe decision appraisal model of regret(2005-11-11) Towers AJ; Flett RA; Hill SR
- ItemThe changing nature of life regrets(2008-11-18) Towers AJ; Flett RA; Hill SR; Alpass FMIntroductionNew life stages promote new life goals and our most intense regrets should change in relation to our new goals and priorities.Research shows that 'Work' and 'Education' regrets are more common for older adults, who also tend to regret their inactions more than their actions. However, past research focuses in frequency and fails to indicate which regrets are actually more intense.We still don't know whether regret intensity changes with time and whether our most frequent regrets are also our most intense. Furthermore, we don't know whether regret-reducing processes, such as justification, are employed differentially across the life-span.
- Item"Where did I park my car?" How do older adults cope with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment(2011-11-16) McKinlay AR; Leathem JM; Merrick PLBackground: This presentation will background a New Zealand based research study to be conducted this year focusing on how people cope with and adjust to a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This area of research is important because as a person reaches older age, their chances of developing a certain set of age related illnesses, such as dementia and cognitive impairment increases (Larson, 2010; Coulson et al., 2005; Hughes & Heycox, 2010). At the same time, the number of adults aged 65 and over is set to increase at levels unseen in Western Society to date in coming years. By 2050, the world's population of older adults is estimated to reach over 22% in its entirety, which roughly equates to a staggering 1 and a quarter billion people (Lloyd-Sherlock, 2010). Adjusting to and coping with a diagnosis of cognitive impairment can be difficult and is comparable to receiving a diagnosis of other chronic diseases (Preston, Marshall & Bucks, 2007). Some report depression, anxiety and other psychological reactions following their dementia diagnosis (Carpenter et al., 2008). Current literature to date is divided on how people react psychologically to knowing that they have a progressive cognitive impairment, and much of the research has overlooked the issue of MCI and the associated reactions to this diagnosis.
- ItemGreen kiwifruit: effects on plasma lipids and APOE interactions(2012-05-28) Gammon CS; Kruger R; Minihane AM; Conlon CA; von Hurst PR; Stonehouse WBackground Diet is a crucial element in the reduction of risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Furthermore, response to dietary change may be influenced by genotype. Kiwifruit are a good source of several dietary components shown to improve dyslipidaemia and lower CVD incidence such as soluble fibre and some vitamins and phytochemicals. Objective To investigate the effect of consuming two green kiwifruit daily in conjunction with a healthy diet on plasma lipids and examine response according to apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype in hypercholesterolaemic men. Design Eighty-five hypercholesterolaemic men (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) >3.0 mmol/L and triglycerides (TG) <3 mmol/L) completed an eight week randomised controlled cross-over study, after undergoing a four week healthy diet phase. The study consisted of two 4-week treatment sequences of 2 green kiwifruit/day plus healthy diet (intervention) or healthy diet alone (control). Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks for the measurement of plasma lipids (total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, TG, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)), serum apolipoproteins A1 and B (apoA1 and apoB). Outcomes After the kiwifruit intervention plasma HDL-C concentrations were significantly higher (mean difference 0.04 [95% CI: 0.01, 0.07] mmol/L [P=0.004]) and the TC/HDL ratio was significantly lower (0.15 [-0.24, -0.05] mmol/L [P=0.002]), compared to control. In carriers of APOE4 allele TG concentrations were significantly lower (0.18 [-0.34, -0.02] mmol/L [P=0.03]) after the kiwifruit intervention compared to control. There were no significant differences between the two treatments for plasma TC, TG, LDL-C and serum apoA1 or apoB. Conclusion The small but significant increase in HDL-C and decrease in TC/HDL ratio and TG (in APOE4 carriers) suggests that the regular inclusion of green kiwifruit as part of a healthy diet may be beneficial in improving the lipid profiles of men with high cholesterol. Source of Funding: ZESPRI® International Trial No: ACTRN12610000213044
- ItemActual versus preferred work status in older workers: Findings from the New Zealand health, work and retirement study(2012-05-30) Alpass F; Stephens CThe past two decades have seen a significant increase in labour force participation by older workers, particularly by women and those aged over 65 years. Decisions around work continuation are influenced by financial preparedness for retirement and health status. Also thought to play a part in the work-retirement transition process are work histories, and historically these differ between men and women. For many older workers, employment preferences are not realised and this may impact on psychological and financial well-being in later life.
- ItemSensory acceptability and chemical characteristics of healthy rib-eye steaks from forage‐finished steers(2012-06-26) Torrico D; Jirangrat W; Scaglia G; Malekian F; Janes ME; McMillin KW; Prinyawiwatkul WConsumer interest in health benefits of forage-finished beef has led to increased product demand. To date, little information on sensory characteristics of cooked forage-finished beef is available. We evaluated sensory acceptability and chemical characteristics of rib-eye steaks from forage-finished steers. Rib-eye steaks from 3 forage-finished steers [S1 (bermudagrass+ryegrass, etc.); S2 (bermudagrass+ryegrass+berseem, etc.); S3 (bermudagrass+berseem+forage soybean+brown midrib sorghum, etc.)], and one C [commercial steak], cooked by grilling and/or 2-sided grilling, were evaluated for chemical composition and microbial safety. Sensory liking [overall-appearance (OAR) and fat-appearance (FA) for raw steaks; overall-appearance (OAC), overall-flavor (OF), juiciness, tenderness, and overall-liking (OL) for cooked steaks] were evaluated by 112 Hispanic consumers. Data were analyzed (PROC MIXED, a=0.05). C (raw) had higher fat (50.2% compared to 23.0-24.9%) and lower protein (49.4% compared to 73.5-74.4%, dry weight basis) contents compared with S1 and S2. S1 and S3 had higher omega-3 (0.49-0.55 compared to 0.09%), lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio (2.51-2.81 compared to 10.07), and lower PUFA (4.31-4.77 vs. 8.4%) contents than C, thus exhibiting a healthier fatty acid profile. Concerning raw steaks, S3 had higher OAR (6.9 compared to 5.4-5.9) and FA (5.9 compared to 4.9-5.1) liking scores than other samples. Purchase intent based on visual appearance was highest for S3 (85.7%). Concerning cooked steaks, the 2 cooking methods did not cause significant differences in liking scores. Juiciness and OL scores of C steaks (both cooking methods) and S3 (2-sided grilling) were not significantly different. Purchase intent (after health benefits of forage-finished steaks was informed) increased from 62.0-73.8 to 69.8-85.7%. The mean drop of liking scores was -1.00 to -2.50 and -0.50 to -2.50 on the 9-point OL scale, respectively, when cooked steaks were not-juicy-enough and not-tender-enough. Cooked and raw rib-eye steaks were free of E. coli . This study demonstrated that forage-finished steaks are healthier than grain-fed commercial steaks and have market potential toward Hispanic population.
- ItemSensitivity reliability and neutral tendency of hedonic ratings as affected by scale types and lengths and overall product impression(2012-06-26) Jirangrat W; Wang J; Corredor JAH; Sriwattana S; Prinyawiwatkul WSeveral scales are available for measuring degrees of liking/disliking. Information on characteristics of hedonic ratings as affected by scale types/lengths and overall product impression is limited. Therefore, we compared discriminatory power, sensitivity, reliablity, and neutral tendency of hedonic ratings collected from 9-point categorical (CAT), line (LIN), and labeled affective magnitude (LAM) scales (100-mm compared 300-mm length). Three grape juices (classified as A=liked, B=moderate, C=disliked) were arranged in 4 sets (AB-AC, BA-CA, AC-AB, or CA-BA; the left sample served first). Each panelist (N=60) evaluated color (OC), taste (OT), and overall-liking (OL) of 1 set (of 4 possible random serving sets) in all 6 independent sessions (3 scale types x 2 lengths). For OL determined on a 100-mm scale, the order of discriminatory power (determined by the MIXED procedure) was CAT>LAM>LIN. The 300-mm LAM scale was consistently more discriminatory than the 100-mm LAM scale for all attributes. For sensitivity (the number of significantly different pairs), CAT exhibited the highest sensitivity, considering simultaneously all products (A, B, C) categories. Regardless of attributes, product categories, and scale types, ratings tended to be lower with the 300-mm scale. For reliability (consistency of responses towards OC/OT/OL) of different scale/length types, Cronbach’s alpha values were 0.78-0.92, with slightly higher (0.89-0.92) values toward the disliked sample. Another reliability index (consistency of responses between 2 identical test samples) across different scale/length types was exhibited by Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r=0.32-0.75), with higher values toward the LAM scale; OC (a less complicated attribute) was less affected (higher r values). Product categories and scale types affected neutral tendency of responses, with moderate and disliked products being more affected when evaluated on LAM scales. This study demonstrated characteristics of hedonic scales as affected by scale lengths and overall product impression. Using proper scales to assess liking/disliking would help increase power of the experiment.
- ItemVariations in heading ratings characterized by scale polarity scale types and attributes(2012-06-26) Jirangrat W; Ordonez K; Wang J; Corredor JAH; Sriwattana S; Prinyawiwatkul WThe negative side of the 9-point hedonic scale is not fully understood. When used to evaluate negative attributes (for example, bitterness), this hedonic scale may yield poor results. We evaluated hedonic ratings as affected by scale types [9-point-categorical (CAT), line (LIN) and labeled-affective-magnitude (LAM)] and polarity (uni- compared to bi-polar), and attributes (positive compared to negative). We compared sensitivity and confounding effects [contrast+panelist effects=CP] of positive- and negative-attribute ratings among 3 scales, and compared effects of uni- (negative-side only) compared to bi-polar scales on negative-attribute ratings. Grape juices (classified as A=Liked, B=Moderate, C=Disliked) arranged in 4 sets (AB-AC, BA-CA, AC-AB, or CA-BA; the left sample served first) were evaluated (N=60 consumers) for overall-liking using 3 scales. Low-sodium chicken broths (classified as M=Mild- and S=Strong-bitterness) arranged in 2 sets (MS or SM) were evaluated (N=216) for bitterness using 3 scales. Balanced/randomized presentation was practiced. With bi-polar scales: 1) consumers better differentiated negative-attribute ratings; 2) CP was higher for positive- than negative-attribute ratings [5.47 compared to 0.11, 12.41 compared to 0.09, and 82.66 compared to 0.23, respectively, for CAT, LIN, and LAM; 3) LAM was more affected by CP. With negative-attribute ratings, CP of LAM was higher for uni- than for bi-polar scales. CP was more pronounced for liked- than disliked-samples, resulting in higher score fluctuation. CAT was more affected by contrast effects whereas LIN and LAM were more affected by panelist effects. Polarity effects were obvious for the mild-bitterness sample, showing significantly different results between uni- compared to bi-polar scales [3.91 compared to 6.39, 4.28 compared to 6.49, and 41.05 compared to 63.24, respectively, for CAT, LIN, and LAM]; all ratings from bi-polar scales were not on the negative-side. For the strong-bitterness sample, uni- and bi-polar ratings were on the negative side, with LAM having more consistent pattern. This study revealed some drawbacks of hedonic scales induced by scale polarity/types and attributes.
- ItemCharacterising the drinking water microbiome on campgrounds in New Zealand(2012-10-23) Phiri BJ; Biggs PJ; Prattley DJ; Stevenson MA; Rainey PB; French NPWhole-genome, 16S and 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) analyses combined with conventional isolation techniques are being applied to profile microbial community DNA associated with drinking water on campgrounds. The current study has a serial cross-sectional design and is being conducted on 15 campgrounds that are situated across New Zealand (Figure 1) and are managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Preliminary results generally show low Escherichia coli counts in water, suggesting minimal faecal contamination, and a low proportion of faecal samples were positive for Campylobacter and Giardia.
- ItemEngaging in spaces: How mature distance students fit study into their homes and lives(2013-07-02) Kahu ERIn order to fit study around family and work, a third of mature aged tertiary students in New Zealand study by distance. By enabling students to study when and where they want, distance study is said to overcome the barriers of space and time. But space and time must still be found and the blurring of the physical boundaries between study and home creates new challenges. While much has been written about how distance students juggle time, little has considered how they manage space; yet it is often the availability of an appropriate learning space that determines not just when and where they study, but the quality of their engagement. This qualitative study, following 19 mature aged distance students and their families through their first semester, examines how the students carved learning spaces from their busy lives, the nature of those spaces, and the impact this had on their engagement. For some, a space without other people was the essential characteristic and they achieved this through either a physical separation strategy such as studying at work, or a temporal separation strategy such as studying only when children were at school. For others, isolation was a barrier to their engagement and they gravitated to shared living spaces. Individual lifeload, context, and personal preference mean there are no right or wrong choices, but family support is a critical influence on the success of different strategies.
- ItemThe growth of Gerhan plantations: A case study of re-greening projects in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia.(2013-08-28) Millner JP; Abdiyani S; Nunung P
- ItemInterception of PAR and RUE of irrigated sweet potato (Ipomea batatas L.) grown in a temperate climate(2014-08-17) Searle B; Shaw S; Sorensen I; Kerckhoffs LHJSearle, B., S. Shaw, I. Sorensen and L.H.J. Kerckhoffs (2014). . Poster presentation at the (Brisbane, 17-22 August 2014). [EE4]
- ItemImpact of novel-endophytes on adult Argentine stem weevil damage of ryegrass seedlings.(2015) Ruppert KG; Matthew C; Lloyd-West C; Popay A
- ItemThe seed of life, investigating Epichloe endophyte colonisation.(2015) Zhang W; Card S; McGill CR; Matthew C; Cristensen M; Mace W
- ItemBeyond BLASTing: How 3D structural prediction can support or refute BLAST results(2015-09) Daly TK; Sutherland-Smith AJ; Penny EDBiologists know that not all BLAST results are homologs and that trees lose information at deep times. We have therefore developed a pipeline to bring increased confidence to the BLAST result. We use structural prediction to support or refute the inclusion of protein sequences into multiple sequence alignments. Ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) together with structural prediction can be used to create seed sequences to help find remote homologs. The process can be used to help with annotation.
- ItemCombining Tn-seq with comparative genomics identifies proteins uniquely essential in Shigella flexneri(2015-09-03) Freed NE; Bumann D; Silander OProtein functions that are essential for the growth of bacterial pathogens provide promising targets for antibacterial treatment. This is especially true if those functions are uniquely essential for the pathogen, as this might allow the development of targeted antibiotics, i.e. those that disrupt essential functions only for the pathogenic bacteria. Here we present the results of a Tn-seq experiment designed to detect essential protein coding genes in Shigella flexneri 2a 2457T on a genome-wide scale. Our results suggest that 471 protein-coding genes in this organism are critical for cellular growth in rich media. Comparing this set of essential genes (the essential gene complement) with their orthologues in the closely related organism Escherichia coli K12 BW25113 revealed a significant number of genes that are essential in Shigella but not in E. coli, suggesting that the functional correspondence of these proteins had changed. Notably, we also identified a set of functionally related genes that are essential in Shigella but which have no orthologues in E. coli. We found an extreme bias in proteins that have evolved to provide essential functions, with many proteins essential in Shigella but not E. coli, but with none (or very few) being essential in E. coli but not Shigella. We also identify a set- of genes involved in nucleotide biosynthesis that are essential in Shigella, but which lack orthologues in E. coli. Consequently, the data presented here suggest that the essential gene complement can quickly become organism specific, especially for pathogenic organisms whose genomes might have reduced robustness in their metabolic capacity (e.g. functional redundancy), or a reduced numbers of protein coding genes. These results thus open the possibility of developing antibiotic treatments that target differentially essential genes, which may exist even between very closely related strains of bacteria.
- ItemExploring root traits associated with increased yield under water deficit in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) germplasm of Mediterranean and European origins.(2015-10) Huassion S; Matthew C; Naeem M; Easton HSExploring root traits associated with increased yield under water deficit in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) germplasm of Mediterranean and European origins Sajjad Hussain1, Cory Matthew2, Muhammad Naeem3, H. Sydney Easton4 1Plant Genetic Resources Institute, National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad, Pakistan, 2Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 3Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department, Islamabad, Pakistan, 4AgResearch, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Contact: shmalik25@hotmail.com Introduction Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is now one of the most widely used forage grass species in temperate pastoral agriculture and in recent years breeding for improved performance in summer drought conditions has become a focus. Germplasm of Spanish origin has been widely used in New Zealand plant breeding (Stewart, 2006), but another possibility that has attracted comparatively little research to date is introgression of summer dormant germplasm of North African origin with material of European origin. Methods Plants of a New Zealand-bred perennial ryegrass cultivar “Grasslands Samson”, a summer dormant Australian cultivar “Medea” developed in the 1960’s from germplasm of Mediterranean origin (Silsbury, 1961), and the F1 and F2 progenies of the two parents were compared during summer 2010-11 in a glasshouse study at Palmerston North, New Zealand. The experiment compared rooting behavior and herbage yield of the two cultivars and studied the pattern of inheritance of those traits to F1 and F2 progeny. Plants grown in 100 cm lengths of soil-filled PVC pipes were initially bottom-watered in 200 liter drums and then drought was imposed by gradually lowering the water table until plants survived on water retained in the soil profile. At a concluding destructive harvest, herbage yield (DW) and tiller number (TN) were recorded, while total root mass (Rt), coarse root mass (Rc) fine root mass (Rf) and gravimetric soil moisture % (SMC) were all measured for three soil depths (0-30, 30-60 and below 60 cm). From these data root:shoot ratio (R:S), deep root (below 30 cm): shoot ratio (DR:S), an index of deep rooting (% total root below 30 cm, IDR), and DW/(0.2 – SMC) as an index of efficient water use (IEWU) were derived. Results and Discussion Medea exhibited deep rooting compared to Grasslands Samson indicated by higher R:S, DR:S and IDR, that had never been studied since its release in Australia. However, it had lower IWU, 83% lower DW and 87% lower TN than Grasslands Samson – a characteristic of Mediterranean origin pasture species. On the question of introgressing root traits of Medea to Grasslands Samson: in the F1 generation, some plants surpassed Medea for some root traits (eg DR:S and IDR), while F2 plants were similar to Grasslands Samson parents, However, within Grasslands Samson itself some plants showed high IEWU. Conclusion Introgression of Medea genes into Grasslands Samson will not be straight forward. However, direct selection for maintenance of growth under moderate water deficit with reduced soil moisture extraction per unit DW is an immediate option for improving drought tolerance in perennial ryegrass, providing the trait proves sufficiently heritable. Stewart AV (2006) Genetic origins of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) for New Zealand Pastures. Pp11-20 In: Breeding for success: diversity in action, (ed, CF. Mercer) Proceedings of the 13th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference, Christchurch, NZ. Silsbury JH (1961) A study of dormancy, survival and other characteristics in Lolium perenne L. at Adelaide, SA. Aust. J. Ag. Res.12:1-9.
- ItemSensitivity to Volcanic Field Boundary(2016-04-17) Whitehead M; Bebbington M; Cronin S; Moufti MR; Lindsay JVolcanic hazard analyses are desirable where there is potential for future volcanic activity to affect a proximal population. This is frequently the case for volcanic fields (regions of distributed volcanism) where low eruption rates, fertile soil, and attractive landscapes draw populations to live close by. Forecasting future activity in volcanic fields almost invariably uses spatial or spatio-temporal point processes with model selection and development based on exploratory analyses of previous eruption data. For identifiability reasons, spatio-temporal processes, and practically also spatial processes, the definition of a spatial region is required to which volcanism is confined. However, due to the complex and predominantly unknown sub-surface processes driving volcanic eruptions, definition of a region based solely on geological information is currently impossible. Thus, the current approach is to fit a shape to the known previous eruption sites. The class of boundary shape is an unavoidable subjective decision taken by the forecaster that is often overlooked during subsequent analysis of results. This study shows the substantial effect that this choice may have on even the simplest exploratory methods for hazard forecasting, illustrated using four commonly used exploratory statistical methods and two very different regions: the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, and Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For Harrat Rahat, sensitivity of results to boundary definition is substantial. For the Auckland Volcanic Field, the range of options resulted in similar shapes, nevertheless, some of the statistical tests still showed substantial variation in results. This work highlights the fact that when carrying out any hazard analysis on volcanic fields, it is vital to specify how the volcanic field boundary has been defined, assess the sensitivity of boundary choice, and to carry these assumptions and related uncertainties through to estimates of future activity and hazard analyses.
- ItemNew Zealand child and youth profile(2016-06-08) McLaughlin T; Budd JMEffective tools to better understand children’s functioning are critical to plan for and promote positive outcomes. The New Zealand Child and Youth Profile supports teams to reflect on and organize their understanding of a child’s strengths and limitations; sensory function; participation in key settings; and interests and preferences. The toolkit is designed to help teams identify priority areas for interventions. Preliminary results from a pilot study will be shared.
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