Masters Theses

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/5

The Masters Theses collection contains digital copies of AUT University masters theses deposited with the Library since 2002 and made available open access. From 2007 onwards, all theses for masters degrees awarded are required to be deposited in Tuwhera Open Theses & Dissertations unless subject to an embargo.

For theses submitted prior to 2007, open access was not mandatory, so only those theses for which the author has given consent are available in Tuwhera Open Theses & Dissertations. Where consent for open access has not been provided, the thesis is usually recorded in the AUT Library catalogue where the full text, if available, may be accessed with an AUT password. Other people should request an Interlibrary Loan through their library.

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Virtual and the actual: Representation and the object
(Auckland University of Technology, 2000) Budd, Helen Rosalind; Gilderdale, Peter; Joseph, Frances
It is declared that we live in an ‘information age’, one where much of our daily experience comes in mediated form, in print or on screen. Information about our world is brought to us through words and images selected and interpreted by others. We can communicate by fax and e-mail, don alternative persona on the Internet, experience alternate realities in computer games, and create convincing digital images from mathematical co-ordinates. Yet we still rely, for sustenance, clothing and housing at the very least, on real things. What then is the significance of real objects: the actual, and what are the limits of the virtual experience in replacing them? The focus of this thesis is on objects – ordinary, everyday objects or things – and the significance they have in human lives. Frequently overlooked, or disregarded as unimportant, objects nevertheless fulfil functions of use, of consumption and transaction, signification of status, and demarcation of social roles. “Soon we will all be doing our shopping on the Internet”, and “we won’t need museums at all soon, it will all be done by virtual reality”. These two examples of frequently heard rhetoric provide a base for the research, selected as areas where unfamiliar objects may be encountered for the first time and which can be expected to reveal the limitations of representation through a virtual experience. In order to assess how effectively the properties of objects can be represented, it is necessary first to understand the range of properties that objects have, and the role of the images which will carry the representation. This has been sought from those who work with or study objects and their place in society. From the fields of education and child development, craft and art theory, philosophy, photography and anthropology; from sociology, museology and material culture studies have come insights into the significance of objects and their qualities. The wider contextual settings of museums and shopping have been explored, and in depth studies conducted. Museums were visited, both in New Zealand and in London, with staff interviews augmented by visitor experience. A survey of Internet shoppers and non shoppers has revealed attitudes and behaviours which will undoubtedly influence the course of the virtual experience. After examination of the practicalities and implications of technological development, the thesis concludes by collecting together a wide range of the identified properties which objects can have, and examining the limitations of conveying them through image and text. Drawing these findings together with the contextual background, allows informed appraisal of the phrases “soon we will all be doing our shopping on the Internet”, and “we won’t need museums at all soon, it will all be done by virtual reality”, and of the implications which would follow.
Communicating agriculture: the media & interest group politics (1997 - 1998)
(Auckland University of Technology, 2000) Oosterman, Allison; Cocker, Alan; Miller, Ray
This thesis applies a pluralist theoretical approach to an analysis of the relationship between the media and a selected economic interest group. The study endeavours to discover the extent to which the pluralist model applies to the relationship between the media, interest groups and the state during a time of uncertainty about the future structure of the dairy industry. In the course of the thesis the most relevant features of pluralism are examined and then applied to the topic. It may be that as a result of the analysis, an alternate reading to pluralism is required. The notion that the media's activities are essential for the operation of a pluralist democracy is discussed focussing on the media’s key role in the operation of interest group activity, in the relationships between other interest groups and between government and the public at large. Looking at the New Zealand situation, factors that may have affected the ability of the media to carry out their role are examined. For the purposes of this study the pluralist model is applied to the relationship between the interest groups, the state and the media during the debate in 1998 over the future structure of the dairy industry. The role of the mass media of television, newspapers and radio as well as the specialist farming press is examined. An assessment is made as to the extent to which these media organisations impacted on the policymaking process. Research should indicate whether the posited Governor Model of Pluralism actually worked in this instance. From information gleaned from this case study some general conclusions about the role of the media and interest groups in policy making in New Zealand are offered.
Experiencing the relationship: the client and the community occupational therapist. A phenomenological study
(Auckland University of Technology, 2000) Paddy, Ann; Wright-St. Clair, Valerie; Smythe, Elizabeth
While the therapeutic relationship between clients and therapists has been explored from the therapist perspective, few studies show the client view. This qualitative study reveals the experience of ‘being in the relationship’ from the viewpoint of both people with physical disabilities and community occupational therapists. The philosophy underpinning the research and analysis is that of Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology. This approach is used in order to reveal the significance of taken-for-granted aspects of the relationship that lie hidden, covered over by everyday assumptions. Study participants include five clients, and six therapists, who have a depth of experience of the relationship being examined. In-depth narrative audio-taped interviews are used. The stories tell of participants’ experience of interacting with each other in relationships that work well for them and in ones that do not. The findings of this thesis show that clients recognize previously hidden aspects of the relationship, frequently unacknowledged by therapists, such as the importance of the therapist’s persona and the significance of therapists’ actions to clients’ perception of their own value. What happens when the therapist is not with the client matters within their relationship. The differing modes of care therapists use influence clients’ well being. Therapists need to acknowledge the effect of their prejudices and ‘personal selves’ in their interaction with clients, and the breadth and depth of their ‘professional role’ within therapeutic relationships. They need to be open to recognizing when the relationship is unsatisfactory for the client. For it is therapists who hold the key to accessing future possibilities including resources. When the relationship fails, it will be the client who loses out.
Hellbank.com
(Auckland University of Technology, 2001) Sie, May-Ling; Meyer, Jeff
www.hellbank.com offers the thesis that: - the properties of net art are related to ideas that 19th century subjectivist Austrian School economic theoreticians had about the nature of process and the exchange of information - in its conviction that the pre-determinant of all economic activity is the exchange of information, Austrian School’s subjectivist economic theory effects an aestheticisation of economic exchange through the denomination of media of exchange. - these ideas influenced the development of information technology, and that they have culminated in a theory of globalisation which is supported by its own, ubiquitous technology of globalisation. - these technologies act to reduce transaction costs, and that this has been successfully achieved by the implementation of information technologies, particularly the net. - cultural constructs, "the way we do things at our place”, often involve a strategic construction, management, and appointment, or shifting of the burden of transaction costs. - there is conflict between the cultural construction of transaction costs, and the commercial need to reduce transaction costs. This exegesis of hellbank.com explores this thesis by - Describing my own personal predicament of identity, and placing it within a theoretical context - Describing the endogenously derived realism of Austrian School economic theory, within the context of a critique of liberalism, written in the 1930s from a position of exogenously derived realism, by the Nazi, Carl Schmitt, one of the few twentieth century theoreticians of national sovereignty. - Describing the theoretical context in which the polymath John von Neumann designed the von Neumann architecture - Giving an example of the cultural construction of transaction costs, and their implications in gift giving.
Me, myself and I: An artist exploration of notions of identity
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002) Heiford, Dana
This project will explore through practical art means the way notions of identity are constructed by the individual. Using myself as subject matter I will explore the multiple aspects and fluid relations which constitute a sense of me, myself and I with a particular focus on sexuality. The intention is to raise issues and questions and to manifest new relations using the medium of art as a flexible vehicle for juxtaposing and testing complex interrelationships of ideas. Psychological and sociological contexts will be addressed and the relationship between these and my own sensibilities will be explored. The research approach will be to investigate notions of identity and explore the possibility of multiple personal narratives. It will explore the unique identity of the artist, that is, of the individual perspective of an artist instead of a theorist. To emphasise the central themes of my research I will take a multi-angled approach to methodology, working simultaneously on several responses to the research question. The practical project will be explored through various different visual media with the range of styles and approaches further developing the idea of a decentred self. This accompanying exegesis will discuss the methodological approach taken, as well as issues and contexts surrounding the project.
Dress as ornament
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002) Lau, Kim; Joseph, Frances; Crowe, Deborah
The approach to 'Dress as Ornament' is a specific focus on a subject that is broad and diverse. It is about design in dress as a messenger for the idea of excess through the details of ornamentation and focuses on the exploration of materials and techniques as a way of understanding and articulating a conceptual basis for ornamentation of dress. The approach taken has utilised the elements of ornamentation as integral to the structure and very fabric of dress, rather than a more traditional application added to an existing surface. It also examines the nature of ornament - what ornament is and defines what constitutes the ornate. The format of the thesis is an exhibition of a collection of garments and a written exegesis.
Health News and Media Manipulation: An Examination of Health Reporting, and What This Means for Journalism Today
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002) Kibby, Joanna Yevily
This thesis will investigate, firstly, the presentation and handling of health news and ‘miracle cures’ by the media today and, secondly, what this in turn means for journalism, particularly New Zealand journalism. The series of stories written and produced about Lyprinol, a mussel extract reported by the New Zealand media to be a miracle cancer cure, will be used to help illustrate some of the points raised about the media’s coverage of health and related issues. I employed the Political Economy context throughout this thesis, looking in particular at how news organisations are constrained and shaped by the political and economic environment in which they operate, and how this in turn shapes the news that they produce. I looked specifically at the increasingly intimate relationships between the media and health organisations and drug companies, the commercialisation and subsequent sensationalism of the news, the traditional and ideal roles that the media should play in modern society, and finally, what can or should be done, if anything, in order to make the media more accountable and responsible for their actions. This thesis will show that commercialisation is a determining factor and, subsequently, sensation is a pervasive feature, of much of what the media produces about health and related issues. This thesis will also contend that the media’s presentation of health and ‘miracle cures’ is both harmful and misleading – enough to justify introducing new or more effective ways of making the media more responsible and accountable to the public, whom it is undoubtedly their duty to serve.
Designing information websites
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002) Lu, Wenxin; Joseph, Frances; Ings, Welby
This thesis is composed of a practical component involving the design of two websites and a written exegesis. The first site is the redesigned New Zealand Design Archive/Graphic project, which archives and profiles historical data and research about the history of graphic design in New Zealand. The second site is the Monkey Peach Collection. This dynamic data-driven online gallery allows designers and artists build and discuss an accumulation of information about New Zealand-Chinese artists and designers. The exegesis concentrates on the implementation of information sites and considers definitions and approaches to information architecture, information design and dynamic websites with a literature review analysing some academic online resources and commercial online galleries.
A kinematic analysis of acute and longitudinal adaptations to resisted sprinting
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002) Hansen, Keir; Cronin, John; McNair, Peter
The phase of greatest acceleration (0-30 metres) during sprinting is thought to be critical for success in many sporting situations. Methods for improving acceleration phase performance are therefore an important area of study for conditioners and sports scientists. Typically a variety of resistance training techniques are used to improve strength and power of the lower limb musculature that is important to sprinting performance. One such technique is resisted sprinting which involves the use of apparatus such as weighted vests and sleds to provide movement specific overload to athletes. The purpose of this thesis was primarily, to compare sprint times, step variables and joint kinematics when sprinting with a vest loaded at 15% and 20% of the athlete’s body mass and towing a sled with 15% and 20% of body mass. A secondary aim was to examine the effect of a six-week training program utilising resisted sprinting on acceleration phase performance in three athletes. In the first study, 20 semi-elite subjects performed five 30-metre sprints: one unloaded sprint, two sled sprints loaded at 15% of their body mass and 20% of their body mass, and two vest sprints with the same loads relative to body mass. Each sprint was videoed in the sagittal plane at five, 15 and 25 metres from the start of the 30-metre sprint and times were recorded at 10 and 30-metres using timing lights. Video data were digitised and the following step variables were calculated: step length, step frequency, stance phase duration and swing phase duration. Stance phase angles of the trunk, thigh, knee and ankle were also calculated. Step length, step frequency and swing phase duration during vest and sled sprinting were found to decrease significantly (P<0.05) when compared to unloaded sprinting values. Stance phase duration during vest and sled sprinting increased compared to unloaded sprinting values (P<0.05). Additionally, sled towing displayed significantly greater (P<0.05) trunk flexion at foot strike and toe-off, and significantly greater (P<0.05) knee flexion at foot strike than both the unloaded and vest sprinting conditions. Sled towing also induced significantly greater thigh extension at toe-off compared to the vest conditions (P<0.05). Thus the addition of load to the athlete via vest sprinting and sled towing may influence performance in different ways, and hence the objective of the athlete should be considered when choosing which of these techniques to use. In the second study, a single subject research design was utilised to assess whether sled towing and vest sprinting resulted in changes in performance over a six-week period of training. In this study, three subjects trained twice a week for six weeks using resisted sprinting. Subjects were randomly assigned to sled training, vest training or combinationtraining (one training session a week with each apparatus). Subjects were tested at baseline, after three weeks of training and after six weeks of training for 10 and 30-metre sprint times and selected step variables (step length, step frequency and stance phaseduration). Data analysis involved both visual analysis of graphed data and statistical analysis using the two standard deviation band method. The combination training subject improved performance over both 10 and 30 metres. Step variable data were inconclusive regarding the mechanisms behind these improvements. Neither sled towing nor vest sprinting resulted in significant improvements in performance. The results indicated that the use of both training apparatus in unison may be required in order to improve performance during the acceleration phase of sprinting.
The effect of acupuncture on alpha-motoneuron excitability
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002-01-01) Chan, Alexander Kam Shing; Roberts, Lynley; Vujnovich, Andrea
The analgesic effect of acupuncture is well known. Areas in the brain and higher centres that are activated by acupuncture have been mapped out. Some of these areas are also implicated in the modulation of motor function. In addition to pain relief, acupuncture has been found to increase range of movement in patients with increased muscle tone. There is, however, scant knowledge of the mechanisms underlying this therapeutic effect.
Facing up to cancer: the lived experience of being diagnosed with a life threatening form of cancer
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002-01-01) Lothian, Neil; Maculloch, Tony; Smythe, Liz
This Heideggerian phenomenological hermeneutic study explores the lived experience of those coming to terms with the diagnosis of a life-threatening form of cancer. It offers an interpretation of the narratives of eight adult New Zealanders, three men and five women, aged between 25 and 60 years of age who had been recently diagnosed. The study, based upon van Manen's (1990) six-step method, uncovers the experience of the person facing up to being told they have a life-threatening form of cancer within New Zealand society. It is informed by the writing of Heidegger. The study explores the meaning of cancer to the person involved and how this meaning affects them and their world. The study explores the changes within the person and how this change in the person subsequently changes the understanding they have of themselves and the world. The narratives of participants reveal a journey that is undertaken, a journey they thought they would never undertake and were not prepared to take. The cancer journey begins suddenly, is frightening in its intensity, towards a perceived destination of probable death. The real journey for many takes an unforeseen detour along the way, a detour of hope and eventual enlightenment. The final journey for all human beings will always end in death. The realisation that all human journeys must and do end in death and learning to live with the reality of this one fact in life is the major lesson learnt by those who experience the cancer journey. The journey is made more difficult and lonely by a society that wishes to fool itself that this journey does not happen or wishes to believe that one day this journey may be totally avoided. Society, and the people that make up society, need to face the reality of the cancer journey for many of its members in order to better prepare the person for the journey and to support the person while on this journey.
Organisational learning: managing environmental complexity and change
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002-01-01) White, Natalie C; Matheny, Jonathan; McConchie, Andrew
This thesis presents an investigative analysis of organisational learning and addresses two key gaps evident within the literature: 1. Diversity of thought over what constitutes organisational learning 2. Lack of empirical study that authenticates the 'practice' of organisational learning In examining these two gaps this thesis provides a synthesis of the fragmented literature, resulting in the development of five core tenets that together constitute organisational learning. Until now, this type of synthesis has never been undertaken. The core tenets are then tested to address the question of whether organisational learning is practiced. This involved a Content Analysis of reports made by Senior Management in leading New Zealand organisations. A pragmatic approach was used in analysing this data, allowing for both quantitative and qualitative methods. The chief finding of this study is that four of the five tenets of organisational learning are prevalent, to varying degrees, among the New Zealand organisations studied.
An investigation into the effect of stretching frequency on range of motion at the ankle joint
(Auckland University of Technology, 2002-01-01) Trent, Vanessa; McNair, Peter
Stretching is a widely prescribed technique that has been demonstrated to increase range of motion. Consequently it may enhance performance and aid in the prevention and treatment of injury. Few studies have investigated the frequency of stretching on a daily basis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stretching frequency on range of motion at the ankle joint. The detraining effect was also investigated after a period without stretching. Thirty-one female subjects participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to a control group who did not stretch a group who stretched two times per week (Stretch-2) or a group who stretched four times per week (Stretch-4). The stretching intervention was undertaken over four weeks and targeted the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Each stretch was held for duration of 30 seconds and repeated five times. Prior to the intervention (PRE), dorsiflexion was measured using a weights and pulley system that passively moved the ankle joint from a neutral position into dorsiflexion. After the four week stretching period (POST), dorsiflexion was measured once again to determine the change following the stretching programme. Following a further four week period where no stretching took place (FINAL), dorsiflexion was measured to determine the detraining effect. Electromyography was used to monitor the activity of the plantarflexors and dorsiflexors during the measuring procedure. The results of the study showed a significant increase in ankle joint range of motion for the Stretch-4 group (p<0.05) when comparing PRE and POST measurements. The Stretch-2 and control groups did not show significant differences (p>0.05) between PRE and POST measurements. When comparing the PRE and FINAL measurements of the Stretch-4 group, no significant differences were recorded (p>0.05). The POST and FINAL measurements were significantly different (p<0.05). After the detraining period the Stretch-4 group lost 99.8% of their range of motion gains. The present data provide some evidence that the viscoelastic properties of the muscle stretched were unchanged by the four week static stretching programme. The mechanism involved in the observed increase in range of motion for the Stretch-4 group is possibly that of enhanced stretch tolerance of the subject. Further research is required to support this conjecture.
Developing service satisfaction strategies using catastrophe model: A replication study in New Zealand
(Auckland University of Technology, 2003) Singh, Sylvester Sanjeev; Collins, Brett
Achieving customer loyalty is one of the greatest challenges facing organisations today. It has become necessary for managers to find the most effective ways by which to attain the loyalty of their customers. The benefits of a loyal customer base are substantial, and as such, an understanding of how to influence customers’ loyalty through satisfaction and by controlling transaction costs would be of significant value. Although there is an abundance of literature on the satisfaction and loyalty association, this association has not been studied in the presence of transaction costs as done in this study and the Oliva, Oliver, and MacMillan (1992) study. This study was a replication of the study by Oliva, Oliver, and MacMillan (1992). Accordingly, their study findings were tested within the New Zealand mobile phone industry to check if their findings could be generalised to a New Zealand service industry. Appropriate hypotheses were developed through a review of relevant literature. A sample of 250 mobile phone users was selected for this study, of which 149 completed the questionnaire that provided information as to the nature of the satisfaction-loyalty association in the presence of transaction costs. The gathered data were analysed statistically and support was found for three of the six hypotheses. Results of the hypotheses tests indicated that the satisfaction-loyalty link is linear in nature. Satisfaction influences loyalty positively and in a linear way so that loyalty moves in the same direction as satisfaction. Transaction costs were found to influence loyalty indirectly via satisfaction. Transaction costs and loyalty were also found to have an inverse association. The results of this study also showed that the cusp catastrophe model could not provide a better model fit than linear regression model. The overall results of this study did not support the findings of the original study by Oliva, Oliver, and MacMillan (1992). The results of this study showed that their findings are not generaliseable to the mobile phone industry in New Zealand.
Managing Disequilibrium: A Grounded Theory Study of Therapists Working in Groups With People With Eating Disorders
(Auckland University of Technology, 2003) Brinkman, Robyn; Solomon, Margot
This study has used a qualitative grounded theory research methodology to systematically identify what happens for therapists who facilitate groups for people with eating disorders. Eight therapists who had worked in groups with people with eating disorders were interviewed about their group experiences. A conceptual model of ‘managing disequilibrium’ emerged as the core concern of participants in this study, and this involved three stages. In the first stage therapists experienced shifting self-equilibrium during the group session that included a diverse range and intensity of experiences. In the second stage therapists subsequently engaged in a process of counterbalancing to manage disequilibrium while still in a group session. In the third stage therapists sought to re-establish equilibrium after a group session had ended. Therapists’ self-relationship, personal issues, clinical experience, and cognitive processes have been demonstrated to play a significant role in therapists’ management of disequilibrium; and strategies for in-group and post-group management have been described. Disequilibrium and countertransference have been compared and understood to bring different perspectives to therapists experiences in groups. Where countertransference emphasises theory and clinical practice, disequilibrium emphasises therapists’ subjective experiences and their instinctive need to compensate for difficult experiential phenomena during their clinical practice.
Catch the wahine and win: (re) addressing the Polynesian
(Auckland University of Technology, 2003) Christiansen, Lurlene; Nelson, Frances
This exegesis investigates the historical practice of re-producing stereotypical spectacles of “Polynesian” women through the medium of photography and, compares and contrasts the continuing shaping of Pacific Island identities through contemporary practices in today’s world. In so doing, it singles out the homogenous aspects of colonialism's cultural practices and distinguishes their continuities in neo-colonial mass-media culture. This recurrence of colonial ideologies and practices is specifically evident in popular culture magazines, television and the internet. I argue that photographs and spectacles, both historical and modern, that were and are now used under the pretext of and directed toward naturalising the precept of colonialism, constitute imagery that continues to dis-empower Pacific Island women today. They cause one to question notions of personal and social identity. While this project is in theory an objective analysis, this project equally focuses on subjectivity and imagery of racial and cultural difference that has shaped our immediate past and continues to shape our present identities. Written from a Samoan woman’s perspective, from one who exists in a mediascape arena as “marketable Other”, this paper will be of interest to artists, scholars, students and researchers for whom issues of identity, subjectivity and power are of identifiable importance.
Living with motor neurone disease: An interpretive study
(Auckland University of Technology, 2003) Brott, Tamzin; Hocking, Clare; Paddy, Ann
While there have been many aspects of Motor Neurone Disease explored in previous studies, none have captured the experience from the perspective of people who live with it. This study has asked the question “What is the meaning of living with Motor Neurone Disease?” with the reply being the direct voice of people who have been diagnosed and live with Motor Neurone Disease day in, day out. The philosophy informing this study and the analysis is that of Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology. Its domain of inquiry is lived experience, the individual’s experiences within their life-world. This approach, along with van Manen’s four life world existentials, lived body, lived space, lived other, and lived time, reveals the impact of living with a body that is increasingly becoming unready-to-hand, and the impact this has on participation in occupations, and on being-in-the-world. Seven participants where interviewed to obtain rich narratives of the experience of living with Motor Neurone Disease. These narratives informed the findings of this study and uncovered the initial impact of living with an increasingly ‘wobbly body’. A body that is changing, the journey of understanding why, and learning to manage the wobbly body at home and in public is an initial finding. A further finding is that of the challenge to remaining a vital being. A further focus was on the need of roles and occupations in our lives to define who we are, and what happens when the roles that used to define us are no longer available, due to a changing body. The impact of strangers involved in care, the numbers who arrive, and the trust issues that are inherent in those relationships are another aspect of the findings. Healthcare professionals, and others involved in the care of people living with Motor Neurone Disease, become both trusted others and at times experts. It is important for this group of people to understand the impact of this relationship failing or when the trust is broken. All of the above areas highlighted are important for healthcare professionals, and others who live and work alongside people who experience life with Motor Neurone Disease, to be cognisant of and integrate them into education and practice. By attempting to understand what it is like to live with a body that is not ready-to-hand, the number of strangers and others who enter their lives and the trust issues alongside this, the relationship between healthcare professionals and those they work alongside will be enhanced.
Effects of altitude exposure combined with sea level training on sea level performance
(Auckland University of Technology, 2003) Wood, Matthew R.; Dowson, Martin; Hopkins, Will
Athletes commonly use various forms of real and simulated altitude exposure combined with sea level training to enhance sea-level performance. Altitude can be simulated through use of apartments, tents and masks that allow athletes to breathe air containing less oxygen. There is clear evidence that altitude exposure combined with sea-level training enhances endurance performance especially when the altitude is real. It is unclear what the optimum level of altitude and length of exposure is to enhance performance, although researchers generally adopt 3-4 weeks at moderate altitude (~3000m). There is also little evidence to suggest how long the performance effect persists for. Large gains in VO2max have been reported following actual altitude exposure that may be partly mediated via an increase in red cell volume or haemoglobin mass. However, exposure to simulated altitude appears to have a little effect on VO2max probably due to differences in daily exposure time. The effects of altitude exposure on sprint performance are limited to several investigations that demonstrate a tendency for improved performance, especially in repeated sprints.
Breathing Therapy Air Delivery Unit: Simulation, Design and Development
(Auckland University of Technology, 2003) White, David Edward; Al-Jumaily, Ahmed
Although constant positive airway pressure therapy is currently the most effective form of non-invasive treatment to relieve obstructive sleep apnea symptoms, it has relatively low treatment compliance due to pressure related side effects. Existing commercial continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices rely on the combined airflow characteristics of both the air delivery unit and nasal mask vent to regulate treatment pressure. Fluctuation in mask pressure occurs however, due to patient breathing, presenting an opportunity to develop an alternative breathing therapy device capable of achieving dynamic control of mask pressure. Within this research, a computer model of a proposed patient breathing therapy device, based on characteristics of a prototype system, is developed to determine the breathing system air delivery requirements whilst operating under a simulated patient breathing load. This model initially utilises an idealised, zero order, air delivery unit behaviour, since this system element is yet to be built. A review of different types of air compressors is undertaken and the diaphragm type compressor selected as being best suited for practical implementation within the air delivery unit of the breathing system, based on constraints of air quality, available machining resource and materials. Thermodynamic design of the compressor is undertaken to determine physical dimensions and a range of actuation methods are reviewed, based on force and speed requirements. A speed controlled 3 phase AC induction motor is selected to actuate the compressor. The diaphragm compressor is built and tested under both steady state and dynamic conditions and proven capable of meeting the breathing system air supply for both air pressure and flow requirements. The air delivery unit within the model simulation, previously based on an idealised, zero order element, is characterised with the same dynamic behaviour as the prototype unit built, established during testing, and shown by simulation to meet the breathing system requirements under dynamic patient breathing load. Implementation of the air delivery unit within the completed prototype breathing system shows the mask pressure to fluctuate outside the desire pressure tolerance range; however, to remedy this situation, the compressor requires the development of an appropriate control scheme which is beyond the scope of this work.
Getting Back to the Future: A Grounded Theory Study of the Patient Perspective of Total Knee Joint Arthroplasty
(Auckland University of Technology, 2003) Marcinkowski, Kaaren; Wong, Grace; Dignam, Denise
This grounded theory study describes the experience of undergoing total knee joint arthroplasty in the New Zealand public health system from the participants’ perspectives. The data sources were tape-recorded interviews, observation and published literature. There were nine participants, eight of whom underwent a relatively uncomplicated process, and one who had major complications. The analysis was based on the transcripts from seventeen hours of interviews, observation and extant literature. It was found that patients managed the experience of total knee joint arthroplasty by an overarching psychosocial process, which was conceptualized as GETTING BACK TO THE FUTURE. The participants in the study considered they had a better future because of the surgery. The overarching basic psychosocial process comprised three main categories that are described separately but often occurred concurrently. The first category was enduring and described the way participants managed day-to-day living while they waited until their condition was severe enough to warrant surgery. The second category was named thinking twice. This described how patients adjusted to disability and recovery from surgery by problem solving. The third category keeping faith, reflected the trust and confidence participants exhibited in themselves, in the health professionals who cared for them, and even the public health system. The study has provided insight into the patient perspective of undergoing total knee joint arthroplasty. One of the major discoveries was the person in context beyond the hospital stay. The findings reinforced the value of multidisciplinary education and pre-habilitation preparation for surgery. In addition, the findings suggest there is a need for a post-operative home visit within a few days of discharge by an orthopaedic team member. Further research to explore undergoing total knee joint arthroplasty from the perspective of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and patients who develop significant complications following surgery is recommended.

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