UC Research Repository
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The UC Research Repository collects, stores and makes available original research from postgraduate students, researchers and academics based at the University of Canterbury.
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Recent Submissions
National forest owner survey and resource inventory of alternative species. Stage 2b: Mapping alternative species using remote sensing
(Forest Growers Research, 2022) Xu, Cong; Manley, Bruce
This study provides a proof of concept of using remote sensing to classify species of small-scale
plantation at a regional level and achieved high classification accuracies for most species.
Douglas-fir and eucalyptus were the two most accurately classified alternative species, with over
90% of producer’s accuracy. The most important input variable selected for the classification was
DEM (Digital Elevation Model), suggesting that elevation plays an important role in differentiating
plantation species. The accuracy of species classification highly depends on the availability of
truthing data.
In total, 2151 ha of alternative species were classified for Hawke’s Bay and a majority of them are
eucalyptus, cypress and poplar. The transferability of classification derived from one region to
another region is low due to regional variations in the topography, climate and species
composition. In order to map the national cover of alternative species, truthing data that cover a
range of species and ages classes from all regions are required. One limitation with the study is
that pre-defining the geographic boundaries of alternative species is required to define the extent
of classification, as the current small-scale plantation map developed by the School of Forestry
may not pick up all the alternative species. Without the pre-defined boundaries, the classification
approach tends to map other land covers as alternative species plantations due to a similar
spectral signature.
R&D Partner's Network Position and Focal Firm's Innovation Performance: A Knowledge Spill-In Perspective
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2024) Yang , Jinyu; BI, Qingqing
—Research and development (R&D) collaboration
is an important source of innovation. Network researchers
have identified the importance of network resources in a
firm’s innovation performance. However, previous studies
have largely focused on the ego network (i.e., a firm’s own
network position). In this study, we adopt an alter network
perspective and explore how the network position of a firm’s
alter (i.e., R&D partner) influences the focal firm’s innovation
process. Drawing upon social capital theory and the
knowledge-based view, we argue that R&D partners’ superior
network positions (e.g., structural holes and centrality)
provide second-order social capital, and positively influence a
firm’s innovation performance through increased knowledge
spill-in (or incoming knowledge spillover). We also find that
relationship duration between firms and R&D partners
moderates the relationship between R&D network positions
and knowledge spill-in in an inverted U-shape. This study
highlights the impact of second-order social capital on a firm’s
innovation process from a knowledge-based view. We suggest
that firms leverage both direct and indirect network resources
and consider the dynamics in their R&D partnerships to
facilitate better knowledge flows in the focal firms.
What stops Australian teenagers reading for pleasure?
(2023) Reddan B, Bronwyn; Rutherford , Leonie; Johanson K, Katya; Matheson, Donald
Reading for pleasure is associated with a range of educational, social, cognitive, and personal benefits for young people. The Australian Research Council Linkage project, Discovering
a ‘Good Read’: Cultural Pathways to Reading for Australian Teens in a Digital Age, maps and analyses the network of influences that shape young people’s reading practices to develop
evidence-based strategies that increase teenagers’ participation in recreational reading. This article reports on research findings about the structural barriers that contribute to the decline
in recreational reading by Australian teenagers. It identifies five factors that stop teenagers reading (time, identity, attention, motivation, and supply) and three areas of focus for school
leaders who want to support recreational reading (mindset, leadership, and collaboration).
Heat exchange inside crevasses at a temperate alpine glacier A case study from Haupapa/Tasman Glacier
(2024) Purdie, Heather; Kerr , Tim; Bealing , Paul; Zawar-Reza P, Peyman; Katurji , Marwan
Eliciting real cravings with virtual food: Using immersive technologies to explore the effects of food stimuli in virtual reality
(Frontiers Media SA, 2023) Harris , Nikita Mae; Lindeman, Robert; Bah , Clara Shui Fern; Gerhard, Daniel; Hoermann, Simon
In this paper, we explore the current technical possibilities of eating in virtual reality (VR) and show how this could be used to influence eating behaviors. Cue-based exposure therapy is a well-known method used to treat eating disorders. There are several benefits to using VR in combination with cue-based therapy. However, before VR-based cue-exposure can be used for therapeutic purposes, the ability of the VR environment to elicit craving responses in participants must be assessed. This was the objective of the first part of the study, where we assessed whether our VR environment elicited food craving responses in participants. Results showed that our VR environment elicited food craving responses: Salivation Magnitude, Food Craving State and Urge to Eat was significantly different from the neutral baseline. In addition, results showed that food cravings measured through the salivation magnitude in response to the virtual condition were not significantly different from the real condition, thus showing that VR had a comparable effect on producing food cravings. The second part of the study was conducted to determine whether the addition of olfactory and interaction cues in VR increased the development of food cravings. The results of this part showed that adding synthetic olfactory cues, paired with visual cues, to our system, provided a significant further increase in food cravings. Our results demonstrate that the use of food cues in VR can increase the development of food cravings and that it is possible to provide a simple yet convincing eating experience in VR. Inevitably, food interaction in VR is still underexplored territory and further research is needed to improve utility and application in disciplines related to food and eating.