bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brass Multiphonics in Jazz
Authors:   , van Dijk Nick
Published: November 2021

Multiphonics is the production of more than one tone at a time from an instrument that would normally play a single line. The aim of this work is to identify and explore the elements of multiphonics as played by jazz brass players and to examine the production and development of multiphonics with particular reference to Albert Mangelsdorff’s mature technique. The research procedure includes a literature review, transcription and analysis of relevant music, and reflection on personal practice. The findings and discussion are used to draw conclusions in order to derive applicable testable techniques. The research points to where the accretion and extension of Mangelsdorff’s playing style may lead, and demonstrates the acquisition of discovered multiphonic techniques by the performance of transcriptions and new or extended musical applications of multiphonics in two recorded assessed recitals. The body of the paper gives brief biographical information on the main practitioners, with specific focus on how each of them acquired particular technical elements. Reference is made to prior research and specific recordings and players are mentioned in regard to their innovations and stylistic techniques. Elements were discovered and explored in the researcher’s own practice over the previous decade and specifically the duration of the masters study from February 2008 – June 2009, and the effects of various approaches and exercises are discussed. This discussion includes the areas of mental and physical preparation, limitations and parameters of the physical playing, and the method used for developing multiphonic technique. The summary identifies the main findings and makes specific reference to how they might relate to practice. It suggests areas where further research can be developed to support the acquisition and practical application of multiphonic technique and extended techniques in brass performance. The work is presented as a paper and accompanying DVD that demonstrates findings as played by the researcher in live recitals.
Overlapping Realities: Exploring How the Culture and Management of an Early Childhood Education Centre Provides Teachers with Opportunities for Professional Dialogue
Authors:   , Healy Christine
Published: November 2021

This research project investigated teachers' use of professional dialogue in one EC education centre in New Zealand. The qualitative case study highlighted the teachers' understanding of professional dialogue, the perceived purposes for professional dialogue and the cultural and organisational opportunities for professional dialogue. The theoretical understanding of dialogue was drawn from educational and organisational literature. The term professional dialogue was also supported in the literature and captured the identity and ethos of the EC teachers' role as a professional. Cultural historical activity theory was the conceptual framework which informed the methodology and was used for the data analysis. Multiple perspectives were acknowledged in a collective understanding of professional dialogue. The research found that issues of time are important: the timing of the dialogical space and the lack of time for professional dialogue. In addition, opportunities for professional dialogue within an education centre are limited, social and ad hoc conversations support a team approach to professional dialogue, and the presence of student teachers enhance teachers' professional dialogue.
Defiance and Compliance: Australia and the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
Authors:   , Grandkoski Danika
Published: November 2021

An analysis of Australia’s level of compliance with the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (the Convention) according to theories of compliance, suggests that no single compliance theory can adequately explain both instances of violation and instances of compliance. Much of Australia’s violation of the Convention, and subsequently other international human rights treaties, stems from more recent legislative changes though Australia’s offshore processing initiatives. Collectively theories of compliance are useful for identifying the driving factors which govern Australia’s handling of international obligations under the Convention. Liberal compliance theory indicates civil society and non-state actors are the most influential drivers ensuring the state is held accountable for upholding its obligations and responsibilities. Constructivist compliance theory suggests the greatest pull towards non-compliance is Australia’s notion of national identity which has influenced discriminatory policies throughout its history. National identity remains an influential driver as evidenced by current politicisation of discussion surrounding refugees and asylum seekers in Australia and subsequent legislative agendas.
Time to Conceive: a New Argument for the Possibility of Time Travel
Authors:   , Burkett Daniel
Published: November 2021

Ordinarily, philosophers arguing for the possibility of time travel restrict themselves to defending time travel against allegations of inconsistency and contradiction. These objections are usually based on particular theories about time and causality. I believe, however, that this way of arguing can be turned on its head. By using the conceivability thesis – that is, the thesis that if something is conceivable, then it is also possible – we can put forward a positive argument for the possibility of time travel, and then consider how this should inform our metaphysical views. I do this by assuming the truth of the conceivability thesis and then presenting a simple piece of time travel fiction. I argue for the conceivability of this story and, in doing so, attempt to show that the time travel journey it describes is logically possible. I then develop this argument by considering other more controversial cases of time travel. I make minor alterations to the original time travel story in order to show that there are a number of different kinds of time travel journeys (including cases of both forwards and backwards time travel) which are conceivable and, therefore, logically possible. Finally, I ask how the conceivability of different types of time travel should affect the metaphysical views we choose to adopt. I argue that since the conceivability of time travel entails the logical possibility of journeys to other times, any plausible theory of time must be able to accommodate such journeys. I also explain how the conceivability of time travel entails the logical possibility of two particularly unusual cases of causation. I argue that the conceivability of instantaneous time travel entails the logical possibility of causation at a distance, and that the conceivability of backwards time travel entails the logical possibility of backwards causation. Any plausible theory of causation must therefore be able to account for the possibility of these two types of causation. I consider one particular theory of causation which does not (namely, that put forward by D.H. Mellor), and then attempt to establish where it goes wrong.
Referential Integrity in Cloud NoSQL Databases
Authors:   , Raja Harsha
Published: November 2021

Cloud computing delivers on-demand access to essential computing services providing benefits such as reduced maintenance, lower costs, global access, and others. One of its important and prominent services is Database as a Service (DaaS) which includes cloud Database Management Systems (DBMSs). Cloud DBMSs commonly adopt the key-value data model and are called Not only SQL (NoSQL) DBMSs. These provide cloud suitable features like scalability, flexibility and robustness, but in order to provide these, features such as referential integrity are often sacrificed. In such cases, referential integrity is left to be dealt with by the applications instead of being handled by the cloud DBMSs. Thus, applications are required to either deal with inconsistency in the data (e.g. dangling references) or to incorporate the necessary logic to ensure that referential integrity is maintained. This thesis presents an Application Programming Interface (API) that serves as a middle layer between the applications and the cloud DBMS in order to maintain referential integrity. The API provides the necessary Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) operations to be performed on the DBMS while ensuring that the referential integrity constraints are satisfied. These constraints are represented as metadata and four different approaches are provided to store it. Furthermore, the performance of these approaches is measured with different referential integrity constraints and evaluated upon a set of experiments in Apache Cassandra, a prominent cloud NoSQL DBMS. The results showed significant differences between the approaches in terms of performance. However, the final word on which one is better depends on the application demands as each approach presents different trade-offs.
Cross-Strait Economic Interdependence and the Prospects for Peace between Mainland China and Taiwan
Authors:   , Zhang Li
Published: November 2021

The further development of economic globalisation causes the status and effect of economic factors to continuously increase in international relations. This new characteristic is increasingly apparent in cross-strait relations as the course of the reform and opening-up in mainland China, as well as the development of cross-strait economy and trade. Particularly since the mainland and Taiwan signed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in 2010, economic development has become one of the most important issues between the two sides. Since the détente between the mainland and Taiwan in the 1980s, cross-strait economics and trade have displayed two primary characteristics. First, the volume of trade, the amount of investment, and especially the economic interdependency between the two sides are all constantly increasing. Second, although under the influence of fluctuating political relations, the cross-strait economic relationship is still maintaining a stable development tendency. Due to the impact of economic globalisation, both the mainland and Taiwan are re-examining their own economic interests and have realized that economic relations form the cornerstone of their relationship. The expanding common interest which is generated from the deepening cross-strait economic exchanges between the mainland and Taiwan is becoming the key factor in both governments’ political considerations. Cross-strait economic and trade development is thus becoming an interests mechanism which maintains the framework of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. This thesis argues that cross-strait economic interdependence and cross-strait relations are inherently and interactively related. From the viewpoint of Neoliberalist Theory and Interdependent Theory, and on the basis of the development course of cross-strait economy and trade, this article analyzes the interactive effect between the cross-strait economy and cross-strait relations, especially the political relations from many factors such as the signing of ECFA, the impact of Taiwanese businessmen’s investment in the mainland, and the mainland's Taiwan policy. This thesis concludes that on the one hand, the increase in cross-strait economic interdependence will promote peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. On the other hand, stable cross-strait relations will also provide a policy guarantee and a peaceful scope for the future development of the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan.
Green Consumption Behaviour as a Social Process
Authors:   , Hooper Stephanie
Published: November 2021

In recent years, environmental concern, sustainability and climate change have become widespread political and social issues. The prevalence of environmental issues in the social environment has encouraged the majority of consumers to develop concern for environmental issues, pro-environmental attitudes and an intention to purchase green products and practice green behaviour. However, future growth of green consumerism is threatened by an “attitude-behaviour gap”. Sustainable consumption behaviour is limited to a niche market of “green” consumers, and must expand into more mainstream consumer markets. This study is aimed at exploring how individual perceptions, personal relationships and social experiences shape green consumption behaviour. Its objectives were (1) to achieve a greater understanding of how the social environment influences the green consumption behaviour of individual consumers; and (2) to explore how pro-environmental behaviour change takes place. This study used qualitative methods and adopted an adapted case study methodology. The primary data was collected from semi-structured depth interviews with two participants from seven household cases. Four key insights of this research were: (1) “Green” and “mainstream” (i.e., not-so-green) consumers positively influence the green consumption behaviour of other consumers via social observations, comparisons and “greening strategies”, resulting in pro-environmental behaviour change; (2) “Mainstream” (i.e., not-so-green) consumers view “green” consumers as people who adopt “alternative” green consumption behaviour. A “green syndrome” has developed whereby “green” is viewed as an unattainable goal, limiting mainstream participation in green consumption behaviour; (3) “Green” and “mainstream” (i.e., not-so-green) consumers cope with their non-environmental actions with tradeoff and neutralisation arguments which reinforce the “attitude-behaviour gap” in green consumerism and (4) Personal relationships and household dynamics (i.e., household roles, lifecycle and structure) can affect the adoption and effectiveness of green consumption behaviour practiced within households. Pro-environmental behaviour can be encouraged by explicit green social norms in the social environment, as this reduces the efficacy of neutralisation techniques. Furthermore, the “mainstream” (i.e., not-so-green) population will adopt green products and practices when they are effective, convenient and cost-efficient.
Information Seeking and Information Sharing Behaviour in the Climate Change Community of Practice in the Pacific: Implications for Models of Library Services in Scientific and Technical Libraries
Authors:   , Murgatroyd Peter Warren
Published: November 2021

Focusing on one ‘community of practice’ – climate change – this research examines the extent to which traditional concepts of library services in scientific and technical libraries (and consequently models of library development) in the Pacific region are aligned to the identified information needs and dominant modes of information seeking and information sharing behaviour of stakeholders. A quantitative survey research methodology was utilized to collect primary data from a census of the identified ‘community of practice’ in order to determine dominant behaviours, perceptions and attitudes amongst respondents towards information seeking and information sharing. The prominence of informal networks for communication and information exchange and the value still ascribed to face-to-face encounters and the development of personal relationships was a dominant theme as was the reliance on internet technologies to acquire and share information. Libraries, at both the regional and national level, were viewed as less useful than alternative pathways for both information seeking and information sharing. A detailed literature review of capacity building initiatives in libraries in the region over the preceding two decades confirms that capacity across the region remains low and the perception and status of libraries within the government sector in the region is poor. Acknowledging the rapid shifts in the information landscape towards electronic access to information and the proliferation of web 2.0 pathways for communication and information, it is argued that if capacity in library and information management in the region is to be strengthened there needs to be a re-evaluation of the role of the library not only in relation to the need for alignment with the goals and objectives of the host organisation but also in light of attitudes towards information and information seeking and information sharing behaviour. Consultations within the climate change community during 2011 have highlighted the clear need to improve access to information and data both nationally and regionally in the Pacific and the value of establishing a region-wide portal mechanism for collating and disseminating climate-related information. Within this context Pacific libraries within the government sector and at the regional level must redefine their role and the services that they offer if they are to be valued and seen as useful and relevant to stakeholders.
Gray Mass: a Critical Engagement with John Gray's Political Philosophy and the Role of Christian Eschatology
Authors:   , Arcus Benjamin David
Published: November 2021

Contemporary political philosopher John Gray has recently asserted: “modern politics is a chapter in the history of religion.” Gray demonstrates how the roots of modern political violence can be traced back to Christianity. Furthermore, he sees Utopianism, “the Enlightenment project”, anthropocentrism and any notion of human meaning as all originating in the Christian notion of “salvation”. Gray argues that all of these ideas are disproven by values pluralism – the idea that human life consists of an incommensurable range of values. Gray is also critical of human beings technological appropriation of the world and the ecological crisis that this consciousness has precipitated. Gray claims that all forms of universalism are mistaken because they privilege a particular set of values at the expense of others. Gray offers a modus vivendi as a political construct that can appropriate the insights of values pluralism, without privileging any particular set of values. Despite considering Christianity (and its offspring) illusory, Gray asserts that the “myth of human meaning” is a “necessary illusion”; it is one that human beings cannot live without. Gray’s argument, however, is beset with inconsistencies, including an implicit teleology, despite his explicit rejection of all teleology, and the tendency of his thought toward nihilism, undermining his proposal of a modus vivendi. In his own constructive proposal Gray inadvertently privileges values of peaceful coexistence and human flourishing. His own political vision has some similarities with the Christian vision of the ideal human life. Christian eschatology is examined through the work of Jürgen Moltmann, and the values of hope and love are highlighted as the ethical consequence of Christian eschatology, as opposed to the violence that Gray claims has been generated from it. Moltmann’s thought also reveals the resources present in a theological perspective that are able to resolve some of the contradictions between individuality and sociality and between human beings and nature. This has significant implications for the ecological crisis, which is also one of Gray’s central concerns. Finally, Martin Heidegger’s concept of Gelassenheit is examined as a point of common ground between Gray’s thought and a theological approach to the world of politics and nature.
Fateful Consequences: U.S.-Iran Relations during the Nixon and Ford Administrations, 1969-77
Authors:   , Cooper Andrew Scott
Published: November 2021

This thesis analyzes the trajectory of U.S.-Iran relations from 1969, when Richard Nixon came to office, through the early and mid-1970s when the Nixon Doctrine embraced Iran as the cornerstone of its national security architecture in the Persian Gulf and West Asia, to 1977 when Ford left office with U.S.-Iran relations in a state of disrepair. It discusses the factors—geopolitics, economics, Iranian nationalism, domestic politics, the rise of transnational entities like Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), rivalries between the Departments of Defense, State, and Treasury and personal ambitions—which damaged the relationship and contributed to the collapse of the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran. It lays particular stress on the difficulties in resolving national security and conflicting economic interests in regards to Iran’s oil resources at time when U.S. dependency on oil from the Middle East increased. It places these conflicts in the context of a series of crises in the form of the 1973 energy crisis, the October War, Watergate, the OPEC oil embargo and oil shock. It explains that the inability or unwillingness of either side to resolve their policy differences resulted from the economic forces unleashed by the oil shock, the difficulties of reconciling strategic, geopolitical and economic goals, and the domestic political vulnerabilities of chief architects of the relationship—Presidents Nixon and Ford, Henry Kissinger, and the Shah Reza Pahlavi—at a time when Vietnam, Watergate and recession weakened the U.S. and the Shah faced the dangers of incipient rebellion, revolution and coup which he tried to suppress through the use of SAVAK, the secret police, and one-party rule. The thesis thus examines how the intrusion of economic concerns into cold war geopolitical calculations had fateful consequences, not only for U.S.-Iran relations, but for U.S. national security strategy, the survival of the Pahlavi regime, and stability in the Persian Gulf which resulted in a new U.S. reliance upon Saudi Arabia to ensure access to oil.
Repatriation in Practice: A Critical Analysis of the Repatriation of Human Remains in New Zealand Museums
Authors:   , O’Hara Coralie
Published: November 2021

The repatriation of human remains from museum collections is becoming increasingly common in museums around the world and particularly in New Zealand. Even the most amicable repatriation cases are complex, requiring a substantial commitment of time, energy and resources from museum staff involved in the negotiation process, to successfully overcome any issues that arise. Although it is known that the repatriation process can be challenging, the literature on the subject in museum studies and related fields focuses on the beneficial outcomes of successful negotiations, rather than explaining what difficulties can be encountered and how they can be solved. This research asks how problems in the repatriation process can be overcome to create mutually rewarding relationships between museums and others involved in the repatriation of human remains. This problem was addressed through a case study of the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme at Te Papa and three examples of their work: the Natural History Museum in Rouen, France; the British Museum in London; and the Rangitāne o Wairau iwi in New Zealand. Documentary evidence relating to these three repatriation examples was reviewed and the insights of museum staff have been captured through interviews with professionals from Karanga Aotearoa, Auckland Museum and Tairāwhiti Museum in Gisborne. Together these methods provided data that presented a more detailed and rounded picture of the current New Zealand situation regarding the repatriation of human remains. The dissertation concludes by assessing the difficulties in the practical repatriation process and how they have been overcome in New Zealand museums. I argue that repatriation practice, as an important area of museum practice in its own right, requires a flexible approach based on the principle of open-minded engagement with the perspectives of others involved in repatriation negotiations. This approach, focusing on relationships rather than transactions, is a marked departure from more traditional museum practice.
The State of Play: An Exploration of Games and Their Value in museum Exhibitions
Authors:   , Berndt Anton
Published: November 2021

In the field of museum studies there has been very little consideration of games and their application to exhibiting practice. This represents a significant gap in the theory on current museum practice given the frequency of games in exhibitions and the scale of the commercial games industry in contemporary culture. This study begins to redress this issue by exploring how a significant and influential museum operating within the paradigm of the new museology views the role of games in its exhibitions. The thesis considers the central research question: what do practitioners currently think about games in museum exhibitions and how could museum games be improved. Following an interpretivist methodology the study seeks to answer this question through a case study of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Seven practitioners affiliated with this museum were interviewed about their understanding of games and their application in a museum context. The research findings illuminate the current understanding of games held by these practitioners and factors that inhibit the successful implementation of games at Te Papa. It was found that the practitioners’ opinions had not been influenced by the available theoretical literature on games. It was also found that practitioners thought games in exhibitions at the museum have not been particularly successful in achieving either the goals of exhibitions or the potential that games offer. It is concluded that the introduction of theories on play and on games into museum theory and practice has potential for significant advances in this area of exhibition development. In contemporary museums there is a shift away from presenting absolute, positivist understandings of knowledge toward the subjective, construction of meaning. Museums are also increasingly required to maintain economic efficacy while offering a valuable service to the populace. This thesis responds to this situation by proposing that a greater knowledge and utilisation of games in exhibitions offers a valuable approach in negotiating these two trends. By presenting an understanding of games, their potential value for museums and perspectives on what currently inhibits their successful application this research offers the field of museum studies a basis from which to develop knowledge of this under-theorised aspect of museum practice.
"Ko Wai te Ingoa o Tenei Whare?" Architecture and Māori Identity
Authors:   , Prendergast Simon Te Ari
Published: November 2021

The whare whakairo or traditional Māori meeting house plays an important part in Māori society and identity. These whare tell the tale of their origin, and in so doing, the origins of their people. The analysis of the meeting house, the histories expressed in its decorative carvings and structural elements are inextricably linked with and dependent upon the structure of the world created by myth and the Māori worldview. However, due to the deleterious effects of colonisation, the art of wood carving and associated architectural practices - central to Māori identity, suffered decline in many parts of the country, leading to the decline of Māori culture and identity. Sir Apirana Ngata instigated the National Institute of Māori Arts and Crafts to resurrect the dying art of Māori carving and carved houses would be a catalyst for the restoration of Māori culture throughout the country. Ngata saw these whare whakairo as being the heart of Māori communities by establishing a renewed sense of belonging and identification with space for Māori, through the telling of tribal histories and emphasising key geographical features. New threats in the form of global hegemony and urbanisation have further impacted on Māori notions of identity, creating a generation of displaced urban Māori youth. This research proposes to establish an architectural response to capture displaced Māori youth through the resurrection of the Māori carving school and return to them the lost stories of their cultural history and identity. This program will be developed within the complex challenges that exist within post-earthquake Ōtautahi/Christchurch, where many have lost homes and livelihoods, especially Māori youth in the Eastern Suburbs. The building elements of the proposed Māori carving school give reference to the historio-cultural features of the original Ōtautahi/Christchurch landscape that are situated in tribal song and myth. It is envisioned that the development of a Māori carving school will help restore Māori identity and a renewed sense of belonging, and allow for the telling of this generations stories through traditional narratives.
The Isolation and Structure Elucidation of Secondary Metabolites from Tongan Marine Invertebrates
Authors:   , Woolner Victoria Helen
Published: November 2021

During the course of this study, Tongan marine organisms were investigated for new secondary metabolites. A combination of reversed- and normal-phase chromatographic techniques and NMR spectroscopy was employed, to aid in the isolation and structure elucidation of the five known and four new compounds isolated in this study. A brief investigation into the antifungal activity of Tongan holothurian saponins was instigated in order to compare the activity against saponins isolated from the common New Zealand sea cucumber, Australostichopus mollis. A yeast-based chemical genetics study, determined the antifungal activity, for four partially purified Tongan holothurian extracts, against Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to be similar to neothyonidioside (44), a saponin from A. mollis. This result suggested the antifungal activity to be a common characteristic to sea cucumber saponins. Further interest in secondary metabolites from Tongan marine organisms led this study towards the investigation of Tongan marine sponges. Five sponges were selected for screening, and two chosen for further study which yielded five known compounds (51–53, 61, 62) and four new fascaplysin derivatives; 7-bromoreticulatine,10-bromo-6,7-dimethoxyhomofascaplysin C,10-bromo-6, 7-dimethoxyhomofascaplysin D, and 10-bromohomofascaplysin A (63–66, respectively). Although 63 and 66 are new members of the fascaplysin family solely due to the position of the bromine, it appears that bromination on the A-ring is comparatively rare, with only three of the 24 literature examples displaying A-ring bromination. On the other hand, 64 and 65 present a new sub-class of fascaplysin derivatives due to the presence of a dimethoxy functionality. Both 7-bromoreticulatine (63) and 10-bromohomofascaplysin A (66) were found to be potently cytotoxic in the HL-60 cell line, exhibiting IC50 values of 33.8 and 498 nM, respectively. 10-Bromo-6,7-dimethoxyhomofascaplysins C (64) and D (65) were significantly less cytotoxic with respective IC₅₀ values of 2.7 and 6.0 μΜ. (Abstract continues with diagrams).
Intelligent Structured Intermittent Auscultation (ISIA): A Mixed Methods Evaluation of an Informed Decision-Making Framework for Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring
Authors:   , Maude Robyn Mary
Published: November 2021

Intermittent Auscultation (IA) of the fetal heart (FH) is a screening tool for the assessment of fetal well-being during labour; the detection of changes in the FH rate and rhythm may signal fetal compromise. While the evidence reveals that IA is as effective as continuous cardiotocography (CTG) for FH monitoring for low-risk women, current practitioners favour the use of continuous CTG despite the risk of significantly increased maternal and fetal morbidity. Translating the knowledge of the effectiveness of IA into practice became the primary aim of this study. While auscultation and palpation are essential midwifery skills, the teaching of IA does not go beyond simply outlining the protocol for frequency, duration, and timing and less is understood about the underlying physiology associated with what is heard and the reassurance of fetal wellbeing that this provides. A knowledge translation intervention, in the form of an evidence-based informed decision-making framework for Intelligent Structured Intermittent Auscultation (ISIA) and a comprehensive educational intervention were developed to enhance midwives‘ knowledge and awareness of IA and to influence decision-making and practice for FH monitoring for low-risk women. A mixed methods non-experimental pre- and post - intervention study design was used to evaluate the knowledge intervention. Pre measures included a retrospective review of 511 medical records to assess existing FH monitoring practices, and focus groups with 14 midwives explored barriers and facilitators to the use of IA. The intervention was then delivered to a mix of 33 midwives and doctors three months later, followed by a second review of 422 medical records and focus groups with seven midwives to determine any changes in practice and to evaluate outcomes. The findings revealed a statistically significant increase in the use of ISIA with improved documentation, and a relative decrease of 14% in the use an admission CTG for low risk women. The ISIA framework has wide applicability in all maternity settings. This research has illuminated the effects of culture, organisation and the socio-political context on the ability for midwives to utilise their fundamental midwifery skills to promote, facilitate and protect normal physiological birth in the institutional maternity care setting. Engagement with a Knowledge Translation project and the introduction of the ISIA framework for FHR monitoring for low risk women has given midwives voice to generate change.
Synthesis of N-Glycans and Azasugars to Target Disease
Authors:   , Moggré Gert-Jan
Published: November 2021

In this thesis two aspects of carbohydrate research will be discussed. First, the total synthesis of N-glycans found on allergens that are known to stimulate an allergic immune response and second, the synthesis of iminosugars in an attempt to extend the scope of the PGF-methodology. Asthma affects 235 million people worldwide, with New Zealand ranking among the highest in the world. Although there is a good understanding of how allergens trigger the immune system on a “macroscopic” level, how an allergen’s molecular structure causes such an allergic response remains unknown. Upon close review of carbohydrates present on the allergens that are known to give an allergic T helper (Th 2) immune response, a common structure has been identified. The structure consists of a complex type N-glycan made up of a pentasaccharide core (Man3(GlcNHAc)2), with additional 1,3-linked α-L-fucose and 1,2-linked D-xylose cappings. As part of a structure relationship study this heptasaccharide and structural derivatives thereof have been synthesised. The synthesis of these N-glycans will allow a more detailed study of the role of these defined structures in triggering an allergic immune response.  The second part of this thesis focuses on the protecting group free (PGF) synthesis of iminosugars, which are potent glycosidase inhibitors and are currently used in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Synthetic strategies for the synthesis of iminosugars involve the use of protecting groups, which are necessary to block potential competing reactive centres within a molecule during the multistep synthesis. The disadvantage, however, is that the installation of protecting groups introduces additional steps to the total synthesis, which inevitably leads to lower yields and the generation of waste. Within our group, PGF methodologies have been developed which allow for the synthesis of a variety of iminosugars. The work presented in this thesis extends the scope of this methodology for the synthesis of an important class of iminosugars, the 2,5-dihydroxymethyl-3,4-dihydroxypyrrolidines. For the purpose of introducing an additional hydroxymethyl group, a ketose starting material was required, and therefore an efficient Vasella/reductive amination reaction using ketoses was developed. Additionally, iodocyclisation and carbamate annulation of the intermediate alkenylamines provided successful entry to the 2,5-dihydroxymethyl-3,4-dihydroxypyrrolidines, exemplified by the efficient 6-step synthesis of 2,5-dideoxy-2,5-imino-L-iditol and 2,5-dideoxy-2,5-imino-D-mannitol (DMDP).
Fallacies in Judicial Interpretation
Authors:   , Hutchison Andrew Geoffrey
Published: November 2021

This thesis concerns fallacies in judicial interpretation. The central contention of this thesis is that judges commit certain fallacies when interpreting language and that it is possible to detect such fallacies and arrive at alternative, non-fallacious interpretations when they occur. An instance of judicial interpretation is fallacious when it takes into account an irrelevant consideration and it is most likely that a different result would have been reached if that consideration had been omitted, or when it omits a relevant consideration and it is most likely that a different result would have been reached if that relevant consideration had been taken into account. The thesis identifies two specific fallacies which involve judges introducing an irrelevant consideration and usually involve judges omitting relevant considerations. These two fallacies are errors of categorisation, and occur when judges make an interpretive decision on the basis of the irrelevant consideration of the verbal category to which an item can be assigned rather than the relevant considerations which determine the legal category to which it should be assigned. These two fallacies are detected by assessing whether an instance of interpretation is merely based on the verbal category to which an item can be assigned or whether it is justified by relevant considerations. Alternative, non-fallacious interpretations are arrived at by introducing any relevant considerations and omitting any irrelevant considerations.
Boden Black (A Novel) and With Axe and Pen in the New Zealand Alps: Differences Between Overseas and New Zealand Written Accounts of Climbing Mount Cook 1882-1920 and the Emergence of a New Zealand Voice in Mountaineering Literature
Authors:   , Fearnley Jura
Published: November 2021

This thesis has two components: creative and critical. The creative component is the novel Boden Black. It is a first person narrative, imagined as a memoir, and traces the life of its protagonist, Boden Black, from his childhood in the late 1930s to adulthood in the present day. The plot describes various significant encounters in the narrator’s life: from his introduction to the Mackenzie Basin and the Mount Cook region in the South Island of New Zealand, through to meetings with mountaineers and ‘lost’ family members. Throughout his journey from child to butcher to poet, Boden searches for ways to describe his response to the natural landscape. The critical study is titled With Axe and Pen in the New Zealand Alps. It examines the published writing of overseas and New Zealand mountaineers climbing at Aoraki/Mount Cook between 1882 and 1920. I advance the theory that there are stylistic differences between the writing of overseas and New Zealand mountaineers and that the beginning of a distinct New Zealand mountaineering voice can be traced back to the first accounts written by New Zealand mountaineers attempting to reach the summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook. The first mountaineer to attempt to climb Aoraki/Mount Cook was William Spotswood Green, an Irishman who introduced high alpine climbing to New Zealand in 1882. Early New Zealand mountaineers initially emulated the conventions of British mountaineering literature as exemplified by Green and other famous British mountaineers. These pioneering New Zealand mountaineers attempted to impose the language of the ‘civilised’ European alpine-world on to the ‘uncivilised’ world of the Southern Alps. However, as New Zealand mountaineering became more established at Aoraki/Mount Cook from the 1890s through to 1920, a distinct New Zealand voice developed in mountaineering literature: one that is marked by a sense of connection to place expressed through site-specific, factual observation and an unadorned, sometimes laconic, vernacular writing style.
Exploring Teachers' perceptions of the Implementation of Inclusive Education in a Regular Primary School: A Papua New Guinea Study
Authors:   , Mambo Jenny Apurel
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers‟ perceptions of the implementation of inclusive education in one regular primary school in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. The school was made up of twenty-five teachers and an estimate of 350 students. However only twenty teachers participated in the study. The twenty teachers were composed of one head teacher, one deputy head teacher, two senior subject teachers, five senior teachers and eleven classroom teachers. It was a qualitative study using a case study approach. The data were gathered through questionnaires, individual interviews, focus group interviews, and document analysis. The results of this study showed that (i) teachers were not fully aware of inclusive education policy and practice, (ii) poor implementation of inclusive education policy was due to lack of appropriate training and professional development, (iii) inclusive education needs to be funded separately by all levels of government.
Weaving Niche Production into Pacific Economies: The Social, Economic and Environmental Impacts of FIJI Water on Local Communities
Authors:   , Jones Catherine
Published: November 2021

This research explores the pursuit of 'economies of niche' in the Pacific region and the local social, economic and environmental impacts it entails. In the 1980s, Pacific nations adopted the neoliberal ideology as a means to stimulate economic growth and rehabilitate their vulnerable economies. However, this has brought significant challenges. Among other things, Pacific nations face problems regarding the tyranny to distance markets, lack of economies of scale, and the scarcity of investment. Niche production has been recommended as a way to counteract such problems. By adopting the niche model, Pacific Island nations are encouraged to craft products based on the region‘s unique imagery as a means of achieving a distinctive market position based on geographically differentiated production. Although Pacific nations have been encouraged to pursue economies of niche, the influence and impact of this method, particularly at a local scale, remains critically unexplored. To address this, the case-study of Fiji and one of its most 'successful' globalised niche exporters FIJI Water – a multinational bottled water company – will be explored. This work critically explains and criticises the global success of FIJI Water at the macro-scale. Through village based case-studies of the social, environmental and environmental impacts of FIJI Water‘s export success an analysis of the local implications of niche production in the Pacific is also offered.
A Theory of Coordination in Agile Software Development Projects
Authors:   , Strode Diane Elizabeth
Published: November 2021

Agile software development offers a deceptively simple means to organise complex multi-participant software development while achieving fast delivery of quality software, meeting customer requirements, and coping effectively with project change. There is little understanding, however, of how agile software development projects achieve effective coordination, a critical factor in successful software projects. Agile software development provides a unique set of practices for organising the work of software projects, and these practices seem to achieve effective project coordination. Therefore, this thesis takes a coordination perspective to explore how agile software projects work, and why they are effective. The outcome of this research is a theory of coordination in co-located agile software development projects. To build a coordination theory, evidence was drawn from a multi-case study following the positivist tradition in information systems. Three cases of agile software development contributed to the theory, along with one additional non-agile project that contributed contrasting evidence. The findings show that agile software development practices form a coordination strategy addressing three broad categories of dependency: knowledge dependencies, task dependencies, and resource dependencies. Most coordination is for managing requirement, expertise, historical, and task allocation dependencies; all forms of knowledge dependency. Also present are task dependencies, which include activity or business process dependencies, and resource dependencies, which include technical or entity dependencies. The theory of coordination explains that an agile coordination strategy consists of coordination mechanisms for synchronising the project team, for structuring their relations, and for boundary spanning. A coordination strategy contributes to coordination effectiveness, which has explicit and implicit components. The primary contribution of this theory is an explanation of how agile software development practices act together to achieve effective project coordination. The coordination strategy concept can be used to select practices from agile methods to ensure software projects achieve effective coordination. In addition, once operationalised in future work, the well-grounded theoretical concepts developed in this research will provide valuable tools for measuring the coordination effectiveness of agile method adoption and adaptation.
Upper Primary Students' Perceptions of Small Group Learning in Learning Vietnamese Language
Authors:   , Nguyen Luong Hai Nhu
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of upper-year students in Vietnamese primary schools about learning in small groups when studying Vietnamese language in comparison to traditional methods. Students’ perceptions of small group learning were explored through examination of five main factors: benefits, difficulties, group types, individual accountability, and group assessment.  An interpretive approach was used to explore the topic, from which data were collected in a two-phase multi-case study using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Four classes of three primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, having different applications of small groups in learning, were selected for observation and survey by questionnaire. Twenty four students from the first phase of the study varying in gender and learning achievement were chosen for face-to-face interviews to examine more in-depth their perceptions about small group learning. To improve the trustworthiness of the research, teachers from these classes and principles of the schools were interviewed to obtain a more accurate overview of the research.  The study found that overall, Vietnamese upper-primary students preferred to learning in small groups to the traditional whole-class model despite the differences in implementing small group learning in each school. The results showed a positive concurrence with existing literature on the main findings, such as the three main benefits to students’ outcomes (e.g. academic achievement, social skills, and attitudes); and some inevitable difficulties when using this method for learning (e.g. time management, isolation and lack of group skills). The students’ choices of group types also reflected the current international students’ perceptions (e.g. preference for heterogeneous ability but homogeneous gender group).  The research also presented some interesting points unique to the Vietnamese context which might enrich the current literature of students’ perceptions of small group learning. They were the preference for large group sizes, the two-aspects of leadership, the preference for whole-group assessment, and the suitability of this method for learning Vietnamese language rather than other subjects. The research also showed the underlying influences of the desire for better achievement, the consideration for others’ feelings and the collective cultural context on Vietnamese upper primary students’ views of small group learning in learning Vietnamese language. The relationships between students’ gender and achievement to their perceptions of small group learning were also mentioned and described though these were not strong enough to generalise. A theoretical framework was proposed to illustrate the research findings. These findings suggest that small group learning should be implemented more frequently in Vietnamese primary schools and the study recommends that there be further training in group skills for students.