bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Комплексний алгоритм створення керуючих автоматів на базі машинного навчання
Authors: Козак Євген Борисович
Published: December 2021

У статті досліджено комплексний алгоритм створення керуючих автоматів на базі машинного навчання. Розкрито необхідність застосування принципів машинного навчання на керуючих автоматах. Описано генезис автоматів навчання та їх приналежність до штучного інтелекту. Визначено принципи побудови машини Цетліна та перспективні напрями її застосування щодо умов дослідження. Наголошено, що алгоритм навчання керуючого автомата використовує дискретні етапи оновлення, застосовуючи лінійну тактику, це, у свою чергу, дозволяє обмежити алгоритм кінцевою кількістю станів, визначених ансамблем автоматів Цетліна. Визначено умови, якими керується принцип оновлення автомата: значення літералів, параметри та поточні дії автоматів Цетліна з точки зору включення та виключення. Запропоновано основну архітектуру машинного класифікатора Цетліна з двома пунктами та наголошено, що ефективність машинного навчання з використанням автоматів навчання залежить від ряду гіперпараметрів, які необхідно ретельно налаштувати перед тренуванням. Процес налаштування точності та збіжності для цієї задачі називається пошуком гіперпараметрів. Обґрунтовано застосування принципу максимального паралелізму для машинної реалізації автоматів навчання Цетліна. Визначено метод бінаризації із замкнутим циклом зі зворотним зв’язком щодо точності, який ігнорує статистичну значущість даних, яка визначає, як класи виведення висновків співвідносяться з набором даних. Наведено діаграму потоку даних методу бінаризації, який орієнтовано на значущість. Описаний метод  організований у три етапи: етап 1 (зменшення розмірності), етап 2 (класифікація), етап 3 (двійкове кодування). Запропоновано схематично логічну реалізацію програмування керуючого автомата. Визначено перспективи подальших досліджень, які ґрунтуються на розробці масштабованої апаратної архітектури.
Перспективні рішення щодо автоматизації методів вимірювання в нанометричному діапазоні
Authors: Павленко В’ячеслав Якович , Шорнікова Світлана Василівна , Лук’янюк Світлана Василівна , Чайковський Сергій Юрійович
Published: December 2021

У статті наголошено, що нанометрологія є невід’ємною складовою нановиробництва, а світовий ринок наноматеріалів активно розвивається і його ємність у 2019 р. оцінювалася в 8,5 млрд дол. США з перспективою зростання на 13,1 % на період до 2027 р. При цьому створюються нові перспективні нанотехнології і наноматеріали. А це вимагає розвитку системи нанометрології. Вважається, що система нановиробництво – нанотехнологія має розв’язувати такі задачі: автоматичне інтелектуальне вимірювання з допомогою числового програмного управління (ЧПУ) з вбудованою міні-ЕОМ; автономне або онлайн програмування вимірювальних інструментів ЧПУ з вбудованою міні-ЕОМ; автоматизована заміна заготовок і виробів; автоматизована заміна зондів і датчиків; автоматизована оцінка результатів вимірювань. У світі створена та використовується велика гама електронних мікроскопів для оцінки геометрії нановиробів. Проте розвиток нанотехнологій вимагає оснащення їх автоматизованими системами та відповідним програмним забезпеченням. Створено експериментальний автоматизований прилад (інтерференційний профілометр) та програмне забезпечення для безконтактного вимірювання мікро- та нанотопографії поверхні виробу, її тривимірного представлення, визначення показників шорсткості та параметрів сканування. Розроблено автоматизовану систему вимірювання і контролю для атомно-силової мікроскопії (АСМ), яка має удосконалений блок контролю систем позиціонування лазерного променя на зонд АСМ. Одним із напрямів автоматизації лінійних вимірювань у нанометрології є використання еталонів порівняння, а для цього необхідне відповідне корегування державних стандартів нанометрології. Проведений аналіз опублікованих матеріалів свідчить про певні позитивні результати у справі автоматизації нановимірювань у середовищі нановиробництва. Проте очевидно, що цей напрям діяльності потребує збільшення фінансування та нових ідей для забезпечення конкурентоздатності нановиробів.
Community-Based Conservation and Cross-Cultural Relationships
Authors:   , Van Lier Jerry
Published: December 2021

Conservation is a well-established concept which exists in diverse forms based on diverse meanings and environmental values. The role which communities play in local resource management addresses many challenges in regards to top-down state management over natural resources. Communities’ ability to act as environmental agents is contingent on how willing nation-states are to devolve power and decision-making to communities. Co-management relationships between community and state is one means of devolving power and increasing community agency. Where Indigenous communities are involved, co-management is a way of shifting power, knowledge and resources away from Western centred norms towards Indigenous worldviews and institutions. In Aotearoa New Zealand, co-management emerges across conservation efforts, from state managed levels to locally managed levels. Community-based conservation is one type of local co-management.  This research aims to analyse the different experiences and perspectives of community volunteers at the Manawa Karioi Ecological Restoration project in Island Bay, Wellington. The Manawa Karioi Ecological Restoration project is first and foremost a collaborative relationship between the volunteers of the Manawa Karioi Society and the whānau (family) of the Tapu Te Ranga marae. The land on which conservation occurs belongs to the Tapu Te Ranga marae, and therefore the longstanding relationship that the two groups have with one another goes a long way to explaining the effectiveness of restoration at Manawa Karioi. This research focuses on interviews from twelve different participants, both from the Tapu Te Ranga marae and the Manawa Karioi Society.  Through the conceptual lens of poststructuralism and political ecology, the key themes of this research will bring to light how the relationship between the Tapu Te Ranga marae and the Manawa Karioi Society enables process towards decolonisation of community-based conservation, wider societal understandings of nature and sense of place in nature. This research will explore the relationship between Manawa Karioi and the Tapu Te Ranga marae, with an aim to provoke further thought for other community organisations who wish to engage with, or already have a form of relationship with, Iwi, hapu or whānau. In doing so this research can be offered as a frame of reference for such organisations.
Imitation in foreign location choice: The role of upper echelons' diversity
Authors:   , Ahmed Umar
Published: December 2021

This research investigates how the Top Management Team (TMT) characteristics impact the imitation of home country firms’ Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) location choice. A review of the FDI location choice research was performed, and various viewpoints for the selecting locations were identified. Amongst these viewpoints, the institutional perspective suggests that lack of cognition coupled with uncertainty about host markets compels firms to follow the FDI decisions of other home country firms. The review identified that the current literature in the cognitive domain had overlooked the role of TMTs. Upper echelon theory suggests that TMTs are not only a unique source of cognitive resources but also help to overcome challenges associated with internationalisation. This research applies institutional theory and the upper echelon theory to advance the argument of how and why TMT characteristics may impact the imitation of location choice decisions. Various TMT attributes like TMT international experience, TMT international experience diversity, TMT tenure diversity, TMT education diversity and TMT functional diversity were hypothesised to moderate the imitation in FDI location choice.  This research applied quantitative methods to assess the proposed hypotheses. First, a sample of 202 US-based firms (which invested in 11 Asia-Pacific countries from 2009 to 2014) was collected from FDI Markets database. This sample generated a panel dataset of 12,771 observations. Nearly 11,000 unique top manager profiles were created to compute the TMT data for the firms in the given period. Through logistic regression, this study assessed whether TMT attributes moderate the extent of imitation in FDI location choice.  The findings from this research contribute to institutional theory by highlighting the role of upper echelons. In particular, the findings show that while TMT tenure diversity weakens the effect of imitation, TMT functional diversity further exacerbates the effect of imitation in location choice. It was also found that when firms do not have a prior presence in the host country, then TMT international experience also strengthens the effect of prior FDI by other home country firms. The research also supports that the effect of various TMT attributes could be subject to environmental conditions. In particular, it shows that deep-level characteristics cause a more profound impact when host country uncertainty is high, while surface-level characteristics are impactful when host country uncertainty is low.
New Zealand Early Childhood Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Practicum and Potential for Video Review
Authors:   , Bassett Susie
Published: December 2021

This qualitative study of 20 pre-service early childhood teachers investigated the students’ perceptions of their practicum experiences and views of the potential for video review use using two on-line surveys of Student Teachers (STs) in their second and third year of study in a New Zealand undergraduate three-year degree Initial Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). This study found STs perceived practicum as highly significant within their ITEP and value practicum opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in the real-world context of ECE centres with children and within teaching teams. However, STs reported a wide range of perceived challenges indicating that the practicum is problematic at times. These challenges involve the establishment of relationships and communication, transparency of assessment practices, and STs’ agency. These issues appear interrelated and impact upon student teacher responses within, and perceptions of, their practicum experience. Students were ambivalent to the potential use of video review while also recognising the benefits to their teacher development. The findings of this study provide further evidence of the need to re-examine the traditional practicum model and to consider alternative approaches by ITEP’s including video review.
Investment-Timing and the Threat of Disruption
Authors:   , Campbell Ryan John
Published: December 2021

An incumbent firm needs to determine how to best manage the risk of the arrival of a disruptive technology. The numerous actions available to the incumbent firm indicates a complex real-options model of investment is required. This thesis investigates the behaviour of an incumbent firm, with assets-in-place, when they have access to an investment opportunity. The incumbent must not only choose when to invest in the opportunity, but also the optimal structure with which to compete against a new entrant who also has this investment opportunity.  In order to delay competition in the market the incumbent can elect to permanently abandon the innovative option rather than seek to compete with the new entrant. The assets-in-place contributes significant value to the incumbent and by delaying the competition effect, the incumbent can reduce the cannibalization of assets-in-place. This is despite the fact that the incumbent can attempt to profitably invest in the innovation before the entrant. Clearly the assets-in-place provide a benefit to firm value for the incumbent, but act as a burden for the growth option’s development. Should consumer preferences begin to favour the innovation, then the decision to abandon the growth option loses its value. The incumbent in this instance does not care that they may accelerate the entrant’s investment as they can still profitably preempt the entrant.  In a competitive market, when the incumbent efficiently produces the innovation at no extra cost compared to an independent firm, the incumbent will elect to internalise, rather than spin off, the growth option. When the incumbent produces the innovation at a higher cost, than other market participants, they will spin off the growth option instead of internalising. When consumers favour the innovation, the incumbent becomes indifferent between spinning off and internalising the growth option as the objective functions in both cases converge to maximising the value of the growth option.
Complex System Design for Social Innovation in Aotearoa
Authors:   , Anderson Tania
Published: December 2021

There is a need for large-scale, societal, systems-level transition to a better and more sustainable future (Transition Design, 2018) promoting prosperity for all and protecting the planet; addressing challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice (United Nations SDGs, 2018). Creating change in a world defined by increasing complexity is difficult, and we face an array of these complex ‘wicked’ problems (Conway et al. 2017).  In Aotearoa, New Zealand, we need to address these and other ‘wicked’ problems; particularly in their disparity for women, solo-parent families, Māori, Pasifika peoples and people with disabilities (UNESCO Report, 2018). Especially as a bi-cultural nation with indigenous peoples with significant disparities between Māori and Pākehā and growing gaps in most social indi- cators (Durie, 1999).  Given the scale and complexity of these challenges, we need to find different ways of thinking, being and doing (Innovate Change, n.d) to address them; in achieving integrative, sustainable and equitable approaches to ‘wicked’ problems we require multiple disciplines and ways of knowing, seeing, being and acting (Adams, et al., 2019). The central enquiry in this research is in these ways of thinking, being and doing across the disciplines and theories of social innovation, systems theory and thinking, participatory and co-design, and complexity theory and sensemaking. It considers how they are and may contribute to radical, systemic forms of social change and the conditions, these may require, within ourselves as practitioners as well as the systems we are looking to change.  This research started with and was shaped by insights from interviews held with Aotearoa practitioners operating in spaces of systemic change; including social innovators, participatory and system designers, and public policy and wellbeing economy experts. It provides the research direction for evidence, literature and discourse analysis and emerging critical themes and concepts, proving critical for practice and practitioners within an Aotearoa context.  A ‘prototype’ model is presented intending to enable reflective practice in engagement with and contextualisation of the core concepts, considering the key ways of thinking, being and doing those of us operating in systemic social change need to engage with. It is generated from synthesised insights from interviews, literature review and personal critical reflections and experience as a practitioner; shifting the dialogue from one of ‘interdisciplinary’ as working together to ‘integrated’ as being together to contribute more effectively to systemic social change. This can be explored further engaging participatory methods with change agents, practitioners and those with lived experience in systemic change and social innovation.
Finite-element Modelling of Haupapa/Tasman Glacier's Basal Sliding Events
Authors:   , Macklin Clarrie
Published: December 2021

The rate of ice loss from glaciers and ice caps is a major source of uncertainty in predicting sea level rise out to 2100. Improving the predictive capability of ice flow models will, in part, require a more robust coupling of climate to long-term and short-term variability in glacial discharge. An ongoing concern is the role that surface melting and rainfall plays in accelerating glacier flow. Rapid drainage of surface water to the base of a glacier or ice sheet is thought to elevate basal water pressure, reduce basal friction, and thereby increases sliding speed. Here, we present several rain-induced speed-ups of Haupapa/Tasman Glacier, South Island, New Zealand, recorded by GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) instruments. Observed speed-up events involve large vertical offsets (up to ~53 cm) and large horizontal accelerations of up to twenty-four times background velocity. Due to it's pronounced sliding events, Haupapa/Tasman Glacier offers a useful case study for investigating the processes that govern the sliding behaviour of large glaciers prone to increasing meltwater variability as a cause of enhanced mass loss in a warming climate. The observed correspondence of vertical displacement and horizontal acceleration in this study suggests that the rapid growth of water-filled cavities at the bed controls basal motion during speed-ups. However, sliding laws that relate changes in basal velocity to changes in water pressure do not account for cavity growth. To investigate the processes governing a typical speed-up event, we use a finite-element modelling approach combined with a commonly-used sliding law to recreate internal deformation and basal sliding of Haupapa/Tasman Glacier during rain-induced acceleration. In general, we find peak velocities can only be achieved when basal water pressure exceeds ice overburden and velocity at the glacier sides is allowed to exceed that observed by a GNSS unit situated near the margins. The sliding law requires a more complete treatment of cavity growth under rapid water pressure changes to better capture basal acceleration observed at Haupapa/Tasman Glacier.
Queer Youth and Everyday Spaces in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand: A Photovoice Project
Authors:   , Scott Matt
Published: December 2021

Queer people are often ‘othered’ in everyday spaces because of the assumptions, practices, and beliefs that reinforce heterosexuality and cis-gendered bodies as normal and natural. For queer youth, these experiences are further exacerbated by their age and agency. Yet there has been little explicit geographic scholarship focused on understanding how queer youth navigate heteronormativity and practice their subjectivities in different everyday spaces.  In this thesis, I draw on the work of queer theory and geographies of sexuality literature to consider how subjectivities are constructed, controlled, and experienced by some queer youth in everyday spaces of Wellington, Aotearoa-New Zealand. I work within a transformative epistemology, and use photovoice as my research method to present the reflective engagements of six queer youth aged between sixteen and twenty-two through their photographs and accompanying narratives. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine the participants’ visual and verbal texts yields contradicting and varying experiences of heteronormativity.  Processes of subjectivity negotiation, queering space, conforming strategies, and gender performance influence how queer youth are placed within their everyday spaces. Safe spaces, like nature, the stage, and queer youth groups provide queer youth with the ability to be self-expressive, escape from the pressures of everyday life, and be surrounded with other queer people. Such spaces can be enhanced through activism, queer representation, and with the presence of animals and friends. This research contributes academically to research within geographies of sexualities and works towards disseminating these findings through a collaborative zine to support efforts to counter some of the dominating effects of heteronormativity identified by the queer youth.
AtmoVis: Visualization of Air Quality Data
Authors:   , Powley Benjamin
Published: December 2021

Air quality has an adverse impact on the health of people living in areas with poor quality air. Monitoring is needed to understand the effects of poor air quality. It is difficult to compare measurements to find trends and patterns between different monitoring sites when data is contained in separate data stores. Data visualization can make analyzing air quality more effective by making the data more understandable. The purpose of this research is to design and build a prototype for visualizing spatio-temporal data from multiple sources related to air quality and to evaluate the effectiveness of the prototype against criteria by conducting a user study. The prototype web based visualization system, AtmoVis, has a windowed layout with 6 different visualizations: Heat calendar, line plot, monthly rose, site view, monthly averages and data comparison. A pilot study was performed with 11 participants and used to inform the study protocol before the main user study was performed on 20 participants who were air quality experts or experienced with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The results of the study demonstrated that the heat calendar, line plot, site view, monthly averages and monthly rose visualizations were effective for analyzing the air quality through AtmoVis. The line plot and the heat calendar were the most effective for temporal data analysis. The interactive web based interface for data exploration with a window layout, provided by AtmoVis, was an effective method for accessing air quality visualizations and inferring relationships among air quality variables at different monitoring sites. AtmoVis could potentially be extended to include other datasets in the future.
Characterisation of the Antarctic stratospheric vortex mixing barrier
Authors:   , Cameron Christopher
Published: December 2021

The strongest stratospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere is the Antarctic Circumpolar Vortex (ACV) which forms each winter and spring as a zone of westerly winds surrounding Antarctica, presenting a barrier to transport of air masses between middle and high-latitudes. This barrier contributes to stratospheric temperatures above the polar region dropping sufficiently low in spring to allow for the processes leading to ozone destruction. Unfortunately, the ACV is generally not well simulated in Global Climate Models (GCMs), and this presents a challenge for model accuracy and projections in the face of a changing climate and a recovering ozone hole.  In this research, an assessment is made of the performance of a range of mixing metrics in representing the ACV based on reanalyses, including: Effective Diffusivity, Contour Crossing, the Lagrangian function $M$, and Meridional Impermeability. It is shown that Meridional Impermeability -- which provides a measure of the strength of the meridional mixing barrier as a function of potential vorticity (PV) gradient and wind-speed -- acts as a useful proxy for more complex metrics. In addition, Meridional Impermeability displays a well-defined vortex profile across equivalent latitude, which is not seen to the same degree in the other metrics assessed.  Representation of the ACV is further compared between climate models and reanalyses based on Meridional Impermeability. It is shown that while climate models have improved in their representation of the vortex barrier over time, there are still significant discrepancies between models and reanalyses. One cause of these discrepancies may result from the use of prescribed ozone fields rather than interactive ozone chemistry. This is further examined by comparing Chemistry Climate Model (CCM) simulations using interactive ozone chemistry, with those using prescribed ozone at either 3-D (i.e., height, latitude and longitude) or 2-D (i.e., height, latitude) dimensionality.   Considerable improvement in the representation of the ACV can be achieved by shifting from 2-D to 3-D prescribed ozone fields, and interactive ozone chemistry further improves its representation. However, discrepancies in model representation of the ACV still remain. Previous researchers have also attributed discrepancies in model representation of the polar vortices to the model resolution, and the parameterization of gravity waves at the sub-grid scale -- these factors are considered to contribute to the discrepancies found in simulations undertaken here also.   The results of this research are expected to provide guidance to improve the representation of vortex processes in climate modelling.
Half a World Away: New Zealanders in the Middle East during the Second World War
Authors:   , King Joshua
Published: December 2021

New Zealand’s longest and most important campaign of the Second World War was in the Middle East. When New Zealand’s Middle Eastern war is discussed, the focus is usually on combat and the lives of New Zealanders on the battlefield. The limited discussion of life behind the lines is dominated by a picture of racism, drunkenness and debauchery with its focal point in Cairo. This thesis uses primary sources, including letters, diaries, photographs and soldier publications, and focusses on how New Zealanders saw the Middle East through the lenses of place, materiality and people. It assesses how New Zealanders experienced the Middle East as a series of geographic and imagined places, the material things they chose to acquire in those places, and the relationships they formed with the diverse range of people they encountered. An examination of these three topics reveals a complex and rich picture of respect and loathing, delight and disgust, wonder and disillusionment. Such a picture shows that the one-dimensional understanding of racism and poor behaviour is an entirely inadequate representation of New Zealanders’ Middle Eastern war, a war that would take them to Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Iran and Iraq. In moving beyond this conventional understanding, this thesis hopes to expand the picture of New Zealand’s long relationship with the Middle East – a relationship that stretches from the beaches of Gallipoli in 1915 to the mountains of Afghanistan in the present day.
"Thank you, your English is very good also": Asian Panethnicity and its Performance in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors:   , Edwards Sophia
Published: December 2021

Existing studies suggest that Asian panethnicity is the political mobilisation of diverse groups of people under a new name, to oppose racism and discrimination. Asian panethnicity is shaped by social forces, including those that exclude. As such, it is inherently political. However, it is limiting to think of it only as a kind of intentional, collective action bent towards achieving a predetermined group goal. This thesis expands this understanding of panethnicity, by considering how “Asiannness” is experienced on an intersubjective level and asks what “Asian” means to and for the Asian individual.  Lingering Orientalism perpetuates a sense of Asian people as not quite belonging in the West. Though by now cliché, this narrative of non-belonging continues to determine ideas of Asianness and set the parameters of appropriate Asian behaviour. But, this non-belonging is also the site in and from which Asian actors make their own meanings and seek their own kind of situated belonging. This thesis takes an autoethnographic and ethnographic approach to field sites in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to observe some of the ways Asian identity is formed. It is inevitable that transnational processes contribute to this identity work, but these global processes are also subsumed by localised structures and contexts.  Drawing from participant observation with social and community groups, and interviews with creative artists, writers, administrators, community workers and activists addressing the question of what it means to be Asian, I argue that Asian panethnicity is constituted by “doing”. It is made up of different acts, repeated over time, and in different settings. As a product of relationships between externally imposed, in group enforced, and self-made conceptions of “Asianness”, Asian panethnicity is both performative and performed. This thesis presents scenarios in which these performances and presentations of the Asian self take place. In considering some of the possible contexts and conventions that give rise to the performative act/s of being Asian, I argue that being Asian is a creative, collaborative, ongoing endeavour. It is a means by which to accomplish belonging in the world.
Why do we argue about science? Exploring the psychological antecedents of rejection of science
Authors:   , Kerr John Richard
Published: December 2021

Science is recognised and accepted as an important tool for understanding the world in which we live, yet some people hold beliefs that go against the best available scientific evidence. For example, many people believe human-caused climate change is not occurring, or that vaccines are ineffective and dangerous.  Previous research has investigated a range of possible drivers of this ‘rejection of science’ (Lewandowsky, Oberauer, & Gignac, 2013), including ignorance, distrust of scientists, and ideological motivations. The studies in this thesis extend this line of inquiry, focusing first on the role of perceptions of scientific agreement. I report experimental evidence that people base their beliefs on ‘what they think scientists think’ (Study 1). However, an analysis of longitudinal data (Study 2) suggests that our personal beliefs may also skew our perceptions of scientific agreement. While the results of Study 1 and Study 2 somewhat conflict, they do converge on one finding: perceptions of consensus alone do not fully explain rejection of science.  In the remainder of the thesis I cast a wider net, examining how ideological beliefs are linked to rejection of science. Study 3 draws on social media data to reveal that political ideology is associated with rejection of science in the context of who people choose to follow on the platform Twitter. A final set of studies (4, 5, and 6) examine the role of two motivational antecedents of political ideology, Right-wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), in rejection of science across five publicly debated issues. I also explore several potential mediators which might explain these effects. I report, for the first time, that RWA and SDO predict rejection of science across a range of issues and one mediator emerges as a consistent link: distrust of scientists. People who are less opposed to authoritarian (RWA) or hierarchical (SDO) values are less trusting of scientists and, in turn, more likely to reject specific scientific findings. I discuss potential strategies to address or circumvent this ideologically-motivated distrust of science.  Taken as whole, this thesis extends our understanding of why people disagree with an established scientific consensus on socially important issues. Knowledge of the scientific consensus matters, but our deeper beliefs about society can also draw us closer to, or push us further from evidence-based conclusions.
Drawing on the Past, Regenerating the Present: A Comparison of the Works of Ayi Kwei Armah and Nicolás Guillén
Authors:   , Novieto Setor
Published: December 2021

Novelist Ayi Kwei Armah and poet Nicolás Guillén are, respectively, Ghanaian and Cuban writers who embody the efforts of mid-twentieth-century artists to depict the day-to-day socio-political conditions and struggles of societies seeking to move beyond histories of racial and economic oppression. Both engage powerfully and controversially with ongoing debates around damaging colonial histories and disappointing contemporary realities. The achievement of independence did not usher in the new, improved nations sought by way of struggle and suffering in either country. Uncompromisingly, Armah’s and Guillén’s works portray both the irredeemable parts of colonial histories and those that can be put to the benefit of the present, together with the tension that this disparity between expectation and achievement engenders.  Granted the varied nature of the subject matter of the works of the two authors and the seeming lack of relation between them, this study makes use of a selection of theoretical frameworks to find common ground for analysing their work. The analysis of Nicolás Guillén’s poetry is based on concepts fundamental to Latin American social and cultural criticism, notably, the ideology of whitening or blanqueamiento, cultural mixing or mestizaje, and feminist criticism. The study of Ayi Kwei Armah’s first novel The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968) employs socio-cultural theories including traditional Ghanaian concepts such sankofa and the Akan symbol of adinkra, together with Jean Paul Sartre’s concept of the “engaged writer.”  This thesis argues that, in spite of their different national and ethnic backgrounds, both writers draw on traditional aspects of African culture to provide the impetus for social and cultural regeneration in their societies. Critics have read Armah as presenting disillusioned and decadent images of Ghana and promoting limited roles for women in his work. Guillén too has been portrayed by critics as offering an objectified representation of women in his poetry of the 1920s and 1930s and has been accused of ignoring, as a poet of meztizaje or ethnic mixture, the issues of Blacks and Blackness. This thesis contests these limiting critical positions, arguing that the writers’ representations of women, Blacks and Blackness are more positive and progressive than has been allowed. Acknowledging the burden of racist histories, the false promise of postcolonial liberation, the blatant corruption and the unrealised expectations of their times, they nevertheless allow for the possibility of regeneration in the societies they both dissect and, in part, restore.
A New Heart for East Porirua, Waitangirua
Authors:   , Shilling Phoebe
Published: December 2021

Waitangirua is a vital piece of the puzzle when completing the Porirua Regeneration Scheme and The Transmission Gully Motorway.  Waitangirua is a small suburb of 4020 residents located in the East of Porirua City. The current regeneration of East Porirua is seeing 2000 state homes being renovated or demolished and 2000 additional dwellings on site. With that in mind, a transmission gully link road drives straight to the heart of the community’s village centre: this road alone will see an additional 3000-4000 cars travelling down it daily. Waitangirua currently hosts a diverse and young population, but it lacks the architectural features to encourage diversity and social interaction. With Transmission Gully’s completion in 2020 and the regeneration at the beginning of its 25-year plan, it is timely to think about the future of Waitangirua, not only for the social growth of the suburb but also the liveability for the community. The current village centre does not match its neighbourhood, let alone have the capability to host all these new people. Leading to the research question, ‘How can an under-utilised centre be re-imagined for the social growth and liveability of its residents?’  This thesis examines the importance of connections for social growth and liveability; while considering the priority of community engagements in the success of the design. It also investigates the significance of architecture and urban planning in integrating the identity of the community and their culture into the design schemes.  A New Heart for East Porirua proposes this can be achieved by renewing the flow and connection of the people; to each other, their village centre and wider Porirua. At the same time as engaging with the community and cultural narrative to enhance the site; and finally, by re-imagining the under-utilised centre and community hub in a holistic approach for the on-going journey of the community of Waitangirua.
Inclusive Housing: Exploring Culturally Inclusive + Accessible Design in the Contemporary New Zealand State House
Authors:   , Powrie Lydia
Published: December 2021

The aim of this research is to establish and apply design methods that define an appropriate dwelling for New Zealand’s state housing. The central criteria for this is accessibility and cultural inclusivity. New Zealand’s current state housing scheme is struggling to provide for an ever-growing waitlist of eligible households. Furthermore, the size and design of state homes have remained relatively stagnant, while the average occupant has significantly deviated from the nuclear family it once was. Not only is the current housing stock predominantly low density, but it is also built for a nuclear family in bi-cultural society. However, state home occupants are no longer comprised of two parents + child(ren) from Pakeha or Maori backgrounds. Instead, single-person households, couples with no children or only one child from all ranges of ethnicities make up the majority of the state housing register.  This change suggests there is a potential need for a paradigm shift from three-four bedroom dwellings to one-two bedroom and five+ bedroom dwellings becoming the majority of the housing stock. Not only are the homes incorrect in bedroom size, but many are also inaccessible or culturally inappropriate for households. Due to New Zealand’s diverse range of cultures, there is ‘no one size fits all’ home type for each cultural group.  The findings of this thesis identify a lack of consideration in Housing NZ’s design guides and New Zealand Standards to the wider demographics of its residents. International and domestic case studies are comparatively analysed to identify spatial features that can inform the way state houses should be designed for New Zealand residents. This research has been used to create a design guidelines that provides flexible and inclusive dwellings. Finally, these guidelines are tested on a specific site in inner-city Wellington, proposing a range of dwelling typologies designed for accessibility and inclusivity that are explored at three key scales – the urban landscape, the building envelope and the interior.
Bringing a Gender Perspective to the Peace Table: Women in Myanmar’s Peace Process
Authors:   , Thein Zin Mar
Published: December 2021

Ethnic division and inequality lie at the heart of Myanmar's internal conflicts. In these conflicts, ethnic women are the most vulnerable group based on their ethnicity and gender. They are not only victims of violence, they have also been systematically marginalized from formal peace processes under both military and civilian governments. This thesis uses a feminist constructivist approach to examine the gendered role of women and girls in Myanmar society and the impacts of armed conflicts on women and girls in the conflict areas. The thesis discusses the history of ethnic divisions in Myanmar since independence in 1948, various peace initiatives pursued by Myanmar governments and the experiences of women and girls during conflict and their involvement in the more recent peace-building process. Drawing on extensive interviews with officials, politicians and civil society representatives, the thesis argues that if a sustainable and just peace is to be built in Myanmar, women need to be given a greater role. It also identifies obstacles that need to be overcome if women are to participate effectively in both formal and informal peace processes.
Ownership and Immutability in Coq
Authors:   , Mackay Julian
Published: December 2021

A significant issue in modern programming languages is unsafe aliasing. Modern type systems have attempted to address this in two prominent ways; immutability and ownership, and often a combination of the two [4][17]. The goal of this thesis is to formalise Immutability and Ownership using the Coq Proof Assistant, a formal proof management system [13]. We encode three type systems using Coq; Featherweight Immutable Java, Featherweight Generic Java and Featherweight Ownership Generic Java, and prove them sound. We describe the challenges presented in encoding immutability, ownership and type systems in general in Coq.
The importance of site on house heating energy modelling in Wellington - Integrating EnergyPlus with ENVI-met for site modelling
Authors:   , Sunarya Wendy
Published: December 2021

Site is an important factor in the building design process, where it is analysed to determine design strategies for responding the microclimate. It is also considered important in Building Energy Simulations (BES) where a weather file is used to represent the site location and its microclimate. However, many cases of BES in the design process use weather file from a nearby weather station rather than site specific microclimate. In fact, site microclimate can be affected by nearby parameters such as ground surface and vegetation, with unknown effects. In the Wellington, New Zealand context, micro-climates vary widely due to the local topography while suburban houses can be located on the side or bottom of a hill. These houses are likely to have different exposure to the sun and wind which can influence energy consumption for space heating.  Many studies about site-parameters impacts mainly focus on the vegetation and nearby buildings effect on microclimate. Only a few estimated the impact of site-parameters on building energy use and mostly their cases are in urban areas (flat terrain). Unfortunately, site parameters, such as altitude and slope, associated with the Wellington topography (hilly terrain) have never been examined. This thesis investigates the importance of site parameters on house heating energy modelling for the Wellington context. BES software, EnergyPlus, was used and explored to identify limitations in modelling site parameters. An attempt was made to solve these limitations through the integration with microclimate software. Three microclimate software programmes were reviewed: ENVI-met, UWG (Urban Weather Generator) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamic) software.  ENVI-met was selected to generate the local air temperature and relative humidity affected by site parameters, which was used for EnergyPlus weather-file modification. A parametric study of ENVI-met basic input with model evaluation was also conducted. The results of parametric test integrating ENVI-met with EnergyPlus showed that ENVI-met mostly produce insignificant impacts of site parameters on house heating energy, unlike the results found in the literature review. This is likely due to the cool weather conditions (winter in Wellington) used in simulation, which suggests that the idea of microclimate modelling using ENVI-met is not applicable for house heating energy modelling in the temperate, Wellington context.
The Role of Eye-Movements in Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Eye-Movements Lower the Number of Intrusive Thoughts of Negative Memories
Authors:   , Patel Gauranga Jeram
Published: December 2021

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and involves the patient thinking about a traumatic event while simultaneously moving their eyes from side to side. Despite substantial support for the efficacy of EMDR questions remain regarding how eye-movements contribute to therapy. One explanation is that eye-movements tax a part of working memory known as the central executive; however, the exact mechanism involved is still unclear. Previous eye-movement research has focussed on self-ratings of vividness and emotionality of negative memories as the primary outcome measures. The focus of the current research was to examine the effect of eye-movements on the suppression of negative autobiographical memories in addition to vividness and emotionality. Non-clinical participants were asked to recall negative autobiographical memories and then verbally reported ratings of vividness and emotionality. In the eye-movement conditions, which varied by speed and direction of movement, eye-movements were stimulated using dots on a computer screen. Participants were then asked to avoid thinking of their memories, and intrusive thoughts were measured by pressing a computer key. Six experiments found that, overall, the effect of eye-movements on self-ratings was inconsistent, but that eye-movements reliably improved suppression of negative autobiographical memories. The findings also support the central executive explanation for the effectiveness of eye-movements in EMDR.
Là où dialoguent les musées: The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa at the Musée du Quai Branly
Authors:   , Phillips Lily
Published: December 2021

The opening of the Musée du quai Branly in 2006 signalled a new approach to the display of Māori and Pacific collections in France and the beginning of a new relationship with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Between 2006 and 2012, the two museums were brought together by two challenging events: the repatriation of toi moko (Māori tattooed heads) from France to New Zealand and the 2011 exhibition Maori: leurs trésors ont une âme at the quai Branly. Through a close study of the repatriation and exhibition, and interviews with participants, this thesis considers the questions these events raise. How can museums with very different approaches to the treatment of artefacts negotiate issues of repatriation and the exhibition of sacred objects? How should colonial-era anthropological collections be exhibited today? What is the place of contemporary indigenous art in the museum? By focusing on the exchanges between two institutions, Te Papa and the quai Branly, this thesis suggests how conversations at an individual level can lead to shifts in the perception and exhibition of museum objects, and how dialogues between museums internationally can contribute to an evolution in the treatment and display of indigenous artefacts and art in museums.
High Street
Authors:   , Sawicka-Ritchie Alexandra Maria
Published: December 2021

High Street addresses the problem of disconnection between high-rise buildings and the life of the street. High-rises are often adopted as an efficient means of creating more usable space per square meter. However, their height also isolates them from the urban milieu below. This thesis investigates how to unite the two typologies by elevating the street through the high-rise. As more people are living in cities, the high-rise has become the most prevalent building type to accommodate this increasing urban density. It is important to continue to address how the built environment can enhance urban life architecturally.  This proposition investigates externalising the circulation of a ten storey apartment building in central Wellington in a way that encourages the pedestrian to come above the ground plane and gives the resident a direct connection to the outdoors. In doing so elevating the street challenges the norms of circulation design in high-rise buildings. This thesis draws on the observations of Jan Gehl, Jane Jacobs and Richard Sennett to develop a circulation space that acts a social condenser (Koolhaas 73) for the resident and the pedestrian. A series of formal experiments and case study analyses were used to further the design solution through comparison and critique. The research process revealed the tension between the need for efficiency and humaneness in the design solution and analysis showed that circulation design in high-rise buildings is often underdeveloped as a social condenser.  High Street creates a solution which three-dimensionalises the city from a pedestrian perspective and simultaneously improves the communal spaces of high-rise living. The elevated street redefines the connection between built environment and the public infrastructure of the city and a means by which the pedestrian can traverse it.