bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantum dot bioconjugates for the detection of extracellular vesicles in saliva and breath
Authors:   , Dobhal Garima
Published: December 2021

Nano-sized extracellular vesicles, released by most types of cells, contain information about the cell they originate from and have been shown to be involved in a variety of cellular processes. However, their detection and characterisation has been challenging and non-standardised, which makes comparisons across literature very challenging. While exosomes are known to exist in complex biological fluids such as saliva, breast milk, blood, and urine, their separation and identification from these media are time-consuming. Many researchers use techniques such as transmission electron microscopy for physical characterisation and western blot for protein identification, which are often not available in medical settings. Additionally, while these fluids can be easily obtained, acquiring similar samples from lung environments is a highly invasive procedure. While breath is known to transmit droplets from the lungs, the presence of exosomes in these condensates is unknown. In this project, functionalised InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) were used to target exosomes from a number of biological sources and provide a gateway to more fully characterise their ensemble properties. The InP/ZnS QDs were synthesised, and their size dependency on the band gap was investigated in accordance with the theoretical effective mass approximation model for quantum dots. The QDs were produced with hydrophobic oleylamine ligands, and therefore had to be ligand exchanged to be used in biological applications. A range of ligand exchange methods was surveyed to probe the best balance between retention of original quantum yields and best colloidal stability in aqueous systems.The QDs were further conjugated to an antibody specific for CD63, the protein found on exosomes. The conjugation was confirmed using dynamic light scattering and surface plasmon resonance. Finally, the binding of the QD-Antibody probe to the exosome was confirmed using surface plasmon resonance and confocal microscopy. Further modifications of the assay system could lead to multiplex-detection of the different proteins on the exosomes, their characterisation, and a method for the rapid detection of diseases.
Mitochondrial Transfer in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors:   , Hummel Sonja
Published: December 2021

This thesis investigated mitochondrial transfer in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, between respiratory compromised B18p⁰ recipient and respiratory competent donor cells. The respiratory compromised strain had three red fluorescent proteins tagged to the membrane, nucleus and cytoplasm (triple RFP-B18p⁰) and is referred to as the B18p⁰ strain. B18p⁰ cells did not contain mitochondrial DNA, causing it to be respiratory compromised and required a fermentable carbon source, such as glucose/dextrose, for proliferation. The respiratory competent strain used had a green fluorescent protein tagged to the Tom70 mitochondrial protein (Tom70-GFP) and is referred to as the Tom70 strain. The Tom70 cells contained the nuclear encoded URA3 cassette, allowing for negative selectivity of this strain using 5-FOA.  S. cerevisiae strains were co-cultured together in media containing only non-fermentable carbon sources (YPGE), plated on YPGE plates containing 5-FOA and colonies grown were distinguished post-co-culture based on their distinct phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. Fluorescent analysis of co-culture colonies revealed the presence of 5-FOA resistant Tom70 cells and some red B18p⁰ cells that had acquired the ability to grow on non-fermentable carbon sources. Genotypic analysis revealed that the majority of these red colonies had acquired mtDNA as well as the nuclear encoded, Tom70 specific URA3 cassette. Several permutations of co-cultures were performed, using different ratios of recipient and donor cells and single-gene deletion donor cells.  Purified mitochondria from Tom70 cells were tried to be transferred into B18p⁰ cells using centrifugation forces to induce a higher occurrence frequency of mitochondrial transfer. Metabolic support experiments were conducted to investigate if the Tom70 strain could provide metabolic support to the B18p⁰ strain without mitochondrial transfer.  Results indicate that no permutation induced potential mitochondrial transfer at a higher rate than others. However, results indicate that mitochondrial transfer did occur at low frequencies, potentially through the fusion of respiratory competent and respiratory compromised cells. Forced transfer did not increase the occurrence frequency of B18p⁰ cells to take up mitochondria and Tom70 cells did not provide metabolic support to B18p⁰ cells.
Make Yourself At Home: Can architecture enable a sense of home in Kuala Lumpur’s public housing?
Authors:   , Ibrahim Nadrah
Published: December 2021

Public housing in Kuala Lumpur was introduced by the government as a means of replacing informal settlements and providing housing for the lower income. Government subsidies often cover some of the costs of public housing to help keep it affordable and at the lower end of house prices. To help meet the low cost agenda, public house designs are often kept to a minimal standard in Malaysia, removing low income Malay dwellers from their ideal image of home. In the long run, signs of neglect in the public houses are reflected in the lack of care and maintenance from dwellers, vandalism and more.   This thesis proposes that good, homely architectural design practices suited to the dweller can help encourage emotional ties between dwellers (low income families) and the dwelling (public houses). Its aim is to investigate potential architectural design approaches to tackle such problems in future Kuala Lumpur public houses.  This raises the question of which homely architectural design strategies might be best utilised in the Kuala Lumpur public housing environment. The thesis begins by exploring the meaning of home in relation to both dwellers and dwelling before then identifying ‘homely’ architectural design practices suited to the Malay community. In the context of public houses, this research investigation identifies privacy, environmental comfort, security and safety as homely aspects that are most often lacking in public housing design, contributing to a less homely environment. To enhance the homely attributes of public houses, the thesis proposes ways to restore homely qualities of spaces in the public house, drawing from these three aspects in order to arrive at design opportunities best suited to the lifestyle of its dwellers.
Visible Markers of Traumatic Brain Injury and their Influence on Affective Reactions and Discriminatory Behaviour: A Comparison of Two Models
Authors:   , Davis Shelley M.
Published: December 2021

Two studies examined the influence visible markers of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) have on two mental health models. The two models examined were The Model of Helping Behaviour (Weiner, 1980) and The Danger Appraisal Model (Corrigan, 2000). A total of 305 participants across two experiments were invited and participated in an online survey to investigate the impact visible markers of brain injury have on their emotional and behavioural responses. Participants were recruited via a link on social media or via the intranet at three New Zealand workplaces. The findings of this study found support for visible markers of TBI influencing both The Model of Helping Behaviour and The Danger Appraisal Model. This study suggested that a higher level of perceived dangerousness and social distance is associated with visible markers of TBI and that TBI markers can significantly increase the level of support participants are willing to provide to brain injured individuals within the workplace. Further findings suggested that participants who reported having familiarity of brain injury had lower negative affective reactions, reduced social distance but less willingness to support TBI individuals within the workplace. Due to the limited research relevant to this field, further studies will need to investigate these findings to ascertain whether this is a true replica of the publics’ emotional and behavioural response towards visible markers of brain injury.
Traversable Wormholes, Regular Black Holes, and Black-Bounces
Authors:   , Simpson Alexander
Published: December 2021

Various spacetime candidates for traversable wormholes, regular black holes, and ‘black-bounces’ are presented and thoroughly explored in the context of the gravitational theory of general relativity. All candidate spacetimes belong to the mathematically simple class of spherically symmetric geometries; the majority are static (time-independent as well as nonrotational), with a single dynamical (time-dependent) geometry explored. To the extent possible, the candidates are presented through the use of a global coordinate patch – some of the prior literature (especially concerning traversable wormholes) has often proposed coordinate systems for desirable solutions to the Einstein equations requiring a multi-patch atlas. The most interesting cases include the so-called ‘exponential metric’ – well-favoured by proponents of alternative theories of gravity but which actually has a standard classical interpretation, and the ‘black-bounce’ to traversable wormhole case – where a metric is explored which represents either a traversable wormhole or a regular black hole, depending on the value of the newly introduced scalar parameter a. This notion of ‘blackbounce’ is defined as the case where the spherical boundary of a regular black hole forces one to travel towards a one-way traversable ‘bounce’ into a future reincarnation of our own universe. The metric of interest is then explored further in the context of a time-dependent spacetime, where the line element is rephrased with a Vaidya-like time-dependence imposed on the mass of the object, and in terms of outgoing/ingoing EddingtonFinkelstein coordinates. Analysing these candidate spacetimes extends the pre-existing discussion concerning the viability of non-singular black hole solutions in the context of general relativity, as well as contributing to the dialogue on whether an arbitrarily advanced civilization would be able to construct a traversable wormhole.
Democratisation in Asia-Pacific Monarchies: Drivers and Impediments
Authors:   , Bogle Christine
Published: December 2021

In the first decade of the 21st century, Bhutan and Tonga enacted reforms which took executive power away from the monarch and placed it the hands of an elected government. Conversely, Thailand and Nepal have faltered in their trajectory towards democracy. Thailand is stuck in a cycle of repression, popular protest, limited democracy, renewed military takeover, and constitutional revision to allow a controlled “democracy.” Nepal has broken out of a similar cycle (although without military rule), at the cost of abolishing its monarchy. This thesis looks at factors, including the monarchy’s role, which contributed to the different outcomes. The study questions Huntington’s theory of the modernising monarch’s dilemma (fear that reform would do the monarch out of a job), and suggests that, on the contrary, a democratising monarch is more likely to retain the throne, albeit with reduced power.  This comparative qualitative study is based on research into primary and secondary sources, plus interviews. The thesis found that in Bhutan and Tonga strong leadership of democratisation by Kings Jigme Singye and George V greatly favoured a successful democratic transition. In both Thailand and Nepal, monarchs Bhumibol and Gyanendra resisted a democratic bargain, seeking instead to retain or regain political power, in a context where popular mobilisation and the role of the military were significant in both countries, but with considerable differences. Contrary to Huntington’s theory, monarchs in Thailand and Nepal, in seeking to avoid loss of political ascendancy suffered the opposite, although to differing degrees (one monarchy was disestablished while the other first gained ground but ultimately ceded ground to the military, reversing a pattern of monarchical dominance in the partnership). The thesis concluded that, against a historical background of special status for the monarch as symbol of national unity, and even in the face of unpromising structural conditions, monarchs who used their charisma to promote and lead a move to democracy were a critical factor in whether a transition would be successful, while securing the future of the monarchy for their heirs. Conversely, monarchs who formed strategic alliances with elite groups seeking to preserve their ascendancy, including the military, provided an excuse to autocratic groups for resisting democracy and risked either a reversion to (or retention of) autocratic rule or a transition to a democracy that did not include a place for the monarchy.
A critical exploration of professional perceptions of harm reduction policy and practice in Vietnam
Authors:   , Truong Tuan Dung
Published: December 2021

Throughout the 1990s, Vietnam experienced a dramatic rise in the prevalence of HIV among people who use drugs. In response, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health implemented several legal and policy interventions in the name of harm reduction. However, perceptions about drug use, people who use drugs, addiction and the nature of official interventions are contested. For many Vietnamese officials, abstinence remains the dominant philosophy. Drug use is considered a ‘social evil’ in Vietnam and people who use drugs face draconian controls and incarceration in the name of treatment and crime prevention.  Against this background, this thesis explores how key stakeholders perceive harm reduction philosophy and how they apply it in policy and practice. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, it presents findings from a survey with 250 respondents and 26 semi-structured interviews, all with professionals involved in responding to drug use in Vietnam. The thesis illustrates that these professionals prefer abstinence approaches, and often see addiction as the result of moral failings and brain diseases.  While some interventions in the name of harm reduction are accepted, they are firmly rooted within a narrow public health perspective. Professional misperceptions about the key principles and practices of ‘authentic’ harm reduction are widespread. Many professionals believe, for example, that harms can only be limited through reductions in the demand and supply of drugs, or that detaining people who use drugs in compulsory treatment centres is a form of harm reduction.  These rationales have resulted in continuing police crackdowns, and the use of ‘pseudo’ harm reduction strategies to control and punish people who use drugs. Meanwhile, there are limited official attempts to address problems experienced by people who use drugs, like social isolation, stigma, discrimination, human rights violations, or problems of community reintegration. In conclusion, while a harm reduction rhetoric is regularly employed in Vietnam, ‘pseudo’ harm reduction strategies are carried out.
Perspectives of Lower Primary Teachers Implementing New Numeracy Strategies in Maritime Schools in Fiji
Authors:   , Prakash Helen
Published: December 2021

In Fiji, concerns about the quality of education and low standards of achievement, particularly salient in numeracy, have led to reform initiatives requiring teacher pedagogical shifts to more evidence-based and learner-centered approaches. Despite previously unsuccessful reforms, the capacity of maritime teachers to successfully adapt curricula in their geographically constrained environments has never been considered, despite them forming a significant proportion of the primary teaching force.  This interpretative qualitative study examines the implementation of a recent reform-based numeracy strategy in lower primary mathematics classrooms of maritime schools. Specifically, teachers’ perspectives on the implementation process, their experiences with the new strategies, associated challenges, and maritime context-specific barriers have been investigated.  Data were collected through two in-context focus group interviews with 13 participants and 62 returned questionnaires. The findings of the study reveal that teachers’ perceptions and receptivity to the new numeracy strategies were strongly influenced by factors such as past experiences with reforms and increased expectations. While teachers understood key ideas underlying the reform to improve student’s mathematical knowledge and were inclined to alter pedagogical practices, most teachers felt a disconnect in terms of not being supported well enough to fully incorporate the new strategies. Teachers identified the need for a contextually-relevant supportive network and structures, both professional and personal, as essential to overcoming numerous challenges they encountered while living and working in maritime areas of Fiji.
#LoveRugbyRespectWomen: An exploratory study of women's interactions with New Zealand rugby culture in the night-time economy
Authors:   , Courtney Genevieve
Published: December 2021

Following recent high-profile allegations of gender-based violence perpetrated by professional rugby players in contexts involving alcohol in New Zealand, concerns regarding the safety of women in the context of New Zealand rugby culture have emerged. Despite these concerns, no previous studies have explored how rugby culture is enacted in gendered environments where alcohol is consumed, nor has research considered how women in these environments perceive or experience rugby culture. This research addresses an important literature gap, by exploring how women working in licensed leisure venues perceive and experience New Zealand rugby culture. Applying a feminist lens, this qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with fifteen women who had experience working in New Zealand’s night-time economy. This study found that experiences of violence, degradation, and sexual objectification were a routine and expected part of the women’s interactions with rugby culture. These experiences profoundly impacted their ability to enjoy and participate in rugby, compromised their feelings of workplace safety and satisfaction, and contributed to a range of adverse mental health outcomes. While alcohol was considered to exacerbate antisocial behaviours within rugby culture, the participants identified multiple pathways to rugby-related violence, all of which can be linked to a ‘Kiwi bloke’ version of masculinity that prizes heterosexuality, toughness, and alcohol consumption. Based on these findings, this research concludes that in gendered environments that involve alcohol, New Zealand rugby culture cannot be considered a safe culture for women. This study therefore emphasises the need to prioritise ways of addressing attitudes, behaviours, and approaches to masculinity within rugby culture that may be conducive to gender-based violence and, given the cultural dominance of rugby in New Zealand, serves as an urgent call for further empirical research to inform the development of violence prevention and management strategies.
Māori Purposes Acts: Just "washing-up" or more than meets the eye?
Authors:   , O'Meara Angela
Published: December 2021

Māori Purposes Bills were commonly described in Parliament’s debating chamber as “washing-up” bills, which suggested they were considered to be of little importance. This research challenges that perspective.  The research explores Māori Purposes Acts as a body of law, beginning in 1931. It considers the content of the legislation, the legislative process and the role of Māori Purposes Acts within the legislative framework. The research examines policy provisions and amendments, the petitions process facilitated by the legislation, special governance arrangements, and remedial provisions including settlements with the Crown.  The research incorporates quantitative analysis, but due to the variability of the provisions contained in the legislation, a predominantly qualitative approach is used to consider the nature of the Acts. The research operates within an orthodox legal paradigm and Karl Llewellyn’s “law-jobs” theory is used as an analytical framework to identify common themes, draw out the purposes of the legislation and understand its role in New Zealand’s legal system. Critical race and post-colonial theoretical perspectives are acknowledged but are not central to the research. The research also considers whether Māori Purposes Acts delivered justice for Māori prior to the modern Treaty of Waitangi settlements process.  The research concludes the washing-up characterisation was often inaccurate. The research found Māori Purposes Acts were used as a mechanism to provide Māori with relief from and remedies for particular problems, which were often raised by petition to Parliament, and remedies gave effect to recommendations of the Māori Affairs Committee and Royal Commissions. Some remedies were expressed as settlements of Māori grievances against the Crown, which preceded modern Treaty of Waitangi settlements. The legislation was used to maintain the legislative framework governing Māori land ownership and Māori communities, to introduce new policies and fill policy gaps, and to create special exceptions to the legislative framework including special governance provisions.  The research provides evidence of the poor fit between the restrictive legislative framework governing Māori lives and Māori needs, and it demonstrates the inability of New Zealand’s legal system to deliver justice for Māori. Although many provisions attempted to ameliorate inequities, correct mistakes and resolve disputes, provisions often fell short of meeting the criteria for justice and are best described as taking important steps towards justice.
Aminophosphine Reduction Mechanisms and the Synthesis of Indium Phosphide Nanomaterials
Authors:   , Laufersky Geoffry
Published: December 2021

Indium phosphide (InP) nanomaterials are attractive for countless technological applications due to their well-placed band gap energies. The quantum confinement of these semiconductors can give rise to size-dependent absorption and emission features throughout the entire visible spectrum. Therefore, InP materials can be employed as low-toxicity fluorophores that can be implemented in high value avenues such as biological probes, lighting applications, and lasing technologies. However, large scale development of these quantum dots (QDs) has been stymied by the lack of affordable and safe phosphorus precursors. Syntheses have largely been restricted to the use of dangerous chemicals such as tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphine ((TMS)₃P), which is costly and highly sensitive to oxygen and water. Recently, less-hazardous tris(dialkylamino)phosphines have been introduced to produce InP QDs on par with those utilizing (TMS)₃P. However, a poor understanding of the reaction mechanics has resulted in difficulties tuning and optimizing this method.  In this work, density functional theory (DFT) is used to identify the mechanism of this aminophosphine precursor conversion. This understanding is then implemented to design an improved InP QD synthesis, allowing for the production of high-quality materials outside of glovebox conditions. Time is spent understanding the impact of different precursor salts on the reaction mechanisms and discerning their subsequent effects on nanoparticle size and quality. The motivation of this work is to formulate safer and less technical indium phosphide quantum dot syntheses to foster non-specialist and industrial implementation of these materials.
The role of using technology within music therapy sessions with pre-school children who have physical disabilities at a conductive education centre in New Zealand
Authors:   , Gao Yutong
Published: December 2021

The objective of this thesis was to explore the role of using technology within music therapy sessions for children who have physical disabilities. This research used secondary secondary analysis of clinical data to find the role of technology within mu clinical practice. Data included clinical notes, and my own reflective journal from February to September in 2018. I used thematic analysis to uncover themes from my data.  Five themes were found that indicate that technology can positively contribute to music therapy sessions. In particular, the research has identified that technologies can be used to support cognitive development, communication efforts, emotional reactions, motor skills, and sensory stimulation for children. The research will contribute to current debates around the role of technology in music therapy sessions to further support children with physical disabilities.
The Illustrated Chicano: Chicano Border Methodology in Practice
Authors:   , Franco William
Published: December 2021

What is Chicano Border Methodology? In my thesis I am answering this question by showing that this is a key part of my practice, and revisiting my past work and experiences to re-construct the development of this methodology. Chicano Border Methodology is a living methodology based on lived experience that is constantly in praxis, and not just theoretical. It is rooted in a knowledge space that is specific to a locality, La Frontera/US-Mexico border. I began to assemble the methodology using epistemological pluralism as the framework and modified this framework to produce a decolonising epistemological pluralism. Using the colonial matrix of power, this position questions the assumption of epistemic privilege of western knowledge production.  Using a personal narrative structure, I start the re-construction process by describing the beginnings of my decolonising process with the re-discovery of my Chicano identity. I then describe the knowledge space developed along La Frontera/US-Mexico Border and how it shows up in my art practice. Looking at the concepts of decolonisation process, practice-led research, performative research and Kaupapa Māori, I contrast and analyse the position of my Chicano Border Methodology, highlighting the differences that make my Chicano Border Methodology unique. I go on to describe and analyse how I applied this methodology to the production of The Illustrated Chicano, an art installation that looks at issues of place, home and immigration in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Illustrated Chicano, as a practical application of the Chicano Border Methodology, revealed that this methodology is robust and can be modified by Chicanos to match the specific needs of research areas, where a decolonising approach is required or beneficial to the outcome. I also explore how the community reacted to my installation built through the Chicano Border Methodology lens by documenting and analysing the community’s reaction to this work. I conclude with a discussion of the significance of local knowledge spaces, the value of different methodological models, and the flexibility of a decolonising epistemological pluralism framework, such as the Chicano Border Methodology.
He Whakamāramatanga mo te Taihara: A Cultural-Ecological Perspective of Agency and Offending Behaviour
Authors:   , Hughes Annalisa
Published: December 2021

This thesis aims to outline the important role of culture in the development of the human mind and behaviour, and therefore argues that cultural information is a key part of forensic explanation. Differing cultural experiences, such as marginalisation, contribute to the differential representation of individuals and groups in criminal justice systems. Although there are multiple means through which this occurs, this thesis focuses on the role of the individual agentic process, nested within a historically-derived cultural context. Building on previous theoretical work, a preliminary model – the Cultural-Ecological Predictive Agency Model – is presented that might better assist comprehensive explanation of offending behaviour with reference to cultural processes and concepts. The model is then applied to an exemplar, compared to current approaches to rehabilitation and desistance, and some implications for forensic practice are suggested. The overall goal of this thesis is to explicate the potential cultural impacts on individuals who commit offences, and examine some of the causes of offending beyond ‘faulty individual psychology’.
“Our dance is a celebration of the fabric of modern New Zealand”: Identity, Community, Solidarity and Citizenship at Youth Polyfests in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors:   , Homolja Milica
Published: December 2021

One feature of the growing levels of cultural diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand has been the growth of cultural festivals. These originated primarily for Pacific groups to maintain and sustain cultural performance and traditions, but increasingly such festivals reflect the growing ethnic minority groups present in most of New Zealand’s large urban centres. Specific cultural festivals for school-aged young people are attended by thousands of young New Zealanders annually, yet to date have rarely been a feature of research. This study aimed to explore the role that cultural festivals may play in contributing to the identity, belonging and citizenship experiences of ethnic minority youth growing up in Aotearoa New Zealand.  The thesis draws on ethnographic data obtained at three cultural festivals (Polyfests) for school-aged young people in 2018 (ASB Auckland Polyfest, Tu Tagata, Wellington and Northern Regional Polyfest, Porirua). Employing ethnographic participant observation, coupled with approaches drawn from ethnomusicology and dance ethnography, data collection included observation of speeches, public announcements and performances, dance moves and music, as well as on-the-fly discussions with festival performers and analysis of associated media (brochures, media reports, online articles).  The festivals performances and their potential to enable spaces of possibility for identity-formation were analysed through Bhabha’s (1996) notion of ‘third-space’. The study drew attention to the way young performers strategically employed fusions of traditional and contemporary music and dance genres within their performances to articulate new ways of seeing themselves. These performances also served to maintain and validate ethnic and school-based identities, as well as to gain status and recognition by creating symbolic representations of the way that performers wished their cultural group to be viewed by audiences. Festival spaces also allowed cultural groups to consolidate homogenous (ethnic) solidarities as well as articulate new ways of seeing themselves as belonging through heterogenous (inter-ethnic) and school-based solidarities. The study underscores the significance of festival spaces as ‘counter-spaces’ in New Zealand society in which ethnic minority youth could experience (and create) identity-affirming, counter-hegemonic experiences outside of the dominant discourses frequently projected on them by White New Zealand.
Three Essays on Corporate Governance in China
Authors:   , Chen Zonghao
Published: December 2021

This thesis consists of three empirical papers on corporate governance in Chinese listed firms. The first essay examines the influence of director characteristics and ownership structure on director compensation. Over the period 2005 through 2015, we find that director compensation in Chinese listed firms is influenced by both director characteristics and ownership structure. We measure director compensation by both the propensity to be paid and the level of compensation. For independent directors, we find that director busyness, tenure, and ownership concentration positively influence and state-ownership negatively influences director compensation. For non-independent directors, we find that tenure positively influences and that both state-ownership and related directors negatively influence director compensation. Lastly, our evidence suggests that women directors in China are not underpaid.  The second essay examines the influence of rookie independent directors on board functions and firm performance in Chinese public companies from 2008 to 2014. We find that rookie independent directors attend more board meetings than seasoned independent directors. Independent directors with higher board meeting attendance are more likely to remain in the firm in the following year (lower turnover rate). This influence of board attendance on re-appointment is stronger for rookie independent directors. Further, we find that boards with more rookie independent directors tunnel less to controlling shareholders, suggesting that rookie independent directors are efficient monitors. Lastly, we find that firms with more rookie independent directors are associated with higher accounting returns.  In the third essay, we investigate the influence of board networks on directors’ career outcomes in Chinese public firms from 2005 to 2014. We find that board connections increase compensation for independent directors. We find that board connections are positively associated with director turnover for non-related directors, but negatively associated with director turnover for related directors. Further, we find that board connections lead to additional future directorships. Overall, we find that board connections both directly lead to higher compensation and indirectly through labor mobility and additional board seats.
Investigation of Mitochondrial Transfer between Human Erythroblasts
Authors:   , Lewer Brittany
Published: December 2021

The increasingly studied phenomenon of mitochondria transferring between cells contrasts the popular belief that mitochondria reside permanently within their cells of origin. Research has identified this process occurring in many tissues such as brain, lung and more recently within the bone marrow. This project aimed to investigate if mitochondria could be transferred between human erythroblasts, a context not previously studied.  Tissue microenvironments can be modelled using co-culture systems. Fluorescence activated cell sorting and a highly sensitive Allele-Specific-Blocker qPCR assay were used to leverage mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms between co-cultured populations. Firstly, HL-60ρ₀ bone marrow cells, without mitochondrial DNA, deprived of essential nutrients pyruvate and uridine were co-cultured in vitro with HEL cells, a human erythroleukemia. Secondly, HEL cells treated with deferoxamine or cisplatin, were cocultured with parental HL-60 cells in vitro. Lastly, ex vivo co-cultures between erythroblasts differentiated from mononuclear cells in peripheral blood were conducted, where one population was treated with deferoxamine.  Co-culture was able to improve recovery when HL-60ρ₀ cells were deprived of pyruvate and uridine. Improved recovery was similarly detected for HEL cells treated with deferoxamine after co-culture with HL-60 cells. Transfer of mitochondrial DNA did not occur at a detectable level in any co-culture condition tested. The high sensitivity of the allele-specific-blocker qPCR assay required completely pure populations to analyse, however this was not achieved using FACS techniques. In conclusion, results have not demonstrated but cannot exclude the possibility that erythroid cells transfer mitochondria to each other.
Humanising Te Papa: Transforming what Te Papa does to the public life of the city
Authors:   , Boyd Paige
Published: December 2021

When a large public building is constructed within any landscape it is often found to create adverse affects on the public life surrounding it. This investigation focuses on Te Papa in Wellington, New Zealand. It employs design strategies that emerge from site observation, analysis and exploration of design and behaviour literature. Site observations are undertaken at various scales to determine the behaviours that occur in and around the site, and analysis of this provides an understanding of why such actions can happen and why others cannot. Exploration of the literature is employed to understand past approaches to this design problem and to inform the analysis process. Design testing allows ideas to be played out in hypothetical scenarios and the outcomes of which will be compared to past approaches.  There is a strong focus on pedestrian movement as a catalyst of public life, in relation to the movement itself and the interactions people have with the surrounding environment when influenced by the movement flow. The overall goal of this thesis is to observe and analyse a large building in the public realm that, although is surrounded by movement, limits engagement in ways that results in a decrease of public life. The research leads to the exploration of how flows can be coordinated to generate eddies of interaction and pause and ways to activate and open up particular edges of this building in order to create new opportunities for the public to engage with the landscape. It finally attempts to find ways to not only create new public life, but also intensify the public life in this challenging situation.
Immersion: Digital Collaborative Environments
Authors:   , Chegwidden Daniel
Published: December 2021

This thesis investigates the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) to solve established clashes in order to improve collaboration between industry professionals, while reducing spatial confusion. Industry professionals and academics state that it is collaboration itself that is one of the most critical factors in ensuring that a construction project is successful. In recent years people have investigated VR as a tool to provide a better environment for design due to its immersive properties and training potential. Current research is primarily focussed on the technology itself, but there are few studies conducted on the people using the technology and what they need in order to do so effectively. While it is essential to further the knowledge in the technological aspect, it is also vital to ensure that people can use it to its full potential. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between advanced technology being developed and the way that people will be using it, alongside VR’s applicability as a collaborative tool for architecture and construction projects The focus of this study. While there are companies using VR in different stages of a project, it is unknown how productive people are when using this medium and what they require in order to use the technology effectively. Initial interviews with professionals have shown that there are problems in both peoples understanding of the technology used on projects as well as the methods of Building Information Modelling (BIM). The second part of this study involved multiple experiments in which users were put in different scenarios to solve clashes in a digital model using VR and Computer Assisted Design (CAD). This was performed in groups to investigate how they used the technology as well as how they collaborated within the digital environments. Initial experiments were run in Unity without a VR headset, and the final experiment was run using a VR headset (HTC Vive) for the full immersive experience. From these interviews and multiple experiments, the results produced insight into current user issues surrounding advanced BIM technology and the best way to implement them to make full use of the technologies capability during the design phase of a project. The results provided a framework detailing the information users need when using this technology to solve clashes collaboratively. Considering level of detail within the model alongside navigation tools, and perspectives provided a reliable method for aiding users in all aspects of collaborating in digital environments.
Tech-noiR: An Exploration of Interior Spaces in an Urban context generated by Emergent Technology
Authors:   , Jacob Daniel Sebastian
Published: December 2021

Poor pedestrian and transportation circulation, overpopulation, expensive cost of living—these are some of the issues inherent to any urban metropolis around the world. As cities develop and grow, more job opportunities open up for people, which leads to the increase in city population. This growth affects the city’s lifestyle, leading to overpopulation, poor circulation and expensive cost of living within the urban centre. Influenced by the concept ‘time is of the essence’, urban living has become synonymous to an autonomous service stuck within a loophole. This lifestyle, now further propelled by the presence of technology, can prove to be detrimental to the inhabitants’ comfort and well-being. In order to adapt to an impending future of the urban areas, an alternative to future urban living using technology with a minimal yet comfortable dwelling must be provided.  The thesis proposes that emergent technology as a design-generating tool along with ergonomic design and depictions of visionary architecture are capable of producing an alternative to urban minimal dwellings in the future. It contends that these future urban minimal dwellings can be developed by: mapping and understanding emergent technologies potentially usable in interior architecture that can be developed into tools; collecting and analysing ergonomic principles and techniques appropriate to interior architecture; collecting and analysing literature about minimal dwelling in modern history; and analysing components and technologies used in depicted living spaces within selected filmography.
Examining the Poverty Human Capital and Economic Development Nexus in Pakistan: Evidence from Southern Punjab
Authors: Shah Salyha Zulfiqar Ali , Chaudhry Imran Sharif , Farooq Fatima
Published: December 2021

Purpose: Different socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of households have been examined over time, across the world. Developing countries are struggling and striving to achieve the path of economic development. Methodology: The present study has based on primary data, collected through a household survey during the year 2019. Human capital constitutes education, health, skills and on-the-job training are the most significantly related to the prosperity of the households. Findings: The results of the study conclude human capital is the most significant and influential factor that would play a vital role in promoting the prosperity and development of the Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Implications: Government should develop various projects to promote education in Pakistan. Vocational training schools would help to enhance the skills of the households.
Impact of Protean Career Attitudes on Career Outcomes via Job Crafting Behavior: A Serial Mediation Model
Authors: Ahmad Muhammad Bilal , Khan Mubbsher Munawar , Aamir Muhammad
Published: December 2021

Purpose: The study proposes that the individuals with protean career attitudes employ best work practices through job crafting behaviors and attain desired career outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of protean career attitudes on career outcomes, i.e., Perceived Employability (PE) and Subjective Career Success (SCS) through job crafting behavior.

Methodology: The study has a quantitative, deductive research design that mainly focuses on the testation of the hypotheses. This study has been conducted on full-time faculty members of public and private sector Universities of Pakistan

Findings: The data from the employees working in the universities of Pakistan revealed that PCA has a positive impact on individual career outcomes. It was also found that there exists a pathway of serial mediation from job crafting towards perceived employability to achieve career success. The individuals who craft their jobs are more likely to enhance their employability, ultimately leading to career success. The study highlights the importance of PCA and Job Crafting behaviors, yet un-explored phenomena, for the employees for career development.

Implications: Employees who want to progress and develop their careers should actively engage in task crafting behavior in task crafting, relational crafting, or cognitive crafting.
Poverty Human Capital and Economic Development Nexus: A Case Study of Multan Division
Authors: Shah Salyha Zulfiqar Ali , Chaudhry Imran Sharif , Farooq Fatima
Published: December 2021

Purpose: Countries across the world have acknowledged that poverty alleviation has to be of critical importance among the objectives of economic development. This paper sheds light on the Multan division, as one of the important divisions of Southern Punjab, Pakistan.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The primary data was collected through a household survey during the year 2019, using the Binomial Logit and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression techniques.

Findings: The study concluded that the occupation of the household head in the primary sector and large household size are significant and positively related to household poverty. However, the human capital of the household is found to be significant and negatively related to household poverty in the Multan division. Economic development or per capita income of the households are found to be significant and positively related to the human capital of the households.

Implications/Originality/Value: The provision of job opportunities by the government would be helpful in poverty alleviation and the development of this region.
An Analysis On The Sincization of Apsaras Art In Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Authors:   Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Zhao Zijian
Published: December 2021

Buddhist art is an important way to illustrate Buddhist thoughts. Among Buddhist art, Apsaras Art is an extremely significant part of it. Simultaneously, it is the essence of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes art as well as. As it known to all, Apsaras Art, as an artistic expression of religious thoughts, its artistic style is bound to be influenced by different social consciousness in different times with little doubts. At the same time, this influence will inevitably let creators make performance style of Apsaras increasingly close to the mundane life, which is more and more in line with the aesthetic standard of them as a consequence. To go a step further, it is essential to learn the origin of Apsaras. This paper will analyze the artistic characteristics of Apsaras in Mogao Grottoes from three stages of budding period, exploring period and mature period according to the context of the chronicle to generalize about the sinicization of Apsaras Art.
O PATRIMÔNIO IMATERIAL DE SÃO RAIMUNDO NONATO – PI: UM ESTUDO DE CASO ACERCA DA CAPOEIRA
Authors: de Miranda Amaral Alencar , Assis dos Santos Angélica , Reis Silva Lima Breno , Feitosa Ribeiro Davi , Neves dos Santos Emerson , Oliveira Monteiro Maria De Lourdes , Vieira Costa Nataliane , Costa Gomes Paila , Pereira Magalhaes Rafael , Aparecida Cardoso Rosemary
Published: December 2021

O presente artigo tem como foco central analisar a prática da capoeira em São Raimundo Nonato-Piauí, com vistas a compreender e caracterizar diferentes aspectos (história, movimentos e técnicas corporais, cantos, instrumentos musicais, indumentária) desta manifestação cultural. Destacando, ainda, os “saberes e fazeres” que nos permitem enquadrá-la na categoria de patrimônio imaterial do município. Inicialmente, o foco de nossa abordagem esta direcionado ao “passado recente” desta prática, todavia, esta iniciativa visa estimular e expandir as investigações sobre um importante bem patrimonial e contribuir para a caracterização de sua inserção no contexto sociocultural da cidade; corroborando, assim, para a compreensão de suas especificidades e discutindo a necessidade de sua valorização.