bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two out of three of octogenarians benefitted from delayed resection of spinal meningiomas
Authors: Vasankari Ville , Haeren Roel Hubert Louis , Niemela Mika , Korja Miikka
Published: December 2021

Background:

Can elderly patients with thoracic meningioma and severe paraparesis benefit from delayed surgery?

Case Description:

Two out of three octogenarians with severe preoperative paraparesis (all wheelchair-bound) were able to walk again following delayed (60–120 days from onset of deficit) surgical resection of thoracic spinal meningiomas.

Conclusion:

Two out of three octogenarians with thoracic meningiomas causing severe paraparesis benefitted from the delayed (i.e. from 60 to 289 days) surgical resection of their tumors.
Polymer Degradation through Chemical Change: A Quantum-based Test of Inferred Reactions in Irradiated Polydimethylsiloxane
Authors: Kroonblawd Matthew , Goldman Nir , Maiti Amitesh , Lewicki James
Published: December 2021

Chemical reaction schemes are key conceptual tools for interpreting the results of experiments and simulations, but often carry implicit assumptions that remain largely unverified for complicated systems. Established schemes for chemical damage through crosslinking in irradiated silicone polymers comprised of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) date to the 1950's and correlate small-molecule off-gassing with specific crosslink features. In this regard, we use a somewhat reductionist model to develop a general conditional probability and correlation analysis approach that tests these types of causal connections between proposed experimental observables to reexamine this chemistry through quantum-based molecular dynamics (QMD) simulations. Analysis of the QMD simulations suggests that the established reaction schemes are qualitatively reasonable, but lack strong causal connections under a broad set of conditions that would enable making direct quantitative connections between off-gassing and crosslinking. Further assessment of the QMD data uncovers a strong (but nonideal) quantitative connection between exceptionally hard-to-measure chain scission events and the formation of silanol (Si-OH) groups. Our analysis indicates that conventional notions of radiation damage to PDMS should be further qualified and not necessarily used ad hoc. In addition, our efforts enable independent quantum-based tests that can inform confidence in assumed connections between experimental observables without the burden of fully elucidating entire reaction networks.
Upstream rheotaxis of catalytic Janus spheres
Authors: Sharan Priyanka , Xiao Zuyao , Mancuso Viviana , Uspal William E. , Simmchen Juliane
Published: December 2021

Fluid flow is ubiquitous in many environments that form habitats for microorganisms. The tendency of organisms to navigate towards or away from flow is termed rheotaxis. Therefore, it is not surprising that both biological and artificial microswimmers show responses to flows that are determined by the interplay of chemical and physical factors. In particular, to deepen understanding of how different systems respond to flows, it is crucial to comprehend the influence played by swimming pattern. In recent studies, pusher-type Janus particles exhibited cross-stream migration in externally applied flows. Earlier, theoretical studies predicted a positive rheotactic response for puller-type spherical Janus micromotors. To compare to a different swimmer, we introduce Cu@SiO2 micromotors that swim towards their catalytic cap. Based on experimental observations, and supported by flow field calculations using a model for self-electrophoresis, we hypothesize that they behave effectively as a puller-type system. We investigate the effect of externally imposed flow on these spherically symmetrical Cu@SiO2 active Janus colloids, and we indeedobserve a steady upstream directional response. Through a simple squirmer model for a puller, we recover the major experimental observations. Additionally, the model predicts a unique “jumping” behaviour for puller-type micro- motors at high flow speeds. Performing additional experiments at high flow speeds, we capture this phenomenon, in which the particles “roll” with their swimming axes aligned to the shear plane, in addition to being dragged down- stream by the fluid flow.
Surge - A Fast Open-Source Chemical Graph Generator
Authors: McKay Brendan D. , Yirik Mehmet Aziz , Steinbeck Christoph
Published: December 2021

Chemical structure generators are used in cheminformatics to produce or enumerate virtual molecules based on a set of boundary conditions. The result can then be tested for properties of interest, such as adherence to measured data or for their suitability as drugs. The starting point can be a potentially fuzzy set of fragments or a molecular formula. In the latter case, the generator produces the set of constitutional isomers of the given input formula. Here we present the novel constitutional isomer generator surge based on the canonical generation path method. Surge uses the nauty package to compute automorphism groups of graphs. We outline the working principles of surge and present benchmarking results which show that surge is currently the fastest structure generator. Surge is available under a liberal open-source license.
Chemical Decomposition of the TFSI Anion Under Aqueous Basic Conditions
Authors: France-Lanord Arthur , Pietrucci Fabio , Saitta A. Marco , Tarascon Jean-Marie , Grimaud Alexis , Salanne Mathieu
Published: December 2021

Understanding the interfacial reactivity of aqueous electrolytes is crucial for their use in future batteries. We investigate the reactivity of the bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (TFSI) anion when exposed to a strong alkaline medium, by means of ab initio molecular dynamics and enhanced sampling techniques. In particular, we study the nucleophilic attack by the hydroxide anion, which was proposed as a mechanism for the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase at the negative electrode with water-in-salt electrolytes. While in the gas phase we recover a stable gaseous product, namely fluoroform, we observe the formation of trifluoromethanol in strong basic conditions, which then rapidly deprotonates to form CF3O-. This anion was suggested recently as a key compound leading to the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase on an Si-C anode. Such an approach could be leveraged to discover convenient additives leading to the formation of a stable interphase.
NeuralTPL: a deep learning approach for efficient reaction space exploration
Authors: Wan Yue , Li Xin , Wang Xiaorui , Yao Xiaojun , Liao Benben , Hsieh Cheng-Yu , Zhang Shengyu
Published: December 2021

Computer-aided synthesis planning (CASP) has been helping chemists to synthesize novel molecules at an accelerated pace. The recent integration of deep learning with CASP has opened up new avenues for digitizing and exploring the vastly unknown chemical space, and has led to high expectations for fully automated synthesis plannings using machine-discovered novel reactions in the "future". Despite many progresses in the past few years, most deep-learning methods only focus on improving few aspects of CASP (e.g., top-k accuracy). In this work, we target specifically the efficiency of reaction space exploration and its impact on CASP. We propose NeuralTPL, a template-oriented generative approach, that performs impressively across a range of evaluation metrics including chemical validity, diversity, and novelty for various tasks in CASP. In addition, our Transformer-based model bears the potential to learn the core reaction transformation as it can efficiently explore the reaction space. We then perform several experiments and conduct a thorough analysis regarding the three metrics and demonstrate its chemical value for improving the existing deep-learning-driven CASP algorithms.
Comparación del desempeño de modelos teóricos de inventarios individuales y multiproducto en una PYME distribuidora de productos de consumo masivo a nivel regional
Authors: Garzón Quiroga Julián , Linares Vanegas Adriana Isabel
Published: December 2021

En este artículo se consolidan los resultados de la simulación de modelos teóricos de gestión de inventarios individuales y multiproducto. El objetivo es comparar el desempeño en costo y nivel de servicio de los modelos propuestos para los productos más importantes de una pyme regional comercializadora de productos de consumo masivo. Los modelos de gestión de inventarios individuales evaluados fueron el modelo (Q, R) para los productos A y el modelo (R, s, S) para los productos B. Además, se evaluó un modelo de revisión periódico multiproducto por proveedor. Al comparar los resultados de los modelos evaluados se encontró que el modelo de revisión periódico multiproducto presentaba menores costos en seis de los ocho proveedores evaluados. El resultado de este trabajo es una fuente de información relevante para determinar la metodología de gestión de inventarios que puede implementar la compañía.
Study of the Most Valuable Researcher: Bibliometric Indicators and Collaboration Networks
Authors: Peña Ramírez Camilo , Concha Leonardo , Forcael Eric , Garcés Gonzalo
Published: December 2021

This work seeks to find the Most Valuable Researcher (MVR) within the academics of Faculties of Engineering and Business of a University in Chile, applying bibliometric indicators and collaboration networks. The methodology consisted in reviewing the literature referring to similar bibliometric studies from open databases, such as SciELO and Google Scholar. As a result of the study, a model was proposed based on the main bibliometric indicators used, with it was possible to filter the researchers from both faculties and establish a ranking with those academics with the best results and the current situation facing the research in each unit. This ranking indicates the standard that the most valuable researchers have, identifying that the variable “collaborative networks” has a direct relationship with the productivity of researchers and, also, the existence of correlations with indicators of network grade, co-authorship, and research area. This work seeks to deliver recommendations on the quantity and quality of scientific production within the University. Future research should include other databases and expand the scope by region, country, and area of expertise, and consider other factors such as the age of the researcher, forms of citation, and characteristics by area of knowledge, as well as deepen the concept of MVR, and its virtuous effect on the productivity of an academic unit.
Análisis del proceso de producción de una línea de componentes de turbinas de avión
Authors: Granados Gil Rafael , Monsreal Barrera Ileana , Barrera Gutiérrez Juan José
Published: December 2021

La particular situación de la industria aeronáutica para los próximos años obligará a las plantas productoras vinculadas con ésta a analizar sus procesos productivos buscando, entre otras cosas que podrían destacarse, mayor flexibilidad y eficiencia. El presente artículo analiza el proceso de manufactura de una línea de producción de componentes de turbinas de avión que enfrentaba problemáticas en su flujo y capacidad de producción, por lo que se plantean propuestas realistas y acordes al caso que permitan mejoras en su capacidad en un futuro cercano. En este estudio se utilizó la metodología aplicada por Okutmuş et al. (2015) para la recolección de datos y, posteriormente, para el análisis de la información, se recurrió a la metodología utilizada por Molano y Materón (2018). Finalmente se concluye que se podría incrementar la capacidad de producción. Por ello, se presentan propuestas realistas sobre el caso, que permiten mejorar su capacidad en un futuro próximo.
Two Birds, One Policy: The Establishment of the National Supervisory Commission as a Factional and Centralizing Tool
Authors: Mainland-Gratton Maya , Shi Naomi , Olsen Liam
Published: December 2021

Xi Jinping has made “anti-corruption” campaigns a hallmark of his leadership. The campaigns promise to target both “tigers” - senior party, government, and military leaders - and “flies” - local party and government officials. This practice has included a drastic restructuring of China’s anti-corruption and judicial agencies, culminating in their centralization under the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) in 2018. Many scholars have debated whether Xi’s campaigns and the NSC are genuinely intended to combat corruption or are instead a tool to eliminate political opponents and consolidate power. The NSC’s establishment is considered in relation to the two predominant models of anti-corruption drives conducted in China, the “Chongqing” model, and the “Guangzhou” model. By deliberately reproducing the Chongqing model’s accountability defects, eliminating political opponents appears to be a core objective of the NSC’s establishment. However, owing to its centralized nature, the NSC also strengthens the central party’s power over local authorities. Local party branches are far less trusted by the population than their national counterparts. Thus, strengthening the party’s credibility - including a genuine attempt to decrease corruption - and strengthening local government oversight appears to be another objective of the NSC’s establishment.
Willful Blindness: Franco-American Relations and the Escalation of the Vietnam War
Authors: Bergeron-Boutin Olivier
Published: December 2021

The long and stable Franco-American diplomatic rapport was undermined throughout the American escalation of the Vietnam War. This paper specifically examines French President Charles de Gaulle’s increasing discontent at his ally’s involvement in Southeast Asia and analyzes the decisions of successive American presidents to ignore him. Beginning in 1961, with the inauguration of American President John F. Kennedy, the paper proceeds chronologically to 1964, by which point transatlantic relations had worsened considerably as a result of de Gaulle’s growing confrontation of the Indochina question. Using archival diplomatic documents from both countries, this paper seeks to explain why the United States government refused to comply with De Gaulle’s requests. This papers makes two main conclusions: American policy makers were willfully blind to their ally’s suggestions and the French proposal for the neutralization of Vietnam was not realistic. These findings are supported by various policy decisions made leading up to the war, relying heavily on primary sources to demonstrate the failings of both the French proposal and the American willingness to consider the perspective of a crucial ally.
Prinsip Pengenalan Morfem dalam Bahasa Inggris: Kajian Morfologi
Authors: Mahamu Suhila , Sofyan Agus Nero
Published: December 2021

This research aims to classify and identify morphemes recognition in English. The method used in this study is qualitative descriptive method. In providing data, the researcher uses listening and note-taking technique. The data used in this study were retrieved from the book Top Grammar: A Guide to Write English. While the theory used is the theory of the principle of morpheme recognition. The results of this discussion can be classified into six principles of morpheme recognition namely (1) the form of indefinite pronouns, comparative and superlative degree and reflexive pronouns; (2) singular and plural forms; (3) the form of the past participle in regular {-d}/{-ed} and irregular {–n} forms; (4) singular and plural nouns, present and past verbs; (5) the form of homonyms and in principle; and (6), the form of free morpheme and bound morpheme. From the results of the classification, morpheme units can be identified based on word form, word class and also the meaning that appears.AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengklasifikasi dan mengidentifikasi pengenalan morfem dalam bahasa Inggris. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif kualitatif. Dalam tahapan penyediaan data, penulis menggunakan teknik simak dan catat. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini bersumber dari buku Top Grammar: A Guide to Write English. Teori yang digunakan adalah teori prinsip pengenalan morfem. Hasil dari pembahasan menunjukan bahwa terdapat enam prinsip pengenalan morfem, yaitu (1) terdapat pada bentuk indefinite pronoun, comparative dan superlative degree, serta reflexive pronoun; (2) terdapat pada bentuk tunggal dan jamak; (3) terdapat data pada bentuk past participle bentuk regular {-d}/ {-ed} dan irregular {–n}; (4) terdapat padakata benda tunggal dan jamak dan kata kerja present serta past; (5) terdapat pada bentuk homonim; (6) terdapat pada bentuk morfem bebas dan terikat. Dari hasil klasifikasi tersebut dapat disimpulkan bahwa satuan morfem dapat diidentifikasi berdasarkan bentuk kata, kelas kata, dan makna yang muncul.
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay uses complementary mechanisms to suppress mRNA and protein accumulation
Authors: Udy Dylan B , Bradley Robert K
Published: December 2021

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is an essential, highly conserved quality control pathway that detects and degrades mRNAs containing premature termination codons. Although the essentiality of NMD is frequently ascribed to its prevention of truncated protein accumulation, the extent to which NMD actually suppresses proteins encoded by NMD-sensitive transcripts is less well-understood than NMD-mediated suppression of mRNA. Here, we describe a reporter system that permits accurate quantification of both mRNA and protein levels via stable integration of paired reporters encoding NMD-sensitive and NMD-insensitive transcripts into the AAVS1 safe harbor loci in human cells. We use this system to demonstrate that NMD suppresses proteins encoded by NMD-sensitive transcripts by up to eightfold more than the mRNA itself. Our data indicate that NMD limits the accumulation of proteins encoded by NMD substrates by mechanisms beyond mRNA degradation, such that even when NMD-sensitive mRNAs escape destruction, their encoded proteins are still effectively suppressed.
Застосування методу Пірсона для отримання залежностей розподілу хімічних елементів у межах родовища каоліну
Authors: Котенко Володимир Володимирович , Башинський Сергій Іванович , Піскун Ігор Анатолійович
Published: December 2021

Розглянуто доцільність застосування методу кореляції Пірсона для знаходження взаємозв’язків між відсотковими співвідношеннями вмісту складових хімічних елементів первинного каоліну. Розглянуто суть та базові принципи розрахунку коефіцієнта кореляції за допомогою методу Пірсона, надано коротку характеристику вихідних даних, на основі яких може бути виконано даний розрахунок. Описано приклад інтервальної градації ступеня інтенсивності коефіцієнта кореляції, яку рекомендується застосовувати під час роботи з емпіричними даними. Виконано побудову матриці кореляційних залежностей між складовими хімічними елементами первинного каоліну на основі результатів хімічного аналізу, отриманих у процесі проведення геологорозвідувальних робіт за умов Йосипівського родовища первинного каоліну. Визначено ступінь інтенсивності кореляційних зв’язків низки складових хімічних елементів первинного каоліну. Виведено лінійні рівняння для опису залежностей між складовими елементами з коефіцієнтом кореляції середнього та низького, але наближеного до середнього, ступеня інтенсивності.
Репрезентативність природних екосистем у природно-заповідному фонді Житомирської області
Authors: Осадчук Кароліна Олександрівна , Давидова Ірина Володимирівна , Корбут Марія Броніславівна , Бондарчук Василь Миколайович , Бабяк Віталій Валерійович
Published: December 2021

У роботі досліджено репрезентативність природних екосистем на території природних заповідників Житомирської області: природного заповідника «Древлянський» та Поліського природного заповідника. Вивчено сучасний стан і екологічне значення природних екосистем, зокрема наземних (лісових) та прісноводних (річок і боліт). Розглянуто основні проблеми охорони та збереження представлених природних екосистем на території природних заповідників Житомирського Полісся. Встановлено зростання площ природно-заповідного фонду Житомирської області впродовж останнього десятиліття, а отже й збільшення екосистем. Проаналізовано динаміку структурних компонентів заповідного фонду області. Показник заповідності в регіоні становить 4,5 % і залишається стабільно низьким порівняно з іншими областями України, при загальному показнику по країні 6,6 %. Виявлено прогресуючі антропогенні зміни щодо зменшення водно-болотних угідь, фактичну відсутність оздоровчих заходів на територіях розміщення лісових екосистем. Під час зіставлення територій природних заповідників встановлено суттєві перевищення одних природних екосистем над іншими за співвідношенням часток площі. Тому необхідно забезпечити відновлення ключових елементів екосистем, що зазнали руйнацій, та організувати догляд за існуючими природніми екосистемами заповідників.
Дослідження транспортного акустичного забруднення і факторів його залежності на прикладі перехресть магістральних вулиць міста Житомира
Authors: Бегерський Дмитро Богданович , Опанасюк Євгеній Григорович , Можаровський Микола Мар’янович , Вітюк Іван Васильович
Published: December 2021

Шум від автомобільного транспорту – це найбільш розповсюджений вид несприятливого екологічного впливу на організм людини. Аналіз результатів відомих досліджень свідчить про те, що джерелами 60–80 % акустичного забруднення міст є рух транспортних засобів. Від шкідливого впливу автомобільного шуму страждають люди, які проживають або працюють поблизу магістральних вулиць. Він суттєво залежить від інтенсивності транспортного потоку, типів транспортних засобів, їх швидкості та технічного стану і значно зростає під час так званих годин «пік», коли рух транспортних засобів стає найбільш інтенсивним. Також рівень шуму може бути завищений внаслідок малої насиченості або повної відсутності зелених насаджень вздовж доріг, близькості від дороги будівель та їх зовнішнього покриття з низькою поглинаючою здатністю, відсутністю  незабудованих зон та ін. Крім зазначених факторів, особлива увага в роботі приділена акустичному забрудненню територій, що безпосередньо прилягають до перехресть, оскільки там присутні додаткові фактори впливу на рівень шуму (збільшення концентрації транспортних засобів, додатковий шум при спрацюванні гальм, робота двигунів на перехідних режимах та ін.).
Теоретичне обґрунтування дискового робочого органу для якісного розрізання стеблевих залишків кукурудзи
Authors: Корчак М.М. , Грушецький С.М.
Published: December 2021

Проведено теоретичні дослідження впливу дискового робочого органу на процес розрізання стеблових залишків кукурудзи, зокрема досліджено динаміку дискового робочого органу та активізацію впливу на ґрунт.
Дослідження технологічного процесу впливу дискового ножа на процес розрізання стеблових залишків дає можливість науково обґрунтувати конструктивні параметри дискових робочих органів.
Найважливішим об’єктом при процесі розрізання дисковим робочим органом є моделі рослинних залишків. Первинною функцією варто вважати вплив дискових ножів на стеблові залишки кукурудзи. Цей вплив полягає у розрізанні тих стебел, які потрапляють у зону дії ножів, а також у частковому їх провертанні. Таке провертання стебел змінює функцію розподілу.
Теоретично доведено, що поперечні коливання сприяють подрібненню ґрунтових макроагрегатів і призводять до зменшення впливу агрегату на ґрунт та розширення смуг обробітку.
Результати теоретично обґрунтованого дискового робочого органу знайшли своє використання у проєктуванні нової технології подрібнення рослинних залишків кукурудзи та розробці подрібнювача для її реалізації.
Отримано подальший розвиток удосконалення теоретичних основ якісного розрізання стеблових залишків кукурудзи, зокрема дискових робочих органів, що використовуються в комбінованих агрегатах.
Play for Change: Primary School for Children with Impairments
Authors:   , Lim Joelle
Published: December 2021

Within the architecture of education, there is a lack of attention to the needs of children with disability. Globally, one in every ten children have a disability and there are approximately 90,000 aged 0-14 children living in households who have at least one disability in New Zealand. The cohort is one of the most marginalised and excluded group from the society, resulting in an inability to participate in classes leading to fewer opportunities to develop skills, experience and confidence. School designs are designed for children without disability, and many children with disabilities find that classrooms and outdoor environments are ill-suited for their health needs, resulting in low attendance rates, poor peer engagement and limited educational success.  This thesis explores the role of architecture in facilitating the education of children with disabilities. Working from research-led design through to design-led research, it examines architecture as an educational tool. Examining classroom spaces, outdoor play and outdoor learning environment for children with disabilities, it questions the purpose of education. In addition, the research aims to desensitise the perceived architectural barriers within primary school that restricts participation for children with disabilities. The architectural design knowledge aims to improve design approaches for inclusivity in school, pedagogy and outdoor play environments. By addressing this issue, it could potentially create more positive and optimistic views and from the wider community, greater disability awareness.
A Broadening of Prospects: Female Progression in Austen and Eliot
Authors:   , Verschaffelt Lydia
Published: December 2021

Austen and Eliot register the turbulence and transformation of their respective historic moments in the portrayal of a young heroine on the cusp of adulthood with a number of potential paths ahead of her. The heroines, like their societies, are caught between old and new as they seek to acknowledge the ties that bind them to the past and simultaneously create a future of their own. This dilemma reveals the nineteenth-century novel’s concerns of the individual’s ability to grow while being enmeshed in a network of relationships, and the place of the past in an increasingly unstable future.  Beginning with Emma (1815) and The Mill on the Floss (1860), and concluding with a comparison of Persuasion (1817) and Middlemarch (1871), this thesis tracks Austen and Eliot’s depiction of female development which moves from a focus on the centrality of the childhood home, and in particular the heroine’s relationship with her father, to a narrative which ends on a more conscious note of ambiguity and broadening prospects. Emma and Mill both depict heroines who find their future in their past. Emma and Maggie develop and assert their own agency, but their circumstances and experiences of childhood bind them to their site of origin.  Conversely, both Austen and Eliot’s later works enact a deliberate loosening of the hold the heroine’s childhood has on her, and Anne and Dorothea end up in very different places to where they began. They both reject their position as part of the rural landed gentry to instead gain entry into a more dynamic and inclusive community. This personal transition is accompanied by a more explicit delineation of the evolving socio-political landscape, an increase in the heroine’s mobility and fluidity, and an ending that frustrates a sense of stable closure in preference for one of more open possibility. Thus, so far from being read simply as ‘marriage plots’ Austen and Eliot subversively depict the young woman’s changing position and prospects as a matter of national importance.
Assessing budgetary management of local government in Aceh, Indonesia
Authors:   , Farhana Intan
Published: December 2021

This interpretive case-based study explores issues of budgetary management in Aceh provincial government. Until 2018, Aceh showed significant problems in its budget cycle with the budget being approved late every year except 2014. Thus, this study aims to investigate the reasons for these delays, along with their impacts on budget execution. Further, as Aceh is a predominantly Muslim society with Islamic values and principles fundamental to its culture and identity, this study also explores whether Islamic teachings are well-embedded in its government budgeting. To investigate these issues, I gathered written materials related to the budgeting process and conducted 19 interviews with local government officials, politicians, Muslim scholars, and a corruption watchdog, analysing these through three linked accountability frameworks: considering accountability through relationship, responsibility, and answerability dimensions, Boltanski and Thévenot’s (1999) Sociology of Worth (SoW) framework, and Islamic accountability.  I found the key reasons for the budget delays were miscommunications and heated debates in budget discussions between Aceh’s legislature and executive government resulting from conflicts of interest and priorities. The budget delays negatively affected budget execution, which, since Aceh’s economy depends heavily on government spending, reduced economic activity and so the social welfare of its people. Given the problems in its budgetary management, including budget delays, conflicting interests, and lack of transparency, the implementation of Islamic principles and values in Aceh’s government budgeting remains unsatisfactory.  This study offers several contributions to the literature and practice: (i) it generates new ideas for the classification of SoW’s orders of worth when applied to public budgeting and accountability in a devout Muslim society; (ii) it outlines some challenges in implementing Islamic principles and values into government budgeting; and (iii) it notes some potential improvements for Aceh provincial government to achieve better budgetary management and accountability.
Bel Canto - 500 Years Young: A study in the practical application of ​bel canto​ technique to twentieth-century vocal works in English
Authors:   , Orchard Pasquale
Published: December 2021

As a young singer, it is inevitable that one is bombarded with the history of singing. ​Not only are we asked to listen to vocalists of previous ages, but we are also encouraged to analyse their methods and scrutinise their seminal performances in order to better identify the strengths of each singer​. Curious about the extent to which the lauded seventeenth and eighteenth-century ​bel canto vocal techniques hold relevance to contemporary classical singing and newer compositions, my research focused on whether these well-tried techniques are transferable. While the application of ​bel canto principles to the ​bel canto repertoire are clearly pertinent, my investigation concentrated on the feasibility and applicability of transferring these vocal techniques to modern repertoire, specifically songs and arias written in English, my mother tongue. This exegesis details my exploration of the application of such techniques to these two different sets of repertoire, and aims to shed light on the experience of the process of applying the ​bel canto ​principles to such works, and the potential benefits afforded by the practice of them.
Samoan identity through music composition: The agony of asking
Authors:   , Ah Sam Opeloge
Published: December 2021

In this thesis, Samoan music and identity are woven together and expressed simultaneously through new composition, critical reflection, and performance. This thesis explores creative practice in both Samoa and New Zealand, and it engages with critical insights in order to produce a body of new creative work in music. Through these efforts, this thesis contributes a new original understanding for how to articulate Samoan identity in current musical composition.  In Samoa, cultural practices exist alongside global influences. These are found in song, language, contemporary music and dance in a variety of social contexts, and it is in this space of crossing boundaries where I explore my own identity as a Samoan-born, New Zealand composer, and a broader Samoan communal identity. The two contexts of my journey in Samoa and New Zealand offer sustained influences on my compositions both as a professional musician and educator. They provide very different expectations and cultures that I have negotiated, and have formed the basis of my creative work in this thesis. Adapting the Pasifika-centred framework of Epeli Hau’ofa in “Our Sea of Islands” (1993), in this thesis I provide a personal blueprint for a Samoan interpretation of creative practice in music, based on close readings and interpretations of concepts in new music composition.  Through this work I deconstruct my own colonial past to rise above cultural stereotypes, and instead move towards finding connections with local-based styles and values of music. In doing so, my creative output offers an original voice as a composer that is firmly based in Samoan realities, just as it extends to experiences and with a diversity of musical practices. Through my creative work I offer unique musical spaces and mediums that expresses my Samoan identity, in both music and culture. In this way, new composition is a means of navigating and negotiating musical creativity.  As I have discovered, I am not the only one moving in and out of these contexts as a Samoan musician and composer. I have worked together, alongside other Samoan composers such as Natalia Mann (based in Queensland, Australia), Metitilani Alo (based in Dunedin, New Zealand), Igelese Ete (based in Fiji) and Maori artists such as Riqi Harawira (based in Kaitaia, New Zealand) and artist BJ Natanahira (based in Kaitaia) sharing ideas and engaging in discussions around process of creativity and identity.  In creating our own musical voices, we also take control of the forms and shapes used to express our identities musically and culturally. As Thomas Turino points out in Music as Social Life (2008) this is about navigating and negotiating our identity according to the spaces we move within, and the music we associate with through composition and performance.  This is that journey.
An intersectional approach to sexual violence prevention?: Young people's experiences in New Zealand
Authors:   , Barnes Laura
Published: December 2021

Sexual consent programmes for secondary schools have received more recent attention within New Zealand, yet no in-depth research has examined what an inclusive programme may look like. This project assists in addressing this gap in literature, by exploring the challenges of developing programmes for diverse student populations, between 13-18 years old, which will be meaningful and impactful. This project was guided by an intersectional feminist framework and employed a qualitative approach to this work. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with ten young people who had participated in sexual consent programmes while they were in secondary school. Interviews were conducted with five key informants. All had extensive knowledge of sexual violence and experience developing and/or delivering sexual consent programmes to young people. This study found that mandatory sexual health programmes within secondary schools often maintained risk focussed approach to sexual consent education, which had a detrimental impact on young women in this study, by denying their sexual agency and reinforcing victim blaming attitudes and stereotypical gender roles. These programmes oversimplified consent negotiations and failed to consider how this process becomes more complex through the influence of social and contextual factors. The findings also revealed variation between and within the diverse identity groups of young people. Multiple programmes were found to approach consent education through a dominantly Pakeha lens and were underpinned by the assumption of heterosexuality. There are strategies facilitators could implement, such as incorporating the use of gender fluid language and the inclusion of existing value frameworks into programmes to make the content more relevant to all young people. The findings of this project assists the ongoing development and delivery of consent programmes by drawing attention to considerations facilitators should be aware of when catering to diverse student populations.
Epistemic Injustice
Authors:   , Simpson Hannah
Published: December 2021

“Epistemic injustice” is a fairly new concept in philosophy, which, loosely speaking, describes a kind of injustice that occurs at the intersection of structures of the social world and knowledge. While the concept was first put forward in the 1990’s, the most significant publication on the topic is Miranda Fricker’s book Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, which was published in 2007. Since then, there has been something of an explosion of literature on the topic of epistemic injustice. However, the concept of epistemic injustice is one that is poorly understood.  While Epistemic Injustice offers extensive analysis of some aspects of epistemic injustice, it does a poor job of explaining, overall, what epistemic injustice actually is, limiting most of that explanation to a small section in the introduction of the book. The way that epistemic injustice is presented in this section is highly ambiguous, with key terms being loosely defined (if at all), and the necessary and sufficient conditions of something being an epistemic injustice are left unclear. This remains unresolved in the literature beyond Fricker’s account: while there has been some progression in how we think about epistemic injustice beyond what Fricker’s work provides us with, there has been a general failure to adequately recognize and address the ambiguities of the Frickerian account of epistemic injustice.  In this thesis, I aim to show that, despite superficial impressions to the contrary, the Frickerian account is fundamentally ambiguous and incomplete. Moreover, later attempts to address these issues by subsequent theorists have failed. This project, however, is not in vain. I conclude by proposing a new account of epistemic injustice that overcomes these problems with the Frickerian account, offering a way of understanding epistemic injustice that is both philosophically satisfying and practically useful.
Developing a Typology of Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offending in New Zealand
Authors:   , Griemink Elsemiek
Published: December 2021

Existing typologies of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offending are significantly limited as many have not been empirically developed or tested for their validity or reliability. Furthermore, their practical utility is limited, as many typologies classify individuals based only on the type of CSEM offending they engage in or are limited to a small number of variables. The current research addresses these issues by developing an exploratory typology of individuals who have engaged in CSEM offending using a data set of 557 individuals in New Zealand, who have been identified by the Department of Internal Affairs. A latent class analysis was conducted using their offence characteristics to identify distinct subgroups within the sample. Follow-up tests were conducted to evaluate how these groups differed on various individual characteristics to develop a more detailed understanding of the individuals within each group. Results found four distinct subgroups of individuals who varied according to their level of engagement with the material, technical capability, type of CSEM offending, and the type of material they searched for. Post-hoc tests also revealed significant differences in access to children, previous sexual offending, and previous CSEM offending between groups. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Mauri Tu, Mauri Ora: A Process Evaluation
Authors:   , Jones Alexander
Published: December 2021

Rates of violent reoffending amongst young offenders has been a cause of concern for those involved in the youth justice (YJ) system in New Zealand (NZ), and across the world. Although, the rates of youth offending in NZ appear to be declining, there is a trend of increasing violent youth offending (Ministry of Justice; MOJ, 2010, 2012). Therefore, the search for effective and generalisable treatment programmes for violent young offenders has been a focus for those involved in juvenile offending research (Caldwell & Van Rybroek, 2013). The Mauri Tu Mauri Ora programme (MTMO; Kilgour & Borg, 2016), was developed in 2014 to provide an “intensive rehabilitation option for youth between 16 and 20 years of age who are deemed to be at a high risk of re-offending” (p. 27). However, since its implementation, there has been no systematic evaluation of its effectiveness. This process evaluation investigated how the MTMO programme was operating so its strengths and areas of improvement could be better understood. This was achieved by detailing the characteristics of the programme; the extent to which it met the needs of key stakeholders; evaluating the specific components of the programme; the working relationship between staff; how well the programme was delivered; and identifying possible areas of improvement. The perspectives of participants resulting in 28 subthemes associated with: initial engagement and assessment; treatment delivery and engagement; the transition phase; unit environment; and staff services. Along with a discussion, these findings identify areas the MTMO programme can build on its strengths and areas it can make improvements.
Alcohol and the dysregulation of cognitive control: Exploring the role of emotion
Authors:   , Scott-Smith Thomas Allen
Published: December 2021

Alcohol consumption attenuates both the behavioural adjustments and the heightened activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) which are normally observed following errors, leading to the hypothesis that alcohol disrupts the ability to effectively regulate the use of cognitive control. It has furthermore been theorized that these deficits may occur because alcohol reduces the negative affect elicited by unfavourable events, such as errors, thereby weakening the motivation to utilize cognitive control to improve performance. The aim of the current thesis was to provide an empirical test of this model. I carried out two studies in which I examined changes in two physiological indices of affective processing, skin conductance and heart rate, as well as behavioural and EEG responses, following errors on a flanker task. The first study was conducted on sober participants, in order to validate my experimental paradigm, while the second compared the physiological and behavioural effects of errors in participants given either alcohol or a placebo. In both experiments in both experiments, errors produced increased skin conductance responses and heart rate deceleration, and a typical error-related negativity in EEG. However, contrary to what would be expected if alcohol reduced the negative affect generated by errors, no difference in skin conductance or heart rate responses to errors were observed between alcohol and placebo participants in the second study. Furthermore, although intoxicated participants displayed an overall reduction in the use of cognitive control, based on both behavioural (flanker interference) and EEG (occipital alpha power) measures, groups did not differ in the degree to which this control was upregulated immediately after task errors. However, exploratory analyses of EEG indices (the feedback-related negativity and midfrontal theta power) of ACC activity following errors were significantly diminished in intoxicated participants. Overall, these findings suggest that alcohol does not reduce the immediate negative emotional consequences of errors but may instead disrupt brain networks needed for the sustained engagement of cognitive control and attention to task performance.
Drivers of modern New Zealand glacier change
Authors:   , Vargo Lauren
Published: December 2021

Glaciers across the Southern Alps of New Zealand have been photographed annually since 1977, creating a rare record of Southern Hemisphere glacier change. Here, we revisit these historic photographs and use structure from motion photogrammetry to quantitatively measure glacier change from the images. To establish this new method, it is initially applied to Brewster Glacier (1670 – 2400 m a.s.l.), one of the 50 monitored glaciers. We derive annual equilibrium line altitude (ELA) and length records from 1981 – 2017, and quantify the uncertainties associated with the method. Our length reconstruction shows largely continuous terminus retreat of 365 ± 12 m for Brewster Glacier since 1981. The ELA record, which compares well with glaciological mass-balance data measured between 2005 and 2015, shows pronounced interannual variability. Mean ELAs range from 1707 ± 6 m a.s.l. to 2303 ± 5 m a.s.l. The newly developed ELA chronology from Brewster shows several years since 1981 with especially high mass loss, all of which occurred in the past decade. Investigation using reanalysis data shows that these extreme mass-loss years occur when surface air temperatures, sea surface temperatures, and mean sea level pressure are anomalously high. In particular, the three highest mass-loss years on record, 2011, 2016, and 2018, each had a 2-month mean surface air temperature anomaly of at least +1.7°C between November and March, which is exclusive to these three years over the time investigated (April 1980 – March 2018). Using event attribution — a methodology using climate model simulations with and without human-induced forcings to calculate the anthropogenic influence on extreme events — we calculate the anthropogenic influence on these surface air temperature anomalies. The positive temperature anomalies during extreme mass-loss years have probabilities of 0 – 90% confidence) more likely to occur with anthropogenic forcing, and in once case in 2018 could not have occurred (>90% confidence) without anthropogenic forcing. This increased likelihood is driven by present-day temperatures ~1.0°C above the pre-industrial average, confirming a connection between rising anthropogenic greenhouse gases, warming temperatures, and high annual ice loss.