bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
We All Ascend Together: A teacher-oriented exploration into the affordances and limitations to developing learner agency in years 4-8 Aotearoa/New Zealand classrooms.
Authors:   , Layton Kelly
Published: December 2021

Educators and researchers agree that developing learner agency is necessary to ensure learners are prepared for a changing future. However, learner agency is not widely embedded across schools. This qualitative study identifies the key affordances and challenges of embedding learner agency from the perspective of six Aotearoa/New Zealand primary school teachers. Through semi-structured interviews and thematising of data, teachers identified what impacted their development of learner agency within their schools. Results revealed that learner agency is both afforded and challenged when stakeholders’ (leaders, teachers, learners and whānau) beliefs in learner agency are established and when there is a shared understanding of the practices required to ensure learner agency development. From there, active, powerful and reciprocal partnerships must be established between all stakeholders. Finally, all stakeholders’ roles must be positioned where power is shared. The role of leadership was especially highlighted as a key affordance and challenge to developing learner agency. It is through leadership focus and prioritising of time, resources and professional learning that practices supporting learner agency are advanced.
Argument-based validation of a high-stakes Listening test in Vietnam
Authors:   , Tran Diep
Published: December 2021

More than a decade ago, the Vietnamese Government announced an educational reform to enhance the quality of English language education in the country. An important aspect of this reform is the introduction of the localized test of English proficiency which covers four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This high-stakes English test is developed and administered by only a limited number of institutions in Vietnam. Although the validity of the test is a considerable concern for test-takers and test score users, it has remained an under-researched area. This study aims to partly address the issue by validating a listening test developed by one of the authorized institutions in Vietnam. In this thesis, the test is referred to as the Locally Created Listening Test or the LCLT.  Using the argument-based approach to validation (Kane, 1992, 2013; Chapelle, 2008), this research aims to develop a validity argument for the evaluation, generalization and explanation inferences of the LCLT. Three studies were carried out to elicit evidence to support these inferences. The first study investigated the statistical characteristics of the LCLT test scores, focusing on the evaluation and generalization inference. The second study shed light on the extent to which test items engaged the target construct. The third study examined whether test-takers’ scores on the LCLT correlated well with their scores on an international English test that measured a similar construct. Both the second and third study were carried out to support the explanation inference.  These three studies did not provide enough evidence to successfully support the validity argument for the LCLT. The test was found to have major flaws that affected the validity of score interpretations. In light of the research findings, suggestions were given for the betterment of future LCLTs. At the same time, this research helped to uncover the impacts of certain text and task-related factors on the test-takers’ performance. Such insights led to practical implications for the assessment of second language listening in general. The results of this research also contributed to the theory and practice of test localization, a relatively new paradigm in language testing and assessment.
Parents’ Responses to Relational Bullying in New Zealand
Authors:   , Brown Tegan
Published: December 2021

Relational bullying is a significant and widespread issue that is experienced by many young people in New Zealand. To implement effective and consistent prevention and intervention strategies, it is crucial to understand the perspectives of everyone involved. However, there is currently limited research on parents’ perspectives of relational bullying. While research in the field of bullying prevention is increasingly focused on the perspectives and responsibility of multiple parties, a significant gap in the literature remains: the perspectives of the parents of children who are involved as perpetrators of bullying, as well as those parents of children who are both bullies as well as victims. The present doctoral research yielded findings describing parents’ responses to their child’s involvement in relational bullying, including those involved in bullying perpetration. This project was comprised of three studies focussing specifically on relational bullying. The first study examined parents’ responses to hypothetical scenarios depicting their child perpetrating or experiencing exclusion, rumour spreading, and manipulation. The second study asked parent participants to reflect on any actual experience they had with supporting their child as a victim or perpetrator of relational bullying. In the third study, participants reflected on their own experiences with relational bullying during their childhood or adolescence, considering the continued impact on their current lives and on their parenting. Data collection was via one anonymous, online survey. These qualitative responses were analysed thematically to produce both individual study findings and overarching themes that reflected the participants’ perspectives. The responses revealed that parents respond to the three distinct forms of relational bullying (exclusion, rumour spreading, and manipulation) in different ways, with some forms of relational bullying viewed as less serious than others. In addition, the findings provide insight into how parents supported their child when they were involved in relational bullying perpetration. Parents responding to their child’s involvement in the perpetration of relational bullying often took action, assisted their child to make amends, and continued to monitor their child’s progress. When parent participants considered their own experiences of relational bullying, they identified being deeply impacted by the bullying at the time it happened, and they explained that it continued to have an ongoing impact on their current lives and on their parenting behaviour with their own children. The findings from the project overall illustrate the need for a cultural shift in the attitudes towards bullying that permeate the New Zealand context.
Surmounting Boundaries: Closing The Governance Gap Governance Arrangements In Public Sector Ict Shared Services
Authors:   , Williams Richard
Published: December 2021

Hundreds of millions of dollars of public money have been spent creating Public Sector ICT Shared Services (PSISS) based on expectations of improved customer service and cost reduction. Unfortunately, the promised benefits have often failed to materialise and governance has been identified as a barrier to PSISS success.   The research first locates the concerns that governance, and in particular arrangements for governing PSISS, is contributing to PSISS failure in the academic and practice literatures on PSISS governance. Our current knowledge of PSISS governance is principally informed by literature from three domains: management, public administration and information systems. These domains, to an extent, exist in silos with unique traditions, perspectives and knowledge claims. As a result, how it informs the governance of PSISS could be at best unhelpful and even confusing to practitioners. This state of knowledge is not assisted by “how to govern” guides that obscure their different theoretical origins and do not appear to address the complexity of PSISS governance.   Despite this apparent lack of coherent frameworks in the academic and practice literatures, practitioners are expected to use this literature to develop governance arrangements and perform effective PSISS governance. This lack of coherence led me to ask my first research question: How do practitioners perceive PSISS governance in practice?   Exploring how PSISS governance occurs in practice through the lived experience of PSISS governance practitioners led me to select grounded theory as an appropriate methodology and research design to examine 20 years of governance practice for an electronic identity (E-ID) PSISS in New Zealand. My grounded theory of practice enabled construction of a public sector governance model to explore vertical and collaborative governance arrangements through three perspectives: system strategy, delivery and assurance. The model has been extended to provide a system-wide public sector governance lens, which was used to reflexively explore current academic literature and seven practitioner informed critical public sector governance issues to answer my refined secondary research question: How have governance arrangements addressed critical issues in public sector governance?
Understanding Pasifika Educational Aspirations and Conceptions of Development in Wainuiomata
Authors:   , McLeod Holly
Published: December 2021

Education is good for development. This positive relationship between education and development is often stated without challenge, resulting in education being posited at the forefront of global development strategies. Yet, within the subject of Development Studies, postdevelopment theorists have questioned the very basis of ‘development’, not only its definition but also the inherent assumption that it is necessarily desirable and positive. Instead, they point to examples such as Buen Vivir and argue that we should explore different ways of conceptualising what is a good life.  The present research has sought to examine the way the Pasifika community in Wainuiomata, Aotearoa perceives and engages with education to fulfil its own vision of development. Some 30 research participants contributed their valuable time and energy to this project through semi-structured interviews, offering insight into their own educational experiences and aspirations. Through employing a methodological approach informed by the ethos of talanoa and participatory research, this research has privileged the narratives of participants, giving voice to their experiences within an academic context.  This research has identified that while the experiences of these families within Aotearoa’s education system have been frustrating and challenging, such adversity has not served to disenfranchise Pasifika families from engaging within this educational system. Rather, it has served as motivation to create better educational experiences for youth in this community today. Furthermore, the vision of development aspired toward by this community is one that draws both similarities and contrasts with mainstream conceptions of development. The existence of alternative conceptions of development supports post-development’s call for development practise to examine local context and community aspirations, and to value community knowledge and action. In examining the way this community has engaged with education to progress their own vision of development, it was found that Pasifika families in Wainuiomata are taking ownership of their own development, and are actively involved in creating better educational outcomes for their youth.
The plans and aspirations of teenage students in semi-rural Timor-Leste
Authors:   , Mitchell Anna
Published: December 2021

While there is wide agreement that education supports development, there is also much scholarship to suggest that the potential benefits of education are only fully realised when education systems are well-adapted to local needs. Systems left by colonial in newly independent developing countries, for instance, can impede the achievement of their development goals.  This project focused on the plans and aspirations of secondary school students in Ermera subdistrict, a semi-rural region of Timor-Leste, in order to explore the relationship between education and local livelihoods. Three case study communities in Ermera vila, Ponilala and Mirtutu were examined. Guided by the concept of the ‘good life’, I sought to reveal what students, parents and educators hope to get out of education and development. This enabled me to assess whether the schooling that students are receiving is supporting their future goals.  The methodology combined ethnographic observation with other qualitative and quantitative data collection. It comprised twenty-two weeks in-country: volunteering, and conducting surveys and interviews. The ensuing data analysis draws on education theory, alternative development theory, and decolonisation theory.  Overall I found that the secondary school curriculum is Western-oriented, and focused on getting students into university rather than on preparing them for the kinds of lives they are likely to lead. Students overwhelmingly aspire to university or vocational study, once they leave school. Conceptions of the good life in the three communities centre on social connectedness and opportunities for the next generation. While there is an evident disconnect between the content of available secondary education and local livelihood realities, there have been successful initiatives from within all three communities to expand education over the past twenty years to include local skills and epistemologies. An extension of these efforts to create a more diverse education, with the inclusion of agriculture as a learning topic, could give students the best chance of gaining secure work and leading comfortable lives in the future.
How can paddy rice farmers adapt to climate change? A case study of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) in Luang Prabang province, Laos
Authors:   , Nyianu Longlao
Published: December 2021

Laos is a small and developing nation in Southeast Asia that is vulnerable to climate change. Some of the more severe effects of climate change in Laos are droughts, flooding and insect pests which are impacting rice production. Many paddy rice plantations throughout the country are facing large shortages of rice production for commercial sale and subsistence use. This thesis explores how paddy rice farmers may adapt to climate change effects by focusing on a village in Luang Prabang province, Laos. Drawing on the climate adaptation framework, Climate – Smart Agriculture (CSA) and qualitative interviews with farmers in Thongphiengvilay village, I explore how CSA may help farmers adapt to climate change.   The results of this study show that CSA could help Thongphiengvilay farmers cope with increased drought and pests. I also argue that CSA could build on or complement existing Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) already used by farmers. Furthermore, my results indicate that CSA could help farmers who currently use synthetic approaches to tackle their decreasing rice price production. For example, synthetic fertilisers that are currently being used by farmers could be replaced with organic CSA approaches and produce similar yields and also ensure the environmentally sustainability of farmers’ lands for future seasons. Therefore, this thesis recommends a CSA approach for adapting to climate change in Thongphiengvilay village by implementing Climate – Smart Villages (CSVs).   Key words: climate change adaptation, CSA, TEK, Laos
“It’s Beyond You, But You’re A Part of It”: Mountaineering in the Southern Alps of Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors:   , Scully Morgan
Published: December 2021

This thesis provides a phenomenological exploration of the lived experience of mountaineering in New Zealand. Based on fieldwork completed in the Southern Alps and Mount Ruapehu, it offers an analysis into how mountaineers construct the mountain environment through their climbing, while also being shaped in turn by the vital mountain. At the heart of this thesis is the movement of mountaineering. I argue that the experience of mountaineering cannot be divorced from our embodied sensory perception. Through climbing, mountaineers build a depth of embodied, living knowledge, making sense of technical information and strengthening their judgement to help them climb and manage the risks. That knowledge transforms the mountains for experienced mountaineers. Furthermore, I argue that the vibrant and potentially deadly fluxes of the mountains form their agency and thus the vitality that my participants sense. To climb in the mountains is therefore to enter into a reciprocal relationship with the vital mountain environment. The mountaineers ultimately become a reflection of the mountains in which they climb. This thesis comprises of a written thesis and immersive podcast recording, which has been attached.
A Study of Long-Form Works for the Jazz Ensemble
Authors:   , Brake Ryan
Published: December 2021

Reflections (In Mosaic) is a long-form work written for a modern jazz orchestra. While made up of seven smaller parts, it is intended to be listened to as a single continuous performance. Reflections (In Mosaic) serves as an exploration into formal structures more complex than the standard blues and cyclical AABA forms. This is achieved through the use of inter-related musical themes, transitional material that develops musical themes and propels the story of the piece forward, programmatic themes, and a consideration towards a more integrative approach to improvised sections in a modern jazz composition context.  This exegesis features a comprehensive musical and topical analysis of four case studies: Duke Ellington’s Harlem (1951), Charles Mingus’s Fables of Faubus (1959), Gunther Schuller’s Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee (1959), and Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays’s The Way Up (2005). In my analysis I examine the features of long-form works from a range of different angles through discussions on: (1) the formal features of the symphonic jazz genre and the integration of concert-style gestures into the jazz big band tradition, (2) the role performance and improvisation can have in communicating an idea within a composed structure, (3) the use of programmatic themes, and (4) a model for a structural design which draws on comparisons to narrative structure.  Of particular importance to my compositional project is the use of a programmatic theme. Reflections is directly inspired by the film Magnolia (1999), written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. I do not attempt to mirror the narrative or structure of the film in Reflections but, instead, loosely base the composition on the film’s characters and topical themes. The culmination of this exegesis is a discussion of how the four case studies informed my own compositional processes.
Campaign: A Content Analysis of the New Zealand-based Chinese Language Ethnic Media’s Coverage of the 2008, 2011 and 2014 New Zealand General Elections
Authors:   , Hoyle Caleb
Published: December 2021

New Zealand’s ethnic Chinese population has grown significantly since the selection criteria of immigrants shifted from being defined by ethnic or national origin to personal merit in 1987. The ease with which non-citizens can vote in New Zealand, and the potential of New Zealand’s Mixed Member Proportional electoral system to amplify the political impact of minority groups means that informing this growing demographic is crucially important. Many recent migrants are prevented by language barriers from accessing English language news. Consequently, the Chinese language ethnic media constitute the key source of political information for many ethnic Chinese voters. Because of this, these media are expected to provide a civic forum for pluralistic debate enabling those with the right to vote to do so in a way that is congruent with their political and social preferences. Despite their importance, the ethnic Chinese language ethnic media in New Zealand have been the subject of few studies.  In response, this thesis utilises the method of content analysis to examine civic forums provided by the Chinese Herald, Home Voice, and the New Zealand Messenger during the 2008, 2011 and 2014 general election campaigns. The findings indicate that political coverage deviated from the normative expectations of the civic forum in a number of ways, including a strong incumbency bias – particularly when the National Party was in power; high levels of favourable coverage towards the ACT Party and the consequent marginalisation of many other parties. In addition, National Party candidate Yang Jian occupied a position of unique visibility during the 2014 election campaign while New Zealand First were subject to high levels of negative coverage. These normative deviations, possibly stemming from the resource constraints that the newspapers operate within and coupled with their role as ethnic media outlets serving and advocating for minority groups, can hamper the readership’s capacity for meaningful electoral participation.
Written Feedback In Second Language Writing: Perceptions Of Vietnamese Teachers And Students
Authors:   , Nguyen Phuong Anh
Published: December 2021

Writing can be very challenging for ESL students since they need to overcome the changes associated with academic writing styles and their mechanics in order to improve their writing skills (Hyland & Hyland, 2006). In Vietnam, English is known as a foreign language in all public and private schools, and writing is a compulsory component. It is unavoidable that students will make errors in their writing development process, and feedback is a fundamental requirement to reduce these errors. Even if giving feedback costs a great deal of time, it can be the most significant investment of writing instructors (Ferris, 2002). In the last 20 years, many studies have examined a wide range of issues in academic writing, including the types of feedback, and stakeholders’ perceptions about feedback; however, the results have been contradictory. Mahmud (2016) revealed that teachers are often forced to use their own writing experience and intuitive criteria due to the lack of information on how to give feedback. Nevertheless, researchers tend to focus on either students’ or teachers’ perceptions, or both teachers’ and students’ perceptions, about different types of feedback in writing (Atmaca, 2016). In Vietnam, there are few studies about students’ and teachers’ perceptions of written feedback. This study investigated the views of both Vietnamese students and teachers on peer feedback, direct feedback, indirect coded feedback, indirect un-coded feedback, and self-feedback to fulfil the gap.  Thirty-six university students in Finance and Banking and two senior English teachers participated in this study. Due to the unexpected pandemic, the researcher changed the study from in-class to online. This qualitative research employs questionnaires and interviews. The pre-questionnaire in class before the outbreak of coronavirus in Vietnam, but the rest of the questionnaire surveys and interviews were collected online because the school had shut down. The students were grouped into two separate online groups on Facebook with their classmates, and they were asked to complete five surveys about five different types of feedback. The findings revealed some similarities between teachers’ and students’ perceptions of feedback in L2 writing. In terms of similarities, both teachers and students agreed that feedback played an important role in L2 writing learning and teaching. Teachers and students believed that feedback could affect L2 learners’ cognitive engagement in writing and some types of feedback could affect learners’ psychology. Moreover, training was necessary to improve peer feedback in both quality and quantity of feedback and to help students use this type of feedback more effectively. The results from teachers’ interviews and students’ surveys also revealed the discrepancies between teachers’ and students’ perceptions of feedback in L2 writing. This study concludes that using appropriate types of teacher feedback can boost students’ confidence to improve their writing skills in the long term.
The Number of Unanimous Witnesses who Identify a Suspect from a Lineup Influences Mock Jurors
Authors:   , Taylor Robert
Published: December 2021

During a criminal proceeding, jurors need to weigh up the presented evidence and determine a verdict. Research has shown that witness identification evidence is compelling to jurors, despite the fact that it can be unreliable. How reliable are the combined lineup decisions gathered from multiple witnesses? Generally, the more witnesses who identify the same person from a lineup, the more likely that person is guilty. But recent theoretical evidence suggests that a greater number of witnesses identifying the same person from a biased lineup can indicate that person is actually less likely to be guilty than if there were a smaller number of witnesses identifying that person (Gunn et al., 2016). As the number of agreeing witnesses increases, the more likely that agreement is caused by the lineup bias, rather than consistent witness memories of the crime. In this thesis, I examined how unanimity and lineup bias influenced jurors’ perceptions of guilt. Subjects who saw a biased lineup gave lower ratings of guilt compared to subjects that were shown a lineup that had no obvious bias. In addition, warning subjects that a lineup was biased led them to give lower guilt ratings than subjects who did not receive a warning. Subjects who were told there were two witnesses who identified the police suspect gave higher guilt ratings than subjects who were told there was one witness who identified the police suspect, but only when the lineup was clearly not biased. Subjects’ guilt ratings were not significantly greater in conditions with more than two unanimous witnesses identifying the police suspect. It seems subjects had a limit of certainty based on changes in witness numbers alone. We also found that the way in which witness numbers were presented to subjects influenced guilt ratings. When we presented witnesses coming forward in different groups and on different days, subjects shifted their guilt ratings upwards. When the number of witnesses decreased during the experiment, subjects did not decrease their guilt ratings to the same extent as those subjects in conditions in which the number of witnesses increased by the same magnitude. This finding is consistent with the literature on confirmation bias and the story model of juror decision-making—subjects likely formed an initial belief that the identified suspect was guilty and subsequent evidence was evaluated against that belief (Nickerson, 1988; Pennington & Hastie, 1993). The finding that presenting witnesses coming forward in separate groups increased subjects’ guilt ratings adds to the literature showing that jurors are influenced by irrelevant information presented to them during a proceeding. This research also demonstrates that future research should examine strength of evidence manipulations over multiple levels—rather than as dichotomous “strong” and “weak” extremes.
An Exploration of Ludonarrative Consistent Game Systems
Authors:   , Dodds Richard
Published: December 2021

Video games are increasingly seen as a meaningful form of art and storytelling. A common critique of video games is that the player’s in-game actions can easily become disconnected from their character and the storyline, referred to as Ludo-narrative dissonance. To date, no published academic research has been carried out on how to avoid Ludo-narrative dissonance from a game systems level. Yet, the development of Ludo-narrative consistent game systems have the potential to enhance gameplay and player satisfaction. The aim of this research was to develop a prototype ludo-narrative consistent game system, and to explore the design requirements, strengths and challenges of this prototype system. This was achieved through the development of a prototype video game. The prototype incorporated a trait system that assigned personality traits to the player character based on their style of gameplay, consequently altering the storyline in a way that was aligned with the player’s actions. This prototype was user tested by twenty-one participants, who were recruited via convenience sampling. The participants played the prototype three times, then completed an anonymous survey on their experience of playing the game. I observed their play remotely via Zoom and was available to them for answering questions. The prototype was updated based on my observations and user testing survey responses. The prototype development process, my observations of user testers, and the survey results, provided unique insights into the design requirements, strengths and weaknesses of the prototype trait system. My research illustrates that narrative systems and game mechanics are closely interconnected in the development of a trait system. Furthermore, my research shows that when implementing a trait-based system it is important to consider the following design requirements, including; trait interaction, action weighting, mechanical cohesion and consideration of player intentions. User testing observations and survey results highlighted some design challenges that provided insights for the improvement of the prototype. One insight was how the mechanical difficulty of the game affected the assignment of traits, making some personality traits easier to achieve than their counterparts. This was addressed by increasing the difficulty and adjusting the action weighting of opposing traits. Another insight was from situations when participants falsely attributed certain play behaviours to the traits they were assigned. These false attributions provided additional ideas for the updated prototype. In conclusion, this research contributes to the overall body of knowledge in game design, by illustrating the design requirements, challenges and strengths of a prototype Ludo-narrative consistent game system.
The Impacts Of A Free Health Insurance Policy In Vietnam
Authors:   , Nguyen Khoa
Published: December 2021

Social Health Insurance (SHI) is promoted as a policy that tackles the impoverishing effects of catastrophic spending that results from unexpected health shocks. This thesis contributes to the literature on the impact of social health insurance by examining the impact of a policy introduced in Vietnam in 2005. The new policy provided free health insurance for all children under six years. Using a difference-in-difference estimation strategy and eight national household surveys conducted between 2002 and 2016, I examine a variety of direct, indirect, and spill over effects of the policy. The direct effects of the policy are on insurance coverage, health care use, health care expenses, and self-reported morbidity of targeted children. The indirect effects are the persistent effects of the policy on the same set of health outcomes (and education outcomes) beyond the period of exposure to the policy. A third set of impacts cover spill over effects of the policy - on the health and education outcomes of older children living with targeted children, and a variety of household-level outcomes that reflect various dimensions of the wellbeing of household members. The results show that a free health insurance policy for young children has significant impacts on the health outcomes of children while they are covered by the policy and these persist, and also extend to educational outcomes beyond the age of eligibility. The policy also has positive spill over effects on older (untargeted) children living in targeted households, and positive effects on household wage income, and income per capita. On the other hand, the policy has no effects on the standard of living, household health expenditure, caloric consumption, and the likelihood of household spending on catastrophic healthcare.
Life After Death: Suicide, Care, and Responsibility
Authors:   , Loffhagen Tom
Published: December 2021

This thesis focuses on suicide bereavement, particularly of those parents who have lost children to suicide while in care of the state. I argue that, for these parents, action taken following the suicide of their children is an extension of the care that was given throughout their child’s lives. For parents of those suffering with mental health issues, care is fraught with confusion and tension. This is no more apparent than when they and their children are seeking professional care. Care is inextricably linked with responsibility, which as I will show, is a very important concept in understanding suicide prevention. Governance of regimes of care shapes bereavement through biopolitical responsibilisation. The conflict found within understandings of care lays the foundation for the conflated tensions that arise in suicide bereaved parents’ search for recognition and accountability of and for their child’s suicide. In this thesis I explore these actions to understand the motives and desires of these parents. In exploring these, meaning becomes a useful analytical lens, for meaning, care, and the projects that my participants undertake in search of answers were all intimately linked. Through understanding the actions of bereaved parents as an extension of the care for their children we can understand how these actions are shaped by the governance and regimes of care within New Zealand.
Value Relevance of Integrated Reporting using a Novel Approach: Comparative Cross Country Evidence of Mandatory and Voluntary Implementers
Authors:   , Mohaimen FJ
Published: December 2021

This thesis examines the value relevance of accounting information under integrated reporting (IR) in a comparative mandatory and voluntary setting. A meta review is conducted of all published work focusing on integrated reporting since 2011, which provides detailed insight into the gaps in the IR literature. Multiplicative log-linear model is used in measurement, which is a novel technique that mitigates the shortcomings of traditional value relevance models. The findings show that value relevance of summary accounting information increases after the implementation of IR in the mandatory setting. In the voluntary setting, market effect and the existing reporting paradigm effect the value relevance of accounting information under IR. If the market is large and existing reporting requirements are robust voluntary adoption of IR has minimal to no effect. However, in smaller markets with less rigorous reporting environment, adoption of IR does result in increased value relevance of accounting information. Compared to traditional models, the multiplicative model provides estimates that are more stable over time and shows better explanatory power. Overall, the findings of this thesis show that capital providers value the information content of IR under specific circumstances. This thesis contributes to the IR and value relevance literature by providing the first comparative cross-country evidence of the effect of IR in the change in value relevance of reported accounting information. It provides policy relevant input to the standard setters of IR by demonstrating the effect of IR in the decision usefulness of summary accounting information. The thesis further provides robust evidence of the efficacy of using the multiplicative log-linear model in measuring value relevance instead of the traditional linear additive models.
Encapsulation of agrichemicals by renewable cellulosic derivatives
Authors:   , Monk Harrison
Published: December 2021

Cellulose derivatives, charged with fungicides, have been prepared as particles for use as a wood preservative. The particles were designed to encapsulate the current industry-standard chemical agents used to minimise wood degrading fungal action and to deter termites. A detailed study on the most effective methodology that would be suitable for scaled-up production was undertaken. The methods explored included: double emulsions, solvent diffusion by dialysis membrane and phase inversion emulsification. Particles formed by these methods were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. The fungicide incorporation was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance studies and gas-chromatography analytical analysis. The phase inversion emulsion process was found to be highly effective and readily manipulated to modify particle formation. Particles were successfully prepared containing fungicides in a yield of 35-75% (method dependant), containing the biocide at approximately 50% mass of biocide to total particle mass. Thus, this process was optimised through modifying the addition time of the aqueous phase, as well as variation of the surfactant and salt concentrations. With an optimised particle forming method, three fungicides were incorporated into the formulation and subsequently analysed to demonstrate successful biocide incorporation. The biocide charged mesoparticles underwent testing for antifungal action by our industrial partners Lonza.
Functional analysis of Hypoxylon pulicicidum genes required for heterologous biosynthesis of nodulisporic acids
Authors:   , Van de Bittner Kyle Cornelius
Published: December 2021

Nature holds some of the greatest secrets in drug design and development and the ability to access these trade secrets has been revolutionised by modern bioengineering technologies. In order to exploit these technologies it is essential to understand what genes are involved in compound production and the enzymatic steps that limit flux to the desired product. This thesis describes the discovery of four secondary-metabolic enzymatic steps involved in the biosynthesis of a group of valuable natural products known as nodulisporic acids. Nodulisporic acids are known for their potent insecticidal activities; however, biosynthesis of these compounds by the natural fungal producer, Hypoxylon pulicicidum (Nodulisporium sp.), is exceptionally difficult and has prevented the commercial development of novel nodulisporic acid-containing veterinary medicines and crop protects. To discover how nodulisporic acids are biosynthesized: 1. the H. pulicicidum genome was sequenced 2. a gene cluster responsible for nodulisporic acid production was predicted 3. genes in the cluster were functionally characterised by pathway reconstitution in a common, fast growing mould, Penicillium paxilli In turn, four genes involved in the biosynthesis of the nodulisporic acid core compound, nodulisporic acid F, have been functionally characterised. The four genes encode a geranylgeranyl transferase (NodC), a flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent oxygenase (NodM), an indole diterpene cyclase (NodB) and a cytochrome P450 oxygenase (NodW). Two of the gene products (NodM and NodW) catalyse two previously unreported reactions that provide the enzymatic basis of the biosynthetic branch point unique to nodulisporic acid biosynthesis. From here, future efforts will explore how these genes can be engineered to overcome flux bottlenecks and enable production of significantly increased, and even industrially relevant, product titres.
Diagnóstico y Terapéutica en Pediatría
Authors: Vera Cedeño Leonardo Alfredo , Delgado Intriago Diego Geovanny , Faubla Zambrano María Silvana , Hernández Roldan María Cecilia , Huerta Cordero Alexander Wladimir , Medranda Cano Katherine Jazmín , Pico Menéndez Lider Patricio , Rodríguez Saldarriaga María Gema , Villa Piray Álvaro Estuardo , Villegas Guerrero Elizabeth Katiuska
Published: December 2021

Nuestro propósito al escribir este libro es brindar los conocimientos básicos que ayuden a realizar un buen examen clínico al neonato, que tanto necesita el estudiante de medicina y que pueda también ser de utilidad a todo médico general o especializado que, de una manera u otra, tenga relación con la atención al niño recién nacido. En el desarrollo de los distintos temas que conforman, esta obra, se ha enfocado primordialmente y con todo el esfuerzo posible el examen clínico al recién nacido como guía insustituible del médico para alcanzar un diagnóstico correcto.. En la confección de este libro no se ha olvidado enfocar la importancia que proporcionan los antecedentes de la madre, del embarazo y todos los eventos que suceden alrededor del nacimiento porque, hasta cierto punto, inclinan y dirigen los aspectos clínicos que debemos buscar con mayor profundidad. Se ha desarrollado más ampliamente la etiopatogenia y fisiopatología en algunas entidades, porque estos conocimientos ayudan también en la profundización de la búsqueda de algunos signos; y, además, porque en determinados casos pueden definir la forma de prevenir y tratar, que, aunque no constituyen la materia objeto de este texto, en definitiva, prevenir, curar y evitar secuelas son la razón principal de esta especialidad, pero para ello es necesario llegar a un diagnóstico certero.
Ablación vs radiofrecuencia
Authors: Ronquillo Saavedra Alex Armando , Guerrero Cedeño Carlos Bruno , Vidal Zamora Betzi Tatiana , Triviño Yépez Henry Leonardo
Published: December 2021

La ablación por radiofrecuencia es una técnica mínimamente invasiva que generalmente es ambulatoria, que se realiza con anestesia local subcutánea. Lo que este procedimiento realiza es descargar energía que va dirigida a través de una sonda que genera un calor de fricción entre los 50 y 100°C, ocasionando un daño irreversible al tejido que este cercano al electrodo, sin embargo, es una opción terapéutica, para aquellas patologías que no necesitan una intervención quirúrgica de mayor rigurosidad. Se ha realizado una investigación sistemática de los últimos 5 años en base de datos como Google académico y PubMed, para la cual se han escogido puntalmente artículos de investigación, que traten el tema de la técnica ablación por radiofrecuencia, esto quiere decir, que como la investigación es cerrada por un tema de tiempo y premura, no se ha utilizado ninguna técnica de muestreo en una base de datos amplia para por medio del azar seleccionar los trabajos de investigación. La revisión de la literatura más los trabajos de revisión sistemáticas aquí planteados, indican que hay diferentes vías de abordaje para la ablación por radiofrecuencia, que van desde los mínimamente invasivos hasta procedimientos más complejos que requieren cirugía abierta, pero los resultados han sido bastantes alentadores, sin embargo, hay que aclarar que estos procedimientos a pesar de ser aplicables a muchas patologías, no siempre podrían corregir definitivamente el problema, ya que son más una terapia complementaria a un proceso quirúrgico, como se evidencio en uno de los trabajos aquí citados donde se aplicaba esta técnica a paciente con cáncer de tiroides recurrente, esta técnica no debe realizarse en pacientes alto riesgo como son los que tienen una escasa reserva hepática, los que presentan tumores cercanos a estructuras como el conducto biliar o el intestino, y los que presentan coagulopatías. En cuanto a las complicaciones estas están más asociadas a factores como la edad, experiencia del médico, entre otros.
Cirugía plástica post una cirugía bariátrica
Authors: Burgos Ponce Katherine Rosselline , Montalvo Tapia Erik Adrián , Albán Ramírez Víctor Hugo , Tapia Granizo Vanessa Maricela
Published: December 2021

Desde 1975, la obesidad se ha casi triplicado en todo el mundo. El sobrepeso y la obesidad se definen como una acumulación anormal o excesiva de grasa que puede ser perjudicial para la salud. Los pacientes obesos mórbidos que se someten a cirugía bariátrica tienen después de esta cirugía una pérdida que varía entre un 40% al 60% de su peso original y posteriormente requieren de la cirugía plástica para corregir los excesos de tejido cutáneo tras esta significativa baja de peso. Debido a las discusiones referentes a los usos y necesidades de la cirugía plástica post la cirugía bariátrica se pretende realizar un análisis de investigaciones disponibles a fin de exponer el consenso académico, científico y médico que la aborda. En el proceso de investigación documental se dispone, de documentos; que son el resultado de otras investigaciones, de reflexiones de teóricos, lo cual representa la base teórica del área objeto de investigación; el conocimiento se construye a partir de su lectura, análisis, reflexión e interpretación de dichos documentos. Se expone entonces el resultado de estos procesos descritos en relación a la cirugía plástica realizada o requeridas luego de una cirugía bariátrica. Todos los pacientes se mostraron satisfechos con los procedimientos de contorno corporal realizados, suelen ser pacientes cuyo proceso de transformación los lleva a la atención psicológica en cuanto a la autoimagen y cuya morbilidad por la obesidad reportan un cambio periférico de la expectativa de vida después del procedimiento bariátrica. Además de las complicaciones físicas a las que se puede enfrentar un paciente post bariátrica con dismorfia corporal por perdida masiva de peso, la cirugía plástica reconstructiva es un pilar para garantizar el éxito mismo de la cirugía bariátrica porque representa un incentivo emocional para el paciente disminuyendo la depresión, la ansiedad que finalmente evita la re-ganancia de peso y hasta el suicidio.
Entornos Virtuales como soporte en la educación on-line durante la pandemia
Authors: Yance Tutiven Littelton Roberto , Ruiz Salazar María Elena , Salazar Palacios Verónica del Rocío
Published: December 2021

El proceso de formación educativa ha sido constantemente sometido a evaluaciones y reformas. La discusión sobre la transformación educativa, la modernización de las instituciones y la innovación de las aulas ha llevado a una revolución educativa que lleva al menos 25 años desarrollándose y adaptándose en aquello que hoy conocemos como la educación del millenium o educación del Siglo XXI. El desarrollo de los Entornos virtuales ha sido una práctica implementada para expandir el conocimiento y forma una parte importante del crecimiento de la educación on-line. Dada la necesidad de migrar la practica educativa a un entorno seguro, a raíz del brote pandémico del virus SARS-Cov-2, con características netamente virtuales hemos de hacer una investigación bibliográfica que permita el análisis de contenido documental generado no solo durante el año 2019 a raíz de la aparición del SARS-Cov-2, sino una breve orientación de las experiencias sobre el uso y desarrollo de las TIC dentro de los procesos educativos desde los inicios del milenio. El desarrollo de la educación on-line no solo depende de la preparación docente en generar contenido y estrategias que permitirán la transferencia de conocimientos e incentive al estudiante a ser partícipe de la adquisición de los mismos, también depende de una plataforma educativa pública, privada o mixta que pueda garantizar condiciones igualitarias para la comunidad académica que desarrolla precisamente sus entornos virtuales.