bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Indigenous Narratives In Parametric Design. Reconnecting With Māori Identity Through The Development Of Sculptural Cartography As Architectural Interventions
Authors:   , Bartlett Jeffrey 
Published: December 2021

<p>Re-connecting with Māori identity through parametric design has been investigated through this body of research by focussing on mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). Ultimately asking: “There is a place for parametric design to help translate Māori narratives, values and procedures into architectural form”. The designer’s intent through this body of research was to re-enforce old ties with local iwi, re-learn one’s whakapapa (stories/narratives), and re-connect with one’s sense of self through embedding this knowledge into a coded design. The objective was to achieve a design output that is fundamentally built on mātauranga Māori and cultural practices of Ngāti Kahungunu (iwi in the Hawkes Bay that extends down the East coast of New Zealand’s North Island). When a design begins with such an intent, the generated output is unexpected, surprising and changes perception of what a particular structure is meant to be or do. The ideas touched upon in this research is merely a seed to what can be achieved when using parametric design to produce a culturally significant design. Finding one significant cultural aspect, in this case the power of loci, is one of the most important steps in building the design tikanga (protocols/scope) that will find its way into all aspects of the designs produced. This informed the reasoning for the parameters used, the range of variation and how one step progressed to the next.</p>
Development of a Generic Dual Fuel ECU for Common Rail Diesel Engine Control
Authors:   , Frogley Luke James 
Published: December 2021

<p>Rising costs of diesel fuel has led to an increased interest in dual fuel diesel engine conversion, which can offset diesel consumption though the simultaneous combustion of a secondary gaseous fuel. This system offers benefits both environmentally and financially in an increasingly energy-conscious society. Dual fuel engine conversions have previously been fitted to mechanical injection systems, requiring physical modification of the fuel pump. The aim of this work is to develop a novel electronic dual fuel control system that may be installed on any modern diesel engine using common rail fuel injection with solenoid injector valves, eliminating the need for mechanical modification of the diesel fuel system. The dual fuel electronic control unit developed replaces up to 90 percent of the diesel fuel required with cleaner-burning and cheaper compressed natural gas, providing the same power output with lower greenhouse gas emissions than pure diesel. The dual fuel system developed controls the flow of diesel, gas, air, and engine timing to ensure combustion is optimised to maintain a specific torque at a given speed and demand. During controlled experimental analysis, the dual fuel system exceeded the target substitution rate of 90 precent, with a peak diesel substitution achieved of 97 percent, whilst maintaining the same torque performance of the engine under diesel operation.</p>
Architecture for the poor and unprivileged of Jakarta
Authors:   , Waller Patrick 
Published: December 2021

<p>As the world becomes increasingly urbanised, cities are forced to manage significant population increases. Jakarta, in Indonesia, has a significant population that is visibly living below the poverty line which suggests the city was not fully prepared to accommodate the radical growth. With such a large number of people living in poverty, and there being a lack of affordable housing Jakarta faces an issue where a significant number of these people are forced to live in informal settlements, which are spread throughout the city. These informal settlements, known as Kampungs are typically made up of dense clusters of single or two story residential structures packed together in communal areas. The erection of these houses often results in unplanned but functional networks of footpaths. These urban arrangements normally have a lack of sanitary infrastructure. The government’s current plans to mitigate this issue are by forced evictions, and moving the informal settlement residents into subsidised social housing apartment buildings. Generally, people are against these forced evictions and in many cases they are forced to leave, or simply rebuild on top of the rubble of their old homes. How can architecture support the existing social connections within the community, while improving the living conditions of the residents in the informal settlements of Jakarta? This research proposes a community centre design which is able to provide necessary facilities to the informal settlements. Although the residents are not in need of a new housing design, this research focuses on providing facilities to improve the quality of life. The research takes into account extensive site, literature, and precedent analysis; to develop a design criteria which aims to produce positive neighbourhood development. Traditional Indonesian architecture has a heavy influence on the form and construction material, with the intention to give the opportunity for the community to get involved in the construction and maintenance of the building. The final design result is a community centre with a large auditorium space for community gatherings, and support spaces which include emergency accommodation, teaching facilities, exhibition space, workshop space, sanitary facilities, recycling management centre, and retail spaces. This architectural intervention provides a place for the community to come together and to have a better quality of life while still being able to live in their personally constructed and designed homes.</p>
A Space to Call Our Own, an investigation into designing for play in urban environments
Authors:   , Webber Hayley 
Published: December 2021

<p>Play is an act of discovery and stimulation. As children, we play to learn and grow. As adults, we play for freedom and to escape from reality. The action of play is a largely neglected aspect of peoples experience in urban public space. It is the un-functional and impractical use of the environment that fulfils a human instinct and curiosity that can spark conversation and spontaneity in public spaces. The development of the built environment has centred on improving the efficiency of daily life and little attention has been given to the informal synergies that urban public space can enable. Yet this space plays a central role in the formation of our culture and communities. With increasing trends of migration and urbanisation, New Zealand has become a multicultural society, but the quality of our public spaces and a distinct lack of meaningful interaction is causing increased levels of social fragmentation. The universal action of play can be used as a design tool to increase the level of meaningful activity and interaction in these spaces. This thesis aims to understand how the inclusion of play and playful behaviour can create polycentric environments that can contribute to the reversal of social fragmentation between our ethnic communities and improve social cohesion and resilience within Newtown and Berhampore, socially deprived suburbs in Wellington, New Zealand. The method of this research focuses on combining methods of spatial assessment and community engagement to develop a holistic understanding of play across social, cultural and physical dimensions. Observational studies, public surveying and community workshops combined with a comparative study across a series of case studies provided a foundation of knowledge that was then able to be applied to the design of physical playful spaces. The design response across three test sites vary in scale between small tactical additions and overall redesign of space. These responses display how play can facilitate new forms of social interaction and spark spontaneity. The improved sense of community, familiarity and overall playfulness, increase overall resilience and overturn effects of social fragmentation. This thesis demonstrates how landscape architects can engage with the concept of play to reignite passion within a community and support social network growth.</p>
When Genetic and Environmental Factors Meet in Modelling Autism
Authors:   , Pettie Michaela 
Published: December 2021

<p>Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterised by deficits in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction and repetitive behaviours (APA, 2013). The aetiology of ASD is mostly unknown, with continued research identifying a multitude of genetic and non-genetic factors. However, it is the interaction between environmental factors and the genetic background of an individual which leads to the development of ASD. There is an urgent need for improved animal models of ASD to further our understanding of the aetiology and particularly its pathophysiology, as this will aid in the development of much needed pharmaceutical treatments to alleviate the impact of adverse symptoms for individuals with ASD. Current animal models of ASD examine the genetic (e.g. serotonin transporter knock out rats) or the environmental (e.g. prenatal exposure to Valproate) contributions to the disorder, and very rarely a combination of the two. This thesis aimed to improve the Valproate (VPA) induced ASD animal model with a genetic × environmental interaction approach, as well as optimising chronic administration of the VPA to pregnant rats. To this aim, a non-invasive method of delivering VPA was used, which allowed genetically normal rats to voluntarily consume VPA throughout pregnancy. The prenatal exposure to VPA led to ASD-like behaviours in the offspring (communication delays, increased social behaviour, and social aversion). Next, rats with a genetic deficit in SERT (SERT+/-) exposed to VPA throughout gestation, with an optimised administration method using gelatine pellets, which allowed for voluntary non-invasive consumption, and a more accurate administration of increased VPA doses. Overall, the chronic prenatal exposure to VPA in SERT+/- rats led to a mild ASD-like phenotype, with rats exhibiting communication delays, abnormal play behaviour, disrupted social preference, and to some extent increased anxiety-like behaviour. The brains of the adult offspring were examined for neuronal changes in the GABA interneurons in brain regions associated with social behaviour (amygdala and hippocampus). However, no significant effects of prenatal VPA exposure, genotype, or sex were found. Thus, the variations GABAergic system is unlikely to underlie the earlier identified behavioural alterations. Ultimately, this thesis has furthered the VPA induced ASD animal model with a genetic × environmental interaction approach, as well as optimising the chronic administration method for pregnant rats.</p>
The consequences of complex habitat loss for the New Zealand blue cod, Parapercis colias
Authors:   , Wade Baylee 
Published: December 2021

<p>Climate driven threats are predicted to decrease the complexity of biogenic habitats. Within temperate coastal marine environments, we know that complex macroalgal beds support more complex communities through the provision of microhabitats and refuges. Macroalgal habitats have potential interacting benefits and costs for predators, as increased macroalgal biomass supports higher richness and diversity of prey species, but prey within these habitats might be more difficult to catch. An important New Zealand fishery species, the blue cod (Parapercis colias), is a large bodied temperate reef fish found exclusively throughout the coastal waters of New Zealand. Its dependence on subtidal coastal reef environments mean that it is important to understand how a loss of complex macroalgal habitats might alter the way that blue cod forage, and how the trade-off between prey abundance and availability will affect its abundance and productivity. This thesis aims to understand the influence of complex macroalgal habitats on P. colias prey availability and behaviour, on the foraging success of P. colias, and ultimately on P. colias population dynamics. Experiments were conducted using choice chambers to evaluate whether two alternate P. colias prey, Forsterygion lapillum and Heterozius rotundifrons, showed a preference for complex habitats with and without predation risk. Both species preferred complex habitats in the absence of predation cues, but F. lapillum showed a more consistent preference for complexity in response to predation risk. A mesocosm experiment was used to investigate whether the consumption rate and functional response of P. colias differs for these two prey types in the presence and absence of habitat complexity. Results indicated that the mobile fish prey, F. lapillum benefitted from the refuges provided by complexity and suffered lower consumption rates, whereas the sedentary crab, H. rotundifrons did not. Finally, using a simple population model, the trade-off between prey abundance and predation success on the population dynamics of P. colias with and without habitat complexity was explored. Models showed that scenarios with complex macroalgal habitats generally support more predators, and faster population growth rates than scenarios lacking habitat complexity. However, scenarios with complex habitats were predicted to be more sensitive to fishing pressure and have the potential to be more vulnerable to overexploitation. These results highlight the importance of understanding how habitat complexity mediates relationships between commercially important fishery species and their prey, in order to understand how habitat loss may alter their foraging success and population dynamics.</p>
Using The “Family Violence Flag” To Better Identify Harm Within Families
Authors:   , White Mereana 
Published: December 2021

<p>This thesis looks at how the identification and recording of family violence offending in the criminal justice system could be improved. In doing so it examines s 16A of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011, which was introduced in 2019 to ensure “family violence offences” are identified as such on charging documents and on the offender’s criminal record. This provision is known operationally as the “family violence flag”. The role of the family violence flag in relation to risk assessment is considered, particularly its ability to reveal a perpetrator’s prior family violence offending. Research has shown that a history of family violence is the most consistently identified risk factor for intimate partner lethality and risk of re-assault. The potential of the family violence flag to improve the evidence-base of family violence offending in New Zealand is also considered, which is important given the prevalence and detrimental impact of family violence in New Zealand. Analysis suggests that despite its recent introduction, changes could be made to s 16A to increase its utility. Accordingly, reform options to s 16A are proposed to better achieve the policy intent of the family violence flag, strengthening both its application and subsequent use.</p>
Cultivating what is ours: Local agro-food heritage as a development strategy in the Peruvian Andes
Authors:   , Bidwell Simon 
Published: December 2021

<p>The Peruvian Andes has long been portrayed as a space of poverty and marginalisation, but more recently Andean places have been reinterpreted as reservoirs of valuable patrimonio agroalimentario (agro-food heritage). Amidst global interest in food provenance and Peru’s gastronomic ‘boom’, Andean people and places have connected with different networks that value the geographical, ecological and social origins of food. This thesis explores the meaning of these changes by combining a discourse genealogy with local case studies. I first trace the emergence of interconnecting discourses of territorial development with identity and local agro-food heritage in Latin America. I explore how these discourses bring together diverse actors and agendas through arguments that collective action to revalue local agro-food heritage can offer equitable economic gains while conserving biocultural diversity, a theoretical dynamic that I term the ‘virtuous circle of products with identity.’ These promises frame in-depth case studies of Cabanaconde and Tuti, two rural localities in the southern Peruvian Andes where a range of development initiatives based on local agro-food heritage were undertaken from around the mid-2000s. The case studies combine evaluation of the economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts of the initiatives, with ethnographic perspectives that look at them through the lens of local livelihoods. The partial successes and multiple setbacks of the initiatives highlight the tensions between economic impact, social equity and biocultural diversity while underlining the limitations of existing markets to value the rich connections between place and food in the Andes. Nevertheless, by highlighting local agency in engaging selectively with these initiatives, I conclude that their overall legacy has been largely positive. I suggest that connections being made between place, food and development can provide material and discursive support for diverse territorial economies, defined as the locally specific ways people in the Andes pursue their aspirations while retaining what they value about place, farming and food.</p>
Essays on the Vietnam Stock Market
Authors:   , Nguyen Phuong 
Published: December 2021

<p>This thesis consists of three substantive studies about the Vietnam stock market. In particular, I study the asymmetric information, corporate governance (CG) practices, and foreign investment of publicly listed companies in Vietnam, presented in Chapters 2, 3, and 4, respectively. In Chapter 2, I investigate the effectiveness of a market surveillance system (MSS) on improving the market quality of the Vietnam stock market, as measured by liquidity and informed trading level. I find that market liquidity decreased after the introduction of the MSS, and that the effect is more pronounced for small firms. Although informed trading, on average, does not change significantly after the MSS, subsample analysis indicates a significant decrease in informed trading among large and liquid firms. In Chapter 3, I investigate the relationship between firms’ CG practices and informed trading. I find a negative relationship between the two variables. Firms with better CG practices have a lower level of informed stock trading. Moreover, a natural experiment on a shock of firms’ CG practices generated by the CG policies shows that the negative relationship between CG practices and informed trading is a causal one, in which a change in the former causes a change in the latter. In another analysis around the implementation of the MSS, I find that the implementation of the surveillance system affects the relationship between the two variables, and this effect is driven by large and liquid firms. In Chapter 4, I investigate whether foreign investors in the Vietnam stock market are informed about firms’ performance. Using the residuals of foreign investor ownership as a measure of the abnormal foreign investor holding, I find that the abnormal foreign investor holding is positively correlated with firm performance in the following one year. I also find a positive correlation between abnormal foreign investor holding and the stock returns in the next three quarters. These findings indicate that foreign investors are informed about the firms up to a one-year period.</p>
Cenozoic evolution of the Campbell Plateau, Subantarctic New Zealand: Insights from sub-bottom profile data
Authors:   , Cathie Benjamin 
Published: December 2021

<p>The Campbell Plateau represents ~30% of the submerged continent of Zealandia and represents part of the Gondwana super-continent that began to break-up ~98Ma. The focus of this MSc thesis is to use sub-bottom, profile data collected in 2017 and 2018 from Campbell Plateau to improve our understanding of the Cenozoic evolution of the region. The sub-bottom profiles show a rugged basement overlain by a variety of sedimentary sequences and subsurface features such as volcanoes, onlap, and downlap surfaces as well as multiple unconformities that can be traced throughout the Cenozoic (65Ma). The sub-bottom profiles are compared to 2 drill cores; Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) site 1120 on the eastern side of the plateau and Deep Sea Drilling Program (DSDP) site 277 in the south. These drill cores indicate that the lithology from the Cretaceous onwards is predominantly biogenic calcareous sandstone and mudstone, which changes to nannofossil-rich oozes in the Miocene and foraminiferal oozes and nannofossil oozes dated early to late Pleistocene. The northern plateau appears to be relatively quiescent with thin, relatively uniform strata, only influenced by small reverse faults. Sedimentary deposits such as wedges and contourites are also evident in the central and north-western part of the study area. The southern plateau appears to be have been highly dynamic with onlap/downlap surfaces, interpreted as current scours, and erosional surfaces. There is a plateau-wide unconformity during the Pliocene, as derived from the nannofossils of the ODP1120 drill core, which appears to have been a large-scale erosional event. The Southern Ocean circulation, dominated by Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the Subtropical Front, and local wind-driven currents, are the main drivers of these lithological changes and plateau-wide sedimentological structures. Previous interpretations of the sub-surface structure of the plateau are seen to be invalid in relation to this study, with the sub-surface seen to be relatively undeformed with only minor reverse faulting present. Areas of possible uplifted basement seen near Campbell Island also indicate that the Campbell Plateau has been through substantial erosion and deformation since its’ separation from Gondwana ~98Ma and movement to its modern-day position.</p>
S.E.ARCH: Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Architecture
Authors:   , Shum KaiMei 
Published: December 2021

<p>Until this point in time, space architecture has relied heavily on engineering - resulting in little room for artistic practice. The resulting habitats are ill-equipped to sustain the quality of life required for long-term or interplanetary missions. However, rapid technological growth is beginning to enable the realisation of outer space for commercial enterprise, scientific gain, and personal exploration. Together, a budding space industry and the profession of space architecture are set to lead each other, hand-in-hand, into a new age of space exploration - and to destinations never before reached. For almost as long as human culture has remembered we have been fascinated by the stars. A potent result of this fascination is science fiction and stories concerning space travel. A strong and tangible assemblage has formed between science fiction, social narrative, and outer space. Science fiction can make concepts of the future understandable. It can make communities focused on the future. This thesis proposes that the discipline of architecture, with the help of popular science fiction, can re-imagine space architecture. It seeks to create empathy with the future inhabitants of outer space by envisaging the space industry of the future, and through the creation of a passenger ship it develops a hope for a future that unfolds differently to what we are planning for now. This research seeks to investigate these connections in order to create safer and more fulfilling homes for spacefarers of the future. It does so by arguing against the typology we maintain. Through iterative designs which coincide with research on the use of science fiction and habitability in space, it concludes with a new ship typology.</p>