bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
From ‘women’s business’ to ‘men’s business’: Exploring connections between vasectomy acceptance and equitable gender relations in South Tarawa, Kiribati
Authors:   , Hill Alex 
Published: December 2021

<p>Engaging men in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) has implications for gender equality and sustainable development. Promoting vasectomy can foster more equitable gender relations between partners, but research on this topic is extremely limited. My research shows that, in Kiribati, vasectomy uptake is both a cause and a consequence of gender equitable relationships, but connections are complex. Vasectomy uptake can also result from, and lead to, inequitable behaviours. Links between vasectomy uptake and gender relations among couples in South Tarawa, Kiribati were explored using a qualitative case study informed by feminist theory and principles from indigenous methodologies. Semi-structured informal interviews were held with five vasectomised I-Kiribati men and their wives, interviewed as a couple and individually. Comparative analysis was undertaken with two same-sex focus group discussions, one with non-vasectomised men and the other with their wives; and with six key informant interviews. Information generated was analysed thematically and further triangulated with international and Kiribati studies. Among the participant-couples, vasectomy decision-making seemed equitable, consistent with other household decision-making. Notably, the wives were actively involved in their husbands’ decision to be vasectomised. Husbands were often prompted by egalitarian concerns. However, vasectomised men are in the minority and challenge gender normative behaviour. Family planning was widely viewed as women’s responsibility. Most participants felt vasectomy created new opportunities that empowered women. Yet, some participants knew of men who used their vasectomies to control their wives’ sexual and reproductive agency, and to enable extramarital relationships. Although vasectomy freed women from contraceptive responsibility, significant shifts in the gender division of labour did not follow, but exceptions existed. This research shows that gender equity is likely to be a pre-condition of vasectomy, and that vasectomy can lead to equitable outcomes. Moreover, gender relations within and among couples were multifaceted and contradictions existed. My research makes a strong case for why heterosexual men should be central to gender and development.</p>
Tangible Animation - Designing Organic Performance with Multi-Material 3D/4D Printing
Authors:   , Hone Nicole 
Published: December 2021

<p>Movement transforms a physical object from static to alive. Multi-material 3D printing has the potential to create complex organic effects, given its ability to blend rigid and flexible materials. Add in the fourth dimension of time and the designer’s role extends beyond the design of the object itself and into the choreography of its movement. Despite the presence of this technology over the last decade, there is a lack of research that explores the aesthetics and application of organic movement. Current designs that are dynamic tend to focus on a single motion or lack a supporting context. Meanwhile, there is a desire for authentic, immersive experiences in museums, theme parks and films. In response, this research aims to showcase the potential for multi-material 3D/4D printing to design the organic performance of objects for the exhibition and film industry. In this thesis, a thematic analysis defines the qualities of organic movement as having a curved shape, variable speed and multimodal composition. Research through Design with a Criteria-Based approach is then used to guide an iterative design process, seeking to translate these qualities into moving objects. The outcome of this research is a series of futuristic aquatic plants, 3D printed with pneumatic chambers and filmed within the context of a narrative. Effective organic behaviour is designed through the digital control of form and materiality, combined with natural physical interactions involving the environment, humans and other 3D prints. The interplay between these two disparate worlds builds on the concept of computer-generated objects (CGO). The design output demonstrates the value of CGO in creating compelling visuals on-screen and sensory interactive encounters in real life. The work highlights the importance of movement and tangibility in bringing objects to life in the same world as the audience. The research also contributes to advancing the practice of physical prop design through the development of 4D printing techniques. It elicits discussion around how multi-material 3D/4D printing aligns with the future of creating immersive experiences for the exhibition and film industry.</p>
The Tailored Traveller: Exploring digital vehicle data and large-scale FDM 3D printing to produce a luxury sleeping space
Authors:   , Rykers William 
Published: December 2021

<p>This research is focused towards the use of large-scale FDM 3D printing within the automotive industry, specifically to design a bespoke habitable sleeping environment attached to a Range Rover Sport. 3D printing has risen as a viable form of manufacturing in comparison with conventional methods. Allowing the designer to capitalise on digital data, enabling specific tailored designs to any vehicle model. This thesis asks the question “Can design use the properties of digital vehicle data in conjunction with large-scale FDM 3D printing to sustainably produce bespoke habitable sleeping environments for an automotive context?” Further to this, FDM 3D printing at a large-scale has so far not been explored extensively within the automotive industry. FDM 3D printing is an emerging technology that possesses the ability to revolutionise the automotive industry, through expansion of functionality, customisation and aesthetic that is currently limited by traditional manufacturing methods. Presently, vehicle models are digitally mapped, creating an opportunity for customisation and automatic adaption through computer aided drawing (CAD). This thesis takes advantage of the digitisation of the automotive industry through 3D modelling and renders as a design and development tool. This project explored a variety of methods to demonstrate a vision of a 3D printed habitable sleeping environment. The primary methodologies employed in this research project are Research for Design (RfD) and Research through Design (RtD). These methodologies work in conjunction to combine design theory and practice as a genuine method of inquiry. The combination of theory and design practice has ensued in the concepts being analysed, reflected and discussed according to a reflective analysis design approach. The design solution resulted in an innovative and luxury bespoke habitable sleeping space to be FDM 3D printed. Through the use of digitisation, the sleeping capsule was cohesively tailored to the unique design language of the Range Rover Sport. This thesis resulted in various final outputs including a 1:1 digital model, high quality renders, accompanied by small scale prototypes, photographs and sketch models.</p>
The Culture of Couch Surfing Amongst Students
Authors:   , De Ruysscher Denzel 
Published: December 2021

<p>This thesis explores ‘couch surfing’ as it becomes more prevalent within the tertiary student experience. In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the availability of housing in all major cities in New Zealand. Rental accommodations been particularly hard hit with the number of properties available for occupation under increasing demand. Despite this shortage universities have continued to expand, offering an increased number of positions to students. This dichotomy has impacted university students looking for ‘affordable accommodation.’ This has led to a recent surge in students undertaking studies without fixed abodes for either short time periods or in some cases for the duration of the university trimesters or year, commonly referred to as ‘student homelessness.’ The students are faced with a new reality; a reality of relying on short term peer support for accommodation, known as couch-surfing. This research considers the impact of accommodation uncertainty within the tertiary student experience and specifically asks what impact the current global phenomenon of couch surfing is having on either alleviation or amplification of the physical and/or emotional stresses and strains associated with attending university. This study interviews students who have experienced uncertainty around their accommodation arrangements and as a result have engaged in couch surfing practices. The aim of this study is to gain a holistic overview of the impact this experience of uncertainty and temporary accommodation has on a student’s life and uses photography as a tool within human-centred and participatory design approaches to assist in the expression and interpretation of the couch surfing experience during university study. At the outset, more portrait photography approaches such as model headshots are used to illustrate the student couch surfer and their accommodation experience and surroundings with the purpose of capturing the couch surfers in the moment in mind. Following on from this the study introduces the ethnographic method of Photovoice and asks the couch surfing student to record their own accommodation experience through the taking of more self-focused photos that include their surroundings and expressions of the experience. As a final experience, a workshop was designed and facilitated to synergise the student voice on the experiences of couch surfing. This experience was also documented through photography. The culmination of these research approaches is a visual output in the form of a photobook that will showcase the overall narrative of the thesis. The main objective of the thesis and visual output is to explore the lifestyle and experiences of student couch surfers and to visually amplify a collective student voice that speaks to the emergent and unique phenomenon of couch surfing, that has had an impact on their university experience.</p>
How has access to general practitioner services changed since the Primary Health Care Strategy 2001?
Authors:   , Thomson Michael 
Published: December 2021

<p>With a governmental review of the health system impending, it is timely to examine whether the universal capitation-based subsidies engendered by the 2001 Primary Health Care Strategy have achieved and maintained their strategic goal of expanding access to general practitioners and reducing inequities. Prior scholarship finds evidence of reduced fees and increased consultation numbers and rates during the roll-out period, but the long-run picture remains unexplored, and there are multiple hitherto unexamined sources of endogeneity to unravel. This thesis addresses these gaps by examining New Zealand Health Survey data between 2002/03 and 2015/16. I examine the distribution of co-payments, utilisation and unmet need due to cost using regression modelling, accounting for endogenous self-reporting errors and selection effects through instrumentation and Heckman modelling, respectively. I propose a novel instrument to account for selection bias in self-reported fees, applicable in contexts where general practitioners play ‘gate-keeping’ roles for tertiary services. I find that the expanded universal subsidies were associated with improved access for Māori and more preventive visits as intended. However, patients with the greatest health need made far fewer doctors’ visits per annum than before. After providing universal subsidisation, the fees paid by high- and low-income groups also converged, and low-to-middle-income earners made more use of services but high-income earners did not. The higher rates of utilisation for both the whole population and for Māori have not survived in recent years. I discuss a range of possible explanations for these developments, with particular attention paid to the role of both the capitation subsidies and the subsequent Very-Low Cost Access price-capping scheme. This research contributes evidence to international scholarship on the link between universal healthcare subsidisation and equity of access, with attention to local nuances. It further provides domestic policymakers with an understanding of the contemporary scope and correlates of poor healthcare access ahead of the health system review.</p>
Synthesis of Novel Pyran Fragments to Incorporate into Peloruside Analogues
Authors:   , Bayley Oliver 
Published: December 2021

<p>Cancer is currently the second largest cause of death globally, leading to a high demand for new and effective chemotherapeutics. For years, natural products have been used as a source of new bioactive compounds; of particular interest in this context, as a source of new chemotherapeutics. One chemotherapeutic candidate which has attracted significant attention in synthetic and medicinal chemistry communities, is peloruside A. Peloruside A is a bioactive secondary metabolite isolated from the New Zealand marine sponge Mycale hentscheli. Since its discovery, peloruside A has shown great promise in cancer studies both in vivo and in vitro with effects observed even at nanomolar concentrations. These chemotherapeutic effects have been shown to occur by halting cell division at the G2/M checkpoint via microtubule stabilisation. Of particular interest is that this stabilisation occurs in a manner distinct from that of the already established taxane class of microtubule stabilising drugs. This means that peloruside A is able to offer both inhibition of cell division in Taxol® resistant cells and synergistic inhibition alongside the current taxane drugs. Since peloruside A is not abundantly available from its natural source, there is a strong incentive for the development of new synthetic strategies for peloruside A production. Unfortunately attempts at aquaculture and attempts at developing an industrial scale synthesis have both proven unsuccessful thus far. In an attempt to overcome some of the difficulties with the scale up of peloruside, analogues have been developed that are intended to have similar bioactivity to peloruside A but simpler, more concise, synthetic routes. These analogues will also enable further elucidation of the binding properties of peloruside A. This project focuses on the generation of a functionalised pyran fragment, starting from a simple carbohydrate, that may be incorporated into the proposed analogues.</p>
An Examination of Rural Homestay Operations through the Lens of the Sustainable Livelihood Framework: A Case Study of Phou Khao Khouay National Park Community-Based Tourism (PKK NP CBT), Lao PDR
Authors:   , Pasanchay Khamsavay 
Published: December 2021

<p>In many developing countries, Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is regarded as a sustainable tourism development tool as well as a catalyst for rural community development through the involvement of local people and the improvement of the standard of living. To extend the involvement of the local community in CBT, homestay tourism is a form of operation unit and its concept aims to facilitate individual household social-cultural and economic benefit from CBT directly. Although homestays are widely regarded as providing better livelihoods directly to the homestay operators, it is not clear to what extent homestay operations actually contribute to the sustainable livelihood of homestay operators when considering the wider livelihood implications. This research seeks to explore this gap by analysing homestay operators through the lens of Sustainable Livelihood theory (Scoones, 1998). This research adopts a post-positivist paradigm with qualitative methodology. Taking a case study approach, semi-structured interviews and observations were employed to collect primary data from community leaders, heads and deputy heads of the tourist guides, and homestay operators themselves. Results of the study found that although homestay tourism was initially established by the government. The study also found the main characteristics of the homestay operation are in a small size with a limitation of bedrooms, and a few family members involved in hosting tourists, which are husband, wife, and an adult child. All of these people are unpaid labour but receive benefits from the sharing of food and shelter. The study also uncovered that cash-based income, gender empowerment enhancement, and environmental enhancement were the positive impacts of homestay tourism on the livelihoods of the homestay operators, and these positive livelihood outcomes were in line with the original sustainable livelihood framework. In addition, cultural revitalisation was found as an emerged indicator of the sustainable livelihood outcomes, which was used to extend the revised framework. However, the study discovered that opportunity costs, culture shock, and conflict with villagers were negative implications affecting sustainable livelihood outcomes of the homestay operators. The revised Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) suggests that if these negative implications are mitigated, the overall livelihood outcomes will be even greater. The results of this study are expected to provide a deeper understanding of how the impacts of homestay tourism on the sustainable livelihood of the homestay operators.</p>
Exploring the sustaining factors that motivate nurses to work in the rural areas of Papua New Guinea
Authors:   , Poga Priscilla 
Published: December 2021

<p>Papua New Guinea is among other developing countries that are faced with a critical shortage in human resources in health, specifically nurses, and rural areas are the most affected. Initially, and perhaps unsurprisingly, there were only two relevant studies that directly related to Papua New Guinea in this area based on the literature search. The first of these two studies was focused on nurses and the social aspect of rural motivation compared to the other which was focused on rural health professionals in general. Nevertheless, other research studies were eventually found from other developing countries such as certain Pacific, African and Latin American countries that served to assist in focusing the research on the chosen topic. This descriptive-exploratory study set out to explore the sustaining factors that influenced existing nurses to remain (or otherwise) in their work in Papua New Guinea’s rural areas. As such, the study involves 10 rural nurses with over two years of rural work experience in two different organisations; government and church. The interviews were semi-structured and were designed to explore the motivating factors for rural nurses and how any challenges, or demotivating factors, were overcome. The interviews were conducted in the common spoken language Tok Pisin which was translated into English, transcribed and analysed thematically. Overall the study found that rural nurses are disadvantaged because they struggle with limited resources to deliver effective health care, and they also face several personal challenges which are often overlooked. The main findings are categorised under two major themes, 1) safety and 2) socioeconomic, and each are explored by further exploration of the themes and sub-themes that are evident in both. The implications of this study are examined, including recommendations, to develop policies that are designed to address the ongoing needs of rural nurses in Papua New Guinea.</p>
Social Interactions In Non-Monetary Accommodation Sharing: Host’s Motivation and Value Co-Creation
Authors:   , Sevisari Undhan 
Published: December 2021

<p>Accommodation sharing, as collaborative consumption platforms, fosters memorable tourism experiences by allowing individuals to have direct interactions with hosts and local communities. Airbnb and CouchSurfing exemplify two of the most popular accommodation-sharing platforms, representing the distinction between monetary and non-monetary platforms. While Airbnb as a monetary accommodation sharing platform has gained much attention in the academic literature, little is known regarding CouchSurfing and its non-monetary model. Current research postulates that by the absence of financial involvement, CouchSurfing offers more intimacy and experience in the host-guest relationship. Meanwhile, shifts in tourist behaviour have determined the direction of value co-creation in the tourism industry. Together with tourism providers and other social actors, tourists are engaged in active participation and interaction to create value jointly and for all participants. Motivated by the extant literature on accommodation sharing and value co-creation, this research contributes to the conceptualisation of value co-creation in non-monetary accommodation sharing through the perspective of the host. Taking CouchSurfing as the context, this research answers several questions: 1) what is the motivation of Indonesian CouchSurfing members to host? 2) Through what practices is value co-created between host and guest in CouchSurfing? 3) What resources are needed to co-create value in the context? 4) What value emerges from hosting in CouchSurfing? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants from Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Bali. In addition to the individual interviews, a focus group discussion with 6 participants was held in Yogyakarta. Findings from this research highlight the intrinsic, personal and emotion-based nature of hosts’ motivations to participate in Couchsurfing, including the establishment of personal connections and friendships, an opportunity to behave in altruistic ways, and the increase of knowledge through other people’s lives and experiences. To fulfil these motivations to the best possible extent, guest selection strategies were put into place by hosts, based on prior experience. The co-creational social practices then closely aligned to those motivations and are regulated by hosts’ management strategies. This ensured a positive experience, resulting in a variety of value outcomes including new knowledge, positive self-identity as well as professional opportunities. Findings of this research also highlight the unique nature of co-creational experiences in non-monetary accommodation sharing and the unusually strong impact of motivations on all components of the value co-creation process. This research concludes with suggestions for future research and both theoretical and practical implications for harnessing intimacy and authenticity in the tourism industry.</p>