bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Funnel Plots for Assessing Institutional Performance
Authors:   , Jennings Amy 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis presents a comparison of maternal outcomes for births in New Zealand District Health Boards (DHBs).This is carried out through analysis of the National Minimum Dataset collected by the Ministry of Health for 2007. The outcome compared is postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) the results are displayed using funnel plots, a useful tool for displaying unbiased information on performance outcomes when comparing institutions. Exploration of the data found that there are differences in the demographics, maternal and birth characteristics among DHBs. The rates of PPH are different and the population mixes are made up of a range of different proportions of ethnic groups, ages and deprivation indexes. The exploratory analysis found that a large number of factors are associated with PPH. And that birth weight, parity and gestation had a large number of missing observations. These factors are not missing at random and require imputing prior to constructing the funnel plots. Results show that there is divergence amongst DHBs in the postpartum haemorrhage rate. First a raw PPH rate was plotted and the results indicated there were differences among DHBs. As there are many potential predictors for PPHa logistic regression model was applied to find the most important factors related to PPH. This allows us to apply an adjusted rate for the funnel plot. The risk adjusted funnel plot also indicated differences among DHBs. Two approaches are taken to account for the overdispersion. A winsorised estimate and a winsorised estimate with a random effects term are applied to the data. The approaches produced different results. The winsorised estimate widened the control limits and the random effects term narrowed the control limits. All four plots identified an extreme outlier and this was later removed from the analysis and the winsorisation funnel plots were rerun. The influential outlier made a difference and from this we can concluded that 2 out 20 DHBs lie outside the 95% control limits. These two DHBs could be stated as having a very low rate of PPH.</p>
The communication networks used by special librarians in solo and small libraries
Authors:   , Burgess Nathan 
Published: November 2021

<p>This study is an exploration of how isolated special librarians communicate with other professionals in the library field. It examines the means in which they connect with librarians for professional development and social reasons; the value they place on this interaction; and the barriers that hinder this communication. The qualitative study used semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a representative sample of seven special librarians in New Zealand. The specific population was professionals at special libraries with either a solo staff member or a very small staff. There were several common themes among the interviews. Most interviewees were members of at least one professional library association such as LIANZA, but were more likely to be active in groups that were targeted at their field or at special librarians. When faced with a need for information, advice, or collaboration, the librarians interviewed were most likely to call upon colleagues they had met or worked with in the past, rather than an organised network or purpose-created group. There were several barriers identified that kept librarians from communicating with others, being active in the library field, and engaging in professional development activities. These included lack of support from their managers, lack of support from professional associations, feelings of isolation, and personal responsibilities such as raising a family. The common concerns raised by the special librarians could be taken into consideration by professional associations, organisers of communication networks, and the librarians’ managers. For a clearer picture of special librarians’ communication habits, a quantitative survey could be conducted, with survey questions informed by the results of this study.</p>
Royal Polis Policy in the Seleukid Heartland
Authors:   , de L'isle Christopher Mark 
Published: November 2021

<p>In the Hellenistic Period most of the Greek poleis (city-states) came under the control of the Greco-Macedonian kings. The ideology of the poleis, which stressed the importance of autonomy, conflicted with the reality of royal domination. In Western Asia Minor, this conflict was resolved by presenting the relationship between king and polis as one of free association, in which the poleis were allowed a large amount of autonomy. The kings used ideas of reciprocity to tie the poleis to them and worked to make their rule as amenable as possible, while the poleis of Western Asia Minor continued to aspire to complete independence. This was not the only possible resolution of the conflict between polis autonomy and royal dominance, however. In the Seleukid heartland of Syria and Mesopotamia the Seleukids founded and maintained new poleis. By means of names, myths, and symbols, the identities of these poleis were closely linked to the Seleukid dynasty. As a result, expressions of polis identity were expressions of loyalty to the dynasty, rather than of opposition. Their internal structures were based around an alliance between the royally-appointed epistatēs and the magistrates of the city, who represented a small civic elite. Royal support was thus important to the internal power structure of these poleis. The poleis of the Seleukid heartland did not pursue full independence, even when the Seleukid royal power collapsed at the end of the Hellenistic period because, entirely unlike the poleis of Western Asia Minor, submission to a higher power was a central part of their identities and internal structures.</p>
Contemporary Approaches to Live Computer Music: The Evolution of the Performer Composer
Authors:   , Vallis Owen Skipper 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis examines contemporary approaches to live computer music, and the impact they have on the evolution of the composer performer. How do online resources and communities impact the design and creation of new musical interfaces used for live computer music? Can we use machine learning to augment and extend the expressive potential of a single live musician? How can these tools be integrated into ensembles of computer musicians? Given these tools, can we understand the computer musician within the traditional context of acoustic instrumentalists, or do we require new concepts and taxonomies? Lastly, how do audiences perceive and understand these new technologies, and what does this mean for the connection between musician and audience? The focus of the research presented in this dissertation examines the application of current computing technology towards furthering the field of live computer music. This field is diverse and rich, with individual live computer musicians developing custom instruments and unique modes of performance. This diversity leads to the development of new models of performance, and the evolution of established approaches to live instrumental music. This research was conducted in several parts. The first section examines how online communities are iteratively developing interfaces for computer music. Several case studies are presented as examples of how online communities are helping to drive new developments in musical interface design. This thesis also presents research into designing real-time interactive systems capable of creating a virtual model of an existing performer, that then allows the model’s output to be contextualized by a second performer’s live input. These systems allow for a solo live musician’s single action to be multiplied into many different, but contextually dependent, actions. Additionally, this thesis looks at contemporary approaches to local networked ensembles, the concept of shared social instruments, and the ways in which the previously described research can be used in these ensembles. The primary contributions of these efforts include (1) the development of several new open-source interfaces for live computer music, and the examination of the effect that online communities have on the evolution of musical interfaces; (2) the development of a novel approach to search based interactive musical agents; (3) examining how networked music ensembles can provided new forms of shared social instruments.</p>
Localization and Change Point Detection using GPS Data
Authors:   , Zhai Xiaoyu 
Published: November 2021

<p>The Global Positioning System (GPS) has become widely used in modern life and most people use GPS to find locations, therefore the accuracy of these locations is very important. In this thesis, we will use Longitude and Latitude from raw GPS data to estimate the location of a GPS receiver. To improve accuracy of the estimation, we will use two methods to delete outliers in Longitude and Latitude: the Euclidean distance method and the Mahalanobis distance method. We will then use two methods to estimate the location: Maximum Likelihood and Bootstrap method. The confidence ellipse and the simultaneous confidence intervals are used to construct confidence regions for bivariate data, and we compared the two methods. In this thesis, we also did some simulations to understand the effect of sample size and variance in the linear regression model for AIC and BIC, and use these two criteria to find a best model to fit the multivariate linear regression model with response variables Latitude and Longitude. This thesis forms part of a larger project to detect land movement, such as that seen in landslides using low cost GPS devices. We therefore consider methods for detecting changes in location over time. In this thesis, we used converted Longitude, Latitude and Altitude (in meters) from the same GPS data set after deleting outliers as our variables and applied two methods (Hotelling’s T2 chart method and Multivariate exponentially weighted moving average method) to detect changes in location in our data.</p>
Game Balance: Designed structure and consumer agency in an online game
Authors:   , Haynes Elizabeth 
Published: November 2021

<p>Massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) attract millions of people every year and are now a major industry. Using the internet, these games connect players and give them goals to pursue within virtual worlds. This thesis examines the early life of one such game, the North American version of TERA, based on participant observation on a player vs. player server. TERA’s players met and interacted within a virtual game world controlled by the company which developed the game, and although players constructed their own social groups and factions within this world they were constrained by software that they could not change. Everything from the combat rules to the physics of the environment was designed, and players could only take actions that were accounted for and allowed by that design. However, TERA launched as one of many available MMORPGs which were competing for the attention of the same audience. Its players tended to be experienced and well-informed about the genre, and used their knowledge to evaluate and critique TERA both privately and in public forums. Aware that game companies’ chief concern was for profit, players exercised agency by embracing a consumer identity and pressuring developers in their own commercial terms. To retain players’ loyalty and continue receiving their fees, companies were obliged to appease their customers. This allowed players to see the game world develop and change in accordance with their desires despite the fact that they lacked the access or the expertise to change it themselves. I link this approach to agency to the rise of consumer movements in capitalist societies, and show how the virtual world of TERA can serve as an example for other situations in the physical world where contemporary technologies are used to both enable and constrain agency.</p>
Representation and Rhetoric: National Identity in the Anonymous Speeches of Thucydides
Authors:   , Diggins Daniel 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis is about patterns in the speeches of Thucydides' unnamed ambassadors which create a sense of the national identity of the speakers. While general scholarly opinion had tended to regard Thucydidean speakers as not able to be differentiated, some scholars have demonstrated characterising patterns in the speeches of named individuals, such as Nikias or Archidamos. I focus on three poleis, Athens, Corinth, and Sparta, and base my own investigations on those of the named speeches. I argue that patterns can be discerned in the anonymous speeches which differentiate these three poleis, and which suggest national characterisation. The first part of this thesis considers stylistic features of the anonymous speeches, in the form of a case study of the Spartan anonymous speech, as the statistical evidence highlights some unexpected features of this speech. Thus, I first consider sentence organisation, arguing that while the Spartans in their speech utilise an unusual amount of subordination, the speech retains the brevity and simplicity one would expect of Spartans, relative to speakers of the other poleis. I then consider two features of vocabulary which we would not expect to see in the Spartan speech, arguing that these features suggest an attempt by the Spartans to ingratiate their speech to the Athenians, and that the vocabulary underscores the unusualness of the speech and, due to two programmatic statements in the speech, ultimately serves to re-emphasise Spartan national character. The second part of this thesis considers broader rhetorical features. First, I consider how the speakers frame the persuasive purpose of their speeches, arguing that the Athenians frame their speeches as the giving of advice, as opposed to the Spartans' openness of purpose, while the Corinthians stand between the two. Then I consider the approaches to argumentation, arguing that the Spartans couch their arguments in a conservative, Doric framework, that the Corinthians are also conservative, and that the Athenians highlight the openness to risk-taking of the polis, and consideration of what is profitable, or advantageous. I conclude that differences in organisation of the speeches, length and relative complexity, and rhetorical posturing would suggest national character to a sensitive reader. That is, the Spartan speeches suggest a conservative, Doric polis, the Athenian speeches reflect a democratic state in which sophistic education is freely available, and open to risk-taking, and the Corinthian speeches reflect their geographical and cultural middle point between the poles of Athens and Sparta.</p>
Mediating the Brief: Reconceptualising Typology for New Zealand's Ageing Population
Authors:   , Sawers Andrew 
Published: November 2021

<p>New Zealand, like much of the developed world, has an ageing population. This fact is accompanied by evidence which shows that people’s life spans are also increasing (WHO 6). As the population continues to age, housing facilities for older New Zealanders are going to become more visible and more important. With huge growth looming for this housing sector questions are surfacing over the capacity for existing elderly housing typologies to allow residents to age positively. Positive ageing is judged by the state of someone’s physical, social and mental well-being (WHO 12). The field of architecture has an opportunity to play an active role in transforming the typology of elderly housing facilities, to make a new living environment that feels like an enjoyable place to be housed during a person’s later years. This thesis develops a position on the current state of living options for the elderly and the effect they have on the well-being of residents. The findings and insights drawn from literature and case study analysis help to determine a suitable direction for the future design of elderly housing typologies. This is tested through a design-based project. The outcome of this research finds that elderly housing typologies require a change in theme from segregation to integration. In response, the design project proposes a multigenerational housing environment in close proximity to a high number of leisure, health, educational, cultural and voluntary amenities to ensure elderly people can remain independent longer and continue to be active citizens within the community. The project supports strong links with the community through the use of a semi-public external courtyard space which provides significant interface between the elderly and members of the wider community, making it an effective mechanism for integration. The design of interior living environments aims to provide more flexibility to the living unit over time and enhance opportunities for casual social interaction to take place. Overall the research suggests that a living environment for elderly people which is well integrated into the community and provides opportunities for casual social interaction will help reduce problems associated with ageing and ultimately contribute to the elderly living a better quality of life.</p>
The Hero Fallen: Zhang Yimou and the Question of Unstable Authorship
Authors:   , Ellsworth Mark 
Published: November 2021

<p>When Zhang Yimou’s film, Hero (2002), was released it was one of the most successful Chinese films ever screened in American theaters. While many critics applauded the film’s aesthetics, other reviewers condemned the film for undermining the political potency of Zhang’s early films and promoting a fascist ideology. The interpretation of Hero as fascist propaganda has incited a controversy over the reception of the film that has penetrated academic as well as journalistic circles. A close look at this controversy reveals that there has been a tendency in the West to read a film and filmmaker in a manner predetermined by where they are from and the discourse that already exists. This ‘auto-reading’ or ‘auto-positioning’ tendency is symptomatic of a reliance on discourses of authorship and national cinema. The manner in which these discourses have permeated the way that the West has responded to Zhang and his films has given rise to three ‘recurring motifs:’ aesthetic virtuosity, cultural authenticity, and national politics. These motifs are characteristics which have been repeated so often that they became defining qualities of his authorship and have often determined the interpretation of his films. This thesis involves a mapping of the critical reception of Hero and the way it relates to Zhang’s prior work, his auteur status, and his relationship to the Chinese nation-state. Specifically, this thesis examines how the discursive reception of Zhang’s career and films provided the context out of which emerged the framework that justifies reading the film as fascist. Tracing the recurring motifs throughout the Western reception of Zhang’s films reveals the problematics of the reliance on the discourses of authorship and national cinema. This thesis will also explore Hero directly to investigate how the film’s ambiguities have contributed to the reading of the film as fascist but also how ambiguity facilitates the potential to interpret other meanings in the film.</p>
J.C.Sturm: Before the Silence: An Exploration of Her Early Writing
Authors:   , Michael Margaret 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis considers the early works of J. C. Sturm, her own thesis, her short stories, articles and book reviews written in the 1950s before her writing and publishing silence. It examines where this writing places her in context of the post-Second World War period and where it could have placed her in the New Zealand literary canon had it not been for her ensuing literary silence. The first chapter briefly discusses the nature of literary silences and then introduces Sturm with some biographical information. It details the approach that I take writing the thesis using three readings of her works: as social informer; as woman writer; and as Maori writer. These readings inform my commentary on her work and attempt to place her in the literary canon of the fifties. I discuss my reservations, as a Pakeha, in approaching Sturm as a Maori writer. I use Sturm’s own comments “that many literary works can be taken as social documents and many authors can be taken as social informers” as a licence to use Sturm herself as “social informer”. It can be demonstrated how the ideas she promulgates in her thesis, New Zealand Character as Exemplified in Three New Zealand Novelists are developed in her short stories, articles and book reviews and in how Sturm holds her mirror up to New Zealand society. Reading Sturm as a "woman” writer demonstrates how, through her short stories, she destroyed the “idyll of suburban domesticity”. Terry Sturm wrote of women’s writing of the 1970s that “its main tendency is to challenge male accounts of New Zealand society and culture”. Twenty years before this date I show that J. C. Sturm was writing that woman’s account and challenging the male expectations of a woman’s place in the home and society. Using Sturm’s description that being a Maori writer is “a way of feeling”, her short stories and articles published in Te Ao Hou enable a discussion of Maori writing in the fifties, exploring both the writing context and the critical environment in which this writing was received. The hindsight provided by this exploration some fifty to sixty years on demonstrates the forgetting and misremembering that can happen in a literary context and the effect that forgetting can have on a Maori literary history. In the final section I reconstruct the somewhat artificially deconstructed strands that have made up the previous chapters, bringing Sturm’s works together as a whole to enable a discussion on Sturm’s rightful place in the New Zealand’s literary canon of the fifties, as well as exploring further the natures of Sturm’s silence in order to bring some remembering into the long forgetting of Sturm’s early work.</p>