title: MOA: Massive Online Analysis, a framework for stream classification and clustering.

authors: Bifet, Albert

subjects: computer science

abstract: Massive Online Analysis (MOA) is a software environment for implementing algorithms and running experiments for online learning from evolving data streams. MOA is designed to deal with the challenging problem of scaling up the implementation of state of the art algorithms to real world dataset sizes. It contains collection of offline and online for both classification and clustering as well as tools for evaluation. In particular, for classification it implements boosting, bagging, and Hoeffding Trees, all with and without Naive Bayes classifiers at the leaves. For clustering, it implements StreamKM++, CluStream, ClusTree, Den-Stream, D-Stream and CobWeb. Researchers benefit from MOA by getting insights into workings and problems of different approaches, practitioners can easily apply and compare several algorithms to real world data set and settings. MOA supports bi-directional interaction with WEKA, the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis, and is released under the GNU GPL license.

text: MOA: Massive Online Analysis, a framework for stream classification and clustering. Massive Online Analysis (MOA) is a software environment for implementing algorithms and running experiments for online learning from evolving data streams. MOA is designed to deal with the challenging problem of scaling up the implementation of state of the art algorithms to real world dataset sizes. It contains collection of offline and online for both classification and clustering as well as tools for evaluation. In particular, for classification it implements boosting, bagging, and Hoeffding Trees, all with and without Naive Bayes classifiers at the leaves. For clustering, it implements StreamKM++, CluStream, ClusTree, Den-Stream, D-Stream and CobWeb. Researchers benefit from MOA by getting insights into workings and problems of different approaches, practitioners can easily apply and compare several algorithms to real world data set and settings. MOA supports bi-directional interaction with WEKA, the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis, and is released under the GNU GPL license.

year: 2010

title: Do youth in sport stay out of court? Insights and recommendations for families, coaches, community groups, sports organisations, and policymakers

authors: Clarke, Gloria Hinemoa

abstract: In Aotearoa New Zealand, rugby and rugby league are popular sporting codes, historically and particularly among males. In their 2023 annual reports, New Zealand Rugby reported 147,434 registered participants, while New Zealand Rugby League reported 28,180. Both institutions have also developed equity, diversity and inclusion strategies aimed at nurturing the participation and involvement of women and girls, as well as Māori and Pacific communities. However, while both codes have recorded an increase in female participation, there has been a gradual decline in male participation (Cully, 2023; Radio New Zealand, 2023; Wilson, 2022). This decline in sport participation has also been noted by (former) Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft, who found that young male offenders are often not involved in sport (Bruce, 2013; Sport NZ, 2018). 

This report summarises the findings of a study that examines sports attrition in relation to youth offending. In that study, the author (Clarke, 2012) examined the childhood and youth sporting experiences and illegal activities of five young men aged between 18 and 25 years old. 

The aim of this report is to provide insights into how these young men became involved in sport and why they dropped out, how they became involved in crime, and possible links between their sport participation and offending. Their experiences highlight several issues that can be addressed by parents/caregivers, clubs, sport administrators, coaches, community groups, sports organisations, and policymakers. 

In course of the study, six key observations were made. For these young men:
1. rugby and or rugby league were their primary and final sporting codes; 
2. these sports were or had become ‘just a game’;
3. aggressive coaches diminished their enjoyment and commitment to sport;
4. their parents/caregivers were absent from their sporting lives; 
5. their participation in sport and crime was simultaneous; and
6. the collision aspect of rugby and rugby league may have helped to facilitate their offending.

In this document, the names of these young men have been replaced with aliases. To provide the reader with a richer and deeper understanding of the issues, the report features a number of their stories and reflections (edited for readability only). The research methods are briefly outlined in Appendix 1. Sources included in this report are listed in the References section. For a fuller review of the literature and the research analysis refer to the original research document (Clarke, 2012).

text: Do youth in sport stay out of court? Insights and recommendations for families, coaches, community groups, sports organisations, and policymakers In Aotearoa New Zealand, rugby and rugby league are popular sporting codes, historically and particularly among males. In their 2023 annual reports, New Zealand Rugby reported 147,434 registered participants, while New Zealand Rugby League reported 28,180. Both institutions have also developed equity, diversity and inclusion strategies aimed at nurturing the participation and involvement of women and girls, as well as Māori and Pacific communities. However, while both codes have recorded an increase in female participation, there has been a gradual decline in male participation (Cully, 2023; Radio New Zealand, 2023; Wilson, 2022). This decline in sport participation has also been noted by (former) Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft, who found that young male offenders are often not involved in sport (Bruce, 2013; Sport NZ, 2018). 

This report summarises the findings of a study that examines sports attrition in relation to youth offending. In that study, the author (Clarke, 2012) examined the childhood and youth sporting experiences and illegal activities of five young men aged between 18 and 25 years old. 

The aim of this report is to provide insights into how these young men became involved in sport and why they dropped out, how they became involved in crime, and possible links between their sport participation and offending. Their experiences highlight several issues that can be addressed by parents/caregivers, clubs, sport administrators, coaches, community groups, sports organisations, and policymakers. 

In course of the study, six key observations were made. For these young men:
1. rugby and or rugby league were their primary and final sporting codes; 
2. these sports were or had become ‘just a game’;
3. aggressive coaches diminished their enjoyment and commitment to sport;
4. their parents/caregivers were absent from their sporting lives; 
5. their participation in sport and crime was simultaneous; and
6. the collision aspect of rugby and rugby league may have helped to facilitate their offending.

In this document, the names of these young men have been replaced with aliases. To provide the reader with a richer and deeper understanding of the issues, the report features a number of their stories and reflections (edited for readability only). The research methods are briefly outlined in Appendix 1. Sources included in this report are listed in the References section. For a fuller review of the literature and the research analysis refer to the original research document (Clarke, 2012).

year: 2025

title: Time to Diagnosis and Persistence: The Two Major Determinants of Effective Tuberculosis Control

authors: Ruthe, Alaine Tess

subjects: tuberculosis

abstract: The greatest challenge confronting effective tuberculosis (TB) eradication is the time to diagnosis, and duration of treatment of chronically infected individuals which represent a pool of infection. In an attempt to help limit the spread of TB in New Zealand, a fast SNP based diagnostic test was developed, to quickly identify the highly transmissible and virulent endemic Rangipo strain. The role of VapBC toxin-antitoxin systems in M. tuberculosis has been the subject of great interest recently, due to their expanded number in the genome and links with virulence and the regulation of cell growth in response to environmental stress. Their ability to regulate growth under adverse conditions for presumed survival advantages possibly leading to dormancy or persistence, make them ideal candidates for the development of new M. tuberculosis treatments. To establish differential expression of vapC, and therefore identify possible pathways and functions of the VapBC proteins, RT-qPCR was used to assess the expression levels of vapB and vapC in M. smegmatis under conditions of stress. No consistant changes in vapC mRNA levels were observed, resulting in the hypothesis that it is not the transcriptional differences which are important in the regulation of VapC, but post-transcriptional factors. In order to investigate the function(s) of M. tuberculosis VapBCs, these VapBC proteins were expressed and purified in M. smegmatis, and the VapC toxin tested for RNase activity. The purification, expression, RNase testing and bioinformatic analysis of M. tuberculosis VapCs suggested that VapCRv2530c, VapCRv0065 and VapCRv0617 may all target the same recognition sequence, UA*GG. Bioinformatic analysis revealed an abundance of this target sequence in horizontal gene transfer and TA genes, raising the possibility that VapC toxins could be functioning as selfish elements, or initiating transcriptional regulation cascades when a rapid change in the proteomic response and metabolic state of the cell is required. It is intriguing that the three M. tuberculosis VapC proteins tested thus far appear to target the same recognition sequence, possibly suggesting that all 47 VapCs are RNases and are targeting the same sequence. Alternatively; VapCs may belong to sub-groups targeting different sequences, allowing M. tuberculosis to exude both gross and fine metabolic control; or, they may share the same target, but are regulated by different activators triggered in response to different environmental stimuli.

text: Time to Diagnosis and Persistence: The Two Major Determinants of Effective Tuberculosis Control The greatest challenge confronting effective tuberculosis (TB) eradication is the time to diagnosis, and duration of treatment of chronically infected individuals which represent a pool of infection. In an attempt to help limit the spread of TB in New Zealand, a fast SNP based diagnostic test was developed, to quickly identify the highly transmissible and virulent endemic Rangipo strain. The role of VapBC toxin-antitoxin systems in M. tuberculosis has been the subject of great interest recently, due to their expanded number in the genome and links with virulence and the regulation of cell growth in response to environmental stress. Their ability to regulate growth under adverse conditions for presumed survival advantages possibly leading to dormancy or persistence, make them ideal candidates for the development of new M. tuberculosis treatments. To establish differential expression of vapC, and therefore identify possible pathways and functions of the VapBC proteins, RT-qPCR was used to assess the expression levels of vapB and vapC in M. smegmatis under conditions of stress. No consistant changes in vapC mRNA levels were observed, resulting in the hypothesis that it is not the transcriptional differences which are important in the regulation of VapC, but post-transcriptional factors. In order to investigate the function(s) of M. tuberculosis VapBCs, these VapBC proteins were expressed and purified in M. smegmatis, and the VapC toxin tested for RNase activity. The purification, expression, RNase testing and bioinformatic analysis of M. tuberculosis VapCs suggested that VapCRv2530c, VapCRv0065 and VapCRv0617 may all target the same recognition sequence, UA*GG. Bioinformatic analysis revealed an abundance of this target sequence in horizontal gene transfer and TA genes, raising the possibility that VapC toxins could be functioning as selfish elements, or initiating transcriptional regulation cascades when a rapid change in the proteomic response and metabolic state of the cell is required. It is intriguing that the three M. tuberculosis VapC proteins tested thus far appear to target the same recognition sequence, possibly suggesting that all 47 VapCs are RNases and are targeting the same sequence. Alternatively; VapCs may belong to sub-groups targeting different sequences, allowing M. tuberculosis to exude both gross and fine metabolic control; or, they may share the same target, but are regulated by different activators triggered in response to different environmental stimuli.

year: 2015