title: The virtual society: An examination of the concerns regarding a life in fully immersive virtual reality

authors: Rodley, Maxwell

subjects: philosophy

abstract: This thesis argues that in the future, fully-immersive virtual societies could contribute positively to the prudential wellbeing of their citizens, even if they are aware that their reality is simulated. It builds upon the work of David Chalmers in Reality+ (2022), by further detailing how a virtual society might address the current trepidations many people have about living a life in virtual reality. Additionally, the thesis formulates a coherent model of a prudentially valuable virtual society, a model that can be critiqued and refined over time.

The first section describes several components of life in non-virtual reality that are considered by sceptics to be lacking or non-existent in virtual reality. For each example, it is argued that a virtual society can find a means to incorporate them. The second section discusses the position that utopian societies are "too good" to be prudentially valuable, and provides counterarguments against some of the reasons behind that perspective, in the context of a virtual utopia. Lastly, the third section offers five 'axioms of virtual abuse prevention'; design objectives that may help protect a prudentially valuable virtual society from corruption, abuses of power, and the suffering that may result.

text: The virtual society: An examination of the concerns regarding a life in fully immersive virtual reality This thesis argues that in the future, fully-immersive virtual societies could contribute positively to the prudential wellbeing of their citizens, even if they are aware that their reality is simulated. It builds upon the work of David Chalmers in Reality+ (2022), by further detailing how a virtual society might address the current trepidations many people have about living a life in virtual reality. Additionally, the thesis formulates a coherent model of a prudentially valuable virtual society, a model that can be critiqued and refined over time.

The first section describes several components of life in non-virtual reality that are considered by sceptics to be lacking or non-existent in virtual reality. For each example, it is argued that a virtual society can find a means to incorporate them. The second section discusses the position that utopian societies are "too good" to be prudentially valuable, and provides counterarguments against some of the reasons behind that perspective, in the context of a virtual utopia. Lastly, the third section offers five 'axioms of virtual abuse prevention'; design objectives that may help protect a prudentially valuable virtual society from corruption, abuses of power, and the suffering that may result.

year: 2025-03-31

title: Caldalkalibacillus thermarum PhoH2: Solving the solubility puzzle

authors: Dillon, Brooke Jane

subjects: Caldalkalibacillus thermarum

abstract: Previous attempts to determine the structure of the protein PhoH2 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium smegmatis and Thermobispora bispora have been unsuccessful producing diffraction data to low resolution. The thermophilic organism Caldalkibacillus thermarum was thought to be an advantageous option from which to clone, express and purify PhoH2 from for the purpose of structure determination. PhoH2 consists of two domains, an N terminal PIN domain, known for its toxic properties as part of many toxin-antitoxin systems present in M. tuberculosis, and a C-terminal PhoH domain, an RNA helicase suspected to be involved in phosphate starvation responses. The cloning and expression of three variations of recombinant C. thermarum PhoH2 was successful in Escherichia coli. However the purification of PhoH2 continues to yield insoluble protein, despite the range of purification buffer conditions screened, thus preventing downstream biochemical characterisation and structural investigations. Multiple options exist to overcome this insolubility problem; including alternate plasmids for protein expression and purification that alter the tag location and type such as C-terminal His-tags and alternative fusion tags.

text: Caldalkalibacillus thermarum PhoH2: Solving the solubility puzzle Previous attempts to determine the structure of the protein PhoH2 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium smegmatis and Thermobispora bispora have been unsuccessful producing diffraction data to low resolution. The thermophilic organism Caldalkibacillus thermarum was thought to be an advantageous option from which to clone, express and purify PhoH2 from for the purpose of structure determination. PhoH2 consists of two domains, an N terminal PIN domain, known for its toxic properties as part of many toxin-antitoxin systems present in M. tuberculosis, and a C-terminal PhoH domain, an RNA helicase suspected to be involved in phosphate starvation responses. The cloning and expression of three variations of recombinant C. thermarum PhoH2 was successful in Escherichia coli. However the purification of PhoH2 continues to yield insoluble protein, despite the range of purification buffer conditions screened, thus preventing downstream biochemical characterisation and structural investigations. Multiple options exist to overcome this insolubility problem; including alternate plasmids for protein expression and purification that alter the tag location and type such as C-terminal His-tags and alternative fusion tags.

year: 2017

title: He hekenga toto, he hekenga tōtā, he hekenga roimata.

authors: Mikaere, Te Maharanui Jacob

abstract: Ariā
Ko tā te tuhinga nei he whakakite i ngā āwangawanga o te kaituhi mō te maha o te hunga taiohi kua tipu mai i raro i te ātaarangi o te Kōhanga Reo, o te Kura Kaupapa Māori, o te wharekura hoki, kua noho ko te reo Māori hei reo tuatahi, engari mō te aronui ki te reo me tōna katoa kore kore rawa atu. Kei te kōrerohia ōna hītori me tōna whakapapa. I ahu mai tō tāua reo i hea? I pēhea tō tāua reo i ngā wā o mua? I pēhea tō tāua reo i te taetanga mai o tauiwi i te takiwā o te 1800? I ahatia tō tāua reo e tauiwi i tērā rautau i kīa ake he reo koretake noa te reo Māori? Nā wai tō tāua reo i ruke ki rāhaki i ngā tau 1900? Ka mutu, nā wai tō tāua reo i whakahoki mai ki te kōpū o tēnei whakatipuranga? Nā ēnei tūmomo urupounamu au i karanga ki te ihi o tōku whare kōrero. 
Ko te ngako o ngā kōrero o roto i te tuhinga nei he whakatewhatewha, he matapaki i te kūare o te hunga taiohi ki te whakapapa, ki te hītori o te reo Māori. Koia ko ōna piki me ōna heke, ngā whakapātaritari i ngana ki te whakapoko i te ahi o te reo Māori i te tata whāngaromanga ōna. Ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero he mea rangahau mai i ngā pukapuka me te whakatakoto i ngā kitenga hei pānuitanga mā te hunga e tāpara ana ki ngā kai o roto. Me whakanui ka tika ngā pēhitanga o te hunga i takatakahi i te ara papatoiake hei whaitanga mā tātau ka tahi, ka rua me kōkuhu ēnei tūmomo mātauranga ki ngā marau whakaako tamariki me kore noa e tahuri mai te hunga taiohi ki tōna reo me tōna katoa. E ora ai te whakapapa o te reo me ōna hītori me whakakōpā e tātau  tōna whakapapa, me ōna kōrero ki ngā tamariki kōhanga mai, kura kaupapa mai, wharekura mai, ā huri atu ki ngā pia whare wānanga hoki. Mā te whakaako i te hītori ki a ngāi taiohi ākene pea ka tipu te kauanuanu ki tōna reo. Kia kekeno atu au ki tōku reanga kei te kitea he momo whakahīhī kua puea ake ai ki roto tonu i a tātau. Ko te momo o tēnei whakahīhī he mea tūkino i te hunga kore reo, he mea whakaiti i ngā tāngata kua noho rehurehu ki ngā kawenga a tāua te Māori. E whakapono ana au mā te kauanuanu o tōku reanga ki tōna reo ka tipu hoki te kauanuanu ki te hunga kāore pea i rongo i ngā hua o te reo, rātau te hunga kua noho pōhara, kua noho manene nā ngā rā pōkākā o te whakapākehātanga. Atu i te whakahīhī o te ngākau kua puea hoki tētahi momo e patu nei i te kōrerotanga o tō tātau reo, arā ake ko te ngākau māngere. I te korenga o te aronui o tōku reanga ki te reo kua tipu ake ētahi, ahakoa i pakeke mai i roto i te Kōhanga Reo mō te kōrero Māori atu kia pakeke ana rātau he aha te aha. Mā te ako i ngā hītori o tō tātau reo e titi ai ki te whatu manawa te hiranga o tō tātau reo, mā tērā e kore rawa te tangata e noho hāneanea me te pōhēhē ka pai noa te reo Māori, ka mutu kāore he tino take kia kaha kōrerotia. 
Ko te tino whāinga o tēnei tuhinga he ngana ki te whakarārangi mai ko hea te huarahi e tuwhera ai ngā kuaha o te ao Māori ki te katoa e tū rangatira ai tātau. Ahakoa pakeke mai taiohi mai rānei, ahakoa matatau ki te reo tauhou ki te reo rānei ko te mea nui kia tū whakahīhī, kia tū māia te iwi Māori ki raurangi.

text: He hekenga toto, he hekenga tōtā, he hekenga roimata. Ariā
Ko tā te tuhinga nei he whakakite i ngā āwangawanga o te kaituhi mō te maha o te hunga taiohi kua tipu mai i raro i te ātaarangi o te Kōhanga Reo, o te Kura Kaupapa Māori, o te wharekura hoki, kua noho ko te reo Māori hei reo tuatahi, engari mō te aronui ki te reo me tōna katoa kore kore rawa atu. Kei te kōrerohia ōna hītori me tōna whakapapa. I ahu mai tō tāua reo i hea? I pēhea tō tāua reo i ngā wā o mua? I pēhea tō tāua reo i te taetanga mai o tauiwi i te takiwā o te 1800? I ahatia tō tāua reo e tauiwi i tērā rautau i kīa ake he reo koretake noa te reo Māori? Nā wai tō tāua reo i ruke ki rāhaki i ngā tau 1900? Ka mutu, nā wai tō tāua reo i whakahoki mai ki te kōpū o tēnei whakatipuranga? Nā ēnei tūmomo urupounamu au i karanga ki te ihi o tōku whare kōrero. 
Ko te ngako o ngā kōrero o roto i te tuhinga nei he whakatewhatewha, he matapaki i te kūare o te hunga taiohi ki te whakapapa, ki te hītori o te reo Māori. Koia ko ōna piki me ōna heke, ngā whakapātaritari i ngana ki te whakapoko i te ahi o te reo Māori i te tata whāngaromanga ōna. Ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero he mea rangahau mai i ngā pukapuka me te whakatakoto i ngā kitenga hei pānuitanga mā te hunga e tāpara ana ki ngā kai o roto. Me whakanui ka tika ngā pēhitanga o te hunga i takatakahi i te ara papatoiake hei whaitanga mā tātau ka tahi, ka rua me kōkuhu ēnei tūmomo mātauranga ki ngā marau whakaako tamariki me kore noa e tahuri mai te hunga taiohi ki tōna reo me tōna katoa. E ora ai te whakapapa o te reo me ōna hītori me whakakōpā e tātau  tōna whakapapa, me ōna kōrero ki ngā tamariki kōhanga mai, kura kaupapa mai, wharekura mai, ā huri atu ki ngā pia whare wānanga hoki. Mā te whakaako i te hītori ki a ngāi taiohi ākene pea ka tipu te kauanuanu ki tōna reo. Kia kekeno atu au ki tōku reanga kei te kitea he momo whakahīhī kua puea ake ai ki roto tonu i a tātau. Ko te momo o tēnei whakahīhī he mea tūkino i te hunga kore reo, he mea whakaiti i ngā tāngata kua noho rehurehu ki ngā kawenga a tāua te Māori. E whakapono ana au mā te kauanuanu o tōku reanga ki tōna reo ka tipu hoki te kauanuanu ki te hunga kāore pea i rongo i ngā hua o te reo, rātau te hunga kua noho pōhara, kua noho manene nā ngā rā pōkākā o te whakapākehātanga. Atu i te whakahīhī o te ngākau kua puea hoki tētahi momo e patu nei i te kōrerotanga o tō tātau reo, arā ake ko te ngākau māngere. I te korenga o te aronui o tōku reanga ki te reo kua tipu ake ētahi, ahakoa i pakeke mai i roto i te Kōhanga Reo mō te kōrero Māori atu kia pakeke ana rātau he aha te aha. Mā te ako i ngā hītori o tō tātau reo e titi ai ki te whatu manawa te hiranga o tō tātau reo, mā tērā e kore rawa te tangata e noho hāneanea me te pōhēhē ka pai noa te reo Māori, ka mutu kāore he tino take kia kaha kōrerotia. 
Ko te tino whāinga o tēnei tuhinga he ngana ki te whakarārangi mai ko hea te huarahi e tuwhera ai ngā kuaha o te ao Māori ki te katoa e tū rangatira ai tātau. Ahakoa pakeke mai taiohi mai rānei, ahakoa matatau ki te reo tauhou ki te reo rānei ko te mea nui kia tū whakahīhī, kia tū māia te iwi Māori ki raurangi.

year: 2016