title: Magic as a Tool of Social Construction: Cultural and Gender Identity in Contemporary Fantasy

authors: Elder, Matthew J.

subjects: Fantasy

abstract: Contemporary fantasy is a genre that exists outside the boundaries of what consensus society constructs as socially normative. It re-appropriates and subverts facets of reality in order to place the reader in a position from which they can re-assess their own socially constructed identities, perspectives, and assumptions. Fantasy accomplishes this goal by expressing the familiar in a mode of hyper-exaggeration designed to highlight the ways in which the ideals and issues are constructed. In this way fantasy questions and critiques reality. This thesis examines how the contemporary fantasy genre uses magic as a tool to highlight the less visible social forces of reality such that the reader can gain insight into how and why social norms come to be established, as well as how they might be changed. It discusses the presentation of conflicting cultural and gender identities within fantasy worlds. Works by Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Jim Butcher, Peter V. Brett, and Patrick Rothfuss will be drawn on. By looking to the magic of the world as a focusing lens, these social conflicts and differences become clearer. The discussions undertaken in this thesis demonstrate an approach to contemporary fantasy literature that can be further utilised across a multitude of subgenres and social issues of contemporary reality.

text: Magic as a Tool of Social Construction: Cultural and Gender Identity in Contemporary Fantasy Contemporary fantasy is a genre that exists outside the boundaries of what consensus society constructs as socially normative. It re-appropriates and subverts facets of reality in order to place the reader in a position from which they can re-assess their own socially constructed identities, perspectives, and assumptions. Fantasy accomplishes this goal by expressing the familiar in a mode of hyper-exaggeration designed to highlight the ways in which the ideals and issues are constructed. In this way fantasy questions and critiques reality. This thesis examines how the contemporary fantasy genre uses magic as a tool to highlight the less visible social forces of reality such that the reader can gain insight into how and why social norms come to be established, as well as how they might be changed. It discusses the presentation of conflicting cultural and gender identities within fantasy worlds. Works by Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Jim Butcher, Peter V. Brett, and Patrick Rothfuss will be drawn on. By looking to the magic of the world as a focusing lens, these social conflicts and differences become clearer. The discussions undertaken in this thesis demonstrate an approach to contemporary fantasy literature that can be further utilised across a multitude of subgenres and social issues of contemporary reality.

year: 2015

title: The 'DEEP' Landing Error Scoring System

authors: Hébert-Losier, Kim

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) is an injury-risk screening tool used in sports; but scoring is time consuming, clinician-dependent, and generally inaccessible outside of elite sports. Our aim is to evidence that LESS scores can be automated using deep-learning-based computer vision combined with machine learning and compare the accuracy of LESS predictions using different video cropping and machine learning methods. Two-dimensional videos from 320 double-leg drop-jump landings with known LESS scores were analysed in OpenPose. Videos were cropped to key frames manually (clinician) and automatically (computer vision), and 42 kinematic features were extracted. A series of 10 × 10-fold cross-validation experiments were applied on full and balanced datasets to predict LESS scores. Random forest for regression outperformed linear and dummy regression models, yielding the lowest mean absolute error (1.23) and highest correlation (r = 0.63) between manual and automated scores. Sensitivity (0.82) and specificity (0.77) were reasonable for risk categorization (high-risk LESS ≥ 5 errors). Experiments using either a balanced (versus unbalanced) dataset or manual (versus automated) cropping method did not improve predictions. Further research on the automation would enhance the strength of the agreement between clinical and automated scores beyond its current levels, enabling quasi real-time scoring.

text: The 'DEEP' Landing Error Scoring System The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) is an injury-risk screening tool used in sports; but scoring is time consuming, clinician-dependent, and generally inaccessible outside of elite sports. Our aim is to evidence that LESS scores can be automated using deep-learning-based computer vision combined with machine learning and compare the accuracy of LESS predictions using different video cropping and machine learning methods. Two-dimensional videos from 320 double-leg drop-jump landings with known LESS scores were analysed in OpenPose. Videos were cropped to key frames manually (clinician) and automatically (computer vision), and 42 kinematic features were extracted. A series of 10 × 10-fold cross-validation experiments were applied on full and balanced datasets to predict LESS scores. Random forest for regression outperformed linear and dummy regression models, yielding the lowest mean absolute error (1.23) and highest correlation (r = 0.63) between manual and automated scores. Sensitivity (0.82) and specificity (0.77) were reasonable for risk categorization (high-risk LESS ≥ 5 errors). Experiments using either a balanced (versus unbalanced) dataset or manual (versus automated) cropping method did not improve predictions. Further research on the automation would enhance the strength of the agreement between clinical and automated scores beyond its current levels, enabling quasi real-time scoring.

year: 2020

title: Hoea te waka reo e 'Āti Rangi ē! He Kohinga Kōrero

authors: Fairhall, Tīahomarama Te Haana

subjects: Māori

abstract: He taonga tuku iho Te Reo Māori nō tāukiuki, nō tuawhakarere, nō onamata rānō, he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea. He taonga Te Reo Māori i raro i ngā tikanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, nō te tau 1987 ka whakamanahia hai reo tūturu o Aotearoa. Ahakoa he reo tuku iho ki tērā whakatupuranga, ki tērā whakatupuranga, kai te tāmate te reo. He huhua noa ngā rautaki e whakarauora ai i te reo i roto i ngā kura, i ngā whānau, i ngā hapū, i ngā iwi anō hoki. 

Ko te tino o te tuhinga roa nei he āta titiro ki ngā momo rautaki a ngā uri e whakarauora nei i tō tātou reo ki roto o Ngāti Rangiwewehi kia kore ai ā mātou tamariki, ā mātou mokopuna e haere reo kore. Nō roto mai i te tuhinga nei ka āta whakatewhatewha te iwi o Ngāti Rangiwewehi o mua, kia mārama ai ki ōna āhua, ki ōna whenua, ki āna kōrero, ki ōna tāngata, ki ōna pūkōrero, ki tōna ahurei. Ka mutu, ka āta titiro, ka āta tātari, ka āta wetewete i ngā raraunga kōrero i kapo mai i ngā uiuinga, i kapo mai i ngā pātaitai, i kapo mai i ngā pukapuka kōrero ngā momo rautaki e whakarauora ai te reo o ngā uri o Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Hai āpitihanga, ka āta whakatakoto hoki i ngā piki me ngā heke o te reo ā tatauranga nei, ka kitea te ahunga mai i te wā i a koroua mā, i a kuia mā, ā, moroki noa nei.

Kai roto i ngā upoko o te tuhingaroa nei te tino ia o ngā kōrero, ā, e ono ngā upoko e whakatinana ai tēnei rangahau. Kai te upoko tuatahi e tino kōrerohia ana te iwi o Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Kātahi rā ka uru atu ki ngā whakamahukitanga o ngā mātāpono rangahau kai te upoko tuarua. Ka whakaara mai te upoko tuarua i ngā kaponga ariā me ngā rautaki reo hai tuarā mō te tuhingaroa nei. Kai te upoko tuawhā me te tuarima ngā pitopito kōrero, ngā putanga o te pākiki me ngā uiuinga. Ka mutu mai ki te upoko tuaono, ki te kupu whakamutunga o te tuhingaroa.

The Māori language is a taonga protected under the terms of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. An official language of New Zealand, since 1987. However, although a language passed down from generation to generation, the future of the language is not secure. Efforts are endless in providing many strategies of revitalization and ensuring that Te Reo Māori survives within kura, whare wānanga, whānau, hapū and iwi. The purpose of this research is to gather information pertaining to the tribe of Ngāti Rangiwewehi. This study will explore Ngāti Rangiwewehi in a traditional context, their traditional qualities and will also examine the contributions of the descendants in preserving Te Reo Māori. Furthermore, this study will also examine the ups and downs of the language and how Ngāti Rangiwewehi rates statisticaly in the national census under Te Reo Māori. This information will be gathered to examine strategy examples of Te reo that could benefit both present and future generations. As part of my research I will be interviewing key informants and conducting a survey. There are six chapters to this thesis. Chapter one is based on Ngāti Rangiwewehi as a iwi, past and present. Chapter two is based on the research methodology. Chapter three is the literature review, while Chapter four is the questionnaire. Chapter five are the interviews and lastly Chapter 6, the conclusion.

text: Hoea te waka reo e 'Āti Rangi ē! He Kohinga Kōrero He taonga tuku iho Te Reo Māori nō tāukiuki, nō tuawhakarere, nō onamata rānō, he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea. He taonga Te Reo Māori i raro i ngā tikanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, nō te tau 1987 ka whakamanahia hai reo tūturu o Aotearoa. Ahakoa he reo tuku iho ki tērā whakatupuranga, ki tērā whakatupuranga, kai te tāmate te reo. He huhua noa ngā rautaki e whakarauora ai i te reo i roto i ngā kura, i ngā whānau, i ngā hapū, i ngā iwi anō hoki. 

Ko te tino o te tuhinga roa nei he āta titiro ki ngā momo rautaki a ngā uri e whakarauora nei i tō tātou reo ki roto o Ngāti Rangiwewehi kia kore ai ā mātou tamariki, ā mātou mokopuna e haere reo kore. Nō roto mai i te tuhinga nei ka āta whakatewhatewha te iwi o Ngāti Rangiwewehi o mua, kia mārama ai ki ōna āhua, ki ōna whenua, ki āna kōrero, ki ōna tāngata, ki ōna pūkōrero, ki tōna ahurei. Ka mutu, ka āta titiro, ka āta tātari, ka āta wetewete i ngā raraunga kōrero i kapo mai i ngā uiuinga, i kapo mai i ngā pātaitai, i kapo mai i ngā pukapuka kōrero ngā momo rautaki e whakarauora ai te reo o ngā uri o Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Hai āpitihanga, ka āta whakatakoto hoki i ngā piki me ngā heke o te reo ā tatauranga nei, ka kitea te ahunga mai i te wā i a koroua mā, i a kuia mā, ā, moroki noa nei.

Kai roto i ngā upoko o te tuhingaroa nei te tino ia o ngā kōrero, ā, e ono ngā upoko e whakatinana ai tēnei rangahau. Kai te upoko tuatahi e tino kōrerohia ana te iwi o Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Kātahi rā ka uru atu ki ngā whakamahukitanga o ngā mātāpono rangahau kai te upoko tuarua. Ka whakaara mai te upoko tuarua i ngā kaponga ariā me ngā rautaki reo hai tuarā mō te tuhingaroa nei. Kai te upoko tuawhā me te tuarima ngā pitopito kōrero, ngā putanga o te pākiki me ngā uiuinga. Ka mutu mai ki te upoko tuaono, ki te kupu whakamutunga o te tuhingaroa.

The Māori language is a taonga protected under the terms of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. An official language of New Zealand, since 1987. However, although a language passed down from generation to generation, the future of the language is not secure. Efforts are endless in providing many strategies of revitalization and ensuring that Te Reo Māori survives within kura, whare wānanga, whānau, hapū and iwi. The purpose of this research is to gather information pertaining to the tribe of Ngāti Rangiwewehi. This study will explore Ngāti Rangiwewehi in a traditional context, their traditional qualities and will also examine the contributions of the descendants in preserving Te Reo Māori. Furthermore, this study will also examine the ups and downs of the language and how Ngāti Rangiwewehi rates statisticaly in the national census under Te Reo Māori. This information will be gathered to examine strategy examples of Te reo that could benefit both present and future generations. As part of my research I will be interviewing key informants and conducting a survey. There are six chapters to this thesis. Chapter one is based on Ngāti Rangiwewehi as a iwi, past and present. Chapter two is based on the research methodology. Chapter three is the literature review, while Chapter four is the questionnaire. Chapter five are the interviews and lastly Chapter 6, the conclusion.

year: 2015