Minerva Elements Records

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    Transsystematic Scale: Media Philosophy Beyond Collapse and Difference
    Hondroudakis, Geoffrey Peter ( 2023-09)
    Scale and scaling techniques have become crucial to handling the constitutive limits of systematicity – that is, scale involves a revision of the systematic itself, within, through, and beyond its own limits. While recent media-theoretical work has made great strides in thinking the functions and nature of scale, its precise philosophical status and situation within larger ontological and epistemological debates still requires clarification. Taking scale as a core question for media philosophy, this thesis argues that scale must be read in the register of what I call the ‘transsystematic’: the multifarious attempts to think and work through the constitutive partiality, contingency, and plurality of systematicity itself. The transsystematic indexes various contexts, legible across mathematics, engineering, the sciences, politics, literature, and philosophy, where systematicity runs up against its own limits, but functions through and across those limits nevertheless. Scale becomes a key way such problems are situationally navigated: as such, it functions as a deep and nonarbitrary feature of any conceivable systematicity and their interrelation. To demonstrate how scale emerges as problem and solution in this way, I trace the antinomic functions of scale across contemporary theorisations of climate, capital, and – centrally – computation, observing how scale continually emerges as a crucial means for handling the impasses between collapse and difference, completeness and contingency, determination and the indeterminable that irrupt in these contexts. Scale functions here as both more and less than an ontological or epistemological concept, neither inhering in objects, nor being adequately understood as an arbitrary cognitive artifice. To account for its antinomic functions, I argue that scale is transcendental to systematicity, a necessary condition of any possible individuation and mediation. Understood via this transsystematic revision of the transcendental, scale is the fundamental conceptual term for the structures of localisation and generalisation that mediate between the poles of totalising collapse and irreducible difference. Ultimately, I suggest that thinking scale in this way lets us better address the transsystematic dimensions of contemporary media.
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    Folio of Compositions
    Maticevska, Lilijana ( 2023-04)
    Master of Music Composition - Folio of Compositions Four original compositions composed between 2021 and 2022 comprising of: - [looped square symbol], for orchestra. Recording duration 11 minutes and 28 seconds - You Can Call Me CV01, for contrabassoon. Recording duration 8 minutes and 50 seconds - 8 Preludes to the Deepsea Metro, for piano. Recording durations of each movement: 1 minute and 4 seconds, 1 minute and 35 seconds, 2 minutes and 28 seconds, 1 minute and 13 seconds, 1 minute and 8 seconds, 1 minute and 28 seconds, 2 minutes and 33 seconds, 1 minute and 17 seconds - The Second Sound of the Future (Overture and Act 1), for triple chamber ocarina in C, double bell bass trombone, Hatsune Miku and electronics. Recording duration 29 minutes and 17 seconds.
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    We Carnivora Becoming: Animating a Multinatural Backyard
    East, Declan Thomas Langley ( 2023-11)
    This research explores the ways experimental animation can enact posthumanist methodologies and situated speculative fictions in an attempt to find more-than-human knowledges and regenerative multinatural ways of being in the face of escalating ecological catastrophes. The project comprises a large-scale video installation, documenting two years of research and experimentation, and an accompanying dissertation. The film aims to reshape dominant narratives that promote the myth of a dualistic separation between nature and culture, and seeks new languages, ways of seeing and intelligence beyond what is defined as human. The outcome of this research project has been the development of a diffractive animation practice — a process and methodology where technology, imagination, and the body collaborate in the production and reinterpretation of sound and images. The dissertation begins with an overview of posthumanism, becoming-with and situated knoweldges. From there, it elaborates on the importance of speculative fictions for redefining the world in ways that are beneficial to all life. These are the stories of ecofeminist science fiction authors, First Nations peoples and more-than-humans. The research focuses particular attention on stories of dogs, coyotes, and dingos for the ways they challenge separations between natural and social-political realms. Chapter Two offers an argument for experimental animation’s ability to enact the posthumanist methodologies and situated speculative fiction practice. I propose that experimental animation reveals processes of thought, material agency (affects and effects), and implicit biases. Through the lens of animacy, it is seen to actively challenge the notion of an inert unconscious world. Chapter Three details the methods and animation practices that have contributed to the final outcome. These are a speculative writing practice, collaboration with nonhuman technology, techniques of re-imaging, and a layering of perspectives within virtual and physical spaces, that is We Carnivora Becoming.
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    The Big Brother Retrospective: Representing Reality, Truth Claims and The Self
    Riess, Gena Lida ( 2023-09)
    This practice-led research, informed by my dual roles as a queer filmmaker and reality TV enthusiast, integrates theories and practical approaches from autoethnography, archiveology, approximation, and sample filmmaking to explore notions of truth and representations of reality in documentary filmmaking and reality TV. Through an investigation into various aspects of filmmaking discourse and practice, culminating in the production of a 50-minute documentary film titled Remembering Big Brother Australia Queerly (2023), this research explores how self-representation in documentary filmmaking can unveil embedded ideologies related to gender and sexuality within the reality TV series Big Brother Australia (Diesel 2001–2022). In doing so, this practice-led research aims to evoke an instability of truth in both reality TV and documentary filmmaking. Reality TV stands out as a prominent television genre, continually giving rise to new programmes and dedicated streaming sites. However, critical analysis of its truth claims has often been dismissed due to the perception that it diverges significantly from reality. The seminal reality TV franchise, Big Brother, achieved global phenomenon status, providing valuable insights into the history of reality TV and shaping our contemporary television landscape. This research acknowledges the importance of understanding what captivates viewers, recognising that it extends beyond being solely a reflection of the production process. It also sheds light on something intrinsic to the individual; what they are drawn to in the world of media says something meaningful about them. By incorporating autoethnography into the fabric of reality TV and my personal documentary practice, the exploration of subjectivity brings the discourse on truth claims to the forefront, revealing an inevitable reflection of my own personal truth. Consequently, both this research and the resulting documentary stand as poignant, deeply personal, and vulnerable endeavours. The outcomes of this research have left a profound impact on my filmmaking practice, offering valuable insights into a wide array of documentary filmmaking methods. This thesis contributes to the broader discourse on the fluidity and subjectivity of representation in documentary filmmaking. It highlights the transformative potential that emerges when working with pre-existing footage, particularly from mainstream media, within the rich context of collective and personal memory.
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    Becoming a Nurse: A mixed Methods Study of Student Nurse Employment and Graduate Nurse Experience
    Muir, Elizabeth Muir ( 2023-11)
    Background: Evaluations have demonstrated that employing student registered nurses (RNs) in healthcare roles may improve their clinical skills and confidence and subsequently, the work readiness of new graduate RNs. The recent expansion of student employment models in healthcare, including the Registered Undergraduate Student of Nursing (RUSON) employment model in Victorian public hospitals, has provided an opportunity to explore the influence of student RN employment on graduate nurse transition to practice. Aim: To explore the ways in which student employment impacts student learning and preparation for practice, and investigate how employment influences transition experience. Research questions: 1. How do different models of student employment influence RN transition to practice? 2. What influence do student employment models have on nursing workforce recruitment and retention? Design/Method: A mixed methods study using a sequential explanatory research design was undertaken in two phases of the study. Phase 1: A cross-sectional survey combining an adapted version of the Revised Casey Fink Graduate Nurse Experience (r-CFGNE) survey tool including additional questions related to student nurse employment and the influence of that employment on learning and preparation. Phase 2: Focus groups/interviews, informed by early review of Phase 1 data, included graduate RNs recruited through the survey. Setting: Public and private hospital system in Victoria, Australia. Participants: RNs currently undertaking a graduate nurse program in Victoria, Australia (June to September 2022). Results: Phase 1: Seven hundred and seventeen participants opened and completed at least some of the survey. Five hundred and thirty-four surveys (74%) completed surveys were included in the analysis. Sixty-five percent of participants worked while they were studying for their nursing degree. Participants indicated that employment in a nursing related role while a student RN influenced their learning: employment in health or aged care 76.3% (p-value < 0.001); employment as a RUSON 75.4%, (p-value <0.001). Similarly, preparation for work was reported to enhanced by employment healthcare roles: employment in health or aged care 77.7% (p- value < 0.001), employment as a RUSON 81.8%, (p-value <0.001). Employment as a RUSON was the role most frequently nominated as having the greatest influence (42.5%), the next most frequent was employment as an AiN/HAN/PCA (21.5%). Differences were observed between type of employment undertaken while studying for a degree in nursing and graduate retention. A significantly larger proportion of nurses who had been employed as a RUSON during the course of their degree indicated that they remained with that employer throughout their graduate year; when compared to other survey participants working in health and aged care (55% vs 23.5% p-value <0.001). In relation to retention, while a greater proportion of RUSONs (68.1%) reported intending to stay in nursing compared to those who did not work in health (63.6%) this difference was not significant (p-value = 0.362). Phase 2: Eighteen nurses who completed the survey participated in an interview or a focus group. Analysis of the qualitative data yielded four themes. Thematic analysis demonstrated that employment in health while undertaking a nursing degree had a positive influence on graduate nurse preparation. Students who were employed in positions that worked directly with an RN were also able to develop a greater connection to nursing. Conclusion: Graduate nurse transition is influenced by engagement in the paid employment as a student. This influence is perceived to be most beneficial where employment provides the student with the opportunity to work in clinical areas with more direct care and nursing experience, particularly when the employment is part of a nursing team. This provides the student with informal but important work integrated learning that could be better utilised. The increased connection to nursing and the workplace may also serve to increase opportunities for graduate nurse recruitment and retention. Implications for nursing: Nursing and midwifery continue to be challenged by workforce pressures, including the recruitment and retention of graduate nurses. This research found that the RUSON model can strengthen the graduate nurse experience and support workforce development. The influence of different student RN employment models on the graduate RN workforce requires further exploration. Further research scoping the models over a longer period of time is required to measure the impact on graduate nurse preparedness for work, practice based learning, and graduate nurse recruitment and retention.
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    Brass and the Subversion of Cultural and Gender Normativity in Shoujo Anime Openings
    Gilham, Jessica ( 2023-06)
    This thesis explores how the treatment of brass in anime openings reflects gender bias across various areas of Japanese Popular Culture including in the history of shoujo manga, Japanese Idols and the kawaii movement. By highlighting the ways in which the shoujo genre is often discriminated against in favour of its male-dominated counterparts, the use of brass in shoujo anime openings is being utilised as a tool to represent how anime is being marketed to audiences through a binary societal view of what is feminine and what is masculine.
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    Evaluation of Ki-67, goblet cell and MUC2 mucin RNA expression in dogs with lymphoplasmacytic and granulomatous colitis
    Lim, Chelsea Xiaoyun ( 2023-08)
    Background: Intestinal mucus barrier disruption occurs with chronic inflammatory enteropathies. The lack of studies evaluating changes in mucus health in dogs with chronic colitis arises from inherent challenges with assessment of the intestinal mucus layer. It is therefore unknown if reduced expression of goblet cells and/or mucin 2 (MUC2), which are key players in mucus production and secretion, correlate with inflammation severity in dogs with granulomatous colitis (GC) or lymphocytic-plasmacytic colitis (LPC). It is also unknown if Ki-67 expression, which has been evaluated in dogs with small intestinal inflammation, similarly correlates to severity of colonic inflammation in dogs with GC and LPC. Objectives: Study objectives included assessing if Ki-67 expression is upregulated in dogs with GC compared to LPC and dogs without colitis; comparing GBC and MUC2 expression among GC, LPC and non-inflamed colon; and exploring the use of RNAscope in-situ hybridization (ISH) to evaluate MUC2 expression in canine colon. Methods: Formalin-fixed endoscopic colonic biopsies were obtained from 48 dogs between January 2015 and March 2022. A blinded pathologist reviewed all biopsies. Dogs were classified into the GC (n=19), LPC (n=19) or no colonic signs (NC) (n=10) group based on the final histopathological diagnosis. Ki-67 immunohistochemistry, Alcian-Blue/PAS staining to highlight GBCs, and RNAscope ISH using customized canine MUC2-targeted probes were performed. At least five microscopic fields per slide were selected to measure Ki-67 labelling index (KI67%), GBC staining percentage (GBC%) and MUC2 expression (MUC2%) using computer image analysis. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to determine associations between World Small Animal Veterinary Association histologic (WH) score and measured variables. Linear regression models were used to compare the relationships between WH scores with KI67%, GBC%, and MUC2%; and between GBC% and MUC2% across groups. Results: Median WH scores were highest in dogs with GC. Median KI67% was highest in the NC group (6.69%; range, 1.70-23.60%). Median GBC% did not correlate with colonic inflammation in all groups. Median MUC2% normalised to WH score (MUC2%*) was highest in the NC group (10.02%; range, 3.05-39.09%), which was two and three-fold higher compared to the GC and LPC groups respectively. Mucin 2 expression had a strongly positive correlation with GBC% in the NC group (5.71% increase in MUC2%; 95%-CI, 0.503–0.987, p =.12), while no significant trends were observed in the GC and LPC groups. With increased severity of colonic inflammation, MUC2 expression sharply declined in the LPC group (-8.90%; 95%-CI, -17.98-0.19, p =.05) but remained static in the GC group. Conclusion and relevance: Dogs with GC had the most severe histologic colonic inflammation. Dogs without colitis had the highest Ki-67 expression. Goblet cell expression did not correlate with histologic severity of colonic inflammation overall. Dogs with GC and LPC likely have differences in pathways regulating MUC2 biosynthesis and secretion. Changes in MUC2 expression appear influenced by pathways regulating GBC activity rather than quantity in GC and LPC. Development of therapeutic strategies aimed at modifying GBC function and MUC2 expression may help improve mucus barrier integrity and mucosal healing in dogs with chronic colitis.
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    A predictive neural model of visual information processing
    Zhang, Yu ( 2023-08)
    Recent understanding of how the brain processes sensory input has moved away from understanding sensory processing as just being the passive processing of input to a framework that employs a more active role of higher-level expectations in sensory processing. One such theory is predictive coding in which the brain generates a prediction of the sensory input that it will receive and compares this prediction with the actual sensory input. Because the transmission of visual information from the eyes to the brain takes time, for the brain to accurately respond to the real-time location of a moving object, the prediction mechanism has to take into account the change in object’s location during the period of transmission latency. Understanding such temporal prediction mechanism will extend our understanding of the way by which the brain actively interacts with the environment we live in. This research project investigated the predictive signal transmission pathways of the mammalian visual system and focused on the early stages of the visual pathway, including the retina, the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN) and the primary visual cortex (V1). These structures play critical roles in visual signal gathering and integration. Mathematical and computational models were constructed based on predictive coding strategies and spike-based neural coding principles, where neurons with specific firing timings are arranged into hierarchical areas, and upper areas predict the neuronal behaviours of lower areas that receive sensory stimuli. The first goal of the project is to investigate the encoding of visual information in precise neuron spike timings and neuronal interactions, because the temporal prediction mechanism involves small time scales and detailed object motions. We intend to show that results obtained via spike-based neural principles, which involves cumulative computations in small time scales, do not contradict with the results from classical rate-based neural networks that operate based on longer time scales, and results from physiological recordings. The second goal is to investigate the mechanism by which temporal prediction can be achieved using the spike-based neural network, given moving input stimuli. Through the project, we validated that a predictive coding network can be built based on spike-based neural principles, and it has the potential to encode moving stimuli with less error compared with rate-based approaches. Based on the model developed, the next step is to study the specific mechanism by which the alignment between the real and the perceived locations of a moving object can be achieved, i.e., a mechanism that compensates for the signal transmission delay from the eyes to the brain. Outcomes of the research are expected to advance our understanding about human visual system and provide new insights into the development of neural implants, prostheses and machine learning algorithms. The principles investigated are hypothesised to apply throughout the cerebral cortex. Consequently, the results are anticipated to have application to the processing of other modes of sensory stimulus, such as auditory and olfactory inputs, applications can also be expanded to the research areas of memory, motor control, cognition and decision making.
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    Composition Folio
    Kington, Wayne Joseph ( 2023-06)
    This thesis explores the noumenal aspect in music, emphasising its practical application in music creation and performance. It examines the role of the noumenal, how it can be accessed, and preserved from composition through to performance. The noumenal is defined philosophically as things as they are in themselves, as opposed to things as they are for us, knowable through the senses. Accessible through practices like meditation, the noumenal is also evident in various musical traditions. The thesis describes the composer's journey in utilising practices to access the noumenal during composition, highlighting specific techniques tailored for the included scores. Steps to retain a sense of the noumenal during rehearsal and performance, such as guided meditation, are discussed. The concept of a 'mindfulness score' is introduced, a novel method incorporating meditative elements into music notation to foster mindful listening and intuitive performance. This approach, compared to traditional scoring, better maintains the noumenal essence throughout the composition and performance process. However, using techniques to access the noumenal can also support sensitivity and depth in traditionally scored music.
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    Folio of Compositions
    Bartsch, Natalie Ann ( 2023-04)
    Folio of compositions with short written introduction. Included works: Hope (album) for piano/string quartet and optional live ambient effects Where We Were for piano/classical guitar A Group of Kalutara Peasants (from 'The Glasshouse') for piano and mixed quintet J.F.W. Herschel (from 'The Glasshouse') arranged for Symphony Orchestra These works explore individual and collective experiences during the 2020 Covid pandemic and Black Summer bushfires in Victoria. The included works explore neoclassical ostinati, improvisation within classical composition, jazz harmony, suspensions, neo-impressionistic acoustic and electro-acoustic ambience.