Rangahau Aranga: AUT Graduate Review
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Mitigating Online Password Attacks: A Comprehensive Review of Password Models
Get PDFMost authentication systems rely on alphanumeric passwords as a first line of defense. This review outlines various online password attacks and evaluates models proposed to mitigate them. A secondary aim is to explore ways to improve password selection and memorability without user inconvenience. Nine articles from 2019 to 2023 were reviewed, focusing on password checkers, entropy values, and password structures to ensure system security against online attacks, while analyzing usability and security aspects of the models. Most of these models were implemented in controlled environments rather than in real-time scenarios. Future work includes surveying user preferences for password and authentication systems
Monitoring Vital Signs in Vehicles using mm-Wave Radar and Machine Learning Approaches
Get PDFIn recent years, the combination of radar sensors and machine learning has transformed vital sign monitoring, especially in the healthcare and automobile industries. This study uses mmWave radar technology in vehicles to monitor vital signs, which addresses issues such as driver weariness. When integrated with machine learning, the technology provides non-invasive, privacy-preserving physiological monitoring solutions in settings such as patient care facilities and vehicle cabins, while still performing efficiently in demanding environments. Machine learning improves the accuracy of radar-based monitoring by processing vast amounts of sensor data, but maintaining precision in noisy situations such as vehicles is difficult. This study addresses these issues by correctly monitoring both drivers and passengers (Ahmed & Cho, 2024).This presentation discusses hardware restrictions, implemented solutions, and current software concerns related to vital sign acquisition. Techniques like Gaussian noise addition and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) can enhance the accuracy and reliability of collected datasets. Autoencoders are preferred over traditional filtering methods like Kalman filters, as they can effectively solve non-linear problems and remove noise and background. Machine learning approaches such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and self-calibrated Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) are found to be more effective for feature extraction in diverse environmental conditions (Zheng et al., 2021). Traditional autoregressive models are noise-sensitive, so machine learning methods like Temporal Convolutional Networks (TCNs) are recommended for signal processing, real-time vital sign recording, and reconstructing heart rate variability without connected sensors. Cutting-edge hardware solutions like radars and graphical processing machines, such as Jetson Nano, are utilized by the research team to address the challenges of real-time machine learning (Zhang et al., 2022)
Destigmatizing Mental Illness among Asian Communities in New Zealand Through Video Games
Get PDFAlmost one in two New Zealanders (47%) will experience mental illness or distress in their lifetime (MHF, 2022). In this group, Asian (alongside Pacific and Māori) New Zealanders are more likely to be under-diagnosed and under-treated for mental distress compared to Europeans (Lee et al., 2018). The main culprit for this phenomenon is stigma (Zhang et al., 2019). This presentation will discuss the current academic knowledge on mental illness stigma, how it commonly manifests within the Asian communities, and a revolutionizing method to combat it: video games. The research follows a practice-based approach, focusing on designing an artefact as well as the creative process in which that artefact is created. In practice, the study will employ an online survey aimed at Asian people who are currently living (or have previously lived in New Zealand), asking them about their experiences living with mental illness and its stigma. The data gathered from the survey will then be used to design a video game that reflects those experiences. The output of the research is a “serious” video game about mental illness, one which are both helpful to those who suffer and do not suffer from mental health conditions
He Tamaiti nā Tangaroa, He Ahuahu o Mataora: Documenting Puhoro
Get PDFHe tamaiti nā Tangaroa, He Ahuahu o Mataora (A child of Tangaroa, a journey by Mataora): Documenting puhoro is a video documentary that revises pūrākau (Māori narrative, story-telling) to express pre-colonial cultural ceremonies, experiences, and tradition relating to a distinctive form of Māori documentary making. As a practice-led research project it asks: How might a filmmaker approach the recording of a traditional puhoro (Māori thigh tattoo) by drawing on traditional pūrākau?The thesis seeks to reclaim, document, and preserve a traditional Māori tattoo art form, that while being connected to whakapapa (genealogy), whenua (land) and moana (ocean), is also a mark of honour in traditional Polynesian society.Paradigmatically framed as Kaupapa Māori research, the study reflects on two issues. First, it considers the deeply embodied and culturally significant journey of the researcher’s receiving of a puhoro through traditional methods. In reflecting on this rite of passage the project honours the Māori traditions and the stories that are woven into the ritual and practice. Second, the study artistically explores the nature of pūrākau methodology as a determinant in how contemporary documentary making might approach the recording and presentation of an indigenous narrative.The significance of the research project lies in its dual focus. Firstly, it offers a documented account of the reclamation of the Māori traditional practice of the puhoro as an intrinsic aspect of the traditional tā moko. This includes the revitalisation of tohi rituals (dedication to the gods) and karakia tawhito (pre-colonial chants and incantations).Secondly, it reinterprets pūrākau as a culturally anchored form of inquiry and documentation. By adopting features of pūrākau (as practice), the study contributes to the expansion of discourse surrounding distinctive approaches to Māori filmmaking (Barclay, 2005; Mita, 2000; Williams, 2024)
Veivosaki Yaga: Having worthwhile discussions with Pacific midwives
Get PDFThis article provides a brief overview of the Fijian research methodology Veivosaki Yaga. Veivosaki yaga, developed by Isimeli Tagicakiverata, literally means ‘worthwhile discussion’. When engaging in veivosaki yaga, a conversation like a focus group discussion, participants have a communal dialogue that requires thoughtful consideration as well as response.
Veivosaki yaga is currently being used in doctoral research with Pacific lead maternity care (LMC) midwives and their families. This research explores the nature of LMC work on well-being, and sustainability challenges for Pacific midwives working within this model of care in Aotearoa New Zealand
How Might a Hybrid Risk-taking Model be Promoted and Encouraged Through Designed Products and Collateral?
Get PDFThis research explores the potential of designed products and collateral to foster awareness and engagement in a hybrid risk-taking model. This hybrid model combines both voluntary risk-taking and adaptive risk-taking, emphasizing their contributions to learning and self-improvement. Adaptive risks are defined by Khurana & Romer (2021) as risk-taking behaviours that are guided through exploration, can lead to learning, and are controllable. Voluntary risk-taking involves an individual engaging in an activity that they perceive to be risky in some sense but still deliberately partake in (Lupton & Tulloch, 2002). This research focuses on a combination of the two and is modelled by me as controllable voluntary behaviours that are guided through exploration and can lead to learning that is understood to be risky in some sense but is still deliberately undertaken. This presentation aims to inform the audience of the benefits surrounding this hybrid risk-taking model. The significance of this research lies in its potential to inform and inspire individuals to embrace risk-taking as a valuable component of personal development and offers a nuanced understanding of how individuals can navigate uncertainties and achieve self-improvement. Lupton & Tulloch’s (2002) case study has found that people tend to depict life without risk as restrictive, deeming risk as valuable for emotional engagement, self-exemption of control over one's bodily responses, emotions, and self-improvement. These findings and the proposed hybrid risk-taking model provide a foundation for future research and practical applications, aiming to enhance individuals' capacity for growth and resilience through informed risk-taking
Hungry and Looking for a Home: First Investigations of Diet and Habitat Overlap in Three Deep-Sea Squid Species
Get PDFThe deep-sea ecosystem is increasingly subject to destructive industries such as bottom trawling and deep-sea mining. Taonga (‘treasure’ in Te Reo Māori) species like kekeno and hoki depend on the deep-sea ecosystem. Ensuring that future generations will benefit from these taonga requires conservation (Eero et al., 2021). Yet many facets of deep-sea biology remain understudied, hindering effective conservation efforts. The food web biology of deep-sea squids is one such poorly studied area and their environmental importance will substantially increase as global squid populations fill the void left behind by over harvested fish (Doubleday et al., 2016). My research focuses on the dietary ecology of 3 poorly described deep-sea squid species sampled from local waters: the Angolan flying squid, the southern flying squid, and the hooked squid. To achieve this, I am analysing the squids’ gut contents via morphological prey identification and DNA barcoding of prey tissues. This only provides a snapshot of the squids’ most recent meals, but longer-term comparative data can be obtained through stable isotope analysis. Squid beaks are chitinous structures that are formed in layers over their lives and stable isotope values of carbon and nitrogen are indices for habitat and food ladder placement (Boecklen et al., 2011). By sub-sampling the beaks and measuring their stable isotope values, squids’ habitat and dietary changes can be reliably quantified throughout their lives. Multivariate analysis of variance of identified prey items and stable isotope data will provide further insight into how prey influence the movement of nutrients in the waters of New Zealand. In this presentation, I will showcase that using multiple, complementary methods, we can robustly model the dietary and habitat preferences of these poorly studied yet increasingly important species
Arguments in Object Design
Get PDFLuthiers are those who make stringed instruments such as violins and guitars. The guitar is a heavily iconised object of pop culture and industrial materiality. The iconic, conventional form of the guitar and the idea of a ‘perfect’ or fixed form is questioned in my research. During design and fabrication, tensions build between design (for the end user), sonic performance and manufacturing processes. The tensions created act to contest which elements will be privileged above the others, embodying the concept of an argument where concessions are made, and a final resolute design emerges as a result
A Global Integrative Systematic Revision of Brachioteuthidae Pfeffer, 1908
Get PDFThe deep-sea squid family Brachioteuthidae Pfeffer, 1908 has representative species in all oceans except the Arctic. While not commercially harvestable, they are a food source for many predators including dolphins, seabirds, seals, and large fishes. Unfortunately, specimens are rarely collected and often damaged upon capture, which has led to unstable taxonomy in this family. The lack of clarity regarding species has hindered the understanding of this family. Therefore, the overall goal of the present study is to use an integrative taxonomic approach to resolve the unstable taxonomy of the Brachioteuthidae, through three main aims. First, the global revision of this family will involve the examination of specimens from local and international institutions and will provide clear descriptions following the guidelines of Roper & Voss (1983). Second, ontogenetic series of species will be illustrated and described when sufficient material is available. Finally, species delimitation and the higher taxonomy in the family will be aided by the inclusion of three mitochondrial gene regions (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 [COI], 16S rRNA, and 12S rRNA). The results of this thesis will be of international significance to the systematics, ecology, and reproductive understanding of this complex and unstable group of deep-sea squids, making it a vital resource for future ecological and systematic research. This poster shows background information into this complex group of squid, planned methods, and some preliminary phylogenetic results using already available DNA sequences
Sorting Strawberry Squid: A Systematic and Ecological Review of The Deep-Sea Squid Family Histioteuthidae
Get PDFThe deep-sea strawberry squids (family Histioteuthidae) are a globally distributed and ecologically important family that makes up the majority of the diet of important large predators, including the Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps) - although little else is known about their overall ecology (Beatson, 2007b). Braid and Bolstad (2019) have identified that three species in Aotearoa New Zealand waters represent species complexes, revealing three species that are potentially new to science (Histioteuthis aff. bonnellii, H. aff. eltaninae, and H. aff. atlantica). Understanding the ecological role and diversity of all marine species in Aotearoa New Zealand is vital in a shift away from the Quota Management System and towards ecosystem-based fisheries management. The overall aim of this project is to increase understanding of the systematics and ecology of the family Histioteuthidae. This will be accomplished through three aims. First, three species from Aotearoa will be described using integrative taxonomic methods (analysis of both genetic and morphological traits), in order to fully understand the biodiversity of this family in Aotearoa New Zealand. Second, a stable isotope analysis (SIA) of the beaks, combined with descriptions and regression equations, will be undertaken for species that have a sufficient sample size. SIA will enable understanding of the trophic level and habitats of species, while beak equations will help to identify the size of the eaten squid obtained from the stomachs of predators. Third, stomach contents will be analysed using DNA barcoding to allow for a detailed understanding of the diet of these squids. Being able to identify species and their distribution patterns is required for understanding their role in the marine trophic web as both predator and prey. This understanding is essential for monitoring ecosystem health as the ocean is impacted by anthropogenic pressures