277856 research outputs found
Sort by
Zimmadari and Gendered Belonging: The Lived Experiences of Rohingya Men in Refugee Camps
No full textThis thesis explores how Rohingya men navigate and negotiate their gendered belonging amid the precarious realities of displacement and life in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Grounded in 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork, this study explores how systemic marginalisation, social expectations, and creative practices shape and challenge the masculinities of young Rohingya men. By focusing on their lived experiences and emotional expressions, this research reveals the fluid and contested nature of gendered belonging in conditions of profound precarity. In the refugee camps, structural constraints such as restricted mobility, dependence on humanitarian aid, and limited employment opportunities disrupt traditional masculine roles centred on providing for and protecting families. These challenges, coupled with shifts in familial and economic structures, have marginalised older men, who were once regarded as authoritative family guardians. Their roles have been rendered increasingly symbolic as they struggle to perform the responsibilities traditionally associated with manhood. Simultaneously, the camp environment has created opportunities for younger men to assume new roles as volunteers, community schoolteachers, and poets. These roles offer alternative avenues to gain social recognition as responsible individuals while reconfiguring what it means to be a man in the context of displacement. Poetry emerges as a key practice through which young Rohingya men negotiate their gendered belonging. The poetry they compose reflects their emotional engagement with themes of grief, dignity, belonging, and freedom, drawing connections between their past, their current struggles, and their aspirations for the future. Beyond serving as a medium for self-expression, poetry becomes a platform for asserting identity and countering the stigma of being perceived as dependent or disempowered refugees. Through their poetic practices, these young men navigate vulnerabilities, resist dehumanisation, and cultivate recognition within the community without subverting respect that older Rohingya men continue to hold in the community.
This thesis also illuminates the tensions between societal expectations of masculinity and the lived realities of Rohingya men. Outside the camps, they are often stereotyped among Bangladeshis as violent, polygamous, or freeloading, further complicating their ability to assert masculine identities. Within the camps, they face ongoing police harassment, the constant threat of arrest, and the stigma of failing to fulfill the traditional provider role. These adversities underscore the fragility of their gendered belonging, forcing them to adapt and renegotiate their masculinities in response to systemic and structural challenges. By situating these experiences within broader anthropological discussions of gender, displacement, and marginalisation, this thesis argues that Rohingya men's gendered belonging is inherently dynamic and continuously renegotiated. Masculinity in the camps is neither singular nor stable. It emerges as a site of both vulnerability and resilience, shaped by the interplay between systemic adversity and creative agency. On the one hand, men struggle with the erosion of traditional roles and the indignities of displacement. On the other hand, they actively resist these challenges by cultivating new forms of masculine identity that align with their lived realities
People living with HIV are just like you and ME - Luke Nayasa
No full textDeposit N801 - Richard Eves' Pacific Poster
Essays on public policy evaluation with the causal forest
No full textThis thesis focuses on the use of the causal forest method to estimate individual-level treatment effects in policy evaluation applications. In particular, it focuses in on how the causal forest can be used to draw out high-level insights about treatment effect heterogeneity in a data-driven way (i.e. these do not have to be patterns for which evaluators pre-specified tests). It consists of four papers around this central theme. Paper 1 is a comprehensive review of papers in the peer-reviewed literature which have applied the causal forest. It lays out how the causal forest is used in practice and shows that the approaches to drawing out high-level insights vary and many are either relatively basic or not statistically sound. Paper 2 discusses the transparency issue both from the perspective of accountability (the traditional critical AI angle) and usability (i.e. the ability to draw out insights). It argues that the latter is much more of a concern than the former in policy evaluation settings and that new tools are needed that are better tailored to the usability problem. Paper 3 proposes an approach to solving this usability problem based on knowledge distillation which can fit powerful, yet interpretable models by leveraging the statistical characteristics of the causal forest which serendipitously makes it very well suited to being used as a 'teacher' (i.e. base model) in knowledge distillation. Chapter 4 demonstrates all these contributions by applying the causal forest and knowledge distillation to a real-world policy evaluation of a conditional cash transfer scheme in Morocco
How To Build Conscious Machines
No full textHow to build a conscious machine? For that matter, what is consciousness? Why is my world made of qualia like the colour red or the smell of coffee? Are these fundamental building blocks of reality, or can I break them down into something more basic? If so, that suggests qualia are like an abstraction layer in a computer. A simplification. Some say simplicity is the key to intelligence. Systems which prefer simpler models need fewer resources to adapt. They ``generalise'' better. Yet simplicity is a property of form. Generalisation is of function. Any correlation between them depends on interpretation. In theory there could be no correlation and yet in practice, there is. Why? Software depends on the hardware that interprets it. It is made of abstraction layers, each interpreted by the layer below. I argue hardware is just another layer. As software is interpreted by hardware, hardware is by physics. There is no way to know where the stack ends. Hence I formalise an infinite stack of layers to describe all possible worlds. Each layer embodies policies that constrain possible worlds. A task is the worlds in which it is completed. Adaptive systems are abstraction layers are polycomputers, and a policy simultaneously completes more than one task. When the environment changes state, a subset of tasks are completed. This is the cosmic ought from which goal-directed behaviour emerges (e.g. natural selection). ``Simp-maxing'' systems prefer simpler policies, and ``w-maxing'' systems choose weaker constraints on possible worlds. I show w-maxing maximises generalisation, proving an upper bound on intelligence. I show all policies can take equally simple forms. Simp-maxing shouldn't work. To explain why it does, I invoke the Bekenstein bound. It means layers can use only finite subsets of all possible forms. Processes that favour generalisation (e.g. natural selection) will then make weak constraints take simple forms. I perform experiments. W-maxing generalises at 110-500% the rate of simp-maxing. I formalise how systems delegate adaptation down their stacks. I show w-maxing will simp-max if control is infinitely delegated. Biological systems are more adaptable than artificial because they delegate adaptation further down. They are bioelectric polycomputers. As they scale from cells to organs, they go from simple attraction and repulsion to rich tapestries of valence. These tapestries classify objects and properties that cause valence, which I call causal-identities. I propose the psychophysical principle of causality arguing qualia are tapestries of valence. A vast orchestra of cells play a symphony of valence, classifying and judging. A system can learn 1ST, 2ND and higher order tapestries for itself. Phenomenal ``what it is like'' consciousness begins at 1ST-order-self. Conscious access for communication begins at 2ND-order-selves, making philosophical zombies impossible. This links intelligence and consciousness. So why do we have the qualia we do? A stable environment is a layer where systems can w-max without simp-maxing. Stacks can then grow tall and complex. This may shed light on the origins of life and the Fermi paradox. Diverse intelligences could be everywhere, but we cannot perceive them because they do not meet preconditions for a causal-identity afforded by our stack. I conclude by integrating all this to explain how to build a conscious machine, and a problem I call The Temporal Gap
Quantum metrology for accelerating future searches for fundamental physics including gravitational-wave observation
No full textSearches for fundamental physics such as gravitational waves, dark matter, and quantum gravity are now reaching the quantum limit around a century since the invention of quantum mechanics. To push past the fundamental quantum noise and accelerate the discovery of new physics, we need to understand and exploit the interplay of quantum information and quantum metrology. In this thesis, we advocate for a new perspective on the design of gravitational-wave interferometers and other precision waveform sensors, one centred on optimising the sensitivity through studying and manipulating the relevant quantum information-theoretic quantities with practical considerations for loss and classical noise. We demonstrate this approach with a series of papers proposing various measurement schemes, initial quantum states, and quantum control sequences to achieve the fundamental quantum limits of different waveform estimation problems. We suggest that the ultimate potential sensitivity of present experimental designs remains untapped: present in the capability of the device but not yet accessed. In particular, we show that a quantum advantage exists in sensing non-stationary or stochastic waveform signals or those with a wide range of possible frequencies. We discuss the implications of these results and how to realise them for future searches for fundamental physics
CORE Legacy Report: Celebrating Oceanic Rediscoveries & Exploration of Legacy scientific drilling collections
No full textThis document details the history and success of the Australian and New Zealand International Scientific Drilling Consortium (ANZIC) Legacy Awards Funding scheme. Following the theme of "Learn, Celebrate and Collaborate" from the CORE Legacy Forum held on May 30, 2024, it provides a detailed evaluation of the significant contributions and impacts these awards have made since the program's inception
Digitally Enhanced Dispersion Spectroscopy
No full textMolecular dispersion spectroscopy for the optical detection, and characterization of anomalous dispersion is a developing field for the interferometric measurement of trace gas concentrations. As a phase sensitive detection technique, it eliminates the need for baselining or normalization of the spectroscopic signal which is typically required for absorption spectroscopy methods. Furthermore, dispersion sensitive methods excel at measuring through high optical depth, where absorption techniques are limited by the exponential response required by the Beer-Lambert Law.
This thesis presents novel architectures for dispersion spectroscopy using digital interferometry (DI), a laser metrology technique that enables range gated interferometric phase measurements using the correlation of pseudo-random binary sequences (PRBS) modulated onto the optical field. This enables rejection of unwanted scattered noise or other cross-talk down to microradian phase sensitivities, as well as a reduction of optical complexity and relaxation of electronic bandwidth requirements. Firstly, as a proof of concept, a Sagnac architecture is used to demonstrate digital interferometric phase extraction, achieving 2x10^-7 rad per root hertz sensitivity. Following this, a vapor cell is inserted into the sensing path, transforming the interferometer into a spectrometer. Using this instrument, and leveraging the sub-microradian phase noise, a baseband dispersion readout with 77 ppb-m per root hertz concentration sensitivity is demonstrated. This sensitivity is possible due to the inherently matched path lengths of the Sagnac interferometer.
Subsequently, a more flexible in-line technique using a re-entrant delay line is developed. This creates a dispersion spectrometer which uses DI multiplexing to synthesize multiple sets of matched path lengths and a noise-suppressed measurement, achieving a phase sensitivity of 8x10^-6 rad per root hertz , corresponding to a concentration sensitivity of 159 ppb-m per root hertz. This is a factor of two higher compared to the Sagnac architecture. However, the re-entrant optical architecture allows integrated wavelength tuning linearisation as well as greater flexibility in the measurement of spectroscopic samples. Finally, the thesis discusses ongoing work on extending the optical bandwidth of the re-entrant spectrometer, using an optical amplifier to generate a digitally addressable frequency comb. This has applications in the interrogation of wider linewidth resonance features such as metasurfaces
Essays in applied microeconomics
No full textThis thesis comprises three essays in applied microeconomics. In Chapter 2, I use the Household Income and Labour Dynamics Survey in Australia (HILDA) to explore the relevance and contribution of greedy jobs to the gender pay gap in Australia. Greedy jobs involve working long and unpredictable hours in jobs where individuals are not easily substitutable. They engender compensating differentials resulting in an earnings to hours elasticity that often exceeds one. Chapter 2 shows that occupational gender earnings gaps are highest in occupations where greedy jobs proliferate and that wage-setting institutions engender heterogenous effects on occupational gender earnings gaps. Relative to the United States, occupational gender earnings gaps are smaller in Australia, consistent with evidence that labour market institutions compress the earnings distribution. Within occupations, the use of collective agreements attenuates the size of occupational gender earnings gaps, while the use of individual agreements increases them. Not surprisingly, individuals employed in greedy occupations predominantly use individual agreements to negotiate pay.
Chapter 3 evaluates the Australian government's co-contribution policy, a retirement savings policy targeted at low and middle income (LMI) individuals that matched personal contributions made to superannuation. Using the Australian Taxation Office Longitudinal Information Files (ALife), we apply a difference-in-difference approach and exploit administrative changes made to the policy to identify the impact of the matching program on savings behaviour of LMI individuals. Reducing the income eligibility threshold led to a 0.9 percentage point decline in the number of individuals who made a contribution and a 6.2 per cent decrease in the value of retirement contributions made. Conditional on making a non-concessional (post-tax) contribution prior to the change in eligibility rules, the value of individual contributions declined by between 16 to 22 per cent.
Chapter 4 examines the impact of two changes to Australia's Parenting Payment Single (PPS) program, a welfare payment for low-income single mothers. One change lowered the age of youngest child cut off for program eligibility, forcing new welfare entrants onto the less generous Newstart (unemployment) payment. A second change increased job search requirements for those on PPS. Using the Multi-Agency Data Integration Project (MADIP), now known as the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA), we apply a difference-in-difference strategy which exploits the rule changes combined with an unannounced end to grandfathering provisions to disentangle the two effects. While we find little effect of the increased job search requirements on the employment rates of single mothers, the decreased generosity of the program did exert a small and negative impact on the employment rate of single mothers. The policy change also produced a large decrease in the share of single mothers who relied on a combination of welfare and employment. 35 per cent of single mothers who ever received PPS between 2011 and 2016 eliminated their use of welfare. On average, due to the decreased generosity of the welfare payments, single mothers had lower incomes after the policy changes
Health Impacts of Ambient PM2.5 Pollution in China: Historical Trends and Future Projections
No full textChina's rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to some of the worst air pollution in the world, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) posing serious threats to population health. Over the past two decades, China has applied stringent air pollution control measures and policies to enhance air quality and has also committed to ambitious climate goals, such as peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2060. However, China's large and aging population, coal-dominated energy structure, and manufacturing-driven economic structure pose significant challenges to future air quality improvements.
Against this background, this thesis has assessed historical trends of PM2.5 attributable mortality in China, explored the impact of population aging on attributable mortality, and projected future PM2.5 attributable health and economic burden under various scenarios, integrating China's carbon emission targets with clean air policies. The thesis contains three major studies: The first study provided a comprehensive assessment of historical trends in mortality attributable to ambient PM2.5 exposure in China. It incorporated the newly developed Fusion relative risk model with updated cause-specific baseline mortality rates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study, offering a more accurate evaluation of PM2.5 related mortality and highlighting significant regional disparities. The second study assessed China's age- and cause- specific mortality from PM2.5 based on high-resolution demographic data and adopted a decomposition method to assess the impact of different underlying factors that influence the trends in PM2.5 related mortality in the past and future, with a focus on population aging. The third study projected future PM2.5 related mortality and years of life lost (YLL) across 31 provinces in China from 2020 to 2060, under four scenarios combining local air pollution control with different climate policies. This study further evaluated health costs using two metrics - value of a statistical life (VSL) and value per statistical life year (VSLY).
The findings of this thesis offer critical implications for policymaking in China and provide broader lessons for countries facing similar challenges of addressing air pollution and related health impacts amid rapid urbanization, economic growth, population aging, and the pursuit of ambitious climate goals
Strength Matters: Voter behaviours and Attitudes Towards women candidates in Papua New Guinea.
No full textThis thesis examines voter behaviors and attitudes towards women candidates as a missing piece of the puzzle in the story of women's participation in elections in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Since self-government in 1972, only ten women have sat in the national parliament. Of 743 women candidates in national general elections, only 33 women candidates have ranked among the top five at their eliminations. Of these 33 women candidates, an important pattern can be identified in their regions of origin: 17 have come from the Southern Region, eight from Momase, six from New Guinea Islands and two from the Highlands. This regional pattern extends to those 10 women candidates who were elected: five were from the Southern Region, two each were from Momase and New Guinea Islands and one was from the Highlands. While these numbers are very low, the data show that the majority of the best performing candidates come from the Southern Region of PNG.
Previous research has focused on examining the electoral experience of women candidates and the barriers that prevent them from entering parliament. Missing from these valuable analyses are investigations into why voters from certain regions of PNG are more likely to elect women candidates. I am particularly interested in why women candidates in the Southern Region poll better in national general elections in PNG than in the other regions. I investigate this question through a mixed methods research design, combining a quantitative analysis of election results with a qualitative approach to understanding indigenous cultural values and norms that inform the social and political behaviors of voters. I conduct this second element of my analysis using focus groups and interviews. The key contribution of this thesis lies in its presentation of a new measure of strength, namely the extent to which women candidates attract a number of votes above the average for the electorate. I suggest that women candidates who do not win in the National general elections can use this measure more accurately to understand their placing, and the attitudes of their electorate towards the viability of women candidates