This is a study of the social dynamics of the current Chinese migrant community in New Zealand through a critical analysis of the Auckland-based Chinese-language media. It combines two research fields, international migration studies and media studies, to conceptualise Chinese-language media as a specific type of alternative media in contemporary New Zealand. The Chinese population in New Zealand has rapidly increased through immigration since the passage of the 1987 Immigration Act; Chinese now comprise 3.4% of the New Zealand population, and a wide variety of Chinese-language media have accordingly thrived in New Zealand. In contrast to New Zealand mainstream media, these Chinese media serve the specific needs and interests of newly arrived and only minimally acculturated Chinese migrants. The research was conducted in three phases: quantitative and qualitative data were acquired from the content of Chinese-language media during the period of the 2005 New Zealand general election; qualitative data were obtained from focus groups and interviews with members of the Chinese audience subsequent to the election; qualitative data were generated from Chinese media personnel. The findings suggest that these Chinese-language media closely reflect and depict recent PRC Chinese migrants’ perceptions of New Zealand and aspirations towards their new life in the host country. Within the global context of the Chinese diaspora in historical and contemporary times, this research also introduces a new angle for exploring the socio-economic impacts of China as a rising superpower on New Zealand and the Pacific Rim.

This is a study of the social dynamics of the current Chinese migrant community in New Zealand through a critical analysis of the Auckland-based Chinese-language media. It combines two research fields, international migration studies and media studies, to conceptualise Chinese-language media as a specific type of alternative media in contemporary New Zealand. The Chinese population in New Zealand has rapidly increased through immigration since the passage of the 1987 Immigration Act; Chinese now comprise 3.4% of the New Zealand population, and a wide variety of Chinese-language media have accordingly thrived in New Zealand. In contrast to New Zealand mainstream media, these Chinese media serve the specific needs and interests of newly arrived and only minimally acculturated Chinese migrants. The research was conducted in three phases: quantitative and qualitative data were acquired from the content of Chinese-language media during the period of the 2005 New Zealand general election; qualitative data were obtained from focus groups and interviews with members of the Chinese audience subsequent to the election; qualitative data were generated from Chinese media personnel. The findings suggest that these Chinese-language media closely reflect and depict recent PRC Chinese migrants’ perceptions of New Zealand and aspirations towards their new life in the host country. Within the global context of the Chinese diaspora in historical and contemporary times, this research also introduces a new angle for exploring the socio-economic impacts of China as a rising superpower on New Zealand and the Pacific Rim.

This is a study of the social dynamics of the current Chinese migrant community in New Zealand through a critical analysis of the Auckland-based Chinese-language media. It combines two research fields, international migration studies and media studies, to conceptualise Chinese-language media as a specific type of alternative media in contemporary New Zealand. The Chinese population in New Zealand has rapidly increased through immigration since the passage of the 1987 Immigration Act; Chinese now comprise 3.4% of the New Zealand population, and a wide variety of Chinese-language media have accordingly thrived in New Zealand. In contrast to New Zealand mainstream media, these Chinese media serve the specific needs and interests of newly arrived and only minimally acculturated Chinese migrants. The research was conducted in three phases: quantitative and qualitative data were acquired from the content of Chinese-language media during the period of the 2005 New Zealand general election; qualitative data were obtained from focus groups and interviews with members of the Chinese audience subsequent to the election; qualitative data were generated from Chinese media personnel. The findings suggest that these Chinese-language media closely reflect and depict recent PRC Chinese migrants’ perceptions of New Zealand and aspirations towards their new life in the host country. Within the global context of the Chinese diaspora in historical and contemporary times, this research also introduces a new angle for exploring the socio-economic impacts of China as a rising superpower on New Zealand and the Pacific Rim.

This is a study of the social dynamics of the current Chinese migrant community in New Zealand through a critical analysis of the Auckland-based Chinese-language media. It combines two research fields, international migration studies and media studies, to conceptualise Chinese-language media as a specific type of alternative media in contemporary New Zealand. The Chinese population in New Zealand has rapidly increased through immigration since the passage of the 1987 Immigration Act; Chinese now comprise 3.4% of the New Zealand population, and a wide variety of Chinese-language media have accordingly thrived in New Zealand. In contrast to New Zealand mainstream media, these Chinese media serve the specific needs and interests of newly arrived and only minimally acculturated Chinese migrants. The research was conducted in three phases: quantitative and qualitative data were acquired from the content of Chinese-language media during the period of the 2005 New Zealand general election; qualitative data were obtained from focus groups and interviews with members of the Chinese audience subsequent to the election; qualitative data were generated from Chinese media personnel. The findings suggest that these Chinese-language media closely reflect and depict recent PRC Chinese migrants’ perceptions of New Zealand and aspirations towards their new life in the host country. Within the global context of the Chinese diaspora in historical and contemporary times, this research also introduces a new angle for exploring the socio-economic impacts of China as a rising superpower on New Zealand and the Pacific Rim.

This research project is concerned with workers’ narratives, specifically those who have been employed in paid work below the national minimum wage in New Zealand. As a graphic designer who has direct experience of exploitation through employment, I am interested in researching the subjective experience of underpaid workers in New Zealand. In doing this I have sought to creatively synthesize experiences into artworks that provide a deeper insight into the impact of underpaid work. Through this investigation I have attempted to contribute to a broader discussion of underpaid work than what is currently provided, through the analysis of statistical data. In undertaking this project I have also been concerned with investigating new potentials in serigraphy (a graphic medium traditionally associated with working-class politics). I have inquired into how it might be used to create a visual ‘voice’ for contemporary workers’ narratives. Accordingly, this project has employed audio recordings of three personal stories. The research has led to the production of a series of serigraphic prints that artistically interpret the journeys and experiences of the participants. These images sit in discourse with looped audio excerpts of their recorded interviews. In this approach, narratives of marginalisation that have often been muted through their presentation as written records, have been re-conceptualised as an artists' images, with which the recordings are in discussion.

Communication technologies have altered the way people engage in political discourse. In recent years the internet has played a significant role in changing the way people receive political information, news and opinion. Perhaps the most significant difference as a result of advancements in communication and internet technology is how people participate in discussions and deliberate issues that are important to them. The 2005 New Zealand General Election fell at a time when functionality and access to fast and affordable internet allowed people to develop their own information channels and also determine how, where and to what level they participated in debate and commentary on election issues. The aim of this thesis is to examine how blogs were used to discuss political issues during the 2005 New Zealand General Election campaign period through the use of three inter-related methodologies. The methodologies used in the research are content analysis, interviews and a case study. Four blogs and the comments sections are analysed by way of content analysis for adherence to the rules of communicative interaction within the public sphere. Interviews were conducted with a number of people who blogged during the 2005 election campaign, to develop an understanding of their experiences and perceptions of the role blogging played in the election. A case study of politician and blogger Rodney Hide examines the role blogs play as a communication tool for politicians and the how they change the relationship between politician and voter. An explosion of academic literature in recent years has looked at the participative and deliberative nature of the internet and blogs as having opened new spaces and what implications that may have for democracy. Jurgen Habermas' seminal book, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, provides the theoretical basis for this thesis and the foundation for academic writing in this area. Habermas developed the normative notion of the public sphere as a part of social life where citizens exchanged views and opinions on matters of importance to the common good, so that wider public opinion can be formed.

Figuring Space; considering the figure in the construction of space in materialist film is an analysis of film space that uses either the image of a figure or the actual figure of the viewer in its construction. The thesis focuses on particular screen works of William Raban, Guy Sherwin, Malcolm Le Grice, Chris Welsby, Nicky Hamlyn, Peter Gidal (all members of the London Filmmakers’ Cooperative) and the Canadian artist Michael Snow. It discusses the works in relation to the basic materials of time, light and sound found in film and video. The thesis looks at the way the film frame was implemented in the work of these artists to challenge preconceived notions of film space. It also highlights the uncertainty of spatial relativity within the screen image once the techniques imposed by the artist undermine previous determinations of positions in space. The frame provides necessary elements with which a reading of a pictorial space can be made. In addition, with some of the works discussed, the frame defines an exterior screen space that at times questions the boundaries between on-screen and off-screen, and fictive space and real space. While in other works that are addressed, binaries exist within which the boundaries of a picture plane are utilized to determine an object’s spatial relativity, which in turn questions the relativity of those boundaries that determine it. The frame that previously confirmed the illusions of space within the pictorial plane could no longer be prescribed as definitive. Calculations of the film space would become dependent upon a point of origin that is situated within actual time and space at the position of the viewer. The figure of paramount importance, when considering the constructs of space within materialist film, is that of the viewer

Τα τελευταία χρόνια πολλές ερευνητικές ομάδες εστίασαν στην ταυτοποίηση γονιδίων που ενέχονται σε διάφορες βιολογικές διεργασίες και η Δροσόφιλα αποτέλεσε τον ιδανικό οργανισμό-μοντέλο λόγω της διαθεσιμότητας πολλών γενετικών εργαλείων. Η ανάπτυξη της τεχνολογίας της RNA παρεμβολής ευνόησε ιδιαίτερα την ευρείας κλίμακας γενετική ανάλυση στη Δροσόφιλα. Εκμεταλλευόμενοι τα διαθέσιμα εργαλεία πραγματοποιήσαμε μία μελέτη σάρωσης βασισμένη σε RNAi για γονίδια που εμπλέκονται στη μορφογένεση του συστήματος των σωματικών μυών και του επιθηλίου του φτερού της Drosophila melanogaster. Συνολικά, εξετάσαμε 321 γονίδια με συστημική ή ιστοειδική RNAi σιώπηση στο μεσόδερμα ή με συνδυασμό και των δύο και ταυτοποιήσαμε 58 γονίδια άγνωστης λειτουργίας τα οποία χρειάζονται για την ανάπτυξη και ομοιόσταση του εμβρυϊκού/προνυμφικού μυϊκού συστήματος. Περιέργως, στις μισές σχεδόν περιπτώσεις δεν παρατηρήσαμε φαινότυπο θνησιμότητας πλήρους διεισδυτικότητας, γεγονός που υποδεικνύει ότι ο αριθμός των γονιδίων που συμμετέχουν στη συγκεκριμένη διεργασία είναι μεγαλύτερος από αυτόν που έχει προβλεφθεί με βάσει τα αποτελέσματα μίας ευρείας κλίμακας μελέτης σάρωσης με RNAi στο μυϊκό σύστημα που ολοκληρώθηκε πρόσφατα. Επιπλέον, μελετήσαμε 242 γονίδια με ιστοειδική σιώπηση στα επιθήλια και ταυτοποιήσαμε 32, τα οποία είναι απαραίτητα για τη βιωσιμότητα, και 24, τα οποία είναι αναγκαία για τη μορφοποίηση του ενήλικου φτερού. Από τα γονίδια που έδωσαν θετικό αποτέλεσμα επιλέξαμε ένα το οποίο είναι απαραίτητο και για τις δύο διεργασίες, το chd64. Το chd64 κωδικοποιεί μία πρωτεΐνη που αποτελείται από μία δομική περιοχή με ομολογία στις καλπονίνες (CH) και ένα μοτίβο CLIK23 και παρουσιάζει 42% και 43% ταυτότητα με τις τρανσγελίνες 2 και 3 των θηλαστικών αντιστοίχως. Οι τρανσγελίνες συνιστούν μία οικογένεια πρωτεϊνών που εμφανίζουν υψηλό βαθμό συντήρησης και συμμετέχουν στο σχηματισμό δεσμίδων και στη σταθεροποίηση των ινιδίων ακτίνης. Το γονιδίωμα της Δροσόφιλας εμπεριέχει τρεις διαφορετικούς γενετικούς τόπους: CG4694 ή Mp20, CG14996 ή Chd64 and CG5023, σε πλήρη αναλογία με τα γονιδιώματα των θηλαστικών. Τα προκαταρκτικά αποτελέσματα μας έδειξαν ότι από τα γονίδια που κωδικοποιούν τις τρεις τρανσγελίνες της Δροσόφιλας μόνο το Chd64 είναι απαραίτητο για τη βιωσιμότητα και τη σωστή ανάπτυξη των μυϊκών και επιθηλιακών ιστών. Για να μελετήσουμε τη λειτουργία του γονιδίου ήταναπαραίτητο: α) να διερευνήσουμε το πρότυπο έκφρασης του και β) να αξιολογήσουμε τα αποτελέσματα της απώλειας λειτουργίας του σε διαφορετικούς ιστούς. Έτσι, δημιουργήσαμε διαγονιδιακές μύγες που έφεραν τυχαίες ενθέσεις ενός γενωμικού τμήματος του γονιδίου συζευγμένου με GFP που επέτρεπε την παρατήρηση του ενδογενούς προτύπου έκφρασης του γονιδίου σε ζωντανό οργανισμό κατά τη διάρκεια της ανάπτυξης. Ταυτόχρονα, δημιουργήσαμε ένα αντίσωμα έναντι ολόκληρης της πρωτεΐνης Chd64. Επιπλέον, προμηθευτήκαμε δύο UAS:chd64IR στελέχη και πολλά διαφορετικά GAL4 στελέχη με σκοπό να μελετήσουμε την επίδραση της μειορρύθμισης του chd64 σε διαφορετικούς ιστούς. Τέλος, δημιουργήσαμε δύο ελλείψεις που απομακρύνουν το chd64. Τα δεδομένα που έχουμε ως τώρα δείχνουν ότι το chd64 εκφράζεται έντονα στον εμβρυϊκό/προνυμφικό πεπτικό σωλήνα, στα αιμοκύτταρα, στην τραχεία, στο νευρικό σύστημα, στα περιτραχειακά κύτταρα Inka, στους εμβρυϊκούς δίσκους, στους σιελογόνους αδένες, στην επιδερμίδα και στα τενόντια κύτταρα. Επιπλέον, διαπιστώσαμε έκφραση του γονιδίου στα θυλακοκύτταρα και μισχοειδή κύτταρα των ωοθυλακίων. Σε όλους τους παραπάνω κυτταρικούς τύπους η πρωτεΐνη συσσωρεύεται στο κυτταρόπλασμα και στην περιφέρεια του κυττάρου. Λεπτομερέστερη ανάλυση των μεγάλων κυττάρων των σιελογόνων αδένων έδειξε ότι η πρωτεΐνη εντοπίζεται σε μεβρανικές δομές που αντιστοιχούν στο ενδοπλασματικό δίκτυο και στο φλοιό του κυττάρου, όπου συνεντοπίζεται με την ακτίνη. Οι μελέτες απώλειας λειτουργίας έδειξαν ότι έκφραση του chd64 είναι απαραίτητη για τη βιωσιμότητα και τη μορφολογία ή/και λειτουργικότητα των μαλπιγγιανών σωληναρίων. Συγκεκριμένα, διαπιστώσαμε ότι η αναστολή της ζυγωτικής έκφρασης του γονιδίου οδηγεί σε διόγκωση των μαλπιγγιανών σωληναρίων και σχετίζεται με τη μη φυσιολογική υποκυτταρική κατανομή της DE-καδερίνης. Ωστόσο, ο τρόπος δράσης του γονιδίου στην προαναφερθείσα διαδικασία παραμένει άγνωστος. Η απομάκρυνση της μητρικής προέλευσης Chd64 πρωτεΐνης και η εκτενέστερη εξέταση της διαδικασίας καθορισμού και της πολικότητας των κυττάρων που συγκροτούν τα μαλπιγγιανά σωληνάρια σε αγρίου τύπου και μεταλλαγμένο γενετικό υπόβαθρο με τη χρήση κατάλληλων μαρτύρων θα μας δώσουν νέες πληροφορίες σχετικά με τη λειτουργία του γονίδιου σε ολόκληρο τον οργανισμό. / In the past years many research groups have focused in the identification of genes that are involved in distinct biological processes and Drosophila has provided the ideal model-organism due to the availability of several genetic tools. The introduction of RNAi technology has greatly facilitated the conduction of many large scale genetic analyses in Drosophila. Taking advantage of the available tools we conducted an RNAi-based screen for genes involved in the morphogenesis of the somatic muscle system and wing epithelium of Drosophila melanogaster. Collectively, we tested 321 genes with either systemic or tissue-specific RNAi silencing in the mesoderm or a combination of both and discovered 58 novel genes which are required for proper development and homeostasis of the embryonic/larval muscular system. Surprisingly, in almost half of the cases we did not observe a lethal phenotype of complete penetrance arguing that the number of genes involved in the particular process is greater than the one estimated based on the results of a recently completed genome-wide scale RNAi-based muscle screen. In addition, we tested 242 genes by tissue-specific gene inactivation in the epithelia and identified 32 that are required for adult viability and 24 that are indispensible for proper adult wing morphogenesis. Among our positive hits we selected one that is required for both processes for further examination, namely chd64. Chd64 encodes a protein that consists of a calponin-homology (CH) domain and a CLIK23 motif and exhibits 42% and 43% identity with the mammalian transgelins 2 and 3 respectively. Transgelins comprise a highly conserved family of proteins that have been implicated in the bundling and stabilization of actin filaments. The Drosophila genome bears three distinct loci: CG4694 or Mp20, CG14996 or Chd64 and CG5023 by complete analogy to the mammalian genomes. Our initial results showed that out of the three genes that code for the fly transgelins only chd64 is required for viability and the proper development of muscle and epithelial tissues. In order to gain insight into the function of chd64 it was crucial to: a) explore the expression pattern of the gene and b) evaluate the effects of chd64 loss of function in diverse tissues. Thus, we generated transgenic flies that bear random insertions of a GFP-tagged genomic fragment for the gene that allowed us to visualize the endogenous gene expression pattern in the living organism throughout development. Meanwhile, we developed an antibody against the full-length Chd64 protein. Inaddition, we obtained two different UAS:chd64IR strains and many tissue specific GAL4 strains in order to explore the effects of chd64 knock-down in the specific tissues. Finally we generated two deletions that remove chd64. Our data so far indicate that chd64 is largely expressed in the embryonic/larval gut, hemocytes, trachea, nervous system, peritracheal Inka cells, imaginal discs, salivary glands, epidermis and tendon cells. In addition, we observed chd64 expression in the follicle and stalk cells of egg chambers. In all the above mentioned cell types the protein is accumulated in the cytoplasm and periphery. More detailed analysis using the large salivary gland cells shows that Chd64 is specifically localized in some membranous structures of the cytoplasm corresponding to the ER and in the cell cortex where it colocalises with actin. Our loss of function studies demonstrate that chd64 expression is indispensable for viability and for the normal morphology and/or function of malpighian tubules. We specifically observed that the ablation of chd64 zygotic expression results in the appearance of bloated tubules and is involved in the abnormal subcellular distribution of DE-cadherin. However the mode of the gene’s action in the above mentioned procedure remains unknown. Consequently, we conclude that chd64 exhibits a complicated expression pattern during development and is required for viability. Removal of the maternally derived Chd64 protein and further examination of malpighian tubule cell specification and polarity using specific markers in wild type and mutant backgrounds will provide a novel insight on the gene’s functions in the whole organism.

LKB1 is the second most commonly altered tumour suppressor gene in lung adenocarcinoma, the most prevalent form of lung cancer. LKB1 is a "master kinase" that has been shown to phosphorylate up to 13 downstream targets. We hypothesised that LKB1 loss is associated with an increased dependency on alternative, targetable pathways. The overall aims of this project were to better understand the role of LKB1 loss in lung cancer and to identify novel approaches to selectively target LKB1 mutated cells. We generated isogenic cells with or without LKB1 and used these to study the effect of LKB1 on cell proliferation. Importantly, we used a range of models including 2D culture, 3D spheroids and, sub-cutaneous and orthotopic xenograft models. To understand the role of LKB1 loss in lung cancer, the effect of LKB1 on mRNA expression was analysed using whole genome RNA Sequencing. To identify novel approaches to selectively target LKB1 mutated cells, we used biological screening methods and also investigated the effect of several metabolic inhibitors. We found that loss of LKB1 expression had no effect on cell proliferation in 2D culture, but was associated with increased growth in 3D spheroids, sub-cutaneous and orthotopic xenografts, as well as greater metastasis in a lung orthotopic model. Gene ontology analysis of the transcriptome identified that genes associated with cAMP signalling and cytoskeletal organisation were differentially expressed between LKB1 deficient and proficient cells. We confirmed that cAMP signalling was increased in LKB1 deficient cells, though there was no difference in sensitivity between LKB1 deficient and proficient cells to cAMP signalling modulators. The bioactive small molecule screen showed that LKB1 deficient cells underwent apoptosis more slowly and therefore, were less sensitive to many compounds, compared with LKB1 proficient cells. Screening in 3D spheroids was a novel approach that we used to identify microtubule inhibitors as potentially selective compounds acting in LKB1 deficient cells. Our RNASeq data suggests that there was a metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis in LKB1 deficient cells, although this did not affect sensitivity to complex I inhibitors. Importantly, LKB1 deficient cells were more sensitive to glucose and glutamine deprivation which suggests that targeting these metabolic pathways may hold the greatest promise to selectively inhibit proliferation in LKB1 mutated cells.

Tout au long de ses évolutions, l'ordinateur n'a cessé de permettre autant la consultation que la création de médias. Mais contrairement à l'activité de consultation, la création de logiciels interactifs demande une certaine maîtrise de la programmation informatique, qui reste le seul moyen de produire des programmes agissant sur une machine numérique. Dans ce contexte, les pratiques artistiques engagées dans la création d'œuvres interactives ne peuvent se dispenser de recourir à la programmation informatique, c'est-À-Dire à la création logicielle. Mais dans quelles situations les artistes se placent-Ils face aux techniques du numérique et à la programmation en particulier ? Cette interrogation, qui trouve de multiples réponses, revient au premier plan lorsque le paysage des appareils numériques de grande consommation connaît un événement majeur. Notre recherche est issue d’une telle situation : à partir de 2007, l’apparition des écrans mobiles (smartphones et tablettes) a été pour nous l’occasion d’interroger le potentiel de ces nouveaux supports dans la création artistique œuvrant avec l’interactivité. Il s'agissait pour nous de faire œuvre avec les écrans mobiles autant que d’en définir les modalités de mise en œuvre esthétique et technique au moment même de leur introduction dans notre quotidien. Nous cherchons à situer une certaine pratique de l’interactivité dans l’art permise par les écrans mobiles et leurs spécificités techniques, en partant de l'hypothèse selon laquelle les écrans mobiles permettent des mises en œuvre artistiques de l’interactivité que d’autres supports numériques ne permettent pas, mais imposent également des créations logicielles spécifiques. / Throughout its evolution, the computer never stopped allowing media consultation as well as media creation. Unlike the consultation activity, the creation of interactive software requires some computer programming skills, as it remains the only way to produce programs that acts on a digital machine. In this context, artistic practices involved in the creation of interactive works cannot avoid the use of computer programming and the creation of software. But what circumstances artists are facing when then work with digital technologies and software programming? This question, which has multiple answers, gain in importance when the landscape of massively produced digital devices experiences a major event.Our research is the result of such a situation: starting in 2007, the emergence of mobile screens (smartphones and tablets) was an opportunity to examine the potential of these new digital devices in the field of interactive arts. Our purpose was to create effective art works with mobile screens to be able to define their aesthetic and technical specificities at the very time of their introduction into our daily lives. We try to situate some interactive art practices that mobile screens makes possible thanks to their technical specifications. Our base hypothesis is that mobile screens allow the creation of interactive art work that other digital media cannot afford, but also require the creation of specifics softwares.