The research and project The Chronik Disorder project consists of an exegesis and screenplay. The exegesis discusses research into the film genre, three-act structure, mythic structure and archetypes. The research then informed thematic ideas, character creation and a method for plotting the screenplay and developing the characters. Chronik Disorder is an Australian story, set in contemporary Melbourne, about adolescents and rites of passage. The story explores teenagers and the hip-hop subculture, gangs, graffiti and drug experimentation. The story deals with other issues such as vocational challenges; the breakdown of the nuclear family; father-and-son relationships; and Vietnam veterans and how the war affected them emotionally and impacted on their relationships with their sons. Synopsis of Screenplay Harley, 17, a hooker in an under-eighteen's rugby union team, dreams of playing with the under-nineteen's Australian Wallabies. Harley's alcoholic father, Kev, takes out his pain caused by his experiences in Vietnam on Harley, who escapes by hanging out with graffitibased gang Chronik Disorder. When his friend Damian dies, Harley blames himself, ruins his rugby career, and escapes by hanging out with his gang, committing crimes and taking drugs.

Les tests couramment utilisés pour évaluer le déficit sensori-moteur induit par une lésion du cerveau chez le rat posent problèmes en termes de sensibilité, d'objectivité et de quantification. Nous avons émis l'hypothèse selon laquelle l'analyse 3D de la cinématique de la locomotion constitue un paradigme expérimental approprié pour quantifier un tel déficit. Aussi, la locomotion a été étudiée lors d'une course sur tapis roulant (25 cm/s) muni ou pas d'obstacles (deux obstacles de 3cm de haut et 1,2 cm de large) à l'aide du système optoélectronique VICON. Le mouvement des quatre pattes a été simultanément enregistré avant et après induction d'une lésion unilatérale soit du striatum (mort d'origine métabolique des neurones striataux) soit du cortex cérébral (infarctus du cortex moteur) chez le rat adulte. Le laboratoire a précédemment montré que ces deux modèles de lésion conduisaient à une anomalie plus ou moins durable de la traversée d'une poutre étroite et surélevée, test classiquement utilisé pour évaluer la locomotion du rat. La première étude décrit pour la première fois la stratégie utilisée par le rat pour franchir un obstacle. Elle révèle que le franchissement s'accompagne d'une rupture complète du pattern locomoteur de base et que l'élévation des ceintures contribue de façon notable au passage de chacune des pattes au- dessus de l'obstacle. La seconde étude montre que la lésion du striatum s'accompagne d'un déficit locomoteur durable lors des deux modalités de course, l'anomalie portant sélectivement sur les pattes contralatérales à la lésion. Plus précisément, ces pattes présentent une flexion exagérée pendant la phase d'appui dont la durée est augmentée. Par ailleurs, lorsque que la patte antérieure opposée à la lésion conduit la manœuvre de franchissement, elle prend fréquemment appui sur l'obstacle suite à une initiation trop précoce de son élévation. Dans ce cas, la patte postérieure homolatérale franchit ou non correctement l'obstacle. L'ensemble de ces résultats suggère l'implication du striatum dans la programmation des mouvements guidés par la vue. La dernière expérience montre qu'aucune des modalités de locomotion n'est affectée par la lésion corticale, suggérant que le faisceau corticospinal n'est indispensable ni à la locomotion ni à son adaptation à l'environnement. En conclusion, notre travail montre que nos modalités d'enregistrement de la locomotion sont appropriées pour quantifier le déficit fonctionnel induit par une lésion du striatum, mais pas celui induit par une lésion du cortex moteur. Il serait intéressant de répéter les expériences lors d'une course volontaire, de manière à s'affranchir de la stimulation sensitive générée par le déroulement du tapis sous les pattes et d'étudier la réversibilité du déficit en cas de lésion partielle du striatum.

<p>In the novel, Forster seems to observe the English Empire from a critical point of view rather than a nostalgic one. The theme of the book is the relationship of the Indians and the English; an attempt at understanding the country India and the Indians.</p>

In the novel, Forster seems to observe the English Empire from a critical point of view rather than a nostalgic one. The theme of the book is the relationship of the Indians and the English; an attempt at understanding the country India and the Indians.

Nucleation is the first step in the formation of a new phase in a thermodynamic system. The Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) is the traditional theory used to describe this phenomenon. The object of this thesis is to investigate nucleation beyond one of the most significant limitations of the CNT: the assumption that the surface tension of a nucleating cluster of the new phase is independent of the cluster’s size and has the same value that it would have in the bulk of the new phase. In order to accomplish this, we consider a microscopic, two-dimensional Lattice Gas Automata (LGA) model of precipitate nucleation in a supersaturated system, with model input parameters Ess (solid particle-to-solid particle bonding energy), Esw (solid particle-to-water particle bonding energy), η (next-to-nearest neighbour bonding coeffiicent in solid phase), and Cin (initial solute concentration). The LGA method was chosen for its advantages of easy implementation, low memory requirements, and fast computation speed. Analytical results for the system’s concentration and the crystal radius as functions of time are derived and the former is fit to the simulation data in order to determine the system’s equilibrium concentration. A mean first-passage time (MFPT) technique is used to obtain the nucleation rate and critical nucleus size from the simulation data. The nucleation rate and supersaturation are evaluated using a modification to the CNT that incorporates a two-dimensional, radius-dependent surface tension term. The Tolman parameter, δ, which controls the radius-dependence of the surface tension, decreases (increases) as a function of the magnitude of Ess (Esw), at fixed values of η and Esw (Ess). On the other hand, δ increases as η increases while Ess and Esw are held constant. The constant surface tension term of the CNT, Σ0, increases (decreases) with increasing magnitudes of Ess (Esw) fixed values of Esw (Ess), and increases as η is increased. Together, these results indicate an increase in the radius-dependent surface tension, Σ, with respect to increasing magnitude of Ess relative to the magnitude of Esw. Σ0 increases linearly as a function of the change in energy during an attachment or detachment reaction, |ΔE|, however with a slope less than that predicted for a crystal that is uniformly packed at maximum density.

My thesis exhibition entitled The Privilege of Being Solid is an exploration of the tension that is generated by our desire for an ultimate corporeal security and the realization that nothing is permanent. This tension expresses itself in the world in varying degrees through programs of repression oscillating with periods of chaos. <p>We live in a post-modern era of fragmentation and uncertainty, although modernist attitudes concerned with universals, certainties and a manic desire to control largely guide many of our institutions, political and otherwise. I believe that this desire to control creates cultural anxiety due to the virtual unattainability of certainty and control. This denial of our inherent insecurity, vulnerability and ultimate mortality generates a violence that feeds back into our collective anxiety. The loop perpetuates itself in a cycle of fear, denial and arrogance that fuels a raft of industries devoted to security, feeding off of our communal angst. The very human characteristic that has enabled these circumstances is the subject of this exhibition.<p>It is my intention to reflect some of the contradictions found in our current condition by generating a dialogue between fragility and strength; beauty and the abject; certainty and doubt; liquid and solid; as well as humor and emotional gravity. These contradictions extend to my material of choice as well. With the exception of a two channel video installation, all the works in the exhibition employ encaustic (wax) processes. Although wax appears to be solid, it is in fact classified as a liquid. It is always in flux and unless conditions are ideal, wax remains in a precariously unstable condition. It also reflects in its materiality, a sensuality that is of primary importance to me as an artist, both in terms of the processes in which I engage in my studio, as well as the objects I create for a potential viewer.<p>Through sculptural processes of casting, pouring and melting, encaustic mark making and digital manipulations of physical theater, I want to contrast the forces at work within our lives that seek to control our environment with notions of surrender to the natural state of impermanence in which we reside. I want to reflect the oscillation between the collective desire for security and the knowledge of our inherent fragility and vulnerability.

This report details a physical modeling study to investigate the flow characteristics of circular corrugated structural plate (CSP) culverts with 10% embedment and projecting end inlets using a 0.62 m diameter corrugated metal pipe under a range of flows (0.064 m3/s to 0.254 m3/s) and slopes (0%, 0.5% and 1.0%). An automated sampling system was used to record detailed velocity measurements at cross-sections along the length of the model. The velocity data was then used to develop isovel plots and observations were made regarding the effect of water depth, average velocity, boundary roughness and inlet configuration on the velocity structure. Other key aspects examined include the distribution of shear velocity and equivalent sand roughness, Manning’s roughness, an evaluation of composite roughness calculation methods, secondary currents, area-velocity relationships, the effect of embedment on maximum discharge and a simulation of model results using HECRAS. Recommendations are presented to focus future research. / October 2007

This thesis deals with credit risk modeling and related mathematical issues. In particular we study first-passage models for credit risk, where obligors default upon first passage of a ``credit quality" process to zero. The first passage problem for correlated Brownian motion is a mathematical structure which arises quite naturally in such models, in particular the seminal multivariate Black-Cox model. In general this problem is analytically intractable, however in two dimensions analytic results are available. In addition to correcting mistakes in several published formulae, we derive an exact simulation scheme for sampling the passage times. Our algorithm exploits several interesting properties of planar Brownian motion and conformal local martingales. The main contribution of this thesis is the development of a novel multivariate framework for credit risk. We allow for both stochastic trend and volatility in credit qualities, with dependence introduced by letting these quantities be driven by systematic factors common to all obligors. Exploiting a conditional independence structure we are able to express the proportion of defaults in an asymptotically large portfolio as a path functional of the systematic factors. The functional in question returns crossing probabilities of time-changed Brownian motion to continuous barriers, and is typically not available in closed form. As such the distribution of portfolio losses is in general analytically intractable. As such we devise a scheme for simulating approximate losses and demonstrate almost sure convergence of this approximation. We show that the model calibrates well, across both tranches and maturities, to market quotes for CDX index tranches. In particular we are able to calibrate to data from 2006, as well as more recent ``distressed" data from 2008.

This thesis deals with credit risk modeling and related mathematical issues. In particular we study first-passage models for credit risk, where obligors default upon first passage of a ``credit quality" process to zero. The first passage problem for correlated Brownian motion is a mathematical structure which arises quite naturally in such models, in particular the seminal multivariate Black-Cox model. In general this problem is analytically intractable, however in two dimensions analytic results are available. In addition to correcting mistakes in several published formulae, we derive an exact simulation scheme for sampling the passage times. Our algorithm exploits several interesting properties of planar Brownian motion and conformal local martingales. The main contribution of this thesis is the development of a novel multivariate framework for credit risk. We allow for both stochastic trend and volatility in credit qualities, with dependence introduced by letting these quantities be driven by systematic factors common to all obligors. Exploiting a conditional independence structure we are able to express the proportion of defaults in an asymptotically large portfolio as a path functional of the systematic factors. The functional in question returns crossing probabilities of time-changed Brownian motion to continuous barriers, and is typically not available in closed form. As such the distribution of portfolio losses is in general analytically intractable. As such we devise a scheme for simulating approximate losses and demonstrate almost sure convergence of this approximation. We show that the model calibrates well, across both tranches and maturities, to market quotes for CDX index tranches. In particular we are able to calibrate to data from 2006, as well as more recent ``distressed" data from 2008.

My thesis exhibition entitled The Privilege of Being Solid is an exploration of the tension that is generated by our desire for an ultimate corporeal security and the realization that nothing is permanent. This tension expresses itself in the world in varying degrees through programs of repression oscillating with periods of chaos. <p>We live in a post-modern era of fragmentation and uncertainty, although modernist attitudes concerned with universals, certainties and a manic desire to control largely guide many of our institutions, political and otherwise. I believe that this desire to control creates cultural anxiety due to the virtual unattainability of certainty and control. This denial of our inherent insecurity, vulnerability and ultimate mortality generates a violence that feeds back into our collective anxiety. The loop perpetuates itself in a cycle of fear, denial and arrogance that fuels a raft of industries devoted to security, feeding off of our communal angst. The very human characteristic that has enabled these circumstances is the subject of this exhibition.<p>It is my intention to reflect some of the contradictions found in our current condition by generating a dialogue between fragility and strength; beauty and the abject; certainty and doubt; liquid and solid; as well as humor and emotional gravity. These contradictions extend to my material of choice as well. With the exception of a two channel video installation, all the works in the exhibition employ encaustic (wax) processes. Although wax appears to be solid, it is in fact classified as a liquid. It is always in flux and unless conditions are ideal, wax remains in a precariously unstable condition. It also reflects in its materiality, a sensuality that is of primary importance to me as an artist, both in terms of the processes in which I engage in my studio, as well as the objects I create for a potential viewer.<p>Through sculptural processes of casting, pouring and melting, encaustic mark making and digital manipulations of physical theater, I want to contrast the forces at work within our lives that seek to control our environment with notions of surrender to the natural state of impermanence in which we reside. I want to reflect the oscillation between the collective desire for security and the knowledge of our inherent fragility and vulnerability.