Small Country, Big Films: An Analysis of the New Zealand Feature Film Industry (2002-2012)

<p>This thesis explores the contextual, institutional, and economic characteristics that influence contemporary feature filmmaking in New Zealand. It identifies and analyses the conditions and circumstances that have made it possible for New Zealand, as a country whose relatively small market size combines with its geographical remoteness, to not only create and sustain a feature film production industry, but also achieve unusual success for the resulting films, in critical and/or commercial terms. Applying an institutional political economy perspective to its research and analyses, this study draws on archival material, policy analysis and expert interviews with key personnel in industry and state agencies, in its undertaking of a ‘value chain’ examination of New Zealand feature film productions. Seven case studies are used to examine the distinguishing factors of the three kinds of productions – ‘tiers’ – that constitute the New Zealand feature film industry, with an emphasis on the connections between these tiers, as well as their individual significance for feature filmmaking in New Zealand. The study’s successful application of the three-tier feature film production ecology to the contemporary New Zealand filmmaking context is valuable for its capacity to add clarity to existing distinctions between the different types of film production occurring in Twenty-first Century New Zealand. Those are subject to, and emerge from, sometimes very different institutional and financing arrangements, and thus entail different expectations. Important in determining these differences is the question of whether a film’s contribution to a country is primarily cultural or economic, or, is situated somewhere between these functions and expectations. Central to the study’s ‘value chain’ structure and mode of analysis is the investigation of the priorities and motivations of the main institutions and agents involved, in recognition of their capacity to profoundly shape the possibilities for feature film production in New Zealand. This thesis argues that New Zealand is best advised to maintain and nurture all three-tiers of feature productions, because they depend on and complement each other. Together, they have contributed significantly to the success of the New Zealand feature film industry. To sustain this competitive position and to develop the country’s filmmaking potential further, it will be crucial for New Zealand’s public institutions to ensure continued support for bottom- and middle-tier films in particular, both in terms of favourable policies and funding allocations. Continued support is justified not just in recognition of the important cultural contributions of bottom- and middle-tier films, but also to help these film productions overcome the financial hurdles imposed by a small domestic market and limited economies of scale.</p>

Small Country, Big Films: An Analysis of the New Zealand Feature Film Industry (2002-2012)

<p>This thesis explores the contextual, institutional, and economic characteristics that influence contemporary feature filmmaking in New Zealand. It identifies and analyses the conditions and circumstances that have made it possible for New Zealand, as a country whose relatively small market size combines with its geographical remoteness, to not only create and sustain a feature film production industry, but also achieve unusual success for the resulting films, in critical and/or commercial terms. Applying an institutional political economy perspective to its research and analyses, this study draws on archival material, policy analysis and expert interviews with key personnel in industry and state agencies, in its undertaking of a ‘value chain’ examination of New Zealand feature film productions. Seven case studies are used to examine the distinguishing factors of the three kinds of productions – ‘tiers’ – that constitute the New Zealand feature film industry, with an emphasis on the connections between these tiers, as well as their individual significance for feature filmmaking in New Zealand. The study’s successful application of the three-tier feature film production ecology to the contemporary New Zealand filmmaking context is valuable for its capacity to add clarity to existing distinctions between the different types of film production occurring in Twenty-first Century New Zealand. Those are subject to, and emerge from, sometimes very different institutional and financing arrangements, and thus entail different expectations. Important in determining these differences is the question of whether a film’s contribution to a country is primarily cultural or economic, or, is situated somewhere between these functions and expectations. Central to the study’s ‘value chain’ structure and mode of analysis is the investigation of the priorities and motivations of the main institutions and agents involved, in recognition of their capacity to profoundly shape the possibilities for feature film production in New Zealand. This thesis argues that New Zealand is best advised to maintain and nurture all three-tiers of feature productions, because they depend on and complement each other. Together, they have contributed significantly to the success of the New Zealand feature film industry. To sustain this competitive position and to develop the country’s filmmaking potential further, it will be crucial for New Zealand’s public institutions to ensure continued support for bottom- and middle-tier films in particular, both in terms of favourable policies and funding allocations. Continued support is justified not just in recognition of the important cultural contributions of bottom- and middle-tier films, but also to help these film productions overcome the financial hurdles imposed by a small domestic market and limited economies of scale.</p>

Small Country, Big Films: An Analysis of the New Zealand Feature Film Industry (2002-2012)

<p>This thesis explores the contextual, institutional, and economic characteristics that influence contemporary feature filmmaking in New Zealand. It identifies and analyses the conditions and circumstances that have made it possible for New Zealand, as a country whose relatively small market size combines with its geographical remoteness, to not only create and sustain a feature film production industry, but also achieve unusual success for the resulting films, in critical and/or commercial terms. Applying an institutional political economy perspective to its research and analyses, this study draws on archival material, policy analysis and expert interviews with key personnel in industry and state agencies, in its undertaking of a ‘value chain’ examination of New Zealand feature film productions. Seven case studies are used to examine the distinguishing factors of the three kinds of productions – ‘tiers’ – that constitute the New Zealand feature film industry, with an emphasis on the connections between these tiers, as well as their individual significance for feature filmmaking in New Zealand. The study’s successful application of the three-tier feature film production ecology to the contemporary New Zealand filmmaking context is valuable for its capacity to add clarity to existing distinctions between the different types of film production occurring in Twenty-first Century New Zealand. Those are subject to, and emerge from, sometimes very different institutional and financing arrangements, and thus entail different expectations. Important in determining these differences is the question of whether a film’s contribution to a country is primarily cultural or economic, or, is situated somewhere between these functions and expectations. Central to the study’s ‘value chain’ structure and mode of analysis is the investigation of the priorities and motivations of the main institutions and agents involved, in recognition of their capacity to profoundly shape the possibilities for feature film production in New Zealand. This thesis argues that New Zealand is best advised to maintain and nurture all three-tiers of feature productions, because they depend on and complement each other. Together, they have contributed significantly to the success of the New Zealand feature film industry. To sustain this competitive position and to develop the country’s filmmaking potential further, it will be crucial for New Zealand’s public institutions to ensure continued support for bottom- and middle-tier films in particular, both in terms of favourable policies and funding allocations. Continued support is justified not just in recognition of the important cultural contributions of bottom- and middle-tier films, but also to help these film productions overcome the financial hurdles imposed by a small domestic market and limited economies of scale.</p>

Small Country, Big Films: An Analysis of the New Zealand Feature Film Industry (2002-2012)

<p>This thesis explores the contextual, institutional, and economic characteristics that influence contemporary feature filmmaking in New Zealand. It identifies and analyses the conditions and circumstances that have made it possible for New Zealand, as a country whose relatively small market size combines with its geographical remoteness, to not only create and sustain a feature film production industry, but also achieve unusual success for the resulting films, in critical and/or commercial terms. Applying an institutional political economy perspective to its research and analyses, this study draws on archival material, policy analysis and expert interviews with key personnel in industry and state agencies, in its undertaking of a ‘value chain’ examination of New Zealand feature film productions. Seven case studies are used to examine the distinguishing factors of the three kinds of productions – ‘tiers’ – that constitute the New Zealand feature film industry, with an emphasis on the connections between these tiers, as well as their individual significance for feature filmmaking in New Zealand. The study’s successful application of the three-tier feature film production ecology to the contemporary New Zealand filmmaking context is valuable for its capacity to add clarity to existing distinctions between the different types of film production occurring in Twenty-first Century New Zealand. Those are subject to, and emerge from, sometimes very different institutional and financing arrangements, and thus entail different expectations. Important in determining these differences is the question of whether a film’s contribution to a country is primarily cultural or economic, or, is situated somewhere between these functions and expectations. Central to the study’s ‘value chain’ structure and mode of analysis is the investigation of the priorities and motivations of the main institutions and agents involved, in recognition of their capacity to profoundly shape the possibilities for feature film production in New Zealand. This thesis argues that New Zealand is best advised to maintain and nurture all three-tiers of feature productions, because they depend on and complement each other. Together, they have contributed significantly to the success of the New Zealand feature film industry. To sustain this competitive position and to develop the country’s filmmaking potential further, it will be crucial for New Zealand’s public institutions to ensure continued support for bottom- and middle-tier films in particular, both in terms of favourable policies and funding allocations. Continued support is justified not just in recognition of the important cultural contributions of bottom- and middle-tier films, but also to help these film productions overcome the financial hurdles imposed by a small domestic market and limited economies of scale.</p>

278 Duration of Prescription of Dexamethasone in COVID-19 Pneumonitis

Aim The RECOVERY trial showed the effectiveness of using 10 days of dexamethasone for patients hospitalised with Covid-19 disease who required oxygen or mechanical ventilation while an inpatient. This QIP sought to measure compliance with this recommendation. Method Live data was obtained using University Hospital Crosshouse’s electronic prescribing system (JAC). The audit was limited to patients on Ward 2D, which at time of writing was one of the hospitals COVID 19 wards. The first audit was performed on Friday 13/11/20 at 18:00. All dexamethasone prescriptions had the duration of the prescription assessed (at the time all patients were on oxygen therapy for COVID-19 infection). Patients with a course longer than 10 days with explicit documentation to continue past 10 days were counted as a correct prescription in this audit. For the second cycle results were shared with middle tier doctors working on Ward 2D 16/11/20. Notices were also left on all computers on the ward with the message “Please ensure your patient is only prescribed a total of 10 days of dexamethasone unless an extended course is clinically indicated”. A third cycle was carried out 01/12/20. Notices were left on all computers in the combined assessment unit with the same message as above. Results It found most patients were receiving more than the 10 days due to prescription errors (86%). Teaching on the COVID ward resulted in 83% of the prescriptions being correct. Teaching in the receiving unit of the hospital resulted in no change. Conclusions Prescriptions of dexamethasone for Covid-19 patients requiring oxygen on ward 2D were found to be longer than the advised 10 days shown to be effective in the Recovery trial. Teaching on the ward was found to be an effective method to decrease prolonged courses of dexamethasone.

Toxic and genotoxic effects of aqueous extracts of Poligonum weyrichii Fr. Schmidt on the Allium test taken as an example.

The plant Poligonum weyrichii Fr. Schmidt is a promising plant in Murmansk region because it is a valuable source of flavonoid compounds. The aim of the study is to investigate, using a sensitive and the well-established Allium test, toxic and genotoxic effects of aqueous extracts of inflorescences and leaves of the middle tier, which differ in concentration (20, 50, 80 and 100%). According to the observations, the 50%, 80% and 100% concentration aqueous extracts of inflorescences and leaves of P. weyrichii have a mitodepressive effect on the cells of the root meristem of Allium cepa L., and inhibit the root growth, causing chromosomal abnormalities. The further investigations are necessary on selection of such aqueous extracts concentrations of P. weyrichii because this plant is the source of biologically active compounds.

A Visual Software Implementation of Numerical Simulation for Transient Process of Pipeline Network System of Water Supply Project

The transient process is the key for the design, operation and maintenance of the pipeline network system of the water supply project. This paper aims to study and develop a new type of visual numerical simulation software for the transient process of pipeline network system. Firstly, the software architecture design is illustrated. Then, three tiers of software architecture, i.e., back-tier, middle-tier and front-tier, are studied and developed. Finally, the practical application procedure of the software is illustrated and the accuracy of calculation results is verified. The results indicate that the visual numerical simulation software is designed based on C/S architecture. The software architecture contains back-tier, middle-tier and front-tier. The back-tier includes the model and the algorithm. The middle-tier realizes the decoding of the topology of the pipeline network system and the interaction between the back-tier and the front-tier. The front-tier integrates the visual interface and pre-post processing. The main interface includes a menu bar, a visual modeling area and a parameter input dialog box. The software has the features of professionalization, visualization, generalization, modularization and intellectualization. The software can calculate the transient process for the pipeline network system of both, pressure flow without the pump and pressure flow with the pump. The physical laws reflected from the calculation results are correct. The calculation results are accurate.

ECONOMICALLY USEFUL SIGNS AND FEATURES CULTIVATION OF TETRAPLOID VARIETY MEADOW FESCUE 'BINARA'

Due to the presence of a complex of economically useful signs, meadow fescue is one of the most popular perennial grasses in the country's feed production. To increase the effectiveness of the use of meadow fescue, it is important to develop and introduce new highly productive varieties of this crop into produc-tion practice. In the Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology a tetraploid variety of meadow fescue 'Binara' was created. The higher effect of economic use of induced tetraploid varieties is due to the increased buffering of their genotype due to a higher level of intra-population hete-rosis and homeostasis. The collection of green mass of the forage crop of the 'Binara' variety exceeds the standard by 20.6% (diploid variety), dry matter — by 58%. In terms of protein content, the 'Binara' varie-ty exceeds the standard by 1.4%, in terms of carbohydrates — by 4.0%, which provides an increase in the indicators of palatability, digestibility of feed, especially in aftergrass. The palatability of the dry matter of the feed is higher than standard by 8.4%, the digestibility is 4.4%. The seed yield is 650–800 kg/ha and can reach 1000 kg/ha. The weight of 1000 seeds in the 'Binara' variety is 3.7–4.5 g versus 2.0–2.6 g in diploid varieties. Plants are differ by the gigantism of some metameric organs (generative shoots, spike-lets, leaves of the middle tier, etc.). Winter hardiness and disease resistance are stable, disease prevalence is low.

Acceptance in Top Journals Shows Large Disparities across Name-inferred Ethnicities

Publishing in top journals is crucial to academic careers, but many fields show substantial ethnic disparities in publication counts, which may be caused by disparities in producing manuscripts or getting them accepted. Here, we investigate the latter mechanism using the peer review files of 16.5K manuscripts submitted between 2013-2018 to a field-leading biology journal (Journal A) and a middle-tier journal of similar scope (Journal B). The editorial data are supplemented with authors’ name-inferred ethnicities and extensive controls including submissions’ topic, author prestige, and citation impact, even for rejected-and-published-elsewhere submissions. We find substantial disparities in acceptance across inferred ethnicities and that these are driven by the editors and not peer reviewers. In particular, for a given amount of future impact and other submission characteristics, papers by East Asian-named authors were 4.3-14.6 percentage points less likely to be accepted than those by British-origin-named authors. Journal A editors were about 7.1-8.1 percentage points less likely to send East Asian-authored (Chinese and non-Chinese) papers out for peer review and, for a given level of reviewer enthusiasm, 7.2 percentage points less likely to ultimately accept them (non-Chinese only). In contrast, peer reviewers gave recommendations that were similar across all name-inferred ethnicities. As science continues to globalize, these findings signal the need to better understand ethnic disparities in the review process.

Implementing Partition: Proceedings of the Punjab Partition Committee, July–August, 1947

This article focuses on the workings of the Punjab Partition Committee in the crucial months of July and August 1947. In bringing new material to the historiography of partition, this article challenges the widely held assumption that the Punjab Partition Committee did not deliver. It argues that one must assess and value the large degree of cooperation and agreement between Punjab political leaders on the Committee, despite the charged political and communal atmosphere of the summer of 1947. Furthermore, it argues that the Committee created a limited sense of order during the disarray that prevailed in the run-up to the Transfer of Power. This order was brought about by the cooperation and work of the ‘middle tier’—the bureaucrats and other officials who are often missing from partition literature. The article shows the hard, bureaucratic—yet human—side of partition during these deliberations: at the same time as these people were carrying out partition, they were also suffering its effects. Finally, the Committee's negotiations show how the soon-to-be-established provinces and dominions were setting up their respective states through the procurement of assets and resources.