Tuwhera Research Repository

The Tuwhera Research Repository provides sustainable open access and archiving to a broad range of AUT produced research - theses, research outputs and datasets.

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Access status: Open Access ,
A Zero-knowledge Proof-enabled Blockchain-based Academic Record Verification System
(MDPI AG, 2025-05-30) Berrios Moya, Juan Alamrio ; Ayoade, John; Uddin, Md Ashraf
Academic credential fraud presents a significant challenge to the global academic and labor markets, undermining the credibility of legitimate qualifications. In this paper, we introduce ZKBAR-V, a Zero-Knowledge Proof-Enabled Blockchain-Based Academic Record Verification System. This system is designed to provide a privacy-preserving, immutable, and secure framework for managing academic credentials. The proposed system leverages zkEVM smart contracts on a blockchain-based infrastructure that enables credential verification without exposing underlying data. The approach integrates Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) to standardize identity management while eliminating reliance on centralized authorities. We have used dual-blockchain, which separates public and private information, which can enhance both efficiency and privacy. In addition, this approach employs the Interplanetary File System (IPFS) for decentralized and secure document storage. ZKBAR-V is designed as an open-source, interoperable solution with a standardized Application Programming Interface (API) for seamless integration. We implemented the system and conducted comprehensive testing, which demonstrates its capability to manage transactions securely, maintain privacy, and reduce costs compared to traditional Ethereum mainnet-based solutions. By combining advanced blockchain technologies, decentralized storage, and globally unique identifiers, ZKBAR-V offers a scalable, adaptable, and robust solution for academic credential management. This strategy can significantly enhance credential integrity, promote global student mobility, and provide institutions worldwide with a trustworthy and efficient verification system.
Access status: Open Access ,
Displacement Estimation of Structures With Flag-shaped Hysteresis Loops
(Wiley, 2026-09-15) Zhang, Yudi; MacRae, Gregory; Rodgers, Geoffrey; Ramhormozian, Shahab; Clifton, Charles; Farshbaf, Masoumeh
Time-history analyses were conducted on single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems with flag-shaped hysteresis loops using a far-field ground motion suite to estimate peak displacements, Δₚ, and equivalent deformation cycles, N<inf>c</inf>, associated with cumulative displacement demands. The varied parameters included loop dissipation parameters β (0.1 to 1), strength-reduction factors R (2 to 8), positive post-yield stiffness ratios r (0 to 0.9), structural periods T (0.2 s to 3.5 s), period-to-earthquake-record-duration ratios T/D (0.014 to 0.25), and viscous damping models. Empirical equations were proposed for the mean Δₚ and N<inf>c</inf>. A comparison was made with responses of a three-storey rocking structure with tension-only friction dissipators (TOFDs). Using T/D instead of T improved displacement predictability for short-period structures and gave similar accuracy for longer-period structures. The greatest Δₚ occurred in low-dissipation structures with β = 0.1, r = 0.0, R = 8, and T/D = 0.014. Conventional displacement estimation methods may underpredict Δₚ. The largest N<inf>c</inf> occurred for r = 0.9, β = 0.1, R = 8, and T/D = 0.014. Conservative equations were proposed for Δₚ considering β, R, and T/D with r = 0.0, giving a coefficient of determination R<sup>2</sup> of 0.89. For N<inf>c</inf>, using r = 0.3 as a practical upper-bound representative of common structures, conservative equations were proposed with R<sup>2</sup> of 0.91. The mean Δₚ and cumulative TOFD displacement of the rocking structure subjected to the ground motion suite were similar to those from SDOF systems with matching β, R, r, and T. The empirical equations provided conservative predictions for the rocking-structure responses.
Access status: Open Access ,
Case Study of Infrastructure and Accessibility at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) Fahey, Jason; Schanzel, Heike
This research project focuses on the experience of visitors at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park (AMCNP). Recent changes at the national park, such as the implementation of paid parking and the reconstruction of one of the major swing bridges at the park, in addition to increases in visitation, instigate the need to analyze how visitors view these changes and the overall park facilities. In addition, many of New Zealand’s national parks are understudied in comparison to their counterparts in Europe and North America, with most research coming from the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC). There is a lack of literature regarding New Zealand’s national parks infrastructure and accessibility. Understanding these national parks’ strengths and weaknesses allows park management to make the necessary changes to better protect the parks and improve visitors’ experiences. To address this gap in research, this project employed qualitative methods to explore and understand visitors' experiences at AMCNP. The data were gathered through a combination of collecting online reviews and observation. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the online reviews, while the observation data verified the claims gathered. The findings suggest that with the continual increases in visitation, partially caused by photography and social media, management of the park needs to proactively expand already insufficient infrastructure. This expansion should be reflected in more accessible trails and either a larger parking lot or improved bus service to the park. These changes are ideal for decreasing crowds and increasing visitors’ safety and satisfaction.
Access status: Open Access ,
SPAR-EEG: Selective Pass-wise Artifact Reduction for Wearable Single-channel EEG Denoising
(IEEE, 2026-09-16) Shaikh, Usman Qamar; Kalra, Anubha Manju; Lowe, Andrew; Niazi, Imran Khan
Single-channel electroencephalography (EEG) is attractive for wearable neurotechnology and brain-computer interface (BCI) applications, including assistive interfaces and clinical monitoring, but artifact suppression is difficult when auxiliary channels, artifact labels, or user-selected clean baseline segments are unavailable. We introduce SPAR-EEG, a self-contained framework for Selective Pass-wise Artifact Reduction in single-channel EEG. The framework applies three artifactspecific attenuation passes to each EEG epoch: a variational mode decomposition (VMD)-based pass for high-frequency electromyo-graphic (EMG) bursts, a singular spectrum analysis (SSA)-based pass for blink-like electrooculographic (EOG) transients, and an SSA-based pass for slow motion-related drift. Rather than rejecting components globally, each pass estimates artifact-dominant regions and attenuation strength directly from the input channel. SPAR-EEG was evaluated using controlled EEGdenoiseNet and PhysioBank benchmarks, pass ablations, task-locked event-related potential (ERP) preservation, runtime diagnostics, dry-electrode exercise EEG, and a downstream rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP)/P300 speller task using only FP1 and FP2. Across 26 EEGdenoiseNet input signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels, it obtained the largest average artifact-region SNR improvement among the tested wavelet, empirical mode decomposition (EMD), and artifact-label-guided wavelet quantile normalization (WQN) baselines for EMG, EOG, and combined EOG+EMG contamination (9.05, 8.28, and 8.00 dB, respectively). In exercise EEG, denoising reduced high-amplitude artifact burden and increased alpha and steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) spectral-prominence metrics. In the P300 validation, the full SPAR-EEG sequence increased repetition-curve area under the curve (AUC) by 0.048 (Holm-adjusted p = 0.0069) and improved final Letter@15 accuracy by 7.8 percentage points. These results suggest that artifact-specific selective attenuation can provide a practical self-contained alternative for single-channel EEG denoising in low-burden and movement-prone settings.
Access status: Open Access ,
Engineering Perspectives on Kelp (Saccharina japonica) Cultivation Structures in China: Nearshore Practices and Transition to Offshore Environments
(MDPI AG, 2026-09-27) Huang, Chenxuan; Nguyen, Huu Phu; White, Lindsey; Wang, Chien Ming
China produces approximately 91.5% of the world’s Saccharina japonica (the species denoted by “kelp” herein) and its kelp farms collectively constitute one of the largest populations of floating marine structures anywhere. This review examines them as marine structures rather than as crops, asking what their geometry, load paths and standardization status imply for mechanization and for survival offshore. Nearshore cultivation rests on a single structural family, the floating single line, whose three variants, namely, horizontal, vertical and one-dragon kelp rope raft culture, differ in how the grow-out rope attaches to the backbone rather than in load path or design basis. Of these, the one-dragon configuration is the most promising for offshore adaptation, though on qualitative rather than measured grounds. The principal barrier to mechanized harvesting lies not in harvesting machinery but in a rope geometry dimensioned for manual operation and lacking standardized parameters. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, treated here as a structural modification of the kelp longline rather than as an ecological strategy, substantially increases suspended loading without any reported reinforcement of backbone, mooring or buoyancy. Recent offshore projects in Fujian and Shandong prove to be seaward extensions of nearshore rafts rather than purpose-designed systems, in contrast to international programmes which, although pre-commercial, begin from a stated design environment and return verifiable outcomes. We conclude that the defining obstacle to both mechanization and offshore expansion is the cultivation structure itself, and identify mechanization-compatible, load-verified structural standards as the critical and currently unaddressed research priority.