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New Zealand Deprivation Index 2018 - TA69: Central Otago District
No full textFor further information about data sources, interpretation of the graphs, and cautions, please see the separate Introduction Chapter
All data relating to the 2018 census is provided by Stats NZ, https://www.stats.govt.nz/
New Zealand Deprivation Index 2018 - TA43: Kapiti Coast District
No full textFor further information about data sources, interpretation of the graphs, and cautions, please see the separate Introduction Chapter
All data relating to the 2018 census is provided by Stats NZ, https://www.stats.govt.nz/
Investigating the roles of specific amino acid substitutions found in the D1' and far-red forms of the Photosystem II reaction centre D1 protein
No full textPhotosystem II is a highly conserved membrane-protein complex that plays an integral role in oxygenic photosynthesis as a light-driven water-plastoquinone oxidoreductase. One of the most important proteins within Photosystem II that contributes to oxygenic photosynthesis is the psbA-encoded D1 protein. The psbA gene encoding D1 is highly conserved in plants and all photosynthetic eukaryotes; however, multiple copies of psbA encoding different forms of the D1 protein are present in cyanobacteria. These copies have been shown to be upregulated under specific conditions, thus allowing them to respond to changing environmental stimuli. Seven distinct isoforms of D1 have been identified by phylogenetic studies. Of these, the current investigation focused on two: the D1' isoform that is expressed under low-oxygen conditions, and the far-red D1 isoform, which is expressed as part of a far-red light acclimation response. Point and combined mutants conveying amino acid changes associated with D1' and far-red D1 were constructed in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and characterised to determine how the structural and physiological function of D1 changed. The D1'-associated point mutants were A81T, N87A, P162S and P173M. Results from these mutants found the introduced amino acid changes impaired electron movement through PS II, decreasing oxygen-evolving activity. Results supported the conclusion that potential advantages for the expression of D1' would be the ability to adapt to a changing aerobic/anaerobic environment or the ability to produce oxygen at the same rate it is consumed in an environment. The far-red D1-associated combined mutants were L114M, L114M:V115I, L114M:V115I:V116G, L114M:V115I:V116G:F119Y and L114M:V115I:V116G:F119Y:L120I. Results showed these mutants all had impaired PS II activity, which resulted in decreased oxygen evolution and ultimately decreased the photoautotrophic growth rates of some strains. The far-red D1-associated point mutants were L120I and I121P, which showed a similar but less pronounced phenotype to the combined mutants. These results supported the conclusion that amino acid substitutions found in the far red form of D1 likely convey a conserved purposed and function. Lastly, a spontaneous double mutant L114M:A251V was characterised. Results showed the L114M mutant had incorporated a deleterious secondary mutation (Ala251 to Val) and potential explanations for why this occurred were explored. The current investigation successfully identified changes to the function of D1 introduced by conserved amino acid substitutions found in the sequence of the D1' and far-red D1 isoforms of D1
Te Whare o Maraenui: Kia tipu anō te mokimoki
No full textHe ātetenga ngā kōhanga reo, he ātetenga hoki ngā kura kaupapa Māori ki te tāmitanga o ngā kura i Aotearoa me te pēhitanga o te reo Māori. He ātetenga tēnei mai i waho i ngā kura, mai i waho hoki i te pūnaha Pākehā. Ko te reoruatanga, ko ngā karaehe rumaki tētahi ātetenga mai i roto i ngā kura, mai i roto hoki i te pūnaha Pākehā.
Nā ēnei kaupapa whakarauoratanga reo, kua ūkaipō anō te reo i roto i ngā whānau, i roto i ngā hapori, i roto i ngā iwi. Kua whai tuakiritanga Māori, i te hononga o te reo ki te ao Māori. Nā whai anō kua whai oranga ngā whānau, ko ngā hapori, ko ngā iwi hoki. Kua ea ētahi o ngā moemoeā o kui, o koro mā. Heoi anō, kua tata ki te toru tekau tau te roanga o ēnei momo hōtaka, o ēnei momo kura. Kua puta mai ngā ākonga, kua whai angitū, engari he aha i angitū ai? He aha i whai hua ai? He aha hoki i wero ai? He iti te puna rangahau e pā ana ki ngā wheako o ēnei ākonga ka puta. Kua ngū ō rātou reo.
Ko te kaupapa o tēnei rangahau ko te whakaputa i te reo o ngā ākonga tokoono ka puta mai i Te Kura Reorua o Maraenui i Ahuriri me ō rātou wheako i roto i te reo. He pūrākau tuakiritanga, he pūrākau reo. He kaupapa panonitanga, otirā, he pūrākau oranga
NZDep2018 analysis of census 2018 variables - DHB07: Bay of Plenty
No full textFor further information about data sources, interpretation of the graphs, and cautions, please see the separate Introduction Chapter
All data relating to the 2018 census is provided by Stats NZ, https://www.stats.govt.nz/
U-RHYTHM microdialysis: Towards ambulatory metabolodynamics
No full textRhythms characterise the physiology of all living things, and rhythmic patterns can be observed in almost all aspects of daily human life. Disruption of rhythms is linked to poor health and may be caused by disease, or desynchrony between activity, behaviour, and internal time cues. Since rhythms are individual and dynamic, single time point assessment provides limited information and is potentially misleading. On the other hand, capturing dynamic information is traditionally difficult and invasive. In this thesis I investigated how these difficulties could be overcome using a novel, prototype portable microdialysis sampling device, U-RHYTHM.
I have shown that U-RHYTHM is a safe, reliable method and well-tolerated by participants. In a series of small proof-of-principle studies using healthy volunteers, the U-RHYTHM device and abdominal subcutaneous microdialysis, diurnal and ultradian rhythms of 8 adrenal steroids were shown and validated against plasma, 7 of which have never previously been described in tissue. Next, using a targeted metabolomics approach, multiple tissue metabolites were found, showing daily- and food-driven rhythms. Finally, in ambulatory studies, the novel detection of tissue melatonin rhythms simultaneously with cortisol and cortisone was achieved and presented alongside rhythmic data from other non-invasive wearable devices. Across all studies, limitations on the technique related to the recovery of some lipophilic, hydrophobic compounds.
These studies show that U-RHYTHM can be used to investigate daily trends, ultradian details, and interactions between rhythmic processes. Data from U-RHYTHM studies could lead to new methods for diagnosis of endocrine and metabolic conditions, and to the increased understanding how lifestyle-related rhythm disruption leads to poor health outcomes. The unintrusive nature of the technique provides the flexibility to investigate in both free living and controlled conditions. Further work is needed to validate findings in a larger population
Predictors and risk stratification of inpatient gout flare in people with comorbid gout
No full textBackground: Inpatient gout flare is a common problem which could lead to longer length of hospital stay and higher hospital cost. However, factors associated with inpatient gout flare are not well understood.
Objectives: This thesis has three objectives: (1) to identify the predictors of inpatient gout flare in people with comorbid gout, (2) to explore the relationship between the predictors of inpatient gout flare and the length of hospital stay, and (3) to develop and validate a clinical tool to identify people who are at high risk of developing gout flare during hospital stay.
Methods: Three studies were conducted to address each of the objectives. The first study collected data from a retrospective cohort of people with comorbid gout admitted to three hospitals in the Wellington region in 2017. Fifty-two candidate variables were explored, with inpatient gout flare (yes/no) as the dependent variables. A prediction model was built using clinical knowledge-guided variable selection followed by logistic regression with shrinkage. The second study used data from a population-based cohort of people with comorbid gout admitted to New Zealand public hospitals in 2017. The association between 19 gout flare-related variables and the length of hospital stay was explored using a generalized linear model. In the third and final study, a prediction rule for inpatient gout flare was developed from the set of predictors identified in the first study. The prediction rule was then validated in an independent cohort of hospitalized people with comorbid gout (validation cohort) prospectively recruited from a hospital in Thailand.
Results: The first study (N =625) identified nine predictors of inpatient gout flare: (1) pre-admission serum urate >0.36 mmol/L, (2) tophus, (3) no pre-admission urate-lowering therapy (ULT), (4) no pre-admission gout prophylaxis, (5) ULT adjustment, (6) gout prophylaxis started/increased, (7) diuretic adjustment, (8) acute kidney injury and (9) surgery. In the second study (N =36,047), regular pre-admission ULT and urate testing were found to be associated with a shorter length of hospital stay. Loop diuretics, potassium-sparing diuretics and surgery were found to be associated with a longer length of hospital stay. People with multiple factors associated with longer length of stay were estimated to add at least four days to their hospital stay. In the third study, a prediction rule for inpatient gout flare was developed, containing four items; (1) no pre-admission GOut prophylaxis, (2) no pre-admission ULT, (3) Tophus and (4) pre-admission serum urate >0.36 mmol/L (the GOUT-36 rule). The presence of two or more items indicates that the person is at high risk of developing gout flare during hospital stay. In the validation cohort (N =184), the GOUT-36 rule has a sensitivity of 0.74, specificity of 0.69 and AUC of 0.71.
Conclusion: The thesis identified nine predictors of inpatient gout flare, as well as the association between some of the predictors and the length of hospital stay. The GOUT-36 prediction rule for inpatient gout flare was sensitive, intuitive and user-friendly. All four items in the GOUT-36 rule are assessable on the first day of admission, allowing a very early risk stratification for people with comorbid gout
NZDep2018 analysis of census 2018 variables - TA022: Western Bay of Plenty District
No full textFor further information about data sources, interpretation of the graphs, and cautions, please see the separate Introduction Chapter
All data relating to the 2018 census is provided by Stats NZ, https://www.stats.govt.nz/
NZDep2018 analysis of census 2018 variables - TA023: Tauranga City
No full textFor further information about data sources, interpretation of the graphs, and cautions, please see the separate Introduction Chapter
All data relating to the 2018 census is provided by Stats NZ, https://www.stats.govt.nz/
NZDep2018 analysis of census 2018 variables - TA024: Rotorua District
No full textFor further information about data sources, interpretation of the graphs, and cautions, please see the separate Introduction Chapter
All data relating to the 2018 census is provided by Stats NZ, https://www.stats.govt.nz/