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Community-based indigenous tourism, NGOs and indigenous poverty in Bangladesh
No full textIndigenous peoples, with unique cultures and ways of life, often constitute the most vulnerable groups of society and may experience discrimination and marginalisation in many forms. Observing the growing quest to obtain first-hand experiences of indigenous cultures and lifestyles, many indigenous communities around the world have embraced tourism as a way forward for their socio-economic development, primarily to address their poverty. This is evident in the increasing focus on community-based tourism (CBT), indigenous tourism and their application together. Concomitantly, many development-oriented organisations, i.e. donors and NGOs, have incorporated tourism as an additional means of development, explicitly emphasising the inclusion of indigenous and/or host communities within the formal tourism economy. However, the outcomes of such involvement and interventions are sometimes questionable and previous studies in this regard have proved inconclusive, especially in the context of indigenous poverty alleviation in developing countries. This study thus aims to investigate the role of NGOs in alleviating rural indigenous poverty through the facilitation of community-based indigenous tourism (CBIT) involvement in a developing country context - Bangladesh.
Fitting into the domain of critical theory, a qualitative case study approach was adopted where multiple methods, including semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and observations, were employed to collect empirical evidence from two indigenous communities in Bangladesh. Following this a thematic analysis was applied in analysing the qualitative data collected and developing the key findings.
Findings show that NGO-facilitated tourism involvement has created some economic opportunities (e.g. income and employment, access to credit) that are limited in amount but significant considering the marginal conditions of the communities. Such involvement was to some extent also found to be contributing to the empowerment and reduced economic vulnerability of the communities. Simultaneously, the findings show that these benefits come along with several costs (e.g. creating external dependency, invasion of indigenous privacy, the threat of displacement) that overshadow the positive gains in many cases. The study reveals a dynamic interplay of multidimensional empowerment aspects moving beyond the mere economic aspect. While investigating the research issue, the findings observed a high interdependency between opportunity, empowerment and security. The thesis also examines a range of factors that restrict the indigenous communities (e.g. tensions, seasonality, market constraints, macro-environmental effects) and NGOs (e.g. strategic limitations and activity constraints) in operationalising tourism benefits. Finally, based on the empirical evidence and considering the existence of a development gap, the study concludes that NGO-facilitated tourism involvement (both direct and indirect) can make a contribution to indigenous poverty alleviation; however, this could best be viewed as an additional tool rather than an alternative tool to their traditional livelihood practices.
This thesis contributes to the broader discussion of externally-facilitated tourism involvement for indigenous communities, as well as to the debate over the tourism-indigenous poverty nexus from such involvement. In doing so, the thesis reflects a combination of theoretical, conceptual and methodological contributions with associated practical implications. It incorporates the understanding of the key elements of stakeholder identification and salience theory (power, legitimacy and urgency) along with the poverty alleviation determinants (opportunity, empowerment and security) from the anti-poverty tourism research framework. The study demonstrates the utility of this conjoined conceptual approach that provides a conceptual schema to facilitate and extend our current understanding of the NGO-tourism-indigenous poverty nexus. The thesis also adds to our current understanding of community-based tourism from a non-western research perspective, and revealing the challenges and related opportunities in the conducting of research with indigenous communities, and by non-indigenous researchers
Salience and motivated behaviour in schizophrenia
No full textSchizophrenia is a long-term psychotic disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide. Schizophrenia is characterised by negative symptoms, such as anhedonia and social withdrawal, and positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions. The impact of schizophrenia reaches beyond the impaired social and cognitive function of the individual, affecting families and wider communities. Therefore, despite its low prevalence, there is a long history of multidisciplinary research investigating the causes of schizophrenia. The effect of antipsychotics in reducing the intensity of symptoms, through their antagonistic effect on dopamine, has led to dopaminergic based theories of schizophrenia. One such theory is based on aberrant salience, the assignment of importance to stimuli that have no intrinsic or learned value or salience. The aberrant salience hypothesis links hyperdopaminergic activation to symptoms of schizophrenia through the intermediary effect of motivational salience. Specifically, it is proposed that hyperdopaminergic activation in schizophrenia creates an aberrant motivational association with a stimulus, leading to cognitive explanations for the unexplained importance that contribute to the development of symptoms. Behavioural and neural evidence supports heightened aberrant salience in schizophrenia, although specific measures of aberrant salience have yielded inconsistent results. There is also a large body of evidence suggesting cognitive functions anchored in dopaminergic activation, such as reward processing and motivated behaviour, are impaired in schizophrenia. To date, however, the assumption that motivational salience mediates the relationship between hyperdopaminergic activation and aberrant salience has not been tested.
The current project sought to elucidate the relationship between aberrant salience and motivational salience. The convergent validity among measures of aberrant salience (Salience Attribution Task and Aberrant Salience Inventory) and motivated behaviour (Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task and Stimulus Chase Task) were investigated in undergraduates. To assess whether aberrant salience, and the underlying relationship with motivational salience, is unique to schizophrenia, the same measures were completed by individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, experiencing symptoms of anxiety, or unaffected by mental health. Whereas schizophrenia was associated with heightened aberrant salience, the aberrant salience indices lacked specificity, sensitivity, and convergent validity. Furthermore, whereas schizophrenia was associated with maladaptive motivated behaviour, there was limited evidence supporting a relationship between measures of aberrant salience and motivational salience. The failure to find evidence of such a relationship may be due to issues with the aberrant salience measures or the underlying assumption that motivational salience mediates aberrant salience. Further research is needed to develop measures of aberrant salience that are anchored to known neural systems underlying salience processing
Cardioprotective Potential of the Novel Organic Carbon Monoxide Releasing Molecule (oCOm-21) in Normotrophic and Hypertrophic Hearts
No full textThe imposition of ischaemia reperfusion episodes in frequently used cardiac surgery interventions involving cardiopulmonary bypass can induce perioperative complications, such as myocardial injury, arrhythmias, and end organ injury. The presence of pre-existing cardiac pathologies, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy potentiates these perioperative complications and results in reduced outcome benefits. A new class of carbon monoxide delivery molecules (oCOms) have been developed as potential anti-ischaemic agents. The present study investigated the cardioprotective potential of oCOm-21 in normotrophic, moderately and severely hypertrophic hearts subjected to an acute ischaemia reperfusion episode.
Hypertension induced in 8 week old male Cyp1a1-Ren2 rats fed indole-3-carbinol (0.167 % w/w; 8 – 12 weeks) resulted in elevated systolic blood pressures (79.7 % increase), larger heart weights (61 % greater) and increased left ventricular fibrosis (75 % increase) against control littermates. Hearts were isolated and perfused using the Langendorff technique. oCOm-21 (1 – 10 μM), the non-CO releasing derivative of oCOm-21 (DB-21) or vehicle control was infused (10 minutes) prior to a 30 minute warm global ischaemic episode followed by a 60 minute reperfusion period. In normotrophic hearts (n = 3 - 5/group), oCOm-21 (1 and 3 μM) improved left ventricular haemodynamic recovery of left ventricular developed pressure, coronary flow rate, heart rate and dP/dtmax and dP/dtmin to pre-ischaemic baseline values. In hypertrophic hearts (n = 7 - 11/group), left ventricular haemodynamic recovery to respective pre-ischaemic baselines was improved when higher concentrations (3 and 10 μM) of oCOm-21 were applied, with moderately hypertrophic heats showing greater recovery than severely hypertrophic hearts. Furthermore, oCOm-21 (3 and 10 μM) decreased myocardial injury as seen by the reduction of lactate dehydrogenase leakage upon reperfusion in the normotrophic and hypertrophic hearts compared to respective baseline values, and a reduction in apoptotic cell death at 60 minutes of reperfusion with oCOm-21 (1 and 3 μM; P < 0.01).
This study provides valuable evidence supporting oCOm-21 use as a pre-ischaemic agent for acute cardiovascular interventions even in hearts burdened with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Food choice motivations of adolescent females in New Zealand
No full textDescribes the food choice motivations of adolescent females in New Zealand. Secondly, examines whether the perceived importance of health in making food choices is related to food intake
Genetic Evaluation of ESBL E. coli Urinary Isolates in Otago
No full textThe incidence of infections with extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli in New Zealand is increasing. ESBL E. coli most commonly cause urinary tract infections and are seen in both community and hospital patients. The reason for the increasing incidence of ESBL E. coli infections is unknown. In this study, 66 urinary ESBL E. coli isolates from Otago in 2015 were fully genetically characterised to understand the mechanisms of transmission. The ESBL gene, E. coli sequence types, plasmid types, and genetic context (e.g. insertion sequences) of ESBL genes were determined by a combination of whole genome and plasmid sequencing. A bioinformatic pipeline was constructed for the hybrid assembly of Illumina short reads and MinION long reads of ESBL-encoding plasmids. Significant diversity of E. coli strains, plasmids, and the genetic context of ESBL genes was seen. This suggests multiple introductions of ESBL resistance genes or resistant bacterial strains accounts for the increased incidence of ESBL E. coli in this low prevalence area. Future studies should investigate modes of transmission of ESBL E. coli and the genes they encode in Otago
Comparison of sugar intakes between vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females
No full textBackground: Sugar consumption has been associated with an increased risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Adolescents are high consumers of sugar in New Zealand (NZ), particularly added sugar. With NZ’s high obesity rates, a diet associated with lower weight status, such as that of a vegetarian diet, warrants further research. No known studies in NZ have compared the sugar intakes and food sources of sugar between vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females.
Objectives: To gather data on the sugar intakes of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females using 24-hour diet recalls. To analyse and compare the food sources of sugar within vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. To compare the sugar intakes of vegetarians and non-vegetarians with international recommendations.
Design: A convenience sample of females aged 15 to 18 years were recruited from schools across NZ to participate in this cross-sectional observational study between February and September 2019. Targeted recruitment of vegetarian females took place from July 2019. Thirty-one vegetarians (8 vegan) and 219 non-vegetarians, consented and had their sugar intakes assessed using 24-hour diet recall interviews. Telephone repeat recalls were collected from 85% of the population. Demographic, health, dietary habits, and attitudes and motivations towards food choice data were collected through self-administered online questionnaires. Data collectors recorded anthropometric measurements. Dietary data were entered into Foodworks which use NZ Food Composition Tables to calculate nutrient intakes and adjusted to reflect usual intake using the Multiple Source Method. Intakes of vegetarian and non-vegetarian total and individual sugars, and food sources of sugar were analysed and compared. Total sugar was categorised into assumed added sugar and natural sugar. Added sugar was unavailable in the FOODfiles 2014 database so assumed as total sugar less maltose, lactose, and the sum of glucose and fructose adjusted by 0.67 to account for sucrose intrinsic to fruit. Natural sugar was total sugar less assumed added sugar.
Results: There were no differences in sugar intake between vegetarians and non- vegetarians when expressed as total sugar or assumed added sugar. Vegetarians consumed less lactose compared to non-vegetarians with a mean (95% confidence interval (CI)) difference of 3.1 (0.5, 5.6) grams/day. Non-vegetarians consumed more natural sugar than vegetarians with a mean (95% CI) difference of 9.4 (1.8, 17.0) grams/day. Fruit, non- alcoholic beverages, sugar/sweets, milk and cakes and muffins were the five top food sources of sugar for the study population. Vegetarians consumed a lower proportion of total sugar from non-alcoholic beverages (6.8% vs 12.5%), and a higher proportion from vegetables (8.7% vs 5.7%), than non-vegetarians. An estimated 82% of the population met the United States Department of Agriculture sugar recommendation that added sugar should be <10% total energy (TE), and 44% met the World Health Organisation recommendation that free sugars contribute < 5% TE when using added sugar intake as a surrogate marker.
Conclusion: The current study shows relative sugar intakes of vegetarians were no different to non-vegetarians, however, absolute intake of natural sugar and lactose were lower. The results of this research suggest neither a vegetarian or non-vegetarian diet for NZ female adolescents is associated with a superior sugar profile. Any favourable health benefits related to the sugar intakes of a vegetarian diet are likely attributed to the food sources from which vegetarians obtain sugar, rather than their relative sugar intakes. In dietetic practice, this means a focus should be placed on the quality of sugar sources, rather than its total consumption
Fibre intakes between vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females in New Zealand
No full textBackground: The mean fibre intakes for 15-18-year old females from the last national nutrition survey (2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey) was 16.0 grams/day, well below the adequate intake for this age group of 22.0 grams/day. However, no analysis into vegetarians was carried out in this survey. There are no data on the fibre intakes of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females in New Zealand, emphasising the need for further research in this area.
Objective: To compare the dietary fibre intakes between vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females in New Zealand and to identify the main food groups contributing to fibre intake with a secondary aim of gathering data on bowel habits using questions relating to the Bristol Stool Chart.
Design: This thesis is part of a multi-centre, observational, cross-sectional study continuing for two years that began in 2019. Current data were collected between February and April 2019 and July and August 2019 from thirteen high schools across New Zealand as well as targeted recruitment of 15 to 18-year-old vegetarians in Dunedin. Recruitment was based on the location of the data collectors, thereby producing a convenience sample. Targeted recruitment of vegetarians caused a possible over-representation of this group. Food intakes were obtained through interviewer-led 24-hr recalls with a subset of participants agreeing to a second recall via phone or video call. Dietary data were analysed for nutrient content using FoodWorks 9 (Xyris Software, Australia) which used the full dataset of the New Zealand Food Composition Database, FOODfiles 2016 Version 01. Mean fibre intakes were estimated using repeat 24-hr recalls and were adjusted using the Multiple Source Method to estimate usual intakes of fibre, with adjusted estimates applied to the whole dataset. Vegetarian status and bowel habits were self-reported with an online enrolment questionnaire.
Results: Of the sample, 251 participants completed one 24-hr recall with 213 of those completing a second recall. Of those who completed at least one 24-hr recall, 31 self-identified as vegetarian. Vegetarians has significantly higher mean fibre intakes than non-vegetarians (29.3 g/day and 24.0 g/day respectively) with a mean difference (95% CI) of 5.2 (1.8, 8.7) g/day. Overall, the mean fibre intakes of both vegetarians and non-vegetarians was higher than the recommended AI for this age group (22.0 g/day). Vegetarians had a significantly higher mean fibre density than non-vegetarians (3.9 g/MJ and 2.9 g/MJ respectively) with a mean difference of 0.9 (0.5, 1.1) g/MJ. Vegetables were the highest contribution to fibre intake in both vegetarians and non-vegetarians; however, vegetarians had a significantly higher vegetable contribution with a mean difference of 5.8% (0.5, 11.1). Fruits and breads were higher contributions to fibre intake for non-vegetarians. Mean bowel frequency was significantly higher in vegetarians than non-vegetarians with a mean difference of 1.6 (0.2, 3.1) times/week and vegetarians tended to have softer stool consistency than non-vegetarians.
Conclusion: Vegetarians had significantly higher fibre intakes than non-vegetarians. Encouraging a more plant-based diet may help in achieving adequate fibre intake with beneficial health outcomes such as bowel regularity
Characterisation of Spherical Splits
No full textWe investigate the properties of collections of linear bipartitions of points embedded into , which we call collections of affine splits. Our main concern is characterising the collections generated when the points are embedded into ; that is, when the collection of splits is spherical. We find that maximal systems of splits occur for points embedded in general position or general position in for affine and spherical splits, respectively. Furthermore, we explore the connection of such systems with oriented matroids and show that a maximal collection of spherical splits map to the topes of a uniform, acyclic oriented matroid of rank 4, which is a uniform matroid polytope. Additionally, we introduce the graphs associated with collections of splits and show that maximal collections of spherical splits induce maximal planar graphs and, hence, the simplicial 3-polytopes. Finally, we introduce some methodologies for generating either the hyperplanes corresponding to a split system on an arbitrary embedding of points through a linear programming approach or generating the polytope given an abstract system of splits by utilising the properties of matroid polytopes. Establishing a solid theory for understanding spherical split systems provides a basis for not only combinatorial–geometric investigations, but also the development of bioinformatic tools for investigating non-tree-like evolutionary histories in a three-dimensional manner
The evolution of the camp
No full textIn early 2019, hundreds of orphans from the Islamic State were sent to refugee camps in Syria. In parallel, thousands of families in Australia were enjoying their summer camps, survivors of the Holocaust commemorated the 74th anniversary of their liberation from the concentration camps, and millions of pilgrims flooded the camps next to the Ganges River during the Kumbha Mela. From scenarios of extreme deprivation to luxurious joy, willingly or forced, we (humans) have been inhabiting camps throughout our entire history. Depending on the context, our understanding of “camp” changes, but why do we describe antagonistic spaces using the same concept? This thesis followed the premise that the connections between camps rely on their historical use as a technology to create temporary human shelters, suggesting that a better understanding of these spaces may improve the way we create them and use them.
The thesis starts by reviewing the main academic discourses about camps, addressing them as an educational strategy, a recreational product, and a biopolitical tool. After discussing these approaches, it was possible to elucidate the minimal elements and characteristics of a camp-space. Regardless of the context, this thesis observes a camp as a technological assemblage (of humans, a physical space, infrastructure/equipment, and techniques) that provides temporary human shelter while performing a specialised function (e.g. education, recreation or control). Using New Zealand as the case study, the aim of this thesis is to critically assess the evolution of camps, from their early use by the European colonists to the modern holiday camp.
Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, more than six thousand posts in newspapers were used to track and describe the historical uses of camps between the establishment of the colony, in 1840, and the commercial boom of holiday camping in the 1930s. Once the historical connections between earlier camps (e.g. mining, war, and work camps) and the modern holiday camp were revealed, the analysis focuses on the use of camps as a network. A Historical Geographic Information System (HGIS) was built, using the records in holiday camping guidebooks (published since the 1930s), to reconstruct the evolution of the holiday camp industry, and the way it has been effectively used to capitalise on a vast territory with a scarce population.
The final product is a spatial narrative that critically analyses different historical stages of the camp, used as single spaces and as a network. The thesis concludes that, independently from the context, most camp-spaces are divergent phases of the same basic technological assemblage, used to mobilise humans within an environment, but keeping them excluded from it.
Cholinergic modulation of cortical sensory-evoked responses
No full textCholinergic inputs to the cortex from the basal forebrain are essential for performing complex behaviours that require precise integration of sensory and motor information. However, the role of the basal forebrain cholinergic system in cortical sensory processing in awake behaving animals is unknown. Acetylcholine modulates the cortical microcircuitry in complex ways, with opposing effects on different neuronal types leading to both inhibitory and disinhibitory actions for excitatory pyramidal neuron circuitry. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how cholinergic modulation influences anatomically registered cell types. I focused on Layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons since they are the primary source of cortico-cortical connections responsible for broadcasting information across cortical areas, areal connections, presumably to integrate sensory and motor behaviours. To assess the role of cholinergic modulation of this system, I examined how a chronic depletion of basal forebrain cholinergic fibres alters Layer 2/3 network activity across cortical areas in response to brief tactile stimulations.
First, I determined how recruitment of cortical areal connections occurs in mice with an intact cholinergic system. To do this, I used mice expressing the voltage indicator VSFP Butterfly 1.2 specifically in cortical Layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons and widefield fluorescence imaging through a thinned skull window in head-fixed awake mice as they received single or double brief stimulation to the forepaw or air puff to the whiskers. I also generated real-time maps of sensory-evoked changes in areal Layer 2/3 activity. Following these experiments, I standardised a chronic but selective cholinergic lesion in the cortex using the neurotoxin mu p75SAP both at the anatomical and behavioural levels. Mice with this lesion only had difficulty performing complex behavioural tasks. Finally, I obtained and analysed real-time maps of sensory, paw-evoked changes in areal Layer 2/3 activity in mice with a chronic cholinergic lesion.
The areal Layer 2/3 activity maps showed fast depolarisation of initiated within distinct areas of the sensory cortex in response to whisker and paw stimulation. Sensory evoked responses after paw and whisker stimulation responses exhibited a similar fast depolarisation, but their time scale and broadcast patterns differed markedly. Notably, we observed different patterns of slower hyperpolarisation (presumed inhibition). Double stimulation to the forepaw revealed a second smaller depolarisation consistent with recruitment of inhibition and also with the well-known adaptation of sensory-evoked responses. In mice with the unilateral lesion, the sensory-evoked responses in the forelimb area exhibited an increased initial depolarisation and significantly prolonged and widespread hyperpolarisation that disrupted the areal Layer 2/3 pyramidal neuron activity maps and adaptation after paired stimulation.
The results indicate that cholinergic inputs from the basal forebrain are essential for cortical sensory processing and sensory adaptation by the Layer 2/3 cortical microcircuitry. Disruption of this sensory processing may underlie the degraded performance of complex behaviours in disorders where cholinergic transmission is altered, as in Alzheimer’s disease