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Cell Lines as Potential Drivers of Therapy Resistance in Glioblastoma
No full textGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and malignant brain tumour, characterised by a rapid growth rate, highly infiltrative nature, and cellular heterogeneity. Despite standard treatment, which includes surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, GBM remains associated with poor prognosis and low survival rates, with a median survival of approximately 12–15 months.A major challenge in treating GBM is its extreme heterogeneity, which drives therapy resistance and tumour recurrence. This heterogeneity arises from genetic, epigenetic, and cellular diversity within the tumour, leading to varied treatment responses across different subpopulations. Additionally, the lack of preclinical models that accurately mimic the GBM TME, including interactions with stromal and immune components, has hindered the development of effective therapies. This study utilised a co-culture model incorporating a Genetically Engineered Mouse Cell Line Model (GEM-CLeM) to examine responses to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Results demonstrated that co-culture conditions influence therapy response in a context-dependent manner. Specifically, IDH1 GEM-CLeMs exhibited a survival advantage in co-culture primarily at higher radiation doses, whereas RAS GEM-CLeMs showed a more consistent benefit from co-culture at lower doses. 3T3 fibroblast cells generally showed a preference for monoculture, and co-culture appeared to enhance survival under DOX treatment. This finding suggests that specific therapeutic stresses may alter the interactions between tumour and stromal cells, potentially leading to adaptive resistance mechanisms.While these preliminary experiments provided valuable insights, analysing an assay that has not been previously explored presents challenges, particularly in standardising experimental conditions and establishing reliable methodologies. The dynamic nature of GEM-CLeMs further complicated therapy response assessments. Future work will optimise experimental conditions, increase biological replicates, and improve analytical methodologies to enhance reproducibility and reliability. Developing advanced, accessible, and ethically viable models will be crucial in bridging the gap between preclinical research and clinically relevant GBM treatment strategies.</p
The Tragedy of Stillbirth in Nigeria: How Can Midwives Help?
No full textReducing the stillbirth rate is a global target. Recommendations for achieving it included intrapartum fetal heart monitoring and documentation practices using evidence-based guidelines. Non-compliance with the evidence-based guidelines by midwives, especially in low and middle-income countries, has been the focus of some studies on fetal heart monitoring, documentation, and stillbirth. Information is lacking on how midwives carry out intrapartum fetal heart monitoring, what barriers and facilitators exist to implementing evidence-based guidelines, and the need for context specific intervention plans to be developed. This study aims to reveal the barriers and facilitators to evidence-based fetal heart monitoring and documentation during labour and develop an action plan algorithm for implementing the standard practices for midwives in the Nigerian maternity system. Additionally, insight into the midwives' current knowledge of fetal heart monitoring and documentation practices during labour in the settings under study is provided.The data for this qualitative study, which used a Knowledge to Action Framework guided process, was collected through observations and semi-structured interviews with 15 midwives and focus group discussions with 15 stakeholders from the three levels (primary, secondary, and tertiary) of maternity care services in the southeastern region of Nigeria. The thematic analysis reveals limited knowledge of fetal heart monitoring and documentation guidelines and noncompliance with evidence-based recommendations in practice. Also, the impediments experienced by midwives included a lack of practice guidelines, facility-related issues, attitude, the experience of women in labour, lack of knowledge, and the attitude of midwives. In addition, the verbalised opportunities for improvement in practice include facility-related improvement, provision of guidelines and monitoring tools, maternity care quality and safety checks, midwives’ development programs, and available support for midwives. The midwives further outlined the prevalent causes of stillbirths in their settings as inadequate fetal monitoring and delayed interventions. The participants requested an implementation plan to foster the uptake of evidence-based knowledge into their practice. These findings indicate the midwives' role in stillbirth reduction. Thus, propose that midwives in this context can use the Action Plan Algorithm developed in this study to facilitate the implementation of evidence-based fetal heart monitoring and documentation practice to reduce the stillbirth rate.</p
Whakareretanga: Rural Resilience in Tahaaroa's Post-Mining Future
No full textWhakareretanga: to leave something behind - e.g., legacy, abandonment. Open cast hard rock mines have a long history of interventions by the landscape architecture discipline. Remaining unexplored, mineral sands have largely been left to the realm of engineering. Current remediation practices are typically seen through the lens of cost-benefit for the company, ignoring the social aspects of closure and missing the aesthetic experiential potential of these disturbed sites. This leads to erasure, stripping away layers of meaning and connection to the past that local communities have built. How can landscape architecture not only design a post-mining landscape working with the process of remediation to deliver a just social and economic transition for rural mining communities, but also, how can it tap into the intangible and experiential potential of disturbed mineral sand mining sites. This research will investigate Tahaaroa Ironsands, located on the west coast of the North Island, Aotearoa New Zealand. The focus will be on how to benefit mana whenua, Ngaati Mahuta ki te Hauaauru, to improve the long-term resiliency of the community in a post-mining future.</p
Raman signatures of cation vacancies in rare earth nitrides
No full textWe report a coordinated Raman/computation study of the rare earth nitrides, a series of intrinsic ferromagnetic semiconductors, to reveal the presence of cation vacancies. Their presence is signaled by a Raman-active vibrational mode at 1100–1400 cm−1, rising steadily as the lattice contracts across the series. The mode's frequency is in excellent agreement with the computed breathing-mode vibration of the six nitrogen ions surrounding cation vacancies. The discovery of such cation vacancies opens the door for hole doping that has so far been lacking in the exploitation of rare earth nitrides
In Silico Analysis of Potential Off-Target Effects of a Next-Generation dsRNA Acaricide for Varroa Mites (Varroa destructor) and Lack of Effect on a Bee-Associated Arthropod
No full textWe examined potential off-target effects of a novel double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) biopesticide to control varroa mites within honey beehives. The potential exposure of non-target species within beehives calls for comprehensive evaluation. We employed a two-fold approach. First, via bioinformatics analysis, we assessed potential gene silencing effects on arthropods associated with beehives and arthropods of conservation concern. Second, we conducted dsRNA feeding trials on a common beehive-associated species, the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella), to corroborate that no hits in the bioinformatics analyses indeed meant no dsRNA activity in vivo. Our findings indicate minimal impact on wax moths following continuous dsRNA dietary exposure, in line with the bioinformatics findings of no perfect matching siRNA hits. Our results are indicative that this dsRNA biopesticide appears highly varroa-specific and likely has fewer non-target effects compared to many of the currently available varroa control methods based on synthetic chemicals
'Echidna's Fate': Classical Reception, Myth and Identity in essa may ranapiri's 'Echidna'
No full textessa may ranapiri’s 2022 poetry collection, Echidna, is a unique entry into the widespread field of classical reception in New Zealand poetry. The poetic practices within Echidna are precedented in various ways, but, as this thesis contends, ranapiri’s synthesis of cultural material is unique. This literary synthesis makes Echidna an unprecedented work that is self-aware of its place within queer and Māori/Pasifika storytelling. The collection follows the eponymous character, Echidna – a reimagining of the half-woman, half-snake figure who birthed many of the monsters of Greek myth – as a teenage takatāpui wahine Māori with a double snake tail, living in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. Echidna navigates life, love, sex, family, friendships, cultural identity and gender identity. A parallel narrative is interspersed throughout the collection, featuring a romance between Māui-Pōtiki and Prometheus. The collection weaves together Greek mythology, Māori pūrākau, and Christianity; however, my focus is on the mythology and the pūrākau as the two most prominent strands.There are two main practices that best encapsulate the way the collection engages with gender, myth, and culture. These practices are ‘revisionist mythmaking’ and ‘automythography’, both of which appear in classical reception, but which have never been simultaneously used in a cohesive extended work primarily focalised through a single character. Until Echidna, poetry engaging in classical reception has only used revisionist mythmaking or automythography, never combining the two. Further, despite their prominence within classical reception, the synthesis of these two practices remains a significant gap in the literature of classical reception, which this thesis seeks to address.In doing so, I overview prominent New Zealand poets engaging extensively in both these practices to determine Echidna’s place in New Zealand’s literary history. Further, ranapiri Indigenises classical myth through automythography, reclaiming their own Māori identity through Echidna’s claiming of the same. I also analyse the intertextuality and intratextuality in the collection alongside its contribution to the revisionist mythmaking at play. Finally, I analyse the revisionist mythmaking prevalent in Echidna’s experience of gender dysphoria, and the gender transition Māui undergoes in the penultimate poem, which allows us to also read Echidna’s transition into Hinenākahirua as a gender transition. ranapiri’s collection ruptures the idea of myth as a single tradition, instead juxtaposing several traditions to create a new integrated mythology.</p
Health System Resilience in the Pacific: A Scoping Review of Fiji’s COVID-19 Response
No full textIn mid-2021, Fiji recorded one of the highest rates of COVID-19-related deaths in the world, amidst a rapidly disintegrating health care system. This scoping review examines Fijian health system responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring both the vulnerabilities and adaptive strategies that emerged during the crisis. Using a systematic search strategy to identify studies relating to how the Fijian health system responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what insights could be drawn about adaptive practices and resilience in this context, 71 papers were included. The findings demonstrate that while Fiji experienced significant workforce shortages, infrastructure constraints, and disruptions to routine healthcare, the pandemic response was also characterised by rapid policy adaptations, innovative use of some digital technologies, and strong community-led initiatives. However, challenges with public trust and culturally inclusive governance remain key areas for consideration. By applying a health system resilience framework that explores the tangible and intangible dimensions of health systems, this review offers insights relevant both for Fiji and the region. Strengthening local capacity, investing in sustainable infrastructure, and embedding Indigenous and other local knowledge in public health strategies are crucial steps toward building resilient Pacific health systems and preparing for future crises
Social Media Influencer Marketing: An Examination among Chinese Consumers
No full textIn the age of social media, influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for shaping consumer behaviour. This study investigates how the perceived attractiveness, expertise, and trustworthiness of social media influencers (SMIs) affect brand engagement and purchase intention among Chinese social media users. Drawing on the Source Credibility Theory, Parasocial Relationship Theory and the Face Theory, the research proposes and tests a conceptual framework in which brand engagement serves as a mediator, while Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Parasocial Relationship (PSR) act as moderators.Data were collected through an online survey of 261 participants in China who actively follow at least one influencer, using validated measurement scales adapted from prior research. The results show that all three SMI characteristics significantly enhance brand engagement. Furthermore, brand engagement fully mediates the effects of perceived attractiveness, expertise, and trust on purchase intention, highlighting its central role in the influencer–consumer relationship. The analysis also reveals that the relationship between brand engagement and purchase intention is moderated by FOMO and PSR in complex ways. It is strongest under low levels of both moderators but suppressed when both FOMO and PSR are high, highlighting the complex interplay of psychological factors.The findings offer a significant theoretical contribution by integrating cognitive, emotional, and relational factors into a comprehensive influencer marketing model. Managerially, the study provides strategic insights for brands in selecting influencers and designing campaigns that foster meaningful engagement and drive subsequent purchase intention. It also highlights the importance of psychological and cultural variables in shaping how consumers respond to influencer content, particularly in dynamic and socially driven markets like China.</p
Chinese Immigrants and Christianity in New Zealand: An Ethnographic Study of Ethnic and Religious Identity
No full textThis thesis analyses the interaction between Chinese immigrants and Christianity in New Zealand, focusing on Chinese who participate in some form of church activities including, but not exclusively, those who identify as Christian. Building on qualitative and ethnographic research involving approximately 100 interviews and participant observation in various churches across multiple cities in New Zealand, I explore complex processes of ethnic and religious identity negotiation among Chinese immigrants. The thesis integrates recent theories of identity construction with scholarship on transnational Chinese migration and contemporary Christianity to highlight the mutual construction of ethnic and religious identities. Through faith practices, Chinese Christians reinterpret traditional ethical values, creating a new identity that attempts to integrate a sense of Chinese ethnic or cultural identity – what I call “Chineseness” – with their Christian faith. Simultaneously, Christianity undergoes reconfiguration as it interacts with Chinese cultural frameworks. I show how this dynamic interaction between Chinese culture and Christianity makes Christianity seem especially attractive to many recent migrants. However, I also show that the same dynamic opens up new challenges and tensions which require ongoing renegotiation. I explore these issues through carefully selected sites, including the emergence and ongoing evolution of Chinese ethnic churches in New Zealand, the provision of pragmatic religious services and social strategies, processes of evangelism and conversion, negotiations of gender and kinship, and attempts to ensure intergenerational transmission of religious and cultural commitments. In addition to contributing to global discussions on migration, religion, and identity, the research also significantly advances our understanding of migrant religion specifically in New Zealand.</p
Aspects of Axisymmetric Spacetimes
No full textIn recent times, interest in axisymmetric spacetimes has been intense, in part due to observations of Sagittarius A* and the supermassive black hole at the centre of galaxy M87 by the event horizon telescope (EHT). Knowledge of axisymmetric spacetimes (both Kerr and its generalisations) will prove useful when analysing present and future data from the EHT. We begin this text with a brief introduction to general relativity. We then turn to the work undertaken as part of the PhD, starting with a new and novel derivation of the Kerr solution. We then analyse a 3-free function generalisation of the Kerr spacetime, which we find to be the most general axisymmetric spacetime which still models real astrophysical black holes in our universe. We derive this model and prove the existence of Killing horizons, calculate the surface gravity and show that the zeroth law of black hole mechanics is satisfied. We then turn to considering more general axisymmetric spacetimes, where we calculate the surface gravity and show that the horizons are Killing and the zeroth law is satisfied if a certain set of conditions are satisfied. We then turn to calculating photon escape cones for various static spherically symmetric spacetimes and both a low rotation limit of Kerr and extremal Kerr. The photon escape cones are key to analysing data from the EHT since black hole silhouettes/shadows are just the time reversed compliment of the escape cone.</p
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