21436 research outputs found
Sort by
An investigation of the faecal microbiome of diarrhoeic and non diarrhoeic kittens : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Science at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
No full textFigure 1.1 is reused under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license. Figure 1.4 (= Fukuda et al., 2018 Fig 1) was removed for copyright reasons.Kittens change from birth to adulthood in different ways, some of these are anatomical, physiological, cognitive, behavioural, as well as nutritional, and microbial. The microbial adaptations in relation to changes in diet and faecal consistency during the weaning period are the main focus of this study. During the weaning period, it is relatively common for kittens to develop diarrhoea. Unfortunately, diarrhoea in this vulnerable population, particularly before 8 weeks of age, can lead to death due to the secondary dehydration, hypothermia and hypoglycaemia. There are many different causes of diarrhoea, both infectious and non-infectious. In many cases, infectious cases of diarrhoea are ruled out through appropriate testing. This leaves a population of kittens with an unexplained, non-infectious diarrhoea. In recent years, it has increasingly been suggested that small changes in a previously stable microbiome can impact the health and faecal consistency of an individual, causing disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The intestinal microbiome refers to the bacterial communities found within the gastrointestinal tract. When an imbalance in the microbiome predisposes or causes disease, this is referred to as a dysbiosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbiome of diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic kittens, during and after the weaning period. It was hypothesised that kittens that developed diarrhoea, had a different microbiome to kittens that did not. Samples from 16 litters (13 diarrhoeic litters and 3 non diarrhoeic litters) underwent 16S rRNA PCR and sequencing to determine the bacterial communities found within the faecal microbiome. Observations from this study found differences between diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic litters, particularly between the pre-weaning, pre-diarrhoea and post-diarrhoea weaned, recovered samples. The pre-weaning, pre-diarrhoea samples had the lowest (but non-significant) Shannon diversity of all samples, indicating the possibility of a dysbiosis preceding diarrhoea. This study also identified differences between the during-weaning and post-weaning microbiome. The two diet groups in this study, although similar, had a significantly different Jaccard distance. The microbiomes of queens and kittens were also significantly different, irrespective of diarrhoeic status, diet, and owner. This study helps to fill the gap in knowledge and provides some new information about diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic kittens during and after the weaning period and identifies a potential dysbiosis that precedes non-infectious diarrhoea. Once this information is established with a bigger study, prevention or treatment methods can be investigated for kittens who are identified to be at risk of diarrhoea or develop non-infectious diarrhoea. This information would be of benefit to veterinarians, cat breeders and animal shelters, with the hope that these at-risk kittens could be better managed or even possibly prevent one of the most common problems kittens face in their early life
Survey of functional Mendelian variants in New Zealand Huntaway and Heading dog breeds
No full textNew Zealand (NZ) Huntaway and Heading dogs are working breeds that play active roles on farms across NZ. While these breeds are common in NZ, they are not well-known elsewhere, and little is understood about their genetic make-up. Here, we used whole genome sequencing to provide a comprehensive genomic view of 249 working dogs. As first use of this resource, we report the allele frequencies of provisionally functional variants aggregated from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) database. Of 435 “probably causal” variants, 27 segregated in our sample. Notable examples of disease variants potentially actionable for selection include those in the CUBN, CLN8, SGSH, SOD1, VWF, and VPS13B genes. These findings will enable genetic testing and selection opportunities to help improve the health and performance of future generations of these unique breeds.fals
Essays on corporate social responsibility : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Finance, School of Accountancy, Economics and Finance, Massey University
No full textThis thesis comprises three essays advancing the literature on workplace safety, an important component of corporate social responsibility. The first essay examines how generalist CEOs with transferable managerial skills enhance workplace safety. These executives improve safety by optimizing labor investments, reducing employee workloads, and ensuring higher information quality. The relation is more pronounced among firms facing financing constraints or intense market competition. The study also shows that workplace injuries and illnesses reduce innovation, productivity, and firm value. The second essay explores the impact of shareholder distraction on workplace safety. Distracted shareholders are linked to higher rates of work-related injuries, especially in firms with weak governance and high competition risks. Our findings suggest that reduced monitoring by distracted shareholders leads to lower safety investments, increased workloads, and greater earnings management, resulting in a poorer safety environment. The third essay investigates how the inclusion of general counsel in top management improves employee safety. Firms with general counsel in senior leadership are associated with lower injury and illness rates. The relation is more pronounced for firms with better information quality, more efficient labor investment, leadership by lawyer CEOs, weaker governance structures, and heightened agency problems. Overall, these essays provide new insights into how corporate leadership and governance influence workplace safety. The thesis offers contributions to the literature on workplace safety by addressing critical gaps in existing research. This work extends theoretical frameworks such as upper echelon theory by applying it to the domain of workplace safety. It also underscores the practical implications of aligning leadership capabilities and governance mechanisms to safeguard human capital, ultimately driving sustainable firm performance
Farmer-extensionist relationships and knowledge co-construction : ethnographic case studies of public rural extension in central Chile : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
No full textThis study explores how the relationship between small farmers and extensionists in central Chile shapes knowledge co-construction. While agricultural extension researchers increasingly recognize the importance of social-interpersonal relationships, there is little empirical and contextualized research exploring how this unfolds into practice. Through ethnographic methods, this research shows stories and descriptions from fieldwork, highlighting how farmers and extensionists organize their relationships and co-construct knowledge. While at an upper level, relationships are organized by structures and formal expectations drawn by policy and extension institutions, these constraints are navigated through interpersonal relationships. Findings reveal that farmers and extensionists build their relationships on trust and respect, usually leading to deeper layers like duty of care, commitment, and affection. This study maintains that relationships work as a mechanism that fosters social responsiveness and flexibility. Communication, as the ability to listen, enables a safe space to talk, providing better opportunities for the development of relationships and learning. In this research, knowledge is shown as a dialogic and negotiated, dynamic, subject to validity and contestation, and shaped by how actors perceive mutual trustworthiness. This study contributes to adding empirical evidence and insight that supports agricultural extension as a social phenomenon, where human relationships are core to understanding how extension programs happen at the level of implementation and knowledge co-constructed
'Just a life' : a feminist posthuman reading, thinking and hearing practice with displaced women’s struggles and transformation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
No full textFigures 3, 6 and 8 are reproduced with permission.The lived stories of displaced English-language schoolmate peers inspired me to read and interrogate the literature on trauma, particularly in relation to trauma-informed mental health disorders and interventions. Through a critical, posthumanist feminist approach, I explored how the process of knowledge production in relation to social power relations and responsibility is conceptualised. I found that the current ontological-epistemological process reflects a dominant, dualistic, Eurocentric approach with universal pretensions that circumscribes the meaningful figuration of subject, trauma and transformation. This problem of framing prompted my initial research question: What women’s struggle and transformation assemblages might exist in relation to women’s situated-embodied-embedded experiences and contexts? I conversed with five displaced women, also sharing photos and recollections. A posthuman relational ethics was enacted including a reflexive hearing practice to advance understandings of subject, trauma, and transformation. This practice, including Braidotti’s (2010) ‘by heart and by memory’, and continued engagement with literature and theory, evolved throughout the research process, shifting my research question to: How do displaced women experience and transform their situated struggles through both relational disruptions and capacities and what relational contexts are involved? In effect, I was enabled to hear displaced women’s stories differently, as we made meaning together. Hearing their stories encouraged me to shift away from normative-stereotypical understanding towards multiple-dynamic ways of knowing through the process of becoming. Through our discussion and my analysis, we co-created knowledge that shifted us from ‘assumed’ trauma associated with victimised subjects to engagement with the Deleuzian (1997) concept of ‘just a life’. The displaced women affirmed that they were positioned as less than human at times throughout their journeys, within the complexities of their multi constituent lived experiences associated with gender, history, religion, culture, context, their categorisation and subsequent treatment as ‘refugees’. Their gifted stories challenged the normalisation of trauma discourse and suggested that as subjects, they were multiple, relational and embraced change through more than human, interdependent relations, involving everyday negotiation and resistance. Their ongoing lived stories and experiences present different ontologies, knowledges and practices which substantively, ethically and politically confront and potentially help address imbalance in social power and justice
Cooling demand reduction with nighttime natural ventilation to cool internal thermal mass under harmonic design-day weather conditions
No full textCooling demand is steadily increasing across different climate zones due to global warming. A potential solution for cooling demand reduction is applying nighttime natural ventilation to cool internal thermal mass. However, a simplified and accurate modelling framework to assess the technique is still missing. The goal of the study is to build that framework integrated with a validated internal thermal mass model and apply the framework to quantify the cooling demand reduction potential in a space with different thermal mass and envelope configurations and in different climate zones. Results show that using Granite as internal thermal mass is three times more effective than concrete to reduce peak cooling load. Adding too much internal thermal mass can create adverse effects on cooling load reduction. The optimum thickness of internal thermal mass is between 28 and 45 mm. Envelope construction also has an influence on the performance of nighttime cooling. Applying the technique in buildings with lightweight structures reduces peak cooling load by 35.9% more than heavyweight structures. As heavyweight structures delay the release of the daily absorbed heat and cause higher indoor air temperatures at night. The two belts between the Tropic of Cancer and 60 degrees north latitude, and between the Tropic of Capricorn and 45 degrees south latitude are suitable for nighttime natural ventilation of internal thermal mass, achieving the annual cooling demand reduction above 1.25 kWh m−2. In Dessert climate zones, the technique exhibits an extraordinary potential to reduce cooling demand, up to 6.67 kWh m−2 per year.fals
OGLE-2014-BLG-1760: A Jupiter-Sun Analogue Residing in the Galactic Bulge
No full textWe present the analysis of OGLE-2014-BLG-1760, a planetary system in the galactic bulge. We combine Keck Adaptive Optics follow-up observations in K-band with re-reduced light-curve data to confirm the source and lens star identifications and stellar types. The re-reduced Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics data set had an important impact on the light-curve model. We find the Einstein ring crossing time of the event to be ∼2.5 days shorter than previous fits, which increases the planetary mass-ratio and decreases the source angular size by a factor of 0.25. Our OSIRIS images obtained 6 yr after the peak of the event show a source-lens separation of 54.20 ± 0.23 mas, which leads to a relative proper motion of μrel = 9.14 ± 0.05 mas yr−1 and is larger than the previous light-curve-only models. Our analysis shows that the event consists of a Jupiter-mass planet of Mp = 0.931 ± 0.117 MJup orbiting a K-dwarf star of M* = 0.803 ± 0.097 M⊙ with a K-magnitude of KL = 18.30 ± 0.05, located in the galactic bulge or bar. We also attempt to constrain the source properties using the source angular size θ* and K-magnitude. Our results favor the scenario of the source being a younger star in the galactic disk, behind the galactic bulge, but future multicolor observations are needed to constrain the source and thus the lens properties.fals
Gen Z–pioneers or paradox in sustainable tourism?
No full textFrequently labeled the “greenest generation,” research often portrays Generation Z (Gen Z) as a generation with strong pro-sustainability sensibilities. However, closer scrutiny exposes a disconnect between their stated intentions and actual behavior. This editorial reflection draws on the contributions to the Special Issue “Gen Z: The Sustainable Tourism Generation?” and a critical scoping review to question whether Gen Z can genuinely support a shift toward sustainable tourism. The studies in this issue address themes such as pro-environmental behavior, political consumerism, ethical choices, food waste, and psychological ownership of destinations. Overall, they demonstrate a fragmented body of work, split between those who argue for Gen Z’s deep engagement with sustainability and others who highlight inconsistencies. By synthesizing insights from the special issue and mapping them against broader trends in the literature, this editorial argues that current scholarship risks overstating the coherence of Gen Z’s sustainability orientation. It urges researchers to interrogate the structural, cultural, and psychological barriers that mediate the translation of values into action. Finally, it outlines a future research agenda that calls for greater theoretical clarity, comparative and longitudinal designs, and a move beyond celebratory narratives, to better understand Gen Z’s actual role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals within tourism and beyond.fals
Editorial preface to special issue: Temporal and spatial patterns in Holocene floods under the influence of past global change, and their implications for forecasting “unpredecented” future events
No full textFloods constitute the most significant natural hazard to societies worldwide. Population growth and unchecked development have led to floodplain encroachment. Modelling suggests that climate change will regionally intensify the threat posed by future floods, with more people in harm's way. From a global change perspective, past flood events and their spatial-temporal patterns are of particular interest because they can be linked to former climate patterns, which can be used to guide future climate predictions. Millennial and centennial time series contain evidence of very rare extreme events, which are often considered by society as ‘unprecedented’. By understanding their timing, magnitude and frequency in conjunction with prevailing climate regime, we can better forecast their future occurrence.
This Virtual Special Issue (VSI) entitled Temporal and spatial patterns in Holocene floods under the influence of past global change, and their implications for forecasting “unpredecented” future events comprises 14 papers that focus on how centennial and millennia-scale natural and documentary flood archives help improve future flood science. Specifically, documentation of large and very rare flood episodes challenges society's lack of imagination regarding the scale of flood disasters that are possible (what we term here, the “unknown unknowns”). Temporal and spatial flood behaviour and related climate patterns as well as the reconstruction of flood propagation in river systems are important foci of this VSI. These reconstructions are crucial for the provision of robust and reliable data sets, knowledge and baseline information for future flood scenarios and forecasting. We argue that it remains difficult to establish analogies for understanding flood risk during the current period of global warming. Most studies in this VSI suggest that the most severe flooding occurred during relatively cool climate periods, such as the Little Ice Age. However, flood patterns have been significantly altered by land use and river management in many catchments and floodplains over the last two centuries, thereby obscuring the climate signal. When the largest floods in instrumental records are compared with paleoflood records reconstructed from natural and documentary archives, it becomes clear that precedent floods should have been considered in many cases of flood frequency analysis and flood risk modelling in hydraulic infrastructure. Finally, numerical geomorphological analysis and hydrological simulations show great potential for testing and improving our understanding of the processes and factors involved in the temporal and spatial behaviour of floods.fals
A Hormetic Approach to the Value-Loading Problem: Preventing the Paperclip Apocalypse
No full textThe value-loading problem is a major obstacle to creating Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems that align with human values and preferences. Central to this problem is the establishment of safe limits for repeatable AI behaviors. We introduce hormetic alignment, a paradigm to regulate the behavioral patterns of AI, grounded in the concept of hormesis, where low frequencies or repetitions of a behavior have beneficial effects, while high frequencies or repetitions are harmful. By modeling behaviors as allostatic opponent processes, we can use either Behavioral Frequency Response Analysis (BFRA) or Behavioral Count Response Analysis (BCRA) to quantify the safe and optimal limits of repeatable behaviors. We demonstrate how hormetic alignment solves the ‘paperclip maximizer’ scenario, a thought experiment where an unregulated AI tasked with making paperclips could end up converting all matter in the universe into paperclips. Our approach may be used to help create an evolving database of ‘values’ based on the hedonic calculus of repeatable behaviors with decreasing marginal utility. Hormetic alignment offers a principled solution to the value-loading problem for repeatable behaviors, augmenting current techniques by adding temporal constraints that reflect the diminishing returns of repeated actions. It further supports weak-to-strong generalization – using weaker models to supervise stronger ones – by providing a scalable value system that enables AI to learn and respect safe behavioral bounds. This paradigm opens new research avenues for developing computational value systems that govern not only single actions but the frequency and count of repeatable behaviors.fals