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What is the pathophysiology of inflammation-induced cortical injury in the perinatal brain?
No full textPerinatal exposure to infection/inflammation is highly associated with neural injury, and subsequent impaired cortical growth, disturbances in neuronal connectivity, and impaired neurodevelopment. However, our understanding of the pathophysiological substrate underpinning these changes in brain structure and function is limited. The objective of this review is to summarize the growing evidence from animal trials and human cohort studies that suggest exposure to infection/ inflammation during the perinatal period promotes regional impairments in neuronal maturation and function, including loss of high-frequency electroencephalographic activity, and reduced growth and arborization of cortical dendrites and dendritic spines resulting in reduced cortical volume. These inflammation-induced disturbances to neuronal structure and function are likely to underpin subsequent disturbances to cortical development and connectivity in fetuses and/or newborns exposed to infection/inflammation during the perinatal period, leading, in the long term, to impaired neurodevelopment. The combined use of early electroencephalography monitoring with neuroimaging techniques that enable detailed evaluation of brain microstructure, and the use of therapeutics that successfully target systemic and central nervous system inflammation could provide an effective strategy for early detection and therapeutic intervention
Exploring the therapeutic potential of placental extracellular vesicles in ovarian cancer: Immune modulation and tumour suppression mechanisms
No full textOvarian cancer remains a major clinical challenge, with a global five-year survival rate of only 45%. Pregnancy has been shown to have a protective effect against developing ovarian cancer. This is traditionally thought to be due to reduced exposure to cycling steroids during pregnancy. Alternatively, it has also been suggested that shared antigens between ovarian tumours and the placenta may contribute to an immune-based explanation for this protective effect.
Previous studies demonstrated that placental extracellular vesicles (EVs) inhibited the viability of SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells, an effect not observed with EVs derived from THP-1 monocytes. Furthermore, a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of human placental EVs significantly reduced the growth of SKOV-3 ovarian tumour xenografts in nude mice. This tumour suppression was associated with increased infiltration of CD169+ macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells, suggesting an immune-modulatory role of placental EVs in suppressing ovarian tumour progression.
To investigate the underlying mechanisms, this study compared the miRNA cargo of placental EVs and THP-1-derived EVs and performed a biodistribution study in tumour-bearing mice after i.p. injection. Bioinformatics analysis showed that placental EVs carried distinct miRNAs, particularly from the C19MC and C14MC clusters, which are known to regulate pathways involved in cancer cell proliferation. Functional assays confirmed that placental EVs were taken up by SKOV-3 cells and delivered miRNAs that downregulated tumour-associated mRNA expression.
In the biodistribution study, placental EVs were not detected in the tumours shortly after injection. Instead, they accumulated in the spleen, liver, hepatic and inguinal lymph nodes at 2 and 24 hours post-injection. In the spleen, placental EVs were co-localized CD169+ macrophages, while in the inguinal lymph nodes, they were colocalized with F4/80+ macrophages. By day 10, CD169+ macrophages containing placental EVs appeared at the tumour margins, and by day 30, these macrophages had deeply infiltrated the tumours. This immune cell infiltration was accompanied by a marked reduction in tumour growth, regardless of the placental EV subtype administered.
Taken together, this study shows that placental EVs deliver tumour-suppressive miRNAs and modulate the immune environment. Rather than targeting directly to tumours, placental EVs first accumulate in clearance and secondary lymphoid organs. They activate CD169+ macrophages in the spleen and lymph nodes, which subsequently migrate into ovarian tumours and may contribute to NK cell activation and tumour suppression. These findings support the potential of placental EVs as a novel immunotherapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer
Japanese Extensive Reading: Responses of an Intact University Cohort of Beginner Learners
No full textIncreasingly, research attention has turned to the benefits of extensive reading (ER) in
languages other than English, such as Japanese. Yet significant issues remain with
participant numbers in studies of Japanese ER, which are often low, meaning they may not be representative of the rest of the cohort, let alone students in other contexts. An intact cohort (N = 52) of first-year second-semester beginner learners were introduced to the principles and benefits of ER and given the opportunity to borrow twice weekly from more than 150 graded readers in class. Students’ reading logs provided data on their reading habits and amounts, and a nine-question, anonymous survey probed reasons for choosing to read and the perceived benefits of and responses to ER. Around 50% of the cohort read on average one book per week and reported perceiving a wide range of benefits as a result of doing ER
HR practices and the well-being of a marginalized workforce: a review of home health care worker well-being research
No full textWorker wellbeing is increasingly recognized as a critical factor influencing both organizational and societal outcomes; and is therefore of key interest to the discourse on Common Good Human Resource Management (HRM). This paper presents a systematic review of the literature on HRM practices and worker wellbeing in the context of home health care workers (HHCWs), a workforce characterized by gendered labour, low wages, and limited status. Despite the sector’s growing importance, we find a significant lack of research into how HRM influences wellbeing in marginalized and precarious contexts. Four critical gaps are identified: (1) limited attention to the gendered dimensions of wellbeing, (2) insufficient exploration of the interrelated nature of wellbeing dimensions, (3) a narrow organizational-level focus that overlooks external influences, and (4) a lack of emphasis on worker-centered outcomes. By addressing these gaps, this paper proposes a future research agenda that not only deepens our understanding of HHCWs’ wellbeing but also advances theoretical development of wellbeing in marginalized occupational settings
Cut with the Same Cloth: À La Mode Ethic
No full textThis thesis demystifies fast fashion and ethical fashion. It draws on Karl Marx’s concept of commodity fetishism and logic of capital to demystify the exploitative social and environmental tactics operating within the ethical fashion industry and its trendy fashion lines, which are sold and purchased for their claims of ethical standards and values. Representative images from ethical fashion brands posted on Instagram platforms were sampled. The analysis revealed how ethical values are elegantly but subversively used to hide the gaping wound that is fast fashion, console consumers, and mask imperialist practices and intents. Ethical fashion houses such as People Tree impose moral codes of conduct at different levels of production. However, these have not led to fundamental changes in unethical practices but to re-mystification where mass-produced lines are re-labelled ‘fair and ethical’ in their production but are far from it. The thesis draws on psychoanalytic analysis to illustrate how fashion’s shortcomings are disguised simultaneously through de-mystification and re-mystification. Ethical fashion turns ethical clothing into fetishised objects of desire used to alleviate informed consumers’ guilt. At the same time, they know of the unethical treatment of fashion workers and the natural environment that services the industry
A retrospective analysis of patients eligible for organ donation in adult intensive care units in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textTo analyse characteristics of patients eligible for organ donation in New Zealand (NZ) Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and identify potentially modifiable factors that may benefit donation conversations and their outcomes. Design: A retrospective analysis of eligible patient data collected by Organ Donation New Zealand (ODNZ). Twenty-three adult ICUs in NZ from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021. Participants: Adult ICU patients eligible for organ donation via neurological determination of death (DNDD) or circulatory determination of death (DCDD). Patient and ICU characteristics, preparations for donation conversations, donation decisions, and reasons for non-approaches or declines were analysed. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression evaluated factors and outcomes. A total of 1,267 cases were analysed (DNDD = 687, DCDD = 580). Donation conversations occurred in 46.9% of cases, with 51.3% resulting in consent. Patients' demographics and admission trends were similar to international reports. Male gender (p = 0.016) and ICU length of stay (p = 0.003) were associated with increased DCDD consent likelihood. Conditions such as encephalopathy (p = 0.012), and cardiovascular disease (p < 0.001) were associated with reduced donation conversation likelihood. Families of Māori patients were associated with reduced donation conversation likelihood (p = 0.002) and families of Māori (p < 0.001), Pasifika (p < 0.001), and Asian patients (p = 0.004) were associated with reduced consent likelihood. Early consultation with ODNZ and timely brain death confirmation positively impacted donation conversations and consent rates. Although not always practised, early ODNZ consultation and timely brain death confirmation were modifiable factors positively associated with conversations being approached and consent. Research exploring ICU staff and families' perspectives may improve understanding of influencing factors
Impacts of the Invasive Macroalga Caulerpa parvifolia on Epifaunal Communities in Northern New Zealand
No full textThis study assessed ecological impacts of the invasive green macroalga Caulerpa parvifolia on mobile epifauna in northern New Zealand using multi-season field sampling and multivariate analyses. C. parvifolia supported significantly lower epifaunal abundances and productivities per unit area of seafloor than did native seaweeds (coralline turf, Caulerpa flexilis). However, C. parvifolia was relatively sparse at my sites throughout the study, and when epifaunal community attributes were standardised by seaweed biomass, C. parvifolia hosted similar or higher abundances, biomasses and productivities than the native seaweeds. Epifaunal community composition on C. parvifolia was similar to that on the native seaweeds, at least at the relatively coarse taxonomic levels that samples were categorised. Overall, my results show that C. parvifolia hosts a diverse, abundant and productive epifaunal assemblage that is broadly similar to that on co-occuring native seaweeds
The Impact of Listening Effort on Balance and Speech Discrimination in Hearing Device Users
No full textIntroduction: Postural control involves multisensory integration of visual, vestibular and
proprioceptive cues. Hearing (and hearing loss) is proposed to influence postural stability,
though their relationship remains unclear. One theory proposes that hearing loss makes speech
understanding more effortful, reducing the cognitive resources available for tasks like balance,
potentially leading to postural instability. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are the mainstay
treatment for hearing loss. However, few studies have investigated how listening effort and
hearing devices affect balance in people with hearing loss.
Aim: The aim of this study was to use a dual-task paradigm, involving listening and balancing,
to investigate the effects of listening effort on speech discrimination and postural stability in
people with hearing loss. A further aim was to determine if balance improved when people
were aided bilaterally, with cochlear implants or hearing aids.
Methods: The study involved 22 hearing aid wearers aged 52 to 84 years (8 male, 14 female),
13 of whom had current or prior balance issues. Participants had a preliminary hearing and
vestibular assessment to assess baseline function. The experiment involved 7 trials of listening
and balance tasks under conditions of varying difficulty (single-task and dual-task). Postural
stability (Centre of Pressure), speech discrimination scores and subjective ratings of the task
difficulty were recorded.
Results: Overall, postural stability and unaided speech discrimination were not significantly
different for the dual-task compared with the single-task conditions. However, individual data
analysis revealed four participants with worse speech discrimination under dual tasking that
exceeded limits for test-retest variability. Hearing aids improved speech discrimination but not
balance even though participants rated the aided balance task as less difficult. Participants
with horizontal semicircular canal dysfunction had poorer balance across all conditions.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that increased listening effort due to hearing loss increases
the perceived difficulty of performing a dual balance and speech discrimination task. However,
the effect on dual-task performance remains unclear. Hearing aids enhance speech
discrimination, but do not appear to improve postural stability in people with hearing loss.
Further research involving a larger sample and consideration of all potential confounding
factors is needed to explore this complex relationshi
Mental Simulation in Bilingual and Second Language Processing: New Directions in the Competition Model
No full textThis article revisits the foundational principles of the Competition Model considering recent advances in mental simulation research, highlighting how embodied cognition provides a richer understanding of bilingual processing. By exploring the dynamics of cue competition, transfer, decoupling, and functional restructuring, it underscored the intricate mechanisms of linguistic, cognitive, and sensorimotor processes in bilingualism. Notably, the findings of the surveyed studies suggest that entrenched L1 mental models dominate early L2 processing but can be progressively restructured to achieve more autonomous and nativelike L2 functioning through processes of decoupling and embodied simulation. While empirical studies have demonstrated that advanced learners can achieve nativelike perceptual and motor simulations in L2 processing, the variability introduced by factors such as crosslinguistic similarity, proficiency, learning context, and immersion remains an area ripe for further exploration
The Abstractive Planetarisation of Domesticity: Understanding the “Homes Away from Home” in China’s Public Space
No full textThe ever-expanding urban landscape of hyperconsumption, driven by rampant transnational capital, is increasingly dominated by spatial simulations that intensify everyday life’s abstraction and disrupt processes of societal relationality. These simulations, often implemented by global corporations, reconfigure reality by constructing spatial assemblages that overwrite traditional social and cultural practices. A Prominent manifestation of this phenomenon is the dislocation of domestic spaces, which are transformed into compensatory and illusory environments, thereby exacerbating the erosion of the public-private distinction.
This research analyses the constantly evolving models and iterative implementations of a global chain of homes away from home, Starbucks Corporation, focusing on its Chinese operations. Drawing on Baudrillard’s hyperreality theory and Deleuze-Guattarian assemblage theory, the research addresses the simulatory functions and symbols of these spaces, focusing on their agential forces of abstraction. Specifically, it investigates the simulation mechanisms employed by Starbucks China in its hyper-consumption models to abstract public/private and exogenous/endogenous relationships, while analysing how these mechanisms also enable individuals to transcend their alienating condition.
This research employs qualitative ethnographic methods—including spatial observations, semi-structured interviews, and social media data analysis—to operationalise its theoretical framework by analysing three Starbucks store typologies: university campuses, residential communities, and city centres. It examines the interplay between material, relational, and expressive configurations, revealing the dual impact and inherent contradictions of these simulated domestic spaces. It illuminates how, while these spaces commodify domestic practices and standardise cultural expressions, they also foster counter-spatialisation processes, empowering individuals to reclaim and repurpose them for personal and communal agency.
The research interprets these emergent spatialities as a prefiguration of a new, differential mode of inhabitation that redefines the territorial limits of domesticity. It shows how, by reappropriating the instruments of abstraction, certain users transform these spaces into emergent provisional assemblages for expansive resistance and social reconfiguration. It submits that these instances indicate a planetary deterritorialisation of liberated “homes away from home,” where de-commodified homes open a possible higher form of inhabitation.
By interpreting these spatialities as both products of alienation and sites of productive resistance, this research contributes to the understanding of how consumerist spaces can be seen as an extraordinary laboratory of spatial recombination. The research has implications for urban studies, architectural practice, and the design of public spaces, offering a critical lens on the evolving relationship between domesticity, consumption, and urban transformation