16168 research outputs found
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The Māori Data Privacy Framework: How useful is it for hapū?
No full textThis brief is a part of a series, produced for the Tikanga in Technology (TiNT) research programme, that provides a hapū perspective on data sovereignty, data governance, and data privacy. In this brief we focus on the Māori Data Privacy Framework developed by the TiNT team and assess how useful it is for hapū. To do so, we draw on a case study with Ngāti Tiipa, one of the 33 iwi and hapū of the Waikato confederation (Kukutai, Whitehead & Kani, 2022). This brief should be read in conjunction with TiNT Brief #2 Protecting hapū data privacy: A Ngāti Tiipa case study of technology considerations
A rapid approach for linear epitope profiling of a Streptococcus A vaccine candidate
No full textThe creation of effective vaccines is a pinnacle achievement of humankind, with the maintenance and expansion of the current repertoire being crucial in supporting human health and well-being globally. Nevertheless, identification of the mechanisms responsible for protection from infection and disease remains difficult, hindering vaccine candidate progression. These factors illustrate the importance of developing a wide range of techniques available to identify and investigate potential antigens. Current tools for assessing antigen-antibody interactions, although hugely valuable, possess limitations in accessibility and throughput which this research aimed to address.
To implement an accessible rapid protocol that profiles the antibody response to linear epitopes after immunisation, we utilised phage display in conjunction with Nanopore Sequencing. A Group A Streptococcus vaccine candidate, TeeVax3, was selected as a model to explore the binding antibody population produced from immunisation and evaluate the immunogenicity of the antigen. Production of a phage library expressing overlapping TeeVax3 peptides was panned against TeeVax3 specific polyclonal antibodies from rabbits, revealing an unexpected bias for the N terminal epitope tag. Further investigation confirmed the immunogenicity of this region for both linear and conformational antibodies, with an epitope of 10- residues being identified via evaluation of binding with synthetic peptides. Although removal of purification tags is inconsistent, particularly in early stages of vaccine development, these findings illustrate the importance of doing so to ensure relevant immune responses are observed. Other potential areas of immunogenicity on the antigen were able to be observed by excluding the N-terminal region dominating the response, verifying the methods potential for evaluating vaccine candidates. The protocol presented here outlines a valuable addition to the toolkit for development of vaccine candidates, which could be easily adapted to a wide range of antigens and correlating antibody responses
Ecosystem services modelling to analyse the isolation of protected areas from a social-ecological perspective
No full textBiodiversity loss continues to increase globally despite conservation strategies such as the designation of protected areas and the implementation of environmental management practices. Land use changes often exacerbate the spatial isolation of protected areas, undermining their biodiversity conservation goals and the provision of ecosystem services. To address this issue, the present study investigates how a social-ecological approach, incorporating ecosystem services modelling, can address protected areas isolation and enhance habitat connectivity, using Egmont National Park in Aotearoa New Zealand as a case study. The analysis focuses on five ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, habitat quality, timber production, pasture production, and outdoor recreation. Findings highlight significant synergies and trade-offs, particularly between regulating services within the park and provisioning services in the surrounding grasslands, revealing critical social-ecological conflicts. In particular, the contrast between the indigenous forest within the park, which supports high habitat quality and carbon storage, and the surrounding grasslands, which are highly productive for pasture, underscores the challenges of balancing conservation goals with agricultural activities. This study develops social-ecological units to inform integrated environmental management strategies, aiming to reduce isolation, improve connectivity, and align biodiversity conservation with human well-being. These findings provide actionable insights for shifting trade-offs to synergies and supporting sustainable management practices
Designing sustainable materials: The role of material perception in consumer acceptance
No full textMaterial perception is vital in designing new materials and products that consumers widely accept, especially in the case of sustainable materials like biobased composites, which are unfamiliar to the average consumer. Understanding the effect of visual and tactile characteristics of the biobased composites on the formation of material perception could help material engineers and designers create sustainable and high-value materials. In this study of biobased composites, the semantic differential method is used to assess material attributes (in digital and physical settings), along with the qualitative assessment of material characteristics. These attribute ratings and qualitative descriptors help evaluate sensory qualities and generalise their influences on material perception. It is observed that respondents refer to past material experiences to define materials, especially the ones with uncertain attributes. While visual/tactile inconsistencies are a hallmark of natural products, such irregularities in materials with evidence of human interaction (e.g., weaving, geometric patterns) lead to poor perception of beauty and value. Fibreness is a strong signifier of naturality and warm and earthy tones reinforce this perception. Visual and tactile attributes influence perceptions of beauty and values, pointing to their bimodal nature; this also emphasises the role of sensory characteristics in creating desirable biobased composites
Systematic review of metal-based alloys with autogenous antibacterial capability
No full textPathogenic bacterial infection, especially in surgical and nosocomial settings, is an outstanding and long-lasting challenge due to the ability of microorganisms to evolve and develop mechanisms to become drug-resistant (i.e., superbugs). Considerable efforts have been made in recent years to develop metal-based alloys with autogenous antibacterial capability and to comprehend their mechanism of action, which are systematically reviewed in this work. To comprehensively understand current developments, antibacterial mechanisms (e.g., cell wall/membrane disruption), resistance mechanisms (e.g., permeability barrier), and the primary standardized techniques used to assess the antibacterial response (e.g., plate-count method) are initially introduced. Subsequently, metallic elements with intrinsic antibacterial response are presented alongside a brief discussion of the effects that manufacturing methods have on the ability to achieve metal-based alloys with autogenous antibacterial properties. The several antibacterial metal-based alloys currently being developed, which include Co-, Fe-, Mg-, Ti-, and Zn-based alloys, and some few other metal-based alloy systems, were analyzed in detail, and an effort to comparatively evaluate the antibacterial and mechanical response of the different alloys developed so far was made. Generally, the incorporation of Cu or Ag, which are well-known antibacterial metallic elements, shows remarkable effectiveness against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Additionally, some few other elements like Ca, Ce, and rare earths have been investigated, and some of them show antibacterial capability. The work is complemented with some challenges to be addressed and opportunities to be taken
A Foucauldian discourse analysis of judiciary talk about psychopathy
No full textPsychopathy-focused literature has primarily been situated in the positivist school of thought, aiming to understand this concept through cognitive, biological, neurological, and behavioural perspectives. Much of this research has been carried out in prisons, conflating the relationship between psychopathy and criminality. The findings from this knowledge base have contributed to the development of different practices and legislation in judicial settings. Some of the consequences of these practices, such as diagnosing psychopathy in the courtroom, have led to harsher sentencing outcomes at the expense of rehabilitation and treatment options. This is despite the lack of consensus as to the definition, cause, and treatment of psychopathy. Traditional research methods have largely overlooked how sociopolitical and cultural contexts have contributed to how psychopathy is understood and responded to. No research exists that sets out to examine how psychopathy is discursively constructed in courtrooms internationally, including in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Therefore, this thesis adopts a Foucauldian discourse analysis approach to uncover the discursive structures that contribute to the construction of psychopathy in Aotearoa New Zealand courtrooms. Four key discourses were uncovered: ‘the psychopath’ as a moral failure, psychopathy and risk, psychopathy and pathology, and ‘the psychopath’ as untreatable. The findings highlighted how psychopathy as a construct has evolved over time in the courtroom. The findings uncovered how shifts in discourses, discipline-specific practices, and technological knowledge have implications for how psychopathy is provided meaning and managed in judicial settings. Through the available discursive frameworks, truths about psychopathic individuals as deviant outsiders who posed a risk to the broader population were constructed. These truths often led to their incarceration and further exposure to practices such as assessment, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. Through this process, the experiences and authority of those individuals labelled as psychopathic were marginalised
Dibia's world: Life on an early sugar plantation
No full textA 45-minute online presentation of my research into the early phase of industrial slavery, followed by a 35-minute discussion and Q&A session. The presentation was to members of the Centre for the Study of International Slavery based at the University of Liverpool. The choice of date, 25 March, was important as it is the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
AI meets psychology: an exploratory study of large language models’ competence in psychotherapy contexts
No full textThe increasing prevalence of mental health problems coupled with limited access to professional support has prompted exploration of technological solutions. Large Language Models (LLMs) represent a potential tool to address these challenges, yet their capabilities in psychotherapeutic contexts remain unclear. This study examined the competencies of current LLMs in psychotherapy-related tasks including alignment with evidence-informed clinical standards in case formulation, treatment planning, and implementation. Using an exploratory mixed-methods design, we presented three clinical cases (depression, anxiety, stress) and 12 therapy-related prompts to seven LLMs: ChatGPT-4o, ChatGPT-4, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus, Meta Llama 3.1, Google Gemini 1.5 Pro, and Microsoft Co-pilot. Responses were evaluated by five experienced clinical psychologists using quantitative ratings and qualitative feedback. No single model consistently produced high-quality responses across all tasks, though different models showed distinct strengths. Models performed better in structured tasks such as determining session length and discussing goal-setting but struggled with integrative clinical reasoning and treatment implementation. Higher-rated responses demonstrated clinical humility, maintained therapeutic boundaries, and recognised therapy as collaborative. Current LLMs are more promising as supportive tools for clinicians than as therapeutic applications. This paper highlights key areas for development needed to enhance clinical reasoning abilities for effective mental health use
Haumanu hauora: A commentary on strengthening health institution responsiveness to Māori health in the face of climate change
No full textClimate change is the biggest threat to humanity through compounding ecological disasters. A focus on global averages tends to hide dramatic differences and mask health disparities that exist for Indigenous people. For 21 years, district health boards (DHBs) were responsible for providing or funding the provision of health services across Aotearoa. The introduction of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 disestablished DHBs and offered an opportunity to reshape health in ways that give serious consideration to climate change impacts. The need to give greater consideration to Indigenous people in climate change conversations is essential. The Waitangi Tribunal highlights areas where the Crown needs to work to improve Māori health outcomes. A clear deficit in existing policy process means a lack of preparedness for the intersecting health crises vulnerable Māori will experience in the face of climate change. Structural change is needed to strengthen health institution responsiveness to Māori health needs
Ki te kapu o taku ringa - In the palm of my hand [Photography exhibition at Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts]
No full text(Exhibition catalogue)
The title Ki te kapu o taku ringa is taken from a line of
‘Maioha mō Waikato’ by Kīngi Tāwhiao. Ejected from their
homelands he and his Waikato brethren took refuge with
their Maniapoto relations in Te Nehenehenui. The maioha
was composed expressing Kīngi Tāwhiao’s love for his
homelands, and his solastalgic holding fast to those lands
‘... in the palm of his hand.’ The words from the song-poem
were used as guide to our research and photography practice