Becoming a three tikanga church : the Bi-cultural Commission on the Revision of the Constitution 1986-1992 : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University

Text in Maori from pages 136 onwardsIn 1984 the General Synod of the Church of the Province of New Zealand established a Bi-cultural Commission on the Treaty of Waitangi. The Commission was required to study the Treaty and consider whether any principles of partnership and bi-cultural development were implied, and if so, how those principles could be embodied in the life of the Church. The Commission of three Maori and three Pakeha members consulted widely throughout the Church in both Maori and Pakeha settings, reporting back to General Synod in 1986 with 18 recommendations covering a wide range of issues, including land and the Maori language. The most significant of the recommendations established a further Bi-cultural Commission to revise the Church's constitution. The Commission's task was to be the revision of the constitution to ensure: that the preamble reflected the growth of the Church in New Zealand from 1814 to the present day; that the principles of partnership and bi-cultural development were expressed and entrenched; that the provisions of the Church of England Empowering Act 1928 were incorporated; and that Te Pihopa o Aotearoa and Te Runanga o Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa had equal status with Diocesan Bishops and Synods. The Commission was, 'to have regard to the Report and Recommendations of the Bi-cultural Commission on the Treaty of Waitangi; and in particular to consider the Commission's response to the submission from Te Runanga [o Te Pihopatanga].' 1 Bi-cultural Commission of the Anglican Church on the Treaty of Waitangi, Report of the Bi-Cultural Commission of the Anglican Church on the Treaty of Waitangi, te Kaupapa Tikanga Rua. [Christchurch]: Provincial Secretary of the Church of the Province of New Zealand,1986, p.26. Crucial factors in the development of the constitution were the Commission on the Treaty of Waitangi's definition of the terms partnership and bi-cultural development, and the structural model proposed to the Commission by Te Runanga o Te Pihopatanga

From the Hypotheses to Clinical Evidence in Retinal Therapy

The off-label, therapeutic use of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in vascular retinal diseases such as diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) has increased significantly due to its ability to reduce retinal neovascularization and slow progression of disease. Here, we will review the literature and investigative developments on the use of IVB as a preoperative adjuvant to vitrectomy in severe PDR, specifically focusing on its ability to reduce intra- and postoperative complications and its risk for progression or development of traction retinal detachment. In particular, this review will highlight the natural progression of evidence from case series and observations to prospective, randomized clinical trials

Correlated responses in tissue weights measured in vivo by computer tomography in Dorset Down sheep selected for lean tissue growth

The aim of this study was to estimate correlated responses in lean, fat and bone weights in vivo in Dorset Down sheep selected for lean tissue growth. Over the period 1986-1992 inclusive, the lean tissue growth line had been selected using two economic indices for an increased aggregate breeding value incorporating predicted lean and fat weights with positive and negative economic weightings, respectively. The control line was selected for no change in lean tissue growth each year. Animals were born and run on pasture all year round. X-ray computer tomography was used to estimate the weights of lean, fat and bone in vivo in the 1994-born sheep, aged 265-274 days and selected randomly into 12 rams and 12 ewes from the selected line and 10 rams and 9 ewes from the control line. The lean tissue growth line had significantly greater responses in lean weight (+0.65 + 0.10 kg) and lean percentage (+1.19 + 0.17%) and significantly lesser fat weight (-0.36 + 0.08 kg) and fat percentage (-1.88 + 0.20%) compared to the control line. There was a significant increase in bone weight (+0.27 + 0.03 kg) and bone percentage (+0.69 + 0.09%) in the lean tissue growth line compared to the control line. Responses differed significantly between sexes of the lean tissue growth line, rams having a greater response in weight of lean (+1.22 + 0.20 vs. +0.08 + 0.22 kg) and bone (+0.45 + 0.06 vs. +0.09 + 0.07 kg), and a lesser response in weight of fat (-0.03 + 0.15 vs. -0.70 + 0.16 kg) than the ewes. Selection led to significant changes in lean (increase) and fat weights (decrease), and bone weight increased. Although responses in the lean tissue growth line differed significantly between sexes, there were confounding factors due to differences in management and lack of comparison at equal stage of development. Therefore, to assess real genetic differences further studies should be conducted taking these factors into consideration. Keywords: Lean tissue growth, Computer tomography, Selection index, Responses, Sheep South African Journal of Animal Science Vol.33(3) 2003: 176-18

Localized bases for kernel spaces on the unit sphere

Approximation/interpolation from spaces of positive definite or conditionally positive definite kernels is an increasingly popular tool for the analysis and synthesis of scattered data, and is central to many meshless methods. For a set of $N$ scattered sites, the standard basis for such a space utilizes $N$ \emph{globally} supported kernels; computing with it is prohibitively expensive for large $N$. Easily computable, well-localized bases, with "small-footprint" basis elements - i.e., elements using only a small number of kernels -- have been unavailable. Working on \sphere, with focus on the restricted surface spline kernels (e.g. the thin-plate splines restricted to the sphere), we construct easily computable, spatially well-localized, small-footprint, robust bases for the associated kernel spaces. Our theory predicts that each element of the local basis is constructed by using a combination of only $\mathcal{O}((\log N)^2)$ kernels, which makes the construction computationally cheap. We prove that the new basis is $L_p$ stable and satisfies polynomial decay estimates that are stationary with respect to the density of the data sites, and we present a quasi-interpolation scheme that provides optimal $L_p$ approximation orders. Although our focus is on $\mathbb{S}^2$, much of the theory applies to other manifolds - $\mathbb{S}^d$, the rotation group, and so on. Finally, we construct algorithms to implement these schemes and use them to conduct numerical experiments, which validate our theory for interpolation problems on $\mathbb{S}^2$ involving over one hundred fifty thousand data sites.Comment: This article supersedes arXiv:1111.1013 "Better bases for kernel spaces," which proved existence of better bases for various kernel spaces. This article treats a smaller class of kernels, but presents an algorithm for constructing better bases and demonstrates its effectiveness with more elaborate examples. A quasi-interpolation scheme is introduced that provides optimal linear convergence rate

Expression of recombinant multi-coloured fluorescent antibodies in gor -/trxB- E. coli cytoplasm

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Antibody-fluorophore conjugates are invaluable reagents used in contemporary molecular cell biology for imaging, cell sorting and tracking intracellular events. However they suffer in some cases from batch to batch variation, partial loss of binding and susceptibility to photo-bleaching. In theory, these issues can all be addressed by using recombinant antibody fused directly to genetically encoded fluorescent reporters. However, single-chain fragment variable domains linked by long flexible linkers are themselves prone to disassociation and aggregation, and in some cases with isoelectric points incompatible with use in physiologically relevant milieu. Here we describe a general approach that permits fully functional intracellular production of a range of coloured fluorescent recombinant antibodies with optimally orientated V_H/V_Linterfaces and isoelectric points compatible for use in physiological solutions at pH 7.4 with a binding site to fluorophore stoichiometry of 1:1.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we report the design, assembly, intracellular bacterial production and purification of a panel of novel antibody fluorescent protein fusion constructs. The insertion of monomeric fluorescent protein derived from either <it>Discosoma </it>or <it>Aequorea </it>in-between the variable regions of anti-p185^HER2-ECDantibody 4D5-8 resulted in optimal V_H/V_Linterface interactions to create soluble coloured antibodies each with a single binding site, with isoelectric points of 6.5- 6. The fluorescent antibodies used in cell staining studies with SK-BR-3 cells retained the fluorophore properties and antibody specificity functions, whereas the conventional 4D5-8 single chain antibody with a (Gly₄Ser)₃linker precipitated at physiological pH 7.4.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This modular monomeric recombinant fluorescent antibody platform may be used to create a range of recombinant coloured antibody molecules for quantitative <it>in situ, in vivo </it>and <it>ex vivo </it>imaging, cell sorting and cell trafficking studies. Assembling the single chain antibody with monomeric fluorescent protein linker facilitates optimal variable domain pairing and alters the isoelectric point of the recombinant 4D5-8 protein conferring solubility at physiological pH 7.4. The efficient intracellular expression of these functional molecules opens up the possibility of developing an alternative approach for tagging intracellular targets with fluorescent proteins for a range of molecular cell biology imaging studies.</p

Bioinformatics analysis of the locus for enterocyte effacement provides novel insights into type-III secretion

BACKGROUND: Like many other pathogens, enterohaemorrhagic and enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli employ a type-III secretion system to translocate bacterial effector proteins into host cells, where they then disrupt a range of cellular functions. This system is encoded by the locus for enterocyte effacement. Many of the genes within this locus have been assigned names and functions through homology with the better characterised Ysc-Yop system from Yersinia spp. However, the functions and homologies of many LEE genes remain obscure. RESULTS: We have performed a fresh bioinformatics analysis of the LEE. Using PSI-BLAST we have been able to identify several novel homologies between LEE-encoded and Ysc-Yop-associated proteins: Orf2/YscE, Orf5/YscL, rORF8/EscI, SepQ/YscQ, SepL/YopN-TyeA, CesD2/LcrR. In addition, we highlight homology between EspA and flagellin, and report many new homologues of the chaperone CesT. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the vast majority of LEE-encoded proteins do indeed possess homologues and that homology data can be used in combination with experimental data to make fresh functional predictions

Easyfig: a genome comparison visualizer

Summary: Easyfig is a Python application for creating linear comparison figures of multiple genomic loci with an easy-to-use graphical user interface. BLAST comparisons between multiple genomic regions, ranging from single genes to whole prokaryote chromosomes, can be generated, visualized and interactively coloured, enabling a rapid transition between analysis and the preparation of publication quality figures

Performance of externally validated enhanced computer-aided versions of the National Early Warning Score in predicting mortality following an emergency admission to hospital in England: a cross-sectional study

YesOBJECTIVES: In the English National Health Service, the patient's vital signs are monitored and summarised into a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) to support clinical decision making, but it does not provide an estimate of the patient's risk of death. We examine the extent to which the accuracy of NEWS for predicting mortality could be improved by enhanced computer versions of NEWS (cNEWS). DESIGN: Logistic regression model development and external validation study. SETTING: Two acute hospitals (YH-York Hospital for model development; NH-Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospital for external model validation). PARTICIPANTS: Adult (≥16 years) medical admissions discharged over a 24-month period with electronic NEWS (eNEWS) recorded on admission are used to predict mortality at four time points (in-hospital, 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours) using the first electronically recorded NEWS (model M0) versus a cNEWS model which included age+sex (model M1) +subcomponents of NEWS (including diastolic blood pressure) (model M2). RESULTS: The risk of dying in-hospital following emergency medical admission was 5.8% (YH: 2080/35 807) and 5.4% (NH: 1900/35 161). The c-statistics for model M2 in YH for predicting mortality (in-hospital=0.82, 24 hours=0.91, 48 hours=0.88 and 72 hours=0.88) was higher than model M0 (in-hospital=0.74, 24 hours=0.89, 48 hours=0.86 and 72 hours=0.85) with higher Positive Predictive Value (PPVs) for in-hospital mortality (M2 19.3% and M0 16.6%). Similar findings were seen in NH. Model M2 performed better than M0 in almost all major disease subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: An externally validated enhanced computer-aided NEWS model (cNEWS) incrementally improves on the performance of a NEWS only model. Since cNEWS places no additional data collection burden on clinicians and is readily automated, it may now be carefully introduced and evaluated to determine if it can improve care in hospitals that have eNEWS systems.This research was supported by the Health Foundation. The Health Foundation is an independent charity working to improve the quality of healthcare in the UK. This research was also supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Yorkshire and Humberside Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (YHPSTRC)