Māori Migration: The Social Consequences

A team led by Bernard Guerin is looking at the family and community impacts from contemporary forms of migration in a 6-year project Strangers in Town: Enhancing Family and Community in a More Diverse New Zealand Society, funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. One large part of this research looks at Māori migration, headed by Linda Waimarie Nikora. Since the research on the 'urban drift' of the 1950s and 1960s, little has been done to research the effects of Māori migration. Our aim is to draw together the researchers and research results and to conduct our own research to fill in the gaps. We also work with others on the 6-year project who are looking at the population statistics of Māori migration, especially Trans-Tasman migrations

Moving away from home: Some social consequences for Tūhoe migrating to the Waikato

To better understand the social consequences of migration away from traditional iwi regions, Tūhoe researchers intensively interviewed 40 Tūhoe people who had moved to the Waikato. It was found that most missed whanau and the community and made regular visits back home. Participants reported utilizing extensive whanau links to set themselves up in the Waikato, and many joined the Tūhoe associations in the Waikato. Others who did not join reported liking the idea that Tūhoe were there if needed. Some participants felt stronger in their Tūhoe identity since moving, and most reported noticing changes occurring in themselves or those back home over this period (they felt more worldly but saw those back home as more insular). While they did not interact much with tangata whenua, or participate in tangata whenua events, many said that they had a better appreciation of the local Tainui and the Kīngitanga groups since migrating. Finally, most would like to return to their iwi region for employment if it were available but saw little chance of this happening, and most reported wanting to retire there. The policy implications of both these points are explored

The relationship between chest X-ray findings, bacterial load and treatment-related outcomes in persons with extensively drug resistant TB

Includes bibliographical references.Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was first recognized in the 1990s with an increase in caseload of eighty-two percent between 2000 and 2007. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), a more difficult and more expensive form of TB to treat with poorer outcomes, emerged in South Africa in 2006. The prevalence of XDR-TB is likely to be underestimated in South Africa as a result of incomplete detection and notification. In peri-urban areas like Khayelitsha where there are high rates of HIV, TB and poverty, the prevalence of MDR-TB is estimated at 51/100 000. A significant proportion of these cases are indeed undetected pre-XDR-TB (MDR and resistance to either a fluoroquinolone or a 2nd line injectable drug) and XDR (MDR and resistance to both fluoroquinolones and any one of the 2nd line injectable drugs) cases with inadequate access to drug sensitivity testing. Treatment outcomes of XDR-TB have been variable with countries like Peru showing a 60% overall cure (or completed treatment) rate, and studies in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa showing much poorer outcomes. The reasons for the poor outcomes in XDR-TB remain unclear. We are continuing to investigate the role of strain-type and several other factors including nutritional status, degree of drug resistance, HIV status and drug regimens in determining outcomes. There is a paucity of literature describing the chest X-ray (CXR) findings in patients with XDR-TB, and whether disease extent is related to treatment outcomes and the evolution of resistance remains unclear. It has been shown that patients with radiological extensive drug-sensitive TB have higher initial sputum mycobacterial loads and take a longer time to sputum conversion than those without . The extent of disease on the CXR at baseline has been used as a tool to inform and predict the need for infection control measures, treatment duration, and outcomes. The time-to-positivity (TTP) of mycobacterium tuberculosis in a liquid medium culture has become a validated indicator of bacterial sputum load and indeed a surrogate bio-marker of treatment response to anti-tuberculosis drugs. The relationships between mycobacterial sputum load, radiological disease and treatment outcomes have been studied in drug-sensitive TB, but little is known about XDR-TB

Social consequences of Tūhoe migration: Voices from home in Te Urewera

A previous study by Nikora, Guerin, Rua & Te Awekotuku (2004) of the social consequences of Tūhoe moving to the Waikato region found employment and a tertiary education to be the primary motivators. Tūhoe ‘movers’ remained in contact with those who remain in Te Urewera and retained a wish to return to their tribal homelands if presented with work opportunities or upon retirement. Through 29 intensive conversational interviews conducted by Tūhoe community researchers with Tūhoe people we explored the social consequences of migration upon those who had remained ‘at home’. Most participants recognised and strongly supported ‘movers’ to better themselves and find successful futures but hoped that they would one day return. An emerging theme was an apparent age-distribution gap of people between about 20 and 50 years of age in the Tuhoe homelands. This is concerning for a number of reasons. The ‘age gap’ may potentially bring about a) a lack of good role-models for younger children; b) a lack of people to help out with heavy work; c) a gap in people to sustain traditional teaching models for children, and d) a lack of qualified people in trades and professions. The age gap also means that a whole middle-aged group that in other communities might be contributing funds for capital expenditures are not present in the community

Habitat use by a primate community in a lowland dipterocarp forest in Danum Valley, Borneo

Knowledge of niche partitioning with respect to habitat is indispensable to understand the mechanism of coexistence of multiple species. Among primates, however, data are still deficient because repeated survey for a sufficiently long time, covering seasonal changes over a large area, is the only way to clarify habitat segregation within a seasonally fluctuating environment. Southeast Asia is particularly interesting because of the supra‐annual, highly unpredictable seasonality in fruiting known as mast fruiting. We conducted repeated route census, habitat monitoring, and group tracking for 25 months in two study sites (ca. 10 km apart) in the largely primary lowland dipterocarp forest of the Danum Valley Conservation Area, eastern Sabah, northern Borneo, Malaysia. The five species of diurnal primates (Bornean orangutan Pongo pygmaeus , Müeller's gibbon Hylobates muelleri , red leaf monkey Presbytis rubicunda , long‐tailed macaque Macaca fascicularis , and southern pig‐tailed macaque M. nemestrina ) did not show horizontal spatial segregation. Red leaf monkeys showed preferences for places with short tree height, but their distribution was not confined to such places. In response to the fruiting peak observed once during the study period, orangutans increased their numbers simultaneously in the two study sites. The average tree height used by the five species was different, but their range overlapped substantially. Compared with other primate communities, the lack of horizontal spatial segregation and the suggested long‐distance movement of orangutans seem to be unique characteristics in Borneo, although the use of different forest strata is a widespread phenomenon among primate communities throughout the world

Étude dendrométrique et floristique des forêts à Gilbertiodendron dewevrei d’une concession forestière en République Démocratique du Congo

This study was about the systematic inventory in two types of forest stands (mixed Forest and Gilbertiodendron dewevrei mono- dominant forest) in the concession 033/11 under the management of the SICOBOIS company, based in the province of Equateur in Democratic Republic of the Congo, in order to orient choices of sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The mixed forest provided a total 348 individuals, belonging to 90 species grouped in 29 families. The mean density of the woody plants is of 139 individuals/ha, representing a basal area of 25 m2/ha. Concerning the Gilbertiodendron dewevrei mono-dominant forest, 322 individuals have been counted. They belong to 50 species and 20 families, with mean values of 129 individuals/ha and 30.4 m2/ha respectively for the density and the basal area. The study zone has given 670 stems of diameter at breast height (DBH)?10 cm. They are distributed in 101 species belonging to 30 families. For the mixed forest, the mean values of the diversity indices were the following: Shannon-Weaver index (H) = 4.05; Simpson index (1-D) = 0.97; Fisher alpha index (?) = 39.3 and Equitability (J) = 0.89. On the other hand, the calculated values of biodiversity indices for Gilbertiodendron dewevrei mono-dominant forest were: Shannon-Weaver index (H) = 2.27; Simpson index (1-D) = 0.70; Fisher alpha (?) = 16.6 and Equitability (J) = 0.57. The collected data will permit to monitor the spatio-temporal dynamics of flora and vegetation of this forest concession and will help decision- makers and the concession managers to develop a suitable strategy for the sustainable forest management. Keywords: Forest, Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, spatial structure, diversity index, sustainable managementCette étude a porté sur l’inventaire systématique dans deux types de peuplements (Forêt mixte et Forêt à Gilbertiodendron dewevrei) dans la concession 033/11 sous la gestion de la SICOBOIS dans la province de l’Équateur en République Démocratique du Congo en vue d’orienter les choix d’aménagement durable de la biodiversité et des services écosystémiques. La forêt mixte a fourni au total 348 individus, appartenant à 90 espèces groupées en 29 familles. La densité moyenne des ligneux est de 139 individus/ha, représentant une surface de 25 m2/ha. Quant à la forêt à Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, 322 individus ont été dénombrés, repartis en 50 espèces et 20 familles, avec des valeurs moyennes de 129 individus/ha et de 30,4 m2/ha respectivement pour la densité et la surface occupée. L’ensemble de la zone d’étude a donné 670 tiges de diamètre à la hauteur de poitrine (DHP)? 10 cm. Elles sont réparties en 101 espèces appartenant à 30 familles. Pour la forêt mixte, les valeurs  moyennes des indices de diversité sont les suivantes: Indice de Shannon-Weaver  (H) = 4,05; Indice de Simpson (1-D) = 0,97; Indice de Fisher alpha (?) = 39,3 et Equitabilité (J)= 0,89. Pour la forêt à Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, les valeurs calculées des indices de biodiversité sont: Indice de Shannon-Weaver  (H) = 2,27; Indice de Simpson (1-D) = 0,70; Indice de Fisher alpha (?) = 16,6 et Equitabilité (J) = 0,57. Ces données collectées permettront de suivre la dynamique spatio-temporelle de la flore et de la végétation de cette concession forestière et aideront les décideurs et les concessionnaires à mettre en place une meilleure stratégie d’aménagement forestier durable. Mots Clés: Forêt, Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, structure spatiale, indice de diversité, gestion durabl

Termination of pregnancy due to Thalassemia major, Hemophilia, and Down's Syndrome: the views of Iranian physicians

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genetic disorders due to <b>kindred </b>marriages are common medical conditions in Iran; however, the legal aspects of abortion remain controversial. This study was undertaken to determine physicians' opinions regarding the termination of pregnancy for three genetic diseases: thalassemia major, hemophilia, and Down's syndrome.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire was administered to selected physicians by stratified random sampling to determine the following: age, gender, knowledge about prenatal diagnosis of diseases in high risk pregnancies, agreement with abortion, recommended gestational age for abortion, and, if opposed to abortion, the reason.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 323 physicians, who participated in the study, 91.3(295), 40.6(131), and 78.6%(254) were in agreement and 8.7(28), 59.4(192), and 21.4%(69) were opposed to abortion for thalassemia major, hemophilia, and Down's syndrome, respectively. Among 289 physicians opposed to abortion in respect of each of all three conditions, the following reasons were cited: religion, 18; emotional, 10; quality of care, 23; hope to find a new treatment option in the future, 103; miscellaneous reasons, 6; and a combination of these reasons, 129. Among 680 physicians in agreement with abortion in relation to all of the diseases, 4.6%(31) were agreed with abortion in less than 12 weeks gestation, 79.2%(538) in less than 16 weeks gestation, 5.6%(38) in less than 20 weeks gestation, 2.2%(15) in less than 24 weeks gestation, and 8.4%(58) were agreed with beyond the 24 weeks of gestational age.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of physicians were in agreement with abortion for thalassemia major and Down's syndrome because of the overall prognosis, but opposed to abortion for hemophilia.</p