Collecting for New Zealand: Examining What the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Should Collect

Collecting for New Zealand explores two interconnected questions: how do history curators at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa decide what to collect; and what do those curators and members of the public think Te Papa should collect. Te Papa’s status as a national museum is important to the context within which decisions are made and opinions formed about collecting. By detailing the actual acquisition process and including the views of museum users, this research makes an important contribution to the literature on museum collecting. This study draws on multiple sources of data to examine history collecting at Te Papa. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with current curatorial staff and focus group discussions were held with members of the public. Current and previous policy documents that influence collecting at Te Papa were also reviewed. These sources combine to develop a picture of collecting at Te Papa which encompasses both specific details of staff practice and a further understanding of what qualities people seek in museum collection items. This thesis provides vital details on the practice and implications of collecting using location, in this case New Zealand, as a selection guide. In examining how staff decide what to collect, concerns expressed in the existing literature about the power of individuals to shape what is acquired are also addressed. The extent to which the views of the general public and those of museum staff are shared is revealed. In developing a fuller understanding of what people think Te Papa should collect, this research contributes to the debate about how to collect in ways that are sustainable. Collecting for New Zealand concludes by reflecting on the importance of audience to Te Papa’s ongoing collecting activity

Investigation of physical activity, sleep, and mental health recovery in treatment resistant depression (TRD) patients receiving repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment

Background : Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is effective in treating depression; however, the effect on physical activity, sleep and recovery is unclear. This study investigated rTMS effect on physical activity and sleep through providing patients with a Fitbit and software apps; and reports the impact of rTMS on depression, anxiety and mental health recovery. Methods : Study design was a pre and post data collection without a control, with twenty-four participants with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Measures used were Fitbit activity and sleep data, and patient-rated Recovering Quality of Life (ReQoL-20), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). Results : Response and remission rates were, respectively: 34.8% and 39% for PHQ-9; 34.8% and 47.8% for GAD-7. ReQoL-20 response and reliable improvement were 29.4% and 53%. PHQ-9, GAD-7 and ReQol-20 scores significantly improved, with large effect sizes. Analysis of Fitbit activity and sleep data yielded non-significant results. The Fitbit data machine learning model classified two levels of depression to 82% accuracy. Limitations : rTMS treatment was open-label and adjunct to existing antidepressant medication. No control group. Female patients were overrepresented. Conclusions : Improvements on the ReQoL-20 and aspects of sleep and activity indicate the positive impact of rTMS on the individual’s real world functioning and quality of life. A wearable activity tracker can provide feedback to patients and clinicians on sleep, physical activity and depression levels. Further research could be undertaken through a sufficiently powered RCT comparing rTMS versus rTMS with use of a Fitbit, its software applications, and sleep and physical activity advice

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p

Collecting for New Zealand: Examining What the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Should Collect

Collecting for New Zealand explores two interconnected questions: how do history curators at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa decide what to collect; and what do those curators and members of the public think Te Papa should collect. Te Papa’s status as a national museum is important to the context within which decisions are made and opinions formed about collecting. By detailing the actual acquisition process and including the views of museum users, this research makes an important contribution to the literature on museum collecting. This study draws on multiple sources of data to examine history collecting at Te Papa. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with current curatorial staff and focus group discussions were held with members of the public. Current and previous policy documents that influence collecting at Te Papa were also reviewed. These sources combine to develop a picture of collecting at Te Papa which encompasses both specific details of staff practice and a further understanding of what qualities people seek in museum collection items. This thesis provides vital details on the practice and implications of collecting using location, in this case New Zealand, as a selection guide. In examining how staff decide what to collect, concerns expressed in the existing literature about the power of individuals to shape what is acquired are also addressed. The extent to which the views of the general public and those of museum staff are shared is revealed. In developing a fuller understanding of what people think Te Papa should collect, this research contributes to the debate about how to collect in ways that are sustainable. Collecting for New Zealand concludes by reflecting on the importance of audience to Te Papa’s ongoing collecting activity

Collecting for New Zealand: Examining What the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Should Collect

Collecting for New Zealand explores two interconnected questions: how do history curators at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa decide what to collect; and what do those curators and members of the public think Te Papa should collect. Te Papa’s status as a national museum is important to the context within which decisions are made and opinions formed about collecting. By detailing the actual acquisition process and including the views of museum users, this research makes an important contribution to the literature on museum collecting. This study draws on multiple sources of data to examine history collecting at Te Papa. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with current curatorial staff and focus group discussions were held with members of the public. Current and previous policy documents that influence collecting at Te Papa were also reviewed. These sources combine to develop a picture of collecting at Te Papa which encompasses both specific details of staff practice and a further understanding of what qualities people seek in museum collection items. This thesis provides vital details on the practice and implications of collecting using location, in this case New Zealand, as a selection guide. In examining how staff decide what to collect, concerns expressed in the existing literature about the power of individuals to shape what is acquired are also addressed. The extent to which the views of the general public and those of museum staff are shared is revealed. In developing a fuller understanding of what people think Te Papa should collect, this research contributes to the debate about how to collect in ways that are sustainable. Collecting for New Zealand concludes by reflecting on the importance of audience to Te Papa’s ongoing collecting activity.</p

Data from: Population density, not host competence, drives patterns of disease in an invaded community

Generalist parasites can strongly influence interactions between native and invasive species. Host competence can be used to predict how an invasive species will affect community disease dynamics; the addition of a highly competent, invasive host is predicted to increase disease. However, densities of invasive and native species can also influence the impacts of invasive species on community disease dynamics. We examined whether information on host competence alone could be used to accurately predict the effects of an invasive host on disease in native hosts. We first characterized the relative competence of an invasive species and a native host species to a native parasite. Next, we manipulated species composition in mesocosms and found that host competence results did not accurately predict community dynamics. While the invasive host was more competent than the native, the presence of the native (lower competence) host increased disease in the invasive (higher competence) host. To identify potential mechanisms driving these patterns, we analyzed a two-host, one-parasite model parameterized for our system. Our results demonstrate that patterns of disease were primarily driven by relative population densities, mediated by asymmetry in intra- and interspecific competition. Thus, information on host competence alone may not accurately predict how an invasive species will influence disease in native species

Brain serotonin release is reduced in patients with depression: a [¹¹C]Cimbi-36 Positron Emission Tomography study with a d-amphetamine challenge

Background: The serotonin hypothesis of depression proposes that diminished serotonergic (5-HT) neurotransmission is causal in the pathophysiology of the disorder. Although the hypothesis is over 50 years old, there is no firm in vivo evidence for diminished 5-HT neurotransmission. We recently demonstrated that the 5-HT2A receptor agonist positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand [11C]Cimbi-36 is sensitive to increases in extracellular 5-HT induced by an acute d-amphetamine challenge. Here we applied [11C]Cimbi-36 PET to compare brain 5-HT release capacity in patients experiencing a major depressive episode (MDE) to that of healthy control subjects (HCs) without depression. Methods: Seventeen antidepressant-free patients with MDE (3 female/14 male, mean age 44 ± 13 years, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score 21 ± 4 [range 16–30]) and 20 HCs (3 female/17 male, mean age 32 ± 9 years) underwent 90-minute dynamic [11C]Cimbi-36 PET before and 3 hours after a 0.5-mg/kg oral dose of d-amphetamine. Frontal cortex (main region of interest) 5-HT2A receptor nondisplaceable binding was calculated from kinetic analysis using the multilinear analysis-1 approach with the cerebellum as the reference region. Results: Following d-amphetamine administration, frontal nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) was significantly reduced in the HC group (1.04 ± 0.31 vs. 0.87 ± 0.24, p < .001) but not in the MDE group (0.97 ± 0.25 vs. 0.92 ± 0.22, not significant). ?BPND of the MDE group was significantly lower than that of the HC group (HC: 15% ± 14% vs. MDE: 6.5% ± 20%, p = .041). Conclusions: This first direct assessment of 5-HT release capacity in people with depression provides clear evidence for dysfunctional serotonergic neurotransmission in depression by demonstrating reduced 5-HT release capacity in patients experiencing an MDE

Students' participation in collaborative research should be recognised

Letter to the editor