Claiming collective space: Kaupapa Maori in psychology

From its inception, the Psychology Department at the University of Waikato has had a focus on issues of culture, particularly those of relevance for Maori, with these early foundations laid by Emeritus Professor James Ritchie, who in 1965 took up the founding chair of the Department. These foundations have continued to be built on, utilising a variety of different strategies. Drawing on a research base which has emerged primarily from within the Maori and Psychology Research Unit at Waikato University, this paper explores strategies which have served to carve out and claim space for Maori, both within the department, and within the wider discipline of psychology

The analysis of cytochrome P450 proteins by mass spectrometry.

The cytochromes P450 (P450s) are a superfamily of mixed function oxidases with a central role in the metabolism of a large number of drugs, xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. Mammalian P450s are membrane bound and hydrophobic in character. The completion of the draft of the human genome revealed the presence of about 106 different P450 genes, of which 57 are thought to be functional. Traditional methods for the analysis of P450s rely on indirect detection techniques such as immunoblotting, activity assays and the detection of P450 mRNA. Mass spectrometry (MS) provides an attractive alternative approach since it offers uniquely the ability to directly detect low levels of multiple proteins simultaneously and without pre-selection. A method for the analysis of cytochrome P450 proteins by MS has been developed. Microsomal proteins are separated by 1-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by in-gel tryptic digestion of the protein bands and peptide analysis by nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC) coupled to nano-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (ES-MS/MS), with identification by database searching. Work with biological samples culminated in a study in which the P450 expression profile was determined for six sets of colorectal liver metastases and corresponding liver samples from patients with metastatic colorectal cancer of the liver. Fourteen distinct P450 enzymes were positively identified (CYP1A2, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, 3A4, 4A11, 4F2, 4F11, 8B1 and 27A1), thirteen in liver and twelve in tumour tissue. The P450 profiles of the tumours demonstrate that metastatic cancers in liver potentially have extensive drug-metabolising capabilities, which are likely to be important in determining the outcome of treatment. Further studies have been initiated, which aim to identify and quantify functional P450s using mechanism based inactivators (MBIs). These are substrates that form metabolites that covalently adduct to the active site, leaving the enzyme permanently modified. The use of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) as a MBI of CYP2E1 led to the identification of a BITC-modified catalytic site peptide, 283LYTMDGITVTVADLFFAGTETTSTTLR309. The site of modification was determined by MS/MS to be one of six C-terminal threonine and serine residues. The mass of the modification was consistent with the adduction of one molecule of benzyl isocyanate and oxygen

Reaping the rewards of learning within agricultural knowledge systems: An account of a PhD learning system

Despite the existence and application of mandatory agri-environmental policy for many decades, significant environmental sustainability problems remain attributable to the agricultural sector. Participatory types of extension practices are believed to have a potential to enable extension organisations to enhance the supports provided to farmers to help meet the requirements and objectives of these policies. To test this proposition, the PhD researcher used a learning systems approach for exploring the interplay between farmer subjectivities, the European Union’s policy of cross compliance and the extension practices of Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority. Three learning sub-systems were employed in the investigation. The first used the principles of Participatory Action Research for revealing stakeholders’ perceptions of Teagasc’s cross compliance extension service. This process resulted in the attainment of rich insights about extension practices, however it also revealed that a significant number of farmers were experiencing socio-cultural difficulties with the application and enforcement of cross compliance. To better understand the implications of these subjectivities, a second sub-system was created to learn about farmers’ experiences of the policy. This process surfaced diverse insights about farmers’ personal experiences of cross compliance. A final sub-system employed systems thinking and practice for appraising the utility of the learning arising from the previous sub-systems for improving interactions between farmers, extension organisations and cross compliance. The combined findings of the thesis indicate that there is considerable potential for extension organisations to use participatory practices for developing rich understandings of farmers’ preferences for mandatory agri-environmental policy and its related extension practices. However, a limitation in realising participant preferences is that extension organisations appear to have little influence over the application and enforcement of mandatory agri-environmental policy. Overcoming this participatory barrier will require sustained collective learning targeted at understanding how stakeholders can work together to develop agri-environmental policies that are socially, financially and environmentally sustainable. This paper explores how this ‘sustained collective learning’ may be realised taking a specific account of the learnings developed within and following the completion of the PhD Learning System. The insights elucidated will be of interest to scholars and extension practitioners involved in similar learning endeavours

Evaluation of the Whānau Ora Wellbeing Service of Te Whakaruruhau: Final report

Domestic violence and child abuse represent significant threats to whānau ora. Conversely, the weakening or loss of whānau ties can increase the vulnerability of whānau members to domestic violence and child abuse. Thus enhancing whānau ora in the context of domestic violence and child abuse is both a high priority and a significant challenge. Te Whakaruruhau Māori Women’s Refuge has been providing safe housing, support and advocacy to women and children for over two decades and has become a key agency in family violence networks in Kirikiriroa. The development of the Whānau Ora Wellbeing Service, the focus of this evaluation, was a logical extension of Refuge services. The Māori and Psychology Research Unit was commissioned in mid‐2011 to conduct this evaluation. It is based on ten case studies of clients in the programme, interviews with Te Whakaruruhau staff and key informants in allied agencies, and participant‐observation of Refuge activities. The case studies provide insights into the lived experience of women dealing with violence, their attempts to protect themselves and their children, and their experiences of – and reflections upon – the Whānau Ora Wellbeing programme

The Joy of Following Students Down Unexpected Paths

As our students think and reason mathematically, sometimes we need to follow their paths, even if they are different than those we have anticipated they will take. Occasionally these unexpected paths can lead to surprising connections. In this article, the author describes new paths her class took to generalize the sum of the interior angles of convex polygons

Multiple Ways to Persevere: Liar's Bingo

Some readers may already be familiar with the mathematical task of solving Liar's Bingo. In this article, the authors will share the different ways Liar's Bingo has provided both the authors and their students the opportunity to persevere on multiple levels as they and students try to explain the different mathematical patterns that emerge in the strips. The authors will share some extensions to Liar's Bingo that readers can use in their classrooms and some of the observed patterns and some sample explanations. Spoiler alert: the authors have not found explanations for all the observed patterns. (Yet!