Zero-fee policy: Making tertiary education and training accessible and affordable for all?

  The new Labour led government implemented a zero-fee tertiary policy as part of its first 100-day plan to improve tertiary level participation in New Zealand and to reduce financial barriers. With the first cohort of eligible students enrolling in 2018, the benefits and limitations of this scheme have yet to be determined. This paper discusses the key details and the underpinning rationale of the zero-fee initiative and considers the possible impacts on participation rates, including participation for groups such as those from low socio-economic backgrounds and Māori/Pasifika students. It is argued that the fees-free policy has the potential to enhance tertiary education participation in New Zealand. Yet, as a standalone policy it will not address all the existing barriers, especially for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Finally, key areas for further research are proposed to address gaps in the existing knowledge base and to indicate early trends between the new policy and changes in tertiary level participation

The Nga-tahi Project: competency development for the vulnerable children’s workforce

Ngätahi is a three-year project aiming to identify and embed the additional competencies needed for the children’s workforce to work with families experiencing intimate partner violence, child abuse and neglect, mental illness, addictions, poverty and poor supports. Mäori tamariki (children) and whänau are over-represented in this client group. Collective impact, appreciative inquiry and a robust tikanga inform the project. A formal Treaty of Waitangi partnership with the local iwi, Ngäti Kahungunu, provides cultural leadership at all levels of the project. Twenty-seven agencies or services representing 441 practitioners have engaged in the project in Hawke’s Bay. The three priorities for competency development identified are: engaging effectively with Mäori (EEWM), mental health and addictions (MHA) and trauma-informed practice (TIP). Within the TIP work stream, addressing practitioners’ burnout, fatigue and vicarious trauma is the first priority. The three work streams are currently developing curricula and identifying leaders to deliver training locally, and delivering activities to embed the new competencies into practice and metrics to demonstrate the impact of the new competencies on practice and on outcomes. Qualitative interviews demonstrate high commitment from the workforce and its leaders, consistent priorities for development of additional competencies and important lessons learnt. We suggest that this model may be helpful for policymakers considering other collaborative activities to address ‘wicked’ or complex problems, and offer some lessons learnt to date

Henry Hill – Frontier Inspector

Although school inspectors appear frequently as occasional actors in New Zealand nineteenth century educational history the part they played in developing regional systems of education has been little considered. Employed initially by provincial governments and later by education boards, inspectors were relied upon to be the public's educational watchdogs. Scholarly standards had to be attained and maintained, spending on education carefully supervised. Some insight into the role of the pioneering inspectorate is afforded by this 'case study' which examines the work done in Hawke's Bay between 1878 and 1900 by inspector Henry Hill. Primary education made free and compulsory by the 1877 Education Act, threw former provincial schools into disarray as hundreds of children flocked to the 14 schools in the Hawke's Bay Educational District. Hill1 s initial task, therefore, was to bring some semblance of order by negotiating the hireage of temporary school buildings, purchasing new school sites, supervising the construction and maintenance of schools, directing inexperienced teachers and advising newly elected school committee and Board members. Ever aware of the needs of both teachers and children, Hill strove to employ qualified teachers and to evolve a more relevant curriculum for children. Always motivated by a professional concern for those in his care the inspector introduced many innovative features to a national system of education. Because education derives its purpose, form and content from the particular social environment in which it develops its history, to be truly understood, must be viewed as a part of the total history of a people. The aim throughout this study has been, therefore to describe and explain educational developments within the province not in isolation from, but in relation to the evolving social order of nineteenth century Hawke's Bay. This study hypothesizes that throughout the Colony, education board inspectors were primarily responsible for implementing the 1877 Education Act and that in Hawke's Bay Inspector Henry Hill was particularly influential in bringing the work of the most educationally backward of provinces into line with others more richly endowed

Suppository formulations as a potential treatment for nephropathic cystinosis.

Nephropathic cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterised by raised lysosomal levels of cystine in the cells of all the organs. It is treated by the 6-h oral administration of the aminothiol, cysteamine, which has an offensive taste and smell. In an attempt to reduce this frequency and improve the treatment, cysteamine-containing polyethylene glycol suppositories were prepared and evaluated for dissolution and stability. The results demonstrated that cysteamine release was complete after 30 min, and that there was a uniform drug distribution within the formulations. Twelve-month stability tests highlighted a potential incompatibility among some excipients, although stability was demonstrated for the cysteamine suppositories up to 6 months. These suppositories may provide a useful alternative to the current oral therapy for cystinosis

Suppressed dependence of polarization on epitaxial strain in highly polar ferroelectrics

A combined experimental and computational investigation of coupling between polarization and epitaxial strain in highly polar ferroelectric PbZr_0.2Ti_0.8O_3 (PZT) thin films is reported. A comparison of the properties of relaxed (tetragonality c/a = 1.05) and highly-strained (c/a = 1.09) epitaxial films shows that polarization, while being amongst the highest reported for PZT or PbTiO_3 in either film or bulk forms (P_r = 82 microC/cm^2), is almost independent of the epitaxial strain. We attribute this behavior to a suppressed sensitivity of the A-site cations to epitaxial strain in these Pb-based perovskites, where the ferroelectric displacements are already large, contrary to the case of less polar perovskites, such as BaTiO_3. In the latter case, the A-site cation (Ba) and equatorial oxygen displacements can lead to substantial polarization increases.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

The hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) test to predict the ophthalmic irritation potential of a cysteamine-containing gel: quantification using Photoshop® and ImageJ.

A modified hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) test has been developed, combining ImageJ analysis with Adobe® Photoshop®. The irritation potential of an ophthalmic medicine can be quantified using this method, by monitoring damage to blood vessels. The evaluation of cysteamine containing hyaluronate gel is reported. The results demonstrated that the novel gel formulation is non-irritant to the ocular tissues, in line with saline solution (negative control). In conclusion, the modification of the established HET-CAM test can quantify the damage to minute blood vessels. These results offer the possibility to formulate cysteamine in an ocular applicable gel formulation

Beyond mild cognitive impairment: vascular cognitive impairment, no dementia (VCIND)

Identifying the causes of dementia is important in the search for effective preventative and treatment strategies. The concept of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as prodromal dementia, has been useful but remains controversial since in population-based studies it appears to be a limited predictor of progression to dementia. Recognising the relative contribution of neurodegenerative and vascular causes, as well as their interrelationship, may enhance predictive accuracy. The concept of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has been introduced to describe the spectrum of cognitive change related to vascular causes from early cognitive decline to dementia. A recent review of this concept highlighted the need for diagnostic criteria that encompass the full range of the VCI construct. However, very little is known regarding the mildest stage of VCI, generally termed 'vascular cognitive impairment, no dementia' (VCIND). Whether mild cognitive change in the context of neurodegenerative pathologies is distinct from that in the context of cerebrovascular diseases is not known. This is key to the definition of VCIND and whether it is possible to identify this state. Distinguishing between vascular (that is, VCIND) and non-vascular (that is, MCI) cognitive disorders and determining how well each might predict dementia may not be possible due to the overlap in pathologies observed in the older population. Here, we review the concept of VCIND in an effort to identify recent developments and areas of controversy in nosology and the application of VCIND for screening individuals at increased risk of dementia secondary to vascular disease and its risk factors

Zero-fee policy: Making tertiary education and training accessible and affordable for all?

  The new Labour led government implemented a zero-fee tertiary policy as part of its first 100-day plan to improve tertiary level participation in New Zealand and to reduce financial barriers. With the first cohort of eligible students enrolling in 2018, the benefits and limitations of this scheme have yet to be determined. This paper discusses the key details and the underpinning rationale of the zero-fee initiative and considers the possible impacts on participation rates, including participation for groups such as those from low socio-economic backgrounds and Māori/Pasifika students. It is argued that the fees-free policy has the potential to enhance tertiary education participation in New Zealand. Yet, as a standalone policy it will not address all the existing barriers, especially for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Finally, key areas for further research are proposed to address gaps in the existing knowledge base and to indicate early trends between the new policy and changes in tertiary level participation

Physical Activity Reduces Hippocampal Atrophy in Elders at Genetic Risk for Alzheimer\u27s Disease

We examined the impact of physical activity (PA) on longitudinal change in hippocampal volume in cognitively intact older adults at varying genetic risk for the sporadic form of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). Hippocampal volume was measured from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans administered at baseline and at an 18-month follow-up in 97 healthy, cognitively intact older adults. Participants were classified as High or Low PA based on a self-report questionnaire of frequency and intensity of exercise. Risk status was defined by the presence or absence of the apolipoprotein E-epsilon 4 (APOE-ε4) allele. Four subgroups were studied: Low Risk/High PA (n = 24), Low Risk/Low PA (n = 34), High Risk/High PA (n = 22), and High Risk/Low PA (n = 17). Over the 18 month follow-up interval, hippocampal volume decreased by 3% in the High Risk/Low PA group, but remained stable in the three remaining groups. No main effects or interactions between genetic risk and PA were observed in control brain regions, including the caudate, amygdala, thalamus, pre-central gyrus, caudal middle frontal gyrus, cortical white matter (WM), and total gray matter (GM). These findings suggest that PA may help to preserve hippocampal volume in individuals at increased genetic risk for AD. The protective effects of PA on hippocampal atrophy were not observed in individuals at low risk for AD. These data suggest that individuals at genetic risk for AD should be targeted for increased levels of PA as a means of reducing atrophy in a brain region critical for the formation of episodic memories