The effects of methyl parathion on the colony dynamics of Apis mellifera : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The detrimental effects of pesticides to honey bee colonies were assessed using a combination of electronic and manual sampling techniques. Initial experiments determined that electronic bee counters could be used to identify and monitor toxic events occurring in honey bee colonies, and also identified that 30 minutes after application, the bees did not avoid direct contact with methyl parathion. Dead bee counts, flight activity, percent return of foragers, and determination of colony composition were used to assess the effects of methyl parathion on the colony dynamics of Apis mellifera. In particular, the combination of dead bee counts, colony composition analysis, and "real time" data, provided an extensive monitoring system that enabled the progression of colony recovery to be followed, and generated information of use for the application of pesticides in the local environment. The analysis of colony composition identified that brood declined in response to decreased worker bees, and that colony recovery was dependent on brood and food reserves within the hive. The foraging activity of honey bee colonies dosed with methyl parathion was lower than that of untreated colonies because their flight activity and percent return rate declined for at least six weeks following methyl parathion application. Keywords: Honey bees, Apis mellifera, Pesticide effects, Methyl parathion, Flightmonitorin

Placing Research: 'City Publics' and the 'Public Sociologist'

This article raises questions about who becomes the proper subject for (non)academic attention in a time when 'city publics' might be positioned as democratising and open or, conversely, as curtailed and shaped through specific and pre-determined economies of value and use. The use of the city and its residents are echoed in regeneration politics and objectives, attached to and brought forward by specific 'regenerative' subjects, now deemed 'resilient' and capacitated. Such rhetorics of inclusion and measurable impact are echoed within ideas of a 'public sociology', which the engaged researcher should practice as she re-engages differently located spaces and subjects. Here, questions are raised about the place of a 'public sociology' as part of a 'city publics', where understanding local disseminations and disparities is important in considering where different users, interviewees and indeed researchers are coming from. Having situated the fieldwork site, we initially focus on the expert advisory group and their constructions of the project's 'use-value'. We then consider the background 'shadows' in and out of 'expert' space, as a trailing presence of research intentions and trajectories. Ideas of public sociology – as with an open 'city publics' often assumes that all users are interested, willing to hear and appear as equal members of a 'community'. In contrast, the experience of engaging a user group may involve dis-engaging the research-researcher-researched and here we provide disruptions to a straightforward 'travelling through' research space as we walk through our research methodologies. This article presents professional and personal reflections on research experience as well as interpretative accounts of navigating fieldwork and city space.Public Sociology, Use, Impact, City Publics, Class, Gender

NTD diagnostics for disease elimination:A review

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) marked out for disease elimination provide a lens through which to explore the changing status of diagnosis in global health. This paper reports on the findings of a scoping review, which set out to explore the main debates around diagnosis for the elimination of NTDs, including the multiple roles diagnostic technologies are being ascribed and the ideal characteristics of tests. It also attempts to summarise the state of diagnosis for three NTDs with elimination goals. The review places special emphasis on point-of-care testing in acknowledgement of the remote and underserved areas where NTDs proliferate. Early NTD campaigns were largely focused on attack phase planning, whereby a similar set of interventions could be transplanted anywhere. Now, with elimination goals in sight, strategies must be tailored to local settings if they are to attain and sustain success. Diagnostic data helps with local adaptation and is increasingly used for programmatic decision-making. The review finds that elimination goals reframe whom diagnosis is for and the myriad roles diagnostics can play. The exigencies of elimination also serve to highlight deficiencies in the current diagnostic arsenal and development pipeline for many NTDs. Moving forward, a guiding framework is needed to drive research and stimulate investment in diagnosis to support NTD goals

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) increases in plasma and colon tissue prior to estrus and circulating levels change with increasing age in reproductively competent Wistar rats

There is a well-documented association between cyclic changes to food intake and the changing ovarian hormone levels of the reproductive cycle in female mammals. Limited research on appetite-controlling gastrointestinal peptides has taken place in females, simply because regular reproductive changes in steroid hormones present additional experimental factors to account for. This study focussed directly on the roles that gastrointestinal-secreted peptides may have in these reported, naturally occurring, changes to food intake during the rodent estrous cycle and aimed to determine whether peripheral changes occurred in the anorexigenic (appetite-reducing) hormones peptide-YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in female Wistar rats (32-44 weeks of age). Total forms of each peptide were measured in matched fed and fasted plasma and descending colon tissue samples for each animal during the dark (feeding) phase. PYY concentrations did not significantly change between defined cycle stages, in either plasma or tissue samples. GLP-1 concentrations in fed plasma and descending colon tissue were significantly increased during proestrus, just prior to a significant reduction in fasted stomach contents at estrus, suggesting increased satiety and reduced food intake at this stage of the cycle. Increased proestrus GLP-1 concentrations could contribute to the reported reduction in food intake during estrus and may also have biological importance in providing the optimal nutritional and metabolic environment for gametes at the potential point of conception. Additional analysis of the findings demonstrated significant interactions of ovarian cycle stage and fed/fasted status with age on GLP-1, but not PYY plasma concentrations. Slightly older females had reduced fed plasma GLP-1 suggesting that a relaxation of regulatory control of this incretin hormone may also take place with increasing age in reproductively competent females

Schisms in Schooling: Domains of Power as seen from Our Students

This study investigated the dynamics of power available to students who are assigned to participate in small group instruction as an intervention to low academic scores. It proposes that student experiences of the phenomenon of small group instruction are not currently present in the research literature concerning low student performance in public education, and therefore the research literature is incomplete. A case study was conducted at a public school in St. Louis, Missouri, which resulted in a case of two teachers and five students recruited to participate. Through document analysis, classroom observations, and participant interviews, the participants provided data from which inferences, implications, and conclusions about the status quo of student participation were uncovered. The theoretical framework through which these status quos were uncovered included Critical Race Theory, which led to a study design based on Patricia-Hill Collins\u27 Four Domains of Power used as lenses to define as well as highlight the intersections of social location within an institution. These lenses were then used to further understand the social location thus the agency of students within the institution of public education. The findings depicted a matrix of status quos in which students are acted upon in order to integrate them into the current society and its norms, rather than realize themselves in order to further become conscious and critical actors unto themselves

Factors contributing to a positive work experience for domestic workers

Despite entrenched legislation directed at protecting the rights of domestic workers, many still endure menial working conditions, receive low wages and are even subject to exploitation and abuse. At the same time, domestic workers are charged with the major responsibility of caring for their employers’ homes and families. All of this may lead to a work experience that is regarded as less than positive. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to a more humanising and positive working experience for domestic workers. A qualitative approach was adopted, and data was obtained by conducting semi-structured interviews with seven domestic workers, and a separate group of seven employers of domestic workers, all of whom were located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Data was collected through interviews held with individuals in the two groups of participants and was processed by transcribing notes from audio tape recordings captured during the interviews. Data analysis took the form of a thematic analysis to identify recurring themes. The findings of the study revealed that domestic workers concerns regarding their work environment relate to job security, wages, working conditions and the relationship with their employer. The employers felt that legislation, being part of the family, retirement planning and respect were important themes that impact on a domestic worker’s work experience. This study endeavors to contribute to a better understanding of what is needed to provide a more humanising work experience for female domestic workers in South Africa who may have experienced a sense of marginalisation within, and exclusion from, the dynamics of the open labour market

Michelle Baldrige Honors Portfolio

Michelle Baldrige\u27s honors portfolio captured in February 2021

Pedagogy for Latino/a Newcomer Students: A Study of Four Secondary Social Studies Teachers in New York City Urban Newcomer Schools

This dissertation study examined how teachers in four newcomer schools conceptualized and implemented social studies education for newcomer Latino/a youth. I designed this multi-site, collective case study to examine the perspectives and decision making of four social studies teachers' enacted pedagogy for Latino/a newcomer students. I documented how social studies teachers (U.S. History and Global History) were teaching Latino/a newcomer youth within urban newcomer high schools through the research question: how do four secondary teachers conceptualize and implement social studies education for newcomer Latino/a youth? As evidenced in their culturally and linguistically relevant pedagogy, teachers in this study provided constant support, encouragement, and opportunity for Latino/a newcomer students to succeed academically, and encouraged active civic engagement by using students' cultural, linguistic, and civic knowledge and experiences as central to their pedagogy. I analyzed the findings within and across four case studies to develop an emerging grounded theory of culturally and linguistically relevant citizenship education. This developing grounded theory analyzed the intersections of culturally relevant pedagogy, linguistically responsive teaching, and active and engaged citizenship. These intersections and cross-case analysis of the four teachers' social studies pedagogy for newcomer Latino/a students developed five principles of culturally and linguistically relevant citizenship education. These principles included: pedagogy of community, pedagogy of success, pedagogy of making cross-cultural connections, pedagogy of building a language of social studies, and pedagogy of community-based, participatory citizenship. This study has the potential to add to and expand on the discourse regarding social studies pedagogy for culturally and linguistically diverse students (Ladson-Billings, 1995b; Lucas and Villegas, 2011), newcomer schools (Short and Boyson, 2000), English Language Learners (Cruz and Thornton, 2009), and citizenship education for newcomer youth (Salinas, 2006). Possibilities for future research might include examining how Latino/a immigrant students' cultural and linguistic experiences influence their perceptions of social studies and how they conceptualize citizenship. Furthermore, additional research might also explore how the findings in this study may be used to develop a more culturally and linguistically responsive teacher education program, create professional development opportunities for in-service teachers, and examine how elementary teachers and teachers in rural/suburban contexts conceptualize their social studies pedagogy for immigrant youth

Consumer Perceptions of a Brand\u27s Social Media Marketing

This project seeks to inform corporate marketing efforts, as well as add to the growing body of literature on social media marketing. The purpose of this project is to assess consumer perceptions of a brand’s social media marketing. Participants were obtained from the PetSafe® brand Facebook fan page, and a total of 195 respondents completed all measures and were included in the study. The results show that brands must be actively engaging their consumers via social media in order to compete in a competitive marketplace. Engagement can be promoted through entertaining and interactive posts, useful and relevant content, word of mouth communication from other consumers, as well as extrinsic reinforcers such as promotions and giveaways. Social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter, is a key platform to build relationships with consumers and for consumers to get information about a brand and its products. Consumers are trustworthy of the information posted by the brand and information posted by other consumers online. The future of social media as a marketing tool is also considered

Examining the Relationship between Multicultural Efficacy and Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Self-Efficacy among K-12 Teachers

The purpose of this multiple regression study was to examine the relationship between multicultural self-efficacy and culturally responsive classroom management self-efficacy (CRCMSE). In addition, the study examined if attitude toward diversity and experience with diversity are significant predictors of teachers’ sense of CRCMSE. The Multicultural Efficacy Scale (MES) and CRCMSE Scale was distributed to a sample of K-12 public school teachers working in a large Virginia school division. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the relationship between the predictor variables (multicultural self-efficacy, attitude toward diversity, and experience with diversity) and the criterion variable (CRCMSE). Pearson R2 was calculated to determine the effect size between the predictor and criterion variables, while descriptive statistics was calculated to determine frequencies, percentages, central tendencies, and variations. Prior research indicates that teacher beliefs influence student outcomes, particularly in settings with culturally and ethnically diverse students. The results found experience with diversity and multicultural efficacy to be statistically significant predictors of CRCMSE. Attitude toward diversity was not found to be a statistically significant predictor of CRCMSE