Staging areas : Vietnam veterans from Aotearoa-New Zealand and therapeutic landscapes in black box theatre : an exegisis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

The purpose of this exegesis is to document my attempt to ride the practice-theory divide in an arts-based research project on therapeutic landscapes and war veterans from Aotearoa-New Zealand. Over a period of nine months, a group of Vietnam veterans engaged in photo-elicitation methods to explore the concept of therapeutic landscapes from their unique and subjective experiences as former personnel of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). Of particular interest was to understand how veterans construct narratives of self-hood and wellbeing, as impacted upon by their service in an unpopular war, and their subsequent treatment by the government and public in the years hence. The data produced by the veterans was analysed and transformed into a draft script; then in collaboration with Te Rākau (a Māori community theatre group), the script and its underlying themes were re-worked in the studio using principles and techniques specific to theatre making. The studio inquiry produced a picture of Vietnam veterans as highly motivated individuals who are politically cognisant, loyal to their cohort, media savvy, self sufficient, and who continue to draw upon their Army training to measure and maintain optimum physical health in their senior years. Key themes that emerged from the data was their belief in taking individual responsibility for one’s health, an appreciation of alternative and complementary therapies as part of self-care, and a collective opinion that the current model of government support is inadequate and difficult for veterans to access. These and other findings were disseminated via a live presentation of the work-in-progress, which provided opportunity for further analysis by the veterans, and resulted in the creation of a final play-script, The Landeaters. Finally, by sharing excerpts from my production diary, this exegesis explores my input as a student researcher-artist, and, in doing so, brings to light both professional and personal challenges that may occur when practising arts-based inquiry with one’s community – and on a topic close to one’s heart

Performing pūrākau : liberating bodies, healing wairua, and reclaiming ancestral wisdom : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Studies by government agencies and advocacy groups report that Māori women and children are more vulnerable to experiencing family violence, sexual abuse, and incest than Pākehā. They acknowledge colonisation and historical trauma as contributing factors, and call for a systems-focused response to tackling sexual violence. This includes providing access to contextually responsive and culturally appropriate interventions. This study initially aimed to explore traditional Māori understandings of incest and healing from sexual trauma that are embedded in the pūrākau (ancestral story) of Hinetītama/Hinenui Te Pō, and her parents, Hineahuone and Tānemahuta. As it would apply a unique Māori theatre pedagogy called Theatre Marae, the project was then expanded to investigate the utility and potential of this innovative approach, which draws together Māori and non-Māori performance traditions, therapeutic models, Māori language, and customs in a process for creative inquiry. In pursuing these two activities, the resulting thesis comprises three publications. In the first article (chapter 2), I unpack the conceptual framework of Theatre Marae pedagogy as a suitable approach for kaupapa Māori (by Māori, for Māori) arts-based research against the backdrop of growing scholarship in Indigenous research and psychologies. In the second article (chapter 3), I deepen this exploration into Theatre Marae and its core methods within an historical account of the theatre company most associated with the practice, Te Rākau. The third article (chapter 4) builds on the preceding chapters by returning to the initial focus of this study and describing how Theatre Marae was applied in a performance-based analysis of this ancient pūrākau as a narrative of survival and healing. The analysis revealed new themes that highlight the collectivist customs of traditional Māori society as protective factors against the proliferation of sexual violence and incest. When drawn together in this thesis, these articles and contextualising discussion illustrate how Māori ancestral knowledge can inform the development of more culturally responsive therapies for recovery from historic sexual trauma. Furthermore, in presenting Theatre Marae to the realm of kaupapa Māori research, this thesis contributes to an international agenda to decolonise research in ways that are emancipatory, healing, and transformative for Indigenous communities

Marjolin’s Ulcers: A Review

Background: Marjolin's ulcers though thoughtto be rare have been reported to have a higher incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. These tumours typically run an aggressive course with a poor prognosis. Late presentation has been reported to be typical of these cancers and some of the reasons adduced for this, are difficulties in both clinical and pathological diagnosis. This review therefore aims at enlightening the medical community on Marjolin's ulcers with a view to improving early recognition, treatment and outcome.Method: Literatures on marjolin's ulcers were sourced from available journals and internet based searches using Pubmed, Medline and Google search.Results: The incidence of Marjolin's ulcers appears higher in developing countries. First recognized in the first century AD, a lot is yet to be  understood about the evolution of these cancers. Late presentation still remains a feature of this pathology even in recent times. Prognosis improves drastically with early recognition and treatment.Conclusion: The key to improving outcome in Marjolin's ulcers is early recognition and adequate treatment.Key Words: Marjolin's Ulcers; Review; Literatur

Adsorption of aqueous Cd(II) and Pb(II) on activated carbon nanopores prepared by chemical activation of doum palm shell

Non-uniformly sized activated carbons were derived from doum palm shell, a new precursor, by carbonization in air and activation using KOH, NaOH and ZnCl2. The activated carbon fibres were characterised by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis and evaluated for Cd(II) and Pb(II) removal. The 40-50 nm size, less graphitic, mesoporous NaOH activated carbon yielded high adsorption efficiency, pointing largely to the influence surface area. The performance of the KOH based activated carbon was arguably explained for the first time in terms of crystallinity. The efficiencies of the mesoporous ZnCl2-formulated activated carbon diminished due to the presence of larger particles. Batch adsorption of divalent metals revealed dependence on adsorbent dose, agitation time, pH and adsorbate concentrations with high adsorption efficiencies at optimum operating parameters. The equilibrium profiles fitted Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and kinetics favoured pseudo-second order model. The study demonstrated the practicability of the removal of alarming levels of cadmium and lead ions from industrial effluents

The pain of labour: Perspectives of traditional birth attendants in Edo State, Nigeria

Objective: To determine the concept of labour pain and its relief in a cultural setting using the perspectives of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs).Design: Cross Sectional Comparative Study.Setting: An urban area (Benin City) and a semi-urban town (Auchi) in Edo State, Nigeria.Subjects: Traditional Birth Attendants in an urban area (Benin City) and a  semi-urban town (Auchi) were identified using  information from a local directory and a respondent driven sampling method.Results: A total of 58 TBAs (37 in Benin and 21 in Auchi) were interviewed. MostTBAs, 36 (97.3%) in Benin and 21 (100.0%) in Auchi, agreed that there is pain during labour. Almost all the TBAs, 34 (94.4%) in Benin and 21 (100,0%) in Auchi, reported that labour pain could be severe. Most of the TBAs, 31(83.8%) in Benin and 20 (95.2%) in Auchi reported that their clients request for pain relief in labour. Use of oral herbs was the most common method of pain relief in labour amongst the TBAs, 12(32.2%) in Benin and 20(100.0%) in Auchi. Most of the TBAs in Benin, 19(61.3%) offer nothing for labour pain, when pain relief is sought by their clients.Conclusion: Labour is considered painful in our culture and most women desire relief. TBAs in semi-urban setting used herbal remedies more readily than their urban counterparts. Efforts should be made at providing comfort to all women in labour irrespective of the location of delivery

Restorative justice as an alternative dispute resolution model: opinions of victims of crime and criminal justice professionals in Nigeria

This is an original non-experimental research conducted in four Geo-Political Zones in Nigeria (West Africa). It surveys opinions of victims of crime and conflicts, and criminal justice professionals with regard to exploring restorative justice as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Model in the country. The findings of this study are relatively in line with other cross-national research and evaluations of restorative justice, which consistently demonstrate that victims of crime are better off after participating in restorative justice programmes compared to the court proceedings (see Strang et al, 2006 for instance). The ‘Afrocentric’ viewpoints contained in the findings are imperative to international practitioners and scholars interested in Peace and Dispute Resolutions in Africa

The potential of solar photovoltaic systems for residential homes in Lagos city of Nigeria

The development and use of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies worldwide is considered crucial towards fulfilling an increasing global energy demand and mitigating climate change. However, the potential of a solar PV-system is location specific, influenced by the local solar resource, energy demand and cost among other factors. The main aim of this study is to conduct a detailed assessment of the potential of solar PV-systems in residential buildings in Lagos Metropolitan Area, Nigeria. Nigeria has enormous solar energy potential, it is the most populous country in Africa and occupies a significant place in the development of Africa. Yet, it is a county with one of the lowest per capita electricity consumption in the world – at 149 kWh per capita for a population of about 170 million, about 7% of Brazil’s and 3% of South Africa’s. To achieve this goal, this study employed the survey of 150 residential buildings in three local government areas (LGAs) in Lagos State, Nigeria to obtain electric load data. HOMER Pro was used to size the PV-systems and to determine the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The computed energy results of the study for the base case scenario revealed the PV array, lead acid battery and the converter (inverter) of the PV-systems to be in the following range: 0.3 to 76 kW; 2 to 176kWh; and 0.1 to 13.2 kW respectively. Economic analysis revealed a LCOE of the systems in the range of 0.398 USD/kWh to 0.743 USD/kWh. The use of PV-system generated electricity in the dwellings has potential for an annual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 31.24 kgCO2eq to 7456.44 kgCO2eq. Clearly, the use of solar PV systems in residential buildings possesses potentials for enabling Nigeria to attain its climate change mitigation targets indicated in her National Determined Contributions (NDCs)

Multidimensional Poverty Incidence in Nigeria: Empirical Insight from Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire (CWIQ) Survey

This study carried out an analysis of multidimensional poverty incidence in Nigeria using the Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire (CWIQ) Data, a non-monetary welfare indicator survey. A composed sample of 77,400 (seventy-seven thousand, four hundred) housing units drawn from the 36 States and Federal Capital Territory-FCT was used for the study. Five non-monetary welfare indicators were constructed for the study- Housing; Education; Energy; Health; and Land access. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Adapted-Foster Greer and Thorbecke, were used to analyze the data. The PCA was used to derive the non-monetary poverty line. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin model adequacy value of 0.75 was obtained in each of the poverty groupings. The study revealed that poverty in Nigeria has no geographical frontier, with all the geo-political zones/groupings recording high incidence of multidimensional poverty. Among the recommendations made were: Government should target specific regions or states based on the poverty attributes they are most deprived; Government should incorporate other poverty attributes in their poverty eradication programmes instead of focusing primarily on moving people out of certain income poverty level. Keywords: Nigeria, Multidimensional Poverty, Incidence, Core Welfare Indicator Questionnair

Upper Limb Congenital Anomalies in Nigeria

Background: About 1–2% of neonates have congenital anomalies; of these, 10% affect the upper limbs. Congenital anomalies are structural or metabolic defects present at birth. Objective: To review cases seen over a four-year period in a tertiary specialist hospital in Lagos and share our experience. Methodology: Case notes and theatre records of patients with congenital upper limb anomalies were retrieved and relevant data extracted. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 20. Results: 46 patients with 53 diagnoses of upper extremity congenital anomalies: 28 were males and 18 females between 5 weeks and 14 years. 17 patients (37%) presented within the first 12 months of life. Average ages of mothers and fathers were 34.1 and 37 years respectively. 26% of mothers had febrile illnesses and 28.3% used herbal products during the index pregnancies. Swanson’s group 2 was the commonest (58.4). Syndactyly was the commonest descriptive individual diagnosis (49%). Treatments were individualized according to specific diagnosis. Conclusions: Congenital anomalies of the upper extremities present as various diagnostic entities. Syndactyly was the most frequently encountered here. Keywords: Upper limbs, Congenital, Anomalie