He wharemoa te rakau, ka mahue. Maori engagement with local government: Knowledge, experiences and recommendations

This report presents the data, analysis and results of focus group research that explored Máori knowledge, experiences and perspectives of local government in Aotearoa New Zealand. Seven focus groups were held with different groups of Máori; 18 – 24 year olds in tertiary study; 18 – 24 year olds in the workforce; people 25 years old and over residing in rural areas, and people 25 years old and over living in urban settings. The purpose of this report is to present the research findings about the knowledge and experiences of Máori in relation to local government, and in particular, their recommendations for the development of the local government sector. It is intended to assist local authorities in their efforts to improve their engagement with Máori, and stimulate further research with Máori about Máori participation in local government decision-making.A research project supported by the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund (MAU-039

Collaborating to develop an online resource for parents

Background The development and evaluation of Online Parent Information and Support (OPIS) involved the creation of a web resource for parents who needed support for the home-based management of their child's chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Positive and negative regulation of angiogenesis by soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-1 exists in different forms, derived from alternative splicing of the same gene. In addition to the transmembrane form, endothelial cells produce a soluble VEGFR-1 (sVEGFR-1) isoform, whereas non-endothelial cells produce both sVEGFR-1 and a different soluble molecule, known as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt)1-14. By binding members of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family, the soluble forms reduce the amounts of VEGFs available for the interaction with their transmembrane receptors, thereby negatively regulating VEGFR-mediated signaling. In agreement with this activity, high levels of circulating sVEGFR-1 or sFlt1-14 are associated with different pathological conditions involving vascular dysfunction. Moreover, sVEGFR-1 and sFlt1-14 have an additional role in angiogenesis: they are deposited in the endothelial cell and pericyte extracellular matrix, and interact with cell membrane components. Interaction of sVEGFR-1 with α5β1 integrin on endothelial cell membranes regulates vessel growth, triggering a dynamic, pro-angiogenic phenotype. Interaction of sVEGFR-1/sFlt1-14 with cell membrane glycosphingolipids in lipid rafts controls kidney cell morphology and glomerular barrier functions. These cell-matrix contacts represent attractive novel targets for pharmacological intervention in addition to those addressing interactions between VEGFs and their receptors

Barriers to Pursuing STEM-Related Careers: Perceptions of Hispanic Girls Enrolled in Advanced High School STEM Courses

Researchers indicate that the United States has fallen behind other nations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education (President\u27s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2010, 2012). A declining interest in the field of engineering as demonstrated by students who pursue degrees in STEM fields also threatens the U.S. competitive edge (National Science Foundation, 2013; Schneider, Judy, & Mazuca, 2012). Although some students perform successfully in STEM courses, an achievement gap between school-aged boys and girls is well-documented in the literature (e.g., College Board, 2007). Moreover, Hispanic students are underrepresented in science-related courses and careers (Hanley & Noblit, 2009) and even fewer Hispanic girls are attracted to the STEM areas despite the increase in the Hispanic population in general and in higher education (Dolan, 2009). In fact, few studies were located that addressed perspectives of Hispanic girls about their experiences and perceptions related to science and engineering (Crisp, Nora, & Taggart, 2009; Moller et al., 2015; O\u27Shea, Heilbronner, & Reis, 2010). Specifically, there is a need to attract girls and Hispanic students to mathematics and science coursework and careers. Therefore, the purpose of this collective case study was to explore and identify potential barriers and supports related to select Hispanic high school girls\u27 decisions to pursue advanced coursework and future careers in STEM. By increasing awareness of these potential barriers, school leaders will be better positioned to develop strategies and support systems to encourage Hispanic girls to take advanced science courses and seek out postsecondary studies and careers in STEM fields

Mapping of transcription termination within the S segment of SFTS phlebovirus facilitated the generation of NSs-deletant viruses

SFTS phlebovirus (severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus; SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne bunyavirus that was first reported in China in 2009. Here we report the generation of a recombinant SFTSV (rHB29NSsKO) that cannot express the viral non-structural protein (NSs) upon infection of cells in culture. We show that rHB29NSsKO replication kinetics are greater in interferon (IFN)-incompetent cells and that the virus is unable to suppress IFN induced in response to viral replication. The data confirm for the first time in the context of virus infection that NSs acts as a virally encoded IFN antagonist and that NSs is dispensable for virus replication. Using 3’ RACE we mapped the 3’ -end of the N and NSs mRNAs, showing that the mRNAs terminate within the coding region of the opposite open reading frame. We show that the 3’ end of the N mRNA terminates upstream of a 5’ -GCCAGCC-3’ motif present in the viral genomic RNA. With this knowledge, and using virus-like particles, we could demonstrate that the last 36 nt of the NSs ORF were needed to ensure the efficient termination of the N mRNA and were required for recombinant virus rescue. We demonstrate it is possible to recover viruses lacking NSs, expressing just a 12 amino acid NSs peptide or viruses encoding eGFP or a NSs-eGFP fusion protein in the NSs locus. This opens the possibility for further studies of NSs and potentially the design of attenuated viruses for vaccination studies

Magnetic Exchange Couplings from Noncollinear Spin Density Functional Perturbation Theory

We propose a method for the evaluation of magnetic exchange couplings based on noncollinear spin-density functional calculations. The method employs the second derivative of the total Kohn-Sham energy of a single reference state, in contrast to approximations based on Kohn-Sham total energy differences. The advantage of our approach is twofold: It provides a physically motivated picture of the transition from a low-spin to a high-spin state, and it utilizes a perturbation scheme for the evaluation of magnetic exchange couplings. The latter simplifies the way these parameters are predicted using first-principles: It avoids the non-trivial search for different spin-states that needs to be carried out in energy difference methods and it opens the possibility of "black-boxifying" the extraction of exchange couplings from density functional theory calculations. We present proof of concept calculations of magnetic exchange couplings in the H--He--H model system and in an oxovanadium bimetallic complex where the results can be intuitively rationalized.Comment: J.Chem. Phys. (accepted