The impact of nursing culture on stress, coping strategies and health outcomes of student nurses : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

To examine the effect of acculturation on the stress, coping strategies, and health outcomes of student nurses, a questionnaire was completed by 192 student nurses. A new instrument, the Student Nurse Acculturation Measure (SNAM), was developed to measure degree of acculturation, while established instruments were used to measure the remaining constructs. Results indicated that demands and degree of acculturation increased for student nurses as training progressed. Greater acculturation was associated with increased use of avoidance coping strategies. Increased demands and increased avoidance coping strategies were associated with higher levels of psychological and physical distress, however these variables did not interact to affect distress levels. Nicotine dependency also increased for students and, although this increase was associated with year of study, it was not associated with any of the remaining variables

Comments on enzyme assays

Comments on enzyme assay

The place of ako in strengthening home - school relationships for Pasifika secondary learners in Aotearoa/New Zealand

This paper explores connections between ako and home-school relationships for secondary Pasifika students in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It discusses how ako, a Tongan concept of learning that encompasses cultural continuity (Thaman, 1997), can be supported through closer connections between schools and families. Good practice in home-school relationships advocates collaboration and reciprocity between teachers and families (Bull, Brooking, & Campbell, 2008). Such good practice helps with an exchange of knowledge, thereby enabling teachers to develop their understanding of the cultural perspectives of families. An appreciation of the Pacific concept of va further endorses how strengthening home-school relationships can promote cultural understanding as highlighted in ako. My doctoral study, which has explored home-school relationships for secondary Pacific learners, has been informed by an Appreciative Inquiry process (which recognises good practices). I have been able to draw out a number of strengths both from Pasifika families and the community, and from the schools. These strengths reflect a shared vision to see all Pasifika young people succeed in school. An analysis of findings also suggests there may be some areas for further development in terms of relationship-building between schools, Pasifika families, and the community. This paper concludes that an Appreciative Inquiry model could be an effective tool schools can adopt to help strengthen home-school relationships, facilitating the process of ako, and, consequently, supporting students’ successful learning outcomes

Rolling recrystallisation textures of commercial grades of low carbon steels

The work in progress concerning the study of rolling-recrystallisation textures in commercial grades of low-carbon steels is outlined, the influence of aluminium nitride precipitation and recovery phoenomena being the main lines of research. Results to date indicate that the retention of the (100) component of the rolling texture is more favoured during recrystallisation as the prior recovery times and temperatures are increased. Textural variations through the sheet thickness are also being studied, results to date being presented

Lessons from the women and gender constituency: interrogating civil society strategies for organising in the UNFCCC

While scholarship on the topic of gender and the environment is steadily growing, little is known about the challenges faced and successes seen by women and gender NGOs operating as a central part of environment-focused civil society. In this paper, I offer such an analysis, examining the political strategies—rhetorical and procedural—mobilised by the Women and Gender Constituency (WGC) in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). I argue that the WGC has seen lots of success in mobilising arguments that foreground women’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change. But at the same time, the constituency has seen far more resistance to more intersectional feminist arguments that interrogate the role of masculinised discursive power in shaping climate politics. This is at least in part a result of a wider structure of civil society that pigeonholes different identities (e.g. gender, youth, indigenous peoples) in a way that separates their deeply interconnected struggles. Understanding this structural barrier, or dark side of civil society, is crucial to envisioning a more fruitful integration of civil society in sustainability politics

E Toru Ngā Reo: A Case Study of a Spanish Language Programme in a Kura Kaupapa Māori

Learning Languages is a new area in the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum. However there have not been many studies in this subject. Kura Kaupapa Māori, established in 1985 in New Zealand with over 6,000 students currently attending, have English language programmes (Hill, 2010), however few, if any, studies of the teaching of other languages have been conducted. The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate an additional international language programme at a Kura Kaupapa Māori. This qualitative case study describes the views of the Principal, five teachers, five students and three parents of a Kura Kaupapa Māori about an additional Spanish language programme. The primary means of gathering data was through individual semi-structured interviews. Interviews were used to collect data in the areas of identifying the attitudes of the participants towards learning an additional international language, the perceived benefits, if any, of learning an additional international language and if there is a relationship between the learning of an additional international language, and Kaupapa Māori. The narrative data was transcribed, coded and categorised into four themes related to the research questions. The success of this Spanish language programme can be understood in terms of several factors such as whānau support, programme leadership, quality teachers, international excursions and positive attitudes to foreign language learning. These findings will contribute to literature concerning additional language learning programmes, specifically those based in indigenous language immersion settings and they will also provide useful information and ideas which other Kura Kaupapa Māori can take advantage of when implementing additional international language learning programmes

Immunotoxins and Other Conjugates Containing Saporin-S6 for Cancer Therapy

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are a family of plant toxins that permanently damage ribosomes and possibly other cellular substrates, thus causing cell death. RIPs are mostly divided in two types: Type 1 RIPs that are single-chain enzymatic proteins, and type 2 RIPs that consist of an active A chain (similar to a type 1 RIP) linked to a B chain with lectin properties. RIP-containing conjugates have been used in many experimental strategies against cancer cells, often showing great efficacy in clinical trials. Saporin-S6, a type 1 RIP extracted from Saponaria officinalis L. seeds, has been extensively utilized to construct anti-cancer conjugates because of its high enzymatic activity, stability and resistance to conjugation procedures, resulting in the efficient killing of target cells. This review summarizes saporin-S6-containing conjugates and their application in cancer therapy, considering in-vitro and in-vivo studies both in animal models and in clinical trials. The review is structured on the basis of the targeting of hematological versus solid tumors and on the antigen recognized on the cell surface

Theory-of-Mind Development: Retrospect and Prospect

This review begins with a brief history from Piagetian perspective-taking development, through metacognitive development, and into the past and present field of theory-of-mind development. This field has included research on what infants and children know about a variety of mental states, on possible causes and consequences of mentalistic knowledge, and on similarities and differences in this knowledge across individuals, cultures, and primate species. The article concludes with some speculations about the future of the field