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

Immersive 360° video for forensic education

Throughout the globe, training in the investigation of forensic crime scene work is a vital part of the overall training process within Police Academies and forensic programs throughout the world. However, the exposure of trainee forensic officers to real life scenes, by instructors, is minimal due to the delicate nature of information presented within them and the overall difficulty of Forensic investigations. Virtual Reality (VR) is computer technology utilising headsets, to produce lifelike imageries, sounds and perceptions simulating physical presence inside a virtual setting to a user. The user is able to look around the virtual world and often interact with virtual landscapes or objects. VR headsets are head‐mounted goggles with a screen in front of the eyes (Burdea & Coffet 2003). The use of VR varies widely from personal gaming to classroom learning. Uses also include computerised tools that are used solely online. The current use of VR within Forensic Science is that it is used widely in several capacities that include the training and examination of new forensic officers. However, there is minimal review and authentication of the efficiency of VR use for the teaching of forensic investigation. This is surprising, as the VR field has experienced rapid expansion in the educating of many varying fields over the past few years. Even though VR could enhance forensic training by offering another, perhaps more versatile, engaging way of learning, no devoted VR application has yet been commercially implemented for forensic examination education. Research into VR is a fairly young field, however the technology and use of it is still rapidly growing and the improvement of interactive tools is inevitably having an impact on all facets of learning and teaching

Tūpekepeke! Māori knowledge and practices in health and physical education : the perspectives, experiences and aspirations of secondary school teachers' : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Māori Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, Aotearoa New Zealand

This thesis explores What are the perspectives, experiences and aspirations of secondary school Health and Physical Education teachers’ to better implement Māori knowledge and practices in their lessons? Individual, semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with three secondary school Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers with similar teaching experience, but different ethnic backgrounds. It was found that HPE teachers see Māori knowledge and practices as an effective way to enhance Māori student achievement, increase awareness of Māori culture amongst non-Māori students, and promote the overall development of Aotearoa New Zealand as a nation where indigenous knowledge and practices are a valued and contributing part of life and society. In order to achieve this, HPE teachers recommended development in teacher training programmes, professional development for practicing teachers’, and the development of resources and networks of teachers in the area of Māori knowledge and practices specific to HPE in Aotearoa New Zealan

A red-tipped dawn : teaching and learning about indigeneity and the implications for citizenship education : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University, Palmerston North, Aotearoa New Zealand

The politics of Indigeneity and reconceptualisations of citizenship education present both challenges and opportunities to those of us engaged in teaching and learning about Indigeneity and citizenship in settler colonial societies. Utilising Kaupapa Māori (Indigenous, decolonising, critical) practitioner ethnography, this project investigated "what is best evidence-based practice in teaching and learning about Indigeneity? and what are the implications for citizenship education?" by examining existing literature and interviewing senior Indigenous, expert Indigeneity educators from Turtle Island (mainland USA and Canada), Hawai’i, Australia and Aotearoa. The findings from these interviews in particular offer significant guidelines for Indigeneity educators into the future: (1) best evidence-based practices in teaching and learning about Indigeneity, including the specific outcomes sought, the challenges that may be encountered with learners, and then curricula and pedagogical considerations to overcome these particular challenges; (2) citizenship as a site of Indigeneity struggles and the subsequent implications of Indigeneity for citizenship education, including what might be some initial curricula elements of transformative citizenship education in settler colonial societies, and; (3) the implications of best evidence-based practices in teaching and learning about Indigeneity for citizenship education generally in the areas of praxis, curricula and pedagogy

Airflow in a Multiscale Subject-Specific Breathing Human Lung Model

The airflow in a subject-specific breathing human lung is simulated with a multiscale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) lung model. The three-dimensional (3D) airway geometry beginning from the mouth to about 7 generations of airways is reconstructed from the multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) image at the total lung capacity (TLC). Along with the segmented lobe surfaces, we can build an anatomically-consistent one-dimensional (1D) airway tree spanning over more than 20 generations down to the terminal bronchioles, which is specific to the CT resolved airways and lobes (J Biomech 43(11): 2159-2163, 2010). We then register two lung images at TLC and the functional residual capacity (FRC) to specify subject-specific CFD flow boundary conditions and deform the airway surface mesh for a breathing lung simulation (J Comput Phys 244:168-192, 2013). The 1D airway tree bridges the 3D CT-resolved airways and the registration-derived regional ventilation in the lung parenchyma, thus a multiscale model. Large eddy simulation (LES) is applied to simulate airflow in a breathing lung (Phys Fluids 21:101901, 2009). In this fluid dynamics video, we present the distributions of velocity, pressure, vortical structure, and wall shear stress in a breathing lung model of a normal human subject with a tidal volume of 500 ml and a period of 4.8 s. On exhalation, air streams from child branches merge in the parent branch, inducing oscillatory jets and elongated vortical tubes. On inhalation, the glottal constriction induces turbulent laryngeal jet. The sites where high wall shear stress tends to occur on the airway surface are identified for future investigation of mechanotransduction.Comment: This submission is part of the APS DFD Gallery of Fluid Motio

Optimizing human pulmonary perfusion measurement using an in silico model of arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging.

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging methodology that uses blood as an endogenous contrast agent to quantify flow. One limitation of this method of capillary blood quantification when applied in the lung is the contribution of signals from non-capillary blood. Intensity thresholding is one approach that has been proposed for minimizing the non-capillary blood signal. This method has been tested in previous in silico modeling studies; however, it has only been tested under a restricted set of physiological conditions (supine posture and a cardiac output of 5 L/min). This study presents an in silico approach that extends previous intensity thresholding analysis to estimate the optimal "per-slice" intensity threshold value using the individual components of the simulated ASL signal (signal arising independently from capillary blood as well as pulmonary arterial and pulmonary venous blood). The aim of this study was to assess whether the threshold value should vary with slice location, posture, or cardiac output. We applied an in silico modeling approach to predict the blood flow distribution and the corresponding ASL quantification of pulmonary perfusion in multiple sagittal imaging slices. There was a significant increase in ASL signal and heterogeneity (COV = 0.90 to COV = 1.65) of ASL signals when slice location changed from lateral to medial. Heterogeneity of the ASL signal within a slice was significantly lower (P = 0.03) in prone (COV = 1.08) compared to in the supine posture (COV = 1.17). Increasing stroke volume resulted in an increase in ASL signal and conversely an increase in heart rate resulted in a decrease in ASL signal. However, when cardiac output was increased via an increase in both stroke volume and heart rate, ASL signal remained relatively constant. Despite these differences, we conclude that a threshold value of 35% provides optimal removal of large vessel signal independent of slice location, posture, and cardiac output

In silico modeling of oxygen-enhanced MRI of specific ventilation.

Specific ventilation imaging (SVI) proposes that using oxygen-enhanced 1H MRI to capture signal change as subjects alternatively breathe room air and 100% O2 provides an estimate of specific ventilation distribution in the lung. How well this technique measures SV and the effect of currently adopted approaches of the technique on resulting SV measurement is open for further exploration. We investigated (1) How well does imaging a single sagittal lung slice represent whole lung SV? (2) What is the influence of pulmonary venous blood on the measured MRI signal and resultant SVI measure? and (3) How does inclusion of misaligned images affect SVI measurement? In this study, we utilized two patient-based in silico models of ventilation, perfusion, and gas exchange to address these questions for normal healthy lungs. Simulation results from the two healthy young subjects show that imaging a single slice is generally representative of whole lung SV distribution, with a calculated SV gradient within 90% of that calculated for whole lung distributions. Contribution of O2 from the venous circulation results in overestimation of SV at a regional level where major pulmonary veins cross the imaging plane, resulting in a 10% increase in SV gradient for the imaging slice. A worst-case scenario simulation of image misalignment increased the SV gradient by 11.4% for the imaged slice

Dreaming Together for Constitutional Transformation

Constitutional transformation is one of the biggest political ideas Aotearoa must grapple with. Featuring educators and members of Matike Mai Aoteaora, the Independent Working Group on Constitutional Transformation, Professor Margaret Mutu and Dr Veronica Tawhai engaged with questions of collective action and change in the opening keynote panel of the conference. In a discussion facililtated by Tayla Cook and Safari Hynes, Whaea Margaret and Veronica not only talk about the importance of conscientisation and deep learning, but offer opportunities for it as well. The intergenerational kōrero between panelists provides critical insights into founding documents like He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, while also asking what it means to honour them. In doing so, they provide space for dreaming, imagining, and inspiring change. The following transcription both captures the critical conversations had and encourages ongoing collective action. As Veronica reminds us, ‘it is not just about raising self-awareness through education, it is also the action that accompanies or follows from this’

Freshwater mussels as bioindicators of faecal contamination

Mussels (Hyridella menziesi) were tested for their suitability as monitors of bacterial contamination of natural waters because of their ability to accumulate bacteria while filtering the environment for food. Several questions were addressed : 1. Can E. coli be recovered from mussels immersed in low-density suspensions of bacteria. 2. What is the optimum time required to immerse mussels in suspension of bacteria. 3. How long will the mussels retain bacteria once uptake had occurred. 4. Is it possible to estimate the numbers of bacteria present in contaminated waters, Using the numbers of bacteria recovered from mussels. The Results of this study were : 1. It was possible to detect E. coli and Salmonella in mussels that had been immersed in water contaminated with these bacteria at densities as low as around 50 per 100 ml. 2. An experiment conducted to examine the ability of mussels to retain bacteria once uptake had occurred, showed there was rapid loss of E.coli (42.9%) over the first 4 hours and by 6 hours numbers had declined to very low levels (2.1 %). 3. Although there was some evidence of a correlation between the concentration of E. coli present in surrounding waters and the numbers recovered from mussels it was not possible to predict the numbers of bacteria in the surrounding water from analysis of the mussels. 4. Similar experiments were done using diluted sewage instead of pure cultures of E. coli and Salmonella. Results were similar to those obtained using pure cultures. E. coli could be recovered from mussels when present in the diluted sewage at concentrations as low as 8 / ml