Why place Māori children with Māori caregivers? : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work (Applied) Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

This qualitative study explores the concepts of customary care, recognising the Maori worldview and emphasising the value of placing Maori children with Maori caregivers. It examines the establishment of the Matua Whangai Programme in the context of the social/political issues of the 1980-1990s and the impact of legislation and reports on the placement of Maori children outside of whanau. The participants in this study were three caregivers m the Matua Whangai Programme. They each had experience of customary care practice in their own whanau and who generalised this experience in the context of the Matua Whangai programme. In this community, the Matua Whangai programme ran from 1985 to 1991. The study shows that when the programme was disestablished, not only did Maori children lose access to whanau whangai (foster families), the community also lost tribal linkages, both locally and nationally, along with effective networks with other social and governmental agencies established by Matua Whangai within the Lower South Islan

Supporting Students to Develop their Digital Literacies using Microsoft Teams

Supporting students in HE and FE to develop their digital literacy skills is vitally important to prepare students for the workplace. The authors have successfully implemented the use of Microsoft Teams to support digital skill development in both HE and FE settings. Building a class community is very important and can be difficult to achieve. Teams has been seen to improve communication between students and staff and facilitates communication and collaboration between students within an online community. It was found to be especially useful when students are undertaking an online course or when used with courses that include off-campus placements. Use of the Teams App also provides a coursework communication opportunity, accessible via mobile devices, in a format that is familiar and intuitive to most students. To adequately prepare students for the workplace it is important that they have many opportunities to use and develop their digital literacies. The ability and willingness to continually adapt to changes and further develop these skills will be vital throughout their careers. The authors will share their positive experiences of using Teams in a variety of situations including: Facilitation of small group work projects to encourage interaction between students, Encouraging class discussion and giving students a voice in situations where using the VLE had previously been unsuccessful; Allow students maintain a link with staff and peers during work placement. The advantages of how using the informal conversations in Teams has allowed staff to meet the varying needs of students will be discussed. We will provide examples of how we have used Teams to support students to develop their digital literacies in a range of learning activities. We will also discuss the digital skills required by students to work in this way along with evidence of how students work online, illustrating the hidden learning space

Supporting Students to Develop their Digital Literacies using Microsoft Teams

Supporting students in HE and FE to develop their digital literacy skills is vitally important to prepare students for the workplace. The authors have successfully implemented the use of Microsoft Teams to support digital skill development in both HE and FE settings. Building a class community is very important and can be difficult to achieve. Teams has been seen to improve communication between students and staff and facilitates communication and collaboration between students within an online community. It was found to be especially useful when students are undertaking an online course or when used with courses that include off-campus placements. Use of the Teams App also provides a coursework communication opportunity, accessible via mobile devices, in a format that is familiar and intuitive to most students. To adequately prepare students for the workplace it is important that they have many opportunities to use and develop their digital literacies. The ability and willingness to continually adapt to changes and further develop these skills will be vital throughout their careers. The authors will share their positive experiences of using Teams in a variety of situations including: Facilitation of small group work projects to encourage interaction between students, Encouraging class discussion and giving students a voice in situations where using the VLE had previously been unsuccessful; Allow students maintain a link with staff and peers during work placement. The advantages of how using the informal conversations in Teams has allowed staff to meet the varying needs of students will be discussed. We will provide examples of how we have used Teams to support students to develop their digital literacies in a range of learning activities. We will also discuss the digital skills required by students to work in this way along with evidence of how students work online, illustrating the hidden learning space

Stratified analyses refine association between TLR7 rare variants and severe COVID-19

Summary: Despite extensive global research into genetic predisposition for severe COVID-19, knowledge on the role of rare host genetic variants and their relation to other risk factors remains limited. Here, 52 genes with prior etiological evidence were sequenced in 1,772 severe COVID-19 cases and 5,347 population-based controls from Spain/Italy. Rare deleterious TLR7 variants were present in 2.4% of young (<60 years) cases with no reported clinical risk factors (n = 378), compared to 0.24% of controls (odds ratio [OR] = 12.3, p = 1.27 × 10−10). Incorporation of the results of either functional assays or protein modeling led to a pronounced increase in effect size (ORmax = 46.5, p = 1.74 × 10−15). Association signals for the X-chromosomal gene TLR7 were also detected in the female-only subgroup, suggesting the existence of additional mechanisms beyond X-linked recessive inheritance in males. Additionally, supporting evidence was generated for a contribution to severe COVID-19 of the previously implicated genes IFNAR2, IFIH1, and TBK1. Our results refine the genetic contribution of rare TLR7 variants to severe COVID-19 and strengthen evidence for the etiological relevance of genes in the interferon signaling pathway