bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of combined vaccination and immune modulation as an anti-tumour therapy
Authors:   , Petley Emma Victoria 
Published: November 2021

<p>Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a common and lethal type of brain cancer, with a very poor prognosis. Current therapy consisting of surgical resection, radiation and chemotherapy produces a median survival of only 12-15 months. Therefore, there is a need to develop new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of GBM. This thesis investigates a new series of synthetic cancer vaccines, conjugating tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) to an isomer of ɑ-Galactosylceramide (ɑ-GalCer), a potent invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell agonist with documented adjuvant activity. Upon antigen encounter, activated iNKT cells are capable of licensing dendritic cells (DCs) through CD40:CD40L interactions and cytokine production. The licensed DCs subsequently stimulate potent CD8⁺ T cell responses, capable of killing cancerous tissue. Conjugation of ɑ-GalCer to the TAA-derived peptide was achieved via an enzymatically cleavable linker sensitive to cathepsin B activity. This strategy allows co-delivery of the active components, with the rationale that the same DC will be able to co-present both ɑ-GalCer for iNKT cell activation, and peptide to induce an enhanced CD8⁺ T cell responses. The conjugate vaccines assessed in this thesis were able to induce iNKT cell activation and produce CD8⁺ T cell cytoxicity. However, this did not correlate with in vivo antitumour activity, as the vaccine that incorporated the TAA survivin, produced minimal cytotoxicity but potent anti-tumour responses against an implantable model of glioma. Enhancing T cell-mediated immune responses has been validated by immune checkpoint inhibition for the treatment of cancer. However, many patients do not respond to the therapy. It is thought that this subset of patients may lack pre-existing T cell responses, which are required for the efficacy of checkpoint inhibition. Therefore, there is considerable interest in whether the use of vaccines that stimulate T cell activation can improve responses to checkpoint blockade and other immune modulating drugs. The survivin vaccine was combined with the immune checkpoint blockade inhibitors ɑ-PD-1, ɑ-CTLA-4 and ɑ-LAG-3, the co-stimulatory agent a-4-1BB, or administered with T regulatory cell (TREG) depletion, to reveal the immunogenicity of the vaccine. This research revealed that combining the survivin vaccine with the immune checkpoint inhibitor ɑ-CTLA-4 improved overall survival of mice, compared to the vaccine alone. This finding suggests that this combined therapy may be a useful immunotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of GBM.</p>
A Communitys Urban Rejuvenation - The Cabarets Trouper
Authors:   , Smith Connie 
Published: November 2021

<p>The 1990s brought innovation to retail shopping, enabling consumers to begin to shop from the comfort of their own home. Today, Online shopping continues to revolutionise the industry, creating a highly competitive market space while advancing “convenience shopping”. As customers can now purchase anything at their fingertips, those that choose to shop in-store find their desires are also competitively meet. Evolution within the retail industry has meant that many stores have become a part of “big box” developments. These facilities provide customers with readily stocked merchandise and the in-store experience of “convenience shopping”. Online shopping and Big Box stores will continue to lure people away from what once were vibrant urban retail environments posing various adverse effects on our streets, city centres and local businesses. Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North is one of many streets that have fallen victim to these developments creating unpleasant retail experiences for the community. This thesis argues how interior architecture can assist rejuvenating desolate urban environments. It proposes that by applying selected interior principles to an urban street it can create a space that begins to challenge the current programme encouraging the street to adapt for the community. This design based research proposes to create a community space ‘living room’ by treating the street as though it is a residential space within a retail environment. It aims to preserve and maintain a sense of history and diversity within the cityscape. The existing site attributes will be used to create a set of design rules and regulations within the shopping environment to encourage internal and external spaces to feed off one another adapting frequently to cope with the competitive nature of the retail sector.</p>
DUPLICATE DO NOT PUBLISH - Là où dialoguent les musées: The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa at the Musée du Quai Branly
Authors:   , Phillips Lily 
Published: November 2021

<p>The opening of the Musée du quai Branly in 2006 signalled a new approach to the display of Māori and Pacific collections in France and the beginning of a new relationship with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Between 2006 and 2012, the two museums were brought together by two challenging events: the repatriation of toi moko (Māori tattooed heads) from France to New Zealand and the 2011 exhibition Maori: leurs trésors ont une âme at the quai Branly. Through a close study of the repatriation and exhibition, and interviews with participants, this thesis considers the questions these events raise. How can museums with very different approaches to the treatment of artefacts negotiate issues of repatriation and the exhibition of sacred objects? How should colonial-era anthropological collections be exhibited today? What is the place of contemporary indigenous art in the museum? By focusing on the exchanges between two institutions, Te Papa and the quai Branly, this thesis suggests how conversations at an individual level can lead to shifts in the perception and exhibition of museum objects, and how dialogues between museums internationally can contribute to an evolution in the treatment and display of indigenous artefacts and art in museums.</p>
Community Participation in Education: A Case Study in the Four Remote Primary Schools in Samlot District, Battambang Province, Cambodia
Authors:   , To Loeurt 
Published: November 2021

<p>This study was conducted to investigate the nature of community participation in education in a remote district in Cambodia. A case study approach was used to explore the issue and employed mixed research methods for data collection. Epstein‘s participation and Bray‘s degree of community participation were used as analytical frameworks. The study contributes to a wide body of literature in participation in education, but which is under-researched for rural Cambodia. The study focussed on the forms and processes of participation by parents, community members and education stakeholders in primary schools in remote areas. The study discovered a range of social practices in community participation in education. The degrees of participation varied depending on the types of participation and the participants. Parents had direct participation in their children‘s learning at home, and indirect participation through resource contribution for school development. In addition, the community participated in education through their main representatives, the School Support Committees (SSCs). SSCs were found to possess power in the decision-making processes in school and education development. The most common type of participation was collaborative resource contribution for school development. This practice reflected the traditional culture of participation of Cambodian society but there was also a sign of behavioural change to focus more on children‘s learning. Teachers and School Support Committees were the drivers in bringing community and parents to participate in education. They were the facilitators, communicators, network connectors and mobilizers for school and education development. This case study suggests that a shift in focus (on the part of the government, non-governmental organizations and education stakeholders) to support parental involvement in children‘s learning, rather than the traditional resource mobilisation, may better promote children‘s learning. Further research on parental involvement in children‘s learning could be conducted.</p>
Travelling with the Spirit: Pentecostal Migration Religiosity Between Ghana and Australia
Authors:   , Dennis Dorcas 
Published: November 2021

<p>The desire to migrate to foreign lands is widespread within contemporary Ghana. Among the Ghanaians, there is a growing sense that migrating overseas requires spiritual empowerment. Evidence of this development can be seen in the emergence of “passport and visa industries” that depend on the activities of a multitude of religious agents and ritual experts. Correspondingly, Ghanaian religious agents are now constantly generating new strategies designed to meet prospective migrants’ demands. The practice of enlisting the help of religious agents and practices for the purpose of international migration is having a marked effect on the Ghanaian religious landscape in two key ways: first, it has created a demand for religious agents who possess the power to solve migration-related spiritual problems; second, in response to this demand, Ghana's purveyors of spiritual powers have shaped their practices to inspire and enable migration. Using data from extensive fieldwork among members of the Church of Pentecost (CoP) and Power Chapel (PC) in Ghana and Australia, this thesis offers an account of the role of religious narratives and rituals in the experience of Ghanaians migrating abroad, and among Ghanaian migrants in Australia. The thesis argues that the present preoccupation with overseas migration, and its interconnection with religion, is creating a migration religiosity (MR) that inspires and enhances migrations, and which forms the basis for migrants’ extension of Ghanaian religions from the so-called global-South to the global-North. This MR operates in each phase of the migration experience. In the homeland, prospective migrants use MR to facilitate their international travel. On the journey, MR is the source of spiritual protection and safety. MR continues and takes on new roles as migrants use it in meeting new conditions and experiences in their new land. Migrants’ reliance on MR for place-making as they settle into their new lives in the diaspora motivates them to create worshiping Cells. These Cells become the setting in which Ghanaian migrants reformulate their religious traditions, and from which they launch proselytizing practices or reverse missions to the host community.</p>
Customer-led versus market-oriented: An investigation of the lean startup methodology framework
Authors:   , Jimale Ismail Mohamed 
Published: November 2021

<p>Market-oriented approach to customer development has been strongly associated innovativeness and new product success. There is also evidence to suggest customer-led approach, or responding to explicit customer needs, impedes innovation. This thesis investigates whether the increasingly popular Lean Startup Methodology (LSM) favours customer-led or market-oriented approach to discovering and learning about customer needs. The study was conducted using a participatory action research methodology. The LSM was used as a framework for investigating the commercial value of two researched projects originating from within Victoria University. The LSM was also applied to a third project founded by the Master of Advanced Technology Enterprise (MATE) team. The LSM process is shown to assist in the discovery of both explicit and latent customer needs. However, which one the framework favours depends on whether the product or the market is the primary driver of the validation process. In one instance the entrepreneur is deliberately looking to discover a present market need in order to align it with a pre-defined solution, while the alternative is to study the market in order to identify an opportunity followed by the development of a specific solution. The latter is shown to support becoming market oriented. The findings also suggest Domain Knowledge plays a vital role in establishing and maintaining market-oriented approach to customer development. Domain knowledge aids in understanding market data in order to extract novel and meaningful insights. Establishing close relationships with emerging customers and „lead users‟ in a particular market is shown to be an effective method of compensating for a lack of domain knowledge. What‟s more, the presence of preconceived prototypes is shown to negatively impact on the entrepreneur‟s ability to approach customer development in a market-oriented manner. By drawing on the MATE team‟s experiences, this thesis aims to provide practical lessons for individuals and teams that are looking to take a market-oriented approach to customer development.</p>
Can a gut helminth parasite influence Th2 inflammatory responses in the skin?
Authors:   , Meijlink Kimberley Jayne 
Published: November 2021

<p>Helminth parasites are one of the most common infectious agents of humans and cause significant health and economic burdens in the countries they are endemic in, making elimination an important goal. However, epidemiological studies have suggested an inverse correlation between the incidences of infections by helminth parasites in humans and autoimmune and allergic disease prevalence worldwide; it is thought the eradication of parasites in more affluent countries through improved hygiene is an important factor for the increasing incidence of autoimmune and allergic diseases encountered in the Western world. A Th2 immune response is central in providing immunity against helminth parasites, while suppressing T helper (Th) 1/Th17-mediated inflammation and inducing wound repair mechanisms. Helminths have developed strategies to directly regulate the immune response against them to ensure their own survival. Experimental evidence has demonstrated helminths are also able to dampen inflammatory bystander immune responses in their host, via induction of regulatory mechanisms such as regulatory T cells. These studies have focused primarily on the suppression of food and airway allergies in mouse models and there is limited data on the effect of helminth parasites on skin allergy e.g. atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic/chronically relapsing Th2 inflammatory skin condition, characterized by skin lesions, dry itchy skin and impaired skin barrier function. This is believed to allow the entrance of other allergens into the body more easily, leading to sensitization and initiation of other allergies later in life, a process termed the ‘Allergic March’. With the increased incidence of allergy in the Western world, it is desirable to find new therapies to suppress AD and the onset of the allergic march. During my Masters, I have investigated whether the gut-dwelling mouse parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus was able to suppress Th2 responses induced in skin tissue using two different allergy models: 1) intradermal injection (ID) of whole mashed-up house dust mite (HDM), which induces Th2 inflammatory responses, and 2) topical application of the chemical hapten dibutyl phthalate-fluorescein isothiocyanate (DBP-FITC), mimicking allergic responses seen in AD. The results show that H. polygyrus induces interleukin (IL)-4 production in tissues distal to the gut, including the ear skin tissue, mainly from cluster of differentiation (CD) 4⁺ T cells. Furthermore, helminth infection was able to suppress Th2-mediated inflammation in the skin in both house dust mite and DBP-FITC models, coinciding with an increase in the proportions of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in skin-associated lymph nodes (LNs). This research further demonstrates the potential use of helminth parasites, or their products, as a therapy for allergic diseases, including those of the skin.</p>
Connected coverage with rapid forwarding in energy harvesting wireless sensor networks for critical rare events
Authors:   , Harrison David C. 
Published: November 2021

<p>To ensure event detection and subsequent rapid forwarding of notification messages, wireless sensor networks deployed to detect critically important rarely occurring events must maintain both sensing coverage and low latency network connectivity at all times. Maintaining coverage for extended periods is relatively straight forward as passive sensing components tend to consume little energy. Maintenance of network connectivity, however, requires sensing devices constantly supply power to their transceivers, significantly reducing the longevity of the sensor network. Energy harvesting can extend the operational life of sensing devices with always on transceivers, potentially to the point where they can operate year round. In addition, over populating the sensing area with more devices than are required to provide complete sensing cover introduces the possibility of self-organisation where sensing devices agree amongst themselves which will remain active and which will be allowed to sleep. Few algorithms have been proposed to address both coverage and forwarding; those that do are either unconcerned with rapid propagation or have not been optimised to handle the constant changes in topology observed in duty cycling networks. This thesis first analyses the energy consumption profiles of commercially available wireless sensing devices then presents mechanisms by which these devices can both maintain sensing coverage and rapidly forward event detection messages delayed only by the inherent latencies found in wireless multi-hop networks. These individual contributions form the basis of a combined algorithm for Coverage Preservation with Rapid Forwarding (CPRF). Through evaluations including live deployment, CPRF is shown to deliver perfect coverage maintenance and low latency message propagation whilst allowing stored-charge conservation via collaborative duty cycling in energy harvesting networks.</p>
Resilient infrastructure: Redefined
Authors:   , Cole Kurt 
Published: November 2021

<p>The abundance of natural environments within New Zealand is under threat, and unhindered profit-driven development is ever increasing, putting our landscapes at risk. A weak relationship with our land is currently resulting in detrimental development. In particular, designed infrastructure is often imposed on the landscape with little consideration for the effects it has on wider ecological systems. The degradation of our natural environment is spiralling out of control, landscape architecture has the potential to protect and enhance our natural environment through integrated design that benefits our natural systems and the people who exist within them. This research aims to mitigate the adverse effects development has on the landscape through the use of naturally integrated water treatment infrastructure design. The cleansing abilities of natural wetlands are currently overlooked as precedents for design. An opportunity lies within the integration of natural wetlands and infrastructure, the outcome being new multipurpose landscapes. The fusion of water infrastructure and natural systems has the potential to not only mitigate adverse effects of current development, but also provide the public with diverse open spaces that support recreation and natural amenity. Wairarapa Moana in the South Wairarapa is the site for this design research to take place. The abundance of public open spaces surrounding Lake Waiararapa, paired with the severe degradation of the water quality provide an opportunity for design research to explore possible solutions. The intention of this work is to diminish the harmful effects of development and poor land use in the area, resulting in the creation of natural spaces that have an underlying function of water treatment and fitting seamlessly into the wider ecological systems of the site. The space will also cater for various recreational activities, providing the South Wairarapa with a new typology of landscape that is resilient and responsive to the natural flux of this unique lake system.</p>
Stroke Rehabilitation
Authors:   , Kauraka Patrick 
Published: November 2021

<p>Upper limb rehabilitation after a stroke is vital when bringing a range of motion and strength back to a patient. Treatment for upper limb rehabilitation has come in many diverse methods over the years including the use of modern technology through the use of mirror visual feedback (MVF) and action observation therapy; this thesis digital applications for stroke rehabilitation and how varying visual styles can impact the patients experience in the upper limb rehabilitation process. Within the gaming medium the visual style in a game is an aspect of immersion and appeal that is often neglected by the user. The visual style of a game often reflects the tone a game designer has intended to convey while also catering to the target audiences expectations, with realism potentially appealing to a more mature audience while brighter abstract visuals may appeal to a younger demographic. By utilising two different styles of imagery, both realistic and cartoon based visuals, the level of immersion was observed and the user’s reaction to each form of visuals was analysed. The aim of this thesis is to investigate both realistic and stylized visual styles of computer generated imagery, distinguish the advantages and disadvantages for both realism in comparison to cartoon and finally analyse its effectiveness to assist the rehabilitation of upper limb deficiencies. The application being used for this study was made in collaboration with Victoria University Masters student Nicholas Wellwood, providing me the opportunity to focus solely on producing diverse and engaging visual styles to work in unison with a fully developed framework.</p>