title: Formation of children as healthy sexual beings

authors: Flanagan, Paul G.

abstract: Forming children as healthy sexual beings: What understandings of child sexuality can mean for adults who care for children. In recent decades, greater awareness of child sexual abuse (csa) in society, and the exposure of abuse within Church contexts particularly, has necessarily seen the introduction of child protection education programmes and safeguarding practices for child protection. There has also been a parallel reconfiguration of sociological theories and questions about sexuality and childhood. This paper invites a reimagining of childhood and a critical view of some of the assumptions about how approaches to risk protection have developed. Questioning concepts of ‘innocence’ as natural and some of the assumptions that children should be ignorant of sexuality until puberty, a brief historical overview is taken of childhood in relation to sexuality. Examining the philosophical ideas around childhood innocence, this notion is challenged as potentially unhelpful (and possibly harmful) to safeguarding and protection practices to keep children safe. Presenting recent research (from the UK, Australia, South Africa and NZ), an understanding of children as curious and knowing 'sexual beings' may offer communities of faith more visible and articulate ways of understanding children as sexual beings and further developing practices of safety with children. It is important that adults find the language and safe spaces to speak about these ideas.

text: Formation of children as healthy sexual beings Forming children as healthy sexual beings: What understandings of child sexuality can mean for adults who care for children. In recent decades, greater awareness of child sexual abuse (csa) in society, and the exposure of abuse within Church contexts particularly, has necessarily seen the introduction of child protection education programmes and safeguarding practices for child protection. There has also been a parallel reconfiguration of sociological theories and questions about sexuality and childhood. This paper invites a reimagining of childhood and a critical view of some of the assumptions about how approaches to risk protection have developed. Questioning concepts of ‘innocence’ as natural and some of the assumptions that children should be ignorant of sexuality until puberty, a brief historical overview is taken of childhood in relation to sexuality. Examining the philosophical ideas around childhood innocence, this notion is challenged as potentially unhelpful (and possibly harmful) to safeguarding and protection practices to keep children safe. Presenting recent research (from the UK, Australia, South Africa and NZ), an understanding of children as curious and knowing 'sexual beings' may offer communities of faith more visible and articulate ways of understanding children as sexual beings and further developing practices of safety with children. It is important that adults find the language and safe spaces to speak about these ideas.

year: 2019

title: Immunogenic fusion proteins induce neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the serum and milk of sheep

authors: Jacobson, Gregory M.

subjects: Antigen design

abstract: Antigen-specific polyclonal immunoglobulins derived from the serum, colostrum, or milk of immunized ruminant animals have potential as scalable therapeutics for the control of viral diseases including COVID-19. Here we show that the immunization of sheep with fusions of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) to ovine IgG2a Fc domains promotes significantly higher levels of antigen-specific antibodies compared to native RBD or full-length spike antigens. This antibody population contained elevated levels of neutralizing antibodies that suppressed binding between the RBD and hACE2 receptors in vitro. A second immune-stimulating fusion candidate, Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), induced high neutralizing responses in select animals but narrowly missed achieving significance. We further demonstrated that the antibodies induced by these fusion antigens were transferred into colostrum/milk and possessed cross-neutralizing activity against diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our findings highlight a new pathway for recombinant antigen design in ruminant animals with applications in immune milk production and animal health.

text: Immunogenic fusion proteins induce neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the serum and milk of sheep Antigen-specific polyclonal immunoglobulins derived from the serum, colostrum, or milk of immunized ruminant animals have potential as scalable therapeutics for the control of viral diseases including COVID-19. Here we show that the immunization of sheep with fusions of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) to ovine IgG2a Fc domains promotes significantly higher levels of antigen-specific antibodies compared to native RBD or full-length spike antigens. This antibody population contained elevated levels of neutralizing antibodies that suppressed binding between the RBD and hACE2 receptors in vitro. A second immune-stimulating fusion candidate, Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), induced high neutralizing responses in select animals but narrowly missed achieving significance. We further demonstrated that the antibodies induced by these fusion antigens were transferred into colostrum/milk and possessed cross-neutralizing activity against diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our findings highlight a new pathway for recombinant antigen design in ruminant animals with applications in immune milk production and animal health.

year: 2023-06

title: Mobile app development: Work-integrated learning collaborations with Māori and Fijian partners

authors: Yeo, Alvin

subjects: computer science

abstract: Only a few information and communication technology (ICT) work-integrated learning (WIL) projects involving universities and Indigenous partners are being reported and very little is known about the approaches that are followed. This article reports on successful student work placements in Indigenous communities when codeveloping software for the community. We provide two case studies of projects which involved work-integrated learning students and researchers from a university, as well as researchers and practitioners from Indigenous communities in New Zealand and Fiji. Two independent app development projects were the central focus of the collaborations with these two communities including placement students. The article describes the learning and insights from these WIL projects and provides recommendations for creating successful WIL opportunities with Indigenous communities.

text: Mobile app development: Work-integrated learning collaborations with Māori and Fijian partners Only a few information and communication technology (ICT) work-integrated learning (WIL) projects involving universities and Indigenous partners are being reported and very little is known about the approaches that are followed. This article reports on successful student work placements in Indigenous communities when codeveloping software for the community. We provide two case studies of projects which involved work-integrated learning students and researchers from a university, as well as researchers and practitioners from Indigenous communities in New Zealand and Fiji. Two independent app development projects were the central focus of the collaborations with these two communities including placement students. The article describes the learning and insights from these WIL projects and provides recommendations for creating successful WIL opportunities with Indigenous communities.

year: 2022