title: Resistance to African black beetle (Heteronychus arator) in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) infected with AR1 endophyte

authors: Ross, Kathryn Mary

subjects: Epichloë festucae var. lolii

abstract: The insect pest, African black beetle (Heteronychus arator (Fabricus, 1775)) is of considerable economic cost to the New Zealand agricultural industry, in regions where the insect is established and regular outbreaks are now occurring. Selection for Epichloë festucae var. lolii (Latch, M.J. Chr. & Samuels) C. W. Bacon & Schardl, stat. nov. et comb. nov. endophyte-perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) associations which do not cause toxicity to livestock and with strong resistance to African black beetle (H. arator), would be of significant value to farmers in regions where this pest is a problem.
Epichloë festucae var. lolii strain AR1 endophyte does not produce ergovaline, the alkaloid known to deter African black beetle (H. arator), yet pastures infected with this endophyte have moderate resistance to adult African black beetle (H. arator). Research into AR1 is of importance, as to date there have been no reports of toxicity in livestock brought about by consumption of from AR1-infected pastures and in the absence of African black beetle (H. arator) this ‘novel’ endophyte can provide highly productive pastures.
AR1 endophyte produces secondary metabolites that are simple indole diterpenes, including paxilline and paxilline-like compounds. The numerous paxilline-like compounds produced by AR1 are detected by a paxilline ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbant assay) and quantified collectively as paxilline immunoreactive equivalents. Earlier work suggested that these paxilline-like compounds could be the bioactive, or linked-marker associated with the bioactive compound(s), that provide some resistance to adult African black beetle (H. arator) feeding.
The overall aim of this research was to determine if increased concentration of paxilline immunoreactivity was associated with a reduction in feeding damage using a series of adult African black beetle (H. arator) feeding trials on closely related AR1-infected perennial ryegrasses (L. perenne).
A negative relationship was established between feeding damage from adult African black beetle (H. arator) and plant pseudostem paxilline immunoreactivity in AR1-infected perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) post exposure to beetles. However, it was not a simple relationship being complicated by: i) paxilline immunoreactivity ￼not reflecting endophyte concentrations; ii) the influence of cultivar on the expression levels of paxilline immunoreactivity; iii) the effect of African black beetle (H. arator) presence on expression levels of paxilline immunoreactivity; and iv) the paxilline ELISA quantifying the complete complex of paxilline-like compounds and not simply those that are bioactive.
The highest concentrations of paxilline immunoreactivity were found in plant undamaged pseudostem and were not strongly correlated with the lower concentrations found in herbage. Therefore undamaged pseudostem is recommended as the section sampled if the entire plant pseudostem was not available. Low levels of feeding from adult African black beetle (H. arator) accentuated plant tiller production. However, the negative effects of high feeding pressure still affected plants four weeks post-exposure to beetles, with reduced paxilline immunoreactivity production and plant tiller numbers. Adult African black beetle (H. arator) were able to compensate the deterrent effects of AR1 once an endophyte-free food source was available.
Results from this research contribute towards further understanding the bioactivity of AR1 endophyte against adult African black beetle (H. arator) and will underpin further research into the chemical basis for this resistance. The paxilline ELISA could potentially be used for screening E. festucae endophyte ryegrass associations that produce unknown compounds which deter African black beetle (H. arator) and which do not cause toxicity to livestock.

text: Resistance to African black beetle (Heteronychus arator) in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) infected with AR1 endophyte The insect pest, African black beetle (Heteronychus arator (Fabricus, 1775)) is of considerable economic cost to the New Zealand agricultural industry, in regions where the insect is established and regular outbreaks are now occurring. Selection for Epichloë festucae var. lolii (Latch, M.J. Chr. & Samuels) C. W. Bacon & Schardl, stat. nov. et comb. nov. endophyte-perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) associations which do not cause toxicity to livestock and with strong resistance to African black beetle (H. arator), would be of significant value to farmers in regions where this pest is a problem.
Epichloë festucae var. lolii strain AR1 endophyte does not produce ergovaline, the alkaloid known to deter African black beetle (H. arator), yet pastures infected with this endophyte have moderate resistance to adult African black beetle (H. arator). Research into AR1 is of importance, as to date there have been no reports of toxicity in livestock brought about by consumption of from AR1-infected pastures and in the absence of African black beetle (H. arator) this ‘novel’ endophyte can provide highly productive pastures.
AR1 endophyte produces secondary metabolites that are simple indole diterpenes, including paxilline and paxilline-like compounds. The numerous paxilline-like compounds produced by AR1 are detected by a paxilline ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbant assay) and quantified collectively as paxilline immunoreactive equivalents. Earlier work suggested that these paxilline-like compounds could be the bioactive, or linked-marker associated with the bioactive compound(s), that provide some resistance to adult African black beetle (H. arator) feeding.
The overall aim of this research was to determine if increased concentration of paxilline immunoreactivity was associated with a reduction in feeding damage using a series of adult African black beetle (H. arator) feeding trials on closely related AR1-infected perennial ryegrasses (L. perenne).
A negative relationship was established between feeding damage from adult African black beetle (H. arator) and plant pseudostem paxilline immunoreactivity in AR1-infected perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) post exposure to beetles. However, it was not a simple relationship being complicated by: i) paxilline immunoreactivity ￼not reflecting endophyte concentrations; ii) the influence of cultivar on the expression levels of paxilline immunoreactivity; iii) the effect of African black beetle (H. arator) presence on expression levels of paxilline immunoreactivity; and iv) the paxilline ELISA quantifying the complete complex of paxilline-like compounds and not simply those that are bioactive.
The highest concentrations of paxilline immunoreactivity were found in plant undamaged pseudostem and were not strongly correlated with the lower concentrations found in herbage. Therefore undamaged pseudostem is recommended as the section sampled if the entire plant pseudostem was not available. Low levels of feeding from adult African black beetle (H. arator) accentuated plant tiller production. However, the negative effects of high feeding pressure still affected plants four weeks post-exposure to beetles, with reduced paxilline immunoreactivity production and plant tiller numbers. Adult African black beetle (H. arator) were able to compensate the deterrent effects of AR1 once an endophyte-free food source was available.
Results from this research contribute towards further understanding the bioactivity of AR1 endophyte against adult African black beetle (H. arator) and will underpin further research into the chemical basis for this resistance. The paxilline ELISA could potentially be used for screening E. festucae endophyte ryegrass associations that produce unknown compounds which deter African black beetle (H. arator) and which do not cause toxicity to livestock.

year: 2016

title: The joy of childbirth: A mixed method exploration of positive birth experiences

authors: Nielsen, Ajay

abstract: The birth of a child is a significant event in a mother’s life and marks the start of many psychological, emotional and physical transitions. While negative birth experiences have been linked to poor psychological outcomes for mothers, positive birth experiences have been linked to increased self-esteem and confidence in parenting. Few studies have been conducted that explore the birth experience for New Zealand women, and this is particularly important due to the unique culture and maternity care system.
The aim of the current study was to identify factors associated with positive childbirth experiences for New Zealand women using a mixed methods approach. Recruitment for the current study was completed in the context of a pilot study for a mobile phone app for pregnant women. Survey data for 54 women were collected at four time points and included measures of emotional distress and, after delivery, subjective birth experiences and obstetric outcomes. Six women were interviewed and asked to share their birth narrative based on a positive appraisal of their birth experience.
The results of this study identified perceived control, midwifery support and the birthing environment as important factors associated with the birth experience. There was a weak non-significant correlation between pain and birth experience, supported by birth narratives that identified positive reframing of pain and a combination of the three factors above as mitigating factors. Emotional distress during pregnancy was not consistently associated with birth experience. Obstetric factors associated with birth experience included type of delivery, location of birth and presence of labour complications. 
This research highlights the importance of the maternity system and context of care for New Zealand women giving birth, a relevant finding given that during the time of the study, the midwifery profession was in the process of advocating to improve their working conditions and level of remuneration. Changes in maternity care and the midwifery profession, or lack of change, may have a considerable effect on the birth experience of New Zealand women.

text: The joy of childbirth: A mixed method exploration of positive birth experiences The birth of a child is a significant event in a mother’s life and marks the start of many psychological, emotional and physical transitions. While negative birth experiences have been linked to poor psychological outcomes for mothers, positive birth experiences have been linked to increased self-esteem and confidence in parenting. Few studies have been conducted that explore the birth experience for New Zealand women, and this is particularly important due to the unique culture and maternity care system.
The aim of the current study was to identify factors associated with positive childbirth experiences for New Zealand women using a mixed methods approach. Recruitment for the current study was completed in the context of a pilot study for a mobile phone app for pregnant women. Survey data for 54 women were collected at four time points and included measures of emotional distress and, after delivery, subjective birth experiences and obstetric outcomes. Six women were interviewed and asked to share their birth narrative based on a positive appraisal of their birth experience.
The results of this study identified perceived control, midwifery support and the birthing environment as important factors associated with the birth experience. There was a weak non-significant correlation between pain and birth experience, supported by birth narratives that identified positive reframing of pain and a combination of the three factors above as mitigating factors. Emotional distress during pregnancy was not consistently associated with birth experience. Obstetric factors associated with birth experience included type of delivery, location of birth and presence of labour complications. 
This research highlights the importance of the maternity system and context of care for New Zealand women giving birth, a relevant finding given that during the time of the study, the midwifery profession was in the process of advocating to improve their working conditions and level of remuneration. Changes in maternity care and the midwifery profession, or lack of change, may have a considerable effect on the birth experience of New Zealand women.

year: 2019

title: Language switching in a digital library: Does it make a difference if the default language is set to Maori?

authors: Keegan, Te Taka Adrian Gregory

abstract: In this paper we investigate the effect of default interface language on usage patterns of the Niupepa digital library (a collection of historic Māori language newspapers), by switching the default interface language between Māori and English in alternate weeks.
Transaction analysis of the Niupepa collection logs indicates that changing default language affects the length of user
sessions and the number of actions within sessions, and that the English language interface was used most frequently.

text: Language switching in a digital library: Does it make a difference if the default language is set to Maori? In this paper we investigate the effect of default interface language on usage patterns of the Niupepa digital library (a collection of historic Māori language newspapers), by switching the default interface language between Māori and English in alternate weeks.
Transaction analysis of the Niupepa collection logs indicates that changing default language affects the length of user
sessions and the number of actions within sessions, and that the English language interface was used most frequently.

year: 2004-01-01