title: Functional Analysis of  Vitelline Membrane Outer Layer 1 (VMO1)

authors: Sagvekar, Pranjali

abstract: Hearing loss is an auditory impairment affecting millions of people world-wide. It has considerable impact psychologically, socially, and physically in adults; with the affected numbers increasing with age, and those with learning disabilities are at a particular risk. With the current advancements in audiological technologies and research related to regeneration of inner ear cells, it is important to understand hearing loss at a molecular level and the proteins involved in the mechanism.
Because of the many complications involved in isolating genes from the actual human ear, the use of animal/bacterial models and commercial mammalian cell lines have become important and informative. In addition, bioinformatics analysis makes it possible to converge the similarities between the human genome and genes from other species in real time. This aids in screening the genetic causes which underlie hearing loss and improve our understanding to unravel diagnostic strategies. 
The Vitelline Membrane Outer Layer 1 homolog (Vmo1) gene is of particular interest as it was uniquely and highly expressed in the inner ear of mouse. The function of this gene is currently unknown. The aim of this research is to induce recombinant human VMO1 protein in a prokaryotic system (E. coli) and ascertain its expression using a range of molecular and cellular assays. To do so, this research focuses on four objectives.

text: Functional Analysis of  Vitelline Membrane Outer Layer 1 (VMO1) Hearing loss is an auditory impairment affecting millions of people world-wide. It has considerable impact psychologically, socially, and physically in adults; with the affected numbers increasing with age, and those with learning disabilities are at a particular risk. With the current advancements in audiological technologies and research related to regeneration of inner ear cells, it is important to understand hearing loss at a molecular level and the proteins involved in the mechanism.
Because of the many complications involved in isolating genes from the actual human ear, the use of animal/bacterial models and commercial mammalian cell lines have become important and informative. In addition, bioinformatics analysis makes it possible to converge the similarities between the human genome and genes from other species in real time. This aids in screening the genetic causes which underlie hearing loss and improve our understanding to unravel diagnostic strategies. 
The Vitelline Membrane Outer Layer 1 homolog (Vmo1) gene is of particular interest as it was uniquely and highly expressed in the inner ear of mouse. The function of this gene is currently unknown. The aim of this research is to induce recombinant human VMO1 protein in a prokaryotic system (E. coli) and ascertain its expression using a range of molecular and cellular assays. To do so, this research focuses on four objectives.

year: 2018

title: The significance of communicating in enacting decisions

authors: Huebner, Hartmut

subjects: corporate communications

abstract: Purpose – Rational modes of decision-making, followed by communication of the decision to stakeholders, leading to implementation of the decision is taken as a given in most management theories. The role of corporate communication managers in many cases is to support this process via standard communication tools. This study aims to challenge the efficacy of this model by drawing on discourse and strategy-as-practice perspectives in order to explain the link between managed communication and performance in terms of enacting decisions.

Design/methodology/approach – Following an ethnographic case study approach, the research analyses communication discourse at Intech, a major international conglomerate based in Germany. Data was collected over a period of 15 months, structured and thematic analysis conducted, supported by ATLAS.ti computer-aided qualitative data analysis software. Methods of discourse analysis were applied in order to explain concrete practices.

Findings – A key contribution is to provide a framework that enables researchers and practitioners to understand in-depth the setting in which decision-related communication takes place, as recently demanded by Suchan and Charles (2006). Three critical fields of action for effective communication and strategy implementation are identified: giving decisions voice; facilitating the legitimisation process for decisions; and developing alternatives to cascading as a mode of decision implementation.

Research implications/limitations – Researchers may adopt the alternative view of corporate communication proposed and test or apply it in further case studies or in more large-scale, perhaps quantitatively oriented research projects across companies and cultural boundaries.

Practical implications – For practitioners, a key challenge lies in implementing modes of legitimisation into managed communication.

Originality/value – This paper makes the case for an alternative approach to enacting decisions via practices of managed communication, based on the insights gained from the Intech case.

text: The significance of communicating in enacting decisions Purpose – Rational modes of decision-making, followed by communication of the decision to stakeholders, leading to implementation of the decision is taken as a given in most management theories. The role of corporate communication managers in many cases is to support this process via standard communication tools. This study aims to challenge the efficacy of this model by drawing on discourse and strategy-as-practice perspectives in order to explain the link between managed communication and performance in terms of enacting decisions.

Design/methodology/approach – Following an ethnographic case study approach, the research analyses communication discourse at Intech, a major international conglomerate based in Germany. Data was collected over a period of 15 months, structured and thematic analysis conducted, supported by ATLAS.ti computer-aided qualitative data analysis software. Methods of discourse analysis were applied in order to explain concrete practices.

Findings – A key contribution is to provide a framework that enables researchers and practitioners to understand in-depth the setting in which decision-related communication takes place, as recently demanded by Suchan and Charles (2006). Three critical fields of action for effective communication and strategy implementation are identified: giving decisions voice; facilitating the legitimisation process for decisions; and developing alternatives to cascading as a mode of decision implementation.

Research implications/limitations – Researchers may adopt the alternative view of corporate communication proposed and test or apply it in further case studies or in more large-scale, perhaps quantitatively oriented research projects across companies and cultural boundaries.

Practical implications – For practitioners, a key challenge lies in implementing modes of legitimisation into managed communication.

Originality/value – This paper makes the case for an alternative approach to enacting decisions via practices of managed communication, based on the insights gained from the Intech case.

year: 2008

title: Evaluation of land in Wairoa District for potential horticultural development

authors: Rau, Johnathon Taukiri

subjects: land suitability

abstract: The Wairoa District, on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand has less horticultural development than areas to the north and south. The objective of this study was to provide information to help inform landowners who may wish to invest in horticulture which could improve the economic situation of the district.
Field work involving local scale climate mapping and soil characterisation of areas with potential for horticulture in Wairoa District was completed in 2017. Constructed climate and topographical maps with existing soil maps were evaluated against known crop growth requirements to produce crop potential maps identifying areas with potential for crop production. Horticultural crops included in this study include kiwifruit, apples, cherries. Alternative crops include hemp and poppies.
Between mid-April – 31 October 2017, 45 portable iButton temperature loggers were deployed throughout Land Use Capability classes 1-3 in the Wairoa District and were set to record hourly temperature. When regressed against nearby climate stations, long term (18 -26 years) temperature datasets were derived from the short term iButton datasets. MODIS satellite images were also analysed to help identify areas prone to frost. From the long-term datasets local scale chill hour, growing degree days and October frost risk maps were constructed for the Wairoa District. For the central area from Wairoa to Frasertown, chill hours were estimated to range between 600 – 900, growing degree days 1300 – 1400 and October frost risk less than 25%.
From four representative soil types, horizon samples were taken to determine the soils physical properties including each horizons Total Available Water Holding Capacity (TAWHC). Horizon TAWHC for each soil type were summed to give TAWHC to 1 meter which along with 21 years of estimated daily rainfall and potential evapotranspiration were used in a soil water balance model to estimate seasonal crop irrigation requirements. Irrigation estimates for kiwifruit compared well against published values ranging between mean 204 – 247 mm.
The crop potential maps with seasonal crop irrigation estimates can enhance a land owner’s ability to make informed decisions resulting in economic benefit to whanau, community and the Wairoa District.

text: Evaluation of land in Wairoa District for potential horticultural development The Wairoa District, on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand has less horticultural development than areas to the north and south. The objective of this study was to provide information to help inform landowners who may wish to invest in horticulture which could improve the economic situation of the district.
Field work involving local scale climate mapping and soil characterisation of areas with potential for horticulture in Wairoa District was completed in 2017. Constructed climate and topographical maps with existing soil maps were evaluated against known crop growth requirements to produce crop potential maps identifying areas with potential for crop production. Horticultural crops included in this study include kiwifruit, apples, cherries. Alternative crops include hemp and poppies.
Between mid-April – 31 October 2017, 45 portable iButton temperature loggers were deployed throughout Land Use Capability classes 1-3 in the Wairoa District and were set to record hourly temperature. When regressed against nearby climate stations, long term (18 -26 years) temperature datasets were derived from the short term iButton datasets. MODIS satellite images were also analysed to help identify areas prone to frost. From the long-term datasets local scale chill hour, growing degree days and October frost risk maps were constructed for the Wairoa District. For the central area from Wairoa to Frasertown, chill hours were estimated to range between 600 – 900, growing degree days 1300 – 1400 and October frost risk less than 25%.
From four representative soil types, horizon samples were taken to determine the soils physical properties including each horizons Total Available Water Holding Capacity (TAWHC). Horizon TAWHC for each soil type were summed to give TAWHC to 1 meter which along with 21 years of estimated daily rainfall and potential evapotranspiration were used in a soil water balance model to estimate seasonal crop irrigation requirements. Irrigation estimates for kiwifruit compared well against published values ranging between mean 204 – 247 mm.
The crop potential maps with seasonal crop irrigation estimates can enhance a land owner’s ability to make informed decisions resulting in economic benefit to whanau, community and the Wairoa District.

year: 2018