title: Whangai: remembering, understanding and experiencing

authors: McRae, Karyn Okeroa

subjects: adoption

abstract: The Māori customary practice of whangai is often equated with adoption or foster care.
There are, however, significant differences between the institutions. Adoption or foster care, tends to be mainly focused on the interests of the child. The institution of whangai, while being cognizant of the interests of the child, is weighted more towards establishing, nurturing and cementing relationships between individuals, families and broader relational networks. In this paper we draw on the lived experiences of six people who have been raised as whangai and/or have raised whangai. We were interested in their understanding of the cultural concept of whangai, how the customary practice of whangai has changed over time, and their projected thoughts on future generations’ experience of whangai. Findings suggest that the institution of whangai remains as a strong vehicle for both the care of children and for the nurturing of whangai kinship relationships. While participants recognised that contemporary Māori social environments have contributed toward multiple manifestations of whangai, most felt it to be an institution that will be valued and carried into the future.

text: Whangai: remembering, understanding and experiencing The Māori customary practice of whangai is often equated with adoption or foster care.
There are, however, significant differences between the institutions. Adoption or foster care, tends to be mainly focused on the interests of the child. The institution of whangai, while being cognizant of the interests of the child, is weighted more towards establishing, nurturing and cementing relationships between individuals, families and broader relational networks. In this paper we draw on the lived experiences of six people who have been raised as whangai and/or have raised whangai. We were interested in their understanding of the cultural concept of whangai, how the customary practice of whangai has changed over time, and their projected thoughts on future generations’ experience of whangai. Findings suggest that the institution of whangai remains as a strong vehicle for both the care of children and for the nurturing of whangai kinship relationships. While participants recognised that contemporary Māori social environments have contributed toward multiple manifestations of whangai, most felt it to be an institution that will be valued and carried into the future.

year: 2006

title: How Well Does Psychological Research in Aotearoa New Zealand Reflect Diversity?

authors: Tan, Kyle K. H.

subjects: biculturalism

abstract: This paper presents our reflections as psychological researchers based on a content analysis of studies published in Journal of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists and New Zealand Journal of Psychology over the last decade. We found the frequency of articles that had considered biculturalism, multiculturalism and diversity was related to the scope of the journal and the release of special issues on specific themes (e.g. Indigenous psychologies in 2017). Five issues were identified around the inclusion of cultural diversity in psychological research: inadequate data collection, controlling for diversity, no contextualisation of diversity, pathologisation of diversity and passing responsibility to others. Each issue was succinctly discussed with examples provided. Through this paper, we hope to open up a conversation on how psychological researchers can meet their ethical responsibility to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

text: How Well Does Psychological Research in Aotearoa New Zealand Reflect Diversity? This paper presents our reflections as psychological researchers based on a content analysis of studies published in Journal of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists and New Zealand Journal of Psychology over the last decade. We found the frequency of articles that had considered biculturalism, multiculturalism and diversity was related to the scope of the journal and the release of special issues on specific themes (e.g. Indigenous psychologies in 2017). Five issues were identified around the inclusion of cultural diversity in psychological research: inadequate data collection, controlling for diversity, no contextualisation of diversity, pathologisation of diversity and passing responsibility to others. Each issue was succinctly discussed with examples provided. Through this paper, we hope to open up a conversation on how psychological researchers can meet their ethical responsibility to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

year: 2023-07-24

title: Cysteine biosynthesis and the role of CysE in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

authors: Oldham, Keely

abstract: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative organism of the sexually transmitted infection (STI), gonorrhoea. Over decades of antibiotic use, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae has dramatically increased and we are facing the reality of almost untreatable gonorrhoea. Combined with increasing incidence, there is an urgent need for new antimicrobial treatments for gonorrhoea infection. The synthesis of the amino acid cysteine is a promising new target for the development of new antimicrobials. Cysteine plays an important role in protein molecules, but also in the synthesis of glutathione for protection against oxidative stress. In addition, cysteine is the key step for the incorporation of sulphur into a variety of cellular constituents. N. gonorrhoeae displays unique differences in assimilation of sulphate for the synthesis of cysteine, yet little is known about the synthesis of this important amino acid in N. gonorrhoeae. 

The first step in the dual-step cysteine biosynthesis pathway is catalysed by the serine acetyltransferase, CysE, an essential gene in N. gonorrhoeae. To design inhibitors against this key enzyme we need to elucidate the enzymatic mechanism and the three-dimensional structure. In this thesis, we determine the kinetic parameters and regulation of CysE and present the structure of CysE to 2.01 Å. Biochemical assays demonstrate that CysE has serine acetyltransferase activity and experiences substrate inhibition by acetyl CoA. CysE is also sensitive to feedback inhibition by L-cysteine, which competitively inhibits CysE relative to the substrate L-serine. The structure shows CysE belongs to the left-handed β helix family and adopts a hexameric structure consisting of a dimer of trimers. Our structure reveals the first evidence of domain swapping for a CysE structure, where C-terminal tails domain swap with neighbouring monomers in the crystal lattice. Although an artefact of crystallisation it provides insight into the flexibility of this region. 

Collectively the data presented in this thesis represents key advances in our understanding of the uncharacterised cysteine biosynthetic pathway in N. gonorrhoeae. Data presented here is the basis for future work using the structure of CysE to guide computational inhibitor design, to identify lead compounds for CysE inhibition, and for the development of new antimicrobials for treatment of gonorrhoea.

text: Cysteine biosynthesis and the role of CysE in Neisseria gonorrhoeae Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative organism of the sexually transmitted infection (STI), gonorrhoea. Over decades of antibiotic use, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae has dramatically increased and we are facing the reality of almost untreatable gonorrhoea. Combined with increasing incidence, there is an urgent need for new antimicrobial treatments for gonorrhoea infection. The synthesis of the amino acid cysteine is a promising new target for the development of new antimicrobials. Cysteine plays an important role in protein molecules, but also in the synthesis of glutathione for protection against oxidative stress. In addition, cysteine is the key step for the incorporation of sulphur into a variety of cellular constituents. N. gonorrhoeae displays unique differences in assimilation of sulphate for the synthesis of cysteine, yet little is known about the synthesis of this important amino acid in N. gonorrhoeae. 

The first step in the dual-step cysteine biosynthesis pathway is catalysed by the serine acetyltransferase, CysE, an essential gene in N. gonorrhoeae. To design inhibitors against this key enzyme we need to elucidate the enzymatic mechanism and the three-dimensional structure. In this thesis, we determine the kinetic parameters and regulation of CysE and present the structure of CysE to 2.01 Å. Biochemical assays demonstrate that CysE has serine acetyltransferase activity and experiences substrate inhibition by acetyl CoA. CysE is also sensitive to feedback inhibition by L-cysteine, which competitively inhibits CysE relative to the substrate L-serine. The structure shows CysE belongs to the left-handed β helix family and adopts a hexameric structure consisting of a dimer of trimers. Our structure reveals the first evidence of domain swapping for a CysE structure, where C-terminal tails domain swap with neighbouring monomers in the crystal lattice. Although an artefact of crystallisation it provides insight into the flexibility of this region. 

Collectively the data presented in this thesis represents key advances in our understanding of the uncharacterised cysteine biosynthetic pathway in N. gonorrhoeae. Data presented here is the basis for future work using the structure of CysE to guide computational inhibitor design, to identify lead compounds for CysE inhibition, and for the development of new antimicrobials for treatment of gonorrhoea.

year: 2020