title: Frenemy: The Friend Who Bullies

authors: Beard, Shannon

abstract: The purpose of this research was to look into the slang term frenemy, what it meant for adolescent girls and their friendships. Therefore, this research had three key objectives. The first objective was to define the word frenemy and to determine how young women recognise one. The second objective was to find out what types of bullying young women have experienced from frenemies and what impact that had on them. The last objective was to find out how the young women responded to the bullying and what things supported or undermined attempts to deal with the frenemy. Seven individual interviews were held with young women who had had a frenemy. The results gave an insight into the complex nature of what and who a frenemy can be. This study has shown that any friend can become a frenemy and use indirectly aggressive behaviours to bully. As female adolescents have highly intimate friendships, frenemies can be particularly effective in causing pain when they were once a ‘best friend’. When a target seeks help, she is most likely to go to other friends first or seek advice but not intervention from parents. The attitudes of school personnel towards indirect aggression among girls have resulted in failed attempts to stop the bullying.

text: Frenemy: The Friend Who Bullies The purpose of this research was to look into the slang term frenemy, what it meant for adolescent girls and their friendships. Therefore, this research had three key objectives. The first objective was to define the word frenemy and to determine how young women recognise one. The second objective was to find out what types of bullying young women have experienced from frenemies and what impact that had on them. The last objective was to find out how the young women responded to the bullying and what things supported or undermined attempts to deal with the frenemy. Seven individual interviews were held with young women who had had a frenemy. The results gave an insight into the complex nature of what and who a frenemy can be. This study has shown that any friend can become a frenemy and use indirectly aggressive behaviours to bully. As female adolescents have highly intimate friendships, frenemies can be particularly effective in causing pain when they were once a ‘best friend’. When a target seeks help, she is most likely to go to other friends first or seek advice but not intervention from parents. The attitudes of school personnel towards indirect aggression among girls have resulted in failed attempts to stop the bullying.

year: 2013

title: The Identification, Isolation and Partial Characterisation of VapA-encoding virulence plasmids in Rhodococcus equi found in New Zealand.

authors: Singh, Niharika

subjects: Rhodococcus equi

abstract: This thesis describes the identification, isolation and partial characterisation of VapA-encoded virulence plasmids present in Rhodococcus equi (R. equi) found in foals in New Zealand. R. equi infection associated with the presence of virulence plasmids causes severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia in foals and, if left untreated, it can be lethal. Foals are thought to be infected when they ingest or breathe in bacteria present in soil, dust and faecal particles after which the bacteria multiply inside macrophages and cause pneumonia. Studies have shown that virulence is associated with the presence of the vapA gene in a plasmid that encodes a VapA protein. Twelve different types of VapA-encoding virulence plasmids have been described so far. Epidemiological studies of America, Australia, Korea, Japan and some parts of Europe have revealed that more than one subtype can exist in a farm or even a country. The aim of the study was to investigate if more than one subtype of VapA-encoded plasmids exists in a farm in New Zealand.
Nasal swabs for the analysis were obtained from the Auckland Veterinary Centre in Papakura. Based on colony morphology and 16S primers, successful identification of R. equi was possible, VapA primers assisted with distinguishing bacteria that carried VapA-encoded plasmids. Since success with plasmid isolations was modest, characterization of plasmids was conducted by sequence analysis of an approximately 1-kb variable region present in VapA-encoded plasmids. Sequence analysis and restriction digestion patterns revealed two distinct patterns of sequences from the variable region which were divided into two groups: PI and PII.
Results indicated that PI sequences were significantly similar to published 85-kb type I plasmids and must also be from 85-kb type I plasmids but more detailed analysis of other regions is required to confirm the results. PII sequences on the other hand were distinctly different from PI sequences and displayed poor matches with published plasmid sequences. This is the first attempt at characterising VapA-encoded virulence plasmids from R. equi isolates in New Zealand. This work will contribute towards increasing our knowledge regarding the unique characteristics of the VapA-encoding plasmids, which could define transmission characteristics, possible sources of infection in disease outbreaks and vaccine development.

text: The Identification, Isolation and Partial Characterisation of VapA-encoding virulence plasmids in Rhodococcus equi found in New Zealand. This thesis describes the identification, isolation and partial characterisation of VapA-encoded virulence plasmids present in Rhodococcus equi (R. equi) found in foals in New Zealand. R. equi infection associated with the presence of virulence plasmids causes severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia in foals and, if left untreated, it can be lethal. Foals are thought to be infected when they ingest or breathe in bacteria present in soil, dust and faecal particles after which the bacteria multiply inside macrophages and cause pneumonia. Studies have shown that virulence is associated with the presence of the vapA gene in a plasmid that encodes a VapA protein. Twelve different types of VapA-encoding virulence plasmids have been described so far. Epidemiological studies of America, Australia, Korea, Japan and some parts of Europe have revealed that more than one subtype can exist in a farm or even a country. The aim of the study was to investigate if more than one subtype of VapA-encoded plasmids exists in a farm in New Zealand.
Nasal swabs for the analysis were obtained from the Auckland Veterinary Centre in Papakura. Based on colony morphology and 16S primers, successful identification of R. equi was possible, VapA primers assisted with distinguishing bacteria that carried VapA-encoded plasmids. Since success with plasmid isolations was modest, characterization of plasmids was conducted by sequence analysis of an approximately 1-kb variable region present in VapA-encoded plasmids. Sequence analysis and restriction digestion patterns revealed two distinct patterns of sequences from the variable region which were divided into two groups: PI and PII.
Results indicated that PI sequences were significantly similar to published 85-kb type I plasmids and must also be from 85-kb type I plasmids but more detailed analysis of other regions is required to confirm the results. PII sequences on the other hand were distinctly different from PI sequences and displayed poor matches with published plasmid sequences. This is the first attempt at characterising VapA-encoded virulence plasmids from R. equi isolates in New Zealand. This work will contribute towards increasing our knowledge regarding the unique characteristics of the VapA-encoding plasmids, which could define transmission characteristics, possible sources of infection in disease outbreaks and vaccine development.

year: 2010

title: The issues of the criminal justice system and of resources in Aotearoa/New Zealand

authors: Toki, Valmaine

abstract: Within the seven regions, recognized by the United Nations, various jurisdictions have acknowledged Indigenous rights within their respective constitutions. Although not explicit, some constitutional provisions, such as those included in the Norwegian Constitution, when read together with other articles, provide tentative opportunities for the implementation of an Indigenous legal system and an Indigenous court. Some Constitutions, such as that of Ecuador, are more explicit in providing constitutional recognition of an Indigenous legal system as well as rights to nature and, the interim Constitution of Nepal, courts for Indigenous Peoples.

text: The issues of the criminal justice system and of resources in Aotearoa/New Zealand Within the seven regions, recognized by the United Nations, various jurisdictions have acknowledged Indigenous rights within their respective constitutions. Although not explicit, some constitutional provisions, such as those included in the Norwegian Constitution, when read together with other articles, provide tentative opportunities for the implementation of an Indigenous legal system and an Indigenous court. Some Constitutions, such as that of Ecuador, are more explicit in providing constitutional recognition of an Indigenous legal system as well as rights to nature and, the interim Constitution of Nepal, courts for Indigenous Peoples.

year: 2014