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Research Commons is the University of Waikato's open access research repository, housing research publications and theses produced by the University's staff and students.
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Publication Exploring the experiences of young Māori mothers(Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2024-06-23)This thesis explores the lived experiences of three young Māori mothers (aged 16 years old) in Aotearoa, New Zealand, focusing on their strengths, challenges, and resilience. By employing a Kaupapa Māori methodological framework, the research aims to reframe narratives about young Māori mothers towards a strengths-based perspective, advocating for protection and nurturing Māori whakapapa. Using qualitative methods, the study explores the pūrākau (stories) of three young Māori mothers attending a teen parent unit in Waikato. The study highlights how, by living within both individualistic and collective realms, these young mothers actively challenge stigma, assert their worth, and develop unique underlying strengths. The findings, structured around emergent themes from their collective experiences, reveal a dichotomy: these young mothers must navigate the individualistic pressures and high expectations of motherhood while also drawing strength from collective responsibilities upheld within their whānau and supportive community services. Despite facing significant societal stigma and systemic barriers, the mothers demonstrate immense strength. Their resilience is grounded in whānau connections, proactive self-care, and engagement with taiao, wairua, and tino rangatiratanga—processes that also support intergenerational healing. This research underscores the importance of culturally responsive support systems that honour Indigenous knowledge and collective well-being. It offers insights for reorienting policy and practice to empower young Māori mothers, recognising their tino rangatiratanga and transformative agency by embracing their multifaceted realities.Publication Optimisation of bovine embryonic stem cell-like line derivation and candidate gene expression analysis(Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2025)The successful derivation of bovine embryonic stem cells (bESCs) has been an area of interest for livestock scientists over the years. These cells possess significant potential for revolutionising livestock breeding by enabling accelerated genetic gain within a single generation. Although robust derivation methods exist for mouse and human ESCs (mESC, hESC), this is not the case for livestock species. Its derivation remains challenging due to the lack of understanding of signalling pathways that maintain pluripotency and regulate early embryo development in livestock species, along with the failure of direct application of mESC and hESC culture conditions. In recent years, studies have reported the development of culture conditions that support bESC derivation, which were adapted in this thesis. This study aims to optimise bESC culture conditions, as well as optimise quantitative PCR methods for gene expression analysis to assess pluripotency. Using cell enrichment treatments, differential plating, colony picking and cell straining, three bESC-like cell lines were derived, which included a wild-type cell line (17), a red fluorescent reporter cell line (R23), and a transgenic β-κ-casein cell line (B2). Although these cell lines were found to express pluripotency markers, both gene and protein expression analysis revealed that the cell lines comprised of a mixed population. Further validation is required to confirm the identity of the derived cells, including using single cell RNA sequencing, karyotyping, in vitro and in vivo differentiation, whole animal generation, and germline contribution assessment.Item The institutional role of charity regulators in bringing charities to account: An international comparative study of charity regulators in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and England and Wales(Journal Article, Walter de Gruyter GmbH)Accountability in the charity sector continues to be important, especially since charity numbers continue to grow regardless of the economic cycle. Charity regulators play a critical role in managing the charity sector as its primary task is ensuring compliance with the regulatory framework. However, it is also important to evaluate whether the practices and procedures of charity regulators are effective within the broader context of charity accountability. This paper aims to explore charity accountability from the perspective of charity regulators. In common law countries, the charity regulator has oversight over the charity sector and, therefore, has the opportunity to enhance charity accountability. Through the lens of institutional theory, this paper provides an international comparative study of New Zealand, Australia, Canada and England and Wales, all of which share a common law heritage. This study demonstrates how the state regulators in each country have applied different mechanisms of charity accountability by institutionalising the norms and standards required from charities. By identifying and comparing the countries, this paper reveals whether some institutional practices by some regulators have been more effective than others in bringing charities to account.Item Incremental Capacity and Voltammetry of Batteries, and Implications for Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy(Journal Article, MDPI AG, 2025)Incremental capacity analysis (ICA), where incremental charge (Q) movements associated with changes in potential are tracked, and cyclic voltammetry (CV), where current response to a linear voltage sweep is recorded, are used to investigate the properties of electrochemical systems. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), on the other hand, is a powerful, non-destructive technique that can be used to determine small-signal AC impedance over a wide frequency range. It is frequently used to design battery equivalent-circuit models. This manuscript explores the relationships between ICA, CV and EIS and demonstrates how sweep rate in CV is related to charging (C) rate in ICA. In addition, it shows the connection between observations linked to rate of charge movement in CV and ICA and intermittent, irregular behavior seen in EIS when performed on a battery. It also explains the use of an additional DC stimulus during EIS to ensure reliability of battery impedance data and to facilitate equivalent-circuit modeling, and suggests a method for obtaining data analogous to CV from a whole battery without risking its destruction.Publication Effects of pasture silage on yield and composition of milk from dairy cows(Thesis, The University of Waikato, 1977)Factors affecting milk yield and composition were reviewed and it was concluded that feeding level and diet type (notably unwilted pasture silage) may have independent effects on yield and composition of milk. The objective of this research was to investigate the separate effects of forage type and feeding level on milk yield and composition and to study some of the mechanisms that may effect the efficiency of utilization of DE in these diets for milk synthesis. Initially effects on milk yield and composition and nutrient utilization were studied in a series of experiments in which dairy cattle were individually fed in stalls on varying levels of forage diets. Unwilted pasture silage was compared with pasture, wilted silage, formalin treated silage, and unwilted silage supplemented with pasture, maize silage or protein concentrates. These experiments showed that both level of feeding and the type of forage diet offered to dairy cows can affect milk yield and composition. Increasing the intake of pasture, increased the yields of milk, fat, protein and lactose, and increased milk protein percentage and decreased milk fat percentage. Similar results were obtained with unwilted silage except that no relationship was found between silage intake and milk protein concentration. Cows offered unwilted pasture silage produced less milk containing a lower concentration of fat and protein than cows offered pasture at the sane intake of DE. percentage. Neither ration affected milk lactose percentage. The efficiency of utilization of DE for milk synthesis by cows fed silage was improved by either reducing protein degradation during ensiling, or by providing pasture or protein concentrates as supplements. Maize silage as a supplement had no effect. These studies indicated that the amount of protein entering the duodenum of cows offered unwilted silage was limiting milk protein synthesis. Subsequently cows were surgically prepared with abomasal cannulae to test this hypothesis. Consistent and significant increases in milk yield, milk protein concentration and milk protein yield by cows fed unwilted silage were obtained when abomasal infusions of sodium caseinate were given in a series of studies. Further studies showed no responses were obtained with abomasal infusions of glucose which indicated that the response in milk protein synthesis was due to amino acids per se. The magnitude of the responses in milk protein synthesis to abomasal infusions of casein were higher for cows offered silage in comparison to those fed pasture at similar intakes of DE. The difference in the responses of the cows on the two rations was due apparently to an inadequate supply of essential amino acids for cows fed silage in comparison with those fed pasture. Abomasal infusions of L-methionine increased milk yield, milk protein percentage and milk protein yield to the same extent as casein suggesting that methionine might be the major essential amino acid that was limiting milk protein synthesis of cows fed unwilted pasture silage.
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