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Pharmacodynamics of therapeutic dose selenium compounds: A determination study for dose/compound efficacy potential
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Goodall, Renëe Jo-Leigh; Peters, Linda
This research is a key part of a Phase 1(b) clinical trial that was designed to investigate a potential therapeutic dose of selenium (Se) in an oncology setting to aid in protection against toxicities caused by cancer therapies. The trial's primary objectives were to identify the most effective combination of Se dosage (1600 or 6400 μg/day) and compound using three forms of Se (Selenomethionine (SLM), methyl-selenocysteine (MSC), and Sodium selenite (SS). To achieve this, western blot methodologies were used to investigate the effect of the Se compounds on the protein expression. Three antibodies, HIF-1α, EGLN1 and EGLN3 were used to identify changes in the hypoxic pathway, CASPASE-8 was used for the apoptosis pathway and a singular GAPDH loading control was used to estimate regulation change. In addition, LORD-Q PCR was implemented to evaluate both the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA damage. Nine patients who provided informed consent were recruited for the trial. The trial protocol involved seven visits in which blood and plasma samples, adverse events (AE) reporting, and other safety procedures were collected. Two baseline (at the pre-check visit and on day 1) samples were taken one to two weeks apart before dosing to assess intrapatient variability. Two samples for 1600 μg and 6400 μg and a singular post-trial sample over the course of the 12 week trial. Patients kept a diary to self-record any AEs experienced over the trial period. No AEs higher than grade 2 were reported during the trial, with the most common AE being gastrointestinal-related. Western blot analysis showed minimal increase in expression for HIF-1α for four out of five patients with data, when compared to the baseline samples and showed an overall decreased protein expression when normalised against GAPDH. Except patient 29 who showed a distinct increase during the trial, peaking at 25 times the level of GAPDH. Themeasurement of the apoptotic pathway using CASPASE-8 was used however, insufficient data was gained. LORD-Q PCR data showed that damage sustained to mtDNA and ntDNA was not consistent between patients of a singular compound. Data from this trial demonstrate a potential protective effect on DNA damage at the nuclear and mitochondrial level at both 1600 μg/day and 6400 μg/day in all Se compounds. MSC and SS showed to be the least volatile compounds, indicating increased protective effects against DNA damage, which is supported by the western blots for hypoxia. SLM was volatile, showing higher mitochondrial damage and a slight upregulation in the minimal apoptosis data obtained. The difference in in protective effects and pathway regulation was minimal; further investigation into the hypothesis that they are at the same level in the U-shaped tolerance that Se has in humans is advised. Future studies should further investigate the clinical significance and potential of Se as an adjuvant therapy alongside chemotherapy and radiotherapy in cancer patients.
Shaping tomorrow: How collective future scenarios influence perceptions and behaviour toward AMR
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Barkle, Kirsty; Milfont, Taciano L.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) makes infections harder to treat due to developing resistance to the antibiotics, and it is a growing global threat in modern society. What once would have been easily managed and treatable illnesses, are now becoming increasing difficult to manage via antibiotics and having prolonged and more complicated illnesses. Emerging research suggests challenges in addressing AMR extend beyond scientific and medical factors, but also how the issue is framed and communicated to the public. Therefore, this thesis aims to investigate and understand how AMR has been portrayed and communicated in the media to the public of Aotearoa New Zealand and examine how different future-oriented narratives influence public attitudes and affect behavioural intentions towards addressing the AMR issue. Study 1 employed a quantitative thematic media analysis grounded in agenda-setting theory to examine how AMR was portrayed in New Zealand media over a 15-year period (2010–2024). An analysis of 226 media summary articles was conducted to reveal that coverage was largely reactive and episodic, with fluctuating salience over time. While crisis framing was prominent, particularly during periods of heightened coverage, the media narratives often lacked sustained local accountability and clear calls to action, potentially hindering for long-term public engagement with AMR in New Zealand. Building on from these findings, Study 2 was pre-registered using an in between subjects experimental survey design to assess how different future framings of AMR (crisis, hopeful, and neutral) influenced public attitude and engagement. A nationally representative sample of New Zealand adults (N = 1,648) was randomly assigned to one of three future scenario conditions set in New Zealand 2060. Results indicated that the crisis framed condition reported significantly stronger collective action intentions and more supportive attitudes toward addressing AMR than hopeful framings, while private-sphere behavioural intentions did not differ across conditions. Together, these findings demonstrate that future-oriented and credible communication plays a critical role in shaping sustained public engagement with AMR as a long-term societal health challenge in Aotearoa New Zealand.
A biologically inspired compliant gripper for kiwifruit harvesting
(ACRA, 2025) Cornforth, Ethan; McGuinness, Benjamin; Singh, Ajit Pal; Venter, Christoff; Phan, Hung Le; Duke, Mike
This gripper was designed taking inspiration from the technique agricultural workers use to pick kiwifruit, and designing the fingers of the gripper similar to that of a humans, with optimised dimensions through SolidWorks Simulations. Validating the gripper included testing for Fruit Detachment Force (FDF) and Fruit Contact Pressure (FCP). The FDF tests involved testing kiwifruit over a variety of input pressures (0-0.7 MPa) to see at what point slippage, i.e. failure occurred. This was conducted over a range of differently sized gold and green kiwifruit, resulting in input pressures between 0.3-0.55 MPa achieving the required FDF of 30.074 N. The FCP tests involved applying the same range of input pressures to force gauges on specialised rigs (one to represent a small kiwifruit and one for large) to find at what input pressure, the output pressure exceeded the critical pressure (0.216 MPa) at which kiwifruit would be damaged. From this we found the maximum FCP (at our operating input pressure of 0.6N – rounded up from our maximum FDF input pressure of 0.55N) to be 0.09 MPa, which is much less than the critical damaging pressure of 0.216 MPa. By then manipulating the faces to account for a variety of differently shaped kiwifruit by extending out the location of the force gauges one at a time, the results were largely affected. The majority of the results remained below the critical pressure, with a few rare situations causing failure, specifically when face 4 was protruded a further 3 mm, and face 2 by just 1 mm for the large kiwifruit situation and 3 mm for the small. To further validate this gripper, it was compared to two existing grippers, one rigid, and one compliant. FDF testing was found to be achieved for all sizes of fruit tested for this gripper and the existing compliant gripper, however the existing rigid gripper failed to pick smaller kiwifruit. In regards to FCP testing, all grippers were comfortably under the critical damaging pressure, with our gripper having a slightly higher pressure then the existing grippers.
Bridging worlds: Integrating Māori health models into psychological practice
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Duggal, Priyanka; Mohi, Simone R.
The clinical literature highlights the importance of incorporating Māori worldviews and Māori-based mental health models into psychological practice to enhance cultural responsiveness. However, empirical research on this topic remains scarce. This qualitative study explored how Māori health models are integrated into psychological practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Twenty-four practising psychologists participated in semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis identified seven key themes: (1) Te Whare Tapa Whā: Still a Foundational Model of Practice, (2) Creative Translation of Theory into Clinical Practice, (3) Culturally Responsive Application & Client-Led Practice, (4) Navigating the Meihana Model: Balancing Utility and Complexity, (5) Impacts of Using Māori Health Models in Practice, (6) Blending Māori and Western Therapeutic Approaches, and (7) Reported Challenges Applying Models. Together, these findings provide insights into the ways psychologists are currently engaging with Māori health models in their everyday psychological therapeutic practice, the opportunities and challenges this presents, and the implications for advancing bicultural psychological practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Development of a novel Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wall panel system for thermally efficient residential construction in New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Feng, Chong; Fang, Zhiyuan (Arthur); Lim, James Boon Piang; Duke, Mike
This thesis investigates the viability of a novel Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wall panel system as an alternative to conventional lightweight timber-framed construction for residential buildings in New Zealand. This study is motivated by the widening gap between the thermal performance assumed at the building consent stage and the significantly lower as-built performance delivered by traditional timber-framed envelopes. Despite the existing insulation requirements under the New Zealand Building Code, timber-framed walls routinely fail to meet the minimum thermal thresholds because of systemic thermal bridging, discontinuous insulation, and high framing percentages arising from structural, weathertightness, and regulatory constraints. These factors collectively undermine compliance with Clauses H1 (Energy Efficiency) and E3 (Internal Moisture), indicating the need for alternative construction systems capable of delivering verifiable thermal performance. The FRP wall panel system evaluated in this study was first implemented in two full-scale duplex dwellings (the case-study building) completed in Hamilton in 2024, providing an opportunity for a comprehensive structural and thermal assessment. The system comprises factory-produced FRP composite panels with integrated phenolic foam insulation, tongue-and-groove joints, and a cavity air layer, yielding an inherently continuous thermal envelope. A multi-method research framework was employed, integrating (1) a comparative literature review, (2) NZS 4214 isothermal-planes thermal-bridging analysis, (3) laboratory thermal conductivity testing, (4) BRANZ P21 structural verification of wall and lintel specimens, and (5) in-field heat-flux and U-value monitoring undertaken in both summer and spring across two units of the case-study building. The experimental results confirmed that the FRP wall panel system exhibited markedly reduced thermal bridging compared to timber framing. Laboratory characterisation established an FRP skin thermal conductivity of 0.248 W/m·K, enabling accurate construction-level thermal resistance (R-value) calculation. When applying NZS 4214 isothermal planes method, the FRP wall panel system achieved a conservative construction R-value of R2.84 m²·K/W representing a 70.1% improvement over a typical timber-framed wall with a 30.95% framing fraction (R1.67), and a 77.5% improvement over a 34.12% framing fraction scenario (R1.60). These findings demonstrate that the FRP wall panel system comfortably exceeds the current H1/AS1 requirement of R2.0 for external walls without relying on the thermal-mitigation strategies required in timber framing. Structural testing further confirmed that the FRP walls and lintel configurations met or exceeded the NZBC Clause B1 performance when assessed against the AS/NZS 1170 load combinations and BRANZ P21 cyclic racking criteria. In-field monitoring corroborated the analytical results. Continuous heat flux measurements recorded stable in-situ U-values consistent with theoretical modelling, while cavity and indoor temperatures remained resilient to outdoor fluctuations. The system effectively mitigates localised thermal bridging at corners, junctions, and lintels, where timber-framed envelopes typically experience significant insulation discontinuities. The analysis produced 12 representative U-value measurements over different diurnal periods. The individual values ranged from 0.060 to 0.387 W/m²K, while the average U-value across the study period was 0.206 W/m²K with typical indoor and outdoor temperatures of 22 °C and 17 °C, respectively. When compared with the theoretically derived U-value of 0.352 W/m²K (equivalent to R2.84 m²·K/W), the in-field results show that, on average, the measured U-value was 41% lower than the theoretical value, corresponding to an in-situ R-value of approximately R4.85 m²·K/W, which is approximately 70.8% higher than the analytical R2.84 value. Collectively, these findings provide strong and defensible evidence that the FRP wall panel system offers a credible, high-performance alternative to conventional timber-framed construction. Through integrated structural and thermal functionality, the system addresses longstanding deficiencies associated with timber-framed envelopes, simplifies compliance pathways across Clauses H1, E2, and B1, and delivers a more thermally reliable building envelope under real New Zealand Zone 2 climatic conditions. Therefore, this study establishes the FRP wall panel system as a technically robust and practically viable construction methodology capable of supporting the delivery of warmer, drier, healthier, and more energy- efficient housing in New Zealand.