Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Transgender healthcare, telehealth, venture capital and community(Intellect, 2023-07-31) Easterbrook-Smith GAccessing reliable and competent gender-affirming medical care is often difficult for transgender people. FOLX is a telehealth and pharmaceutical delivery start-up which launched in late 2020, primarily offering gender-affirming hormone therapy for a monthly fee. FOLX’s marketing makes extensive use of social media and online influencers, and the company frequently highlights a goal of being created ‘by and for’ transgender people. This article examines FOLX’s deployment of narratives of community, collectivity, unmet need and commercial opportunity, examining the company’s website, social media posts and media coverage and interviews with the founder. Ultimately, it argues that while the core business offering of FOLX meets a need for a marginalized and underserved population, their deployment of narratives about community support should be regarded with some scepticism. These narratives appear in some cases to co-opt community values of collectivity, mutual aid and support for the benefit of venture capital firms.Item Vulnerability of marine megafauna to global at-sea anthropogenic threats(Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology, 2025-11-14) VanCompernolle M; Morris J; Calich HJ; Rodríguez JP; Marley SA; Pearce JR; Abrahms B; Abrantes K; Afonso AS; Aguilar A; Agyekumhene A; Akamatsu T; Åkesson S; Alawa NG; Alfaro-Shigueto J; Anderson RC; Anker-Nilssen T; Arata JA; Araujo G; Arostegui MC; Arrizabalaga H; Arrowsmith LM; Auger-Méthé M; Avila IC; Bailleul F; Barker J; Barlow DR; Barnett A; Barrios-Garrido H; Baylis AMM; Bearzi G; Bejder L; Belda EJ; Benson SR; Berumen ML; Bestley S; Bezerra NPA; Blaison AV; Boehme L; Bograd SJ; Abimbola BD; Bond ME; Borrell A; Bouchet PJ; Boveng P; Braulik G; Braun CD; Brodie S; Bugoni L; Bustamante C; Campana SE; Cárdenas-Alayza S; Carmichael RH; Carroll G; Carter MID; Ceia FR; Cerchio S; Ferreira LC; Chambault P; Chapple TK; Charvet P; Chavez EJ; Chevallier D; Chiaradia A; Chilvers BL; Cimino MA; Clark BL; Clarke CR; Clay TA; Cloyed CS; Cochran JEM; Collins T; Cortes E; Cuevas E; Curnick DJ; Dann P; de Bruyn PJN; de Vos A; Derville S; Dias MP; Diaz-Lopez B; Dodge KL; Dove ADM; Doyle TK; Drymon JM; Dudgeon CL; Dutton PH; Ellenberg U; Elwen SH; Emmerson L; Eniang EA; Espinoza M; Esteban N; Mul E; Fadely BS; Fayet AL; Feare C; Ferguson SH; Feyrer LJ; Finucci B; Florko KRN; Fontes J; Fortuna CM; Fossette S; Fouda L; Frere E; Fuentes MMPB; Gallagher AJ; Borboroglu PG; Garrigue C; Gauffier P; Gennari E; Genov T; Germanov ES; Giménez J; Godfrey MH; Godley BJ; Goldsworthy SD; Gollock M; González Carman V; Gownaris NJ; Grecian WJ; Guzman HM; Hamann M; Hammerschlag N; Hansen ES; Harris MP; Hastie G; Haulsee DE; Hazen EL; Heide-Jørgensen MP; Hieb EE; Higdon JW; Hindell MA; Hinke JT; Hoenner X; Hofmeyr GJG; Holmes BJ; Hoyt E; Huckstadt LA; Hussey NE; Huveneers C; Irvine LG; Jabado RW; Jacoby DMP; Jaeger A; Jagielski PM; Jessopp M; Jewell OJD; Jiménez Alvarado D; Jordan LKB; Jorgensen SJ; Kahn B; Karamanlidis AA; Kato A; Keith-Diagne LW; Kiani MS; Kiszka JJ; Kock AA; Kopf RK; Kuhn C; Kyne PM; Laidre KL; Lana FO; Lander ME; Le Corre M; Lee OA; Leeney RH; Levengood AL; Levenson JJ; Libertelli M; Liu K-M; Lopez Mendilaharsu M; Loveridge A; Lowe CG; Lynch HJ; Macena BCL; Mackay AIMarine megafauna species are affected by a wide range of anthropogenic threats. To evaluate the risk of such threats, species’ vulnerability to each threat must first be determined. We build on the existing threats classification scheme and ranking system of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species by assessing the vulnerability of 256 marine megafauna species to 23 at-sea threats. The threats we considered included individual fishing gear types, climate-change-related subthreats not previously assessed, and threats associated with coastal impacts and maritime disturbances. Our ratings resulted in 70 species having high vulnerability (v > 0.778 out of 1) to at least 1 threat, primarily drifting longlines, temperature extremes, or fixed gear. These 3 threats were also considered to have the most severe effects (i.e., steepest population declines). Overall, temperature extremes and plastics and other solid waste were rated as affecting the largest proportion of populations. Penguins, pinnipeds, and polar bears had the highest vulnerability to temperature extremes. Bony fishes had the highest vulnerability to drifting longlines and plastics and other solid waste; pelagic cetaceans to 4 maritime disturbance threats; elasmobranchs to 5 fishing threats; and flying birds to drifting longlines and 2 maritime disturbance threats. Sirenians and turtles had the highest vulnerability to at least one threat from all 4 categories. Despite not necessarily having severe effects for most taxonomic groups, temperature extremes were rated among the top threats for all taxa except bony fishes. The vulnerability scores we provide are an important first step in estimating the risk of threats to marine megafauna. Importantly, they help differentiate scope from severity, which is key to identifying threats that should be prioritized for mitigation.Item Developing a serious game for indoor air quality and mold prevention education in residential buildings(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2025-10-21) Baghaei Daemei A; Feng Z; Paes DPurpose This study explores the development and prototyping of a serious game aimed at teaching individuals how to prevent mold growth in homes. Design/methodology/approach The development process involved several steps including identifying learning objectives based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, establishing educational content through literature review, designing game mechanics followed by Octalysis, designing the game’s narrative and storyline, developing the prototype using Storyline 360, verifying the educational content via interview and home visit, and refining it through the verification outcomes. Findings Key findings highlighted the most mold-prone areas in the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, the main factors contributing to mold growth: moisture, cold surfaces, nutrients, and spores. Also, the study recommends maintaining indoor temperatures between 20–24°C and humidity levels between 40–60% to prevent mold and keep moisture levels in check. Practical mold prevention strategies were identified and integrated into the game. The game incorporates a variety of mechanics, including narrative, points, progress bars, quest lists, step-by-step tutorials, level-ups, milestone unlocks, instant feedback, avatars, mentorship, visual storytelling, and progress loss. The preliminary assessment of a within-subject experiment (pre-test vs post-test) on 60 participants demonstrated that knowledge was improved after the intervention. Practical implications The game offers an innovative tool for a healthy built environment to educate the general public on mold risks and prevention strategies. Social implications By promoting healthy housing practices and awareness of indoor environmental quality, the game has the potential to improve respiratory health outcomes and reduce health disparities in vulnerable populations in the built environment. Originality/value This study represents the first attempt to design, develop, and verify a serious game specifically focused on mold prevention in residential buildings, integrating verified real-world data, expert insights, and user-centered design principles.Item Integrated multi-omic and symptom clustering reveals lower-gastrointestinal disorders of gut-brain interaction heterogeneity(Taylor and Francis Group, 2026-12-31) Dowrick JM; Roy NC; Carco C; James SC; Heenan PE; Frampton CMA; Fraser K; Young W; Cooney J; Trower T; Keenan JI; McNabb WC; Mullaney JA; Bayer SB; Talley NJ; Gearry RB; Angeli-Gordon TRRome IV disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) subtypes are known to be unstable and demonstrate high rates of non-treatment response, likely indicating patient heterogeneity. Cluster analysis, a type of unsupervised machine learning, can identify homogeneous sub-populations. Independent cluster analyses of symptom and biological data have highlighted its value in predicting patient outcomes. Integrated clustering of symptom and biological data may provide a unique multimodal perspective that better captures the complexity of DGBI. Here, integrated symptom and multi-omic cluster analysis was performed on a cohort of healthy controls and patients with lower-gastrointestinal tract DGBI. Cluster stability was assessed by considering how frequently pairs of participants appeared in the same cluster between different bootstrapped datasets. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on the biological signatures of stable DGBI-predominant clusters, implicating disrupted ammonia handling and metabolism as possible pathophysiologies present in a subset of patients with DGBI. Integrated clustering revealed subtypes that were not apparent using a singular modality, suggesting a symptom-only classification is prone to capturing heterogeneous sub-populations.Item Air-liquid interface biofilm formation of pseudomonads and the impact of traditional clean-in-place on biofilm removal(Elsevier Ltd, 2026-02-28) Muthuraman S; Palmer J; Flint SPseudomonads are common psychrotrophic spoilage bacteria associated with dairy, poultry, and meat processing environments. They can multiply at low temperatures, 4–7 °C, producing thermostable spoilage enzymes. Pseudomonads form strong biofilms by producing higher EPS (Extracellular polymeric substances) at low temperatures. This study focused on the biofilm formation of pseudomonads at the air-liquid interface and their EPS removal. Two strong biofilm-forming isolates, (Pseudomonas lundensis) 3SM and (Pseudomonas cedrina) 20SM were allowed to form biofilms on stainless steel coupons in a CDC reactor under a continuous flow of nutrients at 4 °C over a week. The cell counts reached approximately 7.5 log CFU/cm2. The biofilms formed at the air-liquid interface showed more visible biofilms, polysaccharides, and higher cell counts than those submerged in liquid. Cleaning the biofilms using 1 % NaOH at 70 °C resulted in viable bacterial cells below the detection limit. However, residual material termed biofilm “footprints” was present after cleaning and were analysed with SEM and FTIR. The SEM observations showed tightly packed robust biofilm cells before cleaning. Coupons treated with 55 °C water showed an upper layer of degraded cells. After treatment with 70 °C NaOH, organic material was still visible under SEM. Based on the FTIR observations, the EPS extracted from the control and treated coupons showed that the amount of biomolecules reduced after cleaning with NaOH, but the footprints still existed. The biofilm footprints led to the early appearance of biofilms at the air-liquid interface compared to new coupons exposed to strong biofilm-forming isolates. Cleaning with caustic can eliminate the cells, but the EPS from biofilms of pseudomonads is not completely removed, resulting in a possibility of regrowth when the new inoculum is introduced.Item Genotyping Reveals Potential Sources of Human Leptospirosis Outbreaks in Aotearoa New Zealand(Wiley-VCH GmbH, 2026-02-01) Nisa S; Littlejohn S; Fayaz A; Deen S; Sokolova M; Ogbuigwe P; Moinet M; Cookson AL; Collins-Emerson J; Niebuhr CN; Vallee EM; Marshall J; Benschop JIntroduction: The introduction of PCR testing for leptospirosis in Aotearoa New Zealand has reduced the availability of serotyping data, and current diagnostic PCRs do not routinely genotype Leptospira. This study genotyped Leptospira from PCR-confirmed human cases between 2016 and 2023 and compared them with genotypes found in animals to identify potential sources of infection in a 2023 human leptospirosis outbreak. Methods: Human samples were genotyped using glmU amplicon sequencing and compared to animal genotypes from previous studies. In addition, human national surveillance data were analysed to provide broader epidemiological context including regional distribution to reveal outbreak areas; diagnostic test usage to assess trends; serotyping results to evaluate consistency across methods; and demographic information to evaluate the representativeness of the genotyped dataset. Chi-squared and Poisson regression were used to assess host-genotype associations, and phylogenetics evaluated genetic relatedness. Results: Surveillance data showed flood-associated outbreaks in several regions and a significant shift in diagnostic practice (p ≤ 0.001), with increased use of PCR. Genotyping of PCR-confirmed cases revealed a rise in Pomona infections in 2023 across rural flood-associated regions (Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui, Waikato and Wairarapa). In contrast, the Auckland region—including Aotearoa's largest city which also experienced flooding—had infections linked to Ballum, Copenhageni and Balcanica NZ. In animals, Pomona was primarily detected in sheep (Ovis aries), followed by cattle, while Ballum, Copenhageni and Balcanica NZ were primarily detected in mice (Mus musculus), Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), respectively. Conclusions: Flooding-driven outbreaks in rural areas with pastoral livestock were predominantly linked to livestock-associated strains, while urban cases were associated with rodents and small wildlife. These findings highlight the need for tailored mitigation strategies addressing distinct epidemiological risks in rural and urban settings. Surveillance strategies should be adapted to preserve typing capabilities to better inform public health responses in future outbreaks.Item Development of sustainable downstream processing for nutritional oil production(Frontiers Media SA, 2023-10-10) Rollin S; Gupta A; Franco CMM; Singh S; Puri M; Sforza ENutritional oils (mainly omega-3 fatty acids) are receiving increased attention as critical supplementary compounds for the improvement and maintenance of human health and wellbeing. However, the predominant sources of these oils have historically shown numerous limitations relating to desirability and sustainability; hence the crucial focus is now on developing smarter, greener, and more environmentally favourable alternatives. This study was undertaken to consider and assess the numerous prevailing and emerging techniques implicated across the stages of fatty acid downstream processing. A structured and critical comparison of the major classes of disruption methodology (physical, chemical, thermal, and biological) is presented, with discussion and consideration of the viability of new extraction techniques. Owing to a greater desire for sustainable industrial practices, and a desperate need to make nutritional oils more available; great emphasis has been placed on the discovery and adoption of highly sought-after ‘green’ alternatives, which demonstrate improved efficiency and reduced toxicity compared to conventional practices. Based on these findings, this review also advocates new forays into application of novel nanomaterials in fatty acid separation to improve the sustainability of nutritional oil downstream processing. In summary, this review provides a detailed overview of the current and developing landscape of nutritional oil; and concludes that adoption and refinement of these sustainable alternatives could promptly allow for development of a more complete ‘green’ process for nutritional oil extraction; allowing us to better meet worldwide needs without costing the environment.Item Do foreign experienced managers influence employee compensation? Evidence from labor investment in China(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2025-09-23) Sun Z; Anderson HD; Chi JPurpose This study aims to investigate whether and how foreign experienced managers influence employee compensation in Chinese firms. While prior research has examined the impact of such managers on corporate governance, innovation and performance, little is known about their effect on labor investment, particularly “rank-and-file” employee compensation. The authors argue that foreign experienced managers are more likely to pursue complex value-added strategies requiring skilled labor, thus increasing compensation levels. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of Chinese A-share listed firms, the authors identify foreign experienced managers as CEOs or chairpersons with prior work or study experience outside mainland China. The analysis uses panel regressions, as well as instrumental variable estimation, difference-in-difference (DID) tests and propensity score matching (PSM), to address endogeneity. The authors further examine mechanisms and heterogeneity analysis. Findings Firms with foreign experienced managers pay significantly higher employee compensation. This relationship is more pronounced where firms have excess cash or lower operating leverage. Mechanism tests support the efficiency wage theory where managers increase the proportion of skilled employees. In private firms, foreign experienced managers appear to increase compensation to improve total factor productivity and firm value. In contrast, foreign experienced managers in state-owned enterprises appear more motivated by political or social goals through enhanced employee treatment. In addition, the authors also find that foreign experienced managers are associated with higher labor cost stickiness, especially in private firms. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to link managerial foreign experience with employee compensation. The results are particularly relevant for firms and policymakers aiming to balance employee welfare, productivity and strategic human capital investment in the context of global managerial mobility.Item The value of virtue: 7 reasons why Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s crisis leadership has been so effective(The Conversation Media Group Ltd, 2022-04-29) Wilson S; Newstead TItem The Reproductive Biology of Limonium sinuatum and L perezii—A Perspective for Future Breeding(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2025-11-03) Cordoba-Sanchez J; Siregar AS; Funnell K; Roskruge N; Morgan E; Li L; Li P; Sestras AF; Ju YThis review examines the reproductive biology of Limonium, mainly L. sinuatum and L. perezii, and explores the breeding strategies employed for these species. Limonium is one of the 20 most cultivated genera in the ornamental plant industry worldwide, with novelty sought in traits such as flower color, stem quality and disease resistance. Approximately 85% of the species in this genus present pollen/stigma dimorphism and self-incompatibility, presenting both challenges and opportunities for breeding. Breeding strategies such as interspecific hybridization, ploidy manipulation and chromosomal mutation have been used to increase the diversity of material available to breeders. In this review, we highlight how insights into reproductive biology, combined with advanced breeding techniques, can accelerate the development of fertile interspecific hybrids and broaden the genetic base for future Limonium breeding programs.