School of Science
Research at AUT's School of Science is focused on key scientific issues with regional and global significance. The common theme connecting all research areas is sustainability – in the broadest sense as it relates to environmental and human health. Our research is closely allied to teaching and learning opportunities at undergraduate and postgraduate level within the school. Research is organised in three thematic areas:
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- Authors control the copyright of their works. You will recognise the author’s right to be identified as the author of the work, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate.
- You will obtain the author’s permission before publishing any material from the work.
Recently Added
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SINOPSIS – the Solomon Islands National Ocean Planning Spatial Information System: Spatial Decision Support Tools for Seaweed Aquaculture Planning in the Solomon Islands
(New Zealand Institute for Pacific Research (NZIPR), 2019)Seaweed cultivation can provide important income in remote areas and significant exports for nations like the Solomon Islands. This industry may also provide a sustainable alternative to more extractive industries like ... -
Metabolic Biomarkers of Monochorionic Twins Complicated With Selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction in Cord Plasma and Placental Tissue
(Springer Nature, 2018)The selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) of monochorionic diamniotic (MCDC) twins causes phenotypic growth discordance, which is correlated with metabolomic pertubations. A global, untargeted identification ... -
Advanced Photogrammetry to Assess Lichen Colonization in the Hyper-arid Namib Desert
(Frontiers Media, 2017)The hyper-arid central region of the Namib Desert is characterised by quartz desert pavement terrain that is devoid of vascular plant covers. In this extreme habitat the only discernible surface covers are epilithic lichens ... -
Alkyl Linker Effects on the Coordination Topology of Ditopic Di(2-pyridylmethyl)amine Carboxylate Ligands with Znˡˡ and Cuˡˡ: Polymers Vs. Macrocycles
(The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015)A series of ditopic ω-di(2-pyridylmethyl)amine carboxylic acid ligands incorporating a range of n-alkyl linkers (CnCOOH, n = 3-5, 7, 10 and 11) have been synthesised. Solution phase studies showed a 1:1 coordination ... -
N-butanol Subfraction of Brassica Rapa L. Promotes Reactive Oxygen Species Production and Induces Apoptosis of A549 Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells Via Mitochondria-dependent Pathway
(MDPI AG, 2018)Brassica rapa L., an edible and medical vegetable, has been traditionally used in Uyghur folk medicine to treat coughs and asthma in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. In this study, we prepared an n-butanol ... -
Investigation of Different Molecular Weight Fucoidan Fractions Derived from New Zealand Undaria pinnatifida in Combination with GroA Therapy in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines
(MDPI AG, 2018)Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweeds, has been shown to possess various antioxidant, anticoagulant, antiviral, and anticancer functions. In this study, we focused on low molecular weight fucoidan ... -
Fucoidan Extracted From New Zealand Undaria Pinnatifida – Physicochemical Comparison Against Five Other Fucoidans: Unique Low Molecular Weight Fraction Bioactivity in Breast Cancer Cell Lines
(MDPI AG, 2018)Fucoidan, the complex fucose-containing sulphated polysaccharide varies considerably in structure, composition, and bioactivity, depending on the source, species, seasonality, and extraction method. In this study, we ... -
Age, Growth and Reproductive Characteristics of the Blue-barred Parrotfish Scarus Ghobban From Taiwan and Solomon Islands
(Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI), 2017)Age, size, growth and sex ratio of the Blue barred parrot fish Scarus ghobban were investigated from Taiwan and Solomon Islands. While both populations exhibited similar rapid early growth, the longevity, maximum size and ... -
Leaf Stable Isotope and Nutrient Status of Temperate Mangroves As Ecological Indicators to Assess Anthropogenic Activity and Recovery From Eutrophication
(Frontiers Research Foundation, 2016)We measured nitrogen stable isotope values (δ15N), and total phosphorus (%P) and total nitrogen (%N) contents in leaves of the temperate mangrove (Avicennia marina sp. australasica) from three coastal ecosystems exposed ... -
Substrate‐induced Self‐assembly of Cooperative Catalysts
(John Wiley & Sons, 2018)Dissipative self-assembly processes in Nature rely on chemical fuels that activate proteins for assembly through the formation of a noncovalent complex. The catalytic activity of the assemblies causes fuel degradation, ... -
When a Foundation Crumbles: Forecasting Forest Dynamics Following the Decline of the Foundation Species Tsuga Canadensis
(Ecological Society of America, 2017)In the forests of northeastern North America, invasive insects and pathogens are causing major declines in some tree species and a subsequent reorganization of associated forest communities. Using observations and experiments ... -
An Appeal for a Code of Conduct for Marine Conservation
(Elsevier, 2017)Marine conservation actions are promoted to conserve natural values and support human wellbeing. Yet the quality of governance processes and the social consequences of some marine conservation initiatives have been the ... -
The GDNF family: A role in cancer?
(Ediciones Doyma S.A., 2018)The glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family of ligands (GFLs) comprising of GDNF, neurturin, artemin, and persephin plays an important role in the development and maintenance of the central and peripheral ... -
Evaluation of the Digestibility of Korean Hanwoo Beef Cuts Using the in Vitro Physicochemical Upper Gastrointestinal System
(Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources, 2017)The aim of this study was to investigate the digestibility of different Korean Hanwoo beef cuts using an in vitro digestion model, in vitro physicochemical upper gastrointestinal system (IPUGS). The four most commonly ... -
A Communal Catalogue Reveals Earth’s Multiscale Microbial Diversity
(Nature Publishing Group, 2017)Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized ... -
Assessing the Sulfide Footprint of Mussel Farms With Sediment Profile Imagery: A New Zealand Trial
(PLOS, 2015)Growing numbers and increased stocking of marine mussel farms make reliable techniques for environmental effect assessment a priority. Previously, we showed how the color intensity of soft sediment could be used to estimate ... -
A Journey With Elie Metchnikoff: From Innate Cell Mechanisms in Infectious Diseases to Quantum Biology
(Frontiers Media S. A., 2016)Many reviews of Elie Metchnikoff's work have been published, all unanimously acknowledging the significant contributions of his cellular theory to the fields of immunology and infectious diseases. In 1883, he published a ... -
Global Diversity of Desert Hypolithic Cyanobacteria
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2017)Global patterns in diversity were estimated for cyanobacteria-dominated hypolithic communities that colonize ventral surfaces of quartz stones and are common in desert environments. A total of 64 hypolithic communities ... -
Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Soil and Hypolithic Microbial Communities in Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2016)The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are an extreme polar desert. Mineral soils support subsurface microbial communities and translucent rocks support development of hypolithic communities on ventral surfaces in soil ... -
Niche Filtering of Bacteria in Soil and Rock Habitats of the Colorado Plateau Desert, Utah, USA
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2016)A common feature of microbial colonization in deserts is biological soil crusts (BSCs), and these comprise a complex community dominated by Cyanobacteria. Rock substrates, particularly sandstone, are also colonized by ...