Histochemical studies of the secretory processes in bovine salivary glands : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Massey University /

Salivary glands from 12 bovine animals were dissected, weighed and sampled for histological examination. The total salivary gland weight was positively correlated with body weight but there were not normally consistent differences between the weights of left and right glands. However, in animals that had chronic re-entrant cannulations of the left parotid and mandibular ducts, the ipsilateral glands were always lighter. The histological features of salivary glands and the histochemical reactivity of their secretory and duct cells were examined. Parotid gland secretory endpieces were elongated and their individual cells contained PAS+ve granules. These cells were shown by immunohistochemistry to be the site of protein secretion and thus were classified as proteoserous cells. Chronic parotid duct cannulation in association with duct obstruction caused dilation of the secretory endpiece lumens and degenerative changes within the endpiece cells. Intralobular duct cells contained PAS+ve granules which may be the secretory component that is associated with secretory IgA. Variable numbers of intrastriated duct cells occured in the parotid glands of different animals and in retrospect, this was found to correlate positively with the animals known susceptibility to bloat. The parotid excretory duct contained many goblet cells which contribute a small amount of mucosubstance to the proteoserous secretion. Secretory endpieces of the mandibular gland were composed of mucous cells which were PAS, AY and weakly AB+ve and demilune cells which were PAS and AB+ve as well as acidophilic and pyroninophilic. Clumps of plasma cells were observed in the intralobular connective tissue. The effect of obstruction of chronic duct cannulation on the mandibular gland was to dilate endpiece and intralobular duct lumens, cause degenerative changes in mucous and demilune cells and increase the numbers of small lymphocytes, PMN neutrophils and mast cells in the connective tissues of the gland. By contrast with the excretory duct of the parotid, that of the mandibular contained no goblet cells but simply a stratified columnar epithelium. Mucous cells of the sublingual gland were PAS+ve, AY+ve and weakly AB+ve and arranged into long tubular endpieces. The demilune cells contained abundant PAS+ve, AB+ve, AY-ve granules. Many plasma cells were present in the connective tissue between the secretory endpieces and around the intralobular and interlobular ducts. In animals with chronic cannulations of parotid and mandibular glands the ispilateral sublingual gland weighed less than the contralateral gland. The posterior tongue, soft palate, pharynx and the lingual aspect of the epiglottis contained extensive areas of glandular tissue. The secretory endpieces consisted of a high proportion of mucous cells and a few scattered proteoserous demilune cells. The glandular tissue of the epiglottis contained abundant plasma cells in the intralobular connective tissue. Based on their histochemical reactivity the demilune cells of the intermediate buccal glands produced a purely serous secretion. In addition, the intermediate and dorsal buccal glands contained many AB, AY and PAS+ve mucous producing cells. The labial glands were small, scattered lobules of secretory tissue found at the labial commisures. The glandular lobules were composed of tubular secretory endpieces capped with large proteoserous demilune cells which were AY-ve, PAS+ve, strongly acidophilic and pyroninophilic. Large numbers of plasma cells were found in the connective tissues within and around the secretory tissue

Postural stability during standing and walking and the effects of ageing

The postural stability during quiet stance and during walking was investigated in 22 elderly and 20 young subjects. A motion analysis system was used to simultaneously record movements of 14 markers on the body while a force plate recorded movement of the centre of pressure (COP) during stance (but not during walking). The movements of the body during stance could be well described (> 90 % of the variance explained) as a simple inverted pendulum moving about the ankles in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. This model was applicable to both young and elderly subjects and also predicted the records of COP movement well (r > 0.90). When account was taken of the ground reaction forces the prediction was further improved. The greater COP movements commonly observed in the elderly are shown to be due to increased pendulum sway in the medial-lateral direction, compared to young subjects. The inverted pendulum model also gave an adequate description of the deviations from the mean path ("sway") during walking which are larger than those during stance. The static measurement that best predicts sway during walking is medial-lateral movements of the COP when standing on a compliant surface with the eyes closed. The relationship between muscle strength and COP displacement was examined in a larger group of elderly subjects (N = 56). Maximum voluntary force per cross-sectional area was found not to be correlated with COP movements during quiet stance. This suggests that muscle weakness and increased sway in the elderly have separate physiological causes. A method was developed for inducing a trip-like perturbation of gait as subjects walked on a treadmill. Muscle activation patterns and body kinematics were recorded in 9 young subjects to establish the normative response to such a perturbation with a view to investigating these responses in the elderly

Developing a methodology for archaeological prospection on alluvial floodplains with a case study involving the Winckley Lowes barrow sequence, Lancashire.

This paper seeks to develop a balanced methodology for non-intrusive archaeological prospection on dynamic alluvial floodplains. A combination of LiDAR, gradiometry, field-walking and topographic surveying are employed on floodplains on the confluence of the Rivers Ribble, Hodder and Calder near Clitheroe, Lancashire. This was chosen as a case study due to the presence of three putative burial mounds and one confirmed mound of anthromorphic origin. The results of this investigation provide evidence of the development of river terracing, human occupation from the Mesolithic period onwards and offers interpretation of how the surrounding landscape influenced the shape of the mounds. A substantial lithic assemblage dating to the Mesolithic through to the Bronze Age period suggests that there were terraces of which the overlaying alluvial deposits were not at such a depth that would mask features identifiable during a gradiometer survey, indeed, the successive survey revealed evidence of human occupation. LiDAR data provided further evidence of sequential river terrace development and conclusions were therefore drawn suggesting that both mounds at Winckley Lowes were likely to be constructed at different time periods

The Common Shrew (Sorex araneus): A neglected host of tick-borne infections?

Although the importance of rodents as reservoirs for a number of tick-borne infections is well established, comparatively little is known about the potential role of shrews, despite them occupying similar habitats. To address this, blood and tick samples were collected from common shrews (Sorex araneus) and field voles (Microtus agrestis), a known reservoir of various tick-borne infections, from sites located within a plantation forest in northern England over a 2-year period. Of 647 blood samples collected from shrews, 121 (18.7%) showed evidence of infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum and 196 (30.3%) with Babesia microti. By comparison, of 1505 blood samples from field voles, 96 (6.4%) were positive for A. phagocytophilum and 458 (30.4%) for Ba. microti. Both species were infested with the ticks Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes trianguliceps, although they had different burdens: on average, shrews carried almost six times as many I. trianguliceps larvae, more than twice as many I. ricinus larvae, and over twice as many nymphs (both tick species combined). The finding that the nymphs collected from shrews were almost exclusively I. trianguliceps highlights that this species is the key vector of these infections in this small mammal community. These findings suggest that common shrews are a reservoir of tick-borne infections and that the role of shrews in the ecology and epidemiology of tick-borne infections elsewhere needs to be comprehensively investigated

Supporting creative 3D computing in the art and design community

This paper follows the experiences of the Networked Virtual Reality Resource Centres for Art and Design (NVRCADs) project funded by the JISC Technologies Applications Programme (JTAP) to introduce the VRML and Java into art and design education in Britain. It considers the difficulties that the project encountered not only in teaching VRML but also, somewhat unexpectedly, with 3D computing in general. These problems range from institutional problems through to problems with using 3D software not specifically written for art and design - specifically, students perceived problems with the language and concepts within the software. The paper considers the approach that the project has taken to attempt to solve these problems. In particular, the paper discusses the CDROM that the NVRCADs have written which attempts to reconcile the students' conception of three dimensionality with the engineering and programming based concepts of VRML thereby providing students with knowledge they can easily map onto their own. The paper asks whether this approach could not be more widely used in 3D computer teaching within art and design

Finding new meaning for old values: Aboriginal cultural tourism planning in and adjacent to protected areas

My doctoral research with the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation on Country-based tourism planning and management in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area explores applications of traditional knowledge within Aboriginal tourism and the real or imagined barriers to its recognition by the broader tourism industry and tourism managers as an essential linkage between Indigenous peoples and their environments. Education/tourism activities on Country may be one of the few ways to preserve knowledge as a lived-experience, as the culture surrounding traditional hunting and access to Country in protected areas evolves. This research has been strongly influenced by senior Jirrbal Elder, Ernie Grant, whose holistic planning and education framework has been adopted by the Queensland Department of Education as a model for cross-cultural education. His style of cultural education at Echo Creek can be viewed as a model of best-practice rainforest tourism, in which traditional knowledge, cultural transmission, and ecosystem and Indigenous wellbeing are indivisible. This holistic approach has the potential for broader application in developing participatory approaches to cultural awareness for a range of protected area stakeholders, including managers and the tourism industry

English-medium Programmes in Japan : A Critical Analysis of Research into Teacher Beliefs

This paper critically evaluates Annette Bradford’s 2019 paper “It’s not all about English! The problem of language foregrounding in English-medium programmes in Japan”, an example from a modest body of literature concerning teacher beliefs about policy-level English-medium instruction issues in Japan. Bradford’s research engages with the debate around language proficiency in these programmes and advocates for a reduced emphasis, in favour of a pedagogical and intercultural skills focus. The critique here systematically evaluates Bradford’s research design using an analysis schema adapted from the four “elements” of research design outlined by Crotty (1998). The limitations of Bradford’s study are discussed, with particular reference to Guba and Lincoln’s (1985) trustworthiness criteria, researcher positionally and the ramifications of data reuse. This critical analysis finds that whilst Bradford’s overarching conclusions and recommendations are a meaningful contribution to the literature, there are problems with aspects of the research design, ones which future scholars should take note of and make a conscious effort to avoid