title: Change in geomorphology, hydrodynamics and surficial sediment of the Tauranga entrance tidal delta system

authors: Brannigan, Adrian Mark

subjects: Residual Distance Plot

abstract: Historical change in the geomorphology, hydrodynamics, and surficial sediment of the tidal delta system of Tauranga Harbour are investigated with the general aim of analysing The general aims of this thesis are: firstly to analyse historical changes to inlet delta system geomorphology using historical hydrographic charts, secondly, to conduct hydrodynamic numerical modelling using historical bathymetries to access changes in peak spring flow and potential net tidal sediment transport, and thirdly, to analyse historical changes in surficial sediment and bedforms. Geomorphic change was investigated through plotting difference in bathymetry graphs and conducting cross sections taken from digisitied bathymetries obtained from historical hydrographic charts from 1852, 1879, 1901, 1927, 1954 and a modern bathymetry from 2006. Two-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical modelling was conducted to investigate the changes in peak tidal current flow and potential net sediment transport between 1852 and 2006. Changes in surficial sediment patterns were determined through completing a side scan sonar survey with associated sediment samples for ground truthing of grain size and underwater videography to gather surficial shell coverage information. This was used to produce a surficial sediment coverage map which was compared to historical studies Major geomorphological findings include that the shipping channel appears to have induced minor change in the geomorphology of the FTD but such changes are similar to those identified in the historical bathymetries of 1852, 1879, 1901, 1927, 1954 prior to dredging. Significant changes have occurred on the ETD, with the majority of the ETD showing scour of 1 m while the terminal lobe has extended seawards. This is associated with historical (since 1852) narrowing of the inlet from Panepane Point to Mt Maunganui by ~ 900 m. Hydrodynamic numerical modelling has shown a significant increase in potential net tidal sediment transport in the Cutter Channel due to dredging, while the Maunganui Roads Channel shows a reduction of net potential tidal sediment transport that is associated with the dredging of this channel.
The area surrounding Panepane Point undergoes significant increases and decreases in net potential tidal sediment transport both before and after dredging
Investigation of the surficial sediment patterns over the FTD and ETD from sidescan sonar and bottom samples show that between 1983 and 2007 there has been a northwards extension of the area of major shell (greater than 50 %) converge in the main ebb channel as well as reduction in major shell converge in flood tidal delta ebb shield region. The Maunganui Roads Channel changes from sitly sands to medium and fine sands.

text: Change in geomorphology, hydrodynamics and surficial sediment of the Tauranga entrance tidal delta system Historical change in the geomorphology, hydrodynamics, and surficial sediment of the tidal delta system of Tauranga Harbour are investigated with the general aim of analysing The general aims of this thesis are: firstly to analyse historical changes to inlet delta system geomorphology using historical hydrographic charts, secondly, to conduct hydrodynamic numerical modelling using historical bathymetries to access changes in peak spring flow and potential net tidal sediment transport, and thirdly, to analyse historical changes in surficial sediment and bedforms. Geomorphic change was investigated through plotting difference in bathymetry graphs and conducting cross sections taken from digisitied bathymetries obtained from historical hydrographic charts from 1852, 1879, 1901, 1927, 1954 and a modern bathymetry from 2006. Two-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical modelling was conducted to investigate the changes in peak tidal current flow and potential net sediment transport between 1852 and 2006. Changes in surficial sediment patterns were determined through completing a side scan sonar survey with associated sediment samples for ground truthing of grain size and underwater videography to gather surficial shell coverage information. This was used to produce a surficial sediment coverage map which was compared to historical studies Major geomorphological findings include that the shipping channel appears to have induced minor change in the geomorphology of the FTD but such changes are similar to those identified in the historical bathymetries of 1852, 1879, 1901, 1927, 1954 prior to dredging. Significant changes have occurred on the ETD, with the majority of the ETD showing scour of 1 m while the terminal lobe has extended seawards. This is associated with historical (since 1852) narrowing of the inlet from Panepane Point to Mt Maunganui by ~ 900 m. Hydrodynamic numerical modelling has shown a significant increase in potential net tidal sediment transport in the Cutter Channel due to dredging, while the Maunganui Roads Channel shows a reduction of net potential tidal sediment transport that is associated with the dredging of this channel.
The area surrounding Panepane Point undergoes significant increases and decreases in net potential tidal sediment transport both before and after dredging
Investigation of the surficial sediment patterns over the FTD and ETD from sidescan sonar and bottom samples show that between 1983 and 2007 there has been a northwards extension of the area of major shell (greater than 50 %) converge in the main ebb channel as well as reduction in major shell converge in flood tidal delta ebb shield region. The Maunganui Roads Channel changes from sitly sands to medium and fine sands.

year: 2009

title: Role of growth factors in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass, fibre type and fibre size

authors: Martyn, Julie Anne Kerr

abstract: Growth factors play an important role in the regulation of the growth and development of many tissues including muscle. Muscle is derived from somitic cells that differentiate to form myoblasts. These myoblasts then fuse to form myofibres. As these myofibres mature they take on the morphological, biochemical and physiological properties of mature muscle fibres. It is the plasticity of muscle fibres with respect to these properties that gives skeletal muscle its remarkable ability to adapt to different conditions of loading and usage. The aim of this thesis was to determine the role of growth factors in regulating muscle fibre type and fibre size in two different models of altered muscle mass.

Bovine muscle development was examined in normal foetuses (NM) and in double-muscled Belgian Blue foetuses (DM) carrying a mutation in the gene for myostatin. Muscle fibre type and fibre size were characterised using semi-automated computer-assisted image analysis after myofibrillar ATPase histochemical staining. Plasma IGF levels were measured, IGF-1 mRNA was measured using in situ hybridisation and IGF receptor binding was analysed by receptor autoradiography. Myostatin mRNA was analysed using semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

Skeletal muscle hypertrophy and atrophy were induced m adult rabbits by immobilisation of the hind limb with muscles in a lengthened and shortened position respectively. Fibre type and fibre size changes were analysed as described above and myostatin mRNA expression levels were measured using Northern blot analysis and semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

Results showed there was a biphasic change in the percentage of type 1 muscle fibres in both NM and DM, with the percentage initially declining, then increasing again. The percentage of type 1 fibres was consistently lower in DM. Circulating levels of IGF-1 increased with gestational age and levels of IGF-1 and IGF-2 were not different between NM and DM. IGF-1 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle declined with age in a pattern that was unrelated to changes in fibre type. Levels of IGF-1 mRNA were lower in DM during late gestation and this decrease was temporally linked to a reduced area of type 1 fibres in DM at this stage of development. Myostatin mRNA declined with gestational age, and levels of the mutant mRNA were higher in DM.

In induced hypertrophy, myostatin mRNA expression was lower than in controls and in atrophy, myostatin mRNA was elevated at 2 days but not at 6 days. There were no changes in fibre type or fibre size over the treatment period. Myostatin protein was evenly localised to all muscle fibre types.

In conclusion, IGF-1 appears to be unrelated to changes in fibre type during bovine muscle development, but may play a role in the regulation of fibre size. The DM condition is associated with a change in fibre type, but the role of myostatin in mediating this change remains unknown. Changes in myostatin mRNA in response to induced hypertrophy and atrophy strongly suggest an important role for myostatin as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass in postnatal animals.

text: Role of growth factors in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass, fibre type and fibre size Growth factors play an important role in the regulation of the growth and development of many tissues including muscle. Muscle is derived from somitic cells that differentiate to form myoblasts. These myoblasts then fuse to form myofibres. As these myofibres mature they take on the morphological, biochemical and physiological properties of mature muscle fibres. It is the plasticity of muscle fibres with respect to these properties that gives skeletal muscle its remarkable ability to adapt to different conditions of loading and usage. The aim of this thesis was to determine the role of growth factors in regulating muscle fibre type and fibre size in two different models of altered muscle mass.

Bovine muscle development was examined in normal foetuses (NM) and in double-muscled Belgian Blue foetuses (DM) carrying a mutation in the gene for myostatin. Muscle fibre type and fibre size were characterised using semi-automated computer-assisted image analysis after myofibrillar ATPase histochemical staining. Plasma IGF levels were measured, IGF-1 mRNA was measured using in situ hybridisation and IGF receptor binding was analysed by receptor autoradiography. Myostatin mRNA was analysed using semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

Skeletal muscle hypertrophy and atrophy were induced m adult rabbits by immobilisation of the hind limb with muscles in a lengthened and shortened position respectively. Fibre type and fibre size changes were analysed as described above and myostatin mRNA expression levels were measured using Northern blot analysis and semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

Results showed there was a biphasic change in the percentage of type 1 muscle fibres in both NM and DM, with the percentage initially declining, then increasing again. The percentage of type 1 fibres was consistently lower in DM. Circulating levels of IGF-1 increased with gestational age and levels of IGF-1 and IGF-2 were not different between NM and DM. IGF-1 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle declined with age in a pattern that was unrelated to changes in fibre type. Levels of IGF-1 mRNA were lower in DM during late gestation and this decrease was temporally linked to a reduced area of type 1 fibres in DM at this stage of development. Myostatin mRNA declined with gestational age, and levels of the mutant mRNA were higher in DM.

In induced hypertrophy, myostatin mRNA expression was lower than in controls and in atrophy, myostatin mRNA was elevated at 2 days but not at 6 days. There were no changes in fibre type or fibre size over the treatment period. Myostatin protein was evenly localised to all muscle fibre types.

In conclusion, IGF-1 appears to be unrelated to changes in fibre type during bovine muscle development, but may play a role in the regulation of fibre size. The DM condition is associated with a change in fibre type, but the role of myostatin in mediating this change remains unknown. Changes in myostatin mRNA in response to induced hypertrophy and atrophy strongly suggest an important role for myostatin as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass in postnatal animals.

year: 1999

title: Māori men's positive and interconnected sense of self, being and place

authors: Rua, Mohi

subjects: Maori men, interconnected self, pluralistic identities, relational health

abstract: Māori  men are on the wrong side of the ledger when it comes to illness and crime rates. Correspondingly, there is a significant amount of research into issues such as abuse and premature death involving Māori men, who are also often characterised in public discourse as inarticulate, deviant and incapable of maintaining positive relationships. There is very little research on positive practices among Māori men who are caring and expressive, and who do not harm their partners, families, and communities. This thesis explores how Māori men negotiate a positive sense of self, relationships and a place in our society, which is awash with negative characterisations of Māori men. I document how Māori men's identities are pluralistic and on-going projects. These identities are negotiated within the settler society through interactions with other people and media characterisations. These identities are also negotiated within the Māori world through interactions with whānau (immediate and extended family) and participation in cultural rituals, including tangihanga (traditional Māori death ritual/funeral process). This research involves two separate, yet interrelated studies, and is guided by kaupapa Māori research, Māori cultural concepts, Māori relational understandings of being and health, and relevant social science theory and research. Study one explores Māori men’s relationships with other men, their families and media depictions of men in the settler society. The participants from study one are working class men who were also part-time members of a Territorial Army unit within which Māori and Pākehā  men come together through mutual interests and negotiate meaningful relationships, and various cultural similarities and differences. Study one drew upon an ethnographic orientation that included direct observations, narrative interviews, media diaries and photo elicitation projects to understand the everyday lived realities of participants’ in settler society. Study two explores the constructive engagement of working class ex-Army Māori men back in their communities of origin in order to investigate key aspects of their identities and relationships as men within the Māori world. An ethnographic approach was also used in study two and involved direct observations, participation in shared practices and narrative interviews. Overall, findings from these studies demonstrate how Māori men construct a positive sense of self that extends beyond the deficit-orientated characterisations offered by academic research and mainstream media depictions. In constructing understandings of themselves and their place in the world, my participants emphasise their meaningful relationships with partners, children, colleagues, friends and communities. These men invoke a positive sense of self through accounts of belonging, reciprocity, dialogue, intimacy, and care for themselves, their whānau, and traditions. Participants’ positive Māori self-constructions are fundamentally interconnected with other people, cultural traditions, physical and symbolic places, and shared practices. My research sheds light on Māori men’s ways of belonging and being that span, but manifest in unique ways within, the settler society and the Māori world. This research also contributes to scholarship on men that takes a strengths-based approach by considering the valuable everyday functions men serve within their families and communities.

text: Māori men's positive and interconnected sense of self, being and place Māori  men are on the wrong side of the ledger when it comes to illness and crime rates. Correspondingly, there is a significant amount of research into issues such as abuse and premature death involving Māori men, who are also often characterised in public discourse as inarticulate, deviant and incapable of maintaining positive relationships. There is very little research on positive practices among Māori men who are caring and expressive, and who do not harm their partners, families, and communities. This thesis explores how Māori men negotiate a positive sense of self, relationships and a place in our society, which is awash with negative characterisations of Māori men. I document how Māori men's identities are pluralistic and on-going projects. These identities are negotiated within the settler society through interactions with other people and media characterisations. These identities are also negotiated within the Māori world through interactions with whānau (immediate and extended family) and participation in cultural rituals, including tangihanga (traditional Māori death ritual/funeral process). This research involves two separate, yet interrelated studies, and is guided by kaupapa Māori research, Māori cultural concepts, Māori relational understandings of being and health, and relevant social science theory and research. Study one explores Māori men’s relationships with other men, their families and media depictions of men in the settler society. The participants from study one are working class men who were also part-time members of a Territorial Army unit within which Māori and Pākehā  men come together through mutual interests and negotiate meaningful relationships, and various cultural similarities and differences. Study one drew upon an ethnographic orientation that included direct observations, narrative interviews, media diaries and photo elicitation projects to understand the everyday lived realities of participants’ in settler society. Study two explores the constructive engagement of working class ex-Army Māori men back in their communities of origin in order to investigate key aspects of their identities and relationships as men within the Māori world. An ethnographic approach was also used in study two and involved direct observations, participation in shared practices and narrative interviews. Overall, findings from these studies demonstrate how Māori men construct a positive sense of self that extends beyond the deficit-orientated characterisations offered by academic research and mainstream media depictions. In constructing understandings of themselves and their place in the world, my participants emphasise their meaningful relationships with partners, children, colleagues, friends and communities. These men invoke a positive sense of self through accounts of belonging, reciprocity, dialogue, intimacy, and care for themselves, their whānau, and traditions. Participants’ positive Māori self-constructions are fundamentally interconnected with other people, cultural traditions, physical and symbolic places, and shared practices. My research sheds light on Māori men’s ways of belonging and being that span, but manifest in unique ways within, the settler society and the Māori world. This research also contributes to scholarship on men that takes a strengths-based approach by considering the valuable everyday functions men serve within their families and communities.

year: 2015