title: The activity and functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of the red deer stag (cervus elaphus)

authors: Ingram, John Ronald

abstract: The activity and functioning of the HPA axis was investigated in red deer stags under basal and stress induced conditions. In order to overcome the confounding effects of stress inherent in standard methods of blood collection, a portable remote blood sampling device (“DracPac”) was developed and tested. Stags were blood sampled remotely during restraint in a mechanical crush and subsequent recovery at pasture. Cortisol, haematocrit, glucose and lactate levels were elevated during restraint and declined significantly following release to pasture.

The DracPac device was used to deliver i.v. a range of ACTH₁₋₂₄ doses (1-64 IU/100kg) and collect blood for cortisol determination from red deer stags. ACTH significantly elevated plasma cortisol concentrations, with mean peak concentrations occurring 20 to 40 min post-infusion. Duration of the response (ranging from 80 to 160 min), was dose dependent, whereas cortisol concentration plateau with doses above 4 IU.

Seasonal changes in the activity and responsiveness of the adrenal gland in red deer stags were quantified by measuring 24 h endogenous cortisol secretory profiles and plasma cortisol responses to either administration of exogenous ACTH or a standardised stressor during November (period of velvet growth), February (pre-rut), April (mid-rut) and July (post-rut) (southern hemisphere) using a remote blood sampling device (DracPac). Ultradian, circadian and seasonal rhythms in the concentration of plasma cortisol were observed. Mean 24 h plasma cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in November than at other times of year. Peak cortisol concentrations following infusion of ACTH₁₋₂₄ (0.04 IU kg⁻¹) were also higher (p < 0.05) in November but lower (p < 0.001) in April than at other times of year.

The role of gonadal steroids in modulating the seasonal rhythm of HPA axis activity and function in the red deer stag was investigated. Basal secretion of cortisol and responses to administration of ACTH₁₋₂₄ (0.04 IU kg⁻¹ live weight), CRH (25 ng kg⁻¹ live weight) and dexamethasone (37 μg kg⁻¹ live weight) were compared in castrated (n=6) and entire (n=6) male deer during the breeding season. A higher level of HPA axis basal activity and adrenal responsiveness to ACTH was seen in castrated compared with entire stags indicating that modulation of HPA axis function by testicular steroids occurs primarily at the level of the adrenal. 

The effect of chronic social stress on behaviour and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) activity and function was determined in 6 two-year-old red deer stags (Mixed) subjected to repeated mixing into unfamiliar herds. Following mixing basal cortisol concentrations declined, the proportion of unbound cortisol increased though free cortisol concentrations did not change.
Responsiveness of the adrenal to ACTH declined, as did pituitary responsiveness to CRH.

HPA axis changes to stress occur at multiple levels within the axis. Acute stress is best assessed by frequent sampling of cortisol concentrations. Chronic stress can be best monitored by quantifying changes in HPA axis function (e.g. CRH challenge).

text: The activity and functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of the red deer stag (cervus elaphus) The activity and functioning of the HPA axis was investigated in red deer stags under basal and stress induced conditions. In order to overcome the confounding effects of stress inherent in standard methods of blood collection, a portable remote blood sampling device (“DracPac”) was developed and tested. Stags were blood sampled remotely during restraint in a mechanical crush and subsequent recovery at pasture. Cortisol, haematocrit, glucose and lactate levels were elevated during restraint and declined significantly following release to pasture.

The DracPac device was used to deliver i.v. a range of ACTH₁₋₂₄ doses (1-64 IU/100kg) and collect blood for cortisol determination from red deer stags. ACTH significantly elevated plasma cortisol concentrations, with mean peak concentrations occurring 20 to 40 min post-infusion. Duration of the response (ranging from 80 to 160 min), was dose dependent, whereas cortisol concentration plateau with doses above 4 IU.

Seasonal changes in the activity and responsiveness of the adrenal gland in red deer stags were quantified by measuring 24 h endogenous cortisol secretory profiles and plasma cortisol responses to either administration of exogenous ACTH or a standardised stressor during November (period of velvet growth), February (pre-rut), April (mid-rut) and July (post-rut) (southern hemisphere) using a remote blood sampling device (DracPac). Ultradian, circadian and seasonal rhythms in the concentration of plasma cortisol were observed. Mean 24 h plasma cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in November than at other times of year. Peak cortisol concentrations following infusion of ACTH₁₋₂₄ (0.04 IU kg⁻¹) were also higher (p < 0.05) in November but lower (p < 0.001) in April than at other times of year.

The role of gonadal steroids in modulating the seasonal rhythm of HPA axis activity and function in the red deer stag was investigated. Basal secretion of cortisol and responses to administration of ACTH₁₋₂₄ (0.04 IU kg⁻¹ live weight), CRH (25 ng kg⁻¹ live weight) and dexamethasone (37 μg kg⁻¹ live weight) were compared in castrated (n=6) and entire (n=6) male deer during the breeding season. A higher level of HPA axis basal activity and adrenal responsiveness to ACTH was seen in castrated compared with entire stags indicating that modulation of HPA axis function by testicular steroids occurs primarily at the level of the adrenal. 

The effect of chronic social stress on behaviour and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) activity and function was determined in 6 two-year-old red deer stags (Mixed) subjected to repeated mixing into unfamiliar herds. Following mixing basal cortisol concentrations declined, the proportion of unbound cortisol increased though free cortisol concentrations did not change.
Responsiveness of the adrenal to ACTH declined, as did pituitary responsiveness to CRH.

HPA axis changes to stress occur at multiple levels within the axis. Acute stress is best assessed by frequent sampling of cortisol concentrations. Chronic stress can be best monitored by quantifying changes in HPA axis function (e.g. CRH challenge).

year: 2000

title: Transient geographies: 50:50 sharemilking in the Waikato

authors: Adams-Hutcheson, Gail

subjects: assemblage

abstract: Spacings of mobile farming in New Zealand: Assemblages of cows, bodies, farms and the weather Weather changes moods – Nirvana, “In bloom” (1991) Cresswell (2011) broadens mobility studies to include non-human objects and structures, but rarely, non-human animals and the weather. I add here both livestock and the more literal atmospheric conditions of sun, wind and rain which are largely missing from mobilities studies. Weather is ubiquitous, yet hard to ignore – it impacts on both researcher and the researched. I visited farms and was: jumped-up-on by dogs, rode on 4-wheel bikes, got licked by calves [happy/sunny], felt hot, got covered in dust [tired/sweltering], stood still in the milking-shed [tension/cold], and was blasted by freezing winds and slopped through thick mud [depression/winter wet]. For Ash (2013a, 35) “the body is a kind of living or somatic memory, which is composed of various retentional apparatuses”, which become ignited by alignment of senses. In this paper I argue for attention to be paid to sharemilking and the materiality of atmospheres to draw attention to the ‘centrifugal’ forces of mobile rural dwelling. Sharemilking is a largely unique agrarian practice in New Zealand which is embedded in the notion of mobility. Sharemilkers typically own the livestock and machinery, but not the land and enter into contract with landowners on a share profit basis. Contracts are finished and new ones are taken up on a set day, the 1st June which is often termed colloquially as ‘Gypsy-day’. The contract nature of sharemilking stimulates a cascade of mobilities and enabling infrastructures (assemblages) as farmers move on a stuttering schedule of contract renewals. The frequent upheaval of hundreds of large animals and sheer amount of equipment moved, which is needed to run a sharemilking operation, does warrant further consideration.

text: Transient geographies: 50:50 sharemilking in the Waikato Spacings of mobile farming in New Zealand: Assemblages of cows, bodies, farms and the weather Weather changes moods – Nirvana, “In bloom” (1991) Cresswell (2011) broadens mobility studies to include non-human objects and structures, but rarely, non-human animals and the weather. I add here both livestock and the more literal atmospheric conditions of sun, wind and rain which are largely missing from mobilities studies. Weather is ubiquitous, yet hard to ignore – it impacts on both researcher and the researched. I visited farms and was: jumped-up-on by dogs, rode on 4-wheel bikes, got licked by calves [happy/sunny], felt hot, got covered in dust [tired/sweltering], stood still in the milking-shed [tension/cold], and was blasted by freezing winds and slopped through thick mud [depression/winter wet]. For Ash (2013a, 35) “the body is a kind of living or somatic memory, which is composed of various retentional apparatuses”, which become ignited by alignment of senses. In this paper I argue for attention to be paid to sharemilking and the materiality of atmospheres to draw attention to the ‘centrifugal’ forces of mobile rural dwelling. Sharemilking is a largely unique agrarian practice in New Zealand which is embedded in the notion of mobility. Sharemilkers typically own the livestock and machinery, but not the land and enter into contract with landowners on a share profit basis. Contracts are finished and new ones are taken up on a set day, the 1st June which is often termed colloquially as ‘Gypsy-day’. The contract nature of sharemilking stimulates a cascade of mobilities and enabling infrastructures (assemblages) as farmers move on a stuttering schedule of contract renewals. The frequent upheaval of hundreds of large animals and sheer amount of equipment moved, which is needed to run a sharemilking operation, does warrant further consideration.

year: 2016

title: Ngā tai e rere nei i waho o Mauao

authors: Ngahuia, Dixon

subjects: Waiata Māori

abstract: "I te ao o ngā tūpuna he maha ngā kaupapa o taua wā i mau ki rō waiata, e whakaata mai ana i ngā kōrero-ā-iwi, ngā taukumekume i waenganui Māori, Pākehā, i waenganui hoki i ngā Māori anō. Nā wai hoki ka puta mai ngā herenga ki waenganui i tēnā iwi, i tēnā hapū, ka whakahoahoa tēnā iwi ki tēnā, te mutunga mai ka whānau ake ngā rōpū hou hei wānanga i ngā kaupapa i manawapātia. I pērā anō hoki ngā iwi o Tauranga Moana, ka huri atu ki tēnei iwi, ki tēnā hei huarahi tautoko āwhina mai i aua kaupapa nei. Ko ngā pupurihanga o ēnei taonga tuku iho e whakaahua mai ana i ngā kaupapa i waenganui i te ao Māori i aua wā, mō te iwi, mō te tangata kotahi rānei. Mā ēnei hoki kitea atu ai tā rātou titiro ki te ao i aua wā. 

He whiringa kōrero tēnei pepa mō tētehi waiata a Ngāi-TeRangi e whakamōhio ake ana i tētehi taukumekume i waenganui i a rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu. Ka kitea i roto i ngā kōrero ka puta ngā huarahi whakapā atu ai ki tēnā iwi, hapū i waenganui, i waho atu rānei o Ngāi-TeRangi hei āwhina mai i te pupuri mana. Arā anō hoki te whakanui i ēnei momo waiata, ōna mana me te mātauranga Māori e pupū ake ana i konei. 

The waiata of our tūpuna Māori (Māori ancestors) capture in verse many issues and topics that were of significance at the time they were composed. They provide us with snapshots of iwi histories, including accounts of battles between Māori and Pākehā and between Māori and Māori. They tell us of alliances formed and reformed between tribes and hapū and of the reasons for these alliances. We see how the alignment and realignment of kin loyalties related to the issues of the day. Tauranga Moana iwi were not immune to such activities: tribal loyalties were chameleon-like, many alliances being pursued in relation to common interests. The ‘oral mapping’ of these local narratives that we find in waiata provides an illustration of topics relevant to individuals and to iwi: personal and collective statements about the ‘order’ of their day. They provide us with an insight into our ancestors’ ‘ways of seeing the world’. Above all, they are fundamental to the illustration and preservation of Māori knowledge. 
 
This paper presents an analysis of a Ngāi-TeRangi waiata tangi (lament) which relates to activities linking the iwi in a political stance against Ngāti Kahungunu. What is demonstrated is the intricate network of iwi and hapū involvement, within and without Ngāi-TeRangi, in the quest for honour. What is also demonstrated is the importance of waiata as significant literary achievements, as oral treasures."

text: Ngā tai e rere nei i waho o Mauao "I te ao o ngā tūpuna he maha ngā kaupapa o taua wā i mau ki rō waiata, e whakaata mai ana i ngā kōrero-ā-iwi, ngā taukumekume i waenganui Māori, Pākehā, i waenganui hoki i ngā Māori anō. Nā wai hoki ka puta mai ngā herenga ki waenganui i tēnā iwi, i tēnā hapū, ka whakahoahoa tēnā iwi ki tēnā, te mutunga mai ka whānau ake ngā rōpū hou hei wānanga i ngā kaupapa i manawapātia. I pērā anō hoki ngā iwi o Tauranga Moana, ka huri atu ki tēnei iwi, ki tēnā hei huarahi tautoko āwhina mai i aua kaupapa nei. Ko ngā pupurihanga o ēnei taonga tuku iho e whakaahua mai ana i ngā kaupapa i waenganui i te ao Māori i aua wā, mō te iwi, mō te tangata kotahi rānei. Mā ēnei hoki kitea atu ai tā rātou titiro ki te ao i aua wā. 

He whiringa kōrero tēnei pepa mō tētehi waiata a Ngāi-TeRangi e whakamōhio ake ana i tētehi taukumekume i waenganui i a rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu. Ka kitea i roto i ngā kōrero ka puta ngā huarahi whakapā atu ai ki tēnā iwi, hapū i waenganui, i waho atu rānei o Ngāi-TeRangi hei āwhina mai i te pupuri mana. Arā anō hoki te whakanui i ēnei momo waiata, ōna mana me te mātauranga Māori e pupū ake ana i konei. 

The waiata of our tūpuna Māori (Māori ancestors) capture in verse many issues and topics that were of significance at the time they were composed. They provide us with snapshots of iwi histories, including accounts of battles between Māori and Pākehā and between Māori and Māori. They tell us of alliances formed and reformed between tribes and hapū and of the reasons for these alliances. We see how the alignment and realignment of kin loyalties related to the issues of the day. Tauranga Moana iwi were not immune to such activities: tribal loyalties were chameleon-like, many alliances being pursued in relation to common interests. The ‘oral mapping’ of these local narratives that we find in waiata provides an illustration of topics relevant to individuals and to iwi: personal and collective statements about the ‘order’ of their day. They provide us with an insight into our ancestors’ ‘ways of seeing the world’. Above all, they are fundamental to the illustration and preservation of Māori knowledge. 
 
This paper presents an analysis of a Ngāi-TeRangi waiata tangi (lament) which relates to activities linking the iwi in a political stance against Ngāti Kahungunu. What is demonstrated is the intricate network of iwi and hapū involvement, within and without Ngāi-TeRangi, in the quest for honour. What is also demonstrated is the importance of waiata as significant literary achievements, as oral treasures."

year: 2002-09