title: A User-Oriented Approach to Scheduling Collection Building in Greenstone

authors: Osborn, Wendy

subjects: computer science

abstract: We propose a user-oriented approach for the automated and scheduled maintenance of Greenstone digital library collections. Existing systems require the user either to add new data manually to a collection, or to have programming knowledge in order to use existing application programming interfaces (APIs) in order to automate scheduled collection updates. The Greenstone Scheduler can automate the construction of any existing collection, and schedule the construction to occur periodically. This is accomplished through incorporating a module specific to this purpose into the Greenstone Librarian Interface.

text: A User-Oriented Approach to Scheduling Collection Building in Greenstone We propose a user-oriented approach for the automated and scheduled maintenance of Greenstone digital library collections. Existing systems require the user either to add new data manually to a collection, or to have programming knowledge in order to use existing application programming interfaces (APIs) in order to automate scheduled collection updates. The Greenstone Scheduler can automate the construction of any existing collection, and schedule the construction to occur periodically. This is accomplished through incorporating a module specific to this purpose into the Greenstone Librarian Interface.

year: 2008

title: Abundance and Function of Multiple Haemoglobin Isomorphs from Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

authors: Tempero, Grant Wayne

subjects: Hemoglobin

abstract: Haemoglobins perform the vital physiological function of transporting oxygen from the external environment to the tissues. Poikilothermic rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss = Salmo gairdneri = S. irideus) produce multiple forms of haemoglobin that respond differently to varying environmental and physiological conditions. However, the timescale and physiology of these changes are not known. Changes in isomorph abundance may potentially originate from the production of new isomorphs in already circulating erythrocytes. Alternatively, new isomorphs may be produced through the reassembly of extant haemoglobin subunits. The final hypothesis is that changes in isomorph abundance occur through the production of new erythrocytes with red blood cells ‘pre-programmed’ to produce a particular set of haemoglobins. Changes originating from production of new erythrocytes would require longer periods of time before being detectable; weeks to months depending on the temperature regime. To test this, paired groups of rainbow trout were subjected to either 10ºC or 20ºC for 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. A total of 14 isomorphs were observed after the haemolysate was separated using cellulose acetate electrophoresis. However, no detectable differences in isomorph abundance were found between treatment groups. In a follow-up experiment, anaemia was induced in rainbow trout to stimulate the production of new erythrocytes. The trout were then held at either 10ºC or 20ºC for 21 days. This resulted in relative increases in the abundance of anodal haemoglobin isomorphs in the 20ºC acclimated group and a corresponding decrease in cathodal haemoglobin isomorphs. To further confirm that changes in abundance were occurring through the production of new erythrocytes, separation of erythrocytes into age classes was undertaken to compare the isomorphs present in mature erythrocytes with those from erythrocytes produced under amended temperature regimes. Using Percoll density gradients, red blood cells from anaemia-induced trout acclimated to either 10ºC or 20ºC were enriched into mature and young erythrocyte fractions. Further significant differences in abundance were found between both anodal and cathodal isomorphs when compared between treatment groups. From these results it was concluded that changes in haemoglobin isomorph abundance originated from the production of new erythrocytes. Cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis was carried out on seven haemoglobin fractions that had undergone prior separation from whole haemolysate by Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography. Each haemoglobin fraction was found to be composed of two isomorphs for a total of 14 haemoglobin isomorphs. The oxygen binding properties of each fraction was examined under varying conditions of temperature, pH, ATP and chloride concentrations. Cathodal functional groups HbI to HbIII were found to be insensitive to temperature, pH, chloride and the organic phosphate ATP. In contrast, the anodal fractions (HbIV to HbVII) all responded to pH and temperature changes, while HbVI and HbVII responded to ATP. However, no fraction responded to increased chloride concentrations. These results suggest that different varieties of rainbow trout may produce different forms of haemoglobin as part of an adaptive response to local environmental conditions, leading to variation in the functional properties of some of the less abundant functional groups such as HbIII. Despite the theory that cathodal haemoglobins function as emergency back-up supplies of oxygen being proposed more than thirty years ago, no published information can be found for it being tested in the laboratory. Two groups of anaemia-induced rainbow trout were placed in a divided annular flume for 24 days. The high activity group was subjected to a forced swimming speed of 2.5 body lengths (B.L.) s-1 for 6 h d-1. When not undergoing forced exercise the treatment group were maintained at the same speed as the low activity group of 0.5 B.L. s-1. Significant differences in haemoglobin isomorph abundance were present between the initial samples taken at the time of anaemia induction and high and low activity groups. However, only the C4 isomorph demonstrated a significant difference between high and low activity groups. When total anodal and cathodal isomorphs were compared between initial state, high activity and low activity groups, no differences were present. These data suggest that the induction of anaemia had an effect on the composition of the isomorphs but no physiological effect on oxygen delivery. In addition, the swimming velocity of 2.5 B.L. s-1 employed for the high activity group may have been an insufficient stimulus to induce changes in isomorph abundance. It is concluded that changes in haemoglobin isomorph abundance occur in response to chronic changes in the environment. Increases in the abundance of anodal isoforms in response to increasing temperature allows for increased delivery of oxygen to tissues undergoing increases in metabolic activity associated with higher temperatures. The multiple haemoglobin isomorphs of rainbow trout provide an increased efficiency in delivery of oxygen to tissues under varying metabolic conditions of pH, temperature and oxygen saturation. The cathodal and anodal haemoglobin functional groups of rainbow trout exhibit different oxygen affinities in response to temperature, pH and ATP concentration but not to physiologically realistic chloride concentrations. The oxygen binding properties of the isomorphs within the cathodal and anodal functional groups are broadly similar. However, differences in responses by the anodal functional groups to NTPs may exist. An examination of the hypothesis that cathodal haemoglobins act as reserve oxygen delivery sources under prolonged activity produced no significant results. However, this hypothesis still remains viable and needs to be tested under different experimental conditions. This work provides a basis for further research into the adaptive abilities of rainbow trout. The selection of rainbow trout which better adapt to wide ranges of environmental conditions would allow for targeted introduction by fisheries managers to aquatic systems previously not considered optimal for trout growth thereby expanding the fishery.

text: Abundance and Function of Multiple Haemoglobin Isomorphs from Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Haemoglobins perform the vital physiological function of transporting oxygen from the external environment to the tissues. Poikilothermic rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss = Salmo gairdneri = S. irideus) produce multiple forms of haemoglobin that respond differently to varying environmental and physiological conditions. However, the timescale and physiology of these changes are not known. Changes in isomorph abundance may potentially originate from the production of new isomorphs in already circulating erythrocytes. Alternatively, new isomorphs may be produced through the reassembly of extant haemoglobin subunits. The final hypothesis is that changes in isomorph abundance occur through the production of new erythrocytes with red blood cells ‘pre-programmed’ to produce a particular set of haemoglobins. Changes originating from production of new erythrocytes would require longer periods of time before being detectable; weeks to months depending on the temperature regime. To test this, paired groups of rainbow trout were subjected to either 10ºC or 20ºC for 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. A total of 14 isomorphs were observed after the haemolysate was separated using cellulose acetate electrophoresis. However, no detectable differences in isomorph abundance were found between treatment groups. In a follow-up experiment, anaemia was induced in rainbow trout to stimulate the production of new erythrocytes. The trout were then held at either 10ºC or 20ºC for 21 days. This resulted in relative increases in the abundance of anodal haemoglobin isomorphs in the 20ºC acclimated group and a corresponding decrease in cathodal haemoglobin isomorphs. To further confirm that changes in abundance were occurring through the production of new erythrocytes, separation of erythrocytes into age classes was undertaken to compare the isomorphs present in mature erythrocytes with those from erythrocytes produced under amended temperature regimes. Using Percoll density gradients, red blood cells from anaemia-induced trout acclimated to either 10ºC or 20ºC were enriched into mature and young erythrocyte fractions. Further significant differences in abundance were found between both anodal and cathodal isomorphs when compared between treatment groups. From these results it was concluded that changes in haemoglobin isomorph abundance originated from the production of new erythrocytes. Cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis was carried out on seven haemoglobin fractions that had undergone prior separation from whole haemolysate by Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography. Each haemoglobin fraction was found to be composed of two isomorphs for a total of 14 haemoglobin isomorphs. The oxygen binding properties of each fraction was examined under varying conditions of temperature, pH, ATP and chloride concentrations. Cathodal functional groups HbI to HbIII were found to be insensitive to temperature, pH, chloride and the organic phosphate ATP. In contrast, the anodal fractions (HbIV to HbVII) all responded to pH and temperature changes, while HbVI and HbVII responded to ATP. However, no fraction responded to increased chloride concentrations. These results suggest that different varieties of rainbow trout may produce different forms of haemoglobin as part of an adaptive response to local environmental conditions, leading to variation in the functional properties of some of the less abundant functional groups such as HbIII. Despite the theory that cathodal haemoglobins function as emergency back-up supplies of oxygen being proposed more than thirty years ago, no published information can be found for it being tested in the laboratory. Two groups of anaemia-induced rainbow trout were placed in a divided annular flume for 24 days. The high activity group was subjected to a forced swimming speed of 2.5 body lengths (B.L.) s-1 for 6 h d-1. When not undergoing forced exercise the treatment group were maintained at the same speed as the low activity group of 0.5 B.L. s-1. Significant differences in haemoglobin isomorph abundance were present between the initial samples taken at the time of anaemia induction and high and low activity groups. However, only the C4 isomorph demonstrated a significant difference between high and low activity groups. When total anodal and cathodal isomorphs were compared between initial state, high activity and low activity groups, no differences were present. These data suggest that the induction of anaemia had an effect on the composition of the isomorphs but no physiological effect on oxygen delivery. In addition, the swimming velocity of 2.5 B.L. s-1 employed for the high activity group may have been an insufficient stimulus to induce changes in isomorph abundance. It is concluded that changes in haemoglobin isomorph abundance occur in response to chronic changes in the environment. Increases in the abundance of anodal isoforms in response to increasing temperature allows for increased delivery of oxygen to tissues undergoing increases in metabolic activity associated with higher temperatures. The multiple haemoglobin isomorphs of rainbow trout provide an increased efficiency in delivery of oxygen to tissues under varying metabolic conditions of pH, temperature and oxygen saturation. The cathodal and anodal haemoglobin functional groups of rainbow trout exhibit different oxygen affinities in response to temperature, pH and ATP concentration but not to physiologically realistic chloride concentrations. The oxygen binding properties of the isomorphs within the cathodal and anodal functional groups are broadly similar. However, differences in responses by the anodal functional groups to NTPs may exist. An examination of the hypothesis that cathodal haemoglobins act as reserve oxygen delivery sources under prolonged activity produced no significant results. However, this hypothesis still remains viable and needs to be tested under different experimental conditions. This work provides a basis for further research into the adaptive abilities of rainbow trout. The selection of rainbow trout which better adapt to wide ranges of environmental conditions would allow for targeted introduction by fisheries managers to aquatic systems previously not considered optimal for trout growth thereby expanding the fishery.

year: 2011

title: 'Making its own history': New Zealand historical fiction for children,1862-2008

authors: Clark, Louise Henriette

subjects: children's literature

abstract: This thesis considers historical fiction for children and young people dealing with New Zealand history from the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers to the end of the nineteenth century.  It provides both a comprehensive survey of historical novels published between 1862 and the end of 2008, and an analysis of the way the same historical events and periods have been depicted in historical novels written at different times.  Individual chapters discuss books set during specific historical periods or dealing with particular events - the pre-European period, early contact, nineteenth century immigration, the New Zealand Wars, the gold rushes, and the colonial period - in chronological order of publication.  Since children's literature is particularly adept at reflecting and promoting the dominant ideas of the society in which it is produced, the chronological consideration of these texts reveals contemporary attitudes to such issues as race relations, gender roles, class, war and conflict, and concepts of national identity, as well as the way historical fiction has responded to societal changes since the 1860s.  

The predominant themes of historical fiction set prior to 1900 are: the arrival of settlers in New Zealand; encounters with the country's indigenous inhabitants; the taming of the often hostile landscape; the assertion of the settlers' claims to 'belong' in their new land; and the establishment of New Zealand as a nation with distinctive characteristics.  There are perceptible nuances and differences in the way these themes are discussed depending on the historical moment in which individual authors are writing.  Novels of the Victorian period and early twentieth century reflect the imperialistic and evangelistic ethos of the time, and present the British settlers' right to colonize the land and the ensuing dispossession of Māori as largely unproblematic.  Subsequent historical novels, particularly those written since the 1960s, offer a more inclusive version of New Zealand history, although the lack of historical fiction for children by Māori writers means that Eurocentric views of history continue to dominate, and that all representations of Māori and their history are mediated through Pakeha writers.

Shifts in social attitudes have resulted in changes in the treatment of Māori in historical novels for children, and similar changes have occurred in the portrayal of gender, class, and ethnicity.  The passage of time has seen increased agency and a wider variety of roles allocated to Māori, female and working class characters, as well as greater ethnic diversity.  Developments in New Zealand historiography are also reflected in fiction, although at times historical fiction prefigures written histories, or provides alternative views by depicting the experience of women, children and Māori, who often did not feature in conventional histories.  While many historical novels for children, especially the earlier texts, are adventure stories set in the past and are not necessarily concerned with historical verisimilitude, an increasing number attempt to present authentic recreations of historical periods, including accounts of actual people and events, based on extensive research, and reinforced with peritextual material in the form of historical notes, bibliographies, maps and photographs.  

The role of New Zealand historical fiction for children and young people has been not only to entertain young readers and inform them about their country's past, but to create and foster a sense of national identity.

text: 'Making its own history': New Zealand historical fiction for children,1862-2008 This thesis considers historical fiction for children and young people dealing with New Zealand history from the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers to the end of the nineteenth century.  It provides both a comprehensive survey of historical novels published between 1862 and the end of 2008, and an analysis of the way the same historical events and periods have been depicted in historical novels written at different times.  Individual chapters discuss books set during specific historical periods or dealing with particular events - the pre-European period, early contact, nineteenth century immigration, the New Zealand Wars, the gold rushes, and the colonial period - in chronological order of publication.  Since children's literature is particularly adept at reflecting and promoting the dominant ideas of the society in which it is produced, the chronological consideration of these texts reveals contemporary attitudes to such issues as race relations, gender roles, class, war and conflict, and concepts of national identity, as well as the way historical fiction has responded to societal changes since the 1860s.  

The predominant themes of historical fiction set prior to 1900 are: the arrival of settlers in New Zealand; encounters with the country's indigenous inhabitants; the taming of the often hostile landscape; the assertion of the settlers' claims to 'belong' in their new land; and the establishment of New Zealand as a nation with distinctive characteristics.  There are perceptible nuances and differences in the way these themes are discussed depending on the historical moment in which individual authors are writing.  Novels of the Victorian period and early twentieth century reflect the imperialistic and evangelistic ethos of the time, and present the British settlers' right to colonize the land and the ensuing dispossession of Māori as largely unproblematic.  Subsequent historical novels, particularly those written since the 1960s, offer a more inclusive version of New Zealand history, although the lack of historical fiction for children by Māori writers means that Eurocentric views of history continue to dominate, and that all representations of Māori and their history are mediated through Pakeha writers.

Shifts in social attitudes have resulted in changes in the treatment of Māori in historical novels for children, and similar changes have occurred in the portrayal of gender, class, and ethnicity.  The passage of time has seen increased agency and a wider variety of roles allocated to Māori, female and working class characters, as well as greater ethnic diversity.  Developments in New Zealand historiography are also reflected in fiction, although at times historical fiction prefigures written histories, or provides alternative views by depicting the experience of women, children and Māori, who often did not feature in conventional histories.  While many historical novels for children, especially the earlier texts, are adventure stories set in the past and are not necessarily concerned with historical verisimilitude, an increasing number attempt to present authentic recreations of historical periods, including accounts of actual people and events, based on extensive research, and reinforced with peritextual material in the form of historical notes, bibliographies, maps and photographs.  

The role of New Zealand historical fiction for children and young people has been not only to entertain young readers and inform them about their country's past, but to create and foster a sense of national identity.

year: 2010