Scottish Highlands Research Articles

Compound prepositions in Irish and Scottish Gaelic

Abstract The subject of this study is a particular type of compound preposition found in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The compound consists of a simple preposition followed by a noun which it governs, the noun in question often pertaining to human perception or activity. The membership of this ‘nominal’ prepositional class, as will be seen, is quite extensive, so that the category in question, as well as refining the reach, and extending enormously the range, of prepositional activity, adds a separate, often somewhat picturesque, dimension to syntax in the languages in question.

A recent date for the dog (Canis familiaris) from Mapala Rockshelter and implications for associated mammal community changes in subalpine Highland West New Guinea

The arrival of the dog (Canis familiaris) in Australasia is believed to have had major impacts on the region’s ecosystems as well as human society and organisation. Very little is known about the antiquity of the dog in New Guinea due to a paucity of fossil specimens of secure antiquity, particularly in the Highlands. Here, we report the direct dating of a partial dog cranium from Mapala Rockshelter, a subalpine site at ∼4000 m asl in the Sudirman Range. Recovered in 1972 from a bone-rich layer in the cave floor above a basal charcoal date of about 5500 BP, this individual has been considered a possible early example of dog in Australasia. An Accelerator Mass Spectrometry date from maxillary bone shows that the Mapala dog is far more recent (491 ± 19 BP, or 536–501 cal BP). Our finding is of relevance to understanding the antiquity of dog in the Highlands of New Guinea, and also for the wild dog populations which exist across this large area. The date is also the first for the site’s mammal-rich fossiliferous sedimentary unit, providing a chronological context for Late Holocene turnover in the composition of the local fauna. The most notable of these changes include the regional extinction of two Thylogale spp. and the invasion of Pseudochirops cupreus into subalpine western New Guinea environments.

Scottish Gaelic bithidh , Manx bee , Irish bíonn : a synchronic and diachronic anatomy of the 3 sg consuetudinal present/future tense in pan-Gaelic

To date, there is no linguistic map or table available that provides us with a microscopic comparative distribution of the independent form of the present indicative for the pan-Gaelic area as a whole. Quite a few such detailed tables exist for Gaelic Scotland (§5) but none for Gaelic Ireland. In addition to providing a synchronic distribution of bíonn ‘is wont to be’ for most dialects in Ireland (Appendix 1), bithidh ‘will be’ in Scotland, and bee/vees in Manx, this article further seeks to analyse on a diachronic level the evidence provided for these particular verbal forms by two of the most significantly detailed comparative monuments to Gaelic linguistic heritage: (1) Heinrich Wagner’s Linguistic atlas ; (2) Cathair Ó Dochartaigh’s Survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland . 1

“A Colony to Themselves”: Scottish Highland Settler Colonialism in British North America, 1770–1804

Abstract This article explores the links between anti-Catholicism in the United Kingdom and the acceleration of settler colonialism in British North America, and it does so by considering two group migrations from Catholic districts in the North West Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Occurring over 30 years apart, the Glenaladale settlement (1772) in Prince Edward Island and the Glengarry settlement (1803) in Upper Canada offer instructive insight into how anti-Catholicism activated Highland Catholic colonial agency. Not only did significant numbers of Highland Catholics choose to quit Scotland forever, but their settlement in places like Prince Edward Island and Upper Canada accelerated the process of settler colonialism and the establishment of the Catholic Church. The colonies at Glengarry and Glenaladale were peopled by settlers who were doubly motivated to settle in the empire. They stood to prosper economically—certainly—and they also stood to gain the freedom to practice their faith free of obvious interference. To the Indigenous peoples whose ancestral lands they settled, the consequences were not softened by this pretext for settler colonization, and too often the history of anti-Catholic discrimination in the four nations elide the fact that Catholics were enthusiastic colonizers elsewhere, and that the two processes were often related.

DETECTION OF BABESIA CF. ODOCOILEI, BABESIA CAPREOLI, AND ANAPLASMA PHAGOCYTOPHILUM IN CERVIDS OF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, UNITED KINGDOM.

Outbreaks of suspected tick-borne disease (redwater fever) have been reported in captive deer of the Scottish Highlands. In this pilot study, polymerase chain reaction and amplicon sequencing were used to detect tick-borne pathogens in opportunistically collected blood and spleen samples from 63 (healthy, n = 44; diseased, n = 19) cervids, and 45 questing and feeding ticks (Ixodes ricinus) from the outbreak sites in 2021-2022. Potentially pathogenic Babesia species were detected in deer but not identified in ticks, Anaplasma phagocytophilum was detected in both deer and ticks, and Borrelia afzelii was detected in ticks but not in deer. Sequencing confirmed Babesia capreoli and Babesia cf. odocoilei parasitemia in clinically healthy red deer (Cervus elaphus), B. capreoli parasitemia in clinically healthy domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), and two cases of B. cf. odocoilei-associated hemolytic anemia in white-lipped deer (Cervus albirostris), of which one was fatal despite imidocarb treatment. White-lipped deer appear to be highly susceptible to babesiosis caused by B. cf. odocoilei. This investigation highlights the importance of disease surveillance, including molecular diagnostics, for the detection of emerging tick-borne pathogens in managed populations of cervids.

Perceived Impacts of Tourism on Community Identity: Perspectives of Two Scottish Highland Communities

ABSTRACT The Scottish Highlands tourism industry has grown significantly due to the successful launch of the North Coast 500 route. This study investigates the perceived tourism impact on rural communities based on a survey and semi-structured interviews conducted in Elphin and Ullapool in 2021. By approaching community identity as a combination of emotional identity, functional identity, and community participation, the paper identifies key differences in the identities of two communities usually framed as belonging to one homogenous region. This provides host community perspectives on which aspects of their identities may be targeted to support effective tourism developments. We conclude that although the overall strength of both communities identities seem unaffected by growing tourism levels, they do shape their nature, particularly when different concerns intersect such as environmental degradation and limited affordable housing. Addressing resident concerns through meaningful contributions to decision-making processes is key to the success of regional tourism policies.

Dermatophytosis in Companion Animals in Portugal: A Comprehensive Epidemiological Retrospective Study of 12 Years (2012-2023).

Dermatophytosis, commonly referred to as ringworm, is a common superficial fungal infection in companion animals and humans. Between 2012 and 2023, plucked hair and scraped scale samples from domestic dogs and cats with clinical suspicion of dermatophytosis were collected from 355 veterinary medical centres across mainland Portugal. A total of 4716 animal samples were inoculated onto DERM agar, incubated at 25 °C for up to 4 weeks, and periodically examined macro- and micro-scopically to observe and evaluate fungal growth. Of these, 271 samples were removed due to contaminant fungi. Of the 568 positive cultures, the highest number were from the North (48.1%; 95% CI: 44.0-52.2%) and Centre (32.4%; 95% CI: 28.7-36.4%) regions. Microsporum canis was the most frequently isolated species (63.9%), followed by Trichophyton spp. (20.3%) and Nannizia gypsea (formerly Microsporum gypseum) (8.1%). Felines exhibited a higher frequency (17.4%) compared with dogs (9.1%) (p < 0.001). In dogs, the Yorkshire Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Dalmatian and Miniature Schnauzer demonstrated a significant predisposition to dermatophytosis (p < 0.05). In cats, the Persian and Scottish Fold breeds were significantly predisposed (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between sexes (p > 0.05). These findings underscore dermatophytosis as an increasing public health concern due to its zoonotic and contagious nature, providing comprehensive insights into the epidemiology of dermatophytosis in Portugal.

Kyanite and Cordierite‐Andalusite occurrences in parts of Barrow's Staurolite zones – The effects of high ferric iron

AbstractGeorge Barrow's maps (1893, 1912) of the metamorphic zones named after him in the south‐eastern Scottish Highlands, show a prominent staurolite zone running from the west of Glen Clova to the North Sea coast near Stonehaven in the east. Pelitic mica schists throughout this zone commonly show principal mineral assemblages of staurolite+biotite+garnet+muscovite +quartz (St + Bt + Grt), with sodic plagioclase, ilmenite and sometimes magnetite as common accessories; these schists have bulk compositions corresponding with those of common Dalradian metasediments. However, the mineral assemblages on the low‐ and high‐grade margins of the staurolite zone show evidence of changes from west to east. Lower grade assemblages near Stonehaven include chloritoid+biotite, which has not been found further west in the classic ‘Barrovian’ sequence; whilst the higher grade assemblages near Stonehaven lack kyanite, which is widely seen further west. The Stonehaven area has been suggested to have under gone metamorphism at lower pressure (P) than the classic region of the ‘Glens’ inland to the west.This paper describes the occurrence at middle grade in the broad staurolite zone, of unusual bulk rock compositions showing high ratios of Fe2O3/(Fe2O3 + FeO) and MgO/(MgO + FeO) (abbreviated to M/FM). The high M/FM assemblages are distinct from those of the common St‐Bt‐Grt schists. The high ratios of ferric to ferrous iron are thought to result from original sedimentary protolith compositions, that led to metamorphism at relatively high conditions of oxygen fugacity (ƒo2), and resulted in the formation of haematite‐bearing assemblages, rather than ones carrying accessory ilmenite and magnetite as in the common St + Bt + Grt rocks.In the west (Glen Lethnot), the haematite‐bearing pelites show the occurrence of kyanite at a distinctly lower grade than the common (haematite‐free) pelites, and a transition from staurolite‐biotite (St + Bt) through staurolite–kyanite‐biotite (St + Ky + Bt) to kyanite‐biotite (Ky‐Bt) assemblages occurs with increasing abundance of haematite and higher bulk M/FM values. In all bulk compositions, the upgrade formation of kyanite may be associated with the movement of the St + Ky + Bt assemblage to lower M/FM bulk compositions with increasing temperature (T). The difference in the temperature of lowest‐grade kyanite formation in haematite‐rich schists, compared with that in common haematite‐free schists may approach 50°C.In the east (Stonehaven section), the haematite‐bearing assemblages are much rarer than in Glen Lethnot, but those found so far are very distinctive in showing large porphyroblasts of probable cordierite (typically altered to chlorite and sericite). Occasional assemblages of andalusite‐cordierite‐biotite (And‐Crd‐Bt) also occur in the haematite‐bearing rocks and confirm lower pressures of metamorphism near Stonehaven than those seen further west in Glens Clova, Lethnot and Esk.

Vitamin A supplementation status and associated factors among children aged 6-59 months in Tanzania: a multi-level analysis.

Vitamin A supplementation every 4-6 months is an economical, rapid, and effective strategy to enhance vitamin A status and minimize child morbidity and mortality due to vitamin A deficiency in the long run. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the level as well as the factors influencing VAS status among children aged 6-59 months in Tanzania. This analysis relied on data from the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS). The study used a weighted sample of 9,382 children aged 6-59 months. Given the effect of clustering and the binary character of the outcome variable, we employed a multilevel binary logistic regression model. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to determine statistical significance, considering the model with the lowest deviation that best fits the data. In this study, vitamin A supplementation among children aged 6-59 months was found to be 53.18% [95% CI: 52.17, 54.19]. Mother's/caregiver's working status; Working [AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.34, 1.89], ANC follow-up [AOR = 1.71, 95%CI: 1.34, 2.2], and health facility delivery [AOR = 1.55, 95%CI: 1.25, 1.91] were individual-level factors associated with vitamin A supplementation. Whereas administrative zones of Western [AOR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.16, 3.52], Southern highlands [AOR = 3.83, 95% CI: 2.02, 7.24], Southern administrative zone [AOR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.37, 5.3], and South West highlands [AOR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.95] were community-level factors associated with vitamin A supplementation. The proportion of VAS among children in Tanzania is low compared to UNICEF's target of 80. Mother's/caregiver's working status, antenatal care, place of delivery, community-level media exposure, and administrative zones were significantly associated factors with vitamin A supplementation. Therefore, interventions should be designed to improve the uptake of VAS. Provision and promotion of ANC and institutional delivery and strengthening of routine supplementation are recommended to increase coverage of childhood vitamin A supplementation. Moreover, special focus should be given to regions in the south-western highlands.

Fibroblast activation protein is a cellular marker of fibrotic activity in canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) is a progressive fibrotic interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology, afflicting aging West Highland white terriers (WHWTs) and leading to progressive respiratory failure. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a protease overexpressed in many cancers, is upregulated in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate FAP as a marker of active fibrosis in lung biopsies from WHWTs affected with CIPF, as well as the potential of plasmatic FAP as a biomarker. After establishing a scoring system to evaluate the severity and activity of fibrosis on histopathological lung sections, anti-FAP immunohistochemistry was performed on healthy and CIPF samples. FAP expression was characterized using both visual and digital quantitative pathology software analyses and then correlated to fibrosis severity and activity. Levels of plasmatic FAP in WHWTs affected with CIPF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared with healthy dogs. Lung samples from 22 WHWTs affected with CIPF were collected. According to the fibrosis scoring system, they were classified as cases of mild (5), moderate (9) and severe (8) fibrosis and were attributed scores of fibrosis activity. Fifteen healthy lung samples were classified as non-fibrotic. Healthy lung samples were FAP-negative, whereas fibroblasts were FAP-positive in 20 CIPF samples. FAP immunohistochemical expression correlated mildly with fibrosis severity (p < 0.05; R 2 = 0.22) but highly with fibrosis activity scores (p < 0.001; R 2 = 0.68). Digital image analysis detected a higher percentage of FAP-positive cells in areas of active fibrosis (p < 0.001) and FAP-positive cells were distributed outside mature fibrosis lesions, clustered in active fibrosis areas or scattered within alveolar septa. On the other hand, plasmatic FAP was significantly lower in dogs affected with CIPF compared with healthy dogs (p < 0.01). In conclusion, this study provides a valuable histological scoring system to assess the severity and activity of fibrosis in CIPF. It demonstrates that FAP is a good cellular marker of fibrotic activity in CIPF, and thus constitutes a promising target to be exploited for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Additionally, it suggests that plasmatic FAP, although non-specific, could be altered in CIPF.

Minority language interpreting in regional parliaments: Breton, Corsican, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh compared

ABSTRACT Following a discussion of the term ‘minority language’, this paper goes on to explain the important role interpreting can play for language planning and status raising, especially in high-prestige formal settings such as regional parliaments. There then follows a brief overview of each language before presenting the interpreting provision available for Breton, Corsican, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh in their respective assemblies. The comparative study yields a very disparate picture, with highly conflicting experiences even within the same overarching state-level legal framework. The discussion section attempts to propose explanations for the differences detected whilst indicating new routes of enquiry for future research.

Examining the factors behind the new UK January maximum temperature record, 28 January 2024

AbstractLarge‐scale subsidence and associated adiabatic warming through compression allowed exceptionally mild air to reach western Scotland at low elevations on 28 January 2024. Marked foehn effects were then able to mix this air mass into the boundary layer across the Scottish Highlands, where an official observation from Achfary recorded a new UK January maximum temperature of 19.9°C. Observations and some numerical weather prediction data were used to assess the likely contributions of various foehn mechanisms to this event, with findings suggesting that mechanical mixing/turbulence most likely played the dominant role.

Self-advocacy and barriers for young people accessing health care in the Scottish Highlands

Self-advocacy and barriers for young people accessing health care in the Scottish Highlands

Phantoms of a Five‐day Forest

AbstractStrangely, the palimpsest of human occupation is often far less visible in the city than it is in wilder spaces. Artist, architect, researcher and educator Kirsty Badenoch describes an exploratory expedition to draw out these ghosts within the rugged landscapes of the Scottish Highlands, and a subsequent exhibition of the work through diary entries and photographic forms. The work itself is made through transcriptive collaborations with the volatile climate and flora and fauna of the site, creating a tale of palimpsestuous relationships that dislocate the artistic self as nature leads the dance, or at the very least calls the tune.

Graphitization of Neoproterozoic sedimentary marbles in The Aird, Scottish Highlands

Graphite occurs in Neoproterozoic (probable Loch Ness Supergroup) marbles of The Aird, in the Northern Highland Terrane, Scotland. The graphite occurs particularly in association with phlogopite mica, and also with other micas and Mg-chlorite. Although the graphite–phlogopite association is recorded widely elsewhere in mantle-derived rocks, our data suggest graphite at The Aird does not have a mantle origin. The carbon isotopic composition of the graphite ( δ 13 C: −1.6 to 0.4‰) indicates that graphitization occurred from a CO 2 -rich fluid associated with decarbonation or devolatilization reactions of a carbonate–silicate protolith. Graphite–phlogopite-bearing marbles in The Aird underwent extensive brecciation and hematite deposition that preceded carbon-rich, mantle-derived (carbonatite) fluids. Pyrite in veins within The Aird marble has a sulfur isotope composition depleted in 34 S (−16.6 to −15.5‰), suggesting a biogenic origin. Elsewhere in The Aird and in surrounding fenitized rocks, 34 S-enriched pyrite has sulfur isotope compositions between 6.1 and 7.7‰, outside the sulfur isotopic composition range of most carbonatite-hosted pyrite, suggesting that pyrite veining is likely to have been influenced by crustal fluid–rock interactions. The observations show that if the protolith has a carbonate–silicate composition, a graphite–phlogopite association can form without the need for mantle-derived fluids.

Project PRIME: road markings for motorcycle casualty reduction (an overview of findings from 2020 to 2022)

Pioneering road markings for motorcyclists, designed as Perceptual Rider Information for Maximising Expertise and Enjoyment (PRIMEs) were installed on approach to demanding bends at 22 trial sites and two comparison sites across the West Highlands of Scotland. The markings provided a series of ‘gateways’ to encourage safer riding. With 32,213 motorcyclists observed, the following statistically significant results were observed: speed reductions at 10 trial sites; positive changes in lateral position at the final PRIME gateway marking at 15 trial sites and positive changes in lateral position at the apex of the bend at 13 trial sites; reductions in braking at nine trial sites; increases use of PRIME road markings across 18 of the 22 trial sites. No statistically significant effects were observed at the comparison sites. These findings are discussed in relation to the ‘Road Safety Framework to 2030’ and the ‘Safe System’ approach to reducing motorcycle casualties.

Genetic differentiation at extreme latitudes in the socially plastic sweat bee Halictus rubicundus.

The sweat bee Halictus rubicundus is an important pollinator with a large latitudinal range and many potential barriers to gene flow. Alongside typical physical barriers, including mountain ranges and oceans, the climate may also impose restrictions on gene flow in this species. The climate influences voltinism and sociality in H. rubicundus, which is bivoltine and can nest socially at warmer lower latitudes but tends to be univoltine and solitary in the cooler north. Variation in voltinism could result in phenological differences, potentially limiting gene flow, but a previous study found no evidence for this in H. rubicundus populations in mainland Britain. Here we extend the previous study to consider populations of H. rubicundus at extreme northern and southern latitudes in the UK. We found that bees from a population in the far north of Scotland were genetically differentiated from bees collected in Cornwall in the south-west of England. In contrast, bees collected across the Irish Sea in Northern Ireland showed slight genetic overlap with both the Scottish and Cornish bees. Our results suggest that when populations at extreme latitudes are considered, phenology and the climate may act alongside physical barriers such as the Scottish Highlands and the Irish Sea to restrict gene flow in H. rubicundus. We discuss the implications of our results for local adaptation in the face of rapidly changing selection pressures which are likely under climate change.

Population Checks and Natural Laws: Malthus, Climate Determinism and Emigration

Through the lens of emergent laws of climatology developed to advance the scientific foundations and popular reach of practical meteorology in the nineteenth century, this article examines the checks on population and the global movement of people linked to reoccurring climate patterns and abnormal climatic events. Meteorological research contributed to debates within political economy and the public health movement, and to the disputed moral rationale for poor law reform. Scientific authority for this new analysis rested on a network of personal, religious, and professional links between T.R. Malthus, Thomas Chalmers, Francis Jeffrey, David Brewster, James D. Forbes, James Stark, Edwin Chadwick and William Pulteney Alison. The work of climate determinists argued that several causations were simultaneously affecting the nation’s vital statistics. The potential advantage to health from moving on a permanent basis to a more salubrious climate was explored. Adding further to the conundrum of colonisation, and the case for assisted migration, the laws of climatology offered reasons why any migrants pulled into parts of urban and Highland Scotland by freed resource – the vacuum effect – would still experience a positive Malthusian check on their life chances.

‘There sails the ships; there is the Leveathon’: A Transatlantic Missionary's Journeys

A first-person account of a missionary's return transatlantic voyage linking the Scottish Highlands and Upper Canada in the 1850s offers a valuable insight into church operations and migrant networks as well as the realities of travel at a time of profound societal change. By considering the journal in its local contemporary situations, and by drawing on modern scholarship, this article considers the motivations for keeping the journal, push and pull factors related to religious and socioeconomic influences and observes that previous scholars have been correct in identifying an ongoing trend of episodic or temporary emigration for Highlanders and Scots in the mid-nineteenth century.

Scottish Gaelic Studies: Language, Linguistics, and Literature

Scottish Gaelic Studies: Language, Linguistics, and Literature