Effect of hydrophilic / hydrophobic fractions of Natural Organic Matter on irreversible fouling of membranes

Natural organic matter (NOM) has been identified as a major factor affecting membrane processes performances, but its impact is difficult to quantify from global parameters such as organic carbon content. The extent of fouling due to the different fractions of NOM from surface water has been examined in dead-end ultrafiltration using criteria such as flux decline and irreversibility in regard with organic matter rejection. The most important flux decline was observed during the filtration of the hydrophilic acids fraction whereas fulvic acids led to the most irreversible fouling. Furthermore, the hydrophilic fraction lost its fouling character when mixed with other fractions underlining that interactions between numerous components are possibly more important than the composition itself

Playing to win or trying your best: Media representations of national anxieties over the role of sport participation during the 2002 commonwealth games.

In the last few years, growing concern has emerged in New Zealand sport about the shift towards a more commercial or professionalised model of sport and away from a mass participation-based model. In the midst of a relatively intense period of debate and concern over this change in direction, the 2002 Commonwealth Games took place in Manchester, England. In this article, we analyse how media coverage of the Games articulated with the broader public debate over the direction of New Zealand sport. Grounded in the assumption that the media both reflects and impacts on public understandings of cultural issues, we believe this analysis of coverage of the Games reveals a profound ambivalence over a more profess ionalised model of sport and points to an unwillingness to give up traditional values of sports participation in order to win. We explore how this debate articulates with current tensions in the realm of Physical Education and suggest that health and physical educators have an important role to play in challenging current pressures towards a win-at-all-costs approach to sport

Vegetation restoration plan, New Plymouth Fitzroy to Bell Block coastal walkway extension

In 1999, the New Plymouth District Council began construction of its award winning coastal walkway. Along with providing an area for recreation, this new walk and cycle path serves as an alternate route for commuting along the city away from arterial roads. The New Plymouth District Council is in the process of extending this walkway a further three kilometres from Fitzroy Motor Camp to Ellesmere Avenue, Bell Block. This will encompass Peringa Park, Hickford Park and the Mangati Walkway, with completion expected by mid 2010. As part of this $4.2 million project, the District Council aims to restore the surrounding native duneland vegetation. The Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research (University of Waikato) was contracted by the New Plymouth District Council to provide a vegetation restoration plan for the Fitzroy to Bell Block section of the coastal walkway. This report considers the current vegetation of this three km section of the walkway, based on a rapid qualitative assessment undertaken in June, 2010. The target ecosytems Spinifex sandfield, flax-taupata shrubland and coastal forest vegetation types once dominant in the area are described in detail. Restoration recommendations are included to assist in the recreation of these ecosystems, including planting zones, weed control strategies and ongoing monitoring objectives

Abundances of PNe in the Outer Disk of M31

We present spectroscopic observations and chemical abundances of 16 planetary nebulae (PNe) in the outer disk of M31. The [O III] 4363 line is detected in all objects, allowing a direct measurement of the nebular temperature essential for accurate abundance determinations. Our results show that the abundances in these M31 PNe display the same correlations and general behaviors as Type II PNe in the Milky Way Galaxy. We also calculate photoionization models to derive estimates of central star properties. From these we infer that our sample PNe, all near the peak of the Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function, originated from stars near 2 M_sun. Finally, under the assumption that these PNe are located in M31's disk, we plot the oxygen abundance gradient, which appears shallower than the gradient in the Milky Way.Comment: 48 pages, including 12 figures and 8 tables, accepted by Astrophysical Journa

Expansive Reach-Useless Guidance: An Introduction To The U.K. Bribery Act 2010

Following two decades of incessant pressure from American diplomats, in 1997, the international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) completed negotiation of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions

Preliminary Evidence That High-Dose Vitamin C has a Vascular Disrupting Action in Mice

High intravenous doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) have been reported to benefit cancer patients but the data are controversial and there is incomplete knowledge of what physiological mechanisms might be involved in any response. Vitamin C is taken up efficiently by cells expressing SVCT2 transporters and since vascular endothelial cells express SVCT2, we explored the hypothesis that administration of high dose vitamin C (up to 5 g/kg) to mice might affect vascular endothelial function. A single administration of vitamin C to mice induced time- and dose-dependent increases in plasma concentrations of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA), a marker for vascular disrupting effects. Responses were comparable to those for the tumor vascular disrupting agents vadimezan and fosbretabulin. High-dose vitamin C administration decreased tumor serotonin concentrations, consistent with the release of serotonin from platelets and its metabolism to 5-HIAA. High-dose vitamin C also significantly increased the degree of hemorrhagic necrosis in tumors removed after 24 hours, and significantly decreased tumor volume after 2 days. However, the effect on tumor growth was temporary. The results support the concept that vitamin C at high dose increases endothelial permeability, allowing platelets to escape and release serotonin. Plasma 5-HIAA concentrations could provide a pharmacodynamic biomarker for vitamin C effects in clinical studies

A longitudinal motor characterisation of the HdhQ111 mouse model of Huntington's Disease

Background: Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare, incurable neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide expansion with the first exon of the huntingtin gene. Numerous knock-in mouse models are currently available for modelling HD. However, before their use in scientific research, these models must be characterised to determine their face and predictive validity as models of the disease and their reliability in recapitulating HD symptoms. Objective: Manifest HD is currently diagnosed upon the onset of motor symptoms, thus we sought to longitudinally characterise the progression and severity of motor signs in the HdhQ111 knock-in mouse model of HD, in heterozygous mice. Methods: An extensive battery of motor tests including: rotarod, inverted lid test, balance beam, spontaneous locomotor activity and gait analysis were applied longitudinally to a cohort of HdhQ111 heterozygous mice in order to progressively assess motor function. Results: A progressive failure to gain body weight was demonstrated from 11 months of age and motor problems in all measures of balance beam performance were shown in HdhQ111 heterozygous animals in comparison to wild type control animals from 9 months of age. A decreased latency to fall from the rotarod was demonstrated in HdhQ111 heterozygous animals in comparison to wild type animals, although this was not progressive with time. No genotype specific differences were demonstrated in any of the other motor tests included in the test battery. Conclusions: The HdhQ111 heterozygous mouse demonstrates a subtle and progressive motor phenotype that begins at 9 months of age. This mouse model represents an early disease stage and would be ideal for testing therapeutic strategies that require elongated lead-in times, such as viral gene therapies or striatal transplantation