A Comparative Look at the Post Cold War Chinese and US Arms Trade

The arms trade involves the international sale or importation of conventional arms. This means the proliferation of any non-nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. Today the global transfer of arms is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. The US has the world’s largest military expenditure and is known as the world’s greatest proliferator of conventional weapons. China in the past few years has maintained a position as one of the world’s largest importers of arms, and has recently taken the spot as the world’s second largest military expenditure. Data from watchdog organizations suggests that the world is currently in a period of militarization that is fast approaching, militarization levels during the Cold War. Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, and Europe are all showing general patterns of increasing arms transfers. The reasoning behind the build up is difficult to say. Insecurity due to terrorism, scarce resources, wars in the Middle East, payment of bribes, or shifting foreign policies may all influence a nations decision to increase arms transfers. Transfers of weapons between nations often give some insight into the overall relations between the two nations. China and the US have a history of uncertainty and distrust, and thus actual arms transfers and military agreements between these two nations are relatively uncommon. Nations that have long standing relationships tend to transfer arms on a more frequent basis. Therefore, by analyzing the global arms market one may better understand foreign relations. The arms trade is a very lucrative business for the manufacturing companies. The US alone is home to nearly fifty of the worlds 100 most profitable arms companies. China does not have a single company in the world’s top 100, however China is still a major factor in the arms transfer arena (due to high importation of weapons). China’s combined surplus of foreign trade dollars and extensive production capabilities make China potentially one of the greatest proliferators of conventional weapons in the future. The production of these weapons, while lucrative, is often destructive and counteractive to democracy. Unfortunately, the majority of arms deliveries are sent to developing nations that are more prone to human rights abuses and violations of international law. This disregard for human suffering demands international attention, but lack of transparency of this unethical trade has left many uniformed. In an attempt to increase transparency and knowledge about the arms trade, this paper provides some little known information about two of the world’s most influential participants

Performance assessment of a greywater recycling experimental test rig

In the past decade, the world has witnessed a huge expansion at a progressive rate of its population, its urban density, and its water use. As the world’s population steadily grows, so too does global understanding of finite resources, with society increasingly looking towards technology to facilitate the epic task of managing natural resource usage. This increasing pressure on finite water resources clearly manifests itself in today’s context of increasing water restrictions and rising water costs. In order to meet future water demands, it is essential that potable water usage levels be reduced to a sustainable rate. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to explore viable alternative sources of water that offer the potential to improve water use and significantly contribute to the overall reduction in potable water consumption. One such source is greywater (GW). GW reuse systems are a common feature of many households in other developed countries, but the benefits of GW reuse has yet to be properly demonstrated in Australia. Water Corporation consumption data shows that nearly 40% of Western Australian households total water consumption is used on gardens and landscapes. As the average Perth household currently consumes around 254 kL of scheme water per year, implementing greywater reuse technology could potentially reduce the average household water bill by 30%, providing a significant cost saving. However, there is a recognised gap in available residential water use data related to GW generation and reuse where it occurs. Existing water meter technology performs poorly in the task of accurately measuring GW volumetric discharge. The reason for this is the design of the traditional water meter and its inability to provide accurate readings over time with GW due to clogging. This clogging can occur as a result of the presence of cleaning chemicals and suspended solid and foreign matter found in GW from a domestic environment. This thesis will investigate whether an alternative way to accurately measure household GW being captured and discharged to the garden can be developed from the energy consumption of the pump in a greywater recycling system (GWRS). The results would provide an accurate means of evaluating the potential financial savings of greywater reuse systems

Consumer involvement in mind: a study of participation in a voluntary organisation for mental health

The thesis is a study of consumer participation, focussing on a case study of MIND. Data were collected from interviewing, participant observation and examination of records. The following are the main conclusions. In order to understand consumer participation, and effectively to increase it, it is necessary to be aware of: the different types of such involvement; the extent to which it includes opposition or collaboration with people in authority; the various types of participant; and the levels and degrees of participation. Levels vary from involvement in decisions about the individual's own care to Central Government policy-making; whilst degrees of participation range from information to the total running of an organisation. Also important is the extent to which consumer participation is openly declared, conscious, and formal or informal. This was found to vary considerably within MIND. MIND has its origins in a beneficent organisation, but from the nineteen seventies, increasing efforts were made to facilitate consumer participation. Almost all respondents were in favour of this, but there was considerable uncertainty about the most effective means to facilitate such involvement, and doubts about whether proposed policies for its implementation would be successful. Respondents often mentioned psychological gains and the value of individuals' skills and abilities as benefits of consumer participation. However, difficulty in taking on responsibility was frequently said to result in problems. The attitudes and aptitudes of members with experience as consumers or mental health professionals, and the personal influence of National/Regional MIND staff, were seen as crucial in facilitating or hindering consumer participation, as were organisational factors such as the structure of meetings, the complexity of functions, and the relationship between different levels of MIND, which resembled Rhodes' description of central–subcentral government relations. The influence of National/Regional MIND on Local Associations was limited because the latter were autonomous charities. The thesis also covers methodological and ethical problems, and the implications of the finding for implementing policies to increase consumer participation in voluntary organisations

IN VITRO AND IN VIVO STUDIES OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO SHEEP ERYTHROCYTES USING PARTIALLY PURIFIED CELL PREPARATIONS

The BSA density-gradient technique for separating mouse spleen cells into partially purified populations has been used to compare the responsiveness of such populations to SRBC using in vivo and in vitro techniques. Two major populations were distinguished, one of which responded very well in vivo with an exponential dose response and poorly in vitro (fraction 3), and another which responded in vivo and in vitro with a linear dose response (fraction 2). A light density, radiation-resistant component was identified which markedly stimulated the response of fraction 3 in vitro, and a density gradient profile was obtained for this cell which did not correspond with a macrophage profile. A high density, radiation-sensitive cell was identified which stimulated the response of PFC precursors in lighter regions of the gradient. The activity of this cell could be replaced using thymus cells. A density profile for the PFC precursor cell was obtained by assaying small numbers of spleen cell fractions in the presence of an excess of the two auxiliary cell types

Are sucrose transporter expression profiles linked with patterns of biomass partitioning in Sorghum phenotypes?

Sorghum bicolor is a genetically diverse C4 monocotyledonous species, encompassing varieties capable of producing high grain yields as well as sweet types which accumulate soluble sugars (predominantly sucrose) within their stems to high concentrations. Sucrose produced in leaves (sources) enters the phloem and is transported to regions of growth and storage (sinks). It is likely that sucrose transporter (SUT) proteins play pivotal roles in phloem loading and the delivery of sucrose to growth and storage sinks in all Sorghum ecotypes. Six SUTs are present in the published Sorghum genome, based on the BTx623 grain cultivar. Homologues of these SUTs were cloned and sequenced from the sweet cultivar Rio, and compared with the publically available genome information. SbSUT5 possessed nine amino acid sequence differences between the two varieties. Two of the remaining five SUTs exhibited single variations in their amino acid sequences (SbSUT1 and SbSUT2) whilst the rest shared identical sequences. Complementation of a mutant Saccharomyces yeast strain (SEY6210), unable to grow up on sucrose as the sole carbon source, demonstrated that the Sorghum SUTs were capable of transporting sucrose. SbSUT1, SbSUT4, and SbSUT6 were highly expressed in mature leaf tissues and hence may contribute to phloem loading. In contrast, SbSUT2 and SbSUT5 were expressed most strongly in sinks consistent with a possible role of facilitating sucrose import into stem storage pools and developing inflorescences.Ricky J. Milne, Caitlin S. Byrt, John W. Patrick and Christopher P. L. Gro

Plant carbohydrate binding module enhances activity of hybrid microbial cellulase enzyme

Extent: 8 p.A synthetic, highly active cellulase enzyme suitable for in planta production may be a valuable tool for biotechnological approaches to develop transgenic biofuel crops with improved digestibility. Here, we demonstrate that the addition of a plant derived carbo-hydrate binding module (CBM) to a synthetic glycosyl hydrolase improved the activity of the hydrolase in releasing sugar from plant biomass. A CEL-HYB1-CBM enzyme was generated by fusing a hybrid microbial cellulase, CEL-HYB1, with the CBM of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) SlCel9C1 cellulase. CEL-HYB1 and CEL-HYB1-CBM enzymes were produced in vitro using Pichia pastoris and the activity of these enzymes was tested using carboxymethylcellulose, MUC, and native crystalline cellulose assays. The presence of the CBM substantially improved the endoglucanase activity of CEL-HYB1, especially against the native crystalline cellulose encountered in Sorghum bicolor plant cell walls. These results indicate that addition of an endogenous plant derived CBM to cellulase enzymes may enhance hydrolytic activity.Caitlin S. Byrt, Ricky Cahyanegara and Christopher P.L. Gro

Major genes for Na(+) exclusion, Nax1 and Nax2 (wheat HKT1;4 and HKT1;5), decrease Na(+) accumulation in bread wheat leaves under saline and waterlogged conditions

Two major genes for Na+ exclusion in durum wheat, Nax1 and Nax2, that were previously identified as the Na+ transporters TmHKT1;4-A2 and TmHKT1;5-A, were transferred into bread wheat in order to increase its capacity to restrict the accumulation of Na+ in leaves. The genes were crossed from tetraploid durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) into hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) by interspecific crossing and marker-assisted selection for hexaploid plants containing one or both genes. Nax1 decreased the leaf blade Na+ concentration by 50%, Nax2 decreased it by 30%, and both genes together decreased it by 60%. The signature phenotype of Nax1, the retention of Na+ in leaf sheaths resulting in a high Na+ sheath:blade ratio, was found in the Nax1 lines. This conferred an extra advantage under a combination of waterlogged and saline conditions. The effect of Nax2 on lowering the Na+ concentration in bread wheat was surprising as this gene is very similar to the TaHKT1;5-D Na+ transporter already present in bread wheat, putatively at the Kna1 locus. The results indicate that both Nax genes have the potential to improve the salt tolerance of bread wheat.Richard A. James, Carol Blake, Caitlin S. Byrt, and Rana Munn

It’s the talk: A study of involvement initiatives in secure mental health settings

Background: A study of involvement initiatives within secure mental health services across one UK region, where these have been organised to reflect alliances between staff and service users. There is little previous relevant international research, but constraints upon effective involvement have been noted. Objective: To explore and evaluate involvement initiatives in secure mental health settings. Design: A case study design with thematic analysis of qualitative interviews and focus groups. Setting and participants: Data collection was carried out between October 2011 and February 2012 with 139 staff and service users drawn from a variety of secure mental health settings. Findings: Our analysis offers four broad themes, titled: safety and security first?; bringing it all back home; it picks you up; it’s the talk. The quality of dialogue between staff and services users was deemed of prime importance. Features of secure environments could constrain communication, and the best examples of empowerment took place in non-secure settings. Discussion: Key aspects of communication and setting sustain involvement. These features are discussed with reference to Jurgen Habermas's work on communicative action and deliberative democracy. Conclusions: Involvement initiatives with service users resident in secure hospitals can be organized to good effect and the active role of commissioners is crucial. Positive outcomes are optimized when care is taken over the social space where involvement takes place and the process of involvement is appreciated by participants. Concerns over risk management are influential in staff support. This is germane to innovative thinking about practice and policy in this field

A Survey of Barley PIP Aquaporin Ionic Conductance Reveals Ca2+-Sensitive HvPIP2;8 Na+ and K+ Conductance

Some plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP) aquaporins can facilitate ion transport. Here we report that one of the 12 barley PIPs (PIP1 and PIP2) tested, HvPIP2;8, facilitated cation transport when expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. HvPIP2;8-associated ion currents were detected with Na+ and K+, but not Cs+, Rb+, or Li+, and was inhibited by Ba2+, Ca2+, and Cd2+ and to a lesser extent Mg2+, which also interacted with Ca2+. Currents were reduced in the presence of K+, Cs+, Rb+, or Li+ relative to Na+ alone. Five HvPIP1 isoforms co-expressed with HvPIP2;8 inhibited the ion conductance relative to HvPIP2;8 alone but HvPIP1;3 and HvPIP1;4 with HvPIP2;8 maintained the ion conductance at a lower level. HvPIP2;8 water permeability was similar to that of a C-terminal phosphorylation mimic mutant HvPIP2;8 S285D, but HvPIP2;8 S285D showed a negative linear correlation between water permeability and ion conductance that was modified by a kinase inhibitor treatment. HvPIP2;8 transcript abundance increased in barley shoot tissues following salt treatments in a salt-tolerant cultivar Haruna-Nijo, but not in salt-sensitive I743. There is potential for HvPIP2;8 to be involved in barley salt-stress responses, and HvPIP2;8 could facilitate both water and Na+/K+ transport activity, depending on the phosphorylation status