An x-ray technique for determining seed placement in direct drilled soils : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy at Massey University

The objectives of this study were to develop and document a reliable workable X-ray technique for identifying seed placement in the soil; to examine those factors which might influence this procedure and to demonstrate the use of the technique in a field experiment. The X-ray technique was based on the principle that seeds coated with a heavy metal powder, when X-rayed within a soil mass, appeared on the X-ray film as white or grey images on a dark background. A coating procedure (based on commercial pelleting) was developed to apply the heavy metal powder to the seed. As the seed images on the X-ray film were to be a shadow representation of the actual seed position in the soil mass, a correction procedure to locate the true positions of the seed was developed. A series of laboratory experiments confirmed that red lead oxide was the most suitable coating material and that higher intensities of coating were required as seed size decreased. Neither soil type nor soil moisture content appeared to have a marked affect on the clarity of the X-ray images. Seed germination was not affected by the amount of red lead oxide coating, the coating procedure, or exposure to moderate levels of radiation. Soil blocks measuring 75 mm by 75 mm by 240 mm long containing the coated seeds should be taken as soon as possible after sowing, as image clarity diminished over time and seed movement occurred in the case of seeds with epigeal germination. Equipment developed to assist in field sampling included a soi1-block-cut ter, re-useable sample bins and a holding jig for X-raying the soil blocks in their bins. Thus the X-ray technique had the ability to determine three dimensional seed placement within a soil mass (sowing depth, in-row width and in-row spacing). The ability of the X-ray technique offers new possibilities for explaining those factors which affect seed placement by direct drilling equipment in field situations

'Noisy, restless and incoherent' : puerperal insanity at Dundee Lunatic Asylum

This research is supported by the Strathmartine Trust Scottish History Scholarship, St Andrews.Puerperal insanity has been described as a nineteenth-century diagnosis, entrenched in contemporary expectations of proper womanly behaviour. Drawing on detailed study of establishment registers and patient case notes, this paper examines the puerperal insanity diagnosis at Dundee Lunatic Asylum between 1820 and 1860. In particular, the study aims to consider whether the class or social status of the patients had a bearing on how their conditions were perceived and rationalized, and how far the puerperal insanity diagnosis, coloured by the values assigned to it by the medical officers, may have been reserved for some women and not for others. This examination of the diagnosis in a Scottish community, suggesting a contrast in the way that middle-class and working-class women were diagnosed at Dundee, engages with and expands on work on puerperal insanity elsewhere.PostprintPeer reviewe

‘This distressing malady’ : childbirth and mental illness in Scotland 1820 – 1930

My thesis explores the experiences of women who suffered from mental disorder related to childbirth and pregnancy, looking in particular at Dundee, Fife and Forfarshire in the north-east of Scotland, during the period 1820 to 1930. This study offers a new perspective on women’s lives, wellbeing and healthcare in this region by examining at a local level the ideas surrounding postpartum mental illness. By the mid-nineteenth century, the term ‘puerperal insanity’ was widely known and much discussed and deliberated in medical literature. However, the day-to-day care and treatment of postpartum women suffering from mental disorder was not straightforward. My findings demonstrate that the diagnosis and treatment of postpartum mental illness in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Scotland was a complex issue influenced as much by social and economic factors as by medical ideas. Using records from the chartered asylums at Montrose and Dundee, court and prison records, and newspaper accounts, I have uncovered how childbearing-related mental illness was recognised, accepted and supported by families, neighbours, friends and authorities. Within the asylum, I have revealed how physicians assessed their patients’ characters and status as much as their physical conditions, but nevertheless in many cases provided positive medical care and much-needed rest and nourishment. In criminal cases, my study has looked beyond legislation and verdicts to reveal a positive and constructive approach to the care and custody of women who had committed child murder. Awareness of postpartum mental illness in the community was developed through a collaboration of medical and lay knowledge, acquired through interactions between physicians, families and communities, and filtered through pre-existing understandings and ideas. I have identified a lay understanding and accepted discourse which guided the ideas and actions of friends, family and community in dealing with the problems associated with mental illness among postpartum women

Lamellicolic Anhydride and Other Polyketides of Verticillium lamellicola and Aspergillus nidulans

A number of novel, phenolic 1,8-naphthalic anhydrides have been isolated from a strain of VerticiIlium lamellicola and the major metabolite, lamellicolic anhydride, shown to be 2,4,7-trihydroxy-5-methyl-1,8-naphthalic anhydride. Amongst a number of unusual and characteristic reactions exhibited by this compound was a remarkably facile aminolysis of ether groups in its O,O,O-trimethyl derivative with the formation of amino derivatives. Routes from lamellicolic anhydride have been studied in order to provide an entry into the dimeric scries of compounds typified by duclauxin. Minor metabolites of Y. lamellicola include 2,7-dihydrexy-5-methyl-1,4-naphthaquinone - the in vitro synthesis of this compound from, lamellioolio anhydride has been accomplished - and the monomethyl ester of 3-chlorolameilicolic acid. 4-O-Carbomethoxylamellicolic anhydride-the first natural product reported which contains a methyl carbonate group - co-occurs with lamellicolic anhydride and has been prepared, from it. The biosynthesis of these compounds and the results of some preliminary feeding experiments are discussed. Two phenolic, yellow pigments - arugoxanthones A and B - have been isolated from the spores of the yellow mutant of Aspergillus nidulans and identified as the first reported prenylated fungal xanthones. Model studies have confirmed the feasibility of the unusual chroman-4-ol unit found in arugoxanthone A being derived bdogenetically via a novel intramolecular cyclisation of an O-3,3-dimethylallyl unit and a formyl group. Arugoxanthones A and B have also been isolated from mycelial extract of the yellow mutant along with the closely related compounds isoarugo-xanthone A and arugoxanthones C and D. The two latter compounds contain a substituent previously unrecorded in a natural product - namely the O-3,3-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-l-prcpyl ether group. The known mould metabolite arugosin co-occurs with these xanthones and routes to the latter compounds from it have been explored. In particular, the acid catalysed rearrangement of arugosin has been studied and the products of a novel intramolecular cyclisation reaction identified. The close relationship between arugosin and the xanthones has been demonstrated by the conversion of arugoxanthone B into anhydroarugosin and deisopentenyl-anhydroarugosin, reported as transformation products of arugosin. The methyl ester of isocanadensic acid - a metabolite of Penicillium canadense and possible biogenetic precursor of the antibiotic canadensolide - has been synthesised by a five step route

Past Variations of Natural Radiocarbon as Recorded in U.K. Wood

Past variations in the natural radiocarbon content of the atmosphere over recent millenia have previously been documented through analyses of precisely dated organic materials, principally tree rings of bristlecone pine wood. Evidence for the causal factors of the secular variations has been obtained by correlation of the C profile with geophysical parameters such as the Earth's magnetic field, solar activity and climatic data. While the long-term trend in atmospheric 14C concentration and its origins are now firmly established, the existence of short-term fluctuations and the factors which could produce them are still in dispute. Bristlecone pine calibration of the radiocarbon timescale has produced a means of correcting archaeological data for past fluctuations, but this data record has subsequently been criticised, the main objections being that the 14C concentration of that wood may be atypical of world-wide C concentrations, as a result of its extreme growth conditions. Alternative dendrochronologies are at present being developed and subsequent analyses will prove or disprove the validity of the existing data. This thesis presents the preliminary results of a longterm project aimed at producing an absolute dendrochronology/ radiocarbon calibration system for the United Kingdom. Samples for this study come from the vast areas of submerged forests around the coast of the U. K. , and from archaeological sites. The principal features of the study - one of the first of this kind to make exclusive use of the liquid scintillation method - are, a) a very high sampling frequency (10 samples/century), b) abundant sample materials in perfect preservation and c) an emphasis on intercalibration and error assessment. The results of radiocarbon analyses of 5 "floating" chronologies, three oak and two pine, are presented. These clearly show that short-term fluctuations in atmospheric radiocarbon do exist, the variations being of the order of 2 - 3% in 40 - 50 years. The laboratory standardisation, by replicate analysis of an aged wood sample, indicates that the total error associated with a single analysis is largely a result of counting statistics, and thus these observed fluctuations are considered to reflect real changes in atmospheric 14C levels, rather than random experimental noise. Variations of this magnitude and time period have not previously been observed and it is believed that their detection in this study is a result of the enhanced sampling frequency employed. Statistical comparison of U. K, and American data has not shown reported systematic discrepancies between "normal" organic material and bristlecone pine wood but does suggest that, while longer-term trends in atmospheric levels are equivalent, the detailed structure of the C profile may be different. In addition to the major research programme described above, two short studies involving direct application of radiocarbon dating to archaeological problems were performed. The results of these have direct relevance to the limitations inherent in practical radiocarbon dating

Understanding perceived determinants of nurses’ eating and physical activity behaviour : A theory-informed qualitative interview study

We thank Eilidh Duncan and Maria Prior for help with designing the interview topic guide. We would also like to thank all the nurses who gave their time to participate in the pilot study of the interview topic guide and the qualitative interviews. The Health Services Research Unit is funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates. The views expressed are those of the authors alone. Funding This work was funded through a Medical Research Council doctoral training award.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Procedural Innovation and the Surreptitious Creation of Judicial Supremacy in the United Kingdom

In Re an Application by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for Judicial Review, the Supreme Court made unfavourable comments about Northern Irish abortion legislation in a way which showed complete disregard for elements of civil procedure which are a foundation of proper adjudication within the context of respect for democracy. This was but the latest of a number of cases in which the senior judiciary has made unaccountable procedural innovations furthering judicial supremacy in defiance of the sovereignty of Parliament. In addition to Re Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, two other of these cases, Simmons v. Castle and R (Miller and another) v. The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, will be discussed. These cases reveal an effort to create judicial supremacy by means which we are obliged to call surreptitious

Adaptive torrefaction of stem biomass in a horizontal moving bed with normalized direct measurement of quality characteristics

Torrefaction is a method for thermally treating biomass such that its physical and chemical properties are changed to resemble low-rank coal. Torrefied biomass is brittle, homogeneous, resistant to moisture and decay, and has greater energy density than raw biomass, yet retains 90 % or more of its original energy content. These properties facilitate co-firing with coal or full replacement of coal in existing power generation systems. This research project was initiated to investigate the torrefaction process and develop more advanced methods for the process, control, and measurement in order to improve its economic viability and expand its use as a precise chemical process. This project began with the design and assembly of a pilot plant, based on a reactor design that adhered to the constraints of the torrefaction process. In conjunction with process development, new methods were examined and validated for assessing torrefaction severity using change in solid carbon concentration, as well as using near-infrared diffuse spectroscopy to directly measure differences in char torrefaction severity. A gas-solid contactor was designed that combined a screw conveyor reactor with elements of moving bed and fluidized bed systems. A pilot plant was constructed based on this “horizontal moving bed” process. This pilot plant was then evaluated and characterized using several types of stem biomass that had been converted to flowable granules using a prototype biomass segmenting unit developed for the project. Characterization experiments with the pilot plant were conducted using coppiced willow, wheat straw, and other feedstocks. The results illustrated that the horizontal moving bed pilot plant could achieve greater severity of torrefaction and shorter residence time as compared to similar pilot plants, was more flexible in terms of feedstock, and had reliable and repeatable control of temperature and residence time. An investigation into how carbon content relates to torrefaction severity compared more than 100 torrefaction experiments including in-house experiments and results from a literature review. The result was a polynomial correlation relating the torrefaction mass yield (Ym) to change in carbon concentration (∆C), or; (Ym = 4.29∆C2 - 3.66∆C + 0.98). This correlation fits larger-scale torrefaction experimental values with a coefficient of determination of 0.935. Using the full set of the same data, a linear correlation was developed relating the loss in mass of carbon to the total mass loss for torrefaction experiments; this correlation illustrates that after the first 3.4 % of mass loss, carbon is consistently lost at a rate of 37 % of the total mass loss. Wheat straw was torrefied in 15 batch and continuous experiments and was then subject to elemental and diffuse reflectance analysis. A linear correlation was developed that related the average change in absorbance (∆ABS) in the short-wave infrared band from 960 nm to 1060 nm to the change in carbon concentration (∆C) between raw and torrefied wheat straw. The ∆C = 0.231∆ABS - 0.0036 fit the experimental values with a coefficient of determination of 0.95. This torrefaction research project has demonstrated a very promising new process method, as well as methods for measuring and controlling chemical composition with much greater precision than was previously possible. These accomplishments as well as the potential for developing these technologies further are a significant contribution to the field of torrefaction research and development