Common exercise prescription for management of weight and osteoarthritis : a systematic review : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Sport and Exercise at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Background: Obesity and osteoarthritis are two debilitating conditions that are increasing in prevalence. Obese populations are at an increased risk for developing osteoarthritis in later life. Exercise has been shown to be successful in improving both weight status and musculoskeletal pain, yet it remains unclear if there is an exercise intervention that results in improved weight status while preventing the development of osteoarthritis. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the existence of a natural overlap in exercise prescription for obese and osteoarthritic populations and recommend an evidence-based exercise intervention for the management of weight and prevention of musculoskeletal pain. Methods: A structured electronic review was conducted using the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus. Two searches were performed using the search strings “obes*” AND “exercise” AND “interven*” AND “musculoskeletal pain OR knee pain OR hip pain” and “osteoarth*” AND “exercise” AND “interven*” AND “musculoskeletal pain OR knee pain OR hip pain”. Studies were then reviewed using inclusion/exclusion criteria (exclusion criteria: menopausal, cancer, review, obesity related co-morbidities, animal studies; inclusion criteria: studies had to be randomised controlled trials, participants aged 18-50, include non-exercise control, and outcomes must include physical function or musculoskeletal pain). Included studies were ranked by change in measured outcome variables (descending order); a summary of recommended exercise prescription was based on common prescription used in the interventions with greatest change. A Downs and Black checklist was completed for all studies included in this review to assess methodological quality. Results: Twenty-one studies met inclusion criteria and were included in this review (obesity n = 11; OA n = 7; obesity & OA n= 3). Exercise significantly improved weight status and/or musculoskeletal pain. Similarities in exercise intensity (40-80% VO2max), frequency (3 times per week), duration (30-60 minutes), and exercise mode (treadmill, cross-trainer, stationary bike, aquatic exercise) were observed between studies. Conclusion: Substantial overlap in exercise prescription for obese and OA populations exist. These findings suggest that moderate intensity exercise for 30-60 minutes, 3 times per weeks can achieve effective improvements in weight and musculoskeletal pain. Exercise and weight loss are effective treatments for obesity and musculoskeletal symptoms and should be recommended to all at-risk individuals

Distributed Triangle Counting in the Graphulo Matrix Math Library

Triangle counting is a key algorithm for large graph analysis. The Graphulo library provides a framework for implementing graph algorithms on the Apache Accumulo distributed database. In this work we adapt two algorithms for counting triangles, one that uses the adjacency matrix and another that also uses the incidence matrix, to the Graphulo library for server-side processing inside Accumulo. Cloud-based experiments show a similar performance profile for these different approaches on the family of power law Graph500 graphs, for which data skew increasingly bottlenecks. These results motivate the design of skew-aware hybrid algorithms that we propose for future work.Comment: Honorable mention in the 2017 IEEE HPEC's Graph Challeng

National curriculum assessment: how to make it better

In a series of papers ov er the last ten years, I have outlined various problems affecting the assessment of the national curriculum in England which are the subject of a critique by Paul Newton (this issue). In responding to this critique, I acknowledge that his summary of my position is fair, and agree that, by the standards of analytic rationality, the evidence for some of the problems I identify is not compelling. However, in response I argue that by standards of reasonableness (eg on the balance of probabilities) the evidence is sufficently serious to warrant a re-examination of national curriculum assessment, and the alternatives. In particular, I argue that the current system provides assessments that are not sufficiently reliable for the inferences that are made on the basis of the results and has also caused a narrowing of the curriculum. I propose that the first of these weaknesses can be addressed through the increased use of teacher assessment, and the second by increasing the range of the curriculum tested through testing a greater proportion of the curriculum. In order to effect these changes without increasing the burdern on students and teachers, I propose that these two changes are combined in the form of a light sampling scheme which would increase both the reliability and minimise the curricular backwash, although the price paid for this would be the lack of a direct, transparent and objective link between the results achieved by individual students on tests and the reported levels of a school’s performance

The phytoextraction of gold and palladium from mine tailings : this thesis is presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy

The extraction of gold and palladium from a South African mine tailing (Klipfontein) and artificial substrate was examined. A variety of solutions were tested and extractants observed to dissolve large quantities of metal were subsequently used in trials investigating plant uptake of gold and palladium. Extraction by thiocyanate amended with an oxidising agent dissolved large amounts of gold and palladium from the test substrates. Various combinations of thiocyanate/Fe(III) and thiocyanate/H 2 O 2 were examined. Metal extraction in the thiocyanate/Fe(III) showed dependence on redox potential and acidity of the solution; this dependence was not observed in the thiocyanate/H 2 O 2 system where production of cyanide may be an important factor. The addition of iodide to thiocyanate/Fe(III) did not affect dissolution of metals. Thiourea was also tested. This chemical was shown to be a relatively poor extractant of gold and palladium, with and without an oxidant. Two plant species, Berkheya coddii and Brassica juncea, were investigated in plant trials. Initial experiments showed uptake of metals to be independent of plant species. Greatest metal uptake was achieved using cyanide as a chemical amendment, with nearly 500 ppm gold accumulation in B. juncea planted in artificial substrate and treated with 1 gL -1 KCN every day over 6 days. Nearly 13 ppm palladium had accumulated in these plants - the highest average concentration observed with any treatment. KCN also induced the largest metal uptake from Klipfontein substrate – nearly 1600 ppb gold and 7700 ppb palladium accumulation in B. coddii. As an exercise it was shown that the value of gold and palladium that would be recovered from a phytomining operation on Klipfontein substrate would be greater than the cost of cyanide added in such an operation. Plant uptake of gold and palladium from the mine tailing after treatment with thiocyanate plus an oxidant was poor. Gold and palladium uptake by B. coddii from artificial substrate after treatment with thiocyanate + H 2 O 2 was improved, with levels of accumulation similar to that of cyanide. Metal uptake by thiocyanate + Fe(III), however, remained poor. The conclusion of this thesis is that phytomining of gold and palladium offers large potential in both practical and research terms. The relative importance of the species thiocyanate, H 2 O 2 , and cyanide remain unknown in the thiocyanate/H 2 O 2 system and further research is needed to elucidate this behaviour

Practical Prophecy

Prophets of the Old Testament provided the nation of Israel a direct line of communication with the Lord. Their job was to edify the nation, keeping their praise towards the Creator. However, Israel began to pull away from the Lord during the reign of the kings and the ensuing civil war. Their disobedience would continue through the post-exilic moments following the Babylonian invasion through idolatry, social injustice, and religious ritualism. Today, the Old Testament prophets speak to the same situations. This lethal triad transcends time and provides believers, both Jew and Gentile, an opportunity for repentance, redirection, and rededication to Yahweh