Rise and fall of mercury (Hg) pollution in sediment cores of the Thames Estuary, London, UK

Fifty six sediment cores were collected along a 100 km longitudinal transect of the Thames estuary. Total Hg ranged from 0.01 to 12.07 mg/kg, with a mean of 2.10 mg/kg (n=351). Concentrations of the toxic metal decreased downstream from London to the outer estuary and were positively correlated to total organic carbon (TOC) content. Many Hg profiles showed a clear rise, peak and fall, reflecting changing anthropogenic input through time. Surface concentrations averaged 1.27 mg/kg, confirming the effectiveness of recent environmental legislation and improved river management. Sediments at >40 cm depth from London reaches of the river (Waterloo Bridge, Cuckolds Point (Rotherhithe), Butlers Wharf (Tower Bridge), Millwall, Deptford and Millennium Dome) were highly contaminated, with levels of Hg of >7 mg/kg. The outer Thames had lower Hg, with the exception of Rainham, Crossness and Cliffe. Benchmarking against UK guidelines for the disposal of dredged material revealed that 88 samples from 21 sites exceeded the 3 mg/kg criteria (unsuitable for disposal at sea); 173 fell between 0.3 and 3 mg/kg (further assessment required); and 90 were of no concern. Using Hg as a generic pollution marker, the tidal Thames is one of the world's most contaminated river–estuarine sediment systems

Commissioner for Inland Revenue V Lever Brothers and Unilever Ltd: A Practical Problem of Source

Lever Brothers, the South African tax case that formed the basis of this research, was concerned with determining the source of interest income. In its time, this was one of the landmark cases and established tax principles that were valid for 54 years, until superseded by changes to legislation.The research presented a critical analysis of the three judgments in the case, exposing weaknesses in each. It also provided a condensed account of the history of the company, the historical era in which the transactions giving rise to the case took place, a glimpse into the lives of the judges, as well as a discussion of the development in South Africa of the rules for determining source. The most important focus of the research was the discussion of the use and validity of the practical man principle, and it was concluded that this principle should be applied, not in lieu of legal theory, but to restrain its unbridled use when unjust results would ensue.Keywords: Lever Brothers and Unilever, South African Income Tax, Source of Income, Interest, The “Practical Man”, The “Reasonable Man”, Chief Justice E.F. Watermeyer, Judge of Appeal O.D. Schreiner, Acting Judge of Appeal, R.P.B Davi

The representation of the West-African Monsoon vertical cloud structure in the Met Office Unified Model: an evaluation with CloudSat

Weather and climate model simulations of the West African Monsoon (WAM) have generally poor representation of the rainfall distribution and monsoon circulation because key processes, such as clouds and convection, are poorly characterized. The vertical distribution of cloud and precipitation during the WAM are evaluated in Met Office Unified Model simulations against CloudSat observations. Simulations were run at 40-km and 12-km horizontal grid length using a convection parameterization scheme and at 12-km, 4-km, and 1.5-km grid length with the convection scheme effectively switched off, to study the impact of model resolution and convection parameterization scheme on the organisation of tropical convection. Radar reflectivity is forward-modelled from the model cloud fields using the CloudSat simulator to present a like-with-like comparison with the CloudSat radar observations. The representation of cloud and precipitation at 12-km horizontal grid length improves dramatically when the convection parameterization is switched off, primarily because of a reduction in daytime (moist) convection. Further improvement is obtained when reducing model grid length to 4 km or 1.5 km, especially in the representation of thin anvil and mid-level cloud, but three issues remain in all model configurations. Firstly, all simulations underestimate the fraction of anvils with cloud top height above 12 km, which can be attributed to too low ice water contents in the model compared to satellite retrievals. Secondly, the model consistently detrains mid-level cloud too close to the freezing level, compared to higher altitudes in CloudSat observations. Finally, there is too much low-level cloud cover in all simulations and this bias was not improved when adjusting the rainfall parameters in the microphysics scheme. To improve model simulations of the WAM, more detailed and in-situ observations of the dynamics and microphysics targeting these non-precipitating cloud types are required

Family routines and next-generation engagement in family firms

By focusing on the impact of different types of family routines and how they change, this commentary builds on concepts regarding the influence of perceived parental support and psychological control on next-generation engagement in family firms. Drawing on the organizational routines literature and the family studies literature, I propose that attention to family routines, and how these routines change (or not) over time can reveal additional insights regarding next-generation engagement in the family business

A molecular insight into algal-oomycete warfare : cDNA analysis of Ectocarpus siliculosus infected with the basal oomycete Eurychasma dicksonii

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Discussions and Reviews : Arms control and beyond : a review

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68088/2/10.1177_002200276100500308.pd

Trends in heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls and toxicity from sediment cores of the inner River Thames estuary, London, UK

River islands (Ait or Eyot) within the inner tidal Thames serve as unique recorders of current and historical estuarine chemical pollution. Sediment cores from Chiswick Ait were assessed for contamination using Microtox® solid phase bioassay, stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N), heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Microtox® classified these sediments as non-toxic to moderately toxic and bulk isotopes identified a change in organic input. Metals Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd, Hg and Ag showed parallel rise, peak and fall profiles which when allied to a 207/208Pb and 137Cs based chronology supported major changes in trace metal contributions corresponding to approximate input times of 1940 (rise), 1963 (peak) and 1985 (fall). Metals ranged from Cu 15 to 373 mg kg−1 (mean 141 mg kg−1), Zn 137 to 1331 mg kg−1 (mean 576 mg kg−1), Cr 14–351 mg kg−1 (mean 156 mg kg−1), Pb 10 to 1506 mg kg−1 (mean 402 mg kg−1), As 1 to 107 (mean 38 mg kg−1), Ni 11 to 113 mg kg−1 (mean 63 mg kg−1), Cd 0.2 to 53 mg kg−1 (mean 9 mg kg−1), Hg 1 to 8 mg kg−1 (mean 4.6 mg kg−1) and Ag from 0.7 to 50 mg kg−1 (mean 7.5 mg kg−1). Down core total PCBs ranged from 10.5 to 121 μg kg−1 and mean of 39 μg kg−1. The rise, peak and fall of Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd and Ag pollution matched local sewage works' treatment discharge records. Whereas the Hg, Pb and As profiles were disconnected, reflecting alternative historic sources and or partitioning behaviour. Comparison to marine sediment quality guidelines indicate that Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg exceed action level 2, whereas sedimentary Cu, Cr and As concentrations were above action level 1 (no action) but below action level 2 (further investigation required). The river islands of the tidal Thames capture a unique contaminant chemistry record due in part to their location in the tidal frame (salinity minimum) and close proximity to west London

A group singing program improves quality of life: An international study

People with Parkinson’s (PwPs) may experience stigma, isolation, stress and anxiety due to the chronic nature of Parkinson’s. Complementary therapies, including singing, have been reported to impact positively on quality of life (QoL) in PwPs. This paper reports on an international trial of Sing to Beat Parkinson’s®, a community group singing program, involving PwPs from Australia, the UK, and South Korea on QoL and mental well-being. PwPs (N=95; mean age=70.26; male 45%) participated in a standardized 6-month weekly group singing program, which included breathing exercises, vocal warm-ups and preferred song singing. PDQ39 and modified DASS21 were administered at baseline and follow-up to assess QoL and mental well-being, respectively. MANOVA and ANOVAs were performed with significance set as p<.05. MANOVA showed statistically significant multivariate effects of Time, Country, Time by Country and Time by Gender interactions on QoL. Follow-up univariate ANOVAs revealed main effects of Time on Stigma and Social Support domains of QoL; both improved. Further, MANOVA revealed a multivariate effect of Time on mental well-being; anxiety and stress significantly decreased from pre-test to post-test. This first international singing study with PwPs demonstrated that group singing enhanced some aspects of quality of life and mental well-being. Participating in a weekly group singing program for a 6-month period impacted positively on social support, and feeling stigmatized, as well as reductions in anxiety and stress. The findings are encouraging and warrant further research using more robust designs that include comparator groups.I was one of the travel grants recipients and the Health and Social Care Research Centre has supported me to attend this conference. The poster abstract will be published in Journal of Parkinson's Disease