The effects of strength training on muscle wasting, fat mass and quality of life in men with Prostate Cancer undergoing Androgen Deprivation Therapy: a meta-analysis.

• In 2013, the probability of a man developing prostate cancer (PCa) was 1 in 6, sitting on top of the charts as the single most common area for men to develop cancer [4]. • The most common form of treatment in New Zealand is a funded prescription medicine called Zoladex (Goserelin), an anti androgen medication that reduces the production of testosterone that can fuel the growth of the cancer. • Suppression of testosterone production can be related with considerable side effects including muscle atrophy (sarcopenia/wasting), changes in weight (typically an increase in weight from oestrogen levels dominating in the body due to the lack of testosterone production). • Physical activity focussing on strength training in particular has been proposed as a favourable strategy to reverse the side effects of Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), especially that of muscle wasting and changes in body composition

International history and the study of public opinion: towards methodological clarity

International historians have long been fascinated by public opinion and its influence on policymaking, citing it frequently as one of the many factors that inform foreign policy choices. However, historians – and international historians in particular – have yet to develop any substantial or rigorous methodological frameworks capable of revealing the actual influence of popular opinion at the highest levels of diplomatic policy. This article intends to redress this deficiency by outlining a methodological approach that elucidates the role of public opinion in the decision-making process. In so doing, it will also explore the tensions between different approaches to the study of international history, notably the apparent divergence between traditional ‘diplomatic’ history on the one hand and the more theoretically-diffuse ‘international’ history on the other. The conceptual framework forwarded here will suggest that the two approaches need not be in opposition, at least when seeking to explain the formative role of public opinion on foreign policymaking. Indeed, the careful application of inter-disciplinary theoretical frameworks not only enriches our understanding of international history in its totality, but also reveals much about the diplomatic fulcrum of our discipline

Organic amendments for reducing the plant uptake of cadmium from New Zealand soils

Cadmium (Cd) is a naturally occurring element in soils. It is a non-essential trace element that can have toxic effects on fauna at relatively low concentrations. Several studies have reported above background levels of the metal in New Zealand (NZ) agricultural soils . This is thought to be due to the repeated applications of phosphate fertiliser where Cd is a commonly found impurity. Cd is taken up by plants relatively easily and can accumulate there to potentially dangerous concentrations without any effects on the plant itself. This has resulted in the NZ government imposing a 1.8 mg/kg limit on Cd in soil after which P fertiliser applications have to cease. The addition of organic amendments into the soil has been shown to reduce the plant uptake of Cd. This study has been carried out to gain better understanding of which specific organic amendment has the greatest potential for reducing plant uptake of Cd. The amendments used in the experiments were two types of peat, bio-solids from Kaikoura and Christchurch, coffee grounds, and municipal compost from Parkhouse Garden Supplies, Living Earth and Oderings. The study involved analyses of pH, conductivity, total organic carbon, water-soluble carbon (hot and cold water), elemental composition, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and the sorption potential for Cd of each amendment. Results indicated that the two bio-solid samples had Cd concentrations that were too high for potential application to the soil as this would risk accumulation at rates of up to 10 times higher than the other amendments. The findings from the Cd sorption experiment indicate that Parkhouse (PH) compost had the greatest capacity to adsorb Cd, the Kd value was 11317. This result was significantly larger than all other amendments, with Living Earth (LE) showing the second highest value of 578. This suggests the potential ability of Living Earth compost to be used as an amendment for soils contaminated with Cd. The significant sorption of Cd by PH compost could be attributed to the sulphur concentration of PH, as this was twice as high as any amendment (excluding bio solids). Parkhouse White (PHW) had the lowest S concentration but a similar CEC to PH, however the corresponding Kd was significantly lower (27). This suggests the potential addition of gypsum (CaSO4) to municipal composts can cause the associated S groups to form complexes with Cd, immobilising it and reducing plant uptake. Although, the sulphides or thiol groups are more likely to form complexes with Cd, rather than the sulphate groups. Overall, this study has indicated that the organic amendment with the greatest capacity to adsorb Cd is PH compost, with LE showing a reasonable capacity also. The next step would involve incorporating these composts into contaminated soils and to analyse the effect this has the plant uptake of Cd

Franco-British relations and the question of conscription in Britain, 1938-1939

This article examines the relationship interaction between the French campaign for the introduction of British conscription during 1938-39 and the ebbs and flows of British public opinion on the same issue. In particular, it will demonstrate how French pressure for conscription varied in intensity depending on their perceptions of British opinion on the subject. It was this interaction between diplomatic and domestic pressures that ultimately compelled the British government to introduce conscription in April 1939. Furthermore, the issue of conscription also sheds light on the wider issue of Franco-British relations, revealing how French foreign policy was neither dictated by an ‘English Governess’ nor pursued independently of Great Britain

British peace activism and 'new' diplomacy: revisiting the 1899 Hague Peace Conference

This analysis provides a re-appraisal of the 1899 Hague Conference by looking more closely at how citizen activists—notably in Britain but also transnationally—used it as a forum through which to press their agenda onto politicians and diplomatists. In so doing, this assembly existed as a stepping-stone between the ‘old’ diplomacy of the nineteenth century and the ‘new’ diplomacy of the twentieth. Peace activists identified and harnessed a growing body of progressive public opinion—on both a domestic and international scale—in the hope of compelling governments to take the necessary steps towards realising their ambitions of peace, disarmament, and international arbitration. Although the tangible outcomes of the 1899 Conference were limited, the precedents it established not only paved the way for further advances in international law, but also facilitated ever closer public and press scrutiny of international affairs into the twentieth century

A Synopsis of Canadian Immigration Law

During the century which has elapsed since Confederation, a continuing feature of Canadian law has been the extensive use made of subordinate legislation and administrative powers to control the flow of immigrants. As well as being few and far between,3 successive Immigration Acts have included broad regulation-making authority, which has permitted the implemention and adjustment of governmental policy without the necessity of statutory amendment. To obtain a realistic picture of contemporary Canadian immigration law it is, therefore, necessary to examine a considerable array of regulations, whose practical significance frequently outweighs that of the legislation itsel