Intensified Nd extraction in small channels for NdFeB magnet recycling

Neodymium (Nd) was continuously extracted from aqueous solutions by trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) dissolved in the ionic liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C4mim][Tf2N]) in small channel contactors. Kinetic studies confirmed a 1:6 Nd:TOPO extraction mechanism at high initial Nd concentrations of 0.005 and 0.01 M in a 0.001 M nitric acid aqueous phase. The continuous flow extractions were carried out in channels with 0.5 and 1 mm diameter and the effects of mixture velocity and residence time on the extraction efficiency and the mass transfer coefficient were investigated. At equal phase mixture velocities, the flow pattern studies highlighted a plug flow regime at mixture velocities of 0.01 to 0.05 m/s for both channels, resulting in interfacial areas of up to 4900 m2/m3 in the 0.5 mm channel and 2500 m2/m3 in the 1 mm channel. After 37.5 s residence time, extraction efficiencies of 80 % were found in the 0.5 mm channel at a KLα of 0.09 s−1 and 70 % at 0.04 s−1 in the 1 mm channel. The same extraction efficiencies were achieved in 1–2 h in the batch systems

Methods of and motives for laundering a wildlife commodity beyond captive farming-based systems: The harvest of olive ridley sea turtle eggs

Wildlife is an important source of nutrition and income for rural communities, yet illegal wildlife trade can threaten biodiversity and economic development. Where wildlife is traded legally, laundering of illicit goods can still occur, yet opportunities to study this process are rare. Despite operating for over 30 years the legal extraction and commercialisation of olive ridley sea turtle eggs from Ostional, Costa Rica is shrouded in controversy. This is due to the high level of illegal egg collection that takes place on other beaches, with critics arguing the legal trade is stimulating illegal extraction and enabling illicit egg sales. This research aimed to identify whether the Ostional harvesting programme was being used to launder illegally collected eggs and whether local vendors were adhering to the traceability regulations in place for this trade. The illegal extraction of turtle eggs in the Caribbean was driven by motivations that were not exclusively livelihoods based. Through semi-structured interviews, it was established that dependency on narcotics by people marginalised from society was the main driver of illegal extraction. This was coupled with under-resourced law enforcement in relation to wildlife crime. However, substance misuse appears to be driven by poverty, which needs to be addressed if illegal egg extraction is to be reduced. Market surveys found a high proportion of vendors sold eggs outside legal packaging, and eggs prepared for consumption generated a greater revenue than fresh, certified eggs. A value chain analysis of the legal trade highlighted vulnerabilities and inequalities in revenue generated from Ostional eggs between different actors in the chain. A comparison of trade routes identified several locations where the legal and illegal trades geographically overlap, and where evidence of laundering would be expected. However, almost all eggs in the trade were olive ridley, and illegal sales made no reference to the commercialisation of eggs from Ostional. While an illegal trade in fully protected species is clearly flourishing, it appears to be operating independently of the Ostional egg project. This research offers a rare opportunity to examine a long standing wildlife trade and its impact beyond the scope of the livelihoods of the source community. Extracting natural resources is often seen as detrimental, however this research has shown how the use of a natural resource can assist in alleviating poverty and improve local livelihoods. In addition, it informs policy regarding wildlife laundering. Despite both the legal and illegal trades appearing to be driven by the supply of eggs, and the benefits of rule-breaking outweighing the costs, no evidence of laundering was found. The fact (1) there are relatively few actors entirely dependent on Ostional eggs; and (2) that the Atlantic turtle populations appear to be recovering, suggest that the legal trade in turtle eggs is having a negligible impact on the other turtle species that nest in Costa Rica

Going to university? Exploring the value and purpose of Higher Education for first year sport students.

This thesis examines the social constructions underpinning undergraduate entry into university, within the current ideological landscape of a neoliberal, marketised Higher Education system. More specifically, this case study explores first year sport students’ understandings regarding the value and purpose of a university education. Adopting a case study methodology, the research design combines qualitative and quantitative methods in order to address three important questions: (i) how is the concept of a ‘student experience’ constructed by newly enrolled undergraduate sport students, (ii) what influenced newly enrolled undergraduate sport students’ decisions to enrol at university, and (iii) do family histories in Higher Education influence sport students’ constructions regarding the value and purpose of university? In accordance with the UK’s post-war policies regarding education as the favoured pathway for social and economic development, the narratives captured within this case study construct a clear purpose for university engagement around post-graduation employment and discourses of fiscal betterment. Moreover, despite state and media concerns regarding the UK’s high university tuition fees, the sport students in this study appeared comfortable accumulating debt in order to finance their future. Importantly, drawing upon the work of Pierre Bourdieu this research also noted the influence of family educational history on sport students’ constructions towards university study. A family background in Higher Education appears to impart a broader awareness of the wider opportunities available through a university education (e.g. personal development and enhanced social networks), whilst, those without this family history (i.e. First in Family students) place sole emphasis on attaining a university degree in order to improve their employment and earning potential. Although, nine months on from their enrolment these First in Family students had developed an awareness of the additional opportunities a university education could offer, in a manner similar to their peers. As a contribution to previous understandings of the UK’s current Higher Education system, this thesis acknowledges the legitimate concerns raised by First in Family literature. However, it also reveals the potential for these students to alter their initial understandings, through engagement with the university experience itself

The Relationship between Maximal Lactate Steady State Velocity, Critical Velocity, and the Velocity at the Lactate Turn-point.

In cycle exercise, it has been suggested that critical power, maximal lactate steady state, and lactate turnpoint all demarcate the transition between the heavy exercise domain (in which blood lactate is elevated above resting values but remains stable over time) and the very heavy exercise domain (in which blood lactate increases continuously throughout constant-intensity exercise). The purpose of the present study was to assess the level of agreement between critical velocity (CV), maximal lactate steady-state velocity (MLSSV), and lactate turnpoint velocity (LTPV) during treadmill running. Eight male subjects [mean (SD) age 28 (5) years, body mass 71.2 (8.0) kg, maximum oxygen uptake 54.9 (3.2) ml·kg–1·min–1) performed an incremental treadmill test for the determination of LTPV (defined as a sudden and sustained increase in blood lactate concentration ([La]) at ≅2.0–5.0 mM). The subjects returned to the laboratory on eight or nine occasions for the determination of CV and MLSSV. The CV was determined from four treadmill runs at velocities that were chosen to result in exhaustion within 2–12 min. The MLSSV was determined from four or five treadmill runs of up to 30 min duration and defined as the highest velocity at which blood [La] increased by no more than 1.0 mM after between 10 and 30 min of exercise. Analysis of variance revealed no significant differences between [mean (SD)] CV [14.4 (1.1) km·h–1], MLSSV [13.8 (1.1) km·h–1] and LTPV [13.7 (0.6) km·h–1]. However, the bias ±95% limits of agreement for comparisons between CV and MLSSV [0.6 (2.2) km·h–1], CV and LTPV [0.7 (2.7) km·h–1], and MLSSV and LTPV [0.1 (1.8) km·h–1] suggest that the extent of disagreement is too great to allow one variable to be estimated accurately from another in individual subjects. Direct determination of MLSSV is necessary if precision is required in experimental studies

First record of the globally-threatened Cerrado endemic snake <i>Philodryas livida</i> (Amaral, 1923) (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from Paraguay, and the importance of the Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca to its conservation

Paraguay. Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca (RNLB), Departamento San Pedro. (23º46’52.6”S, 56º17’28.9”W). RNLB is a 804 hectare reserve consisting of over 400 hectares of near pristine Cerrado, a patch of degraded Atlantic Forest, and areas of transitional semi-deciduous, semi-humid gallery forest. The four main Cerrado ecotopes are present at RNLB and grow on a predominately sandy substrate (Eiten, 1972; 1978). The reserve is based around an eponymously-named freshwater lake of 157 hectares which, geologically-speaking, is possibly the only true lake in Paraguay (Guyra Paraguay, 2008).Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA