Cultural attributes of Ngāi Tahu food and the international consumer cultures that will recognise them

There is a general consensus that significantly more export dollars can be earned by Aotearoa agri-food products if their underlying qualities are better communicated to consumers. Among Aotearoa’s high-quality producers and processors, Māori agribusinesses are emerging as national leaders. Among these leaders is Ngāi Tahu Farming, a subsidiary of Ngāi Tahu Holdings Corporation owned by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. This report demonstrates that food produced by Māori agribusiness has attributes substantively different from Western approaches, but which resonate with a number of cultural traditions and food movements around the world. The report aims to identify consumer markets that value cultural attributes that Ngāi Tahu has to offer in their food products, which may represent premium markets for Ngāi Tahu food. Although the focus is on Ngāi Tahu, the findings have wider relevance for Māori agribusinesses in Aotearoa

Quantifying imperfect detection in an invasive pest fish and the implications for conservation management

In managing non-native species, surveillance programmes aim to minimise the opportunity for invasions to develop from initial introductions through early detection. However, this is dependent on surveillance methods being able to detect species at low levels of abundance to avoid false-negative recordings through imperfect detection. We investigated through field experimentation the ability to detect Pseudorasbora parva, a highly invasive pest fish in Europe, in relation to their known density and sampling method. Secure pond mesocosms of area 100 m2 contained P. parva densities from 0.02 to 5.0 m"122; each density was in triplicate. These were searched using point sampling electric fishing and deployment of fish traps (non-baited and baited). No fish were captured at densities 0.5 m"122, whereas for electric fishing it only exceeded 0.95 at 5.0 m"122 using high searching effort. These data reveal that small pest fishes such as P. parva may be prone to imperfect detection when at low densities and this is consistent with a number of other invasive species. This indicates the importance of designing surveillance programmes using methods of known statistical power to optimise conservation resource expenditure and enhance management outcomes

The enrichment of an alkaliphilic biofilm consortia capable of the anaerobic degradation of isosaccharinic acid from cellulosic materials incubated within an anthropogenic, hyperalkaline environment.

Anthropogenic hyper-alkaline sites provide an environment that is analogous to proposed cementitious geological disposal facilities (GDF) for radioactive waste. Under anoxic, alkaline conditions cellulosic wastes will hydrolyse to a range of cellulose degradation products (CDP) dominated by isosaccharinic acids (ISA). In order to investigate the potential for microbial activity in a cementitious GDF, cellulose samples were incubated in the alkaline (∼pH 12), anaerobic zone of a lime kiln waste site. Following retrieval, these samples had undergone partial alkaline hydrolysis and were colonised by a Clostridia dominated biofilm community, where hydrogenotrophic, alkaliphilic methanogens were also present. When these samples were used to establish an alkaline CDP fed microcosm, the community shifted away from Clostridia, methanogens became undetectable and a flocculate community dominated by Alishewanella sp. established. These flocs were composed of bacteria embedded in polysaccharides and protein stabilised by extracellular DNA. This community was able to degrade all forms of ISA with >60% of the carbon flow being channelled into extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production. This study demonstrated that alkaliphilic microbial communities can degrade the CDP associated with some radioactive waste disposal concepts at pH 11. These communities divert significant amounts of degradable carbon to EPS formation, suggesting that EPS has a central role in the protection of these communities from hyper-alkaline conditions

Expectant management of early onset of severe pre-eclampsia in Durban

Fifty patients with severe pre-eclampsia who presented before 32 weeks' gestation were managed conservatively (sedation, bed rest, antihypertensive therapy and intensive fetal and maternal monitoring) until intervention was indicated. Twelve patients presented before 26 weeks ofpregnancy and there were no fetal survivors in this group; 23 presented between 26 and 29 weeks and 8(34,8%) of the babies in this group survived. The rate of perinatal loss in those presenting between 30 and 32 weeks was 26,6% (N =4). Patients who had a history of a hypertensive disorder in their previous pregnancy(ies) had a higher perinatal mortality rate; 23 such mothers experienced 16 perinatal losses compared with 27 mothers who had no such history and who had only 8 perinatal losses. There was 1 maternal death, there were 2 cases of eclampsia, 3 of pulmonary oedema, 4 of abruptio placentae and 1 case of renal failure; 2 patients had disseminated intravascular coagulation. The local indigent and underprivileged black population have a more aggressive form of early onset of severe pre-eclampsia than that reported for other population groups. The high maternal complication rate of 30,8% and the low fetal survival rate before 26 weeks indicate that there is no place in our setting for expectant management of severe pre-eclampsia in patients presenting before 26 weeks. This applies particularly to those with a previous history ofhypertension in pregnancy

Improvement of power factor of a grid connected load system using a static compensator

The power factor deteriorates due to non-linear loads, interconnected grid system, amplitude disturbances and wave shape disturbances. A low power factor system draws high internal current causing excessive heat. It requires heavier equipments to absorb internal energy requirements. Also large penalty is imposed on low power factor consumers. So power factor should be improved in order to get rid of the above problems. In this paper, a shunt connected Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) device such as Static Compensator (STATCOM) is used to improve the power factor by compensating the reactive power required by the load. 

ASSESSMENT OF EFFECT OF SHODHANA ON PHYTOCHEMICAL AND CHROMATOGRAPHICAL PROFILE OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CLASSICAL PROCESSED DANTI (BALIOSPERMUM MONTANUM WILLD.) ROOT

Objective: Ayurveda recommends the use of Danti root after Shodhana (Processing/Purification) where the powder Pippali (Piperlongum Linn.) fruit, honey and Kusha (Desmostachya bippinata Stapf.) leaves are being used. But the additive effect of all these drugs on Danti root are yet to be explored scientifically. Principal component analysis (PCA), a multivariate data analysis technique targeting to assess the discrimination effect of psychic nut, for evaluating the additive effect, can be used to assess the effect of Shodhana on preliminary physicochemical, phytochemical parameters upon four levels of Danti (Baliospermum montanum Willd.) root.Methods: Roots of raw Danti, after proper botanical authentication, were subjected for classically recommended Shodhana procedure and four groups of Danti root like raw Danti (RD), Classical processed Danti root (CPDR), Kusha processed Danti root (KPDR), water processed Danti root (WPDR) were obtained at various levels of Danti Shodhana. Methanolic macerated extracts of all four Danti root groups were subjected for preliminary physicochemical, phytochemical and chromatographic screening. The obtained data were analyzed with the help of the Un-scrambler Camo Software for multivariate data analysis.Results: The methanolic and water extractive value of CPDR group is more than remaining sections holding lower ash value and high-intensity colour reaction during phytochemical screenings of steroid, flavonoid etc.Conclusion: Analysis of PCA technique suggests a similar trend in between RD and KPDR group while CPDR and WPDR on a different in score plot

Assessment of heavy metals in the surrounding soils and their bioconcentrations in few plants near Kathajodi river, Odisha, India

The present study was carried out mainly concentrate on assessment of heavy metal in the surrounding soils and their bioconcentration in the different plants near Kathajodi River. Soil and plant samples were collected along the Kathajodi river, Odisha, India. It was found that the dominance of heavy metals follows a decreasing order. The metal concentrations measured in soil at all location generally decreased in the order; Fe > Mn > Ni> Pb> Cu> Zn> Cd. Highest heavy metal concentration in river bank soil Cd (0.72±0.05 mgkg-1); Ni (3.85±0.15 mgkg-1); Cu (1.66±0.15 mgkg-1); Zn (1.54±0.16 mgkg-1); Pb (4.11±0.14 mgkg-1); Fe (142.0±1.16 mgkg-1); Mn (37.30±1.16 mgkg-1) at different site . Among all the grass species I. laxum has the higher affinity for the accumulation of Cd (0.85±0.05) followed by Zn, Pb and Cu. This study indicates that bio concentration of heavy metals in the study area show preferential Cd uptake in the plants followed by Zn, Pb and it may lead to accumulates in the exposed plant part posing risk along the food chain. This calls for immediate action to be implemented to carry out necessary environment mitigation measures for the river as it can be attributed the discharge of untreated domestic waste and effluents in the river

Investigation of the Saturation of Elemental Concentration in the Depth Profile of Low Energy Silver Ion Implants in Silicon

For the efficient absorption of light in a broad wavelength band, Si photovoltaic devices require a high concentration of metal atoms at a shallow depth up to a few 10s of nm in the Si substrates. Low energy (< 50 keV) implantation of Ag ions in Si is one of the most suitable synthesis steps to facilitate the formation of these metal nanoclusters at the shallow depths in Si. However, during the low energy implantation of the heavy ions, one of the unintended consequences is the sputtering of target atoms particularly if the target is made of lower Z materials such as Si. In this study, we have investigated the re-distribution of atoms in the target layers due to the surface sputtering effects from 50 keV Ag ion implantation in Si substrates. Initially, the implant profile was estimated with the widely used static simulation code, theStopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM). However, it’s simulation routine lacks any consideration of the fluence dependent evolution of the target material. Therefore, we have explored the use of another ion-solid interaction code T-DYN, which considers the dynamic changes in the thickness and/or composition of the target material during the implantation process. For 50 keV Ag ion implantation in Si, the T-DYN simulation predicts the Ag ion depth profile reaches a maximum or saturation in the concentration at a critical ion fluence of ~7×1016 atoms/cm2, whereas for a more heavier element like Au, similar saturation in the concentration is predicted at a relatively lower fluence of ~4×1016 atoms/cm2. The depth profiles of the implanted Ag atoms extracted from experiments utilizing the Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy characterization techniques show asymmetric distributions with the position of peak concentration depth gradually moving towards the Si surface with increasing implant ion fluence. Once the implantation ion fluence reached a critical value, the peak value of the elemental concentration is seen saturated similar to the predictions from T-DYN simulations