Slaying the Leviathan: Critical Jurisprudence and The Treaty of Waitangi

This article considers the perspectives of four contributors to the current discourse on the Treaty of Waitangi: Professor Jane Kelsey, Dr Paul McHugh, Professor F M Brookfield and Moana Jackson.  The jurisprudential underpinnings of each authors arguments are examined.  The article focuses on the degree to which two new forms of jurisprudential thought, Critical Legal Studies and Critical Race Theory, have informed the Treaty discourse. The article concludes that, although such critical jurisprudence has yet to permeate New Zealand jurisprudence in any meaningful way, Critical Race Theory could help transform post-settler legal thinking. This article was awarded the Quentin-Baxter LLM prize in Public and International Law in 1997

Preliminary prediction of individual response to electroconvulsive therapy using whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging data.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) works rapidly and has been widely used to treat depressive disorders (DEP). However, identifying biomarkers predictive of response to ECT remains a priority to individually tailor treatment and understand treatment mechanisms. This study used a connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) approach in 122 patients with DEP to determine if pre-ECT whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) predicts depressive rating changes and remission status after ECT (47 of 122 total subjects or 38.5% of sample), and whether pre-ECT and longitudinal changes (pre/post-ECT) in regional brain network biomarkers are associated with treatment-related changes in depression ratings. Results show the networks with the best predictive performance of ECT response were negative (anti-correlated) FC networks, which predict the post-ECT depression severity (continuous measure) with a 76.23% accuracy for remission prediction. FC networks with the greatest predictive power were concentrated in the prefrontal and temporal cortices and subcortical nuclei, and include the inferior frontal (IFG), superior frontal (SFG), superior temporal (STG), inferior temporal gyri (ITG), basal ganglia (BG), and thalamus (Tha). Several of these brain regions were also identified as nodes in the FC networks that show significant change pre-/post-ECT, but these networks were not related to treatment response. This study design has limitations regarding the longitudinal design and the absence of a control group that limit the causal inference regarding mechanism of post-treatment status. Though predictive biomarkers remained below the threshold of those recommended for potential translation, the analysis methods and results demonstrate the promise and generalizability of biomarkers for advancing personalized treatment strategies

An Essential Difference between the Flavonoids MonoHER and Quercetin in Their Interplay with the Endogenous Antioxidant Network

Antioxidants can scavenge highly reactive radicals. As a result the antioxidants are converted into oxidation products that might cause damage to vital cellular components. To prevent this damage, the human body possesses an intricate network of antioxidants that pass over the reactivity from one antioxidant to another in a controlled way. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the semi-synthetic flavonoid 7-mono-O-(β-hydroxyethyl)-rutoside (monoHER), a potential protective agent against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, fits into this antioxidant network. This position was compared with that of the well-known flavonoid quercetin. The present study shows that the oxidation products of both monoHER and quercetin are reactive towards thiol groups of both GSH and proteins. However, in human blood plasma, oxidized quercetin easily reacts with protein thiols, whereas oxidized monoHER does not react with plasma protein thiols. Our results indicate that this can be explained by the presence of ascorbate in plasma; ascorbate is able to reduce oxidized monoHER to the parent compound monoHER before oxidized monoHER can react with thiols. This is a major difference with oxidized quercetin that preferentially reacts with thiols rather than ascorbate. The difference in selectivity between monoHER and quercetin originates from an intrinsic difference in the chemical nature of their oxidation products, which was corroborated by molecular quantum chemical calculations. These findings point towards an essential difference between structurally closely related flavonoids in their interplay with the endogenous antioxidant network. The advantage of monoHER is that it can safely channel the reactivity of radicals into the antioxidant network where the reactivity is completely neutralized

Non-Antioxidant Properties of α-Tocopherol Reduce the Anticancer Activity of Several Protein Kinase Inhibitors In Vitro

The antioxidant properties of α-tocopherol have been proposed to play a beneficial chemopreventive role against cancer. However, emerging data also indicate that it may exert contrasting effects on the efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatments when given as dietary supplement, being in that case harmful for patients. This dual role of α-tocopherol and, in particular, its effects on the efficacy of anticancer drugs remains poorly documented. For this purpose, we studied here, using high throughput flow cytometry, the direct impact of α-tocopherol on apoptosis and cell cycle arrest induced by different cytotoxic agents on various models of cancer cell lines in vitro. Our results indicate that physiologically relevant concentrations of α-tocopherol strongly compromise the cytotoxic and cytostatic action of various protein kinase inhibitors (KI), while other classes of chemotherapeutic agents or apoptosis inducers are unaffected by this vitamin. Interestingly, these anti-chemotherapeutic effects of α-tocopherol appear to be unrelated to its antioxidant properties since a variety of other antioxidants were completely neutral toward KI-induced cell cycle arrest and cell death. In conclusion, our data suggest that dietary α-tocopherol could limit KI effects on tumour cells, and, by extent, that this could result in a reduction of the clinical efficacy of anti-cancer treatments based on KI molecules

Importance of location and habitat structure in determining nearshore fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages within Botany Bay, Australia

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Science.NO FULL TEXT AVAILABLE. Access is restricted indefinitely. The hardcopy may be available for consultation at the UTS Library.NO FULL TEXT AVAILABLE. Access is restricted indefinitely. ----- Estuarine habitats are particularly susceptible to anthropogenic disturbance, however the consequences of habitat loss are not predictable because processes determining distributions of nearshore small fish and macroinvertebrates are not well understood. In this study the importance of location and habitat structure in determining nearshore faunal assemblages within Botany Bay, Australia, was investigated over four years in a series of mensurative and manipulative experiments, incorporating different spatial scales (metres and kilometres). In addition to natural habitat, artificial seagrass beds and patch reefs were used as standardised habitats in field and aquarium experiments. Emphasis was placed on recruitment of small fish and macroinvertebrates to seagrass (Zostera capricorni) beds in the bay's north - an area that has a history of abundant recruitment of several economically valuable fishes but has also been altered by development, such as construction of an airport runway. The location of Zostera beds within Botany Bay was found to influence assemblages of small fish and macroinvertebrates. Consistent patterns in macrofaunal assemblages in seagrass beds were observed for several sites. In particular, the pattern of abundant recruitment of several economically valuable fishes to North Botany during winter and spring was still evident after the airport runway construction. This finding highlights the importance of this area for recruitment of small fishes within the bay. In contrast to seagrass location, seagrass complexity (shoot height and density, bed area) did not explain the spatial patterns in recruit abundance in Zostera beds or artificial seagrass beds at North Botany and Kurnell. Nevertheless, seagrass structure was still important in determining nearshore faunal assemblages when compared to other available habitat types. There were considerable differences in macrofaunal assemblages in artificial seagrass beds and patch reefs over different spatial scales (metres and kilometres). In particular, several small fishes and macroinvertebrates in seagrass beds did not recruit to patch reefs, irrespective of equivalent volumes of shelter available in the two habitats. The species that contributed to differences between seagrass beds and patch reefs varied between sites but there was still a noteworthy absence on reefs of taxa associated with seagrass beds. Reef-associated taxa were more frequent on patch reefs at sites near to the estuary mouth, where natural rocky reef occurs. However, spatial patterns for the entire macrofaunal assemblage on patch reefs were not explained by distance into Botany Bay. Instead, assemblages of small fish and macroinvertebrates were more localised. This finding was consistent with that observed for assemblages in natural and artificial seagrass beds. In addition to habitat structure, aspects of natural habitat such as chemical or biological cues influenced macrofaunal assemblages in seagrass and on patch reefs over small spatial scales less than 200 m. Apparent preference of three fishes (Achoerodus viridis, Rhabdosargus sarba, and Pelates sexlineatus) for habitat that had been soaked in seawater indicates that factors associated with the natural habitat other than structure may influence distribution of these fishes in seagrass and on patch reefs in shallow water. It is likely that a combination of location, habitat structure and characteristics of the natural habitat influence assemblages of small fish and macroinvertebrates in nearshore habitats within estuaries. It is concluded that species within Zostera beds will not recruit to any available nearshore, habitat and that management of seagrasses within Botany Bay should occur at a fine spatial scale less than 1 km

Women and food

This paper explores various aspects of women’s health relating to food. These include the impacts of nutritional deficiency, the links between nutrition and chronic disease, women’s roles in relation to food, how a woman’s relationship with food affects her psychosocial health and the socio-economic factors that impact on access to nutritious food. Controversy exists in public health and health promotion about the approach and key messages that should be adopted in relation to food-related behaviours and body size to promote ‘health’ and prevent illness for women. This paper outlines various perspectives in this discourse and highlights some principles for managing health risks of public messages. Image: Victor1558 / flick

Settlement and density of juvenile fish assemblages in natural, Zostera capricorni (Zosteraceae) and artificial seagrass beds

Few studies have validated the use of artificial seagrass to study processes structuring faunal assemblages by comparison with natural seagrass. One metric (fish recruitment) for evaluating the use of artificial seagrass was used in the present study. Settlement and recruitment of juvenile fish was estimated in natural, Zostera capricorni Aschers, and artificial seagrass in Botany Bay, NSW, over 6 consecutive days. Tarwhine, Rhabdosargus sarba, dominated the catch from both habitats, and there was no significant difference in abundance of recruits among the habitats. This was at least partly caused by large spatial and temporal variation in abundance. Daily abundances of R. sarba recruits suggested movement between seagrass beds, but could not be confirmed without tagging individual fish. Rhabdosargus sarba settlers were less abundant than recruits, but were also patchily distributed amongst natural and artificial seagrass beds. Most other species were also found in similar abundance in the two habitats, except stripey, Microcanthus strigatus, which was more abundant in artificial seagrass. Overall, fish assemblages in natural and artificial seagrass were similar. Artificial seagrass may therefore be useful for monitoring settlement and recruitment of juvenile fishes to disturbed habitats, to predict the success of habitat remediation. However, if artificial seagrass is used to model processes occurring in natural seagrass, it is necessary to consider species-specific responses to the artificial habitat

Dry and Wet Tree Damper Chamber Column Semisubmersible Design in Harsh Environment

The Damper Chamber Column Semi is a new semisubmersible conceptual design that is developed to provide a cost effective solution that can be used in deepwater dry or wet tree applications. The new semisubmersible design resembles the conventional design with a ring pontoon. However, in the new design, the columns have been configured with free flooding inner damper chambers; hence the name Damper Chamber Column Semi (DCC Semi). At quayside and during wet tow, the column configurations provide large water plane area for stability purposes, while for the in service conditions the inner chambers are flooded and the trapped water provides considerable amount of “free ” added mass that significantly reduces the semisubmersible motion response. In this paper the performance of the DCC Semi located in Gulf of Mexico (GoM) environment has been simulated using fully coupled time domain analysis. Numerical results are presented for the platform motion and the tensioner stroke to demonstrate the platform performance feasibility. Structural design is performed to confirm the steel weight and establish the column connection details of the new design. The paper also presents the topside to hull quayside integration approach for this case study