An investigation into the bioremediation of black olive brine wastewater

In South Africa, the table olive industry is burgeoning and as a consequence, the large volume of fermentation wastewaters that are generated have created environmental concerns, as these wastewaters have the potential to pollute rivers and ground waters. Currently, these wastewaters are disposed of in large evaporation ponds, but this is not considered to be the optimal treatment solution, due to the potential for pollution and environmental damage. This thesis describes an investigation into the bioremediation of black olive fermentation wastewaters. Wastewaters, from both the table olive and olive oil industries, are toxic and this toxicity can be attributed to the phenolic compounds present. These compounds are known to have antimicrobial and phytotoxic effects. Aerobic biological treatments have been extensively investigated in order to reduce the phenolic fraction of olive mill wastewaters (OMW) with relative success. Biological treatment methods are also cheaper than chemical or physical treatment methods. Therefore, it was decided to investigate aerobic biodegradation of black olive fermentation wastewater (olive wastewater) from the production of black (Kalamata) olives

Structuring informal orientation of branch campus university academics – creating tools and opportunities to link semi-formal induction to ad hoc peer guidance

This paper presents a case study of how the international department of a business school in one Australian university organised staff induction to ensure academic quality assurance for Transnational Education (TNE) students in business courses. Discussed also are some of the organisational challenges brought about by distance, culture, language, pedagogic differences and practices encountered at various locations. Strategies emergent from a new staff induction program implemented by Curtin Business School (CBSi) international office informed the continuous improvement of the induction processes and quality assurance matters aligned to these. Of particular importance to the staff induction program discussed here are the approach to workloads and role clarity. Matters of quality assurance and equivalence of the learning experience for TNE students are also explored from the perspective of having operational practices that are universally understood and seamlessly applied across multiple campuses. The organisational learning from the program additionally led to the development of a readily updateable induction resource artefact (USB based) that was relevant to all locations, including the main campus. This staff-use artefact includes of a suite of text and video based resources detailing course materials, approved practices, protocols, and contact links. It is designed to act as the first point of enquiry for staff seeking further information or assistance with all aspects of their teaching and learning in CBSi transnational education courses.At the commencement of each teaching period, all staff teaching in CBSi courses are now issued with a copy of the USB, or for those already with a copy, have this updated via the web to reflect changes in unit coordinators or other important personnel contacts, course changes, or regulatory information. The USB format for this resource was chosen to ensure staff not having ideal internet access could still access the materials via personal computers

Chandra X-Ray Observations of Nineteen Millisecond Pulsars in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae

We present spectral and long-timescale variability analyses of \textit{Chandra} ACIS-S observations of the 19 millisecond pulsars (MSPs) with precisely known positions in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. The X-ray emission of the majority of these MSPs is well described by a thermal (blackbody or neutron star hydrogen atmosphere) spectrum with a temperature $T_{\rm eff}\sim(1-3)\times10^6$ K, emission radius $R_{\rm eff}\sim0.1-3$ km, and luminosity $L_{X}\sim10^{30-31}$ ergs s$^{-1}$. For several MSPs, there is indication that a second thermal component is required, similar to what is seen in some nearby field MSPs. The radio-eclipsing binary MSPs 47 Tuc J, O, and W show a significant non-thermal component, with photon index $\Gamma\sim 1-1.5$, which may originate in an shock formed due to interaction between the relativistic pulsar wind and matter from the stellar companion. We re-examine the X-ray--spindown luminosity relation ($L_{X}-\dot{E}$) and find that due to the large uncertainties in both parameters the result is consistent with both the linear $L_{X}-\dot{E}$ relation and the flatter $L_X\propto\dot{E}^{0.5}$ predicted by polar cap heating models. In terms of X-ray properties, we find no clear systematic differences between MSPs in globular clusters and in the field of the Galaxy.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Perceiving Pain in Others: Automatic and Controlled Mechanisms

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Applying causality principles to the axiomatization of probabilistic cellular automata

Cellular automata (CA) consist of an array of identical cells, each of which may take one of a finite number of possible states. The entire array evolves in discrete time steps by iterating a global evolution G. Further, this global evolution G is required to be shift-invariant (it acts the same everywhere) and causal (information cannot be transmitted faster than some fixed number of cells per time step). At least in the classical, reversible and quantum cases, these two top-down axiomatic conditions are sufficient to entail more bottom-up, operational descriptions of G. We investigate whether the same is true in the probabilistic case. Keywords: Characterization, noise, Markov process, stochastic Einstein locality, screening-off, common cause principle, non-signalling, Multi-party non-local box.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, LaTeX, v2: refs adde

Utilization and Dissipation of Absorbed Light Energy in the Epiphytic Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Bromeliad Tillandsia Ionantha

This is the publisher's official version, also available electronically from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/314130.Past studies of the ability of epiphytic Crassulacean acid metabolism bromeliads to acclimate to different light levels yield conflicting findings; some indicate that these plants are similar to shade plants whereas others stress their similarity to sun plants. This study investigates the ability of individuals of Tillandsia ionantha to acclimate to low or high irradiance. Plants were exposed to 100 and 800 jitmol m~2 s"1 photosynthetic photon flux density under controlled conditions for 4 wk. Individuals exposed to the lower light level exhibited higher chlorophyll concentrations and higher photosynthetic rates at low light relative to plants exposed to high light. Low-light plants also exhibited a greater efficiency in the photochemical utilization of absorbed light energy and a lower ability to dissipate excess energy nonphotochemically, relative to the plants exposed to the higher light level. Photosynthetic rates at high light were similar in both sets of plants, reflecting the higher efficiency of energy conversion in the low-light plants and an apparent saturation of photosynthetic capacity in the high-light plants. The latter may have resulted from high-light-induced damage to the photosynthetic apparatus in addition to an increase in nonphotochemical dissipation of excess light energy. The higher capacity for harmless dissipation of excess light energy in the high-light plants should prove beneficial in plants growing in exposed locations and subject to drought and nutrient stresses. Thus, the results support and expand those of previous studies: T. ionantha can acclimate to both low and high light but does so in different ways. Such flexibility in adjusting the photosynthetic apparatus to varying light levels constitutes a valuable adaptation to growing throughout the canopy of a host tree