Effect of heating rate on gas emissions and properties of fired clay bricks and fired clay bricks incorporated with cigarette butts

In general, the firing process of clay bricks generates a range of gas emissions into the atmosphere. At high concentrations, these volatile emissions can be a serious source of environmental pollutions. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different heating rates on gas emissions and properties during the firing of clay bricks and clay bricks incorporated with cigarette butts (CBs). In this investigation, four different heating rates were used: 0.7 °C min−1−1, 2 °C min−1, 5 °C min−1 and 10 °C min. The samples were fired in solid form from room temperature to 1050 °C. During the firing cycles, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides,hydrogen cyanide and chlorine emissions were measured at different heating rates. All bricks were also tested for their physical and mechanical properties including dry density, compressive strength, tensile strength, water absorption and initial rate of absorption. Results show that gas emissions were reduced significantly with higher heating rates (10 °C min) followed by 5 °C min−1−1 and 2 °C min for both types of brick samples. Higher heating rates also decrease the compressive strength and tensile strength value but demonstrate an insignificant effect on the water absorption properties respectively. In conclusion, a higher heating rate is preferable in terms of decreasing gas emissions and it is also able to produce adequate physical and mechanical properties especially for the CB brick

Screen industry: 2013/14

New Zealand screen industry revenue was $3.155 billion, up$7 million from 2013. Key facts New Zealand screen industry revenue was $3.155 billion, up$7 million from 2013. 91 percent of businesses in the screen industry are small businesses, earning less than half a million dollars. Government funding increased, while private financing dropped. Auckland based businesses lead TV production, while Wellington leads film production. International revenue remained stable. Total revenue for the screen industry for 2014 was $3.155 billion, only a small$7 million increase from 2013. The growth in the number of businesses in the industry was also stable. Even though the overall revenue was similar to previous years, there were changes within the different formats

He hauā Māori: findings from the 2013 disability survey

A new report from Statistics New Zealand shows the importance of collecting good information about the one in four Māori who are disabled. He hauā Māori: findings from the 2013 disability survey shows that while many disabled Māori enjoy good levels of material well-being and quality of life, overall they tend to fare worse than non-disabled Māori. “Most disabled Māori were participating in the labour force, but they had a high unemployment rate of 17 percent,” labour market and household statistics manager Diane Ramsay said. “Disabled Māori also tended to have lower incomes than other Māori, with a quarter saying their household income was not sufficient to meet their everyday needs. “This type of information is critical in promoting understanding of the issues faced by disabled Māori, and in monitoring progress towards the goal of the Māori disability action plan, Whāia Te Ao Mārama, to improve the quality of life for disabled Māori.” The survey also found disabled Māori were more likely than other Māori to have problems with their housing, such as cold or damp living conditions. “Despite these issues, most disabled Māori felt positively about their lives,” Ms Ramsay said. “Most were happy with the amount of social contact they had, felt safe in their communities, and rated their health as good or better.” When asked to rate their overall life satisfaction on a scale of 0–10, almost half rated it at 8 or higher. However, this was lower than the 7 out of 10 non-disabled Māori who rated their life satisfaction at this level

Exploring the clinical use of ultrasound imaging : A survey of physiotherapists in New Zealand

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License CC BY NC-ND 4.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.Background: In New Zealand ultrasound imaging (USI) is being used increasingly by physiotherapists. To fully understand the extent to which physiotherapists in New Zealand are using USI, it is necessary to evaluate not only the context of its clinical use but also the barriers preventing its uptake. Objectives: To examine the field and scope of use of USI, the type and content of training and the barriers restricting physiotherapists from using the technique. Design: Cross-sectional observational design utilising an Internet-based electronic survey. Method: An electronic survey built on the design of previous research with guidance from an expert review panel. Participants were included if they were New Zealand registered physiotherapists. Results: Of the 465 participants who responded, 433 were eligible to complete the survey. There were 415 participants who completed the survey, 24% who said they used USI whilst 76% did not. For those using USI, the uses were varied including those within a rehabilitative paradigm (i.e. biofeedback; 52%) and also diagnostic (49%). USI training was also varied ranging from formal to informal. The main barriers preventing physiotherapists from using USI were lack of training, access to equipment, and equipment expense. Conclusions: The participants reported a variety of clinical uses of USI and levels of training. A better understanding of the clinical uses and benefits of USI would enhance both training and clinical uptake. With the identification of barriers limiting physiotherapists’ use of USI, ways to overcome these in New Zealand can now be explored further.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Monthly economic review - May 2015

The Monthly Economic Review is an overview of the New Zealand economy. It includes the latest data on New Zealand’s economic growth, unemployment, inflation, merchandise trade and balance of payments figures, along with certain financial data (such as the Reserve Bank’s official cash rate). The unemployment rate, economic growth and central bank interest rates for several of our main OECD trading partners are also included. Each publication highlights a specific topic of interest. The Monthly Economic Review is produced eleven times per year

Attendance in New Zealand schools 2014

Executive summary The Ministry monitors school attendance annually by means of a voluntary survey. The survey gives us some useful reference points – such as areas where there are higher rates of truancy – but it does not enable a complete analysis. Because it is based on only one week of the year, we cannot tell if there are any changes in attendance rates over the course of the year – or whether a school\u27s absence rate is caused by a lot of students being absent a little, or a few students being absent a lot. In 2014, all state and state integrated schools were invited to participate in the attendance survey.  The response rate was 75%, compared to 80% in 2013. Rates of absence have increased in 2014 compared to 2013 due to an increase in the number of teaching periods where students were truant (up from 1.5% in 2013 to 1.8% in 2014) or absent for a reason that was explained but not justified (up from 1.1% in 2013 to 1.3% in 2014). The national absence rate (both justified and unjustified absences) during the week of 9-13 June 2014 was 10.8%, or 79,000 students per day, with a margin of error of 0.7%. The 2014 national absence rate was significantly higher than the rate in 2012, but it was not significantly higher than in any other year. The total unjustified absence rate, or truancy rate, was 4.6%.  This compares to 3.9% in 2013, 3.8% in 2012, and 4.0% in 2011. The national frequent truant rate (students who were unjustifiably absent for three or more days in the survey week) was 1.3%.  This rate is higher than 2013 and 2012 (both 1.0%).  Frequent truancy was highest for students in year 13 (2.4%) and for Māori students (2.5%)

Disability support services strategic plan 2014 to 2018

The Ministry of Health’s Disability Support Services (DSS) group has developed a four-year Strategic Plan for 2014 to 2018. Summary The plan sets out the vision for Disability Support Services – that disabled people and their families are supported to live the lives they choose – along with some guiding principles that informed the development of the plan. Context for the plan’s development is outlined, including: the strategies and commitments that guided its development information on disability support in New Zealand demographic analysis. It also includes an action plan for the Disability Support Services group. One of the priority areas contained in the plan is the implementation of the Putting People First quality review. The plan was developed with input and guidance from stakeholders to ensure it reflects a shared direction and commitment to the vision and related activities

Designated auditing agency handbook: Ministry of Health auditor handbook (revised 2015)

Introduction: This handbook outlines the Ministry of Health\u27s requirements of designated auditing agencies for auditing and audit reporting for the certification of health care services under the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001. The handbook also gives providers of health care services a guide to specific requirements for various types of audits.     &nbsp

For the record

Recent discussion papers, news releases and publications from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand

Evaluation of the maternity quality and safety programme

This report presents findings on the impact of maternity quality and safety programmes in New Zealand. Overview Local maternity quality and safety programmes have been operating in each district health board (DHB) since 2012 and have raised the profile of maternity quality and safety by establishing more effective governance structures, enhanced clinical leadership and better engagement with the sector and consumers. In 2014/15, the Ministry contracted Allen + Clarke, policy and regulatory specialists to evaluate the impact of the local maternity quality and safety programmes. They found that the programmes had started to deliver meaningful improvements and there was significant value in continued Ministry of Health investment and support. The report highlights some of the challenges DHBs have faced in implementing the local maternity quality and safety programmes and provides useful information for DHBs as they move into the next phase of their local programmes. In mid-2015 the Ministry of Health confirmed ongoing funding for DHB maternity quality and safety programmes