Wastewater reuse and treatment options for the dairy industry

Milk-processing plants generate significant quantities of wastewater with relatively high organic matter concentrations on a daily basis. In addition to environmental damage that can result from the discharge of these wastewaters into the natural waterways, the presence of products such as milk solids into wastewater streams represents a loss of valuable product for the plants. This paper presents a review of wastewater management practices employed by six milk-processing plants in Victoria, Australia. In all six plants investigated, milk powder represents a major product. During the milk powder production, water is evaporated, condensed and can be reused for various purposes with a significant impact on water usage. Other major products are anhydrous milk fat, cheese, butter, and UHT milk. The effectiveness of the practices was assessed through two main criteria: first through the water to milk intake ratio, and the waste volume coefficient. Both parameters characterise the plant efficiency in regard of water consumption and water reuse, Information on cleaning chemical usage and recovery was also assessed as part of the review. Significant discrepancies emerge between the plants first due to the products manufacturad and water reuse possibilities available in each plant. Second the type of treatment technologies used for condensate and cleaning solution influences the figures. One of the investigated plants is almost self-sufficient for water, emphasising the benefits gained from the use of technologies like membrane separations for condensate and cleaning solution treatment. In some cases, less cost-intensive technologies such as a clarifier are successful to improve cleaning agent recovery.

Structural change in Australian trade unionism, 1969-1996: a structural events approach

Traditional studies of long-term change in trade union structure have, in constructing explanations of change, predominantly focused on aggregate trends in union merger activity. This paper argues that our understanding of structural change in the Australian trade union movement would be better served by a structural events approach that examines the incidence of union formations, dissolutions and breakaways, in addition to that of union mergers. In doing so, it outlines how these structural events can be identified and measured, and presents the preliminary findings from the method's application.

University marketing and the law: applying the trade practices Act to universities` marketing and promotional activities

Application of the Trade Practices Act and its State equivalents to the  marketing by universities of the courses they teach - ramifications of the Act  are not understood within the wider university community, importantly by   those responsible for marketing courses - the Act prescribes many forms of  conduct not instantly recognised as morally reprehensible and are not  automatically avoided on the ground that they are inconsistent with  acceptable behaviour - the Act creates significant proscriptions, applicable to universities and their staff, which can have serious consequences.

Section 46 of the Trade Practices Act-has the High Court made a "u-turn" on "taking advantage"?

Examination of High Court decisions on misuse of market power in regard to the element of "taking advantage" reveals inconsistency of application. Whilst being consistent regarding the need for a connection between the market power and the impugned conduct, the High Court has not been consistent regarding the degree of connection required. Two streams have developed, one supporting a high degree of connection, the other a lower degree before a firm is found to have "taken advantage" of its market power. Added to this has been the development of the "rational business explanation" which, it is argued, is either used as a defence to a s 46 action or is premised on the higher threshold of connection. Initially the high Court supported the lower threshold. In later decisions, whilst expressing support for the earlier decisions, in application the High Court favoured the higher threshold and at one point the rational business explanation. This trend appears to have been reversed with the most recent High Court decision which indicates substantive support for the earlier s 46 decisions.

Criminal penalties for contraventions of Part IV of the Trade Practices Act

In 2003 the Dawson Committee, commissioned by the Government, recommended that criminal penalties should be introduced for cartel conduct. The Government accepted this recommendation in principle and set up a working party to consider the implementation difficulties that had been identified in the Dawson Report. Nothing further was heard from the Government until February 2005 when the Government announced that it would introduce criminal penalties for serious cartel conduct. This paper evaluates the Government proposals and makes suggestions for their implementation.

Balancing environmental impacts and benefits of wastewater reuse

Wastewater reuse is being widely promulgated to help address the global freshwater resource crisis. It can assist in reducing extraction of freshwater from the environment, and reuse of wastewater lessens the need for environmental discharge, which is clearly beneficial to receiving waters. But the practice itself also has the potential to be detrimental to natural and human environments: soil structure can become degraded, aquifers may be polluted, and human health may be threatened. The challenge facing natural resource managers is to identify the potential benefits and risks, and to achieve an appropriate balance. This paper describes environmental benefits and threats concomitant with the reuse of wastewater. We frequently draw upon examples from China and Australia-two countries that face particularly daunting water resource
challenges-but the principles can be.extended far beyond these geographical bounds and are applicable to
many parts of the world.

Is the risk of illness through consuming vegetables irrigated with reclaimed wastewater different for different population groups?

The use of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation of horticultural crops is commonplace in many parts of the world and is likely to increase. Concerns about risks to human health arising from such practice, especially with respect to infection with microbial pathogens, are common. Several factors need to be considered when attempting to quantify the risk posed to a population, such as the concentration of pathogens in the source water, water treatment efficiency, the volume of water coming into contact with the crop, and the die-off rate of pathogens in the environment. Another factor, which has received relatively less attention, is the amount of food consumed. Plainly, higher consumption rates place one at greater risk of becoming infected. The amount of vegetables consumed is known to vary among ethic groups. We use Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Modelling (QMRA) to see if certain ethnic groups are exposed to higher risks by virtue of their consumption behaviour. The results suggest that despite the disparities in consumption rates by different ethnic groups they generally all faced comparable levels of risks. We conclude by suggesting that QMRA should be used to assess the relative levels of risk faced by groups based on divisions other than ethnicity, such as those with compromised immune systems.

Global factor trade with differentiated factor prices and factor intensities

Relaxing the assumption of internationally identical factor intensity techniques in the HOV model creates two challenges. First, computing actual factor intensity techniques of different countries requires detailed input-output tables and factor usage data, which are not always available. Second, determinants of the factor intensity technique differences across countries need to be identified. This paper explores the role of relative factor price differences in the determination of factor intensity technique differences across countries and proposes an inferring method that infers factor intensity techniques of different countries based on relative factor price differences. The HOV model is then modified accordingly.

Commerce mondial des facteurs de production quand les prix des facteurs sont différenciés et les intensités dans l'intensité d'utilisation des facteurs différentes. Relaxer le postulat de techniques à intensité identique de facteurs de production d'un pays à l'autre dans un modèle Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek (HOV) pose deux défis. D'abord, mesurer les intensités en facteurs des techniques en place dans les divers pays réclame des tableaux interindustriels détaillés et des données sur l'utilisation des facteurs qui ne sont pas toujours disponibles. Ensuite, il faut identifier les déterminants des différences d'intensités en facteurs des techniques d'un pays à l'autre. Ce mémoire explore le rôle des différences dans les prix relatifs des facteurs dans la détermination des différences d'intensité en facteurs d'un pays à l'autre, et propose une méthode qui permet d'inférer les différences d'intensité en facteurs des techniques des divers pays à partir des différences dans les prix relatifs des facteurs. Le modèle HOV est alors modifié en conséquence.

A 'Mobile' technology and waiting for the broadband 'horse trade'

Webcasting in Australia is currently the domain of national broadcasters, independent and community radio stations and the two leading football codes. This paper reports on the findings of a content analysis of 20 leading webcasters as to the content and genres they provide. In examining the factors affecting the 'slow' adoption of webcasting in Australia such as the absence ofa high speed broadband infrastructure, the paper analyses and how its various discourses were framed by the parties concerned, and how the clash of conflicting agendas shaped the negotiations between the main stakeholders, taking on the characteristics of a 'horse trade '. Thereafter, the paper critically examines how other technologies such as mobile phones and Pay TV has begun to take on webcasting, instead of waitingfor the major commercial broadcasters to do so or a new broadband network and a national broadband strategy to be implemented.

Boys want sex, girls want commitment: does this trade-off still exist?

Editorial. Examines the existence of the trade-off between a men's sexual cravings and women's yearning for a relationship commitment Recognition of the increasing frequency of sexual experience among adolescent boys and girls; Observation of the liberalization of attitudes regarding pre-marital sexual experience; Interpretation of the dating code adopted by both sexes; Role of sex in a male-female relationship; Consideration that adolescent boys and girls want and experience the same types of sexual and affectional dimensions.