Thin white women in advertising : deathly corporeality

This article examines the way that contemporary British women’s magazine advertising employs idealized images of thin white women to confer status on a range of beauty products and services. These lean, pure, radiant images of white women are imagined to be natural sources of light, beauty, and the entry point (with the product) to a higher state of female grace. However, the article also addresses what is argued to be the ‘absence’ effect and the lack of corporeal life that is also at the core of many of these ‘lacking’ images of white women. The article argues that such textual ruptures and contradictions, in turn, point to the way that thinness itself, as a self-willed body project, can be considered to be a resistant body practice, or one that draws attention to the life and death struggle at the heart of what it means to be a ‘good’ white woman in a patriarchal society

New directions in biodiversity policy and governance? : a critique of Victoria's land and biodiversity white paper

The overall condition of biodiversity in many parts of Australia is poor and declining, despite the establishment of national parks and other reserves, and the adoption of conservation activities on private land. The impacts of climate change add further challenges to sustaining biodiversity. In response to these issues, in December 2009, the State Government of Victoria released a major policy statement that aimed to provide the framework and directions to secure the health of Victoria's biodiversity and associated land and water resources over the next 50 years. Given Victoria's reputation for environmental policy reform and innovation, the question arises as to whether the Victorian approach will provide a model for other Australian jurisdictions to adopt or adapt. Drawing on insights from environmental policy, discourse theory, and ecological theory, this article provides a critique of Victoria's approach, focusing on the way in which biodiversity is conceptualised and governed.

The white doctors' burden

This thesis analyses the history of the influence of the Australian medical profession on government policies and community attitudes towards Asia. It concludes that, apart from their support of progressivist policies between 1880 and 1930, Australia's doctors had only a small and largely self-interested influence on Australia's Asian engagement.

Races of Albugo candida causing white blister rust on brassica vegetables in Australia

Albugo Candida races of Australian isolates from B. oleracea var. italica (broccoli), B. rapa var. pekinensis (pak choi) and var. chinensis (Chinese cabbage), and Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd's purse) were identified on a set of Brassicaceae hosts. Isolates from broccoli were identified as A. candida race 9 (Ac 9), from pak choi and Chinese cabbage as the sub-race V of Ac 7 or as a mixed population of sub-races A and V of the same race. Isolates from Shepherd's purse were identified as Ac 4. Australian Ac 9 isolates caused white blister disease on broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, Brussels sprout and other related Brassicaceae hosts including B. nigra (black mustard), B. napus (oilseed rape), and on B. rapa (turnip rape) 'Torch' (a differential host of Ac 7). All cultivars of cabbage (B. oleracea var. capitata) and one new broccoli 'Booster' inoculated with isolates from broccoli were immune to the isolate tested. This result indicates that the Australian A. candida varies from the European one that causes disease on cabbage as well as on other B. oleracea varieties and additionally on shepherd's purse and an American one that causes disease on cabbage. The genotype of B. nigra tested was susceptible to both Ac 9 and Ac 7. This result indicates that B. nigra can serve as a host for both races. This study provides the first record of white blister disease on B. napus ('Hobson' and 'Regent') in Australia.

A passion for white elephants : some lessons from Australia’s experience of nation building

A ‘white elephant’ is a magnificent, high-status possession that is not particularly productive, costs a lot to maintain, and which you cannot get rid of. Since colonial times, Australians have had a weakness for white elephants. Traditionally, these were massive, debt-funded public works schemes that were economically, environmentally or socially dubious. In recent years, our white elephants have taken on different guises, but the ruinous expense and misdirected effort remain the same. This paper explores some of the reasons for our society’s historic enthusiasm for white elephants, and suggests some remedies.

Formation and dissolution of hen egg white lysozyme amyloid fibrils in protic ionic liquids

The formation of amyloid fibrils from non-disease-related proteins demonstrates that any protein can adopt this “rogue” form; we show that it is possible to use protic ionic liquids to fibrilize hen egg white lysozyme, and then subsequently to dissolve the fibrils with up to 72% restoration of enzymatic activity.

Structure–energy relations in hen egg white lysozyme observed during refolding from a quenched unfolded state

We use infrared spectroscopy to study the evolution of protein folding intermediate structures on arbitrarily slow time scales by rapidly quenching thermally unfolded hen egg white lysozyme in a glassy matrix, followed by reheating of the protein to refold; upon comparison with differential scanning calorimetric experiments, low-temperature structural changes that precede the formation of energetic native contacts are revealed.

High-speed pollen release in the white mulberry tree, Morus alba L

Anemophilous plants described as catapulting pollen explosively into the air have rarely attracted detailed examination. We investigated floral anthesis in a male mulberry tree with high-speed video and a force probe. The stamen was inflexed within the floral bud. Exposure to dry air initially resulted in a gradual movement of the stamen. This caused fine threads to tear at the stomium, ensuring dehiscence of the anther, and subsequently enabled the anther to slip off a restraining pistillode. The sudden release of stored elastic energy in the spring-like filament drove the stamen to straighten in less than 25 μs, and reflex the petals to velocities in excess of half the speed of sound. This is the fastest motion yet observed in biology, and approaches the theoretical physical limits for movements in plants.