Early-Middle Jurassic stratigraphy of the Fortrose-Chaslands region, southernmost South Island, New Zealand

The 40 km of coastline from Fortrose to Chaslands Mistake (southeastern South Island, New Zealand) comprises sediments that are part of the Early-Middle Jurassic of the Murihiku Terrane. The sediments are dominantly fluvial with some marine beds and alluvial fan deposition, and display an evolution of fluvial style which progresses from perennial flow to seasonal flow. The McPhee Cove Conglomerate is a prominent unit to the north. It has been used to separate two formations which would otherwise, on inherent lithological grounds, be difficult to distinguish. This paper discusses several similar conglomerates which occur in the south, but which are separated from the type area of the McPhee Conglomerate by major tectonic disruption. Hence, the existing lithostratigraphic nomenclature to the north, including the McPhee Cove Conglomerate, cannot be simply extended southwards. The Fortrose-Chaslands area appears to consist of two tectonic blocks, the Slope Point Block and the Brothers Block, which are separated from each other and from the adjacent Papatowai Block by major strike faults (or fault zones). A change is proposed to the existing stratigraphy which involves recognising all terrestrial sediments as part of the False Island Formation. Four prominent clast-supported conglomerate horizons are named as members of the False Islet Formation: the White Head Conglomerate, Black Bluff Conglomerate. Hoiho Conglomerate, and Slope Point Conglomerate Members. The latter contains five named conglomerate beds.

Human behaviour modelled as a statistico-deterministic turing machine

'Free will' and its corollary, the concept of individual responsibility are keystones of the justice system. This paper shows that if we accept a physics that disallows time reversal, the concept of 'free will' is undermined by an integrated understanding of the influence of genetics and environment on human behavioural responses. Analysis is undertaken by modelling life as a novel statistico-deterministic version of a Turing machine, i.e. as a series of transitions between states at successive instants of time. Using this model it is proven by induction that the entire course of life is independent of the action of free will. Although determined by prior state, the probability of transitions between states in response to a standard environmental stimulus is not equal to 1 and the transitions may differ quantitatively at the molecular level and qualitatively at the level of the whole organism. Transitions between states correspond to behaviours. It is shown that the behaviour of identical twins (or clones), although determined, would be incompletely predictable and non-identical, creating an illusion of the operation of 'free will'. 'Free will' is a convenient construct for current judicial systems and social control because it allows rationalization of punishment for those whose behaviour falls outside socially defined norms. Indeed, it is conceivable that maintenance of ideas of free will has co-evolved with community morality to reinforce its operation. If the concept is free will is to be maintained it would require revision of our current physical theories.

Arachidonic acid release from mammalian cells transfected with human groups IIA and X secreted phospholipase A(2) occurs predominantly during the secretory process and with the involvement of cytosolic phospholipase A(2)-alpha

Stable expression of human groups IIA and X secreted phospholipases A(2) (hGIIA and hGX) in CHO-K1 and HEK293 cells leads to serum- and interleukin-1beta-promoted arachidonate release. Using mutant CHO-K1 cell lines, it is shown that this arachidonate release does not require heparan sulfate proteoglycan- or glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins. It is shown that the potent secreted phospholipase A(2) inhibitor Me-Indoxam is cell-impermeable. By use of Me-Indoxam and the cell-impermeable, secreted phospholipase A(2) trapping agent heparin, it is shown that hGIIA liberates free arachidonate prior to secretion from the cell. With hGX-transfected CHO-K1 cells, arachidonate release occurs before and after enzyme secretion, whereas all of the arachidonate release from HEK293 cells occurs prior to enzyme secretion. Immunocytochemical studies by confocal laser and electron microscopies show localization of hGIIA to the cell surface and Golgi compartment. Additional results show that the interleukin-1beta-dependent release of arachidonate is promoted by secreted phospholipase A(2) expression and is completely dependent on cytosolic (group IVA) phospholipase A(2). These results along with additional data resolve the paradox that efficient arachidonic acid release occurs with hGIIA-transfected cells, and yet exogenously added hGIIA is poorly able to liberate arachidonic acid from mammalian cells.

Nitric oxide donors inhibit 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) uptake by the human 5-HT transporter (SERT)

1 The aim was to test the hypothesis that nitric oxide ( NO) donor drugs can inhibit the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) transporter, SERT. 2 The NO donors, MAHMA/NO ( a NONOate; (Z)-1-[N-methyl-N-[6-(N-methylammoniohexyl)amino]]diazen- 1-ium-1,2-diolate), SIN-1 ( a sydnonimine; 5-amino-3-(4-morpholinyl)-1,2,3-oxadiazolium chloride), FK409 ( an oxime; (+/-)-(4-ethyl-2E-(hydroxyimino)-5-nitro-3E-hexenamide)) and peroxynitrite, but not Angeli's salt ( source of nitroxyl anion) or sodium nitrite, caused concentration-dependent inhibition of the specific uptake of [H-3]- 5-HT in COS-7 cells expressing human SERT. 3 Superoxide dismutase (150 U ml(-1)) plus catalase ( 1200 U ml(-1)), used to remove superoxide and hence prevent peroxynitrite formation, prevented the inhibitory effect of SIN-1 ( which generates superoxide) but not of MAHMA/NO or FK409. 4 The inhibitory effects of the NO donors were not affected by the free radical scavenger, hydroxocobalamin (1 mM) or the guanylate cyclase inhibitor, ODQ (1H-[ 1,2,4] oxadiazolo[4,3-a] quinoxalin-1-one; 3 muM). 5 L-Cysteine ( 1 mM; source of excess thiol residues) abolished or markedly reduced the inhibitory effects of MAHMA/NO, SIN-1, FK409 and peroxynitrite. 6 It is concluded that inhibition of SERT by the NO donors cannot be attributed exclusively to NO free radical nor to nitroxyl anion. It does not involve guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, but may involve nitrosation of cysteine residues on the SERT protein. Peroxynitrite mediates the effect of SIN-1, but not the other drugs. 7 Data in mice with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension suggest that SERT inhibitors may attenuate pulmonary vascular remodelling. Thus, NO donors may be useful in pulmonary hypertension, not only as vasodilators, but also because they inhibit SERT, provided they display this effect in vivo at appropriate doses.

The role of the complement system in ischemia-reperfusion injury

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a common clinical event with the potential to seriously affect, and sometimes kill, the patient. Interruption of blood supply causes ischemia, which rapidly damages metabolically active tissues. Paradoxically, restoration of blood flow to the ischemic tissues initiates a cascade of pathology that leads to additional cell or tissue injury. I/R is a potent inducer of complement activation that results in the production of a number of inflammatory mediators. The use of specific inhibitors to block complement activation has been shown to prevent local tissue injury after I/R. Clinical and experimental studies in gut, kidney, limb, and liver have shown that I/R results in local activation of the complement system and leads to the production of the complement factors C3a, C5a, and the membrane attack complex. The novel inhibitors of complement products may find wide clinical application because there are no effective drug therapies currently available to treat I/R injuries.

Academic journal publishing: Desiderata for the digital age

The consumption of academic journals has radically changed over the past decade, explains the author. While there has been an exponential rise in published scholarship, spiralling costs for commercial journals have caused cutbacks in subscriptions to academic journals by institutional libraries and raised calls for free online access to unpublished work that scholars have produced. The rise of the Internet has facilitated a concomitant growth in online scholarship. What, asks the author, are the promises on online scholarship?

The effects of parabens on the mechanosensitive channels of E. coli

Parabens are alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid used as preservatives in a wide range of food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products (Soni et al. Food Chem. Toxicol. 39:513-532, 2001). Despite their common use for over 50 years, their mechanism of action is still unclear. In this study we examined the effects of ethyl and propyl paraben, on gating of the E. coli mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) reconstituted into azolectin liposomes. We found that propyl and ethyl paraben spontaneously activate MscL. Moreover, the addition of propyl paraben caused an increase in MscL activity and the lowering Of P-1/2, the pressure at which the MscL was opened 50% of the time, the AGO, the free energy required to open the MscL, and the parameter a, which describes the channel sensitivity to pressure. In addition, in silico studies showed that propyl paraben binds to the channel gate of the MscL. The mechanosensitive channel of small conductance was also found to be spontaneously activated by parabens. In summary, our study indicates that one of the previously unidentified mechanisms of action of parabens as antimicrobial agents is via an interaction with the mechanosensitive channels to upset the osmotic gradients in bacteria.

Effects of tourism development on the local poor people - Case study in Taibai Region China

In China, protected areas are one of the main destinations attracting tourists and homeland for many poor people living in and around them. Based on a case study, the paper focuses on correlation between tourism and poverty alleviation by tracing the cash flows to the local poor. It also reviews the social and environmental effects of tourism on local area. The case study is conducted in a group of protected areas in Qinling Mountain Region in Shaanxi, a western province in China. Qinling Mountain is one of the most important distribution zones for Giant Panda and some other endangered wildlife such as Golden Takin and Golden Monkey. The tourism development in the region is happening. Research indicates that there is 29.33%, of tourist expenditure is going to local households, directly or indirectly. Tourist spends US$7.11 (13.67%) in food and beverage, and US$6.39 (12.23%) in accommodation service, which are the greatest contributors to local households in terms of tourism benefits. Local households can get US$8.15 from food/beverage and accommodation sectors, taking 56.64% of total income from tourism. Generally, tourism development benefits all stakeholders. However, poor people get less benefit. The paper analyses the barriers for the poor to be involved in tourism development, and discusses the government roles, major issues in implementation of Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-Term Perturbations and Tourism Effects: The case of SARS in China

In China, protected areas are one of the main destinations attracting tourists and homeland for many poor people living in and around them. Based on a case study, the paper focuses on correlation between tourism and poverty alleviation by tracing the cash flows to the local poor. It also reviews the social and environmental effects of tourism on local area. The case study is conducted in a group of protected areas in Qinling Mountain Region in Shaanxi, a western province in China. Qinling Mountain is one of the most important distribution zones for Giant Panda and some other endangered wildlife such as Golden Takin and Golden Monkey. The tourism development in the region is happening. Research indicates that there is 29.33%, of tourist expenditure is going to local households, directly or indirectly. Tourist spends US$7.11 (13.67%) in food and beverage, and US$6.39 (12.23%) in accommodation service, which are the greatest contributors to local households in terms of tourism benefits. Local households can get US$8.15 from food/beverage and accommodation sectors, taking 56.64% of total income from tourism. Generally, tourism development benefits all stakeholders. However, poor people get less benefit. The paper analyses the barriers for the poor to be involved in tourism development, and discusses the government roles, major issues in implementation of Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) model.

Microstructure control in Sn-0.7mass%Cu alloys

Soldering alloys based oft the Sn-Cu alloy system are amongst the most favourable lead-free alternatives due to a range of attractive properties. Trace additions of Ni have been found to significantly improve the soldering characteristics of these alloys (reduced bridging etc.). This paper examines the mechanisms underlying the improvement in soldering properties of Sn-0.7 mass%Cu eutectic alloys modified with concentrations of Ni ranging front 0 to 1000 ppm. The alloys were investigated by thermal analysis during solidification, as well as optical/SEM microanalyses of fully solidified samples anti samples quenched during solidification. It is concluded that Ni additions dramatically alter the nucleation patterns and solidification behaviour of the Sn-Cu6Sn5 eutectic anti that these changes are related to the superior soldering characteristics of the Ni-modified Sn-0.7 mass%Cu alloys.

Adsorption in slit pores and pore-size distribution: A molecular layer structure theory

A new approach is developed to analyze the thermodynamic properties of a sub-critical fluid adsorbed in a slit pore of activated carbon. The approach is based on a representation that an adsorbed fluid forms an ordered structure close to a smoothed solid surface. This ordered structure is modelled as a collection of parallel molecular layers. Such a structure allows us to express the Helmholtz free energy of a molecular layer as the sum of the intrinsic Helmholtz free energy specific to that layer and the potential energy of interaction of that layer with all other layers and the solid surface. The intrinsic Helmholtz free energy of a molecular layer is a function (at given temperature) of its two-dimensional density and it can be readily obtained from bulk-phase properties, while the interlayer potential energy interaction is determined by using the 10-4 Lennard-Jones potential. The positions of all layers close to the graphite surface or in a slit pore are considered to correspond to the minimum of the potential energy of the system. This model has led to accurate predictions of nitrogen and argon adsorption on carbon black at their normal boiling points. In the case of adsorption in slit pores, local isotherms are determined from the minimization of the grand potential. The model provides a reasonable description of the 0-1 monolayer transition, phase transition and packing effect. The adsorption of nitrogen at 77.35 K and argon at 87.29 K on activated carbons is analyzed to illustrate the potential of this theory, and the derived pore-size distribution is compared favourably with that obtained by the Density Functional Theory (DFT). The model is less time-consuming than methods such as the DFT and Monte-Carlo simulation, and most importantly it can be readily extended to the adsorption of mixtures and capillary condensation phenomena.

Equation of state of a superfluid Fermi gas in the BCS-BEC crossover

We present a theory for a superfluid Fermi gas near the BCS-BEC crossover, including pairing fluctuation contributions to the free energy similar to that considered by Nozieres and Schmitt-Rink for the normal phase. In the strong coupling limit, our theory is able to recover the Bogoliubov theory of a weakly interacting Bose gas with a molecular scattering length very close to the known exact result. We compare our results with recent Quantum Monte Carlo simulations both for the ground state and at finite temperature. Excellent agreement is found for all interaction strengths where simulation results are available.

Gas and particle dynamics of a contoured shock tube for pre-clinical microparticle drug delivery

We investigate the gas-particle dynamics of a device designed for biological pre-clinical experiments. The device uses transonic/supersonic gas flow to accelerate microparticles such that they penetrate the outer skin layers. By using a shock tube coupled to a correctly expanded nozzle, a quasi-one-dimensional, quasi-steady flow (QSF) is produced to uniformly accelerate the microparticles. The system utilises a microparticle cassette (a diaphragm sealed container) that incorporates a jet mixing mechanism to stir the particles prior to diaphragm rupture. Pressure measurements reveal that a QSF exit period - suitable for uniformly accelerating microparticles - exists between 155 and 220 mus after diaphragm rupture. Immediately preceding the QSF period, a starting process secondary shock was shown to form with its (x,t) trajectory comparing well to theoretical estimates. To characterise the microparticle, flow particle image velocimetry experiments were conducted at the nozzle exit, using particle payloads with varying diameter (2.7-48 mu m), density (600-16,800 kg/m(3)) and mass (0.25-10 mg). The resultant microparticle velocities were temporally uniform. The experiments also show that the starting process does not significantly influence the microparticle nozzle exit velocities. The velocity distribution across the nozzle exit was also uniform for the majority of microparticle types tested. For payload masses typically used in pre-clinical drug and vaccine applications (

Synaptogenesis in the mushroom body calyx during metamorphosis in the honeybee Apis mellifera: An electron microscopic study

The goals of this study are to determine relationships between synaptogenesis and morphogenesis within the mushroom body calyx of the honeybee Apis mellifera and to find out how the microglomerular structure characteristic for the mature calyx is established during metamorphosis. We show that synaptogenesis in the mushroom body calycal neuropile starts in early metamorphosis (stages P1-P3), before the microglomerular structure of the neuropile is established. The initial step of synaptogenesis is characterized by the rare occurrence of distinct synaptic contacts. A massive synaptogenesis starts at stage P5, which coincides with the formation of microglomeruli, structural units of the calyx that are composed of centrally located presynaptic boutons surrounded by spiny postsynaptic endings. Microglomeruli are assembled either via accumulation of fine postsynaptic processes around preexisting presynaptic boutons or via ingrowth of thin neurites of presynaptic neurons into premicroglomeruli, tightly packed groups of spiny endings. During late pupal stages (P8-P9), addition of new synapses and microglomeruli is likely to continue. Most of the synaptic appositions formed there are made by boutons (putative extrinsic mushroom body neurons) into small postsynaptic profiles that do not exhibit presynaptic specializations (putative intrinsic mushroom body neurons). Synapses between presynaptic boutons characteristic of the adult calyx first appear at stage P8 but remain rare toward the end of metamorphosis. Our observations are consistent with the hypothesis that most of the synapses established during metamorphosis provide the structural basis for afferent information flow to calyces, whereas maturation of local synaptic circuitry is likely to occur after adult emergence.

A ADMINISTRAÇÃO DA EXTENSÃO UNIVERSITÁRIA NAS IES PARTICULARES: LIMITES E POTENCIALIDADES NA VISÃO DOS GESTORES

A presente dissertação trata da visão dos gestores sobre a extensão universitária nas Instituições de Ensino Superior particulares na região do Grande ABC. A revisão do tema indica que extensão universitária é diretamente dependente da visão política da instituição a qual pertence. Existem, portanto, diversos modelos conceituais e práticos. Originalmente assumiu o caráter de cursos livres abertos à sociedade, mais tarde conhecida como prestação de serviços, assessorias, ação comunitária, assistencialismo e atualmente discute-se a extensão universitária sob uma perspectiva de desenvolvimento social e como articuladora entre o ensino e a pesquisa. A pergunta norteadora do trabalho é: de que forma a extensão universitária é administrada nas IES particulares? Por meio de seu objetivo geral, a pesquisa busca analisar a administração da extensão universitária, tendo como foco as Instituições de Ensino Superior particulares na região do Grande ABC. Para auxiliar no alcance deste objetivo geral, foram delimitados dois objetivos específicos: (a) identificar as concepções políticas, assim como as práticas extensionistas declaradas pelas IES, e (b) analisar a visão do gestor na administração da extensão. Os dados coletados foram analisados sob o ponto de vista de três dimensões administrativas, a saber: humana, material e sistêmica. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, exploratória e descritiva. A pesquisa documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas fazem parte da coleta de dados que subsidiarão a análise final. A contribuição científico-social que se discute neste trabalho é a reflexão sobre os limites e potencialidades da administração da extensão diante dos atuais diálogos sobre o tema.