title: Fish powder as a low-cost component in media for producing bacterial cellulose

authors: Adnan, Azila Binti

subjects: bacterial cellulose

abstract: Some bacteria can produce extracellular bacterial cellulose (BC). This polysaccharide is chemically identical to cellulose produced by plants but has no associated lignin and hemicelluloses. The unique mechanical properties, chemical stability and purity allow BC to be exploited for a range of biomedical applications. However, medium costs limit commercial BC production. The suitability of using fish powder as a low-cost media component for producing BC by submerged culture of Gluconacetobacter xylinus in shake flasks was investigated. Fish powder was made by drying and grinding Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio), a pest fish in New Zealand waterways. Fermentations were done at 30oC in a growth medium containing 50 g/L glucose, the required minerals, and either 5 g/L yeast extract or 15 g/L fish powder, The BC yield on both yeast extract and fish powder was 0.04 g/g glucose, demonstrating fish powder was a suitable low cost ingredient for supplying nitrogen and amino acids in the media.

text: Fish powder as a low-cost component in media for producing bacterial cellulose Some bacteria can produce extracellular bacterial cellulose (BC). This polysaccharide is chemically identical to cellulose produced by plants but has no associated lignin and hemicelluloses. The unique mechanical properties, chemical stability and purity allow BC to be exploited for a range of biomedical applications. However, medium costs limit commercial BC production. The suitability of using fish powder as a low-cost media component for producing BC by submerged culture of Gluconacetobacter xylinus in shake flasks was investigated. Fish powder was made by drying and grinding Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio), a pest fish in New Zealand waterways. Fermentations were done at 30oC in a growth medium containing 50 g/L glucose, the required minerals, and either 5 g/L yeast extract or 15 g/L fish powder, The BC yield on both yeast extract and fish powder was 0.04 g/g glucose, demonstrating fish powder was a suitable low cost ingredient for supplying nitrogen and amino acids in the media.

year: 2012

title: Environmental effects of the Manganui ski field, Mt Taranaki/Egmont

authors: Efford, Jackson Tai

abstract: During May 2012, the environmental effects of the Manganui ski field were examined. Permanent quadrats first established in 1974 to monitor vegetation changes were re-measured, vegetation mapping was conducted, modifications to ground form and drainage were identified, soil compaction was examined, and stream water from the ski field catchment was tested for nutrient enrichment. This report focusses primarily on the lower Manganui ski field, as the upper Manganui ski field consists mostly of unmodified herbfield or gravelfield, protected by a sufficient snow base over the winter months. The lower Manganui ski field has a long history of modification spanning from the early 1900s. Vegetation types mapped on the lower field included unmown tussockfield, mown tussock-herbfield, shrubland and exotics. The re-measurement of vegetation in permanent quadrats on the lower field suggests that since the last re-measurement in 1994, several exotic species have increased in cover, including Carex ovalis, Poa annua, and Agrostis capillaris (percentage cover increases of up to 46.6%, 42.0% and 20.7% respectively). Vegetation mapping and historic photographs indicate that the lower ski field sits within the elevational belt of shrubland vegetation, little of which remains due to regular mowing conducted on the field since 1947. Shrubs which have been largely excluded from the field through mowing include Brachyglottis elaeagnifolius, Hebe odora, Ozothamnus vauvilliersii, Dracophyllum filifolium, Pseudopanax colensoi, Raukaua simplex and Hebe stricta var. egmontiana. Areas of the ski field dominated by exotic vegetation were predominantly associated with historic culvert construction and rock dynamiting. Compaction by machinery was confined to the sensitive mossfield area at the base of the lower field.

text: Environmental effects of the Manganui ski field, Mt Taranaki/Egmont During May 2012, the environmental effects of the Manganui ski field were examined. Permanent quadrats first established in 1974 to monitor vegetation changes were re-measured, vegetation mapping was conducted, modifications to ground form and drainage were identified, soil compaction was examined, and stream water from the ski field catchment was tested for nutrient enrichment. This report focusses primarily on the lower Manganui ski field, as the upper Manganui ski field consists mostly of unmodified herbfield or gravelfield, protected by a sufficient snow base over the winter months. The lower Manganui ski field has a long history of modification spanning from the early 1900s. Vegetation types mapped on the lower field included unmown tussockfield, mown tussock-herbfield, shrubland and exotics. The re-measurement of vegetation in permanent quadrats on the lower field suggests that since the last re-measurement in 1994, several exotic species have increased in cover, including Carex ovalis, Poa annua, and Agrostis capillaris (percentage cover increases of up to 46.6%, 42.0% and 20.7% respectively). Vegetation mapping and historic photographs indicate that the lower ski field sits within the elevational belt of shrubland vegetation, little of which remains due to regular mowing conducted on the field since 1947. Shrubs which have been largely excluded from the field through mowing include Brachyglottis elaeagnifolius, Hebe odora, Ozothamnus vauvilliersii, Dracophyllum filifolium, Pseudopanax colensoi, Raukaua simplex and Hebe stricta var. egmontiana. Areas of the ski field dominated by exotic vegetation were predominantly associated with historic culvert construction and rock dynamiting. Compaction by machinery was confined to the sensitive mossfield area at the base of the lower field.

year: 2012

title: Indigenous people in Aotearoa New Zealand are overrepresented in cannabis convictions

authors: Rapana, Wetini

subjects: Cannabis

abstract: Background: Previous work has demonstrated that cannabis laws have had a disproportionate impact on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2019, the New Zealand Government amended cannabis laws, providing police with the power to determine whether a therapeutic or health-centred approach would be more beneficial than a conviction. In the current study, we use population level data to assess whether this law change has ameliorated the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori. Methods: Data were drawn from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a large government database hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand’s national statistics office. In the IDI, we selected individuals who (1) were between 18 and 65, (2) were Māori or Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent) and, (3) had any cannabis charges that proceeded to the courts. Results: Māori ethnicity was a significant predictor of the odds of receiving a cannabis conviction for Māori males (Odds: 1.56), with a marginally significant effect for Māori females (Odds: 1.57). Further, for Māori, there was no reduction in the number of cannabis charges before vs. after the amendment to cannabis laws. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori remain. Given this, the New Zealand Government must follow other countries around the world and move forward on cannabis law reform.

text: Indigenous people in Aotearoa New Zealand are overrepresented in cannabis convictions Background: Previous work has demonstrated that cannabis laws have had a disproportionate impact on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2019, the New Zealand Government amended cannabis laws, providing police with the power to determine whether a therapeutic or health-centred approach would be more beneficial than a conviction. In the current study, we use population level data to assess whether this law change has ameliorated the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori. Methods: Data were drawn from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a large government database hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand’s national statistics office. In the IDI, we selected individuals who (1) were between 18 and 65, (2) were Māori or Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent) and, (3) had any cannabis charges that proceeded to the courts. Results: Māori ethnicity was a significant predictor of the odds of receiving a cannabis conviction for Māori males (Odds: 1.56), with a marginally significant effect for Māori females (Odds: 1.57). Further, for Māori, there was no reduction in the number of cannabis charges before vs. after the amendment to cannabis laws. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori remain. Given this, the New Zealand Government must follow other countries around the world and move forward on cannabis law reform.

year: 2022