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The treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (also called TPPA test) is an indirect agglutination assay used for detection and titration of antibodies against the causative agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum.

In the test, gelatin particles are sensitized with T. pallidum antigen. Patient serum is mixed with the reagent containing the sensitized gelatin particles. The particles aggregate to form clumps when the patient serum is positive for syphilis. In other words, the patient's serum contains antibodies to T. pallidum. A negative test shows no clumping of gelatin particles. This is a type of specific treponemal test for syphilis.

A similar specific treponemal test for syphilis is the Treponema Pallidum Hemaglutination Assay or TPHA. TPHA is an indirect hemagglutination assay used for the detection and titration of antibodies against the causative agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum.

In the test, red blood cells (erythrocytes) are sensitized with antigens from T. pallidum pallidum. The cells then aggregate on the surface of a test dish if exposed to the serum of a patient with syphilis. It is used as a confirmatory test for syphilis infection. A negative test result shows a tight button or spot of red blood cells on the surface of the test dish. Often a plastic test plate containing many small "wells" is used as the test dish so that many patients may be tested at the same time but their results can be kept separate from each other. Please note the image of the wells on the test plate and the positive and negative test results look different.[2]

For primary syphilis, TPPA has a sensitivity of 85% to 100%, and a specificity of 98% to 100%.^[1] In secondary and late-latent syphilis, TPPA has a sensitivity of 98% to 100%.^[1]

Antibodies against other treponemal organisms, such as the T. pallidum subspecies endemicum, pertenue, or carateum, can cause false positive results. A variety of methods exist to adsorb these antibodies from the test sample before hemagglutination.

References[link]

2. Cheesbrough, M. District Laboratory Practice in Tropical Countries, Part 2, Cambridge University Press, South Africa, second edition, 2006.

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Elizabeth Jane Kelsey is a professor of law at the University of Auckland and a prominent critic of globalisation.

Jane Kelsey has an MPhil from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from the University of Auckland. She has worked at the University of Auckland since 1979 and was appointed to a personal Chair in Law in 1997. At Cambridge "left-thinking Marxist scholars ... taught her the political theory that ... underpins her daily work".^[1]

She is a key member of the Action Resource Education Network of Aotearoa (Arena), and is actively involved in researching and speaking out against the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, free trade and corporate-led globalisation.^[1] She is also actively involved in campaigning for the New Zealand Government's full recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi and opposed the controversial seabed and foreshore legislation.

Kelsey took part in actions over the 1981 Springbok tour, including boarding and occupying a plane as part of a group in an attempt to prevent it from leaving.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jane Kelsey's profile at the University of Auckland
• Arena's website
• Video of Jane Kelsey speaking out against Philippines President Gloria Arroyo
• Rogernomics and the Treaty of Waitangi: the contradiction between the economic and Treaty policies of the fourth Labour government, 1984-1990, and the role of law in mediating that contradiction in the interests of the colonial capitalist state. Kelsey's PhD thesis

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This biographical article relating to law is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Christina Tobin
Alma mater	Saint Mary’s University
Occupation	Founder and Chair of The Free & Equal Elections Foundation, Vice-President of Taxpayers United of America

Christina Tobin is an American activist and leader in the election reform and voters’ rights movements. She is the founder and chair of The Free and Equal Elections Foundation,^[1] president and chief executive officer of Free and Equal Inc,^[2] and vice president of Taxpayers United of America.^[3] Tobin serves on the board of the Coalition for Free and Open Elections^[4].

Early life[link]

Tobin was born in Pasadena, Texas, in 1981. She grew up in Texas and Illinois and graduated from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois. She attended Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota where she served as varsity tennis captain and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. In 2004, she earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design with a minor in business marketing.

Career[link]

Tobin started her career as a non-partisan ballot access coordinator. An expert in defending signatures and coordinating petition drives, Tobin has helped gather and defend over 1 million signatures for Independents, the Green Party,^[5] the Constitution Party, the Republican Party,^[6] the Democratic Party, the Libertarian Party^[7] and the Socialist Equality Party.

Illinois campaigns[link]

In the 1998 election for governor of Illinois, Tobin helped defend over 60,000 signatures for Libertarian candidate Jim Tobin. In 2002, she personally gathered over 5,000 signatures and successfully defended 55,000 signatures for Cal Skinner, who was running for governor, and Jim Tobin, who was running for lieutenant governor representing the Libertarian Party.^[8]

In the 2004 presidential election, Tobin defended 29,000 signatures in Illinois for Ralph Nader when he ran as an Independent.^[9] She also sued Democratic State Chair Michael Madigan for using his full-time state employees to knock Ralph Nader off the Illinois ballot.^[10]

For the November 2006 election, she successfully defended 39,000 signatures for Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for Illinois governor.^[11] The Green Party is now an established party for the first time in Illinois history.

The requirement for Republicans and Democrats to get on the ballot in Illinois is 5,000 signatures, while the requirement for third party and independent candidates is 25,000 signatures.

Ralph Nader’s 2008 presidential campaign[link]

In 2008, Tobin served as Ralph Nader’s national ballot access coordinator.^[12] She helped collect more than 500,000 signatures to put Ralph Nader on the District of Columbia ballot and 45 state presidential ballots,^[13] more than any other third party or independent candidate. While coordinating the national ballot drive in 50 states, Tobin organized a successful petition drive in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York.

Free and Equal, Inc.[link]

In March 2009, Tobin founded Free and Equal, Inc., a non-partisan, full-service ballot access consulting and petitioning firm that specializes in independent and third party candidates. Free and Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office. She serves as president and chief executive officer.

The Free and Equal Elections Foundation[link]

In April 2009, Tobin founded the Free & Equal Elections Foundation, a coalition of political parties, independent citizens and civic organizations that promote free and equal elections in the United States. The foundation’s services include legal assistance to defeat the difficult ballot access laws created by the two-party system and coordinating nationwide ballot initiatives, referendums and recall efforts. It has become a major source of financial backing for efforts to improve ballot access and other election laws. Tobin serves as founder and chairman of the board.

Under Tobin’s leadership, the Free and Equal Elections Foundation organized the only minor party/independent 2008 presidential debate that was televised.^[14] The debate was between Ralph Nader and Chuck Baldwin at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC and was broadcast live nationwide on C-SPAN. The foundation also sponsored the only 2008 vice-presidential debate for minor party / independent candidates in Las Vegas, where Wayne Allyn Root, Matt Gonzalez and Darrell Castle participated.^[15]

In Fall 2009, Free and Equal began organizing all-inclusive debates to give all candidates a chance to share their ideas with voters. Free and Equal held three gubernatorial debates in Illinois.^{[16][17][18][19]} Debates in Connecticut and California have also been organized for October 2010.

Electoral Reform and Voters' Rights Initiatives[link]

Tobin supports proportional representation, which is used at a national level in 81 other countries. She plans to launch statewide proportional representation initiatives in 2012, first in California then nationwide. Tobin also supports instant-runoff voting, the organization Fair Vote, Ballot Access News, and Ballotpedia.

In 2010, Tobin led a statewide, all-partisan effort to defeat California's Proposition 14. The measure passed in June 2010 by a small margin. The anti-Proposition 14 coalition was out-funded 250 to 1, due to numerous sizable contributions made by insurance companies, banks, the California Chamber of Commerce, and Governor Schwarzenegger's California Dream Team.^[20] Tobin manages StopTopTwo.Org, a website originally dedicated to defeat Proposition 14; however, the site is transitioning to a national site to prevent Top Two from spreading nationwide.

California Secretary of State Election[link]

Tobin ran as the Libertarian Party candidate for the 2010 California Secretary of State election.^[21][22] She formally announced her candidacy for California Secretary of State on February 23, 2010.^[23] She was the only candidate seeking the Libertarian Party nomination. Richard Winger of Ballot Access News was her campaign manager.

The democratic incumbent, Debra Bowen, ran for re-election. Damon Dunn, a former Stanford football player who works in the real estate business, was the Republican Party candidate. Community volunteer Marylou Cabral^[24] was the candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party, civil rights attorney Ann Menasche^[25] was the Green Party candidate, and aviator Merton Short represented the Constitution Party. Orly Taitz, an Orange County attorney known for filing lawsuits alleging that President Barack Obama does not meet the constitutional qualifications to be president, lost to Dunn in the June primary. Incumbent Bowen won the race in November 2010.

While Tobin's primary focus is electoral reform and voters' rights, she is an outspoken supporter of the anti-war and marijuana legalization movements and is involved with Antiwar.com, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), Americans for Safe Access, Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), and Students for Liberty.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Christina Tobin for CA Secretary of State
• The Free and Equal Elections Foundation
• Free and Equal Inc.

Catherine Delahunty MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Green Party List
Incumbent
Assumed office 2008
4th Female co-convenor of the Green Party
In office 2003–2005 Serving with David Clendon (2003–2004) Paul de Spa (2004–2005)
Leader	Jeanette Fitzsimons and Rod Donald
Preceded by	David Clendon
Succeeded by	Paul de Spa and Karen Davies
Personal details
Born	1953 (age 58–59) Wellington
Political party	Green
Signature

Catherine Delahunty (born 1953) is a current New Zealand MP representing the Green Party who was first elected to parliament in 2008.

As of 2009^[update] she is the Green Party spokesperson on Education, Forestry, Treaty of Waitangi, Civil Defence, Disability Issues, Women's Affairs, Arts & Culture; and associate spokesperson on Environment, and Community & Voluntary Sector.^[1]

Political career[link]

Delahunty was co-convenor of the Green Party from 2003 to 2005. She has been placed high on the Greens' list for several years, just missing getting into Parliament on several occasions.

Delahunty was placed at number eight on the Green Party list for the 2008 election. She was elected as a Green Party MP and gained the fourth highest number of candidate votes in the East Coast electorate.^[2] In 2011 Delahunty was ranked at number 4 on the final Greens list for the 2011 general elections.

In June 2009 Delahunty's Customs and Excise (Sustainable Forestry) Amendment Bill, which would have prohibited the import of timber produced unsustainably or illegally, was drawn from the member's ballot.^[3] The bill was defeated at its first reading.^[4]

Delahunty contributes to the Greens' blog, Frogblog.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Green Party – MP biography for Catherine Delahunty