Humber Bridge: suppressing main cable corrosion by means of dehumidification

The Humber Bridge officially opened in 1981 and carries 4 lanes of traffic across the Humber Estuary between Barton and Hessle to the west of Kingston-upon-Hull in East Yorkshire, England. When opened, it was the longest span suspension bridge in the world with a main span of 1410m but it currently ranks as the fifth longest span in the world. Humber Bridge Board (HBB) commissioned an internal inspection of the main cables following the discovery of extensive corrosion and broken wires in the main cables of two older suspension bridges in the UK. The main cable inspections revealed widespread, if generally light corrosion with localised pitting and a very small number of broken wires. Dehumidification of suspension bridge main cables is becoming standard practice not only in the UK but worldwide. This paper examines the installation of the Humber Bridge system, discusses the mechanics of atmospheric steel corrosion and explains how the cable dehumidification system will suppress future corrosion

Power, norms and institutional change in the European Union: the protection of the free movement of goods

How do institutions of the European Union change? Using an institutionalist approach, this article highlights the interplay between power, cognitive limits, and the normative order that underpins institutional settings and assesses their impact upon the process of institutional change. Empirical evidence from recent attempts to reinforce the protection of the free movement of goods in the EU suggests that, under conditions of uncertainty, actors with ambiguous preferences assess attempts at institutional change on the basis of the historically defined normative order which holds a given institutional structure together. Hence, path dependent and incremental change occurs even when more ambitious and functionally superior proposals are on offer

Automated Analysis of Cryptococcal Macrophage Parasitism Using GFP-Tagged Cryptococci

The human fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii cause life-threatening infections of the central nervous system. One of the major characteristics of cryptococcal disease is the ability of the pathogen to parasitise upon phagocytic immune effector cells, a phenomenon that correlates strongly with virulence in rodent models of infection. Despite the importance of phagocyte/Cryptococcus interactions to disease progression, current methods for assaying virulence in the acrophage system are both time consuming and low throughput. Here, we introduce the first stable and fully characterised GFP–expressing derivatives of two widely used cryptococcal strains: C. neoformans serotype A type strain H99 and C. gattii serotype B type strain R265. Both strains show unaltered responses to environmental and host stress conditions and no deficiency in virulence in the macrophage model system. In addition, we report the development of a method to effectively and rapidly investigate macrophage parasitism by flow cytometry, a technique that preserves the accuracy of current approaches but offers a four-fold improvement in speed

Social Transfer of Pathogenic Fungus Promotes Active Immunisation in Ant Colonies

Social contact with fungus-exposed ants leads to pathogen transfer to healthy nest-mates, causing low-level infections. These micro-infections promote pathogen-specific immune gene expression and protective immunization of nest-mates

Extent of investigation and management of cases of ‘unexplained’ mismatch repair deficiency (u-dMMR): a UK Cancer Genetics Group consensus

Background Mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) is a characteristic feature of cancers linked to Lynch syndrome. However, in most cases, it results from sporadic somatic events rather than hereditary factors. The term'Lynch-like syndrome' (LLS) has been used to guide colorectal cancer surveillance for relatives of individuals with a dMMR tumour when somatic and germline genomic testing is uninformative. As the assessment of mismatch repair through immunohistochemistry and/or microsatellite instability is increasingly applied across various tumour types for treatment planning, dMMR is increasingly detected in tumours where suspicion of hereditary aetiology is low. Our objective was to establish current practices and develop national guidance for investigating, and managing relatives of, patients with cancers demonstrating unexplained dMMR. Methods This was achieved through a virtual consensus meeting involving key stakeholders from the UK, through premeeting surveys, structured discussions and in-meeting polling to formulate best practice guidance. Results We identified variability in the availability of diagnostic technologies across specialist centres. It was agreed that equitable access to baseline testing is required, acknowledging the need for a pragmatic approach to investigating dMMR cancers not traditionally associated with Lynch syndrome. Factors such as family history, age, tumour type, protein loss pattern and extent of the investigation were deemed crucial in guiding family management. The term'unexplained dMMR' was recommended over LLS. Conclusion Decisions regarding investigations and future cancer risk management in patients and relatives should be nuanced, considering factors like clinical suspicion of hereditary predisposition to allocate limited resources efficiently and avoid unnecessary investigations in low-suspicion families

New Institutionalism, The Single Market and EU Governance

European law; governance; multilevel governance; neo-institutionalism; Single Market; institutions

The Berlin-London connection: From "No Frills" to "Full Service"? Prospects for a new bilateralism in EU affairs

The German and British governments have lately been making overtures at one another concerning the deepening of their bilateral cooperation in European affairs. If the two are indeed to capitalise upon Gordon Brown's political elevation, the available time frame is narrowing. The two countries' apparent dissatisfaction with their current battery of bilateral relations, and the increasing commonalities in their respective European policy agendas, might thereby appear to suffice as catalyst. In reality, the factors that previously inhibited cooperation would not necessarily be overcome. These factors, which render Britain more likely to defect from the putative bilateral cooperation than their German partners, are by no means insuperabl