AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A LOW REYNOLDS NUMBER SWIMMER

This work was motivated by the goal of building a robot capable of swimming on a microscopic scale by changing its shape. Two approaches to low Reynolds number swimming are studied. A deformable sphere is investigated which uses a method of construction called tensegrity to allow changes in shape. We found a method of matching tensegrity spheres to desired shapes and investigated the use of shape memory alloy coils as tensile elements. We propose a model for a box-shaped deformable swimmer, and a prototype is built and tested. The negative results from the prototype tests are then investigated by measuring the drag forces caused by pushing different block sizes through high viscosity fluid. Based on our experimental results we validate our approach and recommend design modifications for a second generation robot

Saving lives through health information; African leadership and partnership

Reliable and timely health information saves lives. Health librarians are crucial to providing access and their effectiveness is enhanced by networks and partnerships. Demonstrable benefits are emerging through a tried and tested model for leadership and partnership working. Longstanding relationships between three pan African bodies Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa (AHILA), the Information Training & Outreach Centre for Africa (ITOCA) and Partnerships in Health Information (Phi) have become more strategic through Phi promoting African leadership as a key strand of its strategy and through the partners formalising their partnership. ITOCA, whose established role in capacity building is well respected in the profession, and AHILA whose professional development and advocacy work culminates in biennial congresses bringing together health information professionals to share and learn from one another, and Phi have strengthened their alliance and enhanced their impact through working more closely together under Memorandum of Understanding agreements signed in October 2011. A member of ITOCA staff now serves as Phi coordinator for Africa; and as AHILA coordinator, providing a much needed secretariat to support AHILA Executive. This alliance is paying dividends in enabling easy and speedy communication and collaborative working across all three partners, whose combined networks provide a unique source of knowledge and expertise. Two examples, both with roots in IFLA initiatives, demonstrate the need for such a model and the gaps the partnership works to address. In October 2012 an African led workshop ‘Public Access to Health Information (PAHI); training for Trainers’ sponsored by Phi and AHILA and supported by ITOCA, was held at the AHILA Conference in Cape Verde. In November 2012 a week- long workshop on resource management was held in Lusaka coordinated by Phi and delivered by ITOCA. On the final day, the President of AHILA played a key role, and an adaptation of the IFLA Building Strong Library Associations workshop was held at which the Zambian chapter of AHILA was revitalized

User evaluation of vacuum insulation in clay blocks

This is an early user test of vacuum insulation embedded in clay blocks, a solution developed within ZEB. The product is in an early stage of its development and is not taken into use in any building projects yet. Therefore, the evaluation is not based on experiences but on expectations towards this product. In this exploration we have conducted twelve telephone interviews with representatives from different parts of the building industry. The main results are: There is general agreement that vacuum insulation will be interesting and attractive for the market. Some find thick walls problematic, but others indicated that there exist aesthetic and practical reasons to prefer thick walls. Vacuum insulation may therefore be especially important for renovation projects and new buildings where the site costs are high. Vacuum insulation in clay blocks seems like a reasonable combination to most of the informants. But there was also a demand for vacuum insulation for wood constructions in combination with thinner and lighter materials. According to our informants, to make vacuum insulation a central building product in the future, a great degree of material flexibility will clearly be important. For future promotion of a product with vacuum insulation, it is also important to convince the market that it is robust enough, and show calculation examples on how the product may be more profitable when used where the site prices are high. The environmental impact of vacuum insulation matters to some of our informants, and a clear plan for pre-separation at source is asked for.© Copyright SINTEF Academic Press and Norwegian University of Science and Technology 201

Acceptability of medical digital libraries

Evidenced-based medicine has increased the importance of quick accessibility to reputable, up-to-date information. Web-accessible digital libraries (DLs) on the wards can address the demand for such information. The use and acceptability of these resources has, however, been lower than expected due to a poor understanding of the context of use. To appreciate the social and organizational impacts of ward-accessible DLs for clinicians, results of a study within a large London-based hospital are presented. In-depth interviews and focus groups with 73 clinicians (from pre-registration nurses to surgeons) were conducted, and the data analysed using the grounded theory method. It was found that clinical social structures interact with inadequate training provision (for senior clinicians), technical support and DL usability to produce a knowledge gap between junior and senior staff, resulting in information - and technology - hoarding behaviours. Findings also detail the perceived effectiveness of traditional and digital libraries and the impact of clinician status on information control and access. One important conclusion is that increased DL usability and adequate support and training for senior clinicians would increase perceptions of DLs as support for, rather than replacement of, their clinical expertise

Tamoxifen for prevention of breast cancer: extended long-term follow-up of the IBIS-I breast cancer prevention trial

© Cuzick et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(14)71171-

Biomarkers Predicting Alzheimer's Disease in Cognitively Normal Aging

The pathophysiologic process of Alzheimer's disease (AD) begins years before the diagnosis of clinical dementia. This concept of preclinical AD has arisen from the observation of AD pathologic findings such as senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of people who at the time of death had normal cognitive function. Recent advances in biomarker studies now provide the ability to detect the pathologic changes of AD, which are antecedent to symptoms of the illness, in cognitively normal individuals. Functional and structural brain alterations that begin with amyloid-β accumulation already show the patterns of abnormality seen in individuals with dementia due to AD. The presence of preclinical AD provides a critical opportunity for potential interventions with disease-modifying therapy. This review focuses on the studies of antecedent biomarkers for preclinical AD