Draft Genome Sequence of an Alkaliphilic Exiguobacterium sp Strain HUD, Isolated from a Polymicrobial Consortia

An alkaliphilic microorganism from the genus Exiguobacterium, Exiguobacterium sp. strain HUD was isolated from a fermentative, methanogenic polymicrobial microcosm operating at pH 10. The draft genome shows the presence of genes encoding for the metabolism of a range of carbohydrates under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Draft Genome Sequences of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain PS3 and Citrobacter freundii Strain SA79 Obtained from a Wound DressingAssociated Biofilm

Two isolates, one from the genus Pseudomonas and the second from Citrobacter, were isolated from a wound dressing-associated biofilm. Following whole-genome sequencing, the two isolates presented genes encoding for resistance to antibiotics and those involved in exopolysaccharide productio

Draft Genome Sequence of the Biofilm-Forming Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Strain 53

A clinical strain of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (designated strain 53) was obtained, and a whole-genome sequence was generated. The subsequent draft whole-genome sequence demonstrated the presence of a number of genes encoding for proteins involved in resistance to a number of antimicrobial therapie

Restart: The Resurgence of Computer Science in UK Schools

Computer science in UK schools is undergoing a remarkable transformation. While the changes are not consistent across each of the four devolved nations of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), there are developments in each that are moving the subject to become mandatory for all pupils from age 5 onwards. In this article, we detail how computer science declined in the UK, and the developments that led to its revitalisation: a mixture of industry and interest group lobbying, with a particular focus on the value of the subject to all school pupils, not just those who would study it at degree level. This rapid growth in the subject is not without issues, however: there remain significant forthcoming challenges with its delivery, especially surrounding the issue of training sufficient numbers of teachers. We describe a national network of teaching excellence which is being set up to combat this problem, and look at the other challenges that lie ahead

The cross-contamination potential of mobile telephones

The use of mobile devices for professional, business, educational, personal and social purposes has accelerated exponentially over the last decade. Staff working in healthcare organisations, and patients and visitors using healthcare settings, understandably want to use mobile technology. Concerns have been raised about safety in terms of interference with equipment, and threats to privacy and dignity, yet less policy attention has been paid to infection risks. Healthcare professional students were supplied with smartphones as part of a larger educational project. Devices collected from a sub-sample of students working in operating theatre contexts were sampled to estimate the cross-contamination potential of the technology. A longitudinal multiple measures design was used. Under laboratory conditions, samples were taken from surfaces using swabbing techniques followed by contact plating. The devices were subsequently cleaned with 70% isopropyl alcohol and returned to the students. All devices demonstrated microbial contamination and over three quarters (86%) polymicrobial contamination. The technique and sites used to sample for microbial contamination influenced the levels of contamination identified. Swabbing alone was less likely to isolate polymicrobial contamination than contact plating, and some microorganisms were isolated only by contact plates and not by swabbing of the same area. The findings from this study demonstrate further research is urgently needed to inform evidence-based infection control policy on the use of personal equipment such as mobile devices in the healthcare settings where contamination may have adverse effects on patients, staff and visitors

Resource costs for fault-tolerant linear optical quantum computing

Linear optical quantum computing (LOQC) seems attractively simple: information is borne entirely by light and processed by components such as beam splitters, phase shifters and detectors. However this very simplicity leads to limitations, such as the lack of deterministic entangling operations, which are compensated for by using substantial hardware overheads. Here we quantify the resource costs for full scale LOQC by proposing a specific protocol based on the surface code. With the caveat that our protocol can be further optimised, we report that the required number of physical components is at least five orders of magnitude greater than in comparable matter-based systems. Moreover the resource requirements grow higher if the per-component photon loss rate is worse than one in a thousand, or the per-component noise rate is worse than $10^{-5}$. We identify the performance of switches in the network as the single most influential factor influencing resource scaling

An approach to modelling the impact of 14C release from reactor graphite in a geological disposal facility

Carbon-14 (C-14) is a key radionuclide in the assessment of a geological disposal facility (GDF) for radioactive waste. In the UK a significant proportion of the national C-14 inventory is associated with reactor core graphite generated by the decommissioning of the UK’s Magnox and AGR reactors. There are a number of uncertainties associated with the fate and transport of C-14 in a post-closure disposal environment that need to be considered when calculating the radiological impacts of C-14 containing wastes. Some of these uncertainties are associated with the distribution of C-14 containing gaseous species such as 14CH4 and 14CO2 between the groundwater and gaseous release pathways. As part of the C14-BIG programme, a modelling framework has been developed to investigate these uncertainties. This framework consists of a biogeochemical near-field evolution model, incorporating a graphite carbon-14 release model, which interfaces with a geosphere/biosphere model. The model highlights the potential impact of the microbial reduction of 14CO2 to 14CH4, through the oxidation of H2, on C-14 transport. The modelling results could be used to inform the possible segregation of reactor graphite from other gas generating wastes

Draft Whole-Genome Sequence of the Alkaliphilic Alishewanella aestuarii Strain HH-ZS, Isolated from Historical Lime Kiln WasteContaminated Soil

Here, we present the whole-genome sequence of an environmental Gram-negative Alishewanella aestuarii strain (HH-ZS), isolated from the hyperalkaline contaminated soil of a historical lime kiln in Buxton, United Kingdom

Exploring the complexities of understanding vulnerability and adult safeguarding within Christian Faith organisations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from a study exploring the understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding within Christian faith based settings. The article concludes with recommendations for practitioners involved in safeguarding adults in faith based Christian settings. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers a survey (n=3182) into understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding for individuals who attend Church regularly or work in a Christian organisation Findings - This paper is the first to be undertaken with a UK sample and highlights a range of factors informing adult safeguarding practice within Christian organisations. This includes:- complexity linked to understanding vulnerability and its role in safeguarding activity; lack of clarity about what to do with a safeguarding adult concern, and the need for safeguarding training pertinent to the particular needs of faith based settings. Research limitations/implications - As there is currently a dearth of research in this area this paper makes a valuable contribution to the developing knowledge base around safeguarding and vulnerability within faith based organisations. Practical implications - Professionals need to develop increased understanding of the complexities involved in safeguarding activity, and specifically how those working in the wider context of supporting vulnerable adults make sense of safeguarding processes and procedures. Social implications – It is important that all organisations, including faith based settings, working with adults have an understanding of their roles and responsibilities with respect to safeguarding those at risk of harm. Originality - This paper is the first UK study to consider safeguarding adults at risk of harm in Christian faith context

Linear Optical Quantum Computing in a Single Spatial Mode

We present a scheme for linear optical quantum computing using time-bin encoded qubits in a single spatial mode. We show methods for single-qubit operations and heralded controlled phase (CPhase) gates, providing a sufficient set of operations for universal quantum computing with the Knill-Laflamme-Milburn scheme. Our scheme is suited to available photonic devices and ideally allows arbitrary numbers of qubits to be encoded in the same spatial mode, demonstrating the potential for time-frequency modes to dramatically increase the quantum information capacity of fixed spatial resources. As a test of our scheme, we demonstrate the first entirely single spatial mode implementation of a two-qubit quantum gate and show its operation with an average fidelity of 0.84+-0.07.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Updated to be consistent with the published versio