Electromagnetic Actuated Stiring in Microbioreactor Enabling Easier Multiplexing and Flexible Device Design

The development of a novel electromagnetically (EM) actuated stirring method, for use in microbioreactors, is reported. Mixing in microbioreactors is critical to ensure even distribution of nutrients to microorganisms and cells. Magnetically driven stirrer bars or peristaltic mixing are the most commonly utilised mixing methods employed in completely liquid-filled microbioreactors. However the circular reactor shape required for mixing with a stirrer bar and frequently used for peristaltically mixed microbioreactors presents difficulties for bubble-free priming in a microfluidic bioreactor. Moreover the circular shape and the hardware required for both types of mixing reduces the potential packing density of multiplexed reactors. We present a new method of mixing, displaying design flexibility by demonstrating mixing in circular and diamond-shaped reactors and a duplex diamond reactor and fermentation of the gram-positive bacteria S. carnosus in a diamond-shaped microbioreactor system. The results of the optimisation of this mixing method for performing fermentations alongside both batch and continuous culture fermentations are presentedPeer reviewe

The Mitterand Library in context: the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and library provision in France.

On 17 December 1996, President Chirac inaugurated a public reference library situated in the largest, costliest and most debated building erected in Paris in modern times. This building is part of a wider project, launched in 1988 by the late President Mitterrand, to create a library of a 'wholly new conception' which should cover all aspects of knowledge, be accessible to all and be linked electronically to the rest of the European library network. This project subsequently included the modernisation of the Bibliothèque Nationale and became the project of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. This review aims to clarify the purpose of the building in the context of the existing French national library and the pattern of information services in France. The paper reviews the contextual elements before focusing on the building itself. These elements include the concept of national libraries in the modern information environment; an overview of the French library scene; the history of the project highlighting the factors which influenced the planning strategy; the legacy of the old Bibliothèque Nationale as well as the associated programme towards the creation of an online library service. The new building is described from a structural and operational view point and is evaluated in terms of its functionality as a library and in terms of its place in the context of the French national library. The review emphasises that the construction of such a building had a political purpose and suggests that its substantial operating cost combined with the policies of strict austerity imposed by the current French government are likely to jeopardise not only the efficiency of the new library itself, but also the modernisation of French library services

BIVALVE AQUACULTURE AND EXOTIC SPECIES: A REVIEW OF ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Peer-reviewed.Bivalves have been grown and transported for culture for hundreds of years and the introduction of some species outside of their native range for aquaculture has been suggested to be one of the greatest modes of introduction of exotic marine species. However, there has yet to be a thorough assessment of the importance of aquaculture and bivalve culture in particular, to the introduction and spread of exotic species. This paper reviews some of the environmental and ecological implications of the relationship between bivalve aquaculture and the introduction and spread of exotic species, management implications and mitigation strategies. Two broad classes of introductions of exotic species may result from activities associated with bivalve aquaculture. First, the intentional introduction of exotic species into an area for aquaculture purposes, i.e. the ‘‘target’’ species. These are typically foundation or engineering species and may have a considerable influence on receiving ecosystems. Second, the introduction of species that are either associated with introduced bivalves or facilitated by aquaculture activities (i.e. structures or husbandry practices). These may include both ‘‘hitchhiking’’ species (organisms that grow in association with or may be transferred with cultured bivalves) and disease causing organisms.Management options should include the use of risk assessments prior to transfers and quarantines. Various types of mitigation for exotic species have been evaluated but are generally not very successful. Because the risk of exotic species to ecosystems and the bivalve farming industry itself may be great, effort should be directed to better predict and halt introductions of potentially harmful species

The outsourcing of social care in Britain : what does it mean for voluntary sector workers?

While recent decades have witnessed a growth in the outsourcing of public services in Britain, the post-1997 UK Labour governments have sought to put in place mechanisms aimed at encouraging long-term collaborative contracting relationships marked by less reliance on cost-based competition. This article explores empirically how far these mechanisms have achieved their aims and thereby acted to protect the employment conditions of staff, and links this exploration to debates concerning the employment implications of organizational reforms within public sectors internationally. It concludes that in terms of bringing income security to the voluntary sector and stability to employment terms and conditions these efforts have been unsuccessful, and consequently casts doubts on more optimistic interpretations of the employment effects of organizational restructuring in the British public sector

Habitat use of a coastal delphinid population investigated using passive acoustic monitoring

Funding: Marine Scotland Science and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) pooling initiative, and their support is gratefully acknowledged. MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.1. The population of bottlenose dolphins in eastern Scotland has undergone significant range expansion since the 1990s, when a Special Area of Conservation was established for the population. 2. Distribution of this population is well described within areas of its range where intensive work has been carried out, such as the inner Moray Firth, St Andrews Bay and the Tay estuary area. However, elsewhere in their range, habitat use is less well understood. 3. In this study, a large‐scale and long‐term passive acoustic array was used to gain a better understanding of bottlenose dolphin habitat use in eastern Scottish waters, complementing and augmenting existing visual surveys. 4. Data from the array were analysed using a three‐stage approach. First, acoustic occupancy results were reported; second, temporal trends were modelled; and third, a spatial–temporal‐habitat model of acoustic occupancy was created. 5. Results from the acoustic occupancy are in agreement with visual studies that found that areas near known foraging locations were consistently occupied. Results from the temporal trend analysis were inconclusive. Habitat modelling showed that, throughout their range, bottlenose dolphins are most likely to be detected closer to shore, and at a constant distance from shore, in deeper water.PostprintPeer reviewe

‘Fit for surgery’:the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and postoperative outcomes

NEW FINDINGS: What is the topic of this review? The relationships and physiological mechanisms underlying the clinical benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in patients undergoing major intra‐abdominal surgery. What advances does it highlight? Elevated CRF reduces postoperative morbidity/mortality, thus highlighting the importance of CRF as an independent risk factor. The vascular protection afforded by exercise prehabilitation can further improve surgical risk stratification and postoperative outcomes. ABSTRACT: Surgery accounts for 7.7% of all deaths globally and the number of procedures is increasing annually. A patient's ‘fitness for surgery’ describes the ability to tolerate a physiological insult, fundamental to risk assessment and care planning. We have evolved as obligate aerobes that rely on oxygen (O(2)). Systemic O(2) consumption can be measured via cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) providing objective metrics of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Impaired CRF is an independent risk factor for mortality and morbidity. The perioperative period is associated with increased O(2) demand, which if not met leads to O(2) deficit, the magnitude and duration of which dictates organ failure and ultimately death. CRF is by far the greatest modifiable risk factor, and optimal exercise interventions are currently under investigation in patient prehabilitation programmes. However, current practice demonstrates potential for up to 60% of patients, who undergo preoperative CPET, to have their fitness incorrectly stratified. To optimise this work we must improve the detection of CRF and reduce potential for interpretive error that may misinform risk classification and subsequent patient care, better quantify risk by expressing the power of CRF to predict mortality and morbidity compared to traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and improve patient interventions with the capacity to further enhance vascular adaptation. Thus, a better understanding of CRF, used to determine fitness for surgery, will enable both clinicians and exercise physiologists to further refine patient care and management to improve survival

Compressing computer programs

This paper describes a scheme for compressing programs written in a particular programming language—which can be any language that has a formal lexical and syntactic description—in such a way that they can be reproduced exactly. Only syntactically correct programs can be compressed. The scheme is illustrated on the Pascal language, and compression results are given for a corpus of Pascal programs; but it is by no means restricted to Pascal. In fact, we discuss how a "compressor-generator" program can be constructed that creates a compressor automatically from a formal specification of a programming language, in much the same way as a parser generator creates a syntactic parser from a formal language description