Inactivation of murine norovirus on a range of copper alloy surfaces is accompanied by loss of capsid integrity

Norovirus is one of the most common causes of acute viral gastroenteritis. The virus is spread via the fecal-oral route, most commonly from infected food and water, but several outbreaks have originated from contamination of surfaces with infectious virus. In this study, a close surrogate of human norovirus causing gastrointestinal disease in mice, murine norovirus type 1 (MNV-1), retained infectivity for more than 2 weeks following contact with a range of surface materials, including Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ceramic tiles, glass, silicone rubber, and stainless steel. Persistence was slightly prolonged on ceramic surfaces. A previous study in our laboratory observed that dry copper and copper alloy surfaces rapidly inactivated MNV-1 and destroyed the viral genome. In this new study, we have observed that a relatively small change in the percentage of copper, between 70 and 80% in copper nickels and 60 and 70% in brasses, had a significant influence on the ability of the alloy to inactivate norovirus. Nickel alone did not affect virus, but zinc did have some antiviral effect, which was synergistic with copper and resulted in an increased efficacy of brasses with lower percentages of copper. Electron microscopy of purified MNV-1 that had been exposed to copper and stainless steel surfaces suggested that a massive breakdown of the viral capsid had occurred on copper. In addition, MNV-1 that had been exposed to copper and treated with RNase demonstrated a reduction in viral gene copy number. This suggests that capsid integrity is compromised upon contact with copper, allowing copper ion access to the viral genome

Feasibility of Representing Selected Elements of The 1985 Building Regulations in Prolog or other Rule-Based Form

This dissertation examines the proposition that there is a consistent and repeatable internal structure within regulations. This is demonstrated to be the case for regulations which make up The Building Regulations 985, which is used to illustrate many of the arguments discussed. The outcome of the research is the representation of a series of example regulations to reveal the nature of their internal structure. The form that the internal structure takes is embodied in a series of linked data structures known as 'frames' using the Prolog computer language. Evidence for the existence of an internal structure is based upon data obtained from analysis of one year's Appeals and Determinations in a report taken from a series published from time to time by the Institute of Building Control.Theories about the nature of prescriptive rules are discussed to introduce the subject of regulations which are described in the light of relevant legal theories about rules in general. To clarify the issues involved a systems model is proposed to provide an overview of the building regulations process. The history of regulatory control of building construction in this country is described as a prelude to considering the nature of disputes and the type of information they can yield to support the thesis. Research into the application of Artificial Intelligence techniques for processing legal statements is reviewed to establish how such experiments relate to the concept of internal structure in regulations. The appraisal identifies a number of representational problems that restrict presentation of the internal structure. The dissertation is supported by worked examples of regulations that have been analysed and by output from a sample analysis session

Barscale morphodynamics through the tidal-fluvial transition

A complex transitional zone within river-estuary systems exists between fully-fluvial and fully-tidal conditions. This zone varies both spatially and temporally across a range of scales. The resultant sedimentary transport and depositional characteristics are, at present, poorly understood and a robust model that links processes to products across this complex zone is presently lacking.Process-product relationships were investigated in two distinctive tidal-fluvial systems: the high fluvial flux mesotidal Columbia River estuary (USA), and the smaller fluvial flux macrotidal River Severn (UK). Spatially and temporally distributed three-dimensional flow and bed morphology data within the two transitions were coupled to sub-surface geophysical and core information.High resolution bathymetric measurements collected within the Columbia River estuary transition zone allowed investigation of the variations in bedform and bar morphology. The dominant fluvial flow steers asymmetrical bedforms around local barforms, decreasing in size with increasing tidal influence. Barforms commonly have an apparently tidally-influenced lobate planform, however, investigations around a single bar indicated a fluvial origin, with tidal modification restricted to smaller-scale bedforms. Deposition within the River Severn appears fluvial, but the presence of a large tidal bore and strong flood tide is shown to hinder larger scale meander bend migration processes, also resulting in characteristic soft sediment deformation within bar deposits. The deformation may be important for palaeogeographical system reconstruction as tidal bores only form under limited conditions.Investigations within these two very different systems reveal that both are fluvially-dominated, but with some tidal influence. Although the barforms and surrounding bedforms appear to be fluvial they contain important, although subtle, evidence of the tidal nature of the system. This may be spatially limited and could be hard to detect in both cores and/or geophysical measurements. Careful analysis of the smaller-scale features of ancient lowland fluvial systems is required to observe evidence of this subtle tidal influence.[Thesis includes co-authored articles from Journal of hydraulic research, 2015, v.53, issue 3: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00221686.2015.1021717http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2015.1021717 and Earth surface processes and landforms, 2015, v.40 , issue 12: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/esp.3735/abstracthttp://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.3735

PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTS AND DENTAL HYGIENISTS EXPRESS AN INTEREST IN CONTINUING EDUCATION

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66048/1/j.1752-7325.1970.tb00545.x.pd

A novel receive-only liquid nitrogen (LN2)-cooled RF coil for high-resolution in vivo imaging on a 3-Tesla whole-body scanner

The design and operation of a receive-only liquid nitrogen (LN2)-cooled coil and cryostat suitable for medical imaging on a 3-T whole-body magnetic resonance scanner is presented. The coil size, optimized for murine imaging, was determined by using electromagnetic (EM) simulations. This process is therefore easier and more cost effective than building a range of coils. A nonmagnetic cryostat suitable for small-animal imaging was developed having good vacuum and cryogenic temperature performance. The LN2-cooled probe had an active detuning circuit allowing the use with the scanner's built-in body coil. External tuning and matching was adopted to allow for changes to the coil due to temperature and loading. The performance of the probe was evaluated by comparison of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with the same radio-frequency RF) coil operating at room temperature (RT). The performance of the RF coil at RT was also benchmarked against a commercial surface coil with a similar dimension to ensure a fair SNR comparison. The cryogenic coil achieved a 1.6- to twofold SNR gain for several different medical imaging applications: For mouse-brain imaging, a 100-mu m resolution was achieved in an imaging time of 3.5 min with an SNR of 25-40, revealing fine anatomical details unseen at lower resolutions for the same time. For heavier loading conditions, such as imaging of the hind legs and liver, the SNR enhancement was slightly reduced to 1.6-fold. The observed SNR was in good agreement with the expected SNR gain correlated with the loaded-quality factor of RF coils from the EM simulations. With the aid of this end-user-friendly and economically attractive cryogenic RF coil, the enhanced SNR available can be used to improve resolution or reduce the duration of individual scans in a number of biomedical applications

New insights into the antimicrobial mechanisms of copper touch surfaces

Survival of pathogens on touch surfaces contributes to increasing incidence and spread of antibiotic resistance and infection in hospitals. One way to address this could be to use biocidal surfaces in conjunction with improved cleaning regimes. Exposure to moist copper alloy surfaces, to simulate fomite contamination, resulted in a rapid kill of significant bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. We now report studies on dry surfaces with a range of pathogens to elucidate the antimicrobial mechanism

A study of two frameworks for supporting the personal development of school leaders: Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH)

This thesis is a study of two training courses and their role in supporting the personal development of school leaders. It compares a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner course with the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH). Key drivers for school improvement are the quality and style of the leadership and management of the school (OFSTED reports1993-2008). Furthermore, the most recent development in the literature on leadership (Begley, 2008; Hargreaves, 2008; Boyatzis and McKee, 2005; Looman, 2003) suggests that there is a need for leaders to demonstrate the skills of knowing one’s own feelings and how one might react to events with the ability to understand and recognise emotions in others which are key features of emotional intelligence or inter and intra personal intelligences. Leadership development courses should therefore contain elements which would support the acquisition of these skills. NPQH (the National Professional Qualification for Headship) was the mandatory training for prospective head teachers until 2012. The research involves in-depth interviews with five leaders in education who have undertaken a full NLP practitioner programme and compares their responses to five leaders who have undertaken the NPQH leadership programme. The interview questions were designed to draw out examples of any changes in the self in both behaviours and perspective as an individual and as a leader, using Transformational Learning as a lens to understand the data. The selection of the ten individuals was based upon purposive sampling with individuals selected because they met a particular criterion; they are leaders in education who have either completed an NLP practitioner course in the past three years or have completed the required NPQH qualification. The structure and content of both courses were also analysed and compared. The critical review of literature highlights issues surrounding the research basis for claims about NLP, and the data collection and analysis identifies differences between the two cohorts of leaders. This analysis in turn raises questions about the content and structure of leadership training courses and makes recommendations for the future development of NPQH leadership training. The thesis also suggests ways in which the NLP community could demonstrate the effectiveness of NLP with greater rigour and suggests links between content in the training courses and the development of critical self-reflection through the use of reflective journaling

Unsteady turbulence in a tidal bore: field measurements in the Garonne River in October 2013

A tidal bore is an unsteady rapidly-varied free-surface flow generated by the rapid rise in water elevation during the early flood tide, when the tidal range exceeds 4.5 to 6 m and the channel bathymetry amplifies the flood tidal wave. This study describes a detailed field investigation conducted in the Garonne River (France). The tidal bore was undular on 19 October 2013 and the bore front was followed by some well-defined whelps. The instantaneous velocity data indicated large and rapid fluctuations of all velocity components during the tidal bore. Large Reynolds shear stresses were observed during and after the tidal bore passage. Altogether the investigation characterised some unusual turbulence transient in a large river system