Media(ted) fabrications: How the science-media symbiosis helped ‘sell’ cord banking

This paper considers the problematic role of the science–media symbiosis in the dissemination of misleading and emotionally manipulative information regarding services offered by CordBank, New Zealand's only umbilical cord blood banking facility. As this case study illustrates, the growing reliance of health and science reporters on the knowledge capital of medical specialists, biogenetic researchers, and scientists potentially enhances the ability of ‘expert’ sources to set the agenda for media representations of emerging medical and scientific developments, and may undermine the editorial independence of journalists and editors, many of whom in this case failed to critically evaluate deeply problematic claims regarding the current and future benefits of cord banking. Heavy reliance on established media frames of anecdotal personalization and technoboosterism also reinforced a proscience journalistic culture in which claims by key sources were uncritically reiterated and amplified, with journalistic assessments of the value of cord banking emphasizing potential benefits for individual consumers. It is argued that use of these media frames potentially detracts from due consideration of the broader social, ethical, legal, and health implications of emerging biomedical developments, along with the professional, personal, and increasingly also financial interests at stake in their public promotion, given the growing commercialization of biogenetic technologies

Investigating the intrinsic noise limit of Dayem bridge NanoSQUIDs

NanoSQUIDs made from Nb thin films have been produced with nanometre loop sizes down to 200 nm, using weak-link junctions with dimensions less than 60 nm. These composite (W/Nb) single layer thin film devices, patterned by FIB milling, show extremely good low-noise performance ∼170 nΦ0 at temperatures between 5 and 8.5 K and can operate in rather high magnetic fields (at least up to 1 T). The devices produced so far have a limited operating temperature range, typically only 1–2 K. We have the goal of achieving operation at 4.2 K, to be compatible with the best SQUID series array (SSA) preamplifier available. Using the SSA to readout the nanoSQUIDs provides us with a means of investigating the intrinsic noise of the former. In this paper we report improved white noise levels of these nanoSQUIDs, enabling potential detection of a single electronic spin flip in a 1-Hz bandwidth. At low frequencies the noise performance is already limited by SSA preamplifier noise

Proton configurations in the hydrogen bonds of KH2PO4 as seen by resonant x-ray diffraction

KH2PO4 (KDP) belongs to the class of hydrogen-bonded ferroelectrics, whose paraelectric to ferroelectric phase transition is driven by the ordering of the protons in the hydrogen bonds. We demonstrate that forbidden reflections of KDP, when measured at an x-ray absorption edge, are highly sensitive to the asymmetry of proton configurations. The change of average symmetry caused by the "freezing" of the protons during the phase transition is clearly evidenced. In the paraelectric phase, we identify in the resonant spectra of the forbidden reflections a contribution related to the transient proton configurations in the hydrogen bonds, which violates the high average symmetry of the sites of the resonant atoms. The analysis of the temperature dependence reveals a change of relative probabilities of the different proton configurations. They follow the Arrhenius law, and the activation energies of polar and Slater configurations are 18.6 and 7.3 meV, respectively

Study of the single body yawed-wing aircraft concept

Areas relating to the development and improvement of the single-fuselage, yawed-wing transonic transport concept were investigated. These included: (1) developing an alternate configuration with a simplified engine installation;(2) determining a structural design speed placard that would allow the engine-airframe match for optimum airplane performance; and (3) conducting an aeroelastic stability and control analysis of the yawed-wing configuration with a flexible wing. A two-engine, single-fuselage, yawed-wing configuration was developed that achieved the Mach 1.2 design mission at 5560 km (3000 nmi) and payload of 18,140 kg (40,000 lb) with a gross weight of 217,700 kg (480,000 lb). This airplane was slightly heavier than the aft-integrated four-engine configuration that had been developed in a previous study. A modified structural design speed placard, which was determined, resulted in a 6% to 8% reduction in the gross weight of the yawed-wing configurations. The dynamic stability characteristics of the single-fuselage yawed-wing configuration were found to be very dependent on the magnitude of the pitch/roll coupling, the static longitudinal stability, and the dihedral effect

Plasma Dynamics

Contains research objectives and reports on two research projects

Designing avionics for lasers & optoelectronics

Unlike imagery-based Earth observation (EO) which has become very widely and cheaply available, gravity sensing EO has not yet emerged from its fundamental science roots. The challenge therefore is to develop gravity sensing instruments that can replicate the success of widespread imagery based EO. There are three main gravity sensing mechanisms under investigation: laser ranging (e.g., GRACE-FO [1]); atom interferometers, which measure gravitation perturbations to the wavefunctions of individual atoms; and ‘relativistic geodesy’ which uses atomic clocks to measure the gravitational curvature of spacetime. All three of these measurement systems use stabilised lasers as their main enabling technology. However traditional laboratory laser systems struggle to meet the robustness, reliability, or low size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements for use in space. A demonstrator was build that adapted telecommunications industry COTS components, and software radio FPGA/DSP techniques, to develop a new all-fibre space-qualified stabilised laser systems for geodesy that have equivalent performance to laboratory systems. This instrument was used to develop a 780 nm laser system that is stabilised to the Rubidium D2 line - the stabilised laser most commonly required by the quantum and atomic sensing field achieving sufficiently high laser performance for the laser system to be immediately useful for quantum applications (stability: 1-10 kHz, accuracy: 1 MHz); and in an ultra-compact package that has the potential to be used in space (1 litre, 0.5 kg, 10 W) [2]. This paper reports on the current student work that advances the instrument further towards a flight payload – and key avionics design considerations for future researchers. This takes lessons learnt from the ESA ESEO software radio payload in utilising ECSS design practices [3] to fabricate a robust and modular avionics back-end board that can operate with numerous front-end laser or opto-electronics configurations for different quantum applications. The new board consists of a single PCB containing circuitry for TT&C reporting of power supply and voltage conditioning, the current and temperature electronics needed to control a diode laser on orbit, interfaces for photo detectors and opto-electronics, and a high-speed analogue- to-digital conversion network centred around a FPGA. As an example, digital signal processing performed frequency-modulated spectroscopy on a warm Rubidium vapour using an all-fibre optical arrangement

Mixed culture of commensal bacteria reduces E. coli in nursery pigs

The purpose of the present study was to use field trials to evaluate the efficacy of a porcine-derived, defined culture (RPCF) of commensal bacteria for prevention of clinical disease from enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli in weaned pigs. Neonates (\u3c 24 h old) were orally administered RPCF and were monitored throughout the post-weaning nursery period on five geographically separated farms. The farms had a history of high mortality from F-18 strains of E. coli. RPCF-treated pigs had reduced mortality, morbidity, and medication costs from E. coli compared to untreated pigs. Although experimental, RPCF may become an effective control procedure for enterotoxigenic E. coli

Effect of bismuth citrate, lactose, and organic acid on necrotic enteritis in broilers

Clostridium perfringens-associated ne- crotic enteritis causes significant economic losses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of bismuth citrate, lactose, and organic acid on the devel- opment of necrotic enteritis in broilers. The first study was a dose response that evaluated bismuth citrate at 50, 100, or 200 ppm on bacterial intestinal coloniza- tion and lesion development associated with our C. perfringens challenge model. The second study evalu- ated bismuth citrate, lactose, and citric acid on intes- tinal pH and lesion development. For the third study, we determined if lactose would enhance the efficacy of bismuth citrate against intestinal colonization and lesion development associated with C. perfringens. In study 1, intestinal lesion scores at the 50, 100, and 200 ppm bismuth citrate treatment level were reduced (P ≤ 0.05) when compared with the birds fed 0 ppm bismuth citrate. Intestinal C. perfringens colonization of the 100 and 200 ppm bismuth citrate treatment group was sig- nificantly reduced when compared with birds fed 0 ppm bismuth citrate. In study 2, we found no significant differences in lesion development, after C. perfringens challenge, between birds fed 100 ppm bismuth citrate or fed a combination of 100 ppm bismuth citrate with dietary lactose or citric acid relative to the controls. The intestinal pH of birds fed 100 ppm bismuth cit- rate or fed a combination of 100 ppm bismuth citrate with dietary lactose or citric acid was not significantly reduced when compared with the controls. However, a significant reduction in pH was observed in birds fed a combination of 100 ppm bismuth citrate and lactose relative to the negative controls. In study 3, a decrease (P ≤ 0.05) in intestinal lesion scores occurred in birds fed lactose with 100 ppm bismuth citrate, compared with the positive controls. There were no significant differences in intestinal bacterial colonization. These preliminary data suggest that bismuth citrate may re- duce intestinal lesion development and C. perfringens colonization in broilers infected with necrotic enteritis