Measurement of bioprocess containment by quantitative polymerase chain reaction

This thesis describes the development and application of a method for the measurement of the release of genetically modified micro-organisms from large scale bioprocesses. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for two E. coli K-12 strains have been shown to be specific for the target strain and have sufficiently low limits of detection (less than 50 cells per PCR) for monitoring of bioprocess release. A quantitative PCR assay, using a competitive internal standard, for one E. coli strain allows measurement of the concentration of the bacteria over a range of up to 6 orders of magnitude with a measurement error of ±0.11 logs. This method has been applied to samples taken from an Aerojet General Cyclone air sampling device allowing the determination of the number of whole cells of the target organism in a sampled aerosol. Using this method, good correlation has been observed between the number of cells released by atomisation into a fixed, contained volume and the number of cells captured and enumerated. Aspects of large scale fermentation, homogenisation and centrifugation unit operations have been studied to determine the effectiveness of their containment. Airborne release of process micro-organisms has been detected in some instances, but the scale of the release was generally found to be small considering the total biomass involved in the bioprocess. Implications of the methodology and the findings from model and case studies on current engineering practice and bioprocess risk assessment are discussed. Areas for further improvement of the method and applications outside of bioprocess containment validation are identified

Subterranean glacial spillways: an example from the karst of South Wales, UK

Many karst areas in the UK have been glaciated one or more times during the last 0.5 Ma, yet there are few documented examples of caves in these regions being affected by glacial processes other than erosion. The karst of South Wales is one area where sub or pro-glacial modification of pre-existing caves is thought to occur. Evidence from the Ogof Draenen cave system suggests that caves can sometimes act as subterranean glacial ‘underspill’ channels for melt-water. This cave, one of the longest in Britain with a surveyed length of over 70 km, underlies the interfluve between two glaciated valleys. Sediment fills and speleo-morphological observations indicate that melt-water from a high level glacier in the Afon Lwyd valley (>340m asl) filled part of the cave and over-spilled into the neighbouring Usk valley, temporarily reversing non-glacial groundwater flow directions in the cave. It is suggested that this may have occurred during a Middle Pleistocene glaciation

Community Change within a Caribbean Coral Reef Marine Protected Area following Two Decades of Local Management

Structural change in both the habitat and reef-associated fish assemblages within spatially managed coral reefs can provide key insights into the benefits and limitations of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). While MPA zoning effects on particular target species are well reported, we are yet to fully resolve the various affects of spatial management on the structure of coral reef communities over decadal time scales. Here, we document mixed affects of MPA zoning on fish density, biomass and species richness over the 21 years since establishment of the Saba Marine Park (SMP). Although we found significantly greater biomass and species richness of reef-associated fishes within shallow habitats (5 meters depth) closed to fishing, this did not hold for deeper (15 m) habitats, and there was a widespread decline (38% decrease) in live hard coral cover and a 68% loss of carnivorous reef fishes across all zones of the SMP from the 1990s to 2008. Given the importance of live coral for the maintenance and replenishment of reef fishes, and the likely role of chronic disturbance in driving coral decline across the region, we explore how local spatial management can help protect coral reef ecosystems within the context of large-scale environmental pressures and disturbances outside the purview of local MPA management.Funding was provided by the Saba Conservation Foundation ((SCF), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, The Australian National University and Australian Research Council. The funders had no role in study design and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Staff of the SCF were involved in data collection

Universe of Teleological Illth: A Critique of StarCraft 2

This paper critically examines the computer game StarCraft 2, and argues that the game serves as a model of teleological illth. The StarCraft 2 universe leaves no room for peace, cultural development, or alternative horizons of being because the intentional industrialized production of destruction (i.e. teleological illth) creates a kind of logical insanity where total war is at least validated if not indispensable. These limited horizons inform the player-reader of the game about the universe of StarCraft 2 and act as an implicit apologist for this worldview. By way of considering the buildings, upgrades and units as teleological illth and reading the ways in which the StarCraft 2 universe demands illth to sustain, this paper critically examines the validation and cultivation of illth as a problematic horizon of meaning. Through this critical reading of StarCraft 2, the authors offer a framework for critique which naturally extends to most of the Real-Time Strategy genre and most war games generally

A new chronology for crannogs in north-east Scotland

This article presents the results of a programme of investigation which aimed to construct a more detailed understanding of the character and chronology of crannog occupation in north-east Scotland, targeting a series of sites across the region. The emerging pattern revealed through targeted fieldwork in the region shows broad similarities to the existing corpus of data from crannogs in other parts of the country. Crannogs in north-east Scotland now show evidence for origins in the Iron Age. Further radiocarbon evidence has emerged from crannogs in the region revealing occupation during the 9th–10th centuries ad, a period for which there is little other settlement evidence in the area. Additionally, excavated contexts dated to the 11th–12th centuries and historic records suggest that the tradition of crannog dwelling continued into the later medieval period. The recent programme of fieldwork and dating provides a more robust foundation for further work in the region and can help address questions concerning the adoption of the practice of artificial island dwelling across Scotland through time