Making it all work: the engineering graduate of the future, a UK perspective

High skills are today seen as being of vital importance to economies, industries, companies and individuals. The engineering industry is no exception and the graduate engineer has a key position in this regard. In the research reported in this paper, the authors use in-depth interviews with industry experts to investigate the provision of undergraduate engineering education in the UK. The current and future skill needs of industry are examined. A typology of future engineering roles and their requisite attributes is proposed. Implications for undergraduate engineering are also discussed.

Bifidobacteria in milk products: An overview of physiological and biochemical properties, exopolysaccharide production, selection criteria of milk products and health benefits

Research and commercial interest in the genus Bifidobacterium have increased in the last decade due to their potential health benefits in probiotic functional foods, especially in dairy products. However, cultivation of bifidobacteria in milk is a difficult task compared with that of conventional starters because milk is not a good medium for growth of these nutritionally fastidious microorganisms. Therefore, suitable strains of Bifidobacterium for dairy products should be selected based on their safety and technological and functional properties. There are a number of milk products containing bifidobacteria in the world market and the demand for new products is increasing with the awareness of the potential health benefits of the consumption of products blended with bifidobacteria. Some strains of Bifidobacterium, which produce exopolysaccharide, have been isolated and characterised. This review will discuss the general characteristics of bifidobacteria, exopolysaccharide production, the selection criteria of bacterial strains for milk products, current applications of bifidobacteria in milk products, and their nutritional and beneficial health properties.

Whole life thinking and engineering the future

Whole-life thinking for engineers working on the built environment has become more important in a fast changing world.Engineers are increasingly concerned with complex systems, in which the parts interact with each other and with the outside world in many ways – the relationships between the parts determine how the system behaves. Systems thinking provides one approach to developing a more robust whole life approach. Systems thinking is a process of understanding how things influence one another within a wider perspective. Complexity, chaos, and risk are endemic in all major projects. New approaches are needed to produce more reliable whole life predictions. Best value, rather than lowest cost can be achieved by using whole-life appraisal as part of the design and delivery strategy.

Investigations into plant biochemical wound-response pathways involved in the production of aphid-induced plant volatiles

Feeding damage to plants by insect herbivores induces the production of plant volatiles, which are attractive to the herbivores natural enemies. Little is understood about the plant biochemical pathways involved in aphid-induced plant volatile production. The aphid parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae can detect and respond to aphid-induced volatiles produced by Arabidopsis thaliana. When given experience of those volatiles, it can learn those cues and can therefore be used as a novel biosensor to detect them. The pathways involved in aphid-induced volatile production were investigated by comparing the responses of D. rapae to volatiles from a number of different transgenic mutants of A. thaliana, mutated in their octadecanoid, ethylene or salicylic acid wound-response pathways and also from wild-type plants. Plants were either undamaged or infested by the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae. It is demonstrated that the octadecanoid pathway and specifically the COI1 gene are required for aphid-induced volatile production. The presence of salicylic acid is also involved in volatile production. Using this model system, in combination with A. thaliana plants with single point gene mutations, has potential for the precise dissection of biochemical pathways involved in the production of aphid-induced volatiles

Engineering the electronic bandgaps and band edge positions in carbon-substituted 2D boron nitride: a first-principles investigation

Modification of graphene to open a robust gap in its electronic spectrum is essential for its use in field effect transistors and photochemistry applications. Inspired by recent experimental success in the preparation of homogeneous alloys of graphene and boron nitride (BN), we consider here engineering the electronic structure and bandgap of C2xB1−xN1−x alloys via both compositional and configurational modification. We start from the BN end-member, which already has a large bandgap, and then show that (a) the bandgap can in principle be reduced to about 2 eV with moderate substitution of C (x < 0.25); and (b) the electronic structure of C2xB1−xN1−x can be further tuned not only with composition x, but also with the configuration adopted by C substituents in the BN matrix. Our analysis, based on accurate screened hybrid functional calculations, provides a clear understanding of the correlation found between the bandgap and the level of aggregation of C atoms: the bandgap decreases most when the C atoms are maximally isolated, and increases with aggregation of C atoms due to the formation of bonding and anti-bonding bands associated with hybridization of occupied and empty defect states. We determine the location of valence and conduction band edges relative to vacuum and discuss the implications on the potential use of 2D C2xB1−xN1−x alloys in photocatalytic applications. Finally, we assess the thermodynamic limitations on the formation of these alloys using a cluster expansion model derived from first-principles.

Anticipatory engineering: anticipation in sensory-motor systems of human

In visual tracking experiments, distributions of the relative phase be-tween target and tracer showed positive relative phase indicating that the tracer precedes the target position. We found a mode transition from the reactive to anticipatory mode. The proposed integrated model provides a framework to understand the antici-patory behaviour of human, focusing on the integration of visual and soma-tosensory information. The time delays in visual processing and somatosensory feedback are explicitly treated in the simultaneous differential equations. The anticipatory behaviour observed in the visual tracking experiments can be ex-plained by the feedforward term of target velocity, internal dynamics, and time delay in somatosensory feedback.

Engineering a plant community to deliver multiple ecosystem services

The sustainable delivery of multiple ecosystem services requires the management of functionally diverse biological communities. In an agricultural context, an emphasis on food production has often led to a loss of biodiversity to the detriment of other ecosystem services such as the maintenance of soil health and pest regulation. In scenarios where multiple species can be grown together, it may be possible to better balance environmental and agronomic services through the targeted selection of companion species. We used the case study of legume-based cover crops to engineer a plant community that delivered the optimal balance of six ecosystem services: early productivity, regrowth following mowing, weed suppression, support of invertebrates, soil fertility building (measured as yield of following crop), and conservation of nutrients in the soil. An experimental species pool of 12 cultivated legume species was screened for a range of functional traits and ecosystem services at five sites across a geographical gradient in the United Kingdom. All possible species combinations were then analyzed, using a process-based model of plant competition, to identify the community that delivered the best balance of services at each site. In our system, low to intermediate levels of species richness (one to four species) that exploited functional contrasts in growth habit and phenology were identified as being optimal. The optimal solution was determined largely by the number of species and functional diversity represented by the starting species pool, emphasizing the importance of the initial selection of species for the screening experiments. The approach of using relationships between functional traits and ecosystem services to design multifunctional biological communities has the potential to inform the design of agricultural systems that better balance agronomic and environmental services and meet the current objective of European agricultural policy to maintain viable food production in the context of the sustainable management of natural resources.

Diffusion of digital innovation in construction: a case study of a UK engineering firm

The UK government is mandating the use of building information modelling (BIM) in large public projects by 2016. As a result, engineering firms are faced with challenges related to embedding new technologies and associated working practices for the digital delivery of major infrastructure projects. Diffusion of innovations theory is used to investigate how digital innovations diffuse across complex firms. A contextualist approach is employed through an in-depth case study of a large, international engineering project-based firm. The analysis of the empirical data, which was collected over a four-year period of close interaction with the firm, reveals parallel paths of diffusion occurring across the firm, where both the innovation and the firm context were continually changing. The diffusion process is traced over three phases: centralization of technology management, standardization of digital working practices, and globalization of digital resources. The findings describe the diffusion of a digital innovation as multiple and partial within a complex social system during times of change and organizational uncertainty, thereby contributing to diffusion of innovations studies in construction by showing a range of activities and dynamics of a non-linear diffusion process.

Production of milk foams by steam injection: the effects of steam pressure and nozzle design

Foam properties depend on the physico-chemical characteristics of the continuous phase, the method of production and process conditions employed; however the preparation of barista-style milk foams in coffee shops by injection of steam uses milk as its main ingredient which limits the control of foam properties by changing the biochemical characteristics of the continuous phase. Therefore, the control of process conditions and nozzle design are the only ways available to produce foams with diverse properties. Milk foams were produced employing different steam pressures (100-280 kPa gauge) and nozzle designs (ejector, plunging-jet and confined-jet nozzles). The foamability of milk, and the stability, bubble size and texture of the foams were investigated. Variations in steam pressure and nozzle design changed the hydrodynamic conditions during foam production, resulting in foams having a range of properties. Steam pressure influenced foam characteristics, although the net effect depended on the nozzle design used. These results suggest that, in addition to the physicochemical determinants of milk, the foam properties can also be controlled by changing the steam pressure and nozzle design.

Railway promotion in Victorian Britain: engineering triumph or waste of capital?

A key issue in UK railway history is whether the railway system was an efficient response to the traffic requirements of the economy. The UK railway system was constructed entirely by private enterprise with minimal state subsidies. This chapter considers whether the railway system was 'over-built' because the government ignored the advice of the Railway Committee of the Board of Trade. The chapter suggests that the system was over-built by about 35 per cent. The causes of this over-building are investigated and are found to be mainly social and political failures arising from distrust between MPs and civil servants and public pressure on local MPs to ensure that their constituencies were well served by railways.

Calcium Hydroxide Promotes Cementogenesis and Induces Cementoblastic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Periodontal Ligament Cells in a CEMP1-and ERK-Dependent Manner

Periodontal tissue engineering is a complex process requiring the regeneration of bone, cementum, and periodontal ligament (PDL). Since cementum regeneration is poorly understood, we used a dog model of dental pulpal necrosis and in vitro cellular wounding and mineralization assays to determine the mechanism of action of calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)(2), in cementogenesis. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) followed by qRT-PCR were used to assay responses of periapical tissues to Ca(OH)(2) treatment. Additionally, viability, proliferation, migration, and mineralization responses of human mesenchymal PDL cells to Ca(OH)(2) were assayed. Finally, biochemical inhibitors and siRNA were used to investigate Ca(OH)(2)-mediated signaling in PDL cell differentiation. In vivo, Ca(OH)(2)-treated teeth formed a neocementum in a STRO-1- and cementum protein-1 (CEMP1)-positive cellular environment. LCM-harvested tissues adjacent to the neocementum exhibited higher mRNA levels for CEMP1, integrin-binding sialoprotein, and Runx2 than central PDL cells. In vitro, Ca(OH)(2) and CEMP1 promoted STRO-1-positive cell proliferation, migration, and wound closure. Ca(OH)(2) stimulated expression of the cementum-specific proteins CEMP1 and PTPLA/CAP in an ERK-dependent manner. Lastly, Ca(OH)(2) stimulated mineralization by CEMP1-positive cells. Blocking CEMP1 and ERK function abolished Ca(OH)(2)-induced mineralization, confirming a role for CEMP1 and ERK in the process. Ca(OH)(2) promotes cementogenesis and recruits STRO-1-positive mesenchymal PDL cells to undergo cementoblastic differentiation and mineralization via a CEMP1- and ERK-dependent pathway.

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) Aqueous Extract Decreases Intestinal SGLT1 Gene Expression but Does Not Affect Other Biochemical Parameters in Alloxan-Diabetic Wistar Rats

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is rich in polyphenols, especially chlorogenic acids. Evidence suggests that dietary polyphenols could play a role in glucose absorption and metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antidiabetic properties of yerba mate extract in alloxan-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Animals (n = 41) were divided in four groups: nondiabetic control (NDC, n = 10), nondiabetic yerba mate (NDY, n = 10), diabetic control (DC, n = 11), and diabetic yerba mate (NDY, n = 10). The intervention consisted in the administration of yerba mate extract in a 1 g extract/kg body weight dose for 28 days; controls received saline solution only. There were no significant differences in serum glucose, insulin, and hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase activity between the groups that ingested yerba mate extract (NDY and DY) and the controls (NDC and DC). However, the intestinal SGLT1 gene expression was significantly lower in animals that received yerba mate both in upper (p = 0.007) and middle (p < 0.001) small intestine. These results indicate that bioactive compounds present in yerba mate might be capable of interfering in glucose absorption, by decreasing SGLT1 expression.