This project aims to devise and implement a new tool for the sustainable management of cultural heritage. The RES.CO.PART tool will promote the efficient involvement of communities as stakeholders in decision-making processes for the management of cultural heritage in landscape. It will combine interdisciplinary methods of spatial analysis (especially Geographic Information System (GIS) based Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC)) in a new way with research practices from cultural anthropology. The tool will help bridge the gap between theoretical appreciations of cultural heritage and the management practices that are actually applied on site. The tool will be developed through practical case-studies in two contrasting communities, Naxos in the Aegean Sea (Greece) and part of the East Devon ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB) (UK). To implement this project, Dr Stelios Lekakis will move from Greece to Newcastle University in the UK, undertaking systematic training in GIS-related methodologies and especially the HLC tool, along with related skills in the visualisation of results for the public. The project results will be disseminated through a specifically designed open platform. To create this, he will also be trained in the process of building a digital, open-access tool for the collection and communication of relevant data by interested stakeholders.

Mathematical modelling has played a central role in understanding the fundamental characteristics and behaviour of ecological systems for over a century. In microbial systems, modelling has attempted to reveal the dynamics and interactions of simple co-cultures of organisms in chemostats through to more complex systems with highly diverse functionality. In real-world processes, such as engineered biological systems, EBS, (activated sludge, anaerobic digestion), the former models are incomplete for characterisation of the functional microbial diversity, whereas the latter models are intractable to mathematical analysis, rendering them as inadequate. The Fellowship will investigate the suitability of current mechanistic approaches to modelling for EBS using chemostat theory, but also exploring the analysis of higher dimensional models. The fellow will undertake their outgoing phase at McMaster University to develop their skills in dynamical system theory, applied to real-world systems and observed microbial ecological behaviour in various forms. This will include the use of both analytical and numerical methods to understand system stability and the detection of emergent properties. Recent advances in the understanding of the limits of classical Monod-type growth functions has given rise to new approaches including stochastic and diffusion-based models. However, mathematical investigation of these alternative concepts is not yet fully realised. The fellow will bridge the gap between microbial ecological theory, modelling and mathematical theory to understand the practical possibilities and predictive capabilities that can be exposed when rigorous analysis is achieved. As part of the return phase, he will spend a period at INRA, France, to investigate the validation and application of the models to real systems. This will be continued at Newcastle University, where dissemination of the outputs, including a dedicated software tool will be also be carried out.

All pregnant women are offered scans at 12 and 20 weeks of pregnancy to confirm the dates and detect fetal abnormalities, many of which are due to chromosome imbalances (i.e. gains or losses of part or all of a chromosome). Babies with chromosomal abnormalities have complex problems, often associated with developmental disability. Parents faced with this knowledge have to make difficult choices; some opt not to continue the pregnancy. Testing for chromosome problems involves an 'invasive' procedure (e.g. amniocentesis) which can sometimes cause a miscarriage. Major chromosomal abnormalities (e.g. Down's syndrome) can be detected using a technique called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). Smaller and less common imbalances require the baby's cells to be grown and examined. This procedure (karyotyping) is slow, labour intensive and only detects large imbalances that can be seen down the microscope. Array comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) is a new molecular test that can rapidly detect smaller (sub-microscopic) imbalances. When used in children with undiagnosed developmental disability it has detected imbalances (not detected by karyotyping) in 10% of cases. There is very little experience of using aCGH on fetal samples but small studies suggest it may detect 5-10% more imbalances than karyotyping. However, performing and interpreting array CGH is complex as not all imbalances cause problems - some are inherited from a parent and others appear not to have any adverse effect, so more tests are needed to understand the significance of a newly detected imbalance. We now know that the baby’s genetic material (DNA) is present in the mother’s blood and research has shown that this DNA can be used to diagnose Down’s syndrome. This means that we may be able to detect babies with this condition non-invasively by taking a sample of the mother’s blood, thereby avoiding the miscarriage risk associated with invasive testing (NIPD). This study will recruit 1500 fetuses being karyotyped because of an abnormality detected on a scan. NIPD will be performed using the mother’s blood sample. Arrays will be performed on villi and amniotic fluid cells in 6 genetics laboratories using agreed guidelines. In addition to the standard karyotype information, clinicians/parents will be informed of imbalances detected by aCGH where the significance is known (based on similar cases reported in the medical literature). We need costs for the arrays and the scientists to perform them. NHS costs are requested for midwives to recruit parents. In addition, we will find out what parents, health professionals and commissioners think of the new technology. We will make recommendations as to whether array CGH should replace fetal karyotyping.

My friend Thomas is an artist but whenever we look at the same things he illuminates an important problem in neuroscience. He sees things differently from me. In bland walls he sees the plaster’s structure nicely contrasting the weathered chromium green of a nearby car. Thus, his pictures of boring environments make great paintings. Thomas’ exceptional visual abilities have been honed by years of training and practice as an artist. But those abilities must be supported by real differences in his brain. Where do these differences reside? How do they come about? And what are they? To become better at ‘seeing things’ and at discrimination tasks is referred to as perceptual learning. The mechanisms that mediate perceptual learning and the locations in the brain are still poorly understood. We will investigate (1) where in the brain perceptual learning occurs, and whether there a hierarchy of perceptual learning? (2) How does attention influence perceptual learning? (3) Which brain chemicals mediate perceptual learning? Answers to these questions will improve our understanding of learning in general and may pave the way to better regeneration of brain function following brain injury and better therapy for learning disorders.