The use of in vivo microscopic imaging is widespread for fundamental research using animal models in biomedicine, for drug discovery and tracking disease progression. Deep-tissue imaging is, however, highly invasive and so termination of the animal normally occurs after each measurement. For experiments involving testing with multiple timepoints, for example for studying disease progression or cell migration, termination of an animal for each timepoint can require the use of a large number of animals to achieve a reliable research outcome. Furthermore this provides only snapshots of phenomena, hampering understanding of cell fate and function. We will develop a multi-modal, miniaturised microscope and develop techniques for surgically implanting the microscope into an animal for multimodal microscopic imaging over extended time periods. The microscope will be sufficiently small and configured to be minimally intrusive for animal comfort. For example the microscope objective will be anchored with cement to vertebrae or bones around joints and optical image guides will transmit images to detector arrays that can be remotely located within body cavities with minimal or no discomfort to the animal. The microscope can be recovered at the end of the study. The research project will provide the following advantages that align with the aims of NC3Rs: -For longitudinal studies there will be a clear proportionate reduction in the number of animals sacrificed. -The improved control provided by the use of only a single animal for each longitudinal measurement will enable reliable research outcomes to be achieved with fewer animals. -Real-time imaging during normal animal behaviour will provide for improved quality of data for certain experiments and will reduce the animal stress associated with anaesthesia. Taking these two first aspects into account we aim to reduce the number of animals used by a factor of ten for longitudinal studies in each of three active research programmes involving spectral imaging and fluorescence imaging of the spinal cord and of joint tissue.

The Water Industry Act, the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations and the Private Water Supplies Regulations place a duty on water companies to supply water that is wholesome at the time and point of supply. It is a criminal offence to supply water that is unfit for human consumption. Wholesomeness is defined by reference to prescribed concentrations assigned to various microbiological, chemical and physical parameters. Prescribed concentrations or values for microbiological parameters rely on indicator organisms, such as coliform bacteria, E. coli and colony counts. In addition to meeting standards, water must not contain any micro-organism or parasite at a concentration which would constitute a potential danger to human health. To help safeguard quality of water supply, there is an urgent national and international need to provide novel real-time water quality assessment tools and techniques. It is proposed here that an innovative solution to this issue is to exploit the fluorescence characteristics of drinking water through the development of novel instrumentation. All water fluoresces; however most of the fluorescence is emitted in the ultraviolet, so it is invisible to the human eye. However, off-the-shelf equipment can detect this fluorescence. Previous work has identified relationships between fluorescence and river (i.e. raw) water quality. Specifically, it has been shown that fluorescence emitted at 340-370 nm under excitation at 220-240nm or 270-280nm (tryptophan-like fluorescence) is indicative of microbial activity, whilst fluorescence emitted at 400-480nm under excitation at 300-360nm (fulvic-like fluorescence) is indicative of the presence of organic carbon. The sensitivity of fluorescence spectroscopy to microbial material presents the opportunity to effect a major step change in water quality assessment techniques, moving beyond the dated and limited use of indicator organisms, to enhance security of supply to customers. This project focuses on the design, rigorous testing (progressing from bench top to field prototype) and implementation of the first all-LED dual peak potable water quality assessment tool for deployment within water distribution systems. This would represent a significant advance in the real-time assessment of water quality and proactive management of potable water distribution systems.The potential application and benefits of the impacts from this research are significant. The project's deliverables will have a direct impact upon:1. the nation's health (through its improvements to network supply and management of safe water resources) and2. the nation's wealth through cost savings achieved through optimisation of sampling and analysis of networks and an anticipated reduction in analysis costs compared to current approaches.The beneficiaries of these impacts are diverse and include:1. the general public,2. the commercial private sector (e.g. instrument manufacturers and private water companies),3. regulators (e.g. in the UK the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate),4. legislators and planners, 5. UK-based and international academics.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Although continuous crystallisation provides significant benefits to innovative manufacture, the key challenge of real time, robust monitoring of quantitative attributes (form, shape, size) of particulate products still remains a massive challenge. While particle attributes are crucial for downstream processing of products, no current solution allows the processing of data from in-line sensors to reliably extract these attributes in real time across multiple manufacturing steps and the subsequent use of this knowledge for IDS and control of processes. The development of solutions for the sector requires expertise across many technologies driven by end user requirements. Industrial co-creators will provide the requirements, the range of expertise within the applicants ensuring that the goals of the programme are met. The grant will enable the establishment of a process test-bed which as the project matures, will be made available to a range of national and international user and application communities. This activity will support the creation of a requirement and technology roadmap, in so doing informing both the research and commercial communities on future opportunities. The project will also yield the following added value to the community: - the cross-disciplinary nature of the project and participating teams will stimulate new solutions and promote creativity through sharing best practice in executing research from different perspectives - the PDRAs will be applying their know-how to joint development tasks, allowing them to gain comprehensive knowledge and expertise across a range of field and in so doing provide trained, talented engineers that will fuel the deployment of these innovative solutions - the project addresses the integration of a number of distinct architectural layers to transform a physical infrastructure into a flexible platform which supports a range of applications whilst accessible to users

The EPSRC Collaborative Doctoral Training Centre in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology (CDT SEAHA) will create a sustainable world-leading training hub producing leaders in the cutting-edge domains of measurement and sensing, materials characterisation, interaction technologies, digital technologies and new ventures. The graduates from the programs will not only create new scientific and engineering knowledge and fill skills gaps in these domains but have a deep understanding of the ethical, practical, economic and social imperatives of the deployment of this knowledge in the arts, Heritage and Archaeological sectors. University College London, University of Oxford and University of Brighton will work as a team bringing together highly complementary supervisory capacities in order to fill the skills gap in the cycle of data creation, data to knowledge and knowledge to enterprise by pushing the state-of-the-art in metrology, sensing, spectroscopy, materials characterisation, modelling, big data mining, crowd engagement, new interaction technologies, digital technology and business skills. Partnering with globally renowned (national and international) heritage organisations representing a world class, broad range of forms of heritage and the arts, the student cohorts will be trained and developed in fully engaged cross-disciplinary environments, challenged by research questions addressing complex materials and environments. The most advanced scientific tools and approaches, some to be developed in collaboration with the Diamond Light Source and the National Physical Laboratory, will be deployed to answer questions on its origin, date, creation, conservation and composition of objects and materials. In addition to the fundamental physical science approach, the students will, in an innovative cohort approach to training and development, explore ways of engaging with presentation and visualisation methods, using pervasive mobile, digital and creative technologies, and with qualitative and participatory methods. This approach will engage the sensors and instrumentation industrial domain, as well as creative industries, both high added value industries and major contributors to the UK economy. The CDT will have a transformative effect on public institutions concerned with heritage interpretation, conservation and management, generating substantial tourism income. Without the CDT, some of the most dynamic UK sectors will lose their competitive edge in the global arts and heritage market. The CDT was created with the close involvement of a number of stakeholders crucially contributing to the development of the training programme based on the cohort teaching approach. The added value of this approach is in that creativity is unleashed through the promotion of excellence in a series of cohort activities, in which the Partner institutions intensively collaborate in teaching, placements, supervision, networking and organisation of public engagement events. The particular added value of this CDT is the high potential for engagement of the general public with science and engineering, while promoting responsible innovation conscious of ethical and social dimensions of arts, heritage and archaeology. The CDT SEAHA builds on the highly successful AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme at UCL which mobilised the UK heritage science sector and repositioned it at the forefront of global development. The CDT will represent a step-change in capacity building; it will propel a young generation of cross-disciplinary scientists and engineers into highly challenging but hugely interesting and rewarding careers in the heritage sector, in SMEs, and public institutions and equip them with translational and transferrable skills that will enable them to thrive in the most complex research and entrepreneurial environments.