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  • ADVERTISING SALES GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

    EUROPA SCIENCE LIMITED

     

    ADVERTISING SALES GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

     

    1 DEFINITIONS

     

    1.1 The following definitions shall apply to these Conditions:

     

    “Advertisement” means any marketing product, including but not limited to display advertising in a magazine, website or email, any paid-for content-based insertion, or any other sponsorship option as outlined in the current Media Pack, which an Advertiser asks to be inserted into an ESL Publication.

     

    “Advertiser” means the person, company, firm or corporation to whom ESL addresses an Order Form about an Advertisement.

     

    “Copy Change” means a change to the content of an Advertisement but not to its product type as defined in the Media Pack.

     

    “Conditions” means these terms and conditions and any changes agreed in Writing by the publisher of the relevant ESL Publication or a director of ESL.

     

    “Contract” means the legally binding agreement governing an Advertisement and comprising these Conditions and the information about the Advertisement in the relevant Order Form.

     

    “Copy Date” means the date shown in the Order Form as the last date for receipt of copy or, if none, in the current Media Pack for the relevant ESL Publication.

     

    “ESL” means Europa Science Limited, a company registered in England with a company number 04385775 and a registered office at Europa Science | St John’s Innovation Centre | Cowley Road | Cambridge | CB4 0WS.

     

    “ESL Publication” means the publication specified in the Order Confirmation.

     

    “Media Pack” means ESL’s media pack whether printed or digital in effect for the time being for the relevant ESL Publication and may include, among other things, its rate card, mechanical and technical specifications and copy and cancellation deadlines.

     

    “Order Form” means the order form confirming an Advertiser’s order or cancellation sent by ESL to the Advertiser.

     

    “Writing” means any written communication including letter, , e-mail and all similar means of communication.

     

    “Party” shall mean either ESL or the Advertiser, and “Parties” shall mean ESL and the Advertiser together.

     

    “Publisher” shall mean the responsible person appointed by ESL to oversee the publishing of a ESL Publication and named as such in the ESL Publication.

     

    2 BASIS OF CONTRACT

     

    2.1 An Advertisement is accepted on the understanding that the relationship between the Advertiser and ESL is governed by these Conditions. Unless specifically approved in Writing by the Publisher of the relevant ESL Publication or by a director of ESL, the conditions 

    stipulated on an Advertiser’s order form or anywhere else shall not be incorporated into any Contract and shall be void.

     

    2.2 Any variation to these Conditions (including any special terms and conditions agreed between the Parties) shall apply only if agreed and confirmed in Writing by the Publisher of the relevant ESL Publication or by a director of ESL.

     

    2.3 The issue of an Order Form shall amount to an offer by ESL to the Advertiser to enter into a Contract. The signature and return or digital sign-off of the Order Form shall amount to the Advertiser’s acceptance of the Contract.

     

    2.4 ESL’s employees and agents are not authorised to agree to change these Conditions, to give greater discounts than the Advertiser normally receives or to give any representation or 

    warranty not contained in the Contract unless confirmed in Writing by the Publisher of the relevant ESL Publication or by a director of ESL . The Advertiser acknowledges that it does not rely on, and waives any claim for, breach of any such representations or warranties which have not been confirmed in Writing by either the Publisher of the relevant ESL 

    Publication or a director of ESL.

     

    2.5 Any typographical, clerical, or other error or omission in any Media Pack, Order Form, invoice or other ESL document shall be subject to correction without any liability on the part of ESL.

     

    3 ADVERTISER’S OBLIGATIONS

     

    3.1 The Advertiser will make sure that the data, materials or inserts which ESL needs to publish the Advertisement are received at the address specified in the Order Form before the Copy Date and the data, materials or inserts shall comply with the requirements 

    of the Media Pack and the Order Form. ESL and its agents are under 

    no obligation to return data, materials or inserts supplied by or on behalf of the Advertiser.

     

    3.2 If the Advertiser does not fully comply with clause 3.1 ESL is not required to publish any

    Advertisement but it reserves the right to repeat the Advertiser’s latest copy of a size and shape appropriate to the space booked, but if ESL does not have any prior copy it reserves the right to charge the gross amount for the space booked shown in the Order Form.

     

    3.3 The Advertiser is responsible for making sure that the Advertisement is free of libel and other defamatory content, warrants that the Advertisement does not breach the copyright of any third parties, does not make unfair or unsupportable or unreasonable claims and is generally fit to be published and specifically will comply with any legal or regulatory requirements in the distribution or circulation area shown in the Media Pack for the ESL Publication in which the Advertisement is booked to appear.

     

    Should it become apparent that it is not so compliant, ESL reserves the right to suspend the

    Advertisement, in which case the Advertiser will have no claim for damages for breach of contract.

     

    4 ESL’S OBLIGATIONS

     

    4.1 ESL will publish the Advertisement in the nominated ESL Publication and will distribute the said Publication according to the Contract.

     

    4.2 ESL gives no representation or warranty as to the period of time during which any ESL Publication will be published or as to its future circulation figures or territory.

     

    5 RECEIPT OF COPY

     

    5.1 Where ESL or its agents are involved in extra production work because of any act or default of the Advertiser or its agents, the Advertiser will have to pay for this work at ESL’s rates current when the work is done. Any such charges will be agreed in advance, time allowing these charges will be added to the invoice for the Advertisement.

     

    6 AMENDMENT AND CANCELLATION

     

    6.1 Advertiser’s Change and Cancellation Rights

     

    6.1.1 An Advertiser may change the size, shape or content of an Advertisement or cancel an

    Advertisement altogether by giving notice in Writing to ESL not less than 12 weeks before its Copy Date. The Advertiser’s right to cancel is in addition to any statutory rights it has. Cancellation will be effective on the issue of a confirmatory Order Form by ESL. 

     

    6.1.2 Where an Advertiser cancels or changes the size or shape of an Advertisement under clause 6.1.1, it will pay ESL an administration charge of £200 (plus VAT) per insertion cancelled or changed to compensate ESL for the time and expense involved in processing 

    the order and cancellation plus any series discounts or other discounts granted to the Advertiser by ESL for an Advertisement or series of Advertisements which have been paid for prior to cancellation.

     

    6.1.3 Any cancellation notices issued otherwise than as clause 6.1.1 requires shall be ineffective and the Advertiser shall be liable to pay the gross cost shown in the Order Form for the space booked.

     

    6.1.4 An Advertiser may notify a Copy Change at any time before the relevant Copy Date.

     

    6.2 ESL may, at its sole discretion, change the location, size, shape and content of an Advertisement at any time after giving the Advertiser reasonable notice in Writing or its intention to change the location, size, shape and content of an Advertisement, in which case no claim on the part of an Advertiser for damages for breach of contract shall arise.

     

    6.3 ESL reserves the right to omit, cancel or suspend the space for any Advertisement, not to run any other Advertisements in a series or cease to produce or alter the publication dates of any ESL Publication for any reason, in which case no claim on the part of an Advertiser for damages for breach of contract shall arise.

     

    6.4 If ESL does any of the things which it is entitled to do in clauses 6.2 and 6.3 in response to the insolvency or any breach by the Advertiser, ESL’s other rights are unaffected.

     

    7 PRICE OF ADVERTISING

     

    7.1 The price of an Advertisement (or a series) shall be stated on the Order Form. All prices quoted are valid for 30 days only or until earlier acceptance by the Advertiser. The prices in quotes not accepted within 30 days may be altered by ESL without giving notice to the Advertiser.

     

    7.2 All amounts stated in these Conditions are exclusive of VAT which shall be due at the rate ruling on the date of the VAT invoice, where applicable.

     

    7.3 Where ESL has to carry out work on an Advertisement to render it publishable, such work shall be charged back to the Advertiser at the rate of £100 per hour, subject to a minimum charge of £100. Any such charges will be advised prior to commencement of remedial works. Advertisers who do not wish to make such payments but prefer to do the work themselves and resupply the Advertisement must advise ESL of this in Writing at the time of sending the original copy.

     

    8 TERMS OF PAYMENT

     

    8.1 ESL shall be entitled to invoice the Advertiser for the price of the Advertisement (or series) at any time after publication and/or on issue of an Order Form confirming a cancellation by the Advertiser. Such invoice may include any discounts repayable under 

    clause 6.1.2 and administration or other charges.

     

    8.2 The Advertiser shall pay the invoice of the Advertisement (or series) within 30 days of the date of the ESL invoice. The time of payment of the price shall be of the essence of the Contract. The Advertiser is entitled to claim any discounts shown on the order 

    confirmation only where full payment is received by ESL on or before the due date for payment of the relevant invoice.

     

    8.3 If payment is to be made by instalments and the Advertiser fails to pay any instalment on its due date then ESL shall be entitled to demand payment of the entire amount of any unpaid balance (including all arrears).

     

    8.4 The Advertiser may not withhold payment of any invoice or any other amount due to ESL by reason of set-off or counterclaim which the Advertiser may have or alleged to have for any reason whatever.

     

    8.5 If the Advertiser fails to comply with any of the Conditions it shall nevertheless continue to be liable for all charges due and to become due.

     

    8.6 If the Advertiser fails to make payment on the due date then, without prejudice to any other right or remedy available to ESL, ESL reserves the right to charge the Advertiser interest (both before and after judgement) from day to day on the amount unpaid at the rate of 8% per annum above the Bank of England base rate from time to time until payment in full is made.

     

    9 INDEMNITY

     

    9.1 The Advertiser shall indemnify ESL against any loss, cost, liability or claim in connection with any Advertisement awarded against or incurred by ESL or its employees or agents or paid or agreed to be paid by ESL in settlement of any claim.

     

    10 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

     

    10.1 The Advertiser warrants that it is the owner or has been duly authorised by the owner of any copyright material, brand name, trade mark, service mark or logo to be incorporated into the Advertisement.

     

    10.2 All intellectual property rights created or used by ESL in connection with the Contract shall be and shall remain the property of ESL.

     

    11 PROOFING

     

    11.1 The Advertisement will be published in accordance with the information provided by the Advertiser. ESL is not obliged to issue  proofs to the Advertiser. Advertisers are hereby advised that print and colour quality may vary through factors beyond  ESL’s control, and by placing Advertisements in ESL Publications 

    Advertisers accept that such variation in quality is inevitable and shall not be a reason for non-payment or compensation or the lodging of a claim as described in 12.4, provided always that the information carried in the Advertisement as published is legible to the reader 

    and allows response by the reader.

     

    12 WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY

     

    12.1 ESL’s total liability in contract, tort (including negligence or breach of statutory duty) or otherwise in connection with any Advertisement or otherwise under this Contract shall be limited to the price payable by the Advertiser under the Contract net of discounts, each as shown on the Order Form. ESL shall not be liable for any increased costs or expenses, loss of profit, business, contracts, revenues or any anticipated savings, of the Advertiser or for any special indirect or consequential damage of any nature whatsoever.

     

    12.2 ESL does not exclude or restrict its liability for death or bodily injury caused by the negligence of ESL or of its employees while acting in the course of their duties.

     

    12.3 All warranties, conditions or other terms implied by statute or common law are excluded except as expressly provided in these Conditions.

     

    12.4 The Advertiser shall inspect the copy of the Advertisement sent by ESL with its invoice. Any claim by the Advertiser which is based on any error or omission in the Advertisement shall be notified to ESL in Writing not more than 7 days after the Advertiser received ESL’s invoice. If the Advertiser does not notify ESL in this way, ESL shall have no liability for such errors or omissions and the Advertiser shall be bound to pay the price as if the Advertisement had been published in accordance with the Contract.

     

    12.5 Where any valid claim in respect of any Advertisement which is based on errors or omissions in the Advertisement is notified to ESL in accordance with these Conditions, ESL shall be entitled to provide compensation in full either by publishing a similar correct Advertisement free of charge at the next available opportunity in the relevant ESL Publication or, at ESL’s sole discretion, refund to the Advertiser such part (not exceeding the whole) of the charge for the Advertisement concerned, as is fair and reasonable having 

    regard to the nature of the error or omission. Decisions to make refunds or to publish Advertisements free of charge require the authority in Writing of the Publisher of the relevant ESL Publication or a director of ESL.

     

    12.6 ESL shall not be liable in respect of any breach of the Conditions due to any cause beyond ESL’s reasonable control.

     

    13 GENERAL

     

    13.1 Any notice or other communication required or permitted to be given by either party to the other under these Conditions shall be in Writing addressed to that other party at its Registered Office or principal place of business or such other address as may at the relevant time have been notified pursuant to this provision to the party giving the notice. If sent by first class prepaid post it will be deemed to have been received two working days after despatch 

    and if by email at the start of business on the working day after despatch.

     

    13.2 No waiver by ESL of any breach of the Contract by the Advertiser shall be considered as a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or any other Condition.

     

    13.3 If any provisions of these Conditions is held by any competent authority to be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part the validity of the other provisions of these Conditions and the remainder of the provision in question shall not be affected thereby.

     

    13.4 Any reference in these Conditions to a statute or a provision of a statute shall be deemed to be a reference to that statute or provision as subsequently amended, extended or re-enacted.

     

    13.5 The Contract shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.

     

  • Terms and conditions of use

    Terms and conditions of use

    Europa Science Ltd welcomes you to Europa Science Online, our digital information network. These are our terms and conditions for use of the network, which you may access in several ways, including but not limited to the World Wide Web, PDA, mobile phone and RSS feeds. The network includes but is not limited to the websites and electronic newsletters associated with the company itself as well as those of our print magazines Electro Optics; Imaging and Machine Vision Europe; Research Information and Scientific Computing World. These terms and conditions apply whenever you access the network, on whatever device. In these terms and conditions, when we say Europa Science Online, we mean this network, regardless of how you access it.

    By using the network, you are deemed to have accepted these conditions.

    Some areas of Europa Science Online require registration. By completing the initial registration form, you will be deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions. Also, by subscribing to any of our email services, you are deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions. If you register with Europa Science Online, you should read our privacy policy.

    1. Use of material appearing on Europa Science Online

    For the purposes of this agreement, “material” means material including, without limitation, text, video, graphics and sound material, published on the Europa Science Online network, whether copyright of Europa Science Ltd or a third party.

    You may download and print extracts from the material and make copies of these for your own personal and non-commercial use only. You are not allowed to download or print the material, or extracts from it, in a systematic or regular manner or otherwise so as to create a database in electronic or paper form comprising all or part of the material appearing on Europa Science Online.

    You must not reproduce any part of Europa Science Online or the material or transmit it to or store it in any other website or disseminate any part of the material in any other form, unless we have given you prior permission in writing that you may do so.

    2. Disclaimer of liability

    To the extent permitted at law, we do not accept any responsibility for any statement in the material. You must not rely on any statement we have published on Europa Science Online without first taking specialist professional advice. Nothing in the material is provided for any specific purpose or at the request of any particular person.

    For the avoidance of confusion, we will not be liable for any loss caused as a result of your doing, or not doing, anything as a result of viewing, reading or listening to the material or any part of it.

    You can access other sites via links from Europa Science Online. These sites are not under our control and we are not responsible in any way for any of their contents.

    We give no warranties of any kind concerning Europa Science Online or the material. In particular, we do not warrant that Europa Science Online or any of its contents is virus free. You must take your own precautions in this respect as we accept no responsibility for any infection by virus or other contamination or by anything which has destructive properties.

    3. Third party material on Europa Science Online

    You will see advertising material submitted by third parties on Europa Science Online. Individual advertisers are solely responsible for the content of advertising material which they submit to us, including ensuring that it complies with relevant legislation. We accept no responsibility for the content of advertising material, including, without limitation, any error, omission or inaccuracy therein.

    If you want to advertise on Europa Science Online, please email the head of our electronic advertising sales team at sales@europascience.com.

    4. Submitting graphical material and photography for publication on Europa Science Online

    When you send a photograph or other graphical material to us you do so in accordance with these Terms of service.

    This means that you hereby agree that you have taken the photograph(s) you have sent to us or you have permission from or are authorised by the owner of the photograph(s) to send it (them) to us, and you are granting us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to publish or otherwise use the photograph(s) in any way and at any time we want on the Europa Science Online web sites.

    Unless caption/credit information is explicitly provided at the time of submission, you indemnify Europa Science against any copyright infringement action that may result due to the omission of such information.

    Selected photographs and graphical material will be published at the discretion of the editor and you will not be paid, even if your photograph(s) is (are) published.

    We may cut, edit, crop or arrange your photograph(s) or graphic as we think fit to appear on the Europa Science Online web site, and we may remove your photograph(s) or graphics at any time.

    Your name will be published alongside your photograph(s) or graphic, but we may edit or delete any comments which you submit along with your photograph(s) or graphic.

    IMPORTANT: You or the owner of the photograph(s) still own the copyright in the photograph(s) sent to us and are free to republish the photograph(s) wherever you or the owner wish and in whatever medium you or the owner want.

    5. Submitting text for publication on Europa Science Online

    Users of our site may submit material for publication. We accept no liability in respect of any material submitted by users and published by us and we are not responsible for its content and accuracy.

    If you want to submit material to us for publication on Europa Science Online, you may do so on the following terms and conditions:
    (i) publication of any material you submit to us will be at our sole discretion. We reserve the right to make additions or deletions to the text or graphics prior to publication, or to refuse publication
    (ii) you grant us a non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide licence to republish any material you submit to us in any format, including without limitation print and electronic format
    (iii) you warrant to us that any material you submit to us is your own original work and that you own the copyright and any other relevant rights
    (iv) you warrant that the material you submit is not obscene, offensive, defamatory of any person or otherwise illegal
    (v) you agree not to post material which is deliberately intended to upset other users
    (vi) you acknowledge that any breach of these warranties may cause us damage or loss and you agree to indemnify us in full and permanently against any third party liabilities, claims, costs, loss or damage we incur as a result of publishing material you submit to us, including consequential losses.
    (vii) we reserve the right to remove your access to individual services completely if we believe you are abusing the services in any way.

    6. Data protection

    See the section of the website headed ‘Privacy’.

    7. Variations

    These terms may be varied from time to time. Please ensure that you review these terms and conditions regularly as you will be deemed to have accepted a variation if you continue to use the site after it has been posted.

    8. Force majeure

    Although we will do our best to provide constant, uninterrupted access to Europa Science Online, we do not guarantee this. We accept no responsibility or liability for any interruption or delay.

    9. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

    This agreement is governed by English law and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

    COMPANY INFORMATION

    Europa Science Ltd
    Registered office:
    4 Signet Court,
    Cambridge,
    CB8 8LA

    Registered in England and Wales
    Registration Number 4385775
    VAT Number 242 8997 63

  • Nourishing hearts and minds

    Three of my intrepid colleagues – Greg Blackman, Eleanor Waters, and Warren Clark – are currently hard in training, preparing to take part in the Cambridge Half Marathon next month, writes Tim Gillett.

    While this is worthy news in itself – and I am full of admiration for anyone who can run 13 miles – I’m particularly impressed by the group’s chosen charity, FoodCycle. Greg, who is a senior editor at Europa Science, has been volunteering for the charity for the last seven years.

    Foodcycle is a national charity that builds communities through surplus food, volunteers and spare kitchen spaces. Volunteers create tasty three-course meals for vulnerable people across the UK, and are united by the simple belief that food waste and food poverty should not co-exist.

    Surplus food is food that is fit for human consumption but has no commercial value for a retailer. This food may have become damaged in transit, might be past its ‘best before’ date or might have been over-ordered. It’s still perfectly good food, and the charity puts it to good use.

    In the UK alone, an estimated 12 million tonnes of food is wasted each year, while four million people are affected by food poverty. FoodCycle is doing something about this by making use of edible food to create nutritious three-course meals for those who need it.

    FoodCycle works with supermarkets, small independent grocery shops and markets to source perfectly edible surplus food in a safe and responsible way. It only reclaims fresh fruit and vegetables, while it buys extra ingredients such as dried foods to make its meals as balanced and nutritious as possible.

    The charity works in the most deprived communities to support vulnerable groups including older people, homeless people, refugees and asylum seekers, people affected by mental ill health and people on low incomes. All of our projects work with a community partner that addresses an identifiable need within their community, and offers local expertise on the problems their community faces.

    Food poverty is the inability to get enough healthy, affordable food. This can be due to lack of income, poor transport to local shops, knowledge about what constitutes a healthy diet, and the skills to create healthy meals. Due to this complex mix of factors, people on low incomes have the lowest intakes of fruit and vegetables and are far more likely to suffer from diet-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and coronary heart disease.

    FoodCycle works in a different way from a food bank: addressing food poverty by providing a hot, nutritious three-course meal rather than items for people to take home. By providing a sit-down meal in a warm and welcoming atmosphere, we work to reduce social isolation – as people who often feel excluded get the chance to mix with others and feel a valued part of their community. Volunteers sit down and eat with guests and have a chat, and meals are served with warmth and dignity.

    The very best of luck to Eleanor, Warren and Greg! To sponsor them, and raise money for a fantastic cause, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teameuropascience

  • Publishing wizardry!

    In the latest issue of our Research Information magazine, there is an article on the subject of augmented reality – and the possibilities of using the technology in the world of academic publishing.

    On page 20 is an image portraying an imagined front page of a newspaper – the Daily Impact. While the image is on the face of it quite unremarkable, if look at it through your mobile phone using an app called Zappar it springs to life and begins to play a short animated video that is ‘locked’ to the magazine page beneath.

    The technology, being developed by Cactus Communications, is remarkably reminiscent of the magical newspaper, the Daily Prophet, that appeared throughout the Harry Potter series of films – but it could have exciting implications in the world of education and academia, and in many other areas of publishing.

    Imagine technical drawings that spring into animated life in the pages of medical textbooks or journals, short videos of laboratory processes that might otherwise take thousands of words to explain, or animations that sum up technical features or white papers.

    Indeed, the best way to experience this technology is to download the Zappar app, let your phone hover over the image above, and check out the wizardry yourself (though you can read a longer explanation here).

    Wingardium leviosa!

  • ‘Virtual lens’ could replace endoscopy

    For many people – including this one – the prospect of an internal examination with an endoscope would be concerning to say the least, writes Tim Gillett.

    Technology that could one day obviate the need for invasive visual examinations would be a boon for many; not least, I would imagine, for the medical staff that are tasked with carrying out these procedures.

    This week our title Electro Optics features research by Maysam Chamanzar and Matteo Giuseppe Scopelliti, of Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, USA, who have showed that they can use ultrasonic wave patterns to create a virtual ‘lens’ within the body. This can be used to focus light within the tissue without needing to implant a physical lens. The pair say this enables them to capture images previously inaccessible through non-invasive means.

    Currently, the biggest – literal – barrier to imaging deep in the body is biological tissue itself, which blocks most light. However, ultrasound can be used to make tissue more transparent, allowing more penetration of light and the creation of a virtual lens that can be moved around at will – crucially, in a non-invasive way.

    ‘Being able to relay images from organs, such as the brain, without the need to insert physical optical components will provide an important alternative to implanting invasive endoscopes in the body,’ explained Chamanzar. ‘This method can revolutionise the field of biomedical imaging.’

    Read more about this revolutionary technology in Electro Optics.

  • Tech to get your teeth into

    Even as a grizzled old hack, I occasionally learn a new word, writes Tim Gillett.

    This week’s mot nouveau is biomimetics – defined on Wikipedia as ‘the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems’.

    Probably the most obvious example of this is the early study of birds and flying mammals in the quest for human flight – check out Da Vinci’s designs for a ‘flying machine’, which closely resemble the look and structure of bat wings. Or consider the study of termite mounds in architects’ quest to create a building that stays cool without the need for air conditioning.

    So when I was asked by Matt Dale, editor of our title Laser Systems Europe, to write a feature on laser machining for aerospace, I was intrigued to learn that two German companies have been inspired by shark skin as a way to reduce drag – and thereby increase fuel efficiency – in aircraft.

    Laser specialist 4JET and aircraft paint supplier Mankiewicz have introduced a laser process for the creation of ‘riblets’ – like small ridges – automatically lasered directly onto painted aircraft surfaces.

    By splitting a laser beam and then recombining it on a painted surface, the companies are able to create a mind-boggling 15 kilometres of riblets – equal to about a square metre of riblet surface – in less than one minute. The process can reduce drag by 10 per cent, and potentially result in fuel savings for commercial airlines.

    In these days of increased environmental concern, that can only be a good thing.

    Read more at https://www.lasersystemseurope.com/news/shark-inspired-surfaces-increase-fuel-efficiency-aircraft

  • Zooming in on piggy welfare

    Face recognition technology seems to be a widespread feature of our world these days.

    Airport immigration is nowadays controlled by means of facial recognition, the most modern mobile phones use it as a security check, and China is said to be using a huge system to track its Uighur Muslim minority – even if the US city of San Francisco is said to be close to banning the technology outright.

    However, it’s not just human beings that are subject to having their faces scanned in the most minute detail.

    As reported in our Imaging and Machine Vision Europe title, face recognition technology is being used in an attempt to detect different emotional states in pigs.

    Research by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in Edinburgh has shown that pigs can signal their intentions to other pigs using expressions. There is also evidence of different expressions when they are in pain or under stress – and scientists are hoping to develop a tool that can monitor individual animals’ faces and alert farmers to any health and welfare problems.

    It’s not just pigs hogging the limelight – the Centre for Machine Vision in Bristol, UK, is working on a system to monitor the welfare of dairy cows. We wouldn’t want to use that as an excuse to milk the puns any further though. That would be udderly boaring.

    Read more about the project – and the equipment being used in the research – here.

  • Too much pi?

    As previously noted in this blog, there are a lot of big numbers floating around in the world of science, writes Tim Gillett.

    Today it was announced (and reported in our Research Information publication) that an employee of Google in Japan has managed to calculate pi – the number you get if you divide a circle’s circumference by its diameter – to an astonishing 31 trillion decimal places, give or take a few hundred billion.

    The news was released today to coincide with Pi Day (14 March, or 3.14 – the first three digits of pi), and the calculation has been recognised by Guinness World Records. Unsurprisingly, the story has gained a lot of traction on the world’s media – clearly something of a publicity coup for Google Cloud!

    My question is this: does such a calculation serve any real purpose?

    Using 3.14 as a value for pi is roughly half a percent away from its true value, while pi calculated to five decimal places gets you to within 0.000084 percent of ‘absolute’ pi. Even NASA only uses 16 digits for the programmes that control spacecraft – so is a sum of this magnitude actually of any use?

    Either way, the thought of such calculations is sending me pi-eyed.

  • Throwing light on street art

    Graffiti is one of those things that often provokes a strong reaction – sometimes positive, sometimes negative, writes Tim Gillett.

    Personally – and controversially among some of my friends, work colleagues and family members – I absolutely love it. Good graffiti can brighten up the dullest architectural spaces, at the same time as allowing talented artists to express themselves. Good graffiti can make a humorous or political point, or it can be a brilliant and legitimate art form.

    That doesn’t mean graffiti should be everywhere, and I’m not advocating that St Paul’s Cathedral – or King’s College Chapel in my home town of Cambridge – would be better off covered in spray paint. That would be vandalism.

    I was intrigued, however, when my colleague Matt Dale – editor of Laser Systems Europe magazine – told me about a process for removing graffiti using an infrared laser. A group of volunteers in Florence, Italy – nicknamed the ‘Angels of Beauty’ – are using the system to erase graffiti from the Ponte Vecchio stone bridge over the Arno River.

    The process actually evaporates the graffiti without damaging the underlying stonework, and while it is still a slow procedure – up to 20 minutes to clean a 10cm by 10cm square – the lasers have already been used in some 28 UNESCO heritage sites around the world. The technique can also be used to restore (more traditional!) works of art.

    Read more of Matt’s story here.

  • Jess is Africa-bound!

    Jess is Africa-bound!

    Our Electro Optics editor Jessica Rowbury will soon be taking some time off to complete a volunteer writing and communications placement for a charity in Tanzania. Here she details what she’ll be doing during her time there…

    In September, I will be taking a sabbatical to take on a 13-week volunteer communications and writing role in Tanzania for a sustainable development charity called Raleigh International.

    Raleigh focuses on providing access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, protecting vulnerable environments, building resilient communities and supporting youth development. The charity works in partnership with local communities, organisations and project partners to encourage sustainable change.

    Approximately 75 per cent of Tanzanians live in rural communities, where adequate access to safe water and sanitation is limited, and few economic opportunities exist for young people.

    At the same time, Tanzania has a rapidly growing economy. With a large population of young people, there is a growing need for employment opportunities. One of Raleigh’s focus areas is supporting young entrepreneurs to set up small businesses in their communities, which benefit themselves and the people around them. In turn, their communities can become more resilient to social and environmental change.

    I’ll be using my experience as an editor to report on the charity’s three independent projects in Tanzania, which are being led by local groups such as the Tanzanian Forestry Conservation Group and the Ministry of Information, Youth, and Sport. I’ll be spending around half of my time working with office staff in Tanzania, doing things like planning media coverage and giving presentations to potential charitable donors, and the other half travelling to the three rural projects across the country to write about what’s happening in each location.

    I chose Raleigh because unlike some organisations working in Africa that want to ‘fix’ everything, I feel like the charity really takes into account the problems that can be created from certain kinds of ‘charitable’ actions, which can actually impede a community or country’s development. Rather than coming in and leading things, Raleigh works with local charities, businesses and government bodies to understand what’s genuinely needed and to ensure that they’re following the lead of local groups. Instead of just building something and leaving, Raleigh spends as much time as is needed in each location until the changes can be sustained without outside help. Also, at least half of all staff and volunteers are from Tanzania, rather than the charity being run by foreigners.

    In addition to doing something that will hopefully be worthwhile, I expect to gain communication and leadership skills that will enhance my capabilities as an editor.

    My last day in the office is the 31 August, and I’ll be back on 2 January. For any enquiries while I’m away, please contact greg.blackman@europascience.com.

    I’m fundraising to contribute to part of the cost of hosting volunteers; all money received will go directly to Raleigh International.  Any donations will be greatly appreciated.

    www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jessica-rowbury2