A Twenty Year Science Vision for European Astronomy
Three years ago, a group of European funding agencies, plus ESA and ESO, put forward the Astronet program to ensure close coordination of the astronomical developments within the Continent. One prime objective of this ERANET contract financed by the European Commission is to produce a long-term (∼ 20-year) strategic plan, similar in scope and content to the recurrent US decadal surveys. This is being pursued through a two-step process, first articulating a ’Science Vision’ with a set of prioritised science goals as well as an analysis on the generic facilities needed to reach them, followed by an Infrastructure Roadmap outlining the ways and means to implement the Vision. The first step is now completed, with the Science Vision document published at the end of September 2007; this paper presents the process that has been followed and the main conclusions reached.
Report by the ESA-ESO Working Group on "The Herschel-ALMA Synergies"
The Herschel Satellite and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) are two very large sub-mm and far infrared (FIR) astronomy projects that are expected to come into operation in this decade. This report contains descriptions of these instruments, emphasising the overlaps in wavelength range and additional complementarities. 
A short rationale for studying sub-mm and far infrared astronomy is given. Following this, brief presentations of Herschel and ALMA are presented, with references to more detailed documents and use cases. Emphasis is placed on the synergies between these facilities, and the challenges of comparing data produced using both. Specific examples of projects are given for a number of areas of astronomical research where these facilities will lead to dramatic improvements. 
This report is addressed to an audience of non-specialist astronomers who may be interested in extending their areas of research by making use of Herschel and ALMA instruments.
Intensification of Bubble Disintegration and Dispersion by Mechanical Stirring in Gas Injection Refining
Water model experiments were performed for establishing highly efficient gas injection refining processes. Mechanical stirring was applied to disintegrate the injected bubbles and to disperse them widely in the bath. The bubble disintegration and dispersion were investigated by changing rotation mode (direction of rotation), rotation speed, blade size of the impeller and gas flow rate. Forward rotation of the impeller induced a stable tangential flow and could not disperse bubbles in the bath due to formation of a vortex around the impeller shaft. The tangential flow could be suppressed by forward–interrupt rotation, which could reduce the vortex formation to some degree. However, forward–interrupt rotation could not disperse the bubbles widely in the bath. Forward–reverse rotation could prevent the vortex formation completely and create a strong shear stress field, which intensified the bubble disintegration and dispersion in the bath. Higher impeller rotation speed and larger blade length in forward–reverse rotation could enhance the bubble disintegration and make the dispersed bubbles smaller. The bubble dispersion zone became wider with larger blade length. The bubble size tended to be larger at higher gas flow rates. However, its dependence on the gas flow rate became smaller at higher impeller rotation speed.