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The Republican and early Imperial monuments of Rome are, for the most part, built of tuffs quarried from at least seven pyroclastic deposits erupted from nearby Monti Sabatini and Alban Hills volcanoes. Remarks by Vitruvius (2.7.1-5), field observations of the monuments, and petrographic and rock testing studies of samples from Roman quarries demonstrate that Roman builders developed a good knowledge of the diverse material properties of the tuffs over centuries of use and exposure. Measurements of compressive strength, specific gravity, water absorption and adsorption of water vapour confirm that the petrographic characteristics of each tuff lithology strongly influence its strength and durability. Early construction utilized weakly durable, soft or vitric tuffs such as Tufo del Palatine or Tufo Giallo della Via Tiberina that are susceptible to decay, as at Temple C (290 Bc) of the Largo Argentina Sacred Area. Late Republican structures. such as the Temple of Portunus (80-90 BC), employed somewhat durable, vitric-lithic Tufo Lionato reinforced with travertine, a durable limestone quarried near Tivoli. Roman builders selected the material properties of the tuffs to advantage for specific structural elements within large public monuments of the first century BC and the first century AD, as at the tabernae of the Forum of Caesar (46 BC), where an upper storey of lightweight Tufo Lionato is supported by robust, lithic-crystal Lapis Gabinus pillars and flat arches reinforced with travertine. The tuffs are not very durable building stones; Romans preserved them with protective stucco, and travertine and marble cladding. Their high water intake, coupled with direct exposure to rain, daily fluctuations in relative humidity and urban weathering at present makes them especially vulnerable to decay.

This study evaluated the impact of child-focused information provision using a multimedia software package 'All About Nocturnal Enuresis' and written leaflets containing the same information for bedwetting children.

This study evaluated the impact of child-focused information provision using a multimedia software package 'All About Nocturnal Enuresis' and written leaflets containing the same information for bedwetting children.A stratified cluster randomized controlled trial with data on 270 children collected longitudinally.Fifteen school nurse-led community enuresis clinics in Leicestershire, UK.The outcome measures were becoming and remaining dry and time to dry, non-attendance and dropout rates. The psychological measures completed by children were the impact of bedwetting and Coopersmith self-esteem scales. Parents completed the maternal tolerance scale.No significant intervention effect was found for any of the outcome measures recorded during treatment, at discharge or six-months post discharge.Multimedia educational programs and written leaflets are widely used to enable children to learn more about their health-related conditions. However, our result suggests that multimedia is no more effective than traditional materials at effecting health-related behavioural change.