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Biomolecular analysis of historical parchment legal documents is providing new insight into their production and use. Successful interpretation of this data is dependent on understanding if the location and date written on the document accurately reflect where the animal from which the parchment was produced was raised and when it died. Our analysis reveals that the location the deed concerns, or that of the stationer through whom it was sold, typically bears no relation to the animal’s origin, but that the date the agreement was signed was probably only a few months after the animal’s death.

BackgroundThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends macular laser to treat diabetic macular oedema with a central retinal subfield thickness of ObjectivesDetermining the clinical effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of subthreshold micropulse laser compared with standard threshold macular laser to treat diabetic macular oedema with a central retinal subfield thickness of DesignA pragmatic, multicentre, allocation-concealed, double-masked, randomised, non-inferiority, clinical trial.SettingHospital eye services in the UK.ParticipantsAdults with diabetes and centre-involving diabetic macular oedema with a central retinal subfield thickness of 24 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters (Snellen equivalent > 20/320) in one/both eyes.InterventionsParticipants were randomised 1 : 1 to receive 577 nm subthreshold micropulse laser or standard threshold macular laser (e.g. argon laser, frequency-doubled neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet 532 nm laser); laser treatments could be repeated as needed. Rescue therapy with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapies or steroids was allowed if a loss of ≥ 10 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters between visits occurred and/or central retinal subfield thickness increased to > 400 µm.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the mean change in best-corrected visual acuity in the study eye at 24 months (non-inferiority margin 5 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters). Secondary outcomes included the mean change from baseline to 24 months in the following: binocular best-corrected visual acuity; central retinal subfield thickness; the mean deviation of the Humphrey 10–2 visual field in the study eye; the percentage of people meeting driving standards; and the EuroQol-5 Dimensions, five-level version, National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire – 25 and Vision and Quality of Life Index scores. Other secondary outcomes were the cost per quality-adjusted life-years gained, adverse effects, number of laser treatments and additional rescue treatments.ResultsThe DIAMONDS trial recruited fully (n = 266); 87% of participants in the subthreshold micropulse laser group and 86% of participants in the standard threshold macular laser group had primary outcome data. Groups were balanced regarding baseline characteristics. Mean best-corrected visual acuity change in the study eye from baseline to month 24 was –2.43 letters (standard deviation 8.20 letters) in the subthreshold micropulse laser group and –0.45 letters (standard deviation 6.72 letters) in the standard threshold macular laser group. Subthreshold micropulse laser was deemed to be not only non-inferior but also equivalent to standard threshold macular laser as the 95% confidence interval (–3.9 to –0.04 letters) lay wholly within both the upper and lower margins of the permitted maximum difference (5 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in any of the secondary outcomes investigated with the exception of the number of laser treatments performed, which was slightly higher in the subthreshold micropulse laser group (mean difference 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.18 to 0.79;p = 0.002). Base-case analysis indicated no significant difference in the cost per quality-adjusted life-years between groups.Future workA trial in people with ≥ 400 µm diabetic macular oedema comparing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy alone with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy and macular laser applied at the time when central retinal subfield thickness has decreased to LimitationsThe majority of participants enrolled had poorly controlled diabetes.ConclusionsSubthreshold micropulse laser was equivalent to standard threshold macular laser but required a slightly higher number of laser treatments.Trial registrationThis trial is registered as EudraCT 2015-001940-12, ISRCTN17742985 and NCT03690050.FundingThis project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full inHealth Technology Assessment; Vol. 26, No. 50. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Determine clinical-effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of subthreshold micropulse laser (SML), compared with standard laser (SL), for diabetic macular edema (DME) with central retinal thickness (CRT)400μ.Pragmatic, multicenter, allocation-concealed, double-masked, randomized, non-inferiority trial.Adults with400μ center-involved DME and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA)24 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters in one/both eyes.Randomisation 1:1 to 577nm SML or SL; retreatments were allowed. Rescue with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapies or steroids was permitted if10 ETDRS-letter-loss and/or CRT increased400μ.Primary: Mean change in BCVA in the study eye at 24 months (non-inferiority margin 5 ETDRS-letters). Secondary: mean change from baseline to month-24 in binocular BCVA; CRT and mean deviation (MD) of Humphrey 10-2 visual field in the study eye; percentage meeting driving standards; EuroQoL (EQ-5D-5L), National Eye Institute-Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ25), and Vision and Quality of Life Index (VisQoL) scores; cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained; adverse effects; number of laser and rescue treatments.DIAMONDS recruited fully (n=266); 87% SML and 86% SL had primary outcome data. Mean BCVA change from baseline to month-24 was -2.43 (Standard Deviation [SD] 8.20) and -0.45 (SD 6.72) in SML and SL, respectively. SML was deemed not only non-inferior but also equivalent to SL as the 95% confidence interval (CI) (-3.9 to -0.04) lay wholly within both upper and lower margins of the permitted maximum difference (5 ETDRS-letters). There was no statistically significant difference in binocular BCVA (0.32 ETDRS letters; 95% CI -0.99, 1.64; p = 0.63), CRT (-0.64 microns; 95% CI -14.25, 12.98; p = 0.93), MD (0.39 dB; 95% CI -0.23, 1.02; p = 0.21), meeting driving standards (% point difference 1.6, 95% CI -25.3, 28.5; p=0.91), adverse effects (Risk Ratio 0.28, 95% CI 0.06, 1.34; p=0.11), rescue treatments (% point difference -2.8, 95% CI -13.1, 7.5; p=0.59) or EQ-5D/VFQ-25/VisQoL scores. Number of laser treatments was higher in SML (0.48; 95% CI 0.18, 0.79; p = 0.002). Base-case analysis indicated no differences in costs or QALYs.SML was equivalent to SL, requiring slightly higher laser treatments.

A 1:1,000,000 map of the Irish Sea, within the Irish Economic Exclusion Zone, is presented highlighting the spatial distribution of potential geological and geotechnical constraints to offshore wind energy development. In this mapping exercise we incorporated existing multibeam echosounder bathymetric and backscatter data collected by the Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource programme. ArcGIS was used to interrogate the bathymetric data and produce maps for seabed morphological characteristics. Backscatter data and QTC Multiview derived sediment classification was used in conjunction with data from the literature to link sediment distribution with sediment transport pathways and to assess the possible impact on infrastructure. The result is a spatial constraints map, which may be used by developers, consultants and marine spatial planning authorities alike to help site projects and plan de-risking site investigations.

A new geotechno-stratigraphic model for Quaternary deposits in the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt area is presented. This area, located in the North Irish Sea, has been heavily influenced by the advance and retreat of the British and Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation and subsequent Holocene marine transgression. This study uses a synthesis of lithostratigraphy, geotechnical data (from in situ cone penetration testing) and seismic profiles to generate a stratigraphic framework describing the geometry, distribution and characteristics of Quaternary deposits in an area of the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt at increased resolution. Within a regional context, this stratigraphy is compared with other established offshore stratigraphies in the Irish Sea and terrestrial successions. Four stratigraphic units are identified consisting of a basal subglacial (lodgement) till (Unit 4) emplaced by the Irish Sea Ice Stream. Unit 4 overlies irregular bedrock and is overlain in turn by glaciomarine to glaciolacustrine, ice-proximal outwash and glaciomarine ice-proximal sand and sandy muds (Units 3 and 2 respectively; previously undifferentiated). A thick succession (up to 27 m) of Holocene marine muds (Unit 1) caps the sequence up to the contemporary seabed. Results show that these deposits, and their geotechnical properties, have significant implications for the anthropogenic use of the area, such as the development of offshore renewable energy infrastructure. Revealed are relatively thick (up to 30 m) weak, under-consolidated sediments at the surface and highly heterogeneous, often over-consolidated, sediments that have limited groundtruthing at depth. Furthermore, localised shallow gas is imaged on seismic profiles. The influence on the geotechnical properties of the sediments by this gas revealed no significant effect on shear strength values from cone penetration testing data, although it may have implications for the long-term behaviour of the sediments.

This paper investigates the estimation of foundation damping in a monopile supported offshore wind turbine. The soil-structure interaction is modelled using the commercial geotechnical Finite Element (FE) software, Plaxis 3D. This allows for a more rigorous consideration of the soil response and its effect on the overall dynamic behaviour of the system. A free vibration test is simulated by applying and removing a constant horizontal static load at the top of the tower. The structure starts free vibration when the load is removed. The free decay displacement response is measured at the point of loading. The well-known logarithmic decrement method is used for the estimation of overall damping from the free decay response. The damping is estimated at different time steps along the signal to provide an instantaneous damping. It is shown that the damping varies with the amplitude of the decaying displacement response.

To date, Ireland’s only operational offshore wind farm project is located on Arklow Bank; a sediment bank situated nearshore in shallow (up to 2mbsl) waters. Such bank structures are preferable for wind farm development due to their competent sediment composition, shallow waters and proximity to shore for cable routing. However, as proven at Arklow Bank, issues of scour and sediment mobility around fixed foundations and cabling can compromise infrastructure stability. These issues highlight the need for adequate ground model assessments of such banks to aid planning, design, construction and maintenance phases of wind farm development.The southern Irish Sea is characterised by a series of such NNE-SSW trending sediment banks, many of which are earmarked for further wind farm developments. These coast-parallel bedforms are located approximately 10km off the south-east coast of Ireland, in circa 20-40m water depth and rise to only a couple of metres below sea level. They exert a strong control on the tidal flow pathways along the coast and offer coastal protection [1]. The banks themselves are quasi-stable in their own environment, influencing local hydro- and morphodynamics in terms of sediment waves. For offshore sediment banks to develop two fundamental conditions must be present: (1) an adequate source of sediment and; (2) a hydrodynamic regime capable of moving sediment [2]. European continental shelf sediment bank origins generally fall into two broad categories [2]; a) those formed under present day hydrodynamic and sediment conditions, or b) relict features created during post LGM transgression during periods of rapid sea level rise and stronger tidal current velocities. Paleo-tidal models have been used to reconstruct post-glacial hydrodynamic conditions in support of the proposed view of a glaciomarine environment genesis of these large bedforms in the Irish Sea [3].This study will use previously collected high resolution multi-beam echo sounder (MBES) data from the Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource (INFOMAR) project in conjunction with newly obtained MBES, sub-bottom profiler, grab sample and vibro-core data to characterise; a) the stratigraphy of this highly dynamic and geologically complex region and b) sediment mobility on and around the sediment banks including their stability in the current hydrodynamic regime. Furthermore, this study will use this data to attempt to elucidate the origin of these sediment banks and their evolution through geological time. Data processed and analysed from this study will be used as an input and as validation for a coupled hydrodynamic, spectral wave and sediment transport 2D numerical model developed using MIKE 21 software. ReferencesWilliams, J.J., MacDonald, N.J., O’Connor, B.A., Pan, S., 2000. Offshore sand bank dynamics. Journal of Marine Systems, 24, 153-173. Dyer, K.R., Huntley, D.A., 1999. The origin, classification and modelling of sandbanks and ridges. Continental Shelf Research, 19, 1285–1330. Uehara., K., Scourse, J.D., Horsburgh, K.J, Lambeck, K., Purcell, A.P., 2006. Tidal evolution of the northwest European shelf seas from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present. Journal of Geophysical Research, 111(9).

Today, an important challenge for offshore wind energy is to design efficient and reliable offshore wind turbines (OWTs). The overall damping of OWTs plays an important role in the design process as it limits the amplitude of the OWT dynamic response at frequencies near resonance. Therefore, an accurate estimation of OWTs damping is necessary for the efficient design of these systems. The foundation damping is one of the main sources overall turbine damping and is the least well understood. This paper presents a critical review of recently published studies on foundation damping for OWTs on monopiles and explains how soil damping contributes to the total damping of OWTs. It also reviews the main methods that have been used for the estimation of foundation damping in numerical and experimental studies. In addition, the importance of damping to the OWTs fatigue life is discussed. Finally, a discussion is provided on the challenges to be overcome and recommendations for the accurate estimation of foundation damping.

This case is one of a pair of cases used in a merger negotiation. It is designed to be used with “Amoco Corporation” (UVA-F-1262). One-half of the class prepares only the Amoco case, and one-half uses this case. BP and Amoco are considering a merger, and are in the process of negotiating a merger agreement. Macroeconomic assumptions, particularly forecasting future oil prices in an uncertain environment, and assumptions about Amoco's ability to reduce exploration and production costs make Amoco's future cash flows difficult to predict.

Advancements in receiver technology have been crucial for probing radio-frequency signals from distant sources. The survey speed of a radio telescope represents a critical constraint on astronomical observations and can be expressed in broad terms as the product of bandwidth, field of view and squared sensitivity [1]. Recent advances in digital signal processing allow receivers to provide greater bandwidth and field of view, improving survey speed for any given sensitivity. This paper discusses the fundamental radio telescope design principles, recent design challenges and progress made towards realizing a single feed L-S band receiver system covering from 704 MHz to 4032 MHz. The system design with emphasis on warm (non-cryogenic) electronics, impact of external Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) on the receiver and the commissioning results of the system on the 64m Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia are presented in this paper.

Radio astronomy receiver development is focusing on increasing the field of view and bandwidth in tandem with the exponential increase in data volumes permitted by signal processing. We present recent receiver and signal processing developments from CSIRO and FAST.

We present three recent receiver designs and the challenges in their development: a phased array feed (PAF), a multibeam system for FAST and an “ultra-wideband” feed for the Parkes telescope. A significant driver in the development of these receivers is the radio astronomy focus on surveys. In general terms

For the majority of offshore jackets, driven piles are the preferred foundation solution; however difficult soil conditions may preclude conventional pile driving. In such circumstances, methods of grouting a pile into an oversized hole or drilling and underreaming for a cast-in-place pile have received considerable attention. Drilled-and-grouted (D&G) piles are normally used in challenging geologies, such as very dense sands, very stiff clays and in calcareous deposits. However, D&G piles are normally time-consuming to construct. To address this challenge, the MIDOS pile system, which minimizes the number of offshore operations, was created and subjected to a suite of field tests. Cyclic tests were conducted on a pile installed in a silica sand deposit, where over 1000 loading cycles in between 1000 kN and 5000 kN (in tension) were applied. The evaluation of the cyclic test data clearly shows that the serviceability of the pile is unaffected by the cyclic loads. A feasibility study of the MIDOS pile in carbonate sands (Dog's Bay sand) was also explored in a laboratory test program. Carbonate sands are particularly relevant for drilled foundation solutions as the shaft friction of driven piles is typically very low due to the high radial contraction of such material adjacent to the pile shaft during impact driving. A finite element model (FEM) developed for this calcareous sand was used to compare the lab test results. The outcome of the laboratory testing program demonstrated that the MIDOS pile would have similar geotechnical and structural properties in both calcareous and siliceous deposits, suggesting that this novel offshore foundation type is suitable for a range of sand conditions.

A reliable determination of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in environmental samples is necessary to comply with the radiation protection and environmental regulations. This paper presents the results of the characterisation of massic activities of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in soil and water matrices produced as test items to conduct the proficiency test ERAD-PT-2013. The proficiency test ERAD-PT-2013 was designed to investigate analytical performance in analysing both natural and anthropogenic radionuclides, to assist laboratories to identify analytical problems, and to improve the quality of measurement results. The proficiency test items, their spectral interferences and the activity concentration levels of the analytes were designed in a way to enable identification of potential analytical problems. Methodologies, data evaluation approach and evaluation of proficiency test results for each radionuclide are described and discussed.

This paper presents the results of field tests performed to investigate the field behaviour of winged-monopile foundations. The principle of the winged monopile is that steel plates are attached to a standard monopile (in the area near the ground or seabed surface) to increase the foundation stiffness and lateral resistance. The experimental tests described in this paper consisted of load tested driven instrumented prototype scale standard (reference) monopiles and piles with varying wing geometries at two sand sites. The overall load–displacement performance and mobilised bending moment profiles were examined to assess the potential benefits of adding wings to monopiles. Experimental p–y curves were developed for the piles to analyse how the presence of wings influenced the soil–structure interaction of the foundation system. The use of simplified p–y methods for predicting the winged-pile response was assessed. The experiments proved that the addition of wings greatly improved the lateral resistance and stiffness of the piles; however, the results suggest that conventional p–y curve methods are limited as they cannot account for the effect that the enhanced stresses mobilised by the wings have on the strength and stiffness response of the pile below the wing location.

At low confining stresses, calcareous sands exhibit many similar characteristics to silica sand deposits; however, at high stresses their shearing behaviour is quite different, exhibiting strong contraction due to grain crushing. Therefore, calcareous deposits can create significant challenges for driven pile foundations where the high installation energy causes particle damage, radial contraction and very low pile shaft friction. Drilled-and-grouted piles are often preferred in calcareous conditions. As an alternative to conventional foundation solutions, a novel pile has been developed based on the mixed-in-place technology. Two carbonate sands, the Dog's Bay foramol carbonate sand and the Ballyconneely sand, which is a calcitic carbonate algal sand, have been tested in the laboratory to investigate the geotechnical behaviour of these two sediments, which have different genesis and mechanical characteristics. The sands were mixed with concrete grout at cement-to-sand ratios of 15, 25 and 35%, and at a water-to-cement ratio of 0·4 to simulate the mixed-in-place pile installation technique. The results show similar geotechnical and structural performance for both sands.

The behaviour of calcareous (or carbonate) soils often presents significant foundation challenges regarding the construction of offshore hydrocarbon facilities. The presence of carbonate deposits at many strategic petrochemical reserves implies the necessity to study the behaviour of these soils. Driven piles, normally used as deep foundation elements for oil and gas platforms are normally avoided in these geological conditions as the impact operations lead to a degradation of the sand properties decreasing the shaft capacities. Drilled-and-grouted (D&G) piles overcome many of the technical limitations associated with impact piling in carbonate deposits, however D&G piles are both expensive and time consuming to construct. A novel mixed-in-place pile has been developed that provides a technically and economically efficient solution for carbonate soils. This technology minimizes the number of offshore operations and is therefore significantly quicker than D&G piles and therefore more cost effective. Several laboratory tests and in situ tests have been performed to assess its behaviour in both silica and carbonate sands. This research uses the results of recent laboratory experiments on the mixed-in-place pile on both silica and calcareous sands to develop a Finite Element Model (FEM) of full scale piles to test their potential bearing capacities for oil and gas platforms.

Facebook Disaster Maps (FBDM) is the first platform providing analysis-ready population change products derived from crowdsourced data targeting disaster relief practices. We evaluate the representativeness of FBDM data using the Mann-Kendall test and emerging hot and cold spots in an anomaly analysis to reveal the trend, magnitude, and agglommeration of population displacement during the Mendocino Complex and Woolsey fires in California, USA. Our results show that the distribution of FBDM pre-crisis users fits well with the total population from different sources. Due to usage habits, the elder population is underrepresented in FBDM data. During the two mega-fires in California, FBDM data effectively captured the temporal change of population arising from the placing and lifting of evacuation orders. Coupled with monotonic trends, the fall and rise of cold and hot spots of population revealed the areas with the greatest population drop and potential places to house the displaced residents. A comparison between the Mendocino Complex and Woolsey fires indicates that a densely populated region can be evacuated faster than a scarcely populated one, possibly due to the better access to transportation. In sparsely populated fire-prone areas, resources should be prioritized to move people to shelters as the displaced residents do not have many alternative options, while their counterparts in densely populated areas can utilize their social connections to seek temporary stay at nearby locations during an evacuation. Integrated with an assessment on underrepresented communities, FBDM data and the derivatives can provide much needed information of near real-time population displacement for crisis response and disaster relief. As applications and data generation mature, FBDM will harness crowdsourced data and aid first responder decision-making., 16 pages with supplemental information

SAFE-10-T (Safety of Transport Infrastructure on the TEN-T Network) is a project funded by the European Union according to the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. The SAFE-10-T project is developing a global risk framework that will form the basis of an online Decision Support Tool (DST) to assist in decision-making regarding the management of transport infrastructure along the European TEN-T network. The DST is limited to road, rail and inland waterway transport infrastructure and will consider the multi-modality of these networks in terms of transport disruption due to asset failures. End-users will be able to assess the impact of interventions for infrastructure assets, including bridges, tunnels and earthworks and novel machine learning applications are being developed both at asset and network levels to provide real-time safety assessments for critical infrastructure assets. The targeted end-users are government authorities and infrastructure owners who will be able to use the outputs of the SAFE-10-T project to make strategic investment decisions regarding transport infrastructure. This paper provides an overview of the project, which commenced in May 2017. Further information is available at www.safe10tproject.eu.

The Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) has ambitious goals including deep neutral hydrogen surveys and searching for extra-terrestrial intelligence. The aperture of the main reflector is 500 m in diameter. The illuminated section of this reflector, which is 300 m in diameter, is deformed into a parabola. CSIRO has designed a multi-beam, dual polarized, cryostat-cooled receiver system which will be the largest receiver system in the telescope. The system contains 38 independent receiver chains that are optimized to operate in L-band with superior performance. This paper discusses the design challenges, build and the performance of the receiver system, particularly from Low Noise amplifier (LNA) to Digitizer.

Calcareous sands are typical of warmer seas and are encountered in several high growth locations around the world. Despite having high frictional resistance with friction angles exceeding those of siliceous sands, the in situ behaviour is characterised by particle damage and extreme contraction at high confining stresses. This behaviour results in very low values of skin friction for driven piles in calcareous deposits, where the contraction dominates the pile response. The MIxed Drilled Offshore Steel (MIDOS) pile is a novel mixed-in-place technology which has many advantages over driven steel piles and conventional drilled-and-grouted (D&G) piles. The MIDOS is based on the deep-mixing technology normally used as an onshore ground improvement technique. The mechanical technology and in situ pile performance were successfully demonstrated during an in situ test in silica sand. A laboratory based study was undertaken to assess the MIDOS performance in calcareous sand. Geotechnical tests, grout tests and st...

New offshore oil and gas exploration has placed renewed emphasis on developing structures in relatively complex geological conditions. Due to the damaging nature of impact driving, traditional steel piles used to support jacket structures, are not ideally suited to specific soil types, such as carbonate sands. Drilled and grouted piles are commonly used to support structures in these soil conditions. This paper describes a novel drilled pile, which has been developed specifically to provide a cost effective installation process while maintaining the benefits of grouted piles. The installation process negates the need for temporary casing in weak soils and minimizes the number of offshore operations. In this paper, the installation methodology and post-installation performance of a large scale onshore field trial is described. The installation process was successfully demonstrated with a 1.9 m diameter test pile installed in fine sand to 17.7 m depth in under 3 h. The performance of the pile, as measured in a tension static load test, was shown to compare favorably with existing pile design methods.

We describe a multibeam receiver for the FAST radiotelescope. The receiver provides 19 dual polarised beams over a band of 1050–1450 MHz with an expected receiver noise temperature under 7 K and aperture efficiency of greater than 62%. The feed is currently undergoing final assembly and testing.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Steps Towards Alcohol Misuse Prevention Programme (STAMPP) compared with education as normal (EAN) in reducing self-reported heavy episodic drinking (HED) in adolescents.DesignThis is a cost-effectiveness analysis from a public sector perspective conducted as part of a cluster randomised trial.SettingThis study was conducted in 105 high schools in Northern Ireland and in Scotland.ParticipantsStudents in school year 8/S1 (aged 11–12) at baseline were included in the study.InterventionsThis is a classroom-based alcohol education curricula, combined with a brief alcohol intervention for parents/carers.Outcome measuresThe outcome of this study is the cost per young person experiencing HED avoided due to STAMPP at 33 months from baseline.ResultsThe total cost of STAMPP was £85 900, equivalent to £818 per school and £15 per pupil. Due to very low uptake of the parental component, we calculated costs of £692 per school and £13 per pupil without this element. Costs per pupil were reduced further to £426 per school and £8 per pupil when it was assumed there were no additional costs of classroom delivery if STAMPP was delivered as part of activities such as personal, social, health and economic education. STAMPP was associated with a significantly greater proportion of pupils experiencing a heavy drinking episode avoided (0.08/8%) and slightly lower public sector costs (mean difference −£17.19). At a notional willingness-to-pay threshold of £15 (reflecting the cost of STAMPP), the probability of STAMPP being cost-effective was 56%. This level of uncertainty reflected the substantial variability in the cost differences between groups.ConclusionsSTAMPP was relatively low cost and reduced HED. STAMPP was not associated with any clear public sector cost savings, but neither did it increase them or lead to any cost-shifting within the public sector categories. Further research is required to establish if the cost-effectiveness of STAMPP is sustained in the long term.Trial registration numberISRCTN47028486; Results.

A research study was recently completed by University College Dublin to examine the performance of various pile types including open steel tubular piles, concrete precast piles, and helical piers. At the outset of this project, one of the key risks identified was that the concrete piles could not be installed to the target depth due to (i) insufficient energy from the available hammer and (ii) the onset of pile material damage. In order to mitigate this risk a detailed pile driveability analysis was completed to predict the installation performance during driving. Selecting an appropriate model for predicting the Static Resistance to Driving (SRD) was seen as a critical component of the driveability process in order to predict reasonable stresses and blow counts. This paper describes the procedures adopted for a base case driveability analysis and the outcome of the pile installations. A comparison of the SRD using other models (including the API and IC-05 methods) was conducted and the results we...

This technical note presents the results of a field investigation into pile aging in soft clay which was conducted over a period of ten years. Static load tests were conducted after the excess pore pressure generated by the installation of 6 m long driven concrete piles were fully equalised. These tests allowed the time-capacity aging profile to be established. A normalised capacity-time trend established for the case history is seen to be consistent with the response observed from a wider database of pile tests in clay compiled from the literature. A simple reliability based design example is provided to highlight the positive impact that pile aging could have for industrial practice. Author has checked copyright 19/8/2013. SB.

A novel mixed-in-place pile (MIDOS) has been developed by BAUER for supporting piled offshore platforms. The mechanical technology and in situ pile performance were successfully demonstrated during an in situ test in silica sand, where the tension capacity reached 9MN. This paper investigates the axial bearing capacity on one MIDOS test pile in a silica deposit where a dynamic test has been conducted using the “high-strain” testing method. The interpretation of the results was performed by means of the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) signal matching method. The static bearing capacity mobilized by the dynamic pressure of the load test reached 15.4MN (12.7MN skin friction and 2.7MN end bearing capacity). Analysis of the loads achieved in the dynamic test suggests that the MIDOS pile performs similarly to conventional bored piles in silica deposits with a Dr of about 80%. The research scope was subsequently extended to include laboratory studies in calcareous deposits. These investigations have shown that the MIDOS pile is a feasible foundation alternative for carbonate sand deposits where extreme compression at high confining stresses results in very low values of skin friction for driven piles. Laboratory tests on the steel-carbonate grout interface show a characteristic slip-stick response, which is thought to be related to the potential energy required to overcome interface locking followed by a relative short movement along a low resistance plane before reaching a similar interlocking resistance.

Expansion of the offshore UK wind energy sector has stimulated renewed interest in the response of piles to lateral and moment loads. This paper compares the state of the art in foundation design with current industry trends in offshore wind turbine construction. The historical evolution of pile design for lateral loading is described in detail, focusing on the American Petroleum Institute guidelines used by the offshore sector. The limitations of these design codes are discussed in light of the specific requirements for the wind sector. Recent research efforts attempting to bridge the gap between practice and industry are highlighted and further research needs are identified. Deposited by bulk import

This paper describes an experimental investigation designed to assess the impact of pile end condition on the capacity of piles installed in soft clay. A series of field tests are described in which instrumented open-ended and closed-ended model piles were jacked into soft clay. The radial stresses, pore pressures, and load distribution were recorded throughout installation, equalization, and load-testing. Although the total stress and pore pressure developed during installation were related to the degree of soil plugging, the radial effective stress that controls the shaft resistance was shown to be independent of the mode of penetration. The long-term shaft capacity of the open-ended pile was closely comparable to that developed by closed-ended piles, suggesting a limited influence of end condition on the fully equalized shaft resistance. In contrast to the shaft resistance, the base capacity was highly dependent on the degree of plugging. Deposited by bulk import RB 19/02/13

Education research strongly indicates that students make decisions in their mid- to late adolescence that impact the general direction of their careers, including choices about pursuing studies in science and mathematics. Educators can play an important role in these student career choices. By creating and implementing teacher professional development programs that increase teachers’ awareness/understanding of materials science and providing materials science-based classroom materials, researchers can take concrete actions toward improving the number and quality of students entering materials science and engineering departments as undergraduate students. No matter where you live or work throughout the world, there is a school nearby and abundant opportunities for researchers to make a difference in K–12 science education.

The rapid expansion of the offshore wind sector, coupled with increasing demand for high rise structures, has placed renewed demand on the driven piling market. In light of this industry growth, this paper reviews the evolution of design approaches for calculating the shaft capacity of displacement piles installed in cohesive soils. The transition from traditional total stress design towards effective stress methods is described. Complex stress–strain changes occur during pile installation, equalisation and load testing and as a consequence, the selection of parameters for use in conventional earth-pressure type effective stress approaches is not straight-forward. These problems have led to the development of empirical correlations between shaft resistance and in situ tests, such as the cone penetration tests. However, many of these approaches are limited because they were developed for specific geological conditions. Significant insight into pile behaviour has been obtained from recent model pile tests, which included reliable measurements of radial effective stresses. These tests have allowed factors such as friction fatigue and interface friction to be included explicitly in design methods. Whilst analytical methods have been developed to investigate pile response, these techniques cannot yet fully describe the complete stress–strain history experienced by driven piles. The use of analytical methods in examining features of pile behaviour, such as the development of pore pressure during installation and the effects of pile end geometry on pile capacity, is discussed. Deposited by bulk import TS 01.03.13

ObjectivesTo assess the effectiveness of a combined classroom curriculum and parental intervention (the Steps Towards Alcohol Misuse Prevention Programme (STAMPP)), compared with alcohol education as normal (EAN), in reducing self-reported heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol-related harms (ARHs) in adolescents.Setting105 high schools in Northern Ireland (NI) and in Scotland.ParticipantsSchools were stratified by free school meal provision. Schools in NI were also stratified by school type (male/female/coeducational). Eligible students were in school year 8/S1 (aged 11–12 years) at baseline (June 2012).InterventionA classroom-based alcohol education intervention, coupled with a brief alcohol intervention for parents/carers.Primary outcomes(1) The prevalence of self-reported HED in the previous 30 days and (2) the number of self-reported ARHs in the previous 6 months. Outcomes were assessed using two-level random intercepts models (logistic regression for HED and negative binomial for number of ARHs).ResultsAt 33 months, data were available for 5160 intervention and 5073 control students (HED outcome), and 5234 and 5146 students (ARH outcome), respectively. Of those who completed a questionnaire at either baseline or 12 months (n=12 738), 10 405 also completed the questionnaire at 33 months (81.7%). Fewer students in the intervention group reported HED compared with EAN (17%vs26%; OR=0.60, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.73), with no significant difference in the number of self-reported ARHs (incident rate ratio=0.92, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.05). Although the classroom component was largely delivered as intended, there was low uptake of the parental component. There were no reported adverse effects.ConclusionsResults suggest that STAMPP could be an effective programme to reduce HED prevalence. While there was no significant reduction in ARH, it is plausible that effects on harms would manifest later.Trial registration numberISRCTN47028486; Post-results.

Fruit batteries and saltwater batteries are excellent ways to explore simple circuits in the classroom. These are examples of air batteries1 in which metal reacts with oxygen in the air in order to generate free electrons, which flow through an external circuit and do work. Students are typically told that the salt or fruit water acts as an electrolyte to bring electrons from the anode to the cathode. That's true, but it leaves the battery as a black box. Physics teachers often don't have the background to explain the chemistry behind these batteries. We've written this paper to explore the electrochemistry behind an air battery using copper cathode, aluminum anode, and saltwater.

Earthworm (Lumbricidae) populations were assessed in three replicated, field experiments with different management intensities conducted on grassland research farms on medium-textured mineral soils, located at Solohead (Co. Tipperary), Grange (Co. Meath) and Johnstown Castle (Co. Wexford), Ireland. The experiment at Solohead involved four levels of mineral fertilizer application (80, 175, 225 and 350 kg N ha−1), and the plots were rotationally grazed by dairy cows. Three levels of mineral fertilizer application were compared at Johnstown Castle (0, 225 and 390 kg N ha−1) and two at Grange (100 and 225 kg N ha−1), and the plots at these sites were rotationally grazed by suckler cows and followers or dry cattle. Between 10 and 15 earthworm species were recorded per site, with Allolobophora chlorotica and Aporrectodea caliginosa being dominant. Other abundant species included Aporrectodea rosea, Aporrectodea longa, Lumbricus terrestris, Lumbricus friendi, Lumbricus festivus, Lumbricus rubellus and Satchellius mammalis. Mean earthworm population densities per treatment ranged from 203 to 324 individuals m−2 and biomass from 60 to 176 g m−2. ANCOVA revealed significant overall positive relationships between management intensity (as indicated by N application rate) and earthworm abundance (F = 4.47, p

Introduction:There are several options to achieve a sufficient safety margin in a patient with a high defibrillation threshold (DFT), with varying and typically modest success. Programming fixed (millisecond) durations of both phases of a biphasic waveform in an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has demonstrated utility. Methods:We established an informal multisite registry of ICD implanting facilities. Each facility agreed to attempt the use of fixed duration waveforms whenever there was an inadequate safety margin with tilt-based waveforms. A 3.5-ms-based fixed duration shock was tried first. If that failed to achieve a 10-J safety margin then a 2-ms-based shock was used. We also tabulated an HEDFT (high estimate DFT) as precise DFTs were not determined. Results:Sixteen patients (15 M, 1 F) were entered into the registry (age 58.2 ± 17.9 years) with ejection fractions of .30 ±.11. Superior vena cava coils were used in 7 patients according to physician preference. The tilt-based HEDFTs were 35.4 ± 3.2 J delivered and 35.8 ± 3.3 J stored energy. The 3.5-ms based shocks were evaluated on 14 patients and the HEDFT fell to 23.4 ± 6.3 J delivered (P < 0.0001) and 26.2 ± 6.9 J stored energy (P < 0.0001). The 2-ms-based fixed duration shocks were then evaluated on 6 patients and the delivered energy HEDFT was 22.2 ± 5.8 J (P = 0.001 vs. tilt-based shocks) while the stored energy HEDFT was 27.9 ± 6.4 J (P = 0.01 vs. tilt-based shocks). Using the better of the two fixed duration waveforms, the mean safety margin was improved from −1.2 ± 1.9 J to 9.5 ± 5.9 J (P < 0.00001). Multivariate predictors of the safety margin improvement were the absence of the Superior Vena Cava (SVC) coil and absence of Ventricular fibrillation (VF) presentation. Four patients still required lead repositioning after the use of the fixed duration waveforms. No additional leads were implanted. Conclusion:The use of a selection of directly programmed fixed duration biphasic shocks had a striking impact on the HEDFT for these difficult patients. Adequate safety margins were obtained for 12 of 16 patients with no lead manipulation or other approaches.

We present the integration, laboratory verification, and field testing of the first full-size Mk II Phased-Array Feed (PAF) built for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope. The ASKAP PAFs are a 94 port × 2 polarisation version of a planar connected “chequerboard” array (Hay and O'Sullivan, Radio Science, 43, no. 6, 2008). They operate over 0.7 GHz to 1.8 GHz and enable each 12 m ASKAP dish to observe a 30 deg2 field of view and survey the sky extremely rapidly.

The Square Kilometre Array radio telescope (SKA) will be 100 to 1000 times more sensitive than any radio telescope currently available enabling it to probe key questions in cosmology and physics, including the early origins of the universe. The SKA will be built in two stages “SKA1” and “SKA2”. SKA1 was originally envisioned as being the first 10% of the full SKA, with SKA2 completing the project. SKA1 has three distinct components SKA1_low, SKA1_mid and SKA1_survey.

This article relays the findings from a study of multi-agency working involving professionals from the Education, Social Services and Health sectors of local authorities, which are conveyed in two reports - Multi-agency Working: An Audit of Activity, published in February 2001, and Multi-agency Working: A Detailed Study, published in January 2002. This article focuses on models of multi-agency activity, together with the challenges and the key factors for their success.

This article reports the experience of a group of universitybased academics in supporting teachers' engagement in research in and across a cluster of secondary schools in the Norwich area. It takes the form of a discussion constructed from emails about the ways in which the academic context of their work shaped their interactions with teachers in schools. Much has been written about the ways in which the workplace environment shapes the research of teachers in schools, but there is relatively little on the ways in which the working environment of academics shapes their capacity to collaborate with teachers and support their research in schools. This article attempts to make a contribution to a somewhat neglected area of study.

A great deal of educational research contains assumptions concerning the respective roles of the different actors within educational settings. Those ‘problems’ addressed by the research community are often defined by those outside the school setting. This article examines an attempt to engage students in the process of research. It sets out the methodological strategies that were employed in the design of a survey concerning students' experiences of schooling. The findings of this survey are presented elsewhere (Doherty, 2001). The purpose of this article is to argue that collaborative, action-orientated research is best able to develop contextually sensitive research hypotheses and research questions that address the problems of practitioners and participants.

This paper considers the relationship between census data on religious affiliation, and the ethnic structure of Northern Ireland. Examination of the 1991 Census Sample of Anonymised Records suggests that as well as the major unambiguously ethnic Catholic and Protestant groups, three other groups can be identified: those born in Northern Ireland who have No Religion, those born in Northern Ireland who do not declare a religion, and those from outside the province. Members of these last three groups have in the. past been allocated to one or other of the two main groups, but it is argued that this approach can no longer be justified, and that a more complex model of the relationship is required. This has implications for social research and policymaking.

This paper presents some recent technological developments in deep mixing for the offshore sector. Deep mixing methods comprise in-situ soil treatment technologies where binding materials are added and blended with the original soils in order to improve their mechanical properties. The MIxed Drilled Offshore Steel (MIDOS) pile is introduced in this paper, which takes advantage of such deep mixing technologies. The comparison between the API approach and CPT-based methods for the prediction of the pile capacity are provided to validate the capability of the MIDOS pile as a foundational element for oil&gas structures in different geological conditions. The theoretical calculations are intended for initial estimation of pile sizing only and are not intended as a detailed design method.Copyright © 2014 by ASME