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To investigate the loading conditions in multiple-level mines, two limestone mines have been used to study the stress interaction between the levels as undermining occurs. The first mine (site A, in Tennessee, USA) has up to a 243 m overburden and 7 m interburden thickness between levels and the second (site B, in Kentucky) has a 304 m overburden and 26 m interburden thickness between levels. Both mines were designed to minimise interaction between levels, through pillar columnisation at site A or a thick interburden at site B. The monitoring program at the sites includes stressmeters and LiDAR for tracking stress redistributions and rock displacement in response to undermining. FLAC3D numerical models were created corresponding to the planned pillar dimensions and layout at both sites. Results from site A and preliminary modelling from site B show very little stress change as a results of undermining. Monitoring is ongoing at both sites., To investigate the loading conditions in multiple-level mines, two limestone mines have been used to study the stress interaction between the levels as undermining occurs. The first mine (site A, in Tennessee, USA) has up to a 243 m overburden and 7 m interburden thickness between levels and the second (site B, in Kentucky) has a 304 m overburden and 26 m interburden thickness between levels. Both mines were designed to minimise interaction between levels, through pillar columnisation at site A or a thick interburden at site B. The monitoring program at the sites includes stressmeters and LiDAR for tracking stress redistributions and rock displacement in response to undermining. FLAC3D numerical models were created corresponding to the planned pillar dimensions and layout at both sites. Results from site A and preliminary modelling from site B show very little stress change as a results of undermining. Monitoring is ongoing at both sites.

Little is known about the characteristics and treatments of patients with severe asthma across Europe, but both are likely to vary. This is the first study in the European Respiratory Society Severe Heterogeneous Asthma Research collaboration, Patient-centred (SHARP) Clinical Research Collaboration and it is designed to explore these variations. Therefore, we aimed to compare characteristics of patients in European severe asthma registries and treatments before starting biologicals.This was a cross-sectional retrospective analysis of aggregated data from 11 national severe asthma registries that joined SHARP with established patient databases.Analysis of data from 3236 patients showed many differences in characteristics and lifestyle factors. Current smokers ranged from 0% (Poland and Sweden) to 9.5% (Belgium), mean body mass index ranged from 26.2 (Italy) to 30.6 kg·m-2 (the UK) and the largest difference in mean pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted was 20.9% (the Netherlands versus Hungary). Before starting biologicals patients were treated differently between countries: mean inhaled corticosteroid dose ranged from 700 to 1335 µg·day-1 between those from Slovenia versus Poland when starting anti-interleukin (IL)-5 antibody and from 772 to 1344 µg·day-1 in those starting anti-IgE (Slovenia versus Spain). Maintenance oral corticosteroid use ranged from 21.0% (Belgium) to 63.0% (Sweden) and from 9.1% (Denmark) to 56.1% (the UK) in patients starting anti-IL-5 and anti-IgE, respectively.The severe asthmatic population in Europe is heterogeneous and differs in both clinical characteristics and treatment, often appearing not to comply with the current European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society guidelines definition of severe asthma. Treatment regimens before starting biologicals were different from inclusion criteria in clinical trials and varied between countries.

Partial thickness burns can advance to full thickness after initial injury due to inadequate tissue perfusion and increased production of inflammatory cytokines, which has been referred to as burn wound progression. In previous work, we demonstrated that a keratin biomaterial hydrogel appeared to reduce burn wound progression. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a modified keratin hydrogel could reduce burn wound progression and speed healing. Standardized burn wounds were created in Yorkshire swine and treated within 30 minutes with keratin hydrogel (modified and unmodified), collagen hydrogel, or silver sulfadiazine (SSD). Digital images of each wound were taken for area measurements immediately prior to cleaning and dressing changes. Wound tissue was collected and assessed histologically at several time points. Wound area showed a significant difference between hydrogels and SSD groups, and rates of reepithelialization at early time points showed an increase when keratin treatment was used compared to both collagen and SSD. A linear regression model predicted a time to wound closure of approximately 25 days for keratin hydrogel while SSD treatment required 35 days. There appeared to be no measurable differences between the modified and unmodified formulations of keratin hydrogels.

Activities are described which were carried out between October 2011 and February 2012 at a longwall coal mine in Pennsylvania, USA, to improve face conditions and the safety of underground personnel during mining of a 457 m wide longwall panel. The safety concerns were related to adverse face conditions encountered during mining of the preceding panel, with many of the problems attributed to a thick and massive sandstone channel. Following geologic and geotechnical evaluations, it was recommended that four hydraulic fracturing holes should be drilled along the centre access of the sandstone channel to reduce pressure and improve face conditions. The average fracture initiation pressure was about 34.5 MPa and the average shut-in pressure was 3.45 MPa, indicating the formation of horizontal pancake fractures. The effectiveness of the hydraulic fracturing programme was monitored using longwall visual analysis software to track the face pressure and cavity formation index along the longwall face. The longwall face entered the western edge of the sandstone channel in mid-December 2011 and cleared the eastern edge on 3 February 2012. The results of a monitoring programme indicated that three additional holes may be needed to fill the gaps, or that water could be pumped into each hole to propagate the pancake fractures to enable them to overlap each other. The latter, more cost-effective method will be employed for the next panel., Activities are described which were carried out between October 2011 and February 2012 at a longwall coal mine in Pennsylvania, USA, to improve face conditions and the safety of underground personnel during mining of a 457 m wide longwall panel. The safety concerns were related to adverse face conditions encountered during mining of the preceding panel, with many of the problems attributed to a thick and massive sandstone channel. Following geologic and geotechnical evaluations, it was recommended that four hydraulic fracturing holes should be drilled along the centre access of the sandstone channel to reduce pressure and improve face conditions. The average fracture initiation pressure was about 34.5 MPa and the average shut-in pressure was 3.45 MPa, indicating the formation of horizontal pancake fractures. The effectiveness of the hydraulic fracturing programme was monitored using longwall visual analysis software to track the face pressure and cavity formation index along the longwall face. The longwall face entered the western edge of the sandstone channel in mid-December 2011 and cleared the eastern edge on 3 February 2012. The results of a monitoring programme indicated that three additional holes may be needed to fill the gaps, or that water could be pumped into each hole to propagate the pancake fractures to enable them to overlap each other. The latter, more cost-effective method will be employed for the next panel.