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For 18 months UK military anaesthetic trainees have been travelling to Zambia for a 3-month fellowship under the auspices of the Zambia Anaesthesia Development Programme. In this article we will discuss the history, current state and future intent of the fellowship in order to better inform the anaesthetic cadre and wider UK Defence Medical Services.

The beneficial bracing characteristics of plasterboard have recently been incorporated into Australian design standards for residential structures. There is a need to develop control procedures, commensurate with these enhanced design guidelines, to control the quality of plasterboard such that its manufactured properties conform with the bracing characteristics assumed. This paper reports the findings of a study into the adequacy of existing plasterboard quality tests as a measure of its bracing capacity. The paper also reports the development of a new test method, described herein as fastener bearing test, as an alternate quality control method for bracing capacity of plasterboard. This fastener bearing test is subsequently validated through an extensive experimental program and analytical modelling. The paper concludes that the proposed test is a reliable method to assess the bracing capacity of plasterboard. It has also established the validity of a simple closed-form mathematical approach to ascertain the lateral capacity of clad framed walls.

Effects of low level magnetic and electromagnetic fields (below B ~ 100 mG for ac magnetic field, and below B ~ 1000 G for static magnetic field), on purified water that is in the process of equilibration, were investigated. The pH and oxidation−reduction potential (ORP) of distilled and deionized water, previously stored for air equilibration, were measured after exposure to magnetic fields (ac and dc) of different strengths. Readings showed slow and large fluctuations (~0.05−0.1 pH unit, ~60 mV for ORP) during the first several hours. These readings looked deceptively stable due to the extreme slowness of the fluctuations. When readings were taken beyond this period, for days, the pH and ORP generally changed slowly toward equilibrium values in a quasi-linear fashion. They changed faster, on average, in those samples that had been exposed to higher magnetic fields. Readings in water samples often “got stuck”, remaining unchanged over an extended period before starting to change again, when stored for equilibration with air and measured in a mu-metal shield, where the ac magnetic flux was ~0 mG (zero field). These results indicate that, to accurately evaluate the effects of weak magnetic fields on water, subtle experimental conditions such as differential field conditions produced by common lab devices and procedures, and background lab fields, cannot be ignored. Moreover, extending measurements beyond several hours may be essential to reliably observe the presence or absence of these effects.

This paper presents a detailed case study of how a European heating contractor analysed the commercial viability of privately financing a critical component of the construction of new apartment heating systems in return for ongoing maintenance contracts. The adaptation of some of the concepts of more complex concession or Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) contract arrangements for use on a small scale project are discussed. Some details of this simple form of privately financed contact are presented. Specifics of the funding mix between construction and fitout costs, capital equipment costs and ongoing maintenance agreements are discussed and related to the market price for energy.
The example demonstrates the potential for this type of delivery mechanism for small scale construction. The constructor maintained a reasonable margin and profit during a period of economic recession, new clientele was developed and business expanded to provide a whole of life service. The developer was able to renovate a facility for a lower capital cost than would otherwise have been possible, and the user gained a state of the art heating system without any increase in heating costs.