Austerity, personalisation and the degradation of voluntary sector employment conditions

This qualitative study of two social care organisations, explores how public sector austerity and policies to personalise social care services through introducing individual budgets in the UK combine to reshape employment conditions. It further explores how these new market relations impact on staff morale and commitment. The individual case summaries reveal a remarkable degree of similarity in terms of employment outcomes, with social care workers experiencing an erosion of the standard employment relationship. Workers experience greater insecurity in areas of pay and conditions, working time, training and development, career prospects, along with work intensification. Worker morale appeared vulnerable as employees struggled to cope with worsening working conditions, but also expressed concerns with quality of care in an era of austerity

Bologna guidelines for diagnosis and management of adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO)

Background: Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) is a common surgical emergency, causing high morbidity and even some mortality. The adhesions causing such bowel obstructions are typically the footprints of previous abdominal surgical procedures. The present paper presents a revised version of the Bologna guidelines to evidence-based diagnosis and treatment of ASBO. The working group has added paragraphs on prevention of ASBO and special patient groups. Methods: The guideline was written under the auspices of the World Society of Emergency Surgery by the ASBO working group. A systematic literature search was performed prior to the update of the guidelines to identify relevant new papers on epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of ASBO. Literature was critically appraised according to an evidence-based guideline development method. Final recommendations were approved by the workgroup, taking into account the level of evidence of the conclusion. Recommendations: Adhesion formation might be reduced by minimally invasive surgical techniques and the use of adhesion barriers. Non-operative treatment is effective in most patients with ASBO. Contraindications for non-operative treatment include peritonitis, strangulation, and ischemia. When the adhesive etiology of obstruction is unsure, or when contraindications for non-operative management might be present, CT is the diagnostic technique of choice. The principles of non-operative treatment are nil per os, naso-gastric, or long-tube decompression, and intravenous supplementation with fluids and electrolytes. When operative treatment is required, a laparoscopic approach may be beneficial for selected cases of simple ASBO. Younger patients have a higher lifetime risk for recurrent ASBO and might therefore benefit from application of adhesion barriers as both primary and secondary prevention. Discussion: This guideline presents recommendations that can be used by surgeons who treat patients with ASBO. Scientific evidence for some aspects of ASBO management is scarce, in particular aspects relating to special patient groups. Results of a randomized trial of laparoscopic versus open surgery for ASBO are awaited

Observations of nearshore crescentic sandbars

The temporal and spatial variability of crescentic sandbars is analyzed with hourly long-term (months) video observations collected at four barred sites and are qualitatively compared to the temporal and spatial variability predicted by hypotheses underpinning existing approaches and models for crescentic bar formation (edge-wave template model, linear stability analysis, and nonlinear models). The observations, coming from the single barred beaches at Duck (North Carolina, USA) and Miyazaki (Kyushu, Japan), and from the double-barred beaches at the northern Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia) and Noordwijk (Netherlands), show that crescentic sandbar wavelength and amplitude variations over space and time are very common. For instance, at any moment in time, the wavelength of the smallest and longest crescentic bar can differ by a factor of 2. Temporal changes in wavelength and amplitude result from merging and splitting of individual crescents, causing the `final` configuration of a crescentic sandbar system to be very different from the initial configuration. The Gold Coast data indicate that these intrinsically nonlinear interactions are an attempt of the crescentic bar system to self-organize into a more uniform pattern, as splitting is usually confined to the longest crescentic bar observed, whereas merging usually combines the smallest crescentic bars into a longer bar. The observed spatial and temporal crescentic bar behavior contrasts qualitatively with behavior predicted from the edge-wave template model and implies that the predictive skill of linear stability models is limited. Nonlinear models are potentially better suited for a comparison against these field observations; several suggestions to improve these models, and hence to facilitate a data-model comparison, are made

Blast testing of RC slabs retrofitted with NSM CFRP plates

In this paper, blast testing was performed on two reinforced concrete specimens: a plain reinforced concrete (RC) specimen; and an identical RC specimen retrofitted with near surface mounted (NSM) carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates. Each specimen was subjected to two separate explosive loads at a standoff distance of 0.6m, with the aim of investigating the performances of both specimens within both their elastic and plastic response ranges. The first blast (Blast 1) and second blast (Blast 2) consisted of an equivalent TNT charge weight of 0.079kg and 2.09kg respectively. The elastic-range responses of both specimens after the small shot (Blast 1), such as acceleration and deflection were obtained and comparisons were made between the specimens. The plastic performances of both specimens, such as tension face scabbing, crack patterns, plastic hinges and permanent deflection, after the large shot (Blast 2) were also analysed and compared. A number of unique failures and behaviours of both specimens were observed, investigated and analyzed. The test results provide a vital direction in the development of an optimal retrofit in future research.Chengqing Wu, Deric John Oehlers, John Wachl, Craig Glynn, Adrian Spencer, Matthew Merrigan, Ian Da

Layered Blast Capacity Analysis of FRP Retrofitted RC Member

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) retrofitting of RC structures against blast loading is an emerging research area of major significance. Currently, several guidelines are available for the FRP retrofitting of RC structures against monotonic and seismic loads. However, no advice is provided from these guidelines for the retrofit RC structures against blast loading. This paper formulates a layered model that allows for both FRP strengthening and the consideration of strain rate effects on the blast resistant capacity of flexural structural members. The layered model is incorporated into a single degree of freedom model for dynamic analyses and it is validated with blast tests. The validated model is then used in a parametric study which investigates the changes in strength, ductility and energy absorption capacities of flexural FRP strengthened members under blast loads. It is found that the capacity of a flexural member to resist a blast load can be increased greatly with the use of compressive face plating with the ductility of the flexural member being the key factor.Chengqing Wu, Deric John Oehlers and Ian Da