Guideline for Care of Patients with the Diagnoses of Craniosynostosis: Working Group on Craniosynostosis

This guideline for care of children with craniosynostosis was developed by a national working group with representatives of 11 matrix societies of specialties and the national patients' society. All medical aspects of care for nonsyndromic and syndromic craniosynostosis are included, as well as the social and psychologic impact for the patient and their parents. Managerial aspects are incorporated as well, such as organizing a timely referral to the craniofacial center, requirements for a dedicated craniofacial center, and centralization of this specialized care. The conclusions and recommendations within this document are founded on the available literature, with a grading of the level of evidence, thereby highlighting the areas of care that are in need of high-quality research. The development of this guideline was made possible by an educational grant of the Dutch Order of Medical Specialists. The development of this guideline was supported by an educational grant of the Dutch Order of Medical Specialists

The importance of bed material characterisation in planning dredging projects

Insufficient, inaccurate and irrelevant data about bed material can lead to unwanted surprises, whereas early advice from contractors and specialist consultants and adequate testing and sampling early on can offer cost-savings down the road

THE IMPORTANCE OF BED MATERIAL CHARACTERISATION IN PLANNING DREDGING PROJECTS

a b stract Practical experience of dredging projects has demonstrated the importance of understanding the nature and composition of seabed material before dredging starts. The dredging industry strongly encourages clients to undertake detailed geotechnical investigations at an early stage in project design to avoid any expensive "surprises" once work starts. Despite this, mainstream engineering consultants are not taking specialist advice and proponents are not being advised about what to do, nor does it appear that dredging contractors and specialist consultants are being consulted at an early enough stage in project development. Attempts to make very minor cost savings early in a project by undertaking inadequate sampling and testing of bed materials routinely leads to serious project problems with significant consequences in terms of project schedule, project cost and company profit. Consequently, the reputation of the dredging industry suffers and the perception of dredging being a claim-ridden activity persists. This article focusses on when, how and why projects suffer as a consequence of inadequate sampling and testing of bed materials. Having identified the problems guidelines are set out to allow these to be avoided in the future. This article is based on a paper which appeared in the Proceedings of the WODCON XIX in Beijing, China in September 2011 and has been published here in a revised version with permission. INtrO D Uc tI O N When planning dredging projects, a key factor is the ability to describe the site and define the nature of the ground. This information, together with physical, environmental, operational, statutory and legal constraints provide the tendering Contractor vital information which, in conjunction with the Specification, helps the Contractor understand what work has to be done. There is little doubt that the importance of accurate and comprehensive geotechnical information is necessary to facilitate the design and execution of any construction project The purpose of this article is to address factors that are of specific relevance to dredging rather than maritime structures as a whole, and which therefore have a significance that may not be recognised when planning the development of a maritime project. Model results are used to help illustrate the points made within the article