Satellites and Site Destruction: An Analysis of Modern Impacts on the Archaeological Resource of the Ancient Near East

The increasing damage to archaeological sites is of particular issue in the Near East. Rapid modernisation has dramatically changed the landscape, threatening the archaeological resource. Ancient sites and relict landscapes are particularly well preserved here, but the rate of anthropogenic damage is shown to be increasing markedly. This primary aim of this thesis is to use sequential satellite images to examine the changes to archaeological sites in selected case study areas in Syria, and attempt a quantitative assessment. Results are then generalised to the wider Middle Eastern region. The secondary aim is to demonstrate the potential of low cost and free satellite imagery for archaeological site monitoring, as such work is essential but the cost of custom-ordered imagery is prohibitive for many organisations. The case study areas were Tell Beydar in the Upper Khabur Basin, and the region south of Carchemish by the Euphrates. 161 sites were examined, first on low-cost Corona imagery from the 1960s, showing sites at the advent of the landscape change, and then on SPOT, DigitalGlobe and Geoeye imagery from the last decade, available through Google Earth. The sites were surveyed as part of Durham University’s Fragile Crescent Project, and the survey records used to inform the analysis. Some level of assessment was possible on all sites. The concept of damage was examined and refined, and then applied to the case study sites. Multiple anthropogenic threats were examined, and all were quantitatively shown to be increasing in horizontal extent across sites and vertical depth in both case study areas, often causing extensive damage. Almost no sites were unaffected. Finally, key issues from this study are highlighted and key recommendations made

Abnormal systemic and ocular vascular response to temperature provocation in primary open-angle glaucoma patients:a case for autonomic failure?

PURPOSE. To assess systemic and ocular vascular reactivity in response to warm and cold provocation in untreated patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and normal control subjects. METHODS. Twenty-four patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and 22 normal control subjects were subjected to a modified cold pressor test involving immersion of the right hand in 40°C warm water followed by 4°C cold water exposure, and finger and ocular blood flow were assessed by means of peripheral laser Doppler flowmetry and retinal flowmetry, respectively. Finger and body temperature as well as intraocular pressure, systemic blood pressure, systemic pulse pressure, heart rate, and ocular perfusion pressure were also monitored. RESULTS. The patients with glaucoma demonstrated an increase in diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.023), heart rate (P = 0.010), and mean ocular perfusion pressure (P = 0.039) during immersion of the tested hand in 40°C water. During cold provocation, the patients demonstrated a significant decrease in finger (P = 0.0003) and ocular blood flow (the parameter velocity measured at the temporal neuroretinal rim area; P = 0.021). Normal subjects did not demonstrate any blood flow or finger temperature changes during immersion of the tested hand in 40°C water (P > 0.05); however, they exhibited increases in systolic blood pressure (P = 0.034) and pulse pressure (P = 0.0009) and a decrease in finger blood flow (P = 0.0001) during cold provocation. In normal subjects, the ocular blood flow was unchanged during high- and low-temperature challenge. CONCLUSIONS. Cold provocation elicits a different blood pressure, and ocular blood flow response in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma compared with control subjects. These findings suggest a systemic autonomic failure and ocular vascular dysregulation in POAG patients

The lived experience of parenting a child with sensory sensitivity and picky eating

open access article‘Picky eating’ is a common behaviour seen in childhood in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Sensory processing difficulties have been repeatedly associated with food refusal and picky eating behaviours. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of parents/caregivers who have a child displaying both sensory processing differences and picky eating behaviours utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants were recruited from social media support groups for parents of picky eating children. Pre-selection criteria utilised an adapted short sensory profile questionnaire to ensure the children displayed probable/definite taste-smell, audio-visual and tactile sensory sensitivities. Twelve participants fulfilling the required criteria were interviewed face to face utilising a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews were transcribed and analysed following IPA guidelines and three common themes are presented here: Battling for control of the sensory environment, Living with stigma and, disapproval, and Staying positive and moving forward. The findings show the very considerable day-to-day challenges of parenting a child with sensory issues with food, including a lack of support and criticism from others. It was apparent that the parents in our study gradually adopted a positive and accepting attitude to their child’s eating. This acceptance allowed them to have positive interactions around food with their child such as cooking and playing with food, suggesting that experiential activities serve an important purpose in this population. Further research should examine whether parental interventions based on acceptance of child eating behaviour, and commitment to gradual positive food interactions would be the best strategy to support parents and children

Gap-filling carbon dioxide, water, energy, and methane fluxes in challenging ecosystems : comparing between methods, drivers, and gap-lengths

Acknowledgements The authors thank the FLUXNET-CH4 research groups for providing the CC-BY-4.0 (Tier one) open-access eddy covariance data (https://fluxnet.org/data/fluxnet-ch4-community-product/) and ERA5 (https://www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/reanalysis-datasets/era5) for providing meteorology reanalysis data. They also thank the ReddyProc (https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/R EddyProc/index.html) team, scikit-learn (https://scikit-learn.org/s table/install.html) team, and Xgboost team (https://xgboost.readthedocs.io/en/stable/python/python_api.html) for the packages that help the implementation and validation for gap-filling approaches. SZ and TH would like to acknowledge funding from Shell to support the PhD studentship. Rothamsted thanks BBSRC grants BBS/E/C/000I0320 and BBS/E/C/000J0100. The Eddy Covariance equipment deployed in this work was funded by CIEL (https://www.cielivestock.co.uk/) and the raw data is available on the Farm Platform Portal (https://nwfp.rothamsted.ac.uk/).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project

This project uses satellite imagery and historic aerial photographs to discover and interpret archaeological sites. It has created an open access database of archaeological records that provides basic information so that the sites can be better under- stood and preserved in the future. The threats to sites in the Middle East and North Africa are increasing and creating a record of previously unrecorded sites using this methodology may be our the last chance before they are destroyed

Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project

This project uses satellite imagery and historic aerial photographs to discover and interpret archaeological sites. It has created an open access database of archaeological records that provides basic information so that the sites can be better under- stood and preserved in the future. The threats to sites in the Middle East and North Africa are increasing and creating a record of previously unrecorded sites using this methodology may be our the last chance before they are destroyed

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI): a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischaemic conditioning with transient ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We investigated whether remote ischaemic conditioning could reduce the incidence of cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months. METHODS: We did an international investigator-initiated, prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI) at 33 centres across the UK, Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Patients (age >18 years) with suspected STEMI and who were eligible for PPCI were randomly allocated (1:1, stratified by centre with a permuted block method) to receive standard treatment (including a sham simulated remote ischaemic conditioning intervention at UK sites only) or remote ischaemic conditioning treatment (intermittent ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm through four cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of an automated cuff device) before PPCI. Investigators responsible for data collection and outcome assessment were masked to treatment allocation. The primary combined endpoint was cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02342522) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between Nov 6, 2013, and March 31, 2018, 5401 patients were randomly allocated to either the control group (n=2701) or the remote ischaemic conditioning group (n=2700). After exclusion of patients upon hospital arrival or loss to follow-up, 2569 patients in the control group and 2546 in the intervention group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months post-PPCI, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated frequencies of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure (the primary endpoint) were 220 (8·6%) patients in the control group and 239 (9·4%) in the remote ischaemic conditioning group (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 0·91-1·32], p=0·32 for intervention versus control). No important unexpected adverse events or side effects of remote ischaemic conditioning were observed. INTERPRETATION: Remote ischaemic conditioning does not improve clinical outcomes (cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure) at 12 months in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation, University College London Hospitals/University College London Biomedical Research Centre, Danish Innovation Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, TrygFonden

Evaluation of an early supported discharge scheme for older people

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN058044 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Cognitive rehabilitation in dementia

Literature review: Dementia can be extremely disruptive and debilitating to everyday life leading to psychological distress. Cognitive rehabilitation is a relatively new intervention in dementia that could potentially alleviate this. The aim of the review was to critically cognitive rehabilitation in dementia. The review revealed a scarcity of research in this area with a number of methodologically limited studies. Despite their limitations the evidence for this intervention was encouraging. Further research employing more robust study designs needs to be conducted focusing on the functional, psychological and social impact of cognitive rehabilitation. Research report: To evaluate the effectiveness of a memory group providing cognitive rehabilitation a two group controlled design was used. Two matched memory clinics supplied the sample. Outcomes were activities of daily living (ADL), mood and carer strain. Memory deficit was also measured. Data was gathered at baseline and three months through a home visit by a researcher independent of the intervention. 26 intervention and 21 control participants were recruited. No statistically significant differences were found between groups at baseline. At three months deterioration in memory and ADL was observed in both groups. This was statistically significant for ADL. In the intervention group mood in participants and carers and carer strain remained stable with no statistically significant differences. In the control group statistically significant increases in participant depression, carer anxiety and depression and carer strain were observed. Effect sizes indicated a medium effect. The memory group did not have a positive effect on ADL but appeared to stabilise mood and carer strain. A possible protective effect of the group against psychological distress is a hypothesis that requires further investigation. Critical appraisal: Reflections on research process including the development for the intervention, the development of the evaluation and conducting the project are discussed.

Eating in the lockdown during the Covid 19 pandemic; self-reported changes in eating behaviour, and associations with BMI, eating style, coping and health anxiety 6 health anxiety

Abstract: The global coronavirus pandemic (Covid 19) resulted in national lockdowns where individuals were asked to isolate in their homes to stop the spread of the disease. Using a cross-sectional survey, the current paper aimed to examine self-reported changes in eating patterns and behaviour during the lockdown in the UK, and associations with BMI, demographic variables, eating styles, health anxiety, food insecurity and coping strategies. Participants (N=620) were recruited online through social media advertising. The results showed that there were self-reported changes to food consumption during the lockdown across the sample. Increases in consumption of HED (high energy density) snack foods during the lockdown was associated with sex, pre-lockdown eating behaviour (emotional eating and uncontrolled eating), and Covidspecific health anxiety. Increases in positive eating practices such as eating more home prepared foods, and fruits and vegetables, were associated with adaptive coping strategies. Higher emotional eating (EE) during the lockdown was associated with a higher BMI, higher pre-lockdown EE and maladaptive coping strategies. Maladaptive coping strategies moderated the relationship between BMI and EE during the lockdown. In particular a higher BMI was associated with higher EE during the lockdown when an individual had high maladaptive coping strategies. These findings suggest that changes to eating behaviour may be part of a wider style of maladaptive or adaptive coping, particularly in those with a history of EE or uncontrolled eating. Preparing individuals to adopt more adaptive coping strategies during lockdown situations may be crucial to improving health during subsequent the lockdown events