Evaluation of Patient to Provider Oriented Telemedicine in Hospitals and Physician Practices

This project explores barriers to telemedicine adoption and meaningful integration with contemporary healthcare delivery systems

Some gamma-ray shielding measurements made at altitudes greater than 115000 feet using large Ge(Li) detectors

A series of balloon-flight experiments at altitudes greater than 115,000 feet were conducted to gain information relative to the use of composite shields (passive and/or active) for shielding large-volume, lithium-drifted, germanium (Ge(Li)) detectors used in gamma-ray spectrometers. Data showing the pulse-height spectra of the environmental gamma radiation as measured at 5.3 and 3.8 gms sq cm residual atmosphere with an unshielded diode detector are also presented

Isotopic provenancing of Pb in Mitrovica, northern Kosovo: source identification of chronic Pb enrichment in soils, house dust and scalp hair

Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, is the site of some of the highest Pb concentrations reported in human populations; exemplified by Pb concentrations in scalp hair of up to 130 μg g-1 and widely-publicized of Pb-related ill-health and mortality amongst internally displaced populations. High human Pb burdens are accompanied by elevated concentrations of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in soils and house dust within the city, which has a long history of mining and metallurgy. In this study enrichment-levels for PHEs in soils are quantified and compared to environmental quality guidelines and a statistically-derived estimation of background concentration. In addition, Pb isotopes (207Pb/206Pb, 208Pb/206Pb) are used to characterise the isotopic signatures of potential point sources of Pb and a mixing model employed to quantify the contribution of sources to Pb present in soils, house dust, and the scalp hair of children and young people. Pb isotopic evidence suggests that Pb in surface soils and house-dust is predominantly sourced from historical deposition of Pb-containing aerosols from metal smelting, with lower contributions from wind-blown dispersal of metalliferous waste. Pb present in scalp hair is interpreted as the result of non-occupational exposure and the ingestion and/or inhalation of Pb-enriched surface soil and house dust. This study represents one of the very few instances where this type of geochemical tracing technique has been successfully applied to definitively identify the source of Pb present within biological samples. The results of this study are of particular relevance to environmental management and highlight the human health risk posed by the legacy of now inactive mining and metallurgy in addition to the challenge posed in mitigating the risk posed by diffuse soil pollution. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd

The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in western Scotland and its European context

The transition is considered in terms of four related questions: (i) HOW did the shift from foraging to farming happen? (ii) WHY did it happen? (iii) WHEN did it happen? (iv) WHY did it happen WHEN it did? The adoption of farming coincided with a shift to a more continental-type climate with lower winter precipitation, which improved the prospects for cereal cultivation. It is sug- gested that this was a key factor in the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic across north-west Eu- rope as a whole.Mezolitsko-neolitski prehod obravnavamo glede na štiri povezana vprašanja: (i) KAKO se je zgodil prehod iz lovstva-nabiralništva v kmetovanje? (ii) ZAKAJ se je zgodil? (iii) KDAJ se je zgodil? (iv) ZAKAJ se je zgodil, KO se je zgodil? Do prevzema kmetovanja je prišlo v času, ko so klimatske razmere postale bolj kontinentalne in zimske padavine manj obilne. To je izboljšalo pogoje za gojenje žit. Menimo, da je bil to ključni dejavnik za prehod iz mezolitika v neolitik v celotni severozahodni Evropi

The Form and Abandonment of the City of Kuik-Mardan, Otrar Oasis, Kazakhstan in the Early Islamic Period

A joint Kazakh-British archaeological initiative undertook a survey and excavation of the city of Kuik-Mardan, one of the largest of the seventy or so known settlements in the Otrar oasis on the Syr-Darya river, Kazakhstan. Several complimentary field techniques were employed including unmanned aerial vehicle photomapping and an extensive programme of radiometric dating. The radiocarbon dates obtained are the first for any city in the oasis and allow more confident interpretations of the experience of the city to be ventured. Also undertaken was a geoarchaeological investigation of the surrounding irrigation and water supply canal system. Key results include its wholesale destruction during the 6th to 7th century and the form of the later occupation of the city