Photometric stereo data for the validation of a structural health monitoring test rig

Photometric stereo uses images of objects illuminated from various directions to calculate surface normals which can be used to generate 3D meshes of the object. Such meshes can be used by engineers to estimate damage of a concrete surface, or track damage progression over time to inform maintenance decisions. This dataset [1] was collected to quantify the uncertainty in a photometric stereo test rig through both the comparison with a well characterised method (coordinate measurement machine) and experiment virtualisation. Data was collected for 9 real objects using both the test rig and the coordinate measurement machine. These objects range from clay statues to damaged concrete slabs. Furthermore, synthetic data for 12 objects was created via virtual renders generated using Blender (3D software) [2]. The two methods of data generation allowed the decoupling of the physical rig (used to light and photograph objects) and the photometric stereo algorithm (used to convert images and lighting information into 3D meshes). This data can allow users to: test their own photometric stereo algorithms, with specialised data created for structural health monitoring applications; provide an industrially relevant case study to develop and test uncertainty quantification methods on test rigs for structural health monitoring of concrete; or develop data processing methodologies for the alignment of scaled, translated, and rotated data

Tidal Modulation of a Lateral Shear Margin: Priestley Glacier, Antarctica

We use high resolution, ground-based observations of ice displacement to investigate ice deformation across the floating left-lateral shear margin of Priestley Glacier, Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. Bare ice conditions allow us to fix survey marks directly to the glacier surface. A combination of continuous positioning of a local reference mark, and repeat positioning of a network of 33 stakes installed across a 2 km width of the shear margin are used to quantify shear strain rates and the ice response to tidal forcing over an 18-day period. Along-flow velocity observed at a continuous Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) station within the network varies by up to ∼30% of the mean speed (±28 m a−1) over diurnal tidal cycles, with faster flow during the falling tide and slower flow during the rising tide. Long-term deformation in the margin approximates simple shear with a small component of flow-parallel shortening. At shorter timescales, precise optical techniques allow high-resolution observations of across-flow bending in response to the ocean tide, including across-flow strains on the order of 10–5. An elastodynamic model informed by the field observations is used to simulate the across-flow motion and deformation. Flexure is concentrated in the shear margin, such that a non-homogeneous elastic modulus is implied to best account for the combined observations. The combined pattern of ice displacement and ice strain also depends on the extent of coupling between the ice and valley sidewall. These conclusions suggest that investigations of elastic properties made using vertical ice motion, but neglecting horizontal displacement and surface strain, will lead to incorrect conclusions about the elastic properties of ice and potentially over-simplified assumptions about the sidewall boundary condition

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Effectiveness of a national quality improvement programme to improve survival after emergency abdominal surgery (EPOCH): a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial

Background: Emergency abdominal surgery is associated with poor patient outcomes. We studied the effectiveness of a national quality improvement (QI) programme to implement a care pathway to improve survival for these patients. Methods: We did a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial of patients aged 40 years or older undergoing emergency open major abdominal surgery. Eligible UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals (those that had an emergency general surgical service, a substantial volume of emergency abdominal surgery cases, and contributed data to the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit) were organised into 15 geographical clusters and commenced the QI programme in a random order, based on a computer-generated random sequence, over an 85-week period with one geographical cluster commencing the intervention every 5 weeks from the second to the 16th time period. Patients were masked to the study group, but it was not possible to mask hospital staff or investigators. The primary outcome measure was mortality within 90 days of surgery. Analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN80682973. Findings: Treatment took place between March 3, 2014, and Oct 19, 2015. 22 754 patients were assessed for elegibility. Of 15 873 eligible patients from 93 NHS hospitals, primary outcome data were analysed for 8482 patients in the usual care group and 7374 in the QI group. Eight patients in the usual care group and nine patients in the QI group were not included in the analysis because of missing primary outcome data. The primary outcome of 90-day mortality occurred in 1210 (16%) patients in the QI group compared with 1393 (16%) patients in the usual care group (HR 1·11, 0·96–1·28). Interpretation: No survival benefit was observed from this QI programme to implement a care pathway for patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Future QI programmes should ensure that teams have both the time and resources needed to improve patient care. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research Programme

Effectiveness of a national quality improvement programme to improve survival after emergency abdominal surgery (EPOCH): a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial

BACKGROUND: Emergency abdominal surgery is associated with poor patient outcomes. We studied the effectiveness of a national quality improvement (QI) programme to implement a care pathway to improve survival for these patients. METHODS: We did a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial of patients aged 40 years or older undergoing emergency open major abdominal surgery. Eligible UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals (those that had an emergency general surgical service, a substantial volume of emergency abdominal surgery cases, and contributed data to the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit) were organised into 15 geographical clusters and commenced the QI programme in a random order, based on a computer-generated random sequence, over an 85-week period with one geographical cluster commencing the intervention every 5 weeks from the second to the 16th time period. Patients were masked to the study group, but it was not possible to mask hospital staff or investigators. The primary outcome measure was mortality within 90 days of surgery. Analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN80682973. FINDINGS: Treatment took place between March 3, 2014, and Oct 19, 2015. 22 754 patients were assessed for elegibility. Of 15 873 eligible patients from 93 NHS hospitals, primary outcome data were analysed for 8482 patients in the usual care group and 7374 in the QI group. Eight patients in the usual care group and nine patients in the QI group were not included in the analysis because of missing primary outcome data. The primary outcome of 90-day mortality occurred in 1210 (16%) patients in the QI group compared with 1393 (16%) patients in the usual care group (HR 1·11, 0·96-1·28). INTERPRETATION: No survival benefit was observed from this QI programme to implement a care pathway for patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Future QI programmes should ensure that teams have both the time and resources needed to improve patient care. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research Programme

Pastoralism and settlement structures in ancient Greece

Μέχρι τώρα, οι περισσότεροι αρχαιολόγοι υπέθεταν ότι η ζωή των βοσκών στην αρχαία Ελλάδα θα πρέπει να έμοιαζε πολύ με την ζωή των σύγχρονων βοσκών. Είναι όμως γενικά αποδεκτό, ότι είναι πολύ δύσκολο να εντοπίσει κανείς αρχαιολογικές θέσεις που έχουν αποδεδειγμένη σχέση με τους βοσκούς της αρχαιότητας. Σήμερα οι ιστορικοί εκφράζουν αμφιβολίες για την ακρίβεια της υπόθεσης αυτής, και βρίσκονται σε διαμάχη για τον χαρακτήρα της αρχαίας κτηνοτροφίας. Στο πρώτο μέρος του παρόντος άρθρου αναφέρομαι στη διαμάχη αυτή και υποστηρίζω ότι πρέπει κατ'αρχήν να καταλάβουμε το υπόβαθρο της σύγχρονης κτηνοτροφίας στην Ελλάδα πριν επιχειρήσουμε να προσεγγίσουμε την αρχαία. Από την άλλη μεριά, η αρχαία κτηνοτροφία διέφερε από την σημερινή σε ορισμένα βασικά σημεία. Στο δεύτερο μέρος του άρθρου εφαρμόζω την καινούργια αυτή άποψη για να υποστηρίξω ότι μερικές γνωστές αρχαιολογικές θέσεις είχαν κτηνοτροφική λειτουργία, που δεν είχε αναγνωριστεί παλαιότερα.Forbes Hamish Alexander. Pastoralism and settlement structures in ancient Greece. In: Structures rurales et sociétés antiques. Actes du colloque de Corfou (14-16 mai 1992) Besançon : Université de Franche-Comté, 1994. pp. 187-196. (Annales littéraires de l'Université de Besançon, 508

Pastoralism and settlement structures in ancient Greece

Μέχρι τώρα, οι περισσότεροι αρχαιολόγοι υπέθεταν ότι η ζωή των βοσκών στην αρχαία Ελλάδα θα πρέπει να έμοιαζε πολύ με την ζωή των σύγχρονων βοσκών. Είναι όμως γενικά αποδεκτό, ότι είναι πολύ δύσκολο να εντοπίσει κανείς αρχαιολογικές θέσεις που έχουν αποδεδειγμένη σχέση με τους βοσκούς της αρχαιότητας. Σήμερα οι ιστορικοί εκφράζουν αμφιβολίες για την ακρίβεια της υπόθεσης αυτής, και βρίσκονται σε διαμάχη για τον χαρακτήρα της αρχαίας κτηνοτροφίας. Στο πρώτο μέρος του παρόντος άρθρου αναφέρομαι στη διαμάχη αυτή και υποστηρίζω ότι πρέπει κατ'αρχήν να καταλάβουμε το υπόβαθρο της σύγχρονης κτηνοτροφίας στην Ελλάδα πριν επιχειρήσουμε να προσεγγίσουμε την αρχαία. Από την άλλη μεριά, η αρχαία κτηνοτροφία διέφερε από την σημερινή σε ορισμένα βασικά σημεία. Στο δεύτερο μέρος του άρθρου εφαρμόζω την καινούργια αυτή άποψη για να υποστηρίξω ότι μερικές γνωστές αρχαιολογικές θέσεις είχαν κτηνοτροφική λειτουργία, που δεν είχε αναγνωριστεί παλαιότερα.Forbes Hamish Alexander. Pastoralism and settlement structures in ancient Greece. In: Structures rurales et sociétés antiques. Actes du colloque de Corfou (14-16 mai 1992) Besançon : Université de Franche-Comté, 1994. pp. 187-196. (Annales littéraires de l'Université de Besançon, 508

STRATEGIES AND SOILS: TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCTION AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE PENINSULA OF METHANA, GREECE

The principle aim of the research is to discover how Mediterranean peasants make a living, since relatively little is known of the basis of peasant existence: agriculture. Fieldwork was concentrated in a Greek peasant community with a largely unmechanised economy because the study is part of a larger interdisciplinary programme of archaeological and historical research. The study concentrates on the description and analysis of the community\u27s adaptation to the exigencies of the environment. Environmental parameters include both the natural and human factors which affect peasant production. A major focus is therefore on technology in its widest sense: i.e. a flexible repertoire of tools, skills and knowledge for coping with these environmental factors. Technology thus provides the essential link between the environment and the study community. Introductory chapters describe the environmental, social, economic and historical backgrounds. A discussion of the repertoire of tools and their applications follows. The significance of the biological parameters of the major cultigens and domesticates, and the importance of soil-moisture maintenance are stressed. Succeeding chapters analyse a series of coping-mechanisms for surviving the expectable but not predictable hazards which periodically arise in the natural and human environments. Concluding chapters place the Methana data within the context of the wider field of economic anthropology. Finally, hierarchical models of hazard response are compared with the evidence of hazard-response strategies on Methana. A recurring theme is the importance of decisions made by farmers in ensuring both their daily livelihood and their survival under stress conditions. Decision-making related to the make-up of individual households\u27 labour-forces explains much of the variability observable in the application of the technological repertoire. Hazard-coping mechanisms are also shown to include a major decision-making element at both household and community levels. The final chapter speculates on the long-term maintenance of some of these decision-making processes