Advancing the archaeology of architecture : a GIS-based approach to the organization of built space in the castros of Northwest Iberia

This thesis is framed as a contribution to the study of spatial organization at the scale of the individual settlement, specifically in the context of the castros of Northwest Iberia. I argue that new approaches to the description and analysis of organizational properties are needed to improve the current state of research on this topic. I propose a new methodology toward this end by applying concepts and methods from spatial statistics in a GIS environment. I demonstrate the potential of my proposition through a preliminary case study involving two castro sites from northwestern Portugal: Cividade de Terroso and Castro de Romariz. I conclude by discussing the implications of my work for the study of architecture and spatial organization in castro settlements, suggesting that there is much to be gained by further pursuit and expansion of this new methodological approachAnthropolog

The use of a hot film anemometer to measure velocities below five cm/sec in mercury

A constant temperature anemometer, utilizing quartz coated hot film probes, was used to measure velocities from .1 to 5 cm/sec. The effects on anemometer performance due to time, reimmersion, and metallic sensor coatings were examinated by repeated calibrations of the probes. Contrary to previous published results, calibration change due to drift with time was not observed. Furthermore, change in calibration due to reimmersion did not occur if the mercury surface was kept clean. It is believed that these results are the consequence of improved mercury cleanliness and improved vapor deposition techniques utilized by the hot film probe manufacturers. Metallic sensor coatings of gold, silver, and nickel were examined. The only definite improvement in output voltage fluctuation was from the nickel plated probes, and this improvement lasted only a few hours

The prognostic value of derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in oesophageal cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy

Background and purpose The derived neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) is a validated prognostic biomarker for cancer survival but has not been extensively studied in locally-advanced oesophageal cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT). We aimed to identify the prognostic value of dNLR in patients recruited to the SCOPE1 trial. Materials and methods 258 patients were randomised to receive dCRT ± cetuximab. Kaplan–Meier’s curves and both univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were calculated for overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), local PFS inside the radiation volume (LPFSi), local PFS outside the radiation volume (LPFSo), and distant PFS (DPFS). Results An elevated pre-treatment dNLR ≥ 2 was significantly associated with decreased OS in univariable (HR 1.74 [95% CI 1.29–2.35], p < 0.001) and multivariable analyses (HR 1.64 [1.17–2.29], p = 0.004). Median OS was 36 months (95% CI 27.8–42.4) if dNLR < 2 and 18.4 months (95% CI 14.1–24.9) if dNLR ≥ 2. All measures of PFS were also significantly reduced with an elevated dNLR. dNLR was prognostic for OS in cases of squamous cell carcinoma with a non-significant trend for adenocarcinoma/undifferentiated tumours. Conclusions An elevated pre-treatment dNLR may be an independent prognostic biomarker for OS and PFS in oesophageal cancer patients treated with definitive CRT. dNLR is a simple, inexpensive and readily available tool for risk-stratification and should be considered for use in future oesophageal cancer clinical trials

Modelling clinical goals: a corpus of examples and a tentative ontology

Knowledge of clinical goals and the means to achieve them are either not represented in most current guideline representation systems or are encoded procedurally (e.g. as clinical algorithms, condition-action rules). There would be a number of major benefits if guideline enactment systems could reason explicitly about clinical objectives (e.g. whether a goal has been successfully achieved or not, whether it is consistent with prevailing conditions, or how the system should adapt to circumstances where a recommended action has failed to achieve the intended result). Our own guideline specification language, PROforma, includes a simple goal construct to address this need, but the interpretation is unsatisfactory in current enactment engines, and goals have yet to be included in the language semantics. This paper discusses some of the challenges involved in developing an explicit, declarative formalism for goals. As part of this, we report on a study we have undertaken which has identified over 200 goals in the routine management of breast cancer, and outline a tentative formal structure for this corpus