Building BIG – constructing economies: from design to long-term impact of large-scale building projects. Introduction

Horizon 2020(H2020)646667Classical & Mediterranean ArchaeologyMaterial Culture Studie

Shaping cultural landscapes: connecting agriculture, crafts, construction, transport, and resilience strategies: introduction to the papers

Horizon 2020(H2020)646667Material Culture StudiesClassical & Mediterranean Archaeolog

Efficient three-dimensional field documentation methods for labour cost studies: case studies from archaeological and heritage contexts

The aim of this paper is to present alternatives for three-dimensional field documentation methods which can be used to record architectural features for econometric labour cost studies. Combining reflectorless total station line-drawing with photogrammetry produces high-quality three-dimensional models of the targets which can subsequently be analysed to derive volumetric data of the employed building materials and the sizes of the individual elements. The case studies compare how different variations and combinations of three-dimensional architectural documentation can be used to create sufficiently accurate models for architectural energetics studies with varying degrees of time and expense in the field and in the post-processing phase of the research. The documentation method has been developed by the first author of this paper and disseminated through annual fieldschools conducted on archaeological sites. The standard documentation procedure is to establish ground control points and an alternative based on inbuilt instrument GPS systems is also discussed.Horizon 2020(H2020)646667Archaeological Heritage ManagementArchaeological science

Prospective study of pathogens in asymptomatic travellers and those with diarrhoea : aetiological agents revisited

Travellers' diarrhoea (TD) remains the most frequent health problem encountered by visitors to the (sub) tropics. Traditional stool culture identifies the pathogen in only 15% of cases. Exploiting PCR-based methods, we investigated TD pathogens with a focus on asymptomatic travellers and severity of symptoms. Pre- and post-travel stools of 382 travellers with no history of antibiotic use during travel were analysed with a multiplex quantitative PCR for Salmonella, Yersinia, Campylobacter, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae and five diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli: enteroaggregative (EAEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterotoxigenic (ETEC), enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) and enteroinvasive (EIEC). The participants were categorized by presence/absence of TD during travel and on return, and by severity of symptoms. A pathogen was indentified in 61% of the asymptomatic travellers, 83% of those with resolved TD, and 83% of those with ongoing TD; 25%, 43% and 53% had multiple pathogens, respectively. EPEC, EAEC, ETEC and Campylobacter associated especially with ongoing TD symptoms. EAEC and EPEC proved more common than ETEC. To conclude, modern methodology challenges our perception of stool pathogens: all pathogens were common both in asymptomatic and symptomatic travellers. TD has a multibacterial nature, but diarrhoeal symptoms mostly associate with EAEC, EPEC, ETEC and Campylobacter. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.Peer reviewe

Real-time sampling of travelers shows intestinal colonization by multidrug-resistant bacteria to be a dynamic process with multiple transient acquisitions

AbstractBackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). International travel contributes substantially to the global spread of intestinal multidrug-resistant gram-negative (MDR-GN) bacteria. Of the 100 million annual visitors to LMIC, 30–70% become colonized by MDR-GN bacteria. The phenomenon has been well documented, but since sampling has only been conducted after travelers’ return home, data on the actual colonization process are scarce. We aimed to characterize colonization dynamics by exploring stool samples abroad on a daily basis while visiting LMIC.MethodsA group of 20 European volunteers visiting Lao People’s Democratic Republic for three weeks provided daily stool samples and filled in daily questionnaires. Acquisition of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing gram-negative bacteria (ESBL-GN) was examined by selective stool cultures followed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of isolates.ResultsWhile colonization rates were 70% at the end of the study, daily sampling revealed that all participants had acquired ESBL-GN at some time point during their overseas stay, the colonization status varying day by day. WGS analysis ascribed the transient pattern of colonization to sequential acquisition of new strains, resulting in a loss of detectable colonization by the initial MDR-GN strains. All but one participant acquired multiple strains (n=2–7). Of the total of 83 unique strains identified (53 E. coli, 10 Klebsiella, 20 other ESBL-GN species), some were shared by as many as four subjects.ConclusionsThis is the first study to characterize in real time the dynamics of acquiring MDR-GN during travel. Our data show multiple transient colonization events indicative of constant microbial competition.</jats:sec

Increased Oxidative Burden Associated with Traffic Component of Ambient Particulate Matter at Roadside and Urban Background Schools Sites in London

As the incidence of respiratory and allergic symptoms has been reported to be increased in children attending schools in close proximity to busy roads, it was hypothesised that PM from roadside schools would display enhanced oxidative potential (OP). Two consecutive one-week air quality monitoring campaigns were conducted at seven school sampling sites, reflecting roadside and urban background in London. Chemical characteristics of size fractionated particulate matter (PM) samples were related to the capacity to drive biological oxidation reactions in a synthetic respiratory tract lining fluid. Contrary to hypothesised contrasts in particulate OP between school site types, no robust size-fractionated differences in OP were identified due high temporal variability in concentrations of PM components over the one-week sampling campaigns. For OP assessed both by ascorbate (OPAA m−3) and glutathione (OPGSH m−3) depletion, the highest OP per cubic metre of air was in the largest size fraction, PM1.9–10.2. However, when expressed per unit mass of particles OPAA µg−1 showed no significant dependence upon particle size, while OPGSH µg−1 had a tendency to increase with increasing particle size, paralleling increased concentrations of Fe, Ba and Cu. The two OP metrics were not significantly correlated with one another, suggesting that the glutathione and ascorbate depletion assays respond to different components of the particles. Ascorbate depletion per unit mass did not show the same dependence as for GSH and it is possible that other trace metals (Zn, Ni, V) or organic components which are enriched in the finer particle fractions, or the greater surface area of smaller particles, counter-balance the redox activity of Fe, Ba and Cu in the coarse particles. Further work with longer-term sampling and a larger suite of analytes is advised in order to better elucidate the determinants of oxidative potential, and to fuller explore the contrasts between site types.\ud \u

Four-valence-proton yrast states in Er8268150

The level structure of the four-valence-proton N=82 nucleus Er150 has been studied by -ray spectroscopy following reactions of 225-255 MeV Ni58,60 beams on Mo92,94,95 and Nb93 targets. Yrast levels in Er150 are established up to 9.5 MeV excitation energy; they include isomeric levels at 2797, 7372, and 9509 keV. The observed levels up to 5222 keV are interpreted in terms of shell model configurations involving the four valence protons outside the Gd146 core. They include states with dominant seniority two and four configurations h1124, h1123s12, and h1123d32, and octupole excitations. The levels above 5222 keV must involve excitation of the Gd146 core, and they are not interpreted in detail. The energies of the h1124 levels are found to agree reasonably with predictions based on empirical two-body interactions taken from the h1122 spectrum of Dy148. Even better agreement is obtained by taking account also of the known h1123 energies in Ho149. The dependence of E2 transition probabilities in N=82 nuclei on the h112 subshell occupation number is discussed