An update on the Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been stabilised in the years 1999–2000 by an International Committee appointed by the Italian Government. An analysis of the whole history of the monument, starting from its construction in the XII century and including the results of the modern monitoring of XIX and XX century led the Committee to the conclusion that the Tower is affected by a phenomenon of instability of the equilibrium, depending on the deformability and not on the strength of the foundation soils. The stabilisation intervention, totally respectful of the integrity of the monument, consisted in slightly decreasing the inclination of the Tower by underexcavating a small volume of soil beneath the north side of the foundation. The paper briefly reports the analysis and the intervention; the observation of the behaviour in the twenty years elapsed since then allows some preliminary evaluation of the future behaviour

Class A prediction of mechanised tunnelling in Rome

Contract T3 of Line C of Rome underground, currently under construction, crosses the archaeological area of the historical centre, with significant interferences with the existing monumental built environment. A fully instrumented green field control section was established at the beginning of this contract, in representative ground conditions. This paper presents a thorough Class A prediction of the passage of the tunnels through the control section, obtained using a recently developed advanced numerical procedure. The ground was modelled with a non-linear constitutive law, calibrated with all the available data from the geotechnical investigation. The main physical processes occurring around the shield, including cutter-head overcut, shield tapering and tail void grouting were modelled in detail. The numerical results agree qualitatively with the findings from well documented case histories and results from physical models. The installed instrumentation will provide an opportunity to test the ability of the adopted procedure to reproduce quantitatively the measured performance, once the tunnels will cross the control sections and the field data will become available

Using laws to further public health causes: the healthy prisons agenda

© The Author(s) 2019. In this commentary, we propose using laws in implementing the Healthy Prisons Agenda. We evaluate the efficacy of laws in tackling health inequalities in prisons, provide recommendations on how states can uphold their international commitments that safeguard prisoners’ right to healthcare, and frame prisons as health-promoting settings. We also assess the challenges that can thwart this proposal, such as the non-binding nature of international obligations, global prison overcrowding and the dependency on prison governors and staff for implementation of the Agenda. The commentary concludes by recommending further evaluation of our proposal and testing its potential generalisability to other health-promotion agendas

Factors that determine the effectiveness of peer interventions in prisons in England and Wales

Epidemiological assessment of the prison population globally shows undeniable health need, with research evidence consistently demonstrating that the prevalence of ill health is higher than rates reported in the wider community. Since a meeting convened by the World Health Organisation in the mid-1990s, prisons have been regarded as legitimate settings for health promotion and a myriad of interventions have been adopted to address prisoners’ health and social need. Peer-based approaches have been a common health intervention used within the prison system, but despite their popularity little evidence exists on the approach. This paper presents findings from an expert symposium – part of a wider study which included a systematic review – designed to gather expert opinion on whether and how peer–based approaches work within prisons and if they can contribute to improving the health of prisoners. Experts were selected from various fields including the prison service, academic research and third sector organisations. Expert evidence suggested that the magnitude of success of peer interventions in prison settings is contingent on understanding the contextual environment and a recognition that peer interventions are co-constructed with prison staff at all levels of the organisation. Implications for developing peer-based interventions in prison are given which assist in developing the concept, theory and practice of the health promoting prison

Exploring young people's interpretations of female genital mutilation in the UK using a community-based participatory research approach

BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a deeply-rooted cultural practice mainly undertaken in Africa, the Middle East and Asian countries. Evidence to date suggests that although first-generation migrants to the West are abandoning FGM, the custom continues in some places, albeit in small numbers. This study examined how young people living in FGM affected communities in the United Kingdom (UK), interpreted and explained FGM. METHODS: A community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was used to recruit and train nine young people aged 15-18 as co-researchers. These comprised eight females and one male from second-generation FGM affected communities, living in Bristol. The co-researchers then undertook focus groups and semi-structured interviews with twenty participants aged 13-15 living in Bristol, Cardiff and Milton Keynes. The qualitative data from the training workshops, interviews and focus groups were collected and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: There were conflicting views among participants. Some perceived FGM as a historical tradition that was of very little, if any, relevance to them. In contrast, others perceived that the more archaic, cultural interpretation of FGM, more commonly shared by older generations, had been supplanted by a new form of FGM, which they believed to be a safe procedure, made so by the availability of highly-trained, qualified doctors and better equipment in the UK. Participants spoke of challenges encountered when attempting to raise the issue of FGM with parents. Nevertheless, they acknowledged that- being born and raised in the UK - enabled them to talk openly and to challenge others. CONCLUSION: Future strategies to address and prevent FGM in the UK will require a public health approach that is holistic, intersectional and empowering. Such measures should be relevant to young people born and raised in the UK who interpret FGM differently to previous first-generation migrant relatives and communities. Tackling FGM requires a shift away from a principal preoccupation with harm reduction and criminalisation towards collaboration and active dialogue with communities, in positive and productive ways that acknowledge and engage issues of identity, race, gender, and generation, enabling people affected by FGM to take control of their health and well-being

Healthier prisons: The role of a prison visitors' centre

Since the inception of the prison as a ‘setting’ for health promotion, there has been a focus on how the health of those men and women who spend ‘time inside’ can at least be maintained and if possible, enhanced, during their prison sentence. This paper presents findings from a mainly qualitative evaluation of a prison visitors' centre in the UK. It reports experiences of prisoners' families, prisoners, prison staff, the local community and the ways in which the visitors' centre has contributed positively to their health and well-being. In addition, key stakeholders were interviewed to ascertain the role this visitors' centre has in policy frameworks related to re-offending. The findings from this evaluation underscore how the visitors' centre improved the quality of visits, and contributed towards the maintenance of family ties through the help and support it provides for families and prisoners. The paper concludes by suggesting that visitors' centres are an essential part of a modern prison service helping to address the government's health inequalities agenda

Characterisation of single phase fluid flow heterogeneity due to localised deformation in a porous rock using rapid neutron tomography

The behaviour of subsurface reservoir porous rocks is a central topic in the resource engineering industry and has relevant applications in hydrocarbon, water production, and CO2 sequestration. One of the key open issues is the effect of deformation on the hydraulic properties of the host rock and, specifically, in saturated environments. This paper presents a novel full field data set describing the hydro mechanical properties of porous geomaterials through in situ neutron and X ray tomography. The use of high performance neutron imaging facilities such as CONRAD 2 Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin allows the tracking of the fluid front in saturated samples, making use of the differential neutron contrast between normal water and heavy water. To quantify the local hydro mechanical coupling, we applied a number of existing image analysis algorithms and developed an array of bespoke methods to track the water front and calculate the 3D speed maps. The experimental campaign performed revealed that the pressure driven flow speed decreases, in saturated samples, in the presence of pre existing low porosity heterogeneities and compactant shear bands. Furthermore, the observed complex mechanical behaviour of the samples and the associated fluid flow highlight the necessity for 3D imaging and analysi

Primary medical care in Irish prisons

BACKGROUND: An industrial dispute between prison doctors and the Irish Prison Service (IPS) took place in 2004. Part of the resolution of that dispute was that an independent review of prison medical and support services be carried out by a University Department of Primary Care. The review took place in 2008 and we report here on the principal findings of that review. METHODS: This study utilised a mixed methods approach. An independent expert medical evaluator (one of the authors, DT) inspected the medical facilities, equipment and relevant custodial areas in eleven of the fourteen prisons within the IPS. Semistructured interviews took place with personnel who had operational responsibility for delivery of prison medical care. Prison doctors completed a questionnaire to elicit issues such as allocation of clinician's time, nurse and administrative support and resources available. RESULTS: There was wide variation in the standard of medical facilities and infrastructure provided across the IPS. The range of medical equipment available was generally below that of the equivalent general practice scheme in the community. There is inequality within the system with regard to the ratio of doctor-contracted time relative to the size of the prison population. There is limited administrative support, with the majority of prisons not having a medical secretary. There are few psychiatric or counselling sessions available. CONCLUSIONS: People in prison have a wide range of medical care needs and there is evidence to suggest that these needs are being met inconsistently in Irish prisons