Verulamium

This is an account of the excavations at St Alban’s (Verulamium), Hertfordshire, in southern England, undertaken in the 1930s. Included are descriptions of human remains and artefacts such as pottery, coins, buildings and metalwork, together with an account of the methodology used to unearth these

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Report on the Excavation of the Prehistoric, Roman, and post-Roman Site in Lydney Park, Gloucestershire

This book reports on excavations on the Camp Hill promontory fort at Lydney, Gloucestershire, undertaken by Mortimer and Tessa Wheeler in 1928–9. The hillfort was established shortly before the first century BC. During the second and third centuries AD it was occupied by a Romano-British population engaged, at least partly, in iron mining. Excavations focussed on a temple, dedicated to the god Nodens, built within the fort, and associated with this were a guest house (mansion), baths and other structures. Structural details of these buildings are described, and specialist reports describe the worked stones, metalwork, pottery and other finds, recovered by the fieldwork

A computer system for handling digitized line data from geological maps

A system is described in which digitized line data, such as the boundaries shown on a geological map, are handled within existing software environments for data management and display. Methods of preprocessing and interfacing are described, which were implemented with less software effort than would be needed for a specialized cartographic system. The methods may not be appropriate for high-precision production cartography, but provide a flexible method of meeting two objectives: in the short run, to extend existing computer plotting programs to include digitized lines; in the longer run, to gain experience with techniques for representing and describing geological maps in digital form. A structure of line-segment files is proving effective for these purposes. By separating the three functions of data recording, storage and display, which are combined inextricably in the traditional geological map, computer methods may provide increased flexibility for recording geological data observed in the field

Affine transformations for digitized spatial data in geology

Affine transformations are among the most basic and useful geometrical operations in computer applications in geology. Homogeneous coordinates extend their applicability. The methods are essential in handling digitized Iocafional data and are applicable widely in other graphical applications such as calibrating data sets for plotting, and in shape comparison and spatial analysis. Affine transformations alter the length of lines and the angles between them, whereas straight lines remain straight, parallel lines remain parallel, and the ratio in which a point divides a line remains the same. Their geometrical significance indicates that they can he visualized readily, and the corresponding operations in matrix algebra provide a straightforward method of computer implementation. A transformation matrix is calculated from four calibration points, the coordinates of which are known before and after transformation. Multiplication of coordinates in the initial frame of reference by the transformation matrix converts them to coordinates in the new frame of reference. A listing of relevant FORTRAN programs is given, with examples