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Telephone and vending companies have been issuing stored value cards for years. Using these cards has reduced vandalism, increased reliability, and resulted in increased usage of the machines. The benefit to the card issuer is easily measured and far outweighs the cost of the cards and readers. The business case for stored value cards is examined from the perspectives of an issuer, acquirer, and merchant, and new ways of viewing the business model are suggested that would make stored value cards attractive to both banks and users.

One of the advantages of data broadcasting is the fact that all the receiving units can act on the data simultaneously. The other main advantage, cost, depends on the number of receiving stations, the volume and nature of data being transmitted, and the tariff rates involved. At first sight, however, many applications can be justified on cost alone. Despite this, data broadcasting has not lived up to its early promise and still represents a minute proportion of all data transmission. Data can, in principle, be broadcast anywhere in the frequency spectrum. For commercial data broadcasting, however, there are 3 main possibilities: radio, television, or satellite bands. The biggest use of terrestrial data broadcasting is in betting systems and financial market information. Around Europe, both Swedish and British television have several applications running and receiver populations of a few thousand. The Dutch network is currently being used for one betting application only, and a new access system has been introduced. Norway, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain all have working systems, but with few or no commercial applications so far.

Leaching of nitrate (NO3-) from animal waste or fertilisers at agricultural operations can result in NO3- contamination of groundwater, lakes, and streams. Understanding the sources and fate of nitrate in groundwater systems in glacial sediments, which underlie many agricultural operations, is critical for managing impacts of human food production on the environment. Elevated NO3- concentrations in groundwater can be naturally attenuated through mixing or denitrification. Here we use isotopic enrichment of the stable isotope values of NO3- to quantify the amount of denitrification in groundwater at two confined feeding operations overlying glacial sediments in Alberta, Canada. Uncertainty in δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3 values of the NO3- source and denitrification enrichment factors are accounted for using a Monte Carlo approach. When denitrification could be quantified, we used these values to constrain a mixing model based on NO3- and Cl− concentrations. Using this novel approach we were able to reconstruct the initial NO3−N concentration and NO3-N/Cl- ratio at the point of entry to the groundwater system. Manure filtrate had total nitrogen (TN) of up to 1820 mg L−1, which was predominantly organic N and NH3. Groundwater had up to 85 mg L−1 TN, which was predominantly NO3-. The addition of NO3- to the local groundwater system from temporary manure piles and pens equalled or exceeded NO3- additions from earthen manure storages at these sites. On-farm management of manure waste should therefore increasingly focus on limiting manure piles in direct contact with the soil and encourage storage in lined lagoons. Nitrate attenuation at both sites is attributed to a spatially variable combination of mixing and denitrification, but is dominated by denitrification. Where identified, denitrification reduced agriculturally derived NO3- concentrations by at least half and, in some wells, completely. Infiltration to groundwater systems in glacial sediments where NO3- can be naturally attenuated is likely preferable to off-farm export via runoff or drainage networks, especially if local groundwater is not used for potable water supply.

Oceanographic changes adjacent to Antarctica have global climatic and ecological impacts. However, this is the most challenging place in the world to obtain marine data due to its remoteness and inhospitable nature, especially in winter. Here, we present more than 2000 Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) profiles and associated water sample data collected with (almost uniquely) full year-round coverage from the British Antarctic Survey Rothera Research Station at the west Antarctic Peninsula. Sampling is conducted from a small boat or a sled, depending on the sea ice conditions. When conditions allow, sampling is twice weekly in summer and weekly in winter, with profiling to nominally 500 m and with discrete water samples taken at 15 m water depth. Daily observations are made of the sea ice conditions in the area. This paper presents the first 20 years of data collection, 1997-2017. This time series represents a unique and valuable resource for investigations of the high-latitude ocean’s role in climate change, ocean/ice interactions, and marine biogeochemistry and carbon drawdown.

The third version of the Regional Atmosphere and Land (RAL3) science configuration is documented. Developed through international partnerships, RAL configurations define settings for the Unified Model atmosphere and Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) when applied across timescales with kilometre and sub-kilometre-scale model grids. The RAL3 configuration represents a major advance compared to previous versions by delivering a common science definition suitable for application to tropical and mid-latitude regions. Developments within RAL3 include the introduction of a double-moment microphysics scheme and a bimodal cloud scheme, replacing use of a single-moment scheme and different cloud schemes for mid-latitudes and tropics in previous versions. Updates have been implemented to the boundary layer scheme and a consolidation of land model settings to be more consistent with global atmosphere and land (GAL) science configurations. Physics developments aimed to address priorities for model performance improvement identified by users. This paper documents the RAL3 science configuration, including a series of iterative revisions delivered since its first release, and their characteristics. Evidence is provided from the variety of assessments of RAL3, relative to the previous version (RAL2). Collaborative development and evaluation across organizations have enabled evaluation across a range of domains, grid spacing and timescales. The analysis indicates more realistic precipitation distributions, improved representation of clouds and of visibility, a continued trend to more realistic representation of convection, and reduced near-surface wind speeds but a persistent cold-temperature bias. Overall the convective-scale verification scores and climatological model distributions relative to observations improve for the majority of variables. Ensemble results show improvements to the spread–error relationship. User feedback from subjective assessment activities has also been positive. Differences between RAL3 revisions and RAL2 are further illustrated through a process-based analysis of a convective system over the UK. The latest RAL3 configuration (RAL3.3) is therefore recommended for research, operational numerical weather prediction, and climate production at kilometre and sub-kilometre scales.

Background The duration between first symptom and a cancer diagnosis is important because, if shortened, may lead to earlier stage diagnosis and improved cancer outcomes. We have previously developed a tool to measure this duration in newly-diagnosed patients. In this two-phase study, we aimed further improve our tool and to conduct a trial comparing levels of anxiety between two modes of delivery: self-completed versus researcher-administered. Methods In phase 1, ten patients completed the modified tool and participated in cognitive debrief interviews. In phase 2, we undertook a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of the revised tool (Cancer Symptom Interval Measure (C-SIM)) in three hospitals for 11 different cancers. Respondents were invited to provide either exact or estimated dates of first noticing symptoms and presenting them to primary care. The primary outcome was anxiety related to delivery mode, with completeness of recording as a secondary outcome. Dates from a subset of patients were compared with GP records. Results After analysis of phase 1 interviews, the wording and format were improved. In phase 2, 201 patients were randomised (93 self-complete and 108 researcher-complete). Anxiety scores were significantly lower in the researcher-completed group, with a mean rank of 83.5; compared with the self-completed group, with a mean rank of 104.0 (Mann-Whitney U = 3152, p = 0.007). Completeness of data was significantly better in the researcher-completed group, with no statistically significant difference in time taken to complete the tool between the two groups. When comparing the dates in the patient questionnaires with those in the GP records, there was evidence in the records of a consultation on the same date or within a proscribed time window for 32/37 (86%) consultations; for estimated dates there was evidence for 23/37 consultations (62%). Conclusions We have developed and tested a tool for collecting patient-reported data relating to appraisal intervals, help-seeking intervals, and diagnostic intervals in the cancer diagnostic pathway for 11 separate cancers, and provided evidence of its acceptability, feasibility and validity. This is a useful tool to use in descriptive and epidemiological studies of cancer diagnostic journeys, and causes less anxiety if administered by a researcher. Trial registration ISRCTN04475865

The potential effect of manure management from livestock production on groundwater quality is an issue of concern. Groundwater sampling from a regional transect in southern Alberta, Canada, was conducted to determine changes in groundwater quality with time. The study area has extensive irrigation and a high density of confined feeding operations. Nitrate-N (NO3−-N) and chloride (Cl−) concentration data from 23 groundwater-study wells were evaluated from 1994 to 2014. Twelve of these wells were water-table wells and 11 were piezometers. Of the 23 wells, 14 had significant temporal trends (increasing or decreasing) for NO3−-N and/or Cl− concentrations. On a regional basis, NO3−-N increased slightly with time while Cl− changed very little, suggesting that the effects of agricultural activities on regional groundwater quality have generally remained constant. However, concentration changes occurred on a smaller scale. Shallow groundwater in coarse-textured soils is at a relatively higher risk of contamination than groundwater in fine-textured soils, especially in locations where intensive agricultural activities occur.

1 Educational tool and point-of-care tests to assist antibiotic prescribing decisions for diabetic foot ulcer infections (INDUCE study) John Ingram1, Scott Cawley2, Angela Jones2, Elinor Coulman3, Clive Gregory4, Tim Pickles3 1Department of Dermatology and Academic Wound Healing, Division of Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; 2Podiatry Department, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff, UK; 3Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; 4Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK Correspondence: Angela Jones Background Assessing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) for infection is difficult because clinical symptoms and signs may be masked by neuropathy and vasculopathy and there are no objective tests available at point of care to guide clinicians. Calprotectin in wound exudate may have value, but only in combination with other biomarkers. 2 Shoe hardness and gait Him Shun Hinson Kei, Paul Fletcher, Mike Curran Faculty of Health and Society, University of Northampton, Northampton, UK Correspondence: Him Shun Hinson Kei Introduction This study will have implications for any healthcare professionals who aim to alter patient’s gait with footwear. Comparison of a commercially available rowing specific shoe to a training shoe Trevor Prior Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, William Harvey Research Institute, Bart’s and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK Background In the sport of rowing, load applied through the feet must be efficiently and effectively translated into propulsive force at the oar. By contrast, the rowing shoe focussed the force beneath the 1st Met head and, due to the reduced contact area, resulted in a greater peak pressures. 4 Importance of accurate identification of arterial perfusion using different physiological tests Cynthia Formosa Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, Msida, Malta Background Although diagnostic and therapeutic decisions in patients with peripheral