Central Oxford Research Articles

Review: Remembering Radcliffe: 300 Years of Science and Philanthropy

Remembering Radcliffe: 300 Years of Science and Philanthropy Bodleian Library, Oxford 28 November 2014–20 March 2015 John Radcliffe (1652–1714) was a phenomenally successful Oxford-educated physician who, in the words of his acerbic contemporary Thomas Hearne, had “little learning but … a great sagacity [and] he never had his equal by which he got such a vast sum of Money.” Radcliffe left the bulk of his wealth to his alma mater with the provision that the greatest part should be spent on building a new library in central Oxford, the remainder being set aside for a new quadrangle at his old college. The largest part of the bequest, £40,000 ($62,537), led in 1737–47 to the construction of the library now known as the Radcliffe Camera. Oxford’s first hospital, the Radcliffe Infirmary, followed in 1759–67 on what was then the northern fringe of the city, and in 1773–94 the Radcliffe Observatory went up on an adjacent site. The Radcliffe Trust continues to do valuable charitable and scientific research work today, as this small but well-chosen exhibition reminded visitors, but for architectural historians its value lay in the insight it gave into the buildings that still bear the benefactor’s name. Since the days of the Egyptian pharaohs, people have tried to cheat death and oblivion by erecting massive memorial structures. Writing in 1744, Thomas Salmon …

Amiloride Clinical Trial In Optic Neuritis (ACTION) protocol: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial

IntroductionNeurodegeneration is a widely accepted contributor to the development of long-term disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). While current therapies in MS predominantly target inflammation and reduce relapse rate they have...

Learning place-dependant features for long-term vision-based localisation

This paper presents an alternative approach to the problem of outdoor, persistent visual localisation against a known map. Instead of blindly applying a feature detector/descriptor combination over all images of all places, we leverage prior experiences of a place to learn place-dependent feature detectors (i.e., features that are unique to each place in our map and used for localisation). Furthermore, as these features do not represent low-level structure, like edges or corners, but are in fact mid-level patches representing distinctive visual elements (e.g., windows, buildings, or silhouettes), we are able to localise across extreme appearance changes. Note that there is no requirement that the features posses semantic meaning, only that they are optimal for the task of localisation. This work is an extension on previous work (McManus et al. in Proceedings of robotics science and systems, 2014b) in the following ways: (i) we have included a landmark refinement and outlier rejection step during the learning phase, (ii) we have implemented an asynchronous pipeline design, (iii) we have tested on data collected in an urban environment, and (iv) we have implemented a purely monocular system. Using over 100 km worth of data for training, we present localisation results from Begbroke Science Park and central Oxford.

Can paramedics use FRAX (the WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool) to help GPs improve future fracture risk in patients who fall? Protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility study.

IntroductionCurrently identification, and therefore, management of patients at risk of osteoporotic fracture in the UK is suboptimal. As the majority of patients who fracture have fallen, it follows that people who fall can usefully be targeted in any programme that aims to reduce osteoporotic fracture. Targeting vulnerable patients who are likely to benefit from intervention may help shift the management of fracture prevention into primary care, away from emergency departments. Paramedics who attend to patients who have fallen may be well placed to assess future fracture risk, using the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) and communicate that information directly to general practitioners (GPs).Methods and analysisThis feasibility study takes the form of a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial aimed at exploring and refining issues of study design, recruitment, retention, sample size and acceptability preceding a large-scale study with fracture as the end point. Patients (aged >50) who fall, call an ambulance, are attended by a study paramedic and give verbal consent will be asked FRAX and fall questions. Patients who subsequently formally consent to participation will be randomised to control (usual care) or intervention groups. Intervention will constitute transmission of calculated future fracture risk to the patients’ GP with suitable, evidence-based recommendations for investigation or treatment. 3 months after the index fall, data (proportion of patients in each group undergoing investigation or starting new treatment, quality of life and health economic) will be collected and analysed using descriptive statistics. A nested qualitative study will explore issues of acceptability and study design with patients, paramedics and GPs.Ethics and disseminationThis protocol was approved by NRES Committee South Central Oxford C in October 2012. Research Ethics Committee ref.12/SC/0604. The study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and local public events. A publication plan and authorship criteria have been preagreed.Trial registration numberISRCTN: 36245726.

The Oxford Renal (OxRen) cross-sectional study of chronic kidney disease in the UK

IntroductionChronic kidney disease (CKD) diagnosed with objective measures of kidney damage and function has been recognised as a major public health burden. Independent of age, sex, ethnicity and comorbidity, strong...

Digital photography used to quantify the greening of north-facing walls along Broad Street in central Oxford, UK

The outdoor integrated digital photography and image processing (O-IDIP) method was used in this study to quantify the appearance of greening due to algal cover and moss build-up on historical buildings situated in central Oxford, UK. A photographic survey was taken along north-facing building facades on Broad Street in the winter of 2010. The main objective of this study employing digital photography was to quantify surface greening of historical buildings using O-IDIP. Images were taken with a high-resolution digital camera (Nikon Coolpix S4) close-up ca. 1 m from building facades at various locations along this street. Calibration was based on an X-Rite ColorChecker included in photographs. Images were processed in Adobe Photoshop in order to acquire quantitative information about the spectral colouration of each photograph. Lab Color provided mean (as well as median) and standard deviation values, including the green-red (a) channel of chromatic colour, and numbers were employed to quantitatively assess the greening of walls. The O-IDIP method was able to numerically capture changes in wall colouration predominantly due to the accumulation of algae and mosses.

The application of a limestone weathering index at churchyards in central Oxford, UK

This study applies a newly introduced weathering scale, namely the size–extent (S–E) index, to limestone markers located in Oxford churchyards. This classification system enables for an assessment of weathering forms based on the consideration of site-specific physical, chemical, and biological types of weathering for central Oxford. Each headstone marker, comprising a legible date, was photographed during fieldwork and the cardinal orientation (aspect) was also recorded. Based on the photographic record of limestone headstone faces, it was possible to apply the S–E index in this cross-disciplinary study. Past applications of (semiquantitative) weathering scales focused on marble headstone markers and were based on the dissolution of inscriptions, and detailed criticisms are provided. The S–E index provides a broader classification of weathering processes based on visible surface forms. It also provided a basis to ascertain that there were more west-facing headstones (than east-facing) that were weathered. The study is a contribution to archaeogeomorphological research.

Studies of Oxford Stone as a Contribution to Environmental Geomorphology

Abstract Much scientific research has been conducted on Oxford stone, of which the historical buildings of central Oxford, UK are comprised. This paper reviews all published literature to-date specifically for Oxford stone, compiling an inventory of studies. The context for this review is in the application of environmental geomorphology to the more recent studies by physical geographers. Overall findings across published studies assist with an understanding of current trends in the conservation of Oxford’s historical buildings. Early observations remain generally representative of the findings, although the more recent literature has employed modern methodologies in science and technology that were not available in the late 1940s. Some indication of remaining research gaps are identified and forthcoming research presented. Last is a discussion of current practice in the cleaning and replacement of building stone that briefly considers the authenticity of Oxford stone, which is relevant for heritage conservation. The contribution of such studies to environmental geomorphology is addressed.

A Photo-Based Environmental History of the Use of Climbing Plants in Central Oxford, UK

This paper examines environmental change associated with climbing plants (ivy/creeper) on several historical buildings in central Oxford using archival photographs. ViewFinder from English Heritage was used to access the photo archives in an advanced search of the area of “Oxford” and in the county of “Oxfordshire”. The study includes a variety of buildings, including colleges, churches, chapels, asylums, inns/hotels, factories, a brewery, pubs, a castle as well as architectural elements, such as doorways, cloisters, gates, and walls. The findings reveal that a majority of photographs denoted ivy-/creeper-clad buildings (in nearly 53% of photographs found mostly in the Taunt collection). The greatest abundance of climbing plants was found in the 1880s followed by the 1900s. A further examination of University colleges is warranted due to the earlier and more frequent appearance of ivy/creeper on these buildings.

A Site-Specific Index Based on Weathering Forms Visible in Central Oxford, UK

The authenticity of much of the stone-work along Queen’s Lane in central Oxford, UK presented an opportunity to produce a photographic survey from which a weathering index could be established. This represents a site-specific approach to devising a weathering form. Because it is photo-based, weathering forms are visible for comparison and classification purposes across disciplines. Limestone pertaining to building ashlar and plinths along this roadway, which mainly belong to Queen’s College, St Edmund Hall, New College, and Hertford College, was classified according to this newly introduced weathering index, the size-extent (S-E) index, through consideration of type, size, extent, impact, and trigger. This size- (range) and extent-based classification system enables for the assessment of weathering forms of various types, including soiling and decay features as well as those potentially expected in the presence of vegetation and animals. Weathering forms of a range of sizes were present, with a slightly greater abundance of small types (mm-cm in the micro- to mesoscale) and more discrete types with a low extent. For this location in central Oxford, chemical weathering was found to be the predominant type of soiling and decay.

Photographic Surveys of Building Exteriors in Central Oxford, UK

Oxford stone is continually cleaned and repaired (restored) in a building conservation approach largely evident since the 1950s. A published book on stone restoration conveys the work of the Oxford Historic Buildings Fund between 1957 and 1974. Archival and restoration photographs taken by J. W. Thomas appear in the edited volume by W. F. Oakeshott (1975) entitled Oxford Stone Restored, with 44 plates in Appendix B of the book. This article addresses change apparent through repeat photography (rephotography) in 17 of the plates, conveying mostly colleges of the University of Oxford. The emphasis is on identifying visible change (at the façade scale) since restoration through photographic surveys and examining the source of such change in Oxford. Over time, buildings appear darker towards the top of their exteriors, which is mostly attributable to exposure to top-down climatic variables in conjunction with air pollution. Weathering features identified across half a century of exposure include encrustation, blistering, pitting, granular disintegration, flaking, and scaling.

Photographic monitoring of soiling and decay of roadside walls in central Oxford, England

As part of the Environmental Monitoring of Integrated Transport Strategies (EMITS) project, which examined the impact of the Oxford Transport Strategy (OTS) on the soiling and decay of buildings and structures in central Oxford, England, a simple photographic survey of a sample of roadside walls was carried out in 1997, with re-surveys in 1999 and 2003. Thirty photographs were taken each time, covering an area of stonework approximately 30 × 30 cm in dimensions at 1–1.3 m above pavement level. The resulting images have been used to investigate, both qualitatively as well as quantitatively, the progression of soiling and decay. Comparison of images by eye reveals a number of minor changes in soiling and decay patterns, but generally indicates stability except at one site where dramatic, superficial damage occurred over 2 years. Quantitative analysis of decay features (concavities resulting from surface blistering, flaking, and scaling), using simple techniques in Adobe Photoshop, shows variable pixel-based size proportions of concavities across 6 years of survey. Colour images (in Lab Color) generally have a reduced proportion of pixels, representing decay features in comparison to black and white (Grayscale) images. The study conveys that colour images provide more information both for general observations of soiling and decay patterns and for segmentation of decay-produced concavities. The study indicates that simple repeat photography can reveal useful information about changing patterns of both soiling and decay, although unavoidable variation in external lighting conditions between re-surveys is a factor limiting the accuracy of change detection.

Grayscale calibration of outdoor photographic surveys of historical Stone Walls in Oxford, England

AbstractThis study introduces a new approach for taking areal measurements of soiling on historical walls and buildings. Using a grayscale incorporated into each image, close‐up photographic surveys were taken in central Oxford in fine (clear sky) and overcast conditions in 2006. Spectrophotometric measurements were taken congruent with the former survey. These data were used to compare the method, which is an outdoor application of the integrated digital photography and image processing (IDIP) method, for validation of outdoor lighting conditions across photographic surveys. Using a grayscale as a constant in the photographic surveys, it was possible to acquire color measurements on flat surfaces out‐of‐doors to track changes in the lightness (or soiling) and chroma of building surfaces. This outdoor application of IDIP proves to be a useful tool, itself with many applications for deciphering cross‐temporal changes in the soiling of building façades. Simple grayscale calibration improves the comparability of surveys to spectrophotometric measurements. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 33, 61–67, 2008

Historical Perspectives

When neonatology was emerging as a clinical discipline in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it had the advantage of a strong foundation of basic research in fetal and neonatal physiology. In particular, the new clinical enterprise (it was not yet a subspecialty) focused on cardiorespiratory pathophysiology. This foundation came from a few distinguished research laboratories studying fetal and neonatal physiology and the processes of the transition from fetal to neonatal life. The preeminent laboratory in the field was the Nuffield Institute for Medical Research at Oxford, directed by Geoffrey S. Dawes. Geoffrey Dawes became the director of the Institute in 1948. He received his medical degree in 1943, and in the following 5 years, he gained recognition as a prominent investigator in pharmacology and physiology. The very short interval between receiving his degree and being named director of an important research institute indicates how quickly the academic leadership recognized his exceptional qualities. As the new director, Dawes set the primary focus of research for the Nuffield Institute as developmental physiology. In this role, the Nuffield became the successor to the path of research started by Sir Joseph Barcroft at Cambridge early in the twentieth century. Dawes and his coinvestigators concentrated particularly on the preparations for and mechanisms of adaptation to extrauterine life. A central focus of the research was the adaptive mechanisms in the circulatory and respiratory systems, including placental function, establishment of lung function, and changes in the pulmonary and systemic circulations. Although most of the work examined cardiorespiratory physiology and its neurohumoral regulation, researchers also studied fetal growth and metabolism, and their studies included the responses to stresses such as hypoxia and hemorrhage. One of the hallmarks of the research of this highly productive group was the elegance of their experimental designs. The clinical implications of this …

Transport Policy Impact on Residential Location

This study investigates the impacts of transport factors on residential location decisions to assess the extent to which transport policy decisions (road user charging, changes to fuel duties, and the provision of a new public transport system) affect housing markets. This was achieved by undertaking stated preference experiments in the Greater Oxford area in UK. The forecasts of the impact of transport improvements on house prices suggest road user charging might reduce house prices on average by around 2%. A 10% change in fuel duty leads to an average change in house prices of around 3%, but with the direction of change being uniform throughout the study area. It was also found that introducing a new public transport might increase house prices by around 3% on average, with the greatest increases in central Oxford.

THE CALLOVIAN-OXFORDIAN BOUNDARY IN BRITAIN: A REVIEW OF KEY SECTIONS AND THEIR CORRELATION WITH THE PROPOSED GLOBAL STRATOTYPE SECTION AND POINT FOR THE OXFORDIAN IN HAUTE PROVENCE, FRANCE

The historical type area of the Oxfordian Stage and its lowest subchronozone (Scarburgense Subchronozone of the Mariae Chronozone) are in Great Britain, in southern central (Oxford) and north eastern England (Scarborough), respectively. In neither district, however, are sequences sufficient complete to satisfy ICS requirements for a GSSP. Subsequent work in Haute Provence, south east France, however, has revealed considerably expanded sequences in Terre Noire facies which satisfy most ICS criteria and a GSSP for the Oxfordian Stage has now been formally proposed in this region. One British section, however, on the Dorset coast near Weymouth (Ham Cliff/ Redcliff Point), is relatively expanded and has the potential to complement the French candidate GSSP by yielding additional information on microfossil assemblages (e.g. ostrocods, foraminifera, coccoliths and holothurians). The sequence of ammonite faunas across the stage boundary at this and other key UK localities is reviewed, synthesised and correlated with the candidate GSSP in Haute Provence. This correlation can provide a framework within which additional information derived from UK sites, for instance from microfossil or geochemical studies, can be integrated to assist global correlation of the base of the Oxfordian Stage.

OXFORD'S PARK-AND-RIDE SYSTEM.

Oxford has already achieved much of what is advocated in the new Transport White Paper. A key component of this is the city's park-and-ride system, which is the largest and most long-standing in the country. Introduced in 1973 as part of a package of measures to restrain private vehicle traffic and encourage the use of public transport, cycling and walking, it now has a capacity of 3900 cars at four sites. One in five car trips originating outside the ring road and bound for central Oxford are diverted into park-and-ride car parks during the morning peak. The majority of users on weekdays are travelling to work. At weekends shopping is the predominant purpose. Frequent buses serve the sites, operating between 05.30 and 23.30 Monday-Saturday, and between 08.45 and 17.45 on Sundays, largely without subsidy. These bus services benefit from extensive bus priority arrangements. High city centre parking charges and strict parking controls support the use of park-and-ride. This paper describes how the system has been successful in stabilizing traffic levels within Oxford for over 25 years while the city has flourished. Now, Oxford is one of the least car-dependent cities in the country, and one of the few places where public transport patronage has increased rather than declined in recent years.

Fate of research studies.

A retrospective survey was conducted of 720 research protocols, approved by the Central Oxford Research Ethics Committee between 1984 and 1987, to determine the fate of research studies from inception. Forty-five per cent were clinical trials, 23% were observational studies and 32% were laboratory-based experimental studies. Further information was obtained on 487 studies, of which 287 (59%) had been completed, 100 (21%) had never started, 58 (12%) had been abandoned or were in abeyance and 42 (9%) were still ongoing, as of May 1990. Forty-three per cent of the original 487 studies were subsequently published or presented. The most frequent reason for not starting a study was failure to obtain funding (40%). The main reason for abandoning a study was difficulty in recruiting study participants (28%). Departure of one of the investigators from the institution and a variety of logistical problems were also common reasons for either not starting or abandoning a study. A thorough review of the pragmatic as well as the scientific aspects of a planned research project is important to minimize the initiation of studies that are unlikely to succeed.

Publication bias in clinical research

In a retrospective survey, 487 research projects approved by the Central Oxford Research Ethics Committee between 1984 and 1987, were studied for evidence of publication bias. As of May, 1990, 285 of the studies had been analysed by the investigators, and 52% of these had been published. Studies with statistically significant results were more likely to be published than those finding no difference between the study groups (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2·32; 95% confidence interval [Cl] 1·25-4·28). Studies with significant results were also more likely to lead to a greater number of publications and presentations and to be published in journals with a high citation impact factor. An increased likelihood of publication was also associated with a high rating by the investigator of the importance of the study results, and with increasing sample size. The tendency towards publication bias was greater with observational and laboratory-based experimental studies (OR=3·79; 95% CI=1·47-9·76) than with randomised clinical trials (OR=0·84; 95% CI=0·34-2·09). We have confirmed the presence of publication bias in a cohort of clinical research studies. These findings suggest that conclusions based only on a review of published data should be interpreted cautiously, especially for observational studies. Improved strategies are needed to identify the results of unpublished as well as published studies.

English Baroque Architecture in Oxford

Baroque is not an adjective that comes to mind when one thinks of Oxford. It is most commonly thought that dreaming spires and cloistered college precincts, so familiar as a touchstone for evocations of University, are medieval, although they are so more through association than fact. Yet there are a surprising number of buildings that play a dominating role in creating prospect of central Oxford that were not to arrive until late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. I want to discuss works of this period designed by Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor, two of principal protagonists of English Baroque architecture. Rather than struggling to define stylistic labels, it will be more apposite to look at how some of these buildings fit into Oxford townscape. The view down Broad Street is closed at East end by profile of Old Clarendon Building, and row of Ancients cordoning off back of Sheldonian Theatre. The latter is first work in architectural career of then Dr Christopher Wren. He had been educated at Wadham College, and was a Fellow of All Souls, until appointed Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College, London, from where he later returned to Oxford in 1661, as Savilian Professor of Astronomy. As leading scientist of day, Wren was an active member of newly formed Royal Society, and it was at one of its meetings in 1663 that he first showed a model of his proposed design for Sheldonian Theatre. Gilbert Sheldon, Bishop of London, was behind idea for a new setting for University ceremonies, which function it serves to this day. The back of building, as visible from Broad Street, contains most of seating from which spectators face flat 'frons'. The richly decorated interior perhaps disguises derivation of lay-out from plan of a Roman theatre. In Robert Streeter's illusionistic ceiling painting, an allegory is revealed, described by a near contemporary as being of the Descent of Arts and Sciences, that are congregated in a circle of clouds, to whose assembly Truth descends, as being solicited, and implored by them all. This painting concealed an example of Wren's practical ingenuity and an application of his skill in geometry, in form of a roof-truss made up of horizontally interlocking beams, which device was needed in order to span ceiling and avoid supporting piers. It seems possible that original intention was to execute fabric along lines of a Roman model's columniated and airy structure, available via sixteenth-century pattern book of Serlio. Nevertheless, economy, if not propriety, dictated a simpler scheme. As it is, facade itself is also borrowed unaltered from one of Serlio's less inspired plates, result of which is not greatly missed as it stands close up to side of Divinity School. Quite different is elevation that runs around rest of building. The variety of wallsurface created by limited inclusion of swags and trophies over rear entrance, cartouches over upper windows, and delicate rustication, is in its effect hardly three-dimensional. This characteristic speaks of a knowledge of French architecture, almost certainly derived from engravings, as construction was well under way when Wren had returned from his visit to France in 1665. The present cupola replaced original in 1838, and provides a welcome panorama after enclosed impression of so many quadrangles and gates. Wren's first 'experiment' in architecture produced a result that would seem to hold little promise. However, it is in its own way an adroit performance: whole is more considerable than sum of its parts. One need not feel that Ancients grimace at what stands behind them: sight of New Bodleian is another matter.