We present a straightforward, easy-to-implement, point-based approach for animating elastoplastic materials. The core idea of our approach is the introduction of embedded space —the least-squares best fit of the material's rest state into three dimensions. Nearest-neighbor queries in the embedded space efficiently update particle neighborhoods to account for plastic flow. These queries are simpler and more efficient than remeshing strategies employed in mesh-based finite element methods. We also introduce a new estimate for the volume of a particle, allowing particle masses to vary spatially and temporally with fixed density. Our approach can handle simultaneous extreme elastic and plastic deformations. We demonstrate our approach on a variety of examples that exhibit a wide range of material behaviors.

One of the challenges for Foundation Year 1 junior doctors is to apply the theoretical pharmacology from their undergraduate years into practical prescribing. The EQUIP study in 2009 investigated the causes of prescribing errors by junior doctors. Respondents in the study reported deficiencies in their education for prescribing skills and error prevention. The study suggested more could be done during undergraduate education to link theory with practice. This article describes an initiative from a hospital clinical pharmacy team to address this gap in contextual prescribing skills. Final year medical students (FY0s) were allocated to the Belfast Trust for an 11 week placement. The Clinical Pharmacy team developed a 3 h FY0 workshop focusing on practical prescribing scenarios identified as high risk by local medicines safety teams. The workshops included simulated case studies requiring the FY0 student to discuss medicine use with patients, prescribe admission drug charts and use local guidelines to safely prescribe high risk medicines. Each student was assessed using direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS). Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Students appreciated the practical elements of the workshop. Initially there was an over-reliance on written medication history without verbally engaging the patient. Following pharmacist feedback before the DOPS students demonstrated a clear improvement in patient communication. Feedback from the FY0 students also identified additional learning needs that formed the basis of further teaching.

This study shows modifiable risk factors, including management of bleeding episodes with a continuous prophylactic treatment schedule are associated with a decreased likelihood of IOIs in males with haemophilia.

One of the aims of the Department of Health is to respond to patient needs by considering how services can be delivered in more innovative ways, including more services being provided in primary care and increased activities being undertaken by nursing staff. These activities may have previously been undertaken by the GPs, or patients would be sent elsewhere, such as the local hospital, for tests/investigations. Some general practices are already using cardiac telemetry while others are awaiting feedback from system users before deciding whether to purchase services from independent providers. However, identifying how generalized results and predicted benefits will apply in a specific practice is not always straightforward. This article aims to assist the decision-making process by providing the results of an audit from eight general practices and two walk-in centres in which the electrocardiograms (ECGs) were already being undertaken by nurses. The results, which are shown for each centre, showed that the frequency of use varied between one and 27 per month, depending upon the practice. As a result of the 373 patients who had an ECG performed in practice, 76 had altered management decisions, 14 were saved hospital referral (11 of these from one walk-in centre), 18 were admitted to an acute hospital (10 from the same walk-in centre), and another 24 were referred to hospital for investigation.