bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recreational nitrous oxide inhalation as a rare cause of spontaneous pneumomediastinum
Authors: McDermott Rory , Tsang Karwai , Hamilton Natasha , Belton Moerida
Published: September 2015

A 17-year-old girl presented to the A&E department with significant neck swelling with associated chest, neck and throat pain. She reported recreational inhalation of nitrous oxide and ingestion of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) in the preceding hours. There was no history of trauma or vomiting. Clinical examination revealed extensive subcutaneous emphysema. There was no airway compromise. A chest X-ray suggested the presence of a pneumomediastinum. Subsequent CT of the thorax confirmed an anterior pneumothorax and a pneumopericardium. The patient was admitted for observation and intravenous antibiotics. Further investigations ruled out an oesophageal perforation. The patient was discharged following a period of clinical stability and has since made an uneventful recovery. MDMA ingestion has been cited as a rare cause of spontaneous pneumomediastinum in a series of case reports. In this case, it is likely that the inhalation of nitrous oxide contributed to the development and expansion of a pneumomediastinum.
Bilateral cellulitis
Authors: Batra Vivek , Baras Alexander
Published: September 2015

We present a case of bilateral lesions in a 50-year-old man, which were on first impression mistaken for and initially treated as bilateral cellulitis. We propose that bilateral cellulitis, as opposed to unilateral, is rare and that other aetiologies should be considered in evaluating a patient with bilateral lesions. The differential diagnosis includes stasis-dermatitis, lipodermatosclerosis, lymphoedema and vascular lesions such as Kaposi sarcoma, as was identified in this case. Early consultation with dermatology and biopsy in unclear cases mitigates the unnecessary use of prolonged antibiotics, antibiotic resistance andClostridium difficileinfections. HIV testing is an essential screening test in all adults who present with non-specific viral symptoms and rash.
The mechanistic and ergogenic effects of phosphatidic acid in skeletal muscle
Authors: Shad Brandon James , Smeuninx Benoit , Atherton Philip James , Breen Leigh
Published: September 2015

Skeletal muscle mass plays a vital role in locomotion, whole-body metabolic health, and is a positive predictor of longevity. It is well established the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a central regulator of skeletal muscle protein turnover. The pursuit to find novel nutrient compounds or functional food sources that possess the ability to activate mTOR and promote skeletal muscle protein accretion has been on going. Over the last decade, a key role has been proposed for the phospholipid phosphatidic acid (PA) in mTOR activation. Mechanical load-induced (i.e., resistance exercise) intramuscular PA can directly bind to and activate mTOR. In addition, PA provided exogenously in cell culture heightens mTOR activity, albeit indirectly. Thus, endogenously generated PA and exogenous provision of PA appear to act through distinct mechanisms that converge on mTOR and, potentially, may amplify muscle protein synthesis. In support of this notion, limited evidence from humans suggests that resistance exercise training combined with oral supplemental PA enhances strength gains and muscle hypertrophy. However, the precise mechanisms underpinning the augmented muscle remodelling response with supplemental PA remain elusive. In this review, we will critically examine available evidence from cell cultures and animal and human experimental models to provide an overview of the mechanisms through which endogenous and exogenous PA may act to promote muscle anabolism, and discuss the potential for PA as a therapeutic tool to maintain or restore skeletal muscle mass in the context of ageing and disease.
Carbon exchange over four growing seasons for a subarctic sedge fen in northern Manitoba, Canada
Authors: Hanis Krista L. , Amiro Brian D. , Tenuta Mario , Papakyriakou Tim , Swystun Kyle A.
Published: September 2015

Net ecosystem exchange of carbon was measured using eddy covariance for four growing seasons at a subarctic hummocky fen in northern Manitoba, Canada. Over a 115 day measurement period each year, cumulative net ecosystem exchange of carbon ranged from a gain of 49 g C m−2 to a loss of 16 g C m−2 with a mean loss of 6 g C m−2 from the fen, with an uncertainty of about ±34 g C m−2. Ecosystem respiration decreased with higher water tables (r2 = 0.3), especially in one summer when flooding occurred to 0.12 m above the peat surface. Additional methane emissions previously documented for the site of 4–5.7 g C m−2 year−1 added to the carbon loss. Carbon loss was measured from this same fen in the 1990s and it is likely that the carbon gain (peat accumulation) during past centuries has not continued in recent decades. Scaling to annual greenhouse gas emissions as a 100 year global warming potential showed that this fen is currently a source of 192–490 g CO2-equivalents m−2 year−1 based on both carbon dioxide and methane flux measurements, indicating that peat is decomposing.
In situ monitoring of frost heave pressure during cross passage construction using ground-freezing method
Authors: Han Lei , Ye Guan-lin , Li Yuan-hai , Xia Xiao-he , Wang Jian-hua
Published: September 2015

The artificial ground-freezing method has the dual effect of ground reinforcement and waterproof sealing, and the frozen curtain can be designed flexibly. It is widely used in the construction of cross passages for shield tunnels in soft ground with high groundwater levels. However, due to the lack of in situ monitoring data, it remains difficult to determine the frost heave pressure acting upon a tunnel. In this study, based on the use of an anti-freezing pad-type earth pressure gauge, in situ monitoring was carried out to measure the frost heave pressure acting upon tunnel segments during the construction of cross passages for the Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel. The monitoring results show that the earth pressure acting upon the tunnel could decrease dramatically during freezing, and this kind of decrease can take place suddenly and unpredictably, which can be illustrated using the finite element method. The maximum measured frost heave pressure during freezing and cross passage excavation was approximately 0.2 MPa, which was much smaller than the predicted value. Combining the distribution of temperature in the ground and construction countermeasures, the observed phenomena are mainly related to three factors: water migration during the freezing process, the tunnel–ground interaction, and the countermeasure of pressure release holes. The tunnel showed a horizontal extension–deformation, which was consistent with the releasing frost heave pressure acting upon it.
Finite element modeling of lateral pipeline–soil interactions in dense sand
Authors: Roy Kshama , Hawlader Bipul , Kenny Shawn , Moore Ian
Published: September 2015

Finite element (FE) analyses of pipeline–soil interaction for pipelines buried in dense sand subjected to lateral ground displacements are presented in this paper. Analysis is performed — using the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method available in Abaqus/Explicit FE software — in the plane strain condition using the Mohr–Coulomb (MC) and modified Mohr–Coulomb (MMC) models. The MMC model considers a number of important features and properties of stress–strain and volume change behaviour of dense sand including the nonlinear pre- and post-peak behaviour with a smooth transition and the variation of the angle of internal friction and dilation angle with plastic shear strain, loading conditions (triaxial or plane strain), density, and mean effective stress. Comparing FE and experimental results, it is shown that the MMC model can better simulate the force–displacement response for a wide range of lateral displacements of the pipe for different burial depths, although the peak force on the pipe could be matched using the MC model. Examining the progressive development of zones of large inelastic shear deformation (shear bands), it is shown that the mobilized angle of internal friction and dilation angle vary along the length of the shear band; however, constant values are used in the MC model. A comprehensive parametric study is also performed to investigate the effects of pipeline diameter, burial depth, and soil properties. Many important aspects in the force–displacement curves and failure mechanisms are explained using the present FE analyses.
Cape St. Marys shear zone and the Halifax Group – Rockville Notch Group disconformity, southwestern Nova Scotia: structural development and tectonic significance
Authors: Culshaw Nicholas , Dickson Carla
Published: September 2015

The Cape St. Marys shear zone, situated in a corridor of Alleghanian reworking in the southwestern Meguma terrane, contains the deformed, discordant contact of Lower Ordovician slate of the Halifax Group with the Silurian White Rock Formation. Close to the contact, the Alleghanian cleavage (S2) is parallel to the contact in both units, with S0in the White Rock Formation metavolcanic rocks and Halifax slate parallel to and discordant to the contact. The geometry of deformed Neoacadian minor folds, quartz fringes on sulphide grains, and micro-porphyroclasts demonstrate thrust-sense shear (White Rock Formation over Halifax slate). Pure shear and volume loss are inferred as components of the strain path from S2microstructure and estimates of strain in the Halifax slate. Estimates of shear strain imply moderate displacements within the Cape St. Marys shear zone during deformation of the northwestern limb of the Cape St. Marys syncline. The discordant contact of the Halifax slate with the White Rock formation cannot be a thrust plane because younger rocks overlie older rocks. Thus the contact is what it appears to be: an angular unconformity embedded within a ductile shear zone. Brittle-ductile faults, quartz vein arrays, and centimetre-scale kink bands disturb S2in the Halifax slate a few metres northwest of the contact. The geometry of the brittle-ductile structures and the orientation of stretching lineation in the ductile structures link the episodes kinematically. Quartz veins accompanying brittle-ductile deformation suggest that fluids derived during pressure solution development of S2drove the change from ductile to brittle-ductile deformation in the Cape St. Marys shear zone during the latter stages of convergence. In a regional context, the moderate shear values of the Cape St. Marys shear zone are reasonable for the diminishing displacement expected near the termination of a northwest-propagating regional shear system. Whereas the transition from ductile to brittle-ductile deformation occurred late in the development of the Cape St. Marys shear zone, brittle-ductile structures were dominant closer to the northwest border of the zone of Alleghanian deformation. The fluids required for the transition may have been driven along a pressure gradient from more internal parts of the corridor, where pressure solution was more active.
Bandgap analysis of cylindrical shells of generalized phononic crystals by transfer matrix method
Authors: Shu Hai-Sheng , Wang Xing-Guo , Liu Ru , Li Xiao-Gang , Shi Xiao-Na , Liang Shan-Jun , Xu Li-Huan , Dong Fu-Zhen
Published: September 2015

Based on the concept of generalized phononic crystals (GPCs), a type of 1D cylindrical shell of generalized phononic crystals (CS-GPCs) where two kinds of homogeneous materials are arranged periodically along radial direction was proposed in this paper. On the basis of radial, torsional shear and axial shear vibrational equations of cylindrical shell, the total transfer matrix of mechanical state vector were set up respectively, and the bandgap phenomena of these three type waves were disclosed by using the method of transfer matrix eigenvalue of mechanical state vector instead of the previous localized factor analyses and Bloch theorem. The characteristics and forming mechanism of these bandgaps of CS-GPCs, together with the influences of several important structure and material parameters on them were investigated and discussed in detail. Our results showed that, similar to the plane wave bandgaps, 1D CS-GPCs can also possess radial, torsional shear and axial shear wave bandgaps within high frequency region that conforms to the Bragg scattering effect; moreover, the radial vibration of CS-GPCs can generate low frequency bandgap (the start frequency near 0 Hz), as a result of the double effects of wavefront expansion and Bragg scattering effect, wherein the wavefront effect can be the main factor and directly determine the existence of the low frequency bandgaps, while the Bragg scattering effect has obvious enhancement effect to the attenuation. Additionally, the geometrical and material parameters of units have significant influences on the wave bandgaps of CS-GPCs.
A parity map of framed chord diagrams
Authors: Ilyutko Denis Petrovich , Manturov Vassily Olegovich
Published: September 2015

We consider framed chord diagrams, i.e. chord diagrams with chords of two types. It is well known that chord diagrams modulo [Formula: see text]T-relations admit a Hopf algebra structure, where the multiplication is given by any connected sum with respect to the orientation. But in the case of framed chord diagrams a natural way to define a multiplication is not known yet. In this paper, we first define a new module [Formula: see text] which is generated by chord diagrams on two circles and factored by [Formula: see text]T-relations. Then we construct a “parity” map from the module of framed chord diagrams into [Formula: see text] and a weight system on [Formula: see text]. Using the map and weight system we show that a connected sum for framed chord diagrams is not a well-defined operation. In the end of the paper we touch linear diagrams, the circle replaced by a directed line.
Fibered ribbon disks
Authors: Larson Kyle , Meier Jeffrey
Published: September 2015

We study the relationship between fibered ribbon 1-knots and fibered ribbon 2-knots by studying fibered slice disks with handlebody fibers. We give a characterization of fibered homotopy-ribbon disks and give analogues of the Stallings twist for fibered disks and 2-knots. As an application, we produce infinite families of distinct homotopy-ribbon disks with homotopy equivalent exteriors, with potential relevance to the Slice–Ribbon Conjecture. We show that any fibered ribbon 2-knot can be obtained by doubling infinitely many different slice disks (sometimes in different contractible 4-manifolds). Finally, we illustrate these ideas for the examples arising from spinning fibered 1-knots.
Structural Failure Mechanisms of Common Flexor Tendon Repairs
Authors: Peltz Tim Sebastian , Haddad Roger , Scougall Peter James , Nicklin Sean , Gianoutsos Mark Peter , Oliver Rema , Walsh William Robert
Published: September 2015

Background: This study investigated the exact failure mechanisms of the most commonly used conventional tendon repair techniques. A new method, radiographing repair constructs in antero-posterior and lateral projections before and after tensioning was used. This allowed to precisely analyse failure mechanisms in regards to geometrical changes in all three dimensions. Additionally the biomechanical stability focusing on gapping was tested.

Methods: Sheep fore limb deep flexor tendons were harvested and divided in eight groups of ten tendons. Three common variants of the Kessler repair method and four common 4-strand repair techniques were tested. Additionally a new modification of the Adelaide repair was tested.

Results: Biomechanical testing showed no significant differences in gapping for the three tested 2-strand Kessler repair groups. Once a double Kessler or 4-strand Kessler repair was performed the stability of the repair improved significantly. Further significant improvements in biomechanical stability could be achieved by using cross locks in the repair like in the Adelaide repair method. Qualitative analysis using radiographs showed that all Kessler repair variants unfolded via rotations around the transverse suturing component, no matter which variant was used.

Conclusions: Additional to the commonly described constriction of the repair construct, the rotating deformation is the main reason for repair site gapping in Kessler tendon repair methods. The term “locking” in a Kessler repair is misleading. The cruciate repairs tended to loose grip and drag (cheese-wire) through the tendon and therefore lead to gapping. The most stable repair constructs in all three dimensions were the Adelaide repair and its interlocking modification. This is due to the superior anchoring qualities of its cross locks and three dimensional stability.
Proposed Guidelines for Treatment of Concomitant Distal Radius and Distal Ulna Fractures
Authors: Liang Benjamin , Lai Jen Ming , Murugan Arul , Chee Kin Ghee , Sechachalam Sreedharan , Foo Tun-Lin
Published: September 2015

Background: Concomitant distal radius and distal ulna metaphysis or head fractures (DRUF) are uncommon and acceptable results have been reported from cast immobilisation and internal fixation.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of 1094 patients treated for distal radius fracture at our institution in a two year period from 2009 to 2010. 24 patients with concomitant DRUF with were treated by cast immobilisation (group 1, n = 11), internal fixation of both bones (group 2, n = 7), internal fixation of radius alone (group 3, n = 2), and internal fixation of radius with distal ulna resection (group 4, n = 4). Patients treated by surgery underwent intraoperative assessment of distal ulna stability to determine the indication for ulna fixation. Post surgical range of motion, clinical parameters, and functional outcome scores (Gartland-Werley and modified Mayo) were measured.

Results: Wrist motion was comparable in each group. Radiographic parameters were better in surgical groups. 23 of 24 patients achieved excellent/good outcomes based on Gartland-Werley scores, while 12 of 24 achieved good modified Mayo wrist score. There was a case of distal ulna non-union in group 1, and another case of delayed distal radius union in group 2.

Conclusions: By evaluating patients’ functional requirement, and dynamic fluoroscopy examination, satisfactory outcomes can be achieved for various presentations of DRUF.
Linear Hand Burn Contracture Release under Local Anesthesia without Tourniquet
Authors: Prasetyono Theddeus O.H. , Koswara Astrid F.
Published: September 2015

The objective of this report is to present a case of hand burn linear contracture release performed under local anesthesia. It also introduces the one-per-mil tumescent solution consisted of 0.2% lidocaine and 1:1.000.000 epinephrine as a local anesthesia formula, which has the potential of providing adequate anesthesia as well as hemostatic effect during surgery of the hand without tourniquet. The surgery was performed on a 19 year-old male patient with multiple thumb and fingers flexion linear contracture for 105 minutes without any obstacle. The patient did not complain any pain and discomfort during the procedure; while bloodless operative field was successfully achieved. At four-month follow up, the patient could fully extend his thumb, middle and ring finger, while the index was limited by 10° at the DIP joint. Overall, the patient was satisfied with the outcome.
EFFECT OF PROGRESSIVE DEGREES OF SIDE-BRANCH BIFURCATION ANGLES ON FLOW IN ARTERY USING NUMERICAL SIMULATION
Authors: WANG HUIRONG , WANG XIAORAN , JIN YILUN , LIU GUIYING , LI XINYUE , WANG LIANSHENG
Published: September 2015

Malfunction of the cardiovascular system is a serious disease affecting human life around the world that is caused by several factors. One of the major factors is atherosclerosis that is a disease of the artery. Atherosclerosis is a serious vascular condition, which always occurs in branch vessels such as the abdominal aortic bifurcation and the carotid artery bifurcation. Wall shear stress (WSS) and wall pressure gradient (WPG) pertaining to these vessels will dramatically change when the geometry of these vessels is varied. Computational hemodynamics, as an invasive method, can be employed to understand the blood flow characteristics. In this paper, blood flow through arteries with variable side branches is presented using a computational framework. Numerical models pertaining to the different side-branch bifurcation angles are simulated to verify this. The side-branch bifurcation angle correlates positively to the maximum WSS experienced by the artery and this has an effect on atherogenesis. The low WPG regions are found to decrease with increased values of the angles, while the high WPG regions concentrate in the same region with larger values. Such hemodynamics information can be used to understand the effect of arterial geometrical variation on hemodynamics and the causes of atherosclerosis.
Stakeholder Participation in Collaborative Watershed Planning in Washington State
Authors: Reisert Jessica , Ryan Clare M. , Köppel Johann
Published: September 2015

Stakeholder participation in collaborative watershed planning in Washington State was examined in three watershed planning unit cases in order to understand how stakeholders participate in collaborative watershed planning, the nature of plans developed, and stakeholder perceptions of plan implementation. Through document analysis and interviews, we found broad and inclusive representation of stakeholders in the planning processes, and that a majority of stakeholder comments were reflected in the final plans. Plans were of good quality and provide a strong foundation for implementation. Factors that facilitate plan implementation include the collaborative planning process itself, funding and community support, and leadership along with early and sustained involvement. Factors that hinder plan implementation include lack of adequate funding, various legal issues, and challenges in involving landowners in plan projects.
Removal of Cadmium from Water by CNT–PAC Composite: Effect of Functionalization
Authors: AlSaadi Mohammed A. , Al Mamun Abdullah , Alam Md. Zahangir , Amosa Mutiu Kolade , Atieh Muataz Ali
Published: September 2015

Cadmium (Cd[Formula: see text]) is one of the toxic heavy metals that is frequently used in many industrial products. The wastewater from these industries and their products contains residual cadmium that are difficult to be removed economically from the effluent. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized in several batches and tested for their removal efficacy with regards to cadmium removal from synthetic wastewater. Fixed catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) reactor system was fabricated in the laboratory for the synthesis of CNTs on the powdered activated carbons (PACs). The PACs were impregnated with Fe[Formula: see text] catalysts, and growth parameters such as the reaction time, gas flow rates and reaction temperature were optimized. The sorption capacity of the raw CNT–PAC was not satisfactory until the sorbents were functionalized which eventually led to high adsorption capacities. The surface properties of CNT–PAC were modified by oxidative functionalization using two different methods: sonication with KMnO4 and refluxing with HNO3 at 140[Formula: see text]C. KMnO4-treated CNT–PAC exhibited the highest sorption capacity for cadmium uptake which increased from 4.77[Formula: see text]mg/g (untreated CNT–PAC) to 11.16[Formula: see text]mg/g; resulting in Cd[Formula: see text] removal efficiency from 38.87% to 98.35%.
Eumycetoma Osteomyelitis of the Calcaneus in a Child: A Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation following Total Calcanectomy
Authors: EL-Sobky Tamer Ahmed , Haleem John Fathy , Samir Shady
Published: September 2015

Fungi are unusual causes of pedal osteomyelitis in children and adolescents. Eumycetoma is a chronic cutaneous and subcutaneous infection caused by various genera of fungi. A provisional diagnosis of foot mycetoma is made after clinical assessment. Radiologic-pathologic correlation is an essential supplement for the accurate diagnosis of osteoarticular infections. This paper aims to sensitize orthopedic surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists to the importance of correlative imaging findings in relation to surgical and microscopic pathology in osteoarticular infections, specifically eumycetoma osteomyelitis of the foot. From our review of the published data, the present case is the first report of radiologic-pathologic correlation in eumycetoma osteomyelitis of the calcaneus. This paper describes a case of eumycetoma osteomyelitis of the calcaneus in a child in which diagnostic X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were correlated with the surgical and microscopic pathologic features, for establishing an appropriate diagnosis and treatment. We conclude that there is a significant agreement between radiologic and pathologic evaluation for assessment of eumycetoma osteomyelitis of the calcaneus. Radiologic-pathologic correlation amplified our interpretation of imaging information available on plain radiographs and MRI and augmented diagnostic confidence. Similarly, anatomic-histopathological correlations consolidated diagnostic accuracy.
Posterior Corneal Surface Stability after Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Keratomileusis
Authors: Cagini Carlo , Messina Marco , Lupidi Marco , Piccinelli Francesco , Fiore Tito , Fruttini Daniela , Spadea Leopoldo
Published: September 2015

The purpose of this study was to evaluate posterior corneal surface variation after femtosecond laser-assisted keratomileusis in patients with myopia and myopic astigmatism. Patients were evaluated by corneal tomography preoperatively and at 1, 6, and 12 months. We analyzed changes in the posterior corneal curvature, posterior corneal elevation, and anterior chamber depth. Moreover, we explored correlation between corneal ablation depth, residual corneal thickness, percentage of ablated corneal tissue, and preoperative corneal thickness. During follow-up, the posterior corneal surface did not have a significant forward corneal shift: no significant linear relationships emerged between the anterior displacement of the posterior corneal surface and corneal ablation depth, residual corneal thickness, or percentage of ablated corneal tissue.
Apoptosis, Necrosis, and Necroptosis in the Gut and IntestinalHomeostasis
Authors: Negroni Anna , Cucchiara Salvatore , Stronati Laura
Published: September 2015

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) form a physiochemical barrier that separates the intestinal lumen from the host’s internal milieu and is critical for electrolyte passage, nutrient absorption, and interaction with commensal microbiota. Moreover, IECs are strongly involved in the intestinal mucosal inflammatory response as well as in mucosal innate and adaptive immune responses. Cell death in the intestinal barrier is finely controlled, since alterations may lead to severe disorders, including inflammatory diseases. The emerging picture indicates that intestinal epithelial cell death is strictly related to the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. This review is focused on previous reports on different forms of cell death in intestinal epithelium.
Periodic Breathing and Behavioral Awakenings at High Altitude
Authors: Shogilev Daniel J. , Tanner John B. , Chang Yuchiao , Harris N. Stuart
Published: September 2015

Objectives. To study the relationship between nocturnal periodic breathing episodes and behavioral awakenings at high altitude.Methods. Observational study. It is 6-day ascent of 4 healthy subjects from Besisahar (760 meters) to Manang (3540 meters) in Nepal in March 2012. A recording pulse oximeter was worn by each subject to measure their oxygen saturation and the presence of periodic breathing continuously through the night. An actigraph was simultaneously worn in order to determine nocturnal behavioral awakenings. There were no interventions.Results. 187-hour sleep at high altitude was analyzed, and of this, 145 hours (78%) had at least one PB event. At high altitude, 10.5% (95% CI 6.5–14.6%) of total sleep time was spent in PB while 15 out of 50 awakenings (30%, 95% CI: 18–45%) occurring at high altitudes were associated with PB (P<0.001).Conclusions. Our data reveals a higher than expected number of behavioral awakenings associated with PB compared to what would be expected by chance. This suggests that PB likely plays a role in behavioral awakenings at high altitude.
Improving Adult ART Clinic Patient Waiting Time by Implementing an Appointment System at Gondar University Teaching Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Atnafu Asmamaw , Haile Mariam Damen , Wong Rex , Awoke Taddese , Wondimeneh Yitayih
Published: September 2015

Background. Long waiting time has been among the major factors that affect patient satisfaction and health service delivery. The aim of this study was to determine the median waiting time at the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Clinic before and after introduction of an intervention of the systematic appointment system.Methods. Patient waiting time was measured before and after the introduction of an intervention; target population of the study was all adult HIV patients/clients who have visited the outpatient ART Clinic in the study period. 173 patients were included before and after the intervention. Systematic patient appointment system and health education to patients on appointment system were provided as an intervention. The study period was from October 2011 to the end of January 2012. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 17.0. Independent samplet-test at 95% confidence interval and 5% significance level was used to determine the significance of median waiting time difference between pre- and postintervention periods.Results and Conclusion. The total median waiting time was reduced from 274.8 minutes (IQR 180.6 minutes and 453.6 minutes) before intervention to 165 minutes (IQR 120 minutes and 377.4 minutes) after intervention (40% decrease,p=0.02). Overall, the study showed that the introduction of the new appointment system significantly reduces patient waiting time.
Chinese Herbal Bath Therapy for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Chen Bo , Zhan Hongsheng , Chung Mei , Lin Xun , Zhang Min , Pang Jian , Wang Chenchen
Published: September 2015

Objective. Chinese herbal bath therapy (CHBT) has traditionally been considered to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. We conducted the first meta-analysis evaluating its benefits for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).Methods. We searched three English and four Chinese databases through October, 2014. Randomized trials evaluating at least 2 weeks of CHBT for knee OA were selected. The effects of CHBT on clinical symptoms included both pain level (via the visual analog scale) and total effectiveness rate, which assessed pain, physical performance, and wellness. We performed random-effects meta-analyses using mean difference.Results. Fifteen studies totaling 1618 subjects met eligibility criteria. Bath prescription included, on average, 13 Chinese herbs with directions to steam and wash around the knee for 20–40 minutes once or twice daily. Mean treatment duration was 3 weeks. Results from meta-analysis showed superior pain improvement (mean difference = −0.59 points; 95% confidence intervals [CI], −0.83 to −0.36;p<0.00001) and higher total effectiveness rate (risk ratio = 1.21; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.28;p<0.00001) when compared with standard western treatment. No serious adverse events were reported.Conclusion. Chinese herbal bath therapy may be a safe, effective, and simple alternative treatment modality for knee OA. Further rigorously designed, randomized trials are warranted.
Dramatic Response of S-1 Administration to Chemorefractory Advanced Thymic Cancer
Authors: Kaira Kyoichi , Naruse Ichiro , Imai Hisao , Sunaga Noriaki , Hisada Takeshi , Motegi Masahiko , Asao Takayuki , Yamada Masanobu
Published: September 2015

Thymic cancer (TC) is a rare malignancy in thoracic tumors, and there has been no standard therapeutics for advanced or relapsed patients. The clinical significance of second-line or beyond chemotherapy for platinum refractory advanced TC remains unclear. Here, we present the experience of a patient with TC showing a complete response to S-1 as third-line chemotherapy. A 54-year-old female with TC was treated with carboplatin plus paclitaxel and thoracic radiotherapy as first-line chemoradiotherapy and amrubicin as second-line chemotherapy. After 3 cycles of amrubicin administration, the metastatic hepatic lesions revealed a markedly progressive disease. A single agent of S-1 was administered as sequencing chemotherapy. After 2 cycles of S-1, the patient achieved a complete remission of multiple metastatic sites. There was evidence of immunohistochemical staining of a low thymidylate synthase (TS) expression. The expression of TS may be closely associated with the efficacy of S-1 in patients with TC.
Exploring the Potential Emotional and Behavioural Impact of Providing Personalised Genomic Risk Information to the Public: A Focus Group Study
Authors: Smit Amelia K. , Keogh Louise A. , Newson Ainsley J. , Hersch Jolyn , Butow Phyllis , Cust Anne E.
Published: September 2015

Aim: To explore the potential emotional and behavioural impact of providing information on personalised genomic risk to the public, using melanoma as an example, to aid research translation. Methods: We conducted four focus groups in which 34 participants were presented with a hypothetical scenario of an individual's lifetime genomic risk of melanoma (using the term ‘genetic risk'). We asked about understanding of genetic risk, who would choose to receive this risk information, potential emotional and behavioural impacts, and other concerns or potential benefits. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Participants thought this risk information could potentially motivate preventive behaviours such as sun protection and related it to screening for other diseases including breast cancer. Factors identified as influencing the decision to receive genetic risk information included education level, children, age and gender. Participants identified potential negative impacts on the recipient such as anxiety and worry, and proposed that this could be mitigated by providing additional explanatory and prevention information, and contact details of a health professional for further discussion. Participants' concerns included workplace and insurance discrimination. Conclusion: Participants recognised the potential for both positive and negative emotional and behavioural impacts related to receiving information on the personalised genomic risk of melanoma.
A Case of Leser-Trélat Syndrome Associated with a Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Barth Dietrich , Puhlmann Silvio , Barth Joachim
Published: September 2015

Seborrheic keratoses can often be found in elderly people. In general, they appear gradually. In cases of a sudden eruption with itching it might be paraneoplastic. Although some authors doubt the existence of the paraneoplastic Leser-Trélat syndrome, we present a case of sudden eruption of seborrheic keratoses connected with a newly diagnosed renal cell carcinoma. As far as we know, this is the first case report of a Leser-Trélat syndrome with a malignancy of the kidney.
Marc Ferrez e as fotografias da cafeicultura do Vale do Paraíba: identidade nacional e produção no Brasil no fim do Segundo Império
Authors: Vieira Luis
Published: September 2015

O presente trabalho se debruça sobre parte da prolífica obra fotográfica de Marc Ferrez, profissional condecorado com o título de Fotógrafo da Marinha Imperial, objetivando o uso de fontes visuais no aprofundamento do estudo do processo da Segunda Escravidão na produção cafeeira do Vale do Paraíba. Utilizando uma metodologia que consiste no cruzamento entre as imagens, suas respectivas análises, e a historiografia disponível sobre o assunto, buscamos uma dimensão de concretude para as informações obtidas, (re)inserindo-as em seu próprio contexto de produção. Dessa forma, atenta-se para a correlação indissociável entre a incidência de fenômenos típicos dessa reorganização do trabalho escravo, tais como a disposição e a disciplina de trabalho impressas no espaço da fazenda e um projeto mais amplo que percorre todo o período do Segundo Império, referente à construção de uma identidade nacional preferencialmente atrelada à identidade de classe dos cafeicultores do Vale, base de sustentação imperial. 
Sound Exchange: Reframing Music Composition Educational Practice
Authors: Walzer Daniel
Published: September 2015

Affordable technology facilitates an immediate documentation of sound and space that encourages collective artistic expression modeled after track- or song-remixing websites. Students in a newly proposed music composition course must capture and generate original sounds, and then upload them to a separate class drive for other students to reuse. New creative work consists entirely of these reused sounds. The author discusses the use of remixed sound collages in an open access format and considers the positive influence of legal file exchange and remixing in educational musical practice.
DIY Electronics: Revealing the Material Systems of Computation
Authors: Jordan Ryan
Published: September 2015

The author sets out an extension of do-it-yourself (DIY) electronics as a literal critical practice addressing the social, economic and geological systems shaping technologies we use, presenting several real-world examples and concluding with future directions.
Schwitters’s Ursonate and the Merz Barn Wall
Authors: Hudson Martyn
Published: September 2015

This paper notes the importance of Kurt Schwitters’s Merz project to the modernist politics and poetics of exile of the 20th century. Placing the sound work of Schwitters within his full Merz project, the author assesses the relations between the Ursonate and the final Merzbau. He discusses three of these relations—collage, found objects and the structures of building materiality in language and sculpture—and presents Schwitters’s work as culminating in a vision of sound and building structures in what Brandon Taylor has called “intrusive new entities” of collage and assemblage that are themselves analogous to the “intrusive new entities” of human material itself.
The Lines Beneath Your Feet: Representing Urban Protest through Sound
Authors: Wood Christopher
Published: September 2015

The author describes the development of a series of pieces based on recordings of protest in public spaces. Particular attention is paid to the ability of each form to represent the experience of participating in a protest.
How the Fallacy of Accident Got Its Name (and Lost It)
Authors: Bäck Allan
Published: September 2015

I offer an explanation of why the fallacy of “accident” is so called. By ‘accident’ here, Aristotle does not mean accidental predication but being per accidens. Understood in this way, the fallacy of accident can be analyzed in terms of the rules that Aristotle gives for being per accidens. The fallacy of accident lost the original justification for its name in the late Greek period. It became associated with accidental predication and not with being per accidens. The fallacy was then solved by construing it syllogistically so that the paralogisms became invalid through not having a universal major premise. This medieval analysis became the dominant approach in the medieval period but has led to confusion over the fallacy of accident in millennia of logic books. I end by considering how to formulate the fallacy of accident more fruitfully in modern terms via Aristotle’s original approach.
To Be in a Subject and Accident
Authors: Gambra José Miguel
Published: September 2015

Boethius identifies beings that are in a subject with what the Scholastics called predicamental accident, and predication by accident with the predication of what is in a subject. The first of these questionable assimilations went on to become terminology commonly accepted by Scholastics of all eras. On the other hand, the second, which seems quite consistent with the thinking of Aristotle, was only admitted with many reservations, probably because of the bewildering claims of Aristotle in Cat. 5, 2a27-34 about the predication of what is in the subject. In what follows I will try to show how these phrases, properly understood, are consistent with the idea that what is in the subject is said by accident of the substance, although they implicate a difficulty poorly resolved by Boethius himself and those who followed him on this point, of whom I will only mention by way of example some Scholastics from the 16th century.
Richard Billingham and the Oxford Obligationes Texts: Restrictions on positio
Authors: Ashworth E. Jennifer
Published: September 2015

This paper investigates a series of Oxford Obligationes texts, all of which can be associated with Richard Billingham. My study is based on eleven of the surviving manuscripts and two early printed texts. I focus on one aspect of their discussion, namely the rule for granting the initial positum of an obligational disputation of the type called positio, and the six restrictions that could be placed on that rule. I explain these restrictions with reference to several sophismata that were meant to illustrate the problems that the restrictions were intended to solve, and in particular, I discuss the fifth restriction ‘not inconsistent with the positum’. I also shed light on the final restriction, which has not always been well understood, namely the restriction ‘wherever there is no obligatio relevant to the positum’.
Distribution of Bryophytes in China
Authors: Renliang Hu
Published: September 2015

China is located in eastern Asia, between 18°-55°N and 74°-138°E. The total land area of about 9,600,000 km is divided into 30 administrative areas. The climate varies from subtropic in the south to temperate in the north. The topography is complex. All of the conditions mentioned above cause the bryoflora to be complex. There are estimated to be about 2,000 species of Musci and 1,000 species of Anthocerotae and Hepaticae. The late Professor P.C. Chen considered that China could be divided into seven distributional areas, this view is supported by most Chinese bryologists today.
New genus, new species and new record of Neanurinae (Collembola, Neanuridae) for the Neotropics
Authors: QUEIROZ GABRIEL C. , DEHARVENG LOUIS
Published: September 2015

A new genus and a new species of Paleonurini (Collembola, Neanurinae) are described in this paper. The new species Ectonura snowdeni sp. nov., is the first record of the austral genus Ectonura for the Neotropics. A new genus from Southeast Brazil, Itanura gen. nov., is created based mainly on head tubercles arrangement. Its type species is Neanura brasiliensis Arlé, 1959 comb. nov., which is redescribed with the designation of a lectotype. Its distribution range is expanded with two new records from high altitude mountains of Southeast Brazil. Specimens from these two localities exhibit small morphological differences with those of the type locality, which are discussed.
Diversity of spiders in Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve, Guizhou, China,
III: A new species of Brommella (Dictynidae)
Authors: LU TIAN , CHEN HUI-MING , ZHANG ZHI-SHENG
Published: September 2015

A new Chinese species of the dictynid genus Brommella Tullgren—Brommella digitata sp. nov.—from Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve of Guizhou Province is photographed, illustrated and described. It can be distinguished from other Brommella species by the complex conductor and finger-like tegular apophysis of the male palp and anteriorly located copulatory openings of the female epigyne. This is the second species of Brommella from China. Additional photos, illustrations and material of B. punctosparsa (Oi 1957) are provided for comparison. The serrated embolus is firstly described for both species on the basis of SEM photos.
Systematic Changes in Cloud Radiative Forcing with Aerosol Loading for Deep Clouds in the Tropics
Authors: Peng Jie , Li Zhanqing , Zhang Hua , Liu Jianjun , Cribb Maureen
Published: September 2015

It has been widely recognized that aerosols can modify cloud properties, but it remains uncertain how much the changes and associated variations in cloud radiative forcing are related to aerosol loading. Using 4 yr of A-Train satellite products generated from CloudSat, the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations satellite, and the Aqua satellite, the authors investigated the systematic changes of deep cloud properties and cloud radiative forcing (CRF) with respect to changes in aerosol loading over the entire tropics. Distinct correlations between CRF and aerosol loading were found. Systematic variations in both shortwave and longwave CRF with increasing aerosol index over oceans and aerosol optical depth over land for mixed-phase clouds were identified, but little change was seen in liquid clouds. The systematic changes are consistent with the microphysical effect and the aerosol invigoration effect. Although this study cannot fully exclude the influence of other factors, attempts were made to explore various possibilities to the extent that observation data available can offer. Assuming that the systematic dependence originates from aerosol effects, changes in CRF with respect to aerosol loading were examined using satellite retrievals. Mean changes in shortwave and longwave CRF from very clean to polluted conditions ranged from −192.84 to −296.63 W m−2 and from 18.95 to 46.12 W m−2 over land, respectively, and from −156.12 to −170.30 W m−2 and from 6.76 to 11.67 W m−2 over oceans, respectively.
Tensor Formulation of Ensemble-Based Background Error Covariance Matrix Factorization
Authors: Ishibashi Toshiyuki
Published: September 2015

Factorization of a background error covariance matrix (B factorization) constructed from localization matrices and a small ensemble that obeys background error statistics is an efficient method for introducing flow-dependent background error statistics into variational form data assimilation systems. Although there are four types of matrix formulations of B factorization, their derivation processes and relationships are not clarified, and mathematical operability is limited because of their complex matrix forms. In this paper, B factorization in the tensor (component) form is formulated to overcome these shortcomings. The tensor formulation is very simple and directly connects the background error covariance matrix with its factorization. All existing matrix formulations are derived from the tensor formulation as their specific matrix form representations. Using the simplicity of the tensor formulation, the relationships between the strong-constraint four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4DVAR), 4DVAR with the four-dimensional background error covariance, and the weak-constraint 4DVAR are clarified.
Tracking Underreported Financial Flows: China’s Development Finance and the Aid–Conflict Nexus Revisited
Authors: Strange Austin M. , Dreher Axel , Fuchs Andreas , Parks Bradley , Tierney Michael J.
Published: September 2015

China’s provision of development finance to other countries is sizable but reliable information is scarce. We introduce a new open-source methodology for collecting project-level development finance information and create a database of Chinese official finance (OF) to Africa from 2000 to 2011. We find that China’s commitments amounted to approximately US$73 billion, of which US$15 billion are comparable to Official Development Assistance following Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development definitions. We provide details on 1,511 projects to fifty African countries. We use this database to extend previous research on aid and conflict, which suffers from omitted-variable bias due to the exclusion of Chinese development finance. Our results show that sudden withdrawals of “traditional” aid no longer induce conflict in the presence of sufficient alternative funding from China. Our findings highlight the importance of gathering more complete data on the development activities of “nontraditional donors” to better understand the link between aid and conflict.