Birds of Mount Kisingiri, Nyanza Province, including a preliminary survey of the Gwassi Hills Forest Reserve and a species new to Kenya

Mount Kisingiri comprises a much overlooked highland massif in southern Nyanza Province with a hitherto completely unknown avifauna. Here we detail our findings from three brief exploratory visits undertaken between 2011 and 2014, with a focus on forested habitats above 1800 m in the Gwassi Hills Forest Reserve (GHFR). We confirm the presence of 34 forest-dependent species, including a globally near threatened forest raptor, the Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus, as well as the first known occurrence of the Western Citril Crithagra frontalis in Kenya. Including noteworthy species recorded from other, non-forested areas at lower elevations on the volcano, we provide 46 new or updated (post-1970) distributional records for these two quarter degree atlas squares (60A and 60C). Estimates of species detection probability and abundance, a comparison of forest-dependent species between logged and unlogged sites, and a coarse assessment of overall forest integrity, reveal a highly threatened forest bird community with apparently dwindling numbers of forest specialists. Lastly, we confirm continuing and rapid deforestation in the GHFR and highlight the pressing need for improved forest management and more thorough biodiversity surveys of extant forest

Is there a role for Western herbal medicine in treating cyclic perimenstrual pain and discomfort?

© 2018 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Conventional treatments for cyclic perimenstrual pain and discomfort, while numerous and diverse, have drawbacks including side effects, interference with women's reproductive function and, importantly, failure to address symptoms. Many women turn to herbal medicine to treat a myriad of menstrual symptoms. Clinical evidence supports the efficacy of Vitex agnus-castus but other medicinal herbs typically used by Western herbalists for treating menstrual symptoms are unsupported by clinical trials. This raises concerns around the efficacy and safety of these herbs. Women's treatment options need to be extended and individualised, where current conventional strategies fail, requiring appropriate clinical trials of potentially useful herbal medicines

Tunable and processable shape memory composites based on degradable polymers

The authors acknowledge the funding provided by NSFC-DG-RTD Joint Scheme (Project No. 51361130034) and the RAPIDOS project under the European Union's 7th Framework Programme (Project No.604517)

Pleistocene loess in the humid subtropical forest zone of East Asia

2012-2013 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Surgical outcomes of patients with neuroblastoma in a tertiary centre in Hong Kong: A 12-year experience

Introduction: Neuroblastoma has a heterogeneous clinical course. The prognosis varies widely depending on the age of diagnosis, extent of disease and tumour biology. However, the specific clinical outcome of this disease in Hong Kong has not been well characterised thus far. Complete tumour excision has been demonstrated to confer survival benefit on patients with advanced disease even if there is metastasis. Since year 2004, we have adopted a revised, more aggressive surgical approach in managing these patients. Here, we aim to review our experience in the management of this disease. Methods: A retrospective review was performed for the past 12 years to include all patients who presented with neuroblastoma in our institution. Data such as the survival, age at diagnosis, MYCN amplification status, the extent of tumour excision, and stage of the disease were recorded and analysed. Results: 37 patients were included in this study. Overall survival of our patients was 67.6%. Patients with Stage 1, 2 and 4S have 100% survival whereas stage 4 patients only have 41.4% survival. Since our revised surgical approach in 2004, patients who had been operated had a better survival. Survival of stage 4 patients with operation after 2004 was 57.1% whereas the survival of patients at the same stage before 2004 was only 30%. Age at diagnosis, completeness of tumour excision and stage of disease are also correlated with overall prognosis. Further, patients with the presence of MYCN gene amplification have apparently poorer survival but it is not statistically significant due to the small sample size. Conclusion: The management of patients with neuroblastoma remains a challenge. Advanced stage of disease, incomplete tumour excision and increased age at diagnosis were all associated with poor survival. We demonstrated a better survival for those who underwent a more aggressive surgical approach, though this is a technically demanding and time consuming procedure. Thus, the management of advanced neuroblastoma should be centralised in a centre with combined surgical, oncological and paediatric intensive care expertise.published_or_final_versio

Modelling the Effect of Road Grade on the CO2 and NOx Emissions of a Passenger Car through a Real World-Urban Traffic Network

A Portable Emission Measurement System (PEMS) was utilised to record the on-road Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission of a EURO 4 petrol vehicle over 48 test runs through an urban-traffic network. The tests were conducted over a 780 metre micro-scale road segment between Headingley and the City of Leeds, UK, with measurement on both the inbound (Section A) and outbound lanes (Section B). The monitored test runs were conducted under a range of traffic flow conditions from heavily congested to free-flowing traffic. Vehicle exhaust emission simulations using an instantaneous power-emission model have the capability to generate estimates of real-world vehicle emissions over micro-scale road sections. The Technical University of Graz’s (TUG) Passenger car and Heavy duty Emission Model (PHEM) was used to calculate a CO2 emission estimate for each of the 48 test runs through Sections A and B. The model CO2 emission estimates were then compared to the real-world PEMS emission measurements, to determine the accuracy of the modelling methodology. Whilst instrumented vehicles can adequately capture second-by-second (1Hz) absolute position and vehicle speed there is significant instrument error in the measurement of real-world elevation using a Global Positioning System (GPS) as part of a PEMS set-up. These errors make it very difficult to accurately calculate a 1Hz road grade with GPS systems. However, as road grade can have an important influence on engine power demand and hence fuel consumption and exhaust emission it is essential to include a representative road grade estimate for micro-scale emission estimation. Rather than using a GPS recorded elevation, this study developed a simple road grade estimation methodology which employs Geographic Information System (GIS) software to interpolate the elevation at each second of PEMS data from a 5-metre resolution Digital Terrain Map (DTM) derived from Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data. The method applies an algorithm to compute the road grade from the LiDAR-GIS elevation values and vehicle speed, and alleviates errors resulting from absolute position measurement inaccuracy of the GPS at low speed. The addition of the LiDAR-GIS road grade to the PHEM modelling was found to improve the accuracy of the PHEM estimate of the PEMS measured real-world CO2 emission. From the 48 test runs the average PHEM estimate (including road grade) of the real-world measured CO2 emission through Section A was 93%, and through Section B was 94%. Of the total 96 test runs over Section A and B 91% of the PHEM estimates were between 80% and 110% of the PEMS recorded value. In further analysis, an assessment of the effect of road grade on both CO2 and NOx emission was conducted. Sections A and B were combined for each test run to form Segment AB, which has a net flat road grade. The PEMS recorded speed profiles for each of the test runs through sections A and B were input into PHEM and emission estimates generated under four road grade scenarios. The scenarios were formed by decreasing and exaggerating the LiDAR-GIS road grade for each second of data, multiplying it by coefficients of 0 (flat), 0.5 (half the grade), 1, and 2 (double the grade). The results indicate that assuming a flat profile in PHEM would result in an average underestimate of the segment emission by 2.7% for CO2 and 7.0% for NOx when calculated with road grade, and by 7.9% for CO2 and 20.4% for NOx were the road grade doubled. The method developed in this study provides a simple methodology for calculating 1Hz road grade, and has been shown to improve the modelling of CO2 emission for this data set. This research suggest that using the PHEM model with a LiDAR-GIS calculated road grade provides a practical method for accurately estimating real-world micro-scale emission. On-road emission monitoring by PEMS is scheduled to be introduced for Euro 6c type approval from September 2017. In order to accurately determine road load during the real-world test procedure it will be important to develop a suitable methodology for calculating a 1Hz road grade

Lymphatic Filariasis Control in Tanzania: Effect of Six Rounds of Mass Drug Administration with Ivermectin and Albendazole on Infection and Transmission.

Control of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa is based on annual mass drug administration (MDA) with a combination of ivermectin and albendazole, in order to interrupt transmission. We present findings from a detailed study on the effect of six rounds of MDA with this drug combination as implemented by the National Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Programme (NLFEP) in a highly endemic rural area of north-eastern Tanzania.\ud The effect of treatment on transmission and human infection was monitored in a community- and a school-based study during an 8-year period (one pre-intervention and 7 post-intervention years) from 2003 to 2011. Before intervention, 24.5% of the community population had microfilariae (mf) in the blood, 53.3% had circulating filarial antigens (CFA) and 78.9% had specific antibodies to the recombinant filarial antigen Bm14. One year after the sixth MDA, these values had decreased considerably to 2.7%, 19.6% and 27.5%, respectively. During the same period, the CFA prevalence among new intakes of Standard 1 pupils in 10 primary schools decreased from 25.2% to 5.6%. In line with this, transmission by the three vectors (Anopheles gambiae, An. funestus and Culex quinquefasciatus) as determined by dissection declined sharply (overall vector infectivity rate by 99.3% and mean monthly transmission potential by 99.2% between pre-intervention and fifth post-intervention period). A major shift in vector species composition, from predominantly anopheline to almost exclusively culicine was observed over the years. This may be largely unrelated to the MDAs but may have important implications for the epidemiology of LF in the area. Six MDAs caused considerable decrease in all the measured indices for transmission and human infection. In spite of this, indices were still relatively high in the late period of the study, and it may take a long time to reach the recommended cut-off levels for interruption of transmission unless extra efforts are made. These should include increased engagement of the target population in the control activities, to ensure higher treatment coverage. It is expected that the recent initiative to distribute insecticide impregnated bed nets to every household in the area will also contribute towards reaching the goal of successful LF elimination

Suspected association of ventricular arrhythmia with air pollution in a motorbike rider: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Premature ventricular complexes are to some extent a normal finding in healthy individuals and the prevalence increases with age and is more common in men. Premature ventricular complexes can occur in association with a variety of stimuli, and a lesser known cause is the association between air pollution and ventricular arrhythmias.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A previously healthy man started to ride a lightweight motorbike in heavy traffic. A few weeks later he was admitted to hospital with premature ventricular complexes in bigeminy, which decreased after a few days when he was not exposed to exhaust fumes. A few weeks later he started using the motorbike again and the same symptoms developed once more, only to subside when he stopped riding in heavy traffic.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Studies have shown an association between air pollution and premature ventricular complexes and other kinds of arrhythmias. The mechanism may be changes in cardiac autonomic function, including heart rate and heart rate variability. Air pollution should be considered when patients present with arrhythmias and no other causes are found.</p

Gasification reactor engineering approach to understanding the formation of biochar properties

Operational reactor temperatures (spanning the reduction zone), pressure, and product gas composition measurements from a downdraft gasifier were compared against subsequent biochar elemental composition, surface morphology and PAH content. Pine feedstock moisture (FM), with values of 7% and 17% was the experimental variable. Moderately high steady-state temperatures were observed inside the reactor, with a ca. 50°C difference in how the gasifier operated between the two feedstock types. Both chars exhibited surface properties comparable to activated carbon, but the relatively small differences in temperature caused significant variations in biochar surface area and morphology: micropore area 584 m2.g-1 (FM7%) against 360 m2.g-1 (FM17%), and micropore volume 0.287 cm3.g-1 (FM7%) against 0.172 cm3.g-1 (FM17%). Differences in char extractable PAH content were also observed, with higher concentrations (187 μg.g-1 15 ± 18) when the gasifier was operated with FM7%, compared to 89 ± 19 μg.g-1 Σ16EPA PAH with FM17%. It is recommended that greater detail on operational conditions during biochar production should be incorporated as standard to future biochar characterisation research as a consequence of these results

Whither Capitalism? Financial externalities and crisis

As with global warming, so with financial crises – externalities have a lot to answer for. We look at three of them. First the financial accelerator due to ‘fire sales’ of collateral assets -- a form of pecuniary externality that leads to liquidity being undervalued. Second the ‘risk- shifting’ behaviour of highly-levered financial institutions who keep the upside of risky investment while passing the downside to others thanks to limited liability. Finally, the network externality where the structure of the financial industry helps propagate shocks around the system unless this is checked by some form of circuit breaker, or ‘ring-fence’. The contrast between crisis-induced Great Recession and its aftermath of slow growth in the West and the rapid - and (so far) sustained - growth in the East suggests that successful economic progress may depend on how well these externalities are managed