High Prevalence of Hypermobility and Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (BJHS) in Oman

PURPOSE: To ascertain the prevalence of hypermobility and BJHS in a female patient population with musculoskeletal pain and compare the associated features with a pain free control group. RELEVANCE: Hypermobility is linked with increased musculoskeletal signs and symptoms. The existence of hypermobility with pain may indicate the presence of BJHS, which is a heritable connective tissue disorder synonymous with Ehlers-Danlos type III. Hypermobility is known to be race dependant with Asians and Africans being more hypermobile than Caucasians. The fragility of tissues in those with BJHS makes them more vulnerable to pain associated with soft tissue overuse injuries, traumatic synovitis, sprains and recurrent shoulder dislocations (Grahame 2000; Grahame et al 1981; Finterbush and Pogund 1982) it is also associated with delayed tissue healing, impaired proprioception (Mallik et al 1994; Hall et al 1995) and chronic pain. (Harding and Grahame 1990) PARTICIPANTS: 94 Female Omani patients with musculoskeletal pain attending the rehabilitation department outpatient clinics of the Khoula Hospital aged 18–50 were examined. 90 controls of the same age were recruited from the female Omani hospital staff. METHODS: All patients and controls were examined and questioned by one physiotherapist (CC), who had received training from a rheumatologist (RG) in clinical examination of patients at the hypermobility clinic, University College Hospital, London. Patients and controls were examined using the Beighton score and Brighton Criteria. ANALYSIS: Analysis was by χ2 for number of individuals and t-test for joint mobility scores. (Excel® 2002) RESULTS: 51% of patients were found to be hypermobile as opposed to 30% of controls (p = 0.015). 55.3% of patients had features of BJHS as opposed to 21.1% of controls. (p ≤ 0.0001). Significantly more patients presenting with knee pain had BJHS (p = 0.02). There was a non-significant trend for patients with BJHS to re-attend the out patient clinics (p= 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: This study established that this patient population was significantly more hypermobile than a control population. The incidence of BJHS in patients in this study was higher than that noted amongst female Caucasians, but similar to non Caucasians attending rheumatological clinics in the UK. (Grahame and Hakim 2004). Further epidemiological studies are required in other populations to look at patient re-attendance in musculoskeletal clinics and more specifically for those presenting with back and knee pain. IMPLICATIONS: Better recognition and awareness of hypermobility and BJHS will enable patients to receive treatment programmes, modified to take into account tissue fragility, hypermobile joints, impaired proprioception and chronic pain. KEYWORDS: Hypermobility, Pain, Joints. FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: No funding. Jane Simmonds, UCL supervising team, Professor R. Grahame and Dr. A. Hakim from the Hypermobility clinic UCH, London, Professor H. Holmberg, Khoula Hospital Director, Samia Al Marjeby head of rehabilitation, the staff and patients of Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Oman. CONTACT: [email protected] ETHICS COMMITTEE: Khoula Hospital Ethics committee, Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Oman (12/11/2003

Future wave climate over the west-European shelf seas

In this paper, we investigate changes in the wave climate of the west-European shelf seas under global warming scenarios. In particular, climate change wind fields corresponding to the present (control) time-slice 1961–2000 and the future (scenario) time-slice 2061–2100 are used to drive a wave generation model to produce equivalent control and scenario wave climate. Yearly and seasonal statistics of the scenario wave climates are compared individually to the corresponding control wave climate to identify relative changes of statistical significance between present and future extreme and prevailing wave heights. Using global, regional and linked global–regional wind forcing over a set of nested computational domains, this paper further demonstrates the sensitivity of the results to the resolution and coverage of the forcing. It suggests that the use of combined forcing from linked global and regional climate models of typical resolution and coverage is a good option for the investigation of relative wave changes in the region of interest of this study. Coarse resolution global forcing alone leads to very similar results over regions that are highly exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. In contrast, fine resolution regional forcing alone is shown to be insufficient for exploring wave climate changes over the western European waters because of its limited coverage. Results obtained with the combined global–regional wind forcing showed some consistency between scenarios. In general, it was shown that mean and extreme wave heights will increase in the future only in winter and only in the southwest of UK and west of France, north of about 44–45° N. Otherwise, wave heights are projected to decrease, especially in summer. Nevertheless, this decrease is dominated by local wind waves whilst swell is found to increase. Only in spring do both swell and local wind waves decrease in average height

A conceptual architecture for adaptation in remote desktop systems driven by the user perception of multimedia

Current thin-client remote desktop systems were designed for data-oriented applications over low-quality LAN links and they do not provide satisfactory end-user performance in enterprise environment for more and more popular graphical and multimedia applications. To improve perception of those applications in thin-client environment we propose architecture of a server-side Quality of Service (QoS) management component responsible for mapping application QoS requirements into network QoS. We analyze how service differentiation and traffic management techniques combined with user perception monitoring can be used in order to adjust network level resource allocation when performance of multimedia applications in remote desktop environment is not meeting user requirements. Our objective is to provide QoS-aware remote desktop systems which will be able to manage available resources in intelligent manner and meet end-user performance expectations. © 2005 IEEE

Integrated Numerical Modelling System for Extreme Wave Events at the Wave Hub Site

This paper examines an extreme wave event which occurred during a storm at the Wave Hub site in 2012. The extreme wave of 9.57 m height was identified from a time series of the heave data collected by an Oceanor Seawatch Mini II Buoy deployed at the site. An energy density spectrum was derived from this time series and then used to drive a physical model, which represents the extreme wave at 1:20 scale in Plymouth University’s new COAST Lab. The NewWave technique was used to define the input to the physical model. The experiment is reproduced in a numerical wave tank using the fully nonlinear CFD library OpenFOAM® and the wave generation toolbox waves2Foam. Results are evaluated, and issues regarding the predictions of a numerical model that is driven by the NewWave input signal are discussed. This study sets the basis for further research in coupling field data, physical modelling and numerical modelling in a more efficient and balanced way. This will lead to the new approach of composite modelling that will be implemented in future work

The role of fisheries data in the development evaluation and impact assessment in support of European fisheries plans

The European Commission has two formal requirements for developing multi-annual management plan policies: evaluation of the past performance of existing plans and impact assessments (IAs) of the potential benefits of new proposals. The new policies require the evaluation of fishery management in terms of three specific criteria: (i) effectiveness, i. e. the best method to achieve the objectives; (ii) efficiency, the cost-effectiveness, and proportionality; and (iii) consistency, i. e. limiting trade-offs across economic, social, and environmental domains. To develop policy, there is a need to collect relevant information, then to conduct appropriate analyses that provide documentation to support the policy objectives. This paper discusses the data requirements for good environmental, economic, and social understanding of fishery dynamics and management, describing how fishery data are currently linked to the analytical and management evaluation process using examples from 2009 and 2010. The type of information currently used is considered, along with the timetable of data availability, and its effect on historical evaluation and IAs, which are now formally required when any changes to legislation are proposed in the European Union, including following stakeholder consultation. The possibilities and future needs for such data are discussed

Exercise Beliefs and Behaviours of Individuals with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome/ Ehlers Danlos Syndrome-Hypermobility Type

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Disability & Rehabilitation on 10 November 2017, available online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1398278. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis GroupPurpose: To explore exercise beliefs and behaviours of individuals with Joint Hypermobility syndrome/Ehlers–Danlos syndrome – hypermobility type and to explore patient experiences of physiotherapy.Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire survey design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data from adult members of the Hypermobility Syndromes Association and Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome Support UK. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Qualitative data was analysed thematically.Results: 946 questionnaires were returned and analysed. Participants who received exercise advice from a physiotherapist were 1.75 more likely to report high volumes of weekly exercise (odds ratio [OR] = 1.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30–2.36, p < 0.001) than those with no advice. Participants who believed that exercise is important for long-term management were 2.76 times more likely to report a high volume of weekly exercise compared to the participants who did not hold this belief (OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.38–5.50, p = 0.004). Three themes emerged regarding experience of physiotherapy; physiotherapist as a partner, communication – knowledge, experience and safety.Conclusion: Pain, fatigue and fear are common barriers to exercise. Advice from a physiotherapist and beliefs about the benefits of exercise influenced the reported exercise behaviours of individuals with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome – hypermobility type in this survey.Peer reviewe

DEPREDATION OF CATFISH BY DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS AT AQUACULTURE FACILITIES IN OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma has about 324 ha of surface water in catfish (Ictalurus spp.) production. The state also supports a large number of migrating and wintering piscivorous birds, particularly double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). To address concerns of aquaculture facility operators regarding loss of fish to cormorants, we asked 11 operators to conduct regular counts of piscivorous birds at each facility. These data were used to determine factors affecting cormorant density at facilities and to estimate amount of catfish lost to cormorant depredation. Cormorant density (birds/ha/day) was positively correlated with surface area of water in production at facilities \u3c10 ha (r = 0.621, P = 0.004) and negatively correlated with percentage of forested shoreline at each facility (r = -0.518, P = 0.016). Distance to nearest major reservoir or river was not significantly correlated with cormorant densities. To estimate depredation, we assumed a daily intake of 0.4 kg of fish per cormorant and used the average number of birds counted at participating facilities. Cormorants consumed an estimated 7,196 + 8,729 kg ( x + SE) of catfish, valued at $13,672-$36,195 (depending on size offish consumed), or about 3-7% of Oklahoma catfish sales in 1993

DEPREDATION OF CATFISH BY DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS AT AQUACULTURE FACILITIES IN OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma has about 324 ha of surface water in catfish (Ictalurus spp.) production. The state also supports a large number of migrating and wintering piscivorous birds, particularly double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). To address concerns of aquaculture facility operators regarding loss of fish to cormorants, we asked 11 operators to conduct regular counts of piscivorous birds at each facility. These data were used to determine factors affecting cormorant density at facilities and to estimate amount of catfish lost to cormorant depredation. Cormorant density (birds/ha/day) was positively correlated with surface area of water in production at facilities \u3c10 ha (r = 0.621, P = 0.004) and negatively correlated with percentage of forested shoreline at each facility (r = -0.518, P = 0.016). Distance to nearest major reservoir or river was not significantly correlated with cormorant densities. To estimate depredation, we assumed a daily intake of 0.4 kg of fish per cormorant and used the average number of birds counted at participating facilities. Cormorants consumed an estimated 7,196 + 8,729 kg ( x + SE) of catfish, valued at $13,672-$36,195 (depending on size offish consumed), or about 3-7% of Oklahoma catfish sales in 1993

C and O stable isotopes and rare earth elements in the Devonian carbonate host rock of the Pivehzhan iron deposit, NE Iran

The Pivehzhan iron deposit is located at about 80km southwest of Mashhad, NE Iran. It occur within the Devonian carbonates as lenticular and massive bodies, as well as veinlets of magnetite and iron sulphides, transformed to goethite and haematite by weathering process. The hydrothermal calcite is the most important gangue mineral, which is observed in the form of veins/veinlets and open-space filling. The iron ores are accompanied by some minor elements such as Mn, Ti, Cr, and V and negligible amounts of Co and Ni. The distribution pattern of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) normalized to Post Archean Australian Shale (PAAS), which is characterized by the upward convex, as well as the positive Eu anomalies indicate the activity of reduced and acidic hydrothermal fluids. The negative Ce anomalies of host carbonates, although slight, point to the dominance of anoxic conditions during interaction with hydrothermal fluids. The hydrothermal calcite and quartz coexisting with the iron minerals contain principally fluid, which were homogenized into a liquid phase. The Homogenization Temperature (TH) and the salinity of the analysed fluid inclusions range from 129°C to 270°C and from 0.4wt.% to 9.41wt.% NaCl eq., respectively. The δ13CPDB and δ18OSMOW values range from -2.15‰ to -5.77‰ (PeeDee Belemnite PDB standard) and from +19.87‰ to +21.64‰ (Standard Mean Ocean Water SMOW standard) in hydrothermal calcite veinlets occurring with iron minerals, and from -0.66‰ to -4.37‰ (PDB) and from +15.55‰ to +20.14‰ (SMOW) within the host carbonates, respectively. The field relations and petrographic examination along with geochemical and isotopic considerations indicate that the Pivehzhan iron deposit was formed through replacement processes by reducing and acid fluids containing light carbon and oxygen isotopes. Variations in the physico-chemical conditions of hydrothermal fluids and their interaction with carbonates were the most effective mechanisms in the formation of this iron deposit. The potential source of iron was probably the basement magmatic rocks from which iron was leached by hydrothermal solutions