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Background We report our medium-term outcomes of the balloon spacer in treating irreparable massive rotator cuff tears (MRCT). Methods Twenty-two patients (17 male:5 female; mean age 68.2 years) had a balloon spacer arthroscopically inserted between September 2013–May 2017 after failing non-surgical management or rotator cuff repair. Oxford Shoulder Scores (OSS) were collected prospectively at baseline and prior to reverse total shoulder replacement (rTSR) or at most recent follow up for those with the balloon spacer still in-situ. Results A significant OSS improvement at mean follow-up 31.4 months (5–63) was found analysing all patients who had a balloon inserted (23.6 vs 29.6; p Conclusion The balloon spacer is effective in a minority of patients in the medium term. The majority either convert to rTSR or remain symptomatic with the risk of failure higher in those who are older with a low baseline OSS.

This study describes a case series of 15 patients with radial head fractures who underwent radial head excision using an arthroscopic technique.Over a four year period, 15 patients (average age 49.6 years) who had sustained a radial head or radial neck fracture underwent an arthroscopic excision of the radial head. Four patients had an unreconstructable comminuted fracture (early group; EG) and 11 patients had pain and loss of motion with an associated non- or malunion (late group; LG).The mean time to surgery following injury was three weeks (one to five) for the EG and 27 weeks (eight-58) for the LG. The average visual analogue scale (VAS) was 1.7 (zero to four), and the average Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (Quick-DASH) score was 24.7 (16-44). At final follow-up, average supination was 62.0° (range 45-75°) and pronation was 63.3° (range 45-75°). There were no complications.This series demonstrates that arthroscopic excision of fractures of the radial head and neck is reliable, reproducible and safe, with similar results to open excision. There may also be additional benefits in the short term with regards to speed of healing and rehabilitation.

Dieterich disease is characterized by avascular necrosis of the metacarpal head. The recent literature has described surgical management of this condition relatively soon after its presentation. We present a case treated conservatively with a satisfactory outcome at 28 months.

Thoracic outlet syndrome is caused by compression of the neurovascular structures crossing the interscalene triangle, costoclavicular space or retropectoralis minor space. The costoclavicular space is the most frequent site of arterial compression and is mainly a result of anatomical variations and masses occupying the costoclavicular space causing a compression effect on the vascular or neural structures within it. We present a case of thoracic outlet syndrome caused by dynamic impingement of the clavicle and the second rib diagnosed by four-dimensional computed tomography scanning.

Hypothesis: Because a 4-dimensional CT scan (4D CT) is able to provide a moving 3-dimensional (3D) image in real time in patients with snapping scapula syndrome, a 4D CT scan should be able to demonstrate bony impingement of the scapula on the posterior thorax. This study was performed to determine if 4D CT scans aid the clinician in defining the size and location of the scapular bone causing impingement in patients with snapping scapula syndrome. Materials and methods: Between October 2009 and August 2013, 12 patients (median age, 26.5 years; range 15-55 years) with snapping scapula syndrome were investigated with 4D CT. The images formed produced a dynamic volume-rendered reconstruction of the scapulothoracic joint that displayed its movements and any dynamic area of impingement of the scapula on surrounding bony structures. Asymmetry between symptomatic and asymptomatic scapulae was used to determine the radiologic cause of the patient’s symptoms. After the failure of conservative management, 8 patients underwent surgery for their condition. Results: Five patients demonstrated bony contact of the scapula on the posterior thoracic ribs. Four patients demonstrated no bony contact but close apposition of the scapula to the posterior thoracic ribs. Three patients demonstrated no bony impingement but abnormal movement of the second and third rib caused by a soft-tissue tethering structure. Conclusion: The 4D CT scan images defined pathology well in patients with snapping scapula syndrome and improved assessment of the amount and location of the scapular bone and soft tissue causing symptoms.

We present a case of synovial chondromatosis affecting the interphalangeal joint where the disease did not clearly manifest itself on pre-operative radiographs. Although rare, surgeons should consider articular synovial chondromatosis as a differential for pain and stiffness in any joint, even those of the hand.

To describe the plane of the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) to aid planning of instrument orientation during invasive procedures.Computed tomography (CT) images of 80 consecutive patients aged 25 to 40 years with appropriate chest imaging series were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with a previous median sternotomy, fused manubriosternal joint or fracture were excluded. The medial clavicle was found to vary greatly in its anatomy such that a representative morphology could not be described. The manubrium was found to be a more consistent structure and was examined in more detail. The angulation of the SCJ was measured in three orthogonal planes using CT multiplanar reformats. Each SCJ (160 in total) was assessed for transverse, coronal, and sagittal angulation of the central manubrial articular surface in respect to the long axis of the manubrial body using a newly devised measurement technique.The mean angles (± standard deviation) of the SCJs were 62.4 ± 9.7° to the transverse plane, 149.3 ± 7.3° to the coronal plane and 69.8 ± 7.5 to the sagittal plane. There was no significant difference in transverse (p = 0.41) or sagittal (p = 0.60) angulation between sides, however there was a significant difference for the coronal plane (p = 0.04). No significant differences were noted between the sexes in any plane.Increasing use of invasive diagnostic and treatment techniques dictate that a safe approach to the joint should be used to reduce the risk of iatrogenic injury. This study adds to existing knowledge of SCJ anatomy and its variation within the population. Understanding this can minimize the risk to adjacent structures when approaching the SCJ with injection needles or arthroscopic instruments.

24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, 21-25 September 2009, Hamburg, Germany; 3951-3954, Self-sustaining solar lights significantly reduce the installation and operating costs as well as the energy usage and CO2-emissions caused by public lighting. Novel high-power LEDs, PV-modules which yield substantial energy even on cloudy or rainy days and intelligent energy and battery management systems are the key to reliable and marketable solar street lights. Every part must be optimized to achieve a perfectly matching system to guarantee operational reliability during periods of low solar radiation (e.g. winter time). This paper deals with advanced solar lights with cylindrically shaped PV-tubes with crystalline solar cells. These solar lights were tested within an extensive field test project in Austria. The performance analyses in different locations and also under various conditions in the winter time verify the reliability of the solar light in Central Europe. This paper also illustrates the principles of the energy management system. It concludes the importance of accurately determining parameters such as night length, energy usage, the charging condition of the batteries and the actual lighting demand.

23rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, 1-5 September 2008, Valencia, Spain; 3528-3530, Solar modules of cylindrical or half cylindrical shape, so-called PV-tubes, offer new and attractive design aspects for the integration into solar lights and other off-grid PV applications. Such PV-tubes can be easily integrated into masts and poles for off-grid electricity supplies, e.g., for road signs or telecommunication equipment. Furthermore, this new type of PV module opens new possibilities for building integrated photovoltaics. For mast and pole integration, small tube diameters in the range of 100 – 200 mm are required. Thin film solar cells on flexible substrates can be easily laminated onto curved surface structures, but the efficiencies are still rather low (less than 11%). To optimize the energy yield of such PV-tubes, we developed a novel fabrication technique for laminating almost inflexible crystalline silicon solar cells with efficiencies up to 21% onto the inner surface of narrow glass tubes. We successfully demonstrated that some advanced high-efficiency solar cells can be bent to a very small radius of curvature without considerable losses in energy yield.

We have measured non-zero closure phases for about 29% of our sample of 56 nearby Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars, using the 3-telescope Infrared Optical Telescope Array (IOTA) interferometer at near-infrared wavelengths (H band) and with angular resolutions in the range 5-10 milliarcseconds. These nonzero closure phases can only be generated by asymmetric brightness distributions of the target stars or their surroundings. We discuss how these results were obtained, and how they might be interpreted in terms of structures on or near the target stars. We also report measured angular sizes and hypothesize that most Mira stars would show detectable asymmetry if observed with adequate angular resolution., Comment: Accepted by ApJ

The UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST) of the Anglo-Australian Observatory completed a narrow-band H-alpha plus [NII] 6548, 6584A survey of the Southern Galactic Plane and Magellanic Clouds in late 2003. The survey, which was the last UKST wide-field photographic survey, and the only one undertaken in a narrow band, is now an on-line digital data product of the Wide-Field Astronomy Unit of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh (ROE). The survey utilised a high specification, monolithic H-alpha interference band-pass filter of exceptional quality. In conjunction with the fine grained Tech-Pan film as a detector it has produced a survey with a powerful combination of area coverage (4000 square degrees), resolution (~1 arcsecond) and sensitivity (, 33 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We report the discovery, from the HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS), of an isolated cloud of neutral hydrogen which we believe to be extragalactic. The HI mass of the cloud (HIPASS J1712-64) is very low, 1.7 x 10^7 Msun, using an estimated distance of ~3.2 Mpc. Most significantly, we have found no optical companion to this object to very faint limits (mu(B)~ 27 mag arcsec^-2). HIPASS J1712-64 appears to be a binary system similar to, but much less massive than, HI 1225+01 (the Virgo HI Cloud) and has a size of at least 15 kpc. The mean velocity dispersion, measured with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), is only 4 km/s for the main component and because of the weak or non-existent star-formation, possibly reflects the thermal linewidth (T, 23 pages, 7 figures, AJ accepted

Interactions between galaxies are common and are an important factor in determining their physical properties such as position along the Hubble sequence and star-formation rate. There are many possible galaxy interaction mechanisms, including merging, ram-pressure stripping, gas compression, gravitational interaction and cluster tides. The relative importance of these mechanisms is often not clear, as their strength depends on poorly known parameters such as the density, extent and nature of the massive dark halos that surround galaxies. A nearby example of a galaxy interaction where the mechanism is controversial is that between our own Galaxy and two of its neighbours -- the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Here we present the first results of a new HI survey which provides a spectacular view of this interaction. In addition to the previously known Magellanic Stream, which trails 100 degrees behind the Clouds, the new data reveal a counter-stream which lies in the opposite direction and leads the motion of the Clouds. This result supports the gravitational model in which leading and trailing streams are tidally torn from the body of the Magellanic Clouds., 17 pages with 5 figures in gif format, scheduled for publication in the August 20th, 1998 issue of Nature

We report here some preliminary results of a multi-wavelength study of a complete sample of radio galaxies. The sample is comprised of 93 radio sources from the Parkes 11 cm catalog which are identified with galaxies of 17th magnitude or brighter in the declination zone −17° to −40°. Our objective is to cross-correlate the radio, infrared, optical, and other properties of a properly defined sample of radio galaxies.

The agricultural sector accounts for 70% of all water consumption and poses great pressure on ground water resources. Therefore, evaluating agricultural water consumption is highly important as it allows supply chain actors to identify practices which are associated with unsustainable water use, which risk depleting current water resources and impacting future production. However, these assessments are often not feasible for crop producers as data, models and experiments are required in order to conduct them. This work introduces a new on-line agricultural water use assessment tool that provides the water footprint and irrigation requirements at field scale based on an enhanced FAO56 approach combined with a global climate, crop and soil databases. This has been included in the Cool Farm Tool – an online tool which already provides metrics for greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity impacts and therefore allows for a more holistic assessment of environmental sustainability in farming and agricultural supply chains. The model is tested against field scale and state level water footprint data providing good results. The tool provides a practical, reliable way to assess agricultural water use, and offers a means to engage growers and stakeholders in identifying efficient water management practices., Highlights • CFTW facilitates water use assessments in crop production in food supply chains. • Global on-line tool combining user input with a soil, daily climate and crop database. • Comparison to observed evapo-transpiration (R2 = 0.52) shows good agreement. • Comparison to observed total water footprint (R2 = 0.96) shows very good agreement. • Using CFTW can reduce errors in water footprints by >70% compared to state estimates.