Acceleration of Diffusional Jumps of Interstitial Fe with Increasing Ge Concentration in Si1 − x Ge x Alloys Observed by Mössbauer Spectroscopy

Radioactive 57Mn isotopes have been implanted into Si1 − x Ge x crystals (x ≤ 0.1) at elevated temperatures for Mössbauer studies of the diffusion of interstitial 57Fe daughter atoms. The atomic jump frequency is found to increase upon Ge alloying. This is attributed to a lowering of the activation energy, i.e. the saddle point energy at hexagonal interstitial sites with Ge neighbour atom

The effectiveness of sidewalks on pedestrian safety in a township environment

South Africa faces challenges to adequately provide safe roads for all road users. In its urban environments, pedestrians have often been neglected in the design and construction of road networks; a phenomenon seen in almost all urban areas, but which is ironically often most evident in poor income areas where residents are most dependent on walking as a form of mobility. These poor income areas include older ‘Township’ establishments as well as the more recent RDP housing developments that have been built since the end of apartheid. Some urban local authorities have begun the process of remedying poor pedestrian safety in such areas, through, for example, the retrofitting of sidewalks. International studies have shown that the physical separation of pedestrians and vehicles will typically reduce road crashes and fatal injuries to pedestrians in particular. In a township environment, where walking may be the predominant mode of transport, the potential of sidewalks to improve road safety seems straight forward. However, operational elements such as the lack of traffic enforcement and poor driver behaviour; poor road safety education; lack of infrastructure and undisciplined pedestrian and public transport movement, may well influence the effectiveness of sidewalks, and this has yet to be investigated. This study assesses the effectiveness of new sidewalks on pedestrian safety along four roads in three townships in eThekwini. Comparisons were made of crash data before and after installing a sidewalk on already constructed roads, and observations were carried out along each route to begin to understand the behaviour of the pedestrians and the overall effectiveness of the sidewalks at the sites. The analysis confirmed that sidewalks in this township environment have had a positive effect on pedestrian safety in that they have reduced pedestrian fatalities. The results also show, however, that even with the installation of sidewalks, pedestrian crashes persist – especially at non-designated crossing points. This is although sidewalks, and formal pedestrian crossings, appear to be used by the majority of pedestrians, which suggests that crashes are occurring at locations where pedestrians are unexpected. Unfortunately, the lack of driver behavioural studies before the sidewalks were installed means that it is difficult to assess whether drivers themselves are driving less safely now that pedestrians are better managed, and so this does remain a possible contributory factor.Papers presented at the 40th International Southern African Transport Conference on 04 -08 July 202

A cross-sectional survey investigating women's information sources, behaviour, expectations, knowledge and level of satisfaction on advice received about diet and supplements before and during pregnancy

Background The reported long-term effects of poor maternal nutrition and uptake of recommended supplements before and during pregnancy was the impetus behind this study. Our objectives were to investigate and understand women’s expectations, knowledge, behaviour and information sources used regarding the use of nutrition and vitamin supplements before and during pregnancy. Methods A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was undertaken. A purposive sampling technique was used. Women attending the antenatal clinic at Croydon University Hospital during 2015 were invited to take part in the study. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, paired sample T-tests and Chi-squared tests, with the level of significance set at 5% (p < 0.05). Results A total of 133 pregnant women completed the survey. Analysis of the results showed that women are currently using electronic resources (33%, n = 42) rather than healthcare professionals (19%, n = 25) as an information source before pregnancy. Women who sourced information through the internet were significantly more likely to take folic acid (p = 0.006) and vitamin D (p = 0.004) before pregnancy. Women preferred to receive information from the antenatal clinic (62%, n = 83), internet (46%, n = 61) and from mobile applications (27%, n = 36). Although women believed they had sufficient knowledge (60%, n = 80) and had received adequate advice (53%, n = 70) concerning the correct supplements to take, this was not demonstrated in their behaviour, with only a small number of women (37%, n = 49) taking a folic acid supplement before pregnancy. Women mistakenly perceived the timing of supplement advice as correct, with only a small number of women (18%, n = 23) considering the advice on supplements as too late. Conclusions Despite the small sample size, this study demonstrated that women did not receive timely and/or accurate advice to enable them to take the recommended supplements at the optimal time. Women had the misconception that they understood the correct use of pregnancy supplements. This misunderstanding may be prevented by providing women intending to become pregnant with a structured, approved electronic source of information that improves their supplements uptake

Laboratory surveillance of Shigella dysenteriae type 1 in Kwazulu-natal

Objective. To collect data on the antimicrobial susceptibility of Shigella dysenteriae type 1 in KwaZulu-Natal, including the testing of newer therapeutic agents, and to evaluate the ability of laboratories to participate in a provincial surveillance programme.Design. Prospective descriptive study.Setting. Hospital laboratories in KwaZulu-Natal, including peripheral laboratories and the medical microbiology laboratory of the University of Natal.Main outcome measures. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of surveillance strains and evaluation of the ability of provincial laboratories to isolate Shigella.Results. All 354 strains tested were resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline. Co-trimoxazole resistance was found in 99.2% of strains, and 0.8% of strains were resistant to nalidixic acid. All strains were susceptible to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, pivmecillinam, azithromycin, loracarbef and fosfomycin. Of the 29 laboratories surveyed, 18 (62.1%) were able to isolate and identify S, dysenteriae correctly, and 9 (32%) were able to serotype it further to S, dysenteriae type 1. Twenty-seven (93.1%) had appropriate culture media and 26 (89.7%) had antisera for Shigella identification.Conclusions. There is little variation among strains of S. dysenteriae type 1 in KwaZulu-Natal with regard to their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. Nalidixic acid should remain the antimicrobial of choice for treatment of dysentery in our region as resistance to it is low. The majority of KwaZulu-Natallaboratories.have the expertise and equipment to perform the isolation and identification of Shigella species

‘Sink or swim?’: Learning from stories of becoming academics within a transforming university terrain

The meanings connected with becoming or being an academic are constantly shifting, on account of diverse forces that act on universities. The authors of this article portray their learning as a research team of four academics (including one early-career academic) and a doctoral student who took a narrative inquiry approach to listening and responding to their early-career colleagues’ stories of becoming and being academics within a transforming university landscape. Imaginative engagement with these stories through the evocative and reflexive medium of poetry awakened possibilities for navigating the uncertain terrain of academia. The article draws attention to collegial relationships as critical to the growth of self-belief and self-resourcefulness in becoming and being academics. It demonstrates how, through collective participation, novice and experienced academics can become valuable sources of learning and support for each other

La educación inclusiva frente a las desigualdades sociales: un estado de la cuestion y algunas reflexiones geograficas

Este artículo establece un estado de la cuestión e la educación inclusiva en el mundo y sugiere algunas reflexiones al respecto. El primer apartado recuerda las conexiones ineludibles entre las preocupaciones educativas por la educación inclusiva y las preocupaciones más generales por la desigualdad. El segundo consigna los criterios de búsqueda de las publicaciones académicas, y observa dos grandes temas en sus contenidos: sobre todo, el cambio interno de las escuelas atrae las miradas, pero en segundo plano también el entorno territorial despierta algunas inquietudes. El tercero anota los criterios de búsqueda de la documentación del Banco Mundial, la OCDE y la UNESCO. En este ámbito los simposios de la Oficina Internacional de la Educación de UNESCO revelan una interpretación dispar, aunque convergente, del concepto de educación inclusiva en las distintas regiones mundiales. Asimismo, todas las publicaciones oficiales muestran una atención prioritaria a las dinámicas internas de las escuelas, puesto que apenas algunas esbozan ciertas relaciones entre la educación inclusiva y las políticas públicas. El último apartado adelanta varios argumentos a favor de una mayor consideración de las escalas local y estatal de la educación inclusiva. Las principales razones para atender a la dimensión local provienen de la causalidad acumulativa de las privaciones sociales, de la necesidad de articular la acción de las escuelas y de la posibilidad de abrir un espacio significativo para la participación ciudadana. Asimismo, las principales razones para atender a la dimensión estatal surgen de las posibles sinergias entre la educación inclusiva y la expansión educativa (p. ej. ¿es correlativo el avance de la escolarización en los distintos ciclos escolares?) como también entre la educación inclusiva y la protección social (p. ej. ¿tienen una implicación pedagógica consistente las abundantes condiciones educativas de las transferencias sociales?

Validation of vertical ground heat exchanger design methodologies

[EN] This work presents a validation of two common methods for designing vertical ground heat exchangers. Both a simulation-based design tool and the ASHRAE handbook design equation are used to find design lengths for four different real systems, using actual experimental data, including building loads as well as physical parameters as inputs. The measured minimum and maximum ground heat exchanger exiting fluid temperatures were used as the design constraint. The simulation-based design tool predicted the borehole length to within 6% in all cases, while the ASHRAE handbook design equation yielded systems with errors from ¿21% to 167%. Most of this error can be explained by the way loads are represented in the ASHRAE handbook equation, with differences in the borehole thermal resistance also playing a smaller part. TheASHRAE handbook equation relies on a very simple load representation; although this allows it to be used as a simple hand calculation, it also precludes it achieving acceptable accuracy. It does not appear to be possible to revise the ASHRAE handbook equation so as to both significantly improve its accuracy and allow its use in a simple hand calculation.Cullin, J.; Spitler, JD.; Montagud Montalvá, CI.; Ruiz Calvo, F.; Rees, S.; Naicker, S.; Konecny, P.... (2015). Validation of vertical ground heat exchanger design methodologies. Science and Technology for the Built Environment. 21(2):137-149. doi:10.1080/10789669.2014.974478S13714921

Which Test Is Best? A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of a Risk Calculator and Recommendations on Colorectal Cancer Screening Behaviour in General Practice

Introduction: This cluster-randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the effect of the "Which test is best?"tool on risk-appropriate screening (RAS) and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake. Methods: General practices in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, and a random sub-sample of 460 patients (aged 25-74 years) per practice were invited by post. Clusters were computer randomized independently of the researchers to an online CRC risk calculator with risk-based recommendations versus usual care. Primary and secondary outcomes were RAS and screening uptake via self-reported 5-year screening behaviour after 12 months follow-up. The usual care group (UCG) also self-reported 5-year CRC screening behaviour at 12 month post-randomization. Results: Fifty-six practices were randomized (27 to the intervention and 29 to the control, 55 practices participated) with 818 intervention and 677 controls completing the primary outcome measure. The intervention significantly increased RAS in high-risk participants compared with UCG (80.0% vs. 64.0%, respectively; OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.25-7.96) but not in average-risk (44.9% vs. 49.5%, respectively; OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.99-1.12) or moderate-risk individuals (67.9% vs. 81.1%, respectively; OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.12-1.33). Faecal occult blood testing uptake over 12 months was increased compared with the UCG (24.9% vs. 15.1%; adjusted OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.24-2.22), and there was a non-significant increase in colonoscopies during the same period (16.6% vs. 12.2%; adjusted OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 0.97-2.08). Conclusion: An online CRC risk calculator with risk-based screening recommendations increased RAS in high-risk participants and improved screening uptake overall within a 12-month follow-up period. Such tools may be useful for facilitating the uptake of risk-based screening guidelines

Post-infection immunocomplex glomerulonephritis and Legionnaires' disease in a patient with adult Still's disease during treatment with interleukin 1 receptor antagonist anakinra: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Legionellosis is a systemic disease that primarily affects the lungs. However, dysfunction in many organ systems, including the kidneys, has also been described. There are only a few reported cases of renal dysfunction in patients with legionellosis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 27-year-old Caucasian woman with known adult Still's disease was admitted to our hospital for community-acquired pneumonia, due to <it>Legionella </it>infection, with acute renal failure. Although her respiratory symptoms responded well to antibiotic treatment, her renal function worsened, with severe proteinuria and edema. A renal biopsy showed extracapillary and endocapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis with accompanying chronic and acute interstitial nephritis. This was consistent with a post-infection immunocomplex glomerulonephritis. After initiation of steroid therapy, her renal function improved. Additionally, therapy with diuretics and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor was initiated because of persistent proteinuria. Under this treatment regimen, her severe edema and proteinuria disappeared.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, there is only a handful of reported cases of post-infection glomerulonephritis with a nephrotic syndrome in a patient with legionellosis. Our findings suggest that, in patients with Legionnaires' disease with renal failure, post-infection immunocomplex glomerulonephritis should be considered and steroid therapy may be an effective modality to treat the renal complication.</p