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

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?

The increasing burden of tuberculosis in pregnant women, newborns and infants under 6 months of age in Durban, KwaZulu Natal

Objectives. In spite of the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) which has been exacerbated by HIV, the impact of these coinfections on maternal and perinatal health has been limited. We document new evidence from Durban, KwaZulu- Natal, on the increasing effects of TB in pregnant women, neonates and infants.Method. Women with TB were prospectively tudied at the antenatal clinics and obstetric and labour wards at King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, between 1996 and 1998. The incidence of TB was calculated, and the population attributable fraction of TB due to HIV infection in pregnancy was estimated. Concurrently, culture-confirmed cases of Mycobacterium tubaculosis in neonates and infants under 6 months of age at the hospital were documented.Results. One hundred and forty-six cases of maternal TB were detected. TB occurred in 0.1% and 0.6% of maternities in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Overall, TB rate for HIV non-infected maternities was 72.9/ 105, and for HIV-infected maternities , 774.5/ 105. The attributable fraction of TB related to HIV in pregnancy was 71.7%; 10.3% of these mothers died. There was a 2.2-fold increase in the caseload of culture-confirmed TB in neonates and young infants at the hospital.Conclusion. In regions where TB and HIV preval nee is high, efforts to improve maternal and perinatal health must include the detection of TB in pregnancy

Factors associated with parental resolution of a child's autism diagnosis: A systematic review

BackgroundReceiving a child's autism diagnosis can be stressful; as such, parent resolution contributes to the wellbeing and development of healthy parent-child relationships. In other significant childhood diagnoses (e.g., cerebral palsy, diabetes), the degree to which parents adjust to (a) their child's diagnosis and (b) their changes in expectations concerning their child's development and capacity (referred to as resolution to diagnosis), has been associated with improved outcomes including facilitating parent-child relationships and improved parental wellbeing. Given potential benefits to parent and child, and the heterogenous nature of autism, examining the unique factors associated with resolution to diagnosis is important. In this systematic review we identified factors that support or inhibit parental resolution to their child receiving a diagnosis of autism.MethodsWe completed a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines of peer-reviewed studies from 2017 to 2022, that investigated parental resolution or acceptance of an autism diagnosis. Papers including “acceptance” needed to encompass both accepting the diagnosis and the implications regarding the child's abilities. We searched six databases (Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ProQuest), with additional papers located following review of reference lists.ResultsFourteen papers with 592 participants that investigated parental resolution or acceptance of an autism diagnosis, were included. We identified six common factors that facilitate or inhibit parental resolution and acceptance of an autism diagnosis including: symptom severity; religion, belief, and culture; knowledge and uncertainty; negative emotions (i.e., denial, shame, guilt); positive emotions; and support. Greater resolution was associated with improved “attunement and insightfulness” in the parent-child relationship.LimitationThe review was limited by the small number of studies meeting inclusion criteria. Second, the quality of included studies was mixed, with over half of the studies being qualitative and only one randomized control trial (RCT) identified.ConclusionParental resolution can have an impact on parent's perception of their child's capabilities and impact the parent-child relationship. We identified six categories that aid in inhibiting or promoting resolution to diagnosis. Despite taking a broad approach on the definition of resolution, the low number of studies identified in the review indicates a need for more research in this area.Systematic review registrationhttp://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, PROSPERO [ID: CRD42022336283]

Risk factors and outcomes of contrast-induced nephropathy in hospitalised South Africans

Background. Despite ranking third as a cause of hospital-acquired acute kidney injury (AKI), iatrogenic contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) impacts significantly on morbidity and mortality and is associated with high hospital costs. In  sub-Saharan Africa, the rates and risk factors for CIN and patient outcomes remain unexplored.Methods. We conducted a prospective observational study at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, South Africa, from 1 July 2014 to 30 July 2015. Hospitalised patients undergoing computed tomography scan contrast media administration and angiography were consecutively recruited to the study and followed up for development of AKI. CIN was defined as an increase in serum creatinine >25% or an absolute increase of >44 μmol/L from baseline at 48 - 72 hours post exposure to contrast media. Outcome variables were the occurrence of CIN, length of hospitalisation and in-hospital mortality.Results. We recruited 371 hospitalised patients with a mean (standard deviation) age of 49.3 (15.9). The rates of CIN, assessed using an absolute or relative increase in serum creatinine from baseline, were 4.6% and 16.4%, respectively. Anaemia was an independent predictor for the development of CIN (risk ratio (RR) 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 - 2.87; p=0.04). The median serum  albumin was 34 g/L (interquartile range (IQR) 29 - 39.5) and 38 g/L (IQR 31 - 42) in the CIN and control groups, respectively (p=0.01), and showed a significant trend for CIN development (RR 1.68, 95% CI 0.96 - 2.92; p=0.06). Mortality was  significantly increased in the CIN group (22.4% v. 6.8%; p<0.001), and CIN  together with anaemia increased mortality twofold (RR 2.39, 95% CI 1.20 - 4.75; p=0.01) and threefold (RR 3.32, 95% CI 1.48 - 7.43; p=0.003), respectively.Conclusions. CIN has a relatively high incidence in sub-Saharan Africa and predicts poorer clinical outcomes. The presence of CIN and anaemia positively predicted mortality. Caution should be exercised in patients with hypoalbuminaemia and anaemia undergoing contrast media administration

Self-ordered TiO2 quantum dot array prepared via anodic oxidation

The template-based methods belong to low-cost and rapid preparation techniques for various nanostructures like nanowires, nanotubes, and nanodots or even quantum dots [QDs]. The nanostructured surfaces with QDs are very promising in the application as a sensor array, also called 'fluorescence array detector.' In particular, this new sensing approach is suitable for the detection of various biomolecules (DNA, proteins) in vitro (in clinical diagnostics) as well as for in vivo imaging

A small proportion of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia, compared to healthcare-associated cases, in two South African province

Article published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & infectious diseasesWe compared the proportion of cases of community-associated and healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA, respectively) bacteraemia among patients at five hospitals in the Gauteng and Western Cape provinces in South Africa and described the molecular characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility trends. This was a cross-sectional study using data collected by enhanced surveillance for S. aureus bacteraemia. A total of 2511 cases of S. aureus bacteraemia were identified from January 2013 to January 2016. Among 1914 cases of S. aureus, 557 (29.1%) cases were identified as MRSA infection. Forty-four cases (44/1914 [2.3%] of all S. aureus cases) were considered CA-MRSA infection and 513/1914 (26.8% of all cases) had HA-MRSA infection; the majority were neonates. CA-MRSA constituted 7.9% (44/557) of all cases of MRSA infection. Staphylococcus aureus isolates demonstrated significantly reduced susceptibility to the following classes of antimicrobial agents: macrolides, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides and cotrimoxazole, in 2015 compared to 2013 (p < 0.05). Of the 557 MRSA isolates, 484 (87%) were typed for SCCmec elements and spa types: the most common SCCmec type was type III (n = 236, 48.76%), followed by type IV (n = 144, 29.76%). The most common spa types were t037 (n = 229, 47.31%) and t1257 (n = 90, 18.60%). Of 28 isolates selected for multilocus sequence typing (MLST), the most common sequence types (STs) were ST239 and ST612 of clonal complex 8 (CC8) (n = 8 each) and a novel ST (ST4121) was obtained for one isolate. This study demonstrates that S. aureus bacteraemia is common in South African academic centres and characterised by HA-MRSA SCCmec types III and IV. A small proportion of CA-MRSA cases were caused by a few different sequence types

Pregnancy Incidence and Correlates during the HVTN 503 Phambili HIV Vaccine Trial Conducted among South African Women

HIV prevention trials are increasingly being conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Women at risk for HIV are also at risk of pregnancy. To maximize safety, women agree to avoid pregnancy during trials, yet pregnancies occur. Using data from the HVTN 503/"Phambili" vaccine trial, we report pregnancy incidence during and after the vaccination period and identify factors, measured at screening, associated with incident pregnancy.To enrol in the trial, women agreed and were supported to avoid pregnancy until 1 month after their third and final vaccination ("vaccination period"), corresponding to the first 7 months of follow-up. Unsterilized women, pooled across study arms, were analyzed. Poisson regression compared pregnancy rates during and after the vaccination period. Cox proportional hazards regression identified associations with first pregnancy.Among 352 women (median age 23 yrs; median follow-up 1.5 yrs), pregnancy incidence was 9.6/100 women-years overall and 6.8/100 w-yrs and 11.3/100 w-yrs during and after the vaccination period, respectively [Rate Ratio = 0.60 (0.32-1.14), p = 0.10]. In multivariable analysis, pregnancy was reduced among women who: enrolled at sites providing contraception on-site [HR = 0.43, 95% CI (0.22-0.86)]; entered the trial as injectable contraceptive users [HR = 0.37 (0.21-0.67)] or as consistent condom users (trend) [HR = 0.54 (0.28-1.04)]. Compared with women with a single partner of HIV-unknown status, pregnancy rates were increased among women with: a single partner whose status was HIV-negative [HR = 2.34(1.16-4.73)] and; 2 partners both of HIV-unknown status [HR = 4.42(1.59-12.29)]. Women with 2 more of these risk factors: marijuana use, heavy drinking, or use of either during sex, had increased pregnancy incidence [HR = 2.66 (1.24-5.72)].It is possible to screen South African women for pregnancy risk at trial entry. Providing injectable contraception for free on-site and supporting consistent condom use may reduce incident pregnancy. Screening should determine the substance use, partnering, and HIV status of both members of the couple for both pregnancy and HIV prevention.SA National Health Research Database DOH-27-0207-1539; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00413725