Patterns of antimicrobial susceptibility among bacterial pathogens in South Africa

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Critical reflections on designing product service systems

In response to unsustainability and the prospect of resource scarcity, lifestyles dominated by resource throughput are being challenged. This paper focuses on a design experiment that sought to introduce alternative resource consumption pathways in the form of product service systems (PSS) to satisfy household demand and reduce consumer durable household waste. In contrast to many other PSS examples this project did not begin with sustainability benefits, rather the preferences of supply and demand actors and the bounded geographical locations represented by two UK housing developments. The paper addresses the process through which the concept PSS were designed, selected and evaluated, alongside the practical and commercial parameters of the project. It proposes the need for a shift to further emphasize the importance of the design imperative in creating different PSS outcomes that reorganize relationships between people, resources and the environment

Contact angle measurement using a Hele-Shaw cell: A proof-of-concept study

Contact angle is an important property to quantify the wettability of a solid surface with a liquid, which characterizes interactions of the solid-liquid pair. Generally, to measure contact angle, special instruments such as a goniometer are necessary, but they are not readily available in certain research settings. In this study, an alternative method to measure contact angle based on a Hele-Shaw cell, microscopy imaging, and image processing is suggested. In this method, a liquid drop is injected into a transparent Hele-Shaw cell, the meniscus of the drop is captured in the top or bottom view using a brightfield microscope, and the contact angle is measured from the captured image based on a geometrical model of the drop in the Hele-Shaw cell. The proposed method was tested using two different liquids (deionized water and glycerol) and two different solid surfaces (polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS] and commercial water-repellent-coated glass) with various gap heights of Hele-Shaw cells and validated in comparison with a goniometer. Our results show that the proposed method could measure contact angles reasonably well. Although the concept of the proposed quick-and-dirty contact angle measurement method was proven in this study, there is still room to improve the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method

Contact angle measurement using a Hele-Shaw cell: A proof-of-concept study

Contact angle is an important property to quantify the wettability of a solid surface with a liquid, which characterizes interactions of the solid-liquid pair. Generally, to measure contact angle, special instruments such as a goniometer are necessary, but they are not readily available in certain research settings. In this study, an alternative method to measure contact angle based on a Hele-Shaw cell, microscopy imaging, and image processing is suggested. In this method, a liquid drop is injected into a transparent Hele-Shaw cell, the meniscus of the drop is captured in the top or bottom view using a brightfield microscope, and the contact angle is measured from the captured image based on a geometrical model of the drop in the Hele-Shaw cell. The proposed method was tested using two different liquids (deionized water and glycerol) and two different solid surfaces (polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS] and commercial water-repellent-coated glass) with various gap heights of Hele-Shaw cells and validated in comparison with a goniometer. Our results show that the proposed method could measure contact angles reasonably well. Although the concept of the proposed quick-and-dirty contact angle measurement method was proven in this study, there is still room to improve the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method

Prenatal effects by exposing to amoxicillin on dental enamel in Wistar rats

Amoxicillin is an antibiotic widely prescribed; its most frequent side effects are gastrointestinal disorders and hypersensitivity reactions. Over the last 10 years studies have been published which suggest that amoxicillin may cause dental alterations similar to dental fluorosis. Never the less, the results are not conclusive, this is why it was planned the need to make controlled studies on test animals. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect produced by amoxicillin prenatal administration on dental enamel in Wistar rats. Study Design: 12 pregnant adult rats were used distributed into five different groups: witness control (n=2) didn't get any treatment; negative control (n=2) they were prescribed with saline solution; positive control (n=3) they were prescribed with tetracycline 130 mg/kg, and two groups (n=3 and n=2) treated with amoxicillin doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg respectively. The treatments were daily administered by mouth, from the 6th gestation day to the end of gestation. Twenty five days after they were born, the offspring were sacrificed with a sodium pentobarbital overdose, the mandible was dissected and the first lower molars were gotten. The samples were fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution and clinically and histologically observed to determine any enamel disorders. Results: hypomineralization was observed in every single sample of the tetracyclic and amoxicillin treated group 100 mg/kg, meanwhile only 50% from the group administered with 50 mg/kg amoxicillin showed this histological disorder. Conclusions: the side effect caused by amoxicillin on dental enamel was doses dependent

Artificiell natur

Genom att undersöka begrepp som natur, det vilda och det sublima, i en idéhistorisk tillbakablick baserad i västerländsk kulturtradition, presenteras en ny möjlighet för efterbehandling av kalkstensbrottet Västra brottet i Slite på Gotland. En analys av platsen och tidigare nämnda begrepp leder till en förändring av det befintliga förslaget på efterbehandlingsplan. Denna aktuella efterbehandlingsplans tyngdpunkt ligger i införande av habitat. Förslaget i detta arbete är att en ”social efterbehandling” som har möjlighet att aktivera hela orten tillförs. Det inbegriper frågor som rör lokal identitet och brandingmöjligheter för Cementa, företaget som producerar cement på orten. Förslaget syftar till att bredda efterbehandlingen från att bara röra införandet av natur till att generera identitet. En pågående trend som stöder denna syn på efterbehandling kan urskiljas på norra Gotland, genom ett flertal exempel på efterbehandling som syftar till turism, istället för att bara addera natur till platsen, ofta med en postindustriell estetik. Detta leder till att nya möjligheter öppnas för turistnäringen att saluföra norra Gotland med ytterligare en attraktion. Därefter presenteras ett skissförslag för Västra brottet som förenar för området ovanliga biotoper med rekreation, identitetsskapande och brandingmöjligheter.By examining the concepts of nature, the wild and the sublime, in a historical retrospect based in the Western cultural tradition, other opportunities for reclamation of a limestone quarry, the Western quarry, in Slite on the island of Gotland, is discovered. An analysis of the site and the aforementioned concepts leads to a change in the present suggestion for reclamation. The emphasis in this suggested plan on habitat restoration. The work in this thesis is based on the addition of a “social reclamation” which would be able to activate the entire community. This comprises issues spanning from local identity to branding opportunities for Cementa, the company that produces cement in Slite. The proposal aims to broaden the reclamation on the site from just concerning the adding of nature to the generation of identity. An ongoing trend that supports this point of view can be made out on northern Gotland by several examples of reclamation which is also based on tourism, instead of just adding nature to the site, often with a post-industrial aesthetic. This leads to new opportunities for the tourism industry to brand northern Gotland with another tourist attraction. That is followed by a design draft for the Western quarry that combines habitats that are unusual for the area with recreation and the formation of identity and branding

Femoral nerve palsy caused by ileopectineal bursitis after total hip replacement: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Infectious ileopectineal bursitis is a rare complication after total hip replacement and is associated mainly with rheumatoid arthritis. The main complications are local swelling and pain, but communication of the inflamed bursa with the joint can occur, leading to subsequent cartilage damage and bone destruction.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of a 47-year-old Caucasian woman without rheumatoid arthritis who reported pain and palsy in her left leg almost one year after total hip replacement. She was diagnosed with an ileopectineal bursitis after total hip replacement, leading to femoral nerve palsy. The diagnosis was obtained by thorough clinical examination, the results of focused computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of non-infectious ileopectineal bursitis in a patient without rheumatoid arthritis as a complication of total hip replacement. This rare case underlines the importance of proper neurologic examination of persistent conditions after orthopedic intervention in otherwise healthy individuals. We believe this case should be useful for a broad spectrum of medical specialties, including orthopedics, neurology, radiology, and general practice.</p

El cinematógrafo contra el caníbal: Ruido y modernidad en el primer cine sonoro venezolano

This essay explores the origins of Venezuelan sound cinema, along with issues of representation of gender and “race”. I discuss La Venus de Nácar (Efraín Gómez, 1932) and The Dance of the Skeletons (Herbert Weisz, 1934). These exemplify a “scopic regime” emerging from a contradictory modernization process during the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935). He founded the National Laboratories where the first national sound films were produced. In addition, both films articulate a particular “racialization of the gaze”, in which a modernizing impulse coexist with a deep discomfort in the face of the “noise” generated by ethnic realties of the country.Keywords: talkies, social representations, racialization, modernization, Venezuela___________ El cinematógrafo contra el caníbal: Ruido y modernidad en el primer cine sonoro venezolanoResumen: Este trabajo explora los orígenes del cine sonoro venezolano, a partir de mecanismos de representación del género y la “raza”. Discutiré, en particular, La Venus de Nácar (Efraín Gómez, 1932) y La danza de los esqueletos (Herbert Weisz, 1934). Estos dos ejemplos ponen en escena un régimen escópico surgido de un contradictorio proceso de modernización bajo la dictadura de Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935), quien fundó los Laboratorios Nacionales donde se produjeron las primeras películas sonoras del país. Ambas articulan, además, una “racialización de mirada”, en la que se confunden la pulsión modernizadora y la incomodidad frente a lo que se concibe como el ruido atávico o el lastre premoderno de lo indígena y lo africano. Una realidad social se percibe como “disonante” por no asimilarse a las pautas modernizadoras de la intelligentsia gomecista o por obstaculizar los proyectos económicos de las élites.Palabras clave: cine sonoro, representaciones sociales, racialización, modernización, Venezuela.___________ O cinematógrafo contra o canibal: barulho e modernidade nos primeiros filmes falados venezuelanos Resumo: Este ensaio explora as origens do cinema sonoro venezuelano, junto com questões de representação de gênero e “raça”. Discuto La Venus de Nácar (Efraín Gómez, 1932) e A Dança dos Esqueletos (Herbert Weisz, 1934). Estes exemplificam um “regime escópico” emergindo de um contraditório processo de modernização durante a ditadura de Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935). Fundou os Laboratórios Nacionais onde foram produzidos os primeiros filmes sonoros nacionais. Além disso, os dois filmes articulam uma particular “racialização do olhar”, em que coexiste um impulso modernizador com um profundo desconforto diante do “ruído” gerado pelas realidades étnicas do país.Palavras chave: filme de som, representações sociais, racialização, modernização, Venezuela.___________ Date of reception: 5th August 2020Date of acceptance: 21st October 2020Este trabajo explora los orígenes del cine sonoro venezolano, a partir de mecanismos de representación del género y la “raza”. Discutiré, en particular, La Venus de Nácar (Efraín Gómez, 1932) y La danza de los esqueletos (Herbert Weisz, 1934). Estos dos ejemplos ponen en escena un régimen escópico surgido de un contradictorio proceso de modernización bajo la dictadura de Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935), quien fundó los Laboratorios Nacionales donde se produjeron las primeras películas sonoras del país. Ambas articulan, además, una “racialización de mirada”, en la que se confunden la pulsión modernizadora y la incomodidad frente a lo que se concibe como el ruido atávico o el lastre premoderno de lo indígena y lo africano. Una realidad social se percibe como “disonante” por no asimilarse a las pautas modernizadoras de la intelligentsia gomecista o por obstaculizar los proyectos económicos de las élites.Palabras clave: cine sonoro, representaciones sociales, racialización, modernización, Venezuela___________ The Cinematograph against the Cannibal: Noise and Modernity in Early Venezuelan Talkies Abstract: This essay explores the origins of Venezuelan sound cinema, along with issues of representation of gender and “race”. I discuss La Venus de Nácar (Efraín Gómez, 1932) and The Dance of the Skeletons (Herbert Weisz, 1934). These exemplify a “scopic regime” emerging from a contradictory modernization process during the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935). He founded the National Laboratories where the first national sound films were produced. In addition, both films articulate a particular “racialization of the gaze”, in which a modernizing impulse coexist with a deep discomfort in the face of the “noise” generated by ethnic realties of the country.Keywords: talkies, social representations, racialization, modernization, Venezuela___________ O cinematógrafo contra o canibal: barulho e modernidade nos primeiros filmes falados venezuelanosResumo: Este ensaio explora as origens do cinema sonoro venezuelano, junto com questões de representação de gênero e “raça”. Discuto La Venus de Nácar (Efraín Gómez, 1932) e A Dança dos Esqueletos (Herbert Weisz, 1934). Estes exemplificam um “regime escópico” emergindo de um contraditório processo de modernização durante a ditadura de Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935). Fundou os Laboratórios Nacionais onde foram produzidos os primeiros filmes sonoros nacionais. Além disso, os dois filmes articulam uma particular “racialização do olhar”, em que coexiste um impulso modernizador com um profundo desconforto diante do “ruído” gerado pelas realidades étnicas do país.Palavras chave:filme de som, representações sociais, racialização, modernização, Venezuela.___________ Fecha de recepción: 5 de agosto de 2020Fecha de aceptación: 21 de ocubre de 202